allendalepharm Chapter 21 Tang 3's First Meeting with Xiao Wu
Chapter 21 Tang 3's First Meeting with Xiao Wu
Three days later, a simple horse-drawn carriage departed from Five Souls Village, slowly making its way along the dirt road towards Notting City. On board was a family of four, and also a child's dream of changing the world.
At the village entrance, under the old locust tree, children and villagers gathered to see them off.
"Brother Zu! Sister Xiao Wu! Come back to see us during your vacation!"
"Aunt Su, Uncle Yan, are you doing well in the city!"
"Ah Zu, remember to have someone bring back your new story!"
Yan Zu leaned out of the car window and waved vigorously. Xiao Wu squeezed in too, her eyes red, but she still smiled: "I'll definitely come back! I'll bring you candy from the city!"
As the carriage drove further and further away, Wuhun Village became a tiny dot on the horizon in the golden-red dawn.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Wu leaned against Su Qing's chest, while Yan Zu sat side by side with his father. Yan Hu patted his son's shoulder without saying a word, but the warmth from his broad hand spoke volumes.
As dawn breaks, Nottingham slowly awakens in the autumn sunshine.
In a clean and tidy courtyard in the west of the city, Su Qing was carefully adjusting Yan Zu's collar. The coarse cloth Notting College uniform on Yan Zu still couldn't hide his mature demeanor beyond his years.
Six-year-old Yan Zu stood in the morning light, his figure a head taller than other children his age, yet he still retained the roundness characteristic of a child.
His face was so fair it was almost translucent, and his cheeks still had a touch of baby fat. However, due to years of practicing the Nine Yin Manual, his jawline was clearly defined, making him look less childish and more refined and handsome, a trait unique to young men.
What's most striking are his eyes—pure black pupils like obsidian soaked in water, crystal clear, yet deep within them lies a calmness and clarity beyond his years.
Su Qing folded the collar of her son's school uniform neatly and then reached out to smooth the stray hairs on his forehead. The black hair was as soft as the finest silk, and felt slightly cool as it slid through her fingertips.
Looking at Yan Zu's incredibly handsome face, she felt both proud and bittersweet—proud of her son's precociousness and extraordinary talent, and bittersweet knowing that he was destined to go further than she had imagined.
From outside the courtyard came Xiao Wu's clear voice: "Little brother A-Zu, hurry up! We're going to be late!"
Xiao Wu skipped over, her long, smooth pink hair braided into a long plait that reached her calves, the ends tied with a simple strip of cloth. She wore a new pink dress that Su Qing had made for her, the hem of which fluttered as she twirled, revealing a section of her fair and slender calves, her waist so delicate it seemed one could wrap one arm around it.
After this period of training, her figure became increasingly light and agile, and every move she made carried a sense of nimbleness. Her big, watery eyes seemed to hold the clearest spring water in the forest, and when she blinked, her long, curled eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. Her pink lips were slightly upturned, and even when she wasn't smiling, she had a touch of natural charm.
What's most striking is her exquisitely beautiful face, with skin so white it's almost translucent, glowing with a healthy rosy hue in the sunlight. Her delicate nose is pert and upturned, and two sharp canine teeth are faintly visible at the corners of her mouth, adding a touch of playful wild beauty to her.
"When you get to the academy, listen to your teachers and get along well with your classmates," Su Qing gently instructed, her eyes filled with reluctance. "If anyone bullies you... don't suffer in silence, come back and tell your parents."
Yan Hu stood at the gate of the courtyard, carrying a bulging package on his back. Inside were pancakes and boiled eggs that Su Qing had made early that morning.
"Let's go, Dad will see you to the academy gate." Yan Hu grinned, but his eyes held worry. He knew his child was extraordinary, but as a parent, he couldn't help but worry.
Notting Junior Soul Master Academy is located in the east of the city. Inside the stone-built walls are several ancient teaching buildings and a spacious playground.
It was the start of the new school year, and the college gate was bustling with activity. Parents seeing their children off, curious freshmen, and upperclassmen maintaining order created a lively scene.
Inside the stone walls of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, the hustle and bustle of the first day of school was palpable.
Yan Zu and Xiao Wu followed the crowd toward the auditorium for the freshman test. Just as they passed through the atrium, a gaze inadvertently fell upon them from behind an open window on the second floor.
Tang San had just finished helping Yu Xiaogang organize a batch of theoretical manuscripts and was leaning against the window for some fresh air. His gaze drifted aimlessly across the bustling crowd below until—a splash of pink suddenly caught his eye.
A morning breeze swept across the schoolyard, gently lifting the girl's distinctive scorpion braid at the back of her head. Her pink hair shimmered in the rising sunlight. She was talking to the boy beside her, her profile delicate, her nose slightly upturned in a charmingly innocent curve.
Then she turned back and smiled.
At that moment, Tang San felt that the noisy voices in the academy, the wind brushing his cheeks, and even the sunlight falling all suddenly faded and stopped.
He could clearly see the two small canine teeth at the corners of her mouth, and the bright light shining in her crescent-shaped eyes. That light was pure and lively, like a fawn leaping across a stream for the first time in the forest, carrying an innocent clarity and vigorous vitality.
She possesses a contradictory yet fatal attraction—she exudes both an untainted purity and the innocent charm unique to young girls.
These two qualities blend perfectly in her upturned lips, swaying waist, and captivating eyes, weaving an invisible net.
Tang San felt something squeeze his heart tightly, then suddenly release it, the sound of his blood rushing through his ears pounding.
He had seen the most beautiful girls in Holy Soul Village and the smartly dressed young women on the streets of Notting City, but he had never seen anyone like this before.
Unlike anyone else, she was like a wild rose blooming on its own in the mountains, glistening with dew, vibrant and bright, with an innate allure.
However, in the next instant, the light took on a clear direction.
The girl looked up at the silent, dark-haired boy beside her. The trust and affection in her eyes were overwhelming, as if, though the world was vast, only the person before her was worthy of such unconditional trust. She even naturally reached out to brush imaginary dust from the boy's shoulder, a gesture both familiar and intimate.
"if……"
A strange and burning thought suddenly arose, making Tang San's throat dry.
"If the person standing next to her... were me."
The thought had barely surfaced when he ruthlessly suppressed it. Reason returned, and the cold reality settled in: she was someone else's companion, and the way she looked at that boy was so focused.
Tang San gripped the window frame tightly, the wooden frame groaning softly. His knuckles turned white from the excessive force. He lowered his eyes, and when he looked up again, the fleeting amazement and excitement had been suppressed deep within them, covered by a layer of obscure color. He silently memorized the two figures, then turned and left the window.