23. Precious Aura

Near the entrance of the academy, the sound of the news broadcast drifted from the security guard's small office, where Old Li was eating noodles while watching TV.

"Eating?"

"Yes, yes, that's right. Young Master Zhang is back. Where did you park the car?"

"In the parking lot."

"You should have just parked it inside the academy; it would have saved you the parking fee."

"It's not safe, with all the children running around."

The academy grounds were spacious, but parking was strictly prohibited. That was the rule. Although Zhang Tan was the owner, he felt he shouldn't break his own regulations. It was always a safety concern to park inside when the kids were constantly dashing about.

"Uncle, come here, hurry!"

Xiao Bai was standing under a mulberry tree, waving at him. He couldn't help but suspect that this little girl was specifically waiting for him.

"What's up?" Zhang Tan walked over and asked.

"Come on, hurry! The kids want to watch an episode of cartoons." Her small face was filled with anticipation.

"Hmm, if you want to watch, then watch. Ask Teacher Xiao Liu to turn on the TV for you."

"Teacher Xiao Liu won't turn it on."

"Why?"

"Hmph, you go ask Teacher Xiao Liu what she's thinking. Why won't she let the children be happy? My heart is burning with rage today!"

"What's wrong? Why are you 'burning with rage' again?" You're only a few sentences in and you're already furious—are you the Red Boy?

"Waaaah... my cricket is gone!"

Zhang Tan struggled to recall before realizing that "cricket" was what she called her pet. He remembered the black, oversized cricket she had been carrying in a glass jar the other day.

As he headed back to his room, he asked casually, "Lost it? How did that happen?"

Xiao Bai trotted after him, whispering in her Sichuan dialect, "I strongly suspect that little brat Luo Zikang did it."

Zhang Tan took the keys from his bag to unlock the door, then turned back to Xiao Bai, who was standing at the entrance. "You shouldn't make accusations without evidence. Come on in and sit for a while."

Xiao Bai nodded, took off her tiny shoes, and lifted her small feet to show him. "Look, Uncle, I'm wearing the new socks you bought me. I ran as fast as a lightning bolt today!"

What on earth was a "lightning bolt" in her dialect?

"Put on your slippers." Zhang Tan found her small slippers for her.

"Slippers!" Xiao Bai put them on happily.

Zhang Tan: [・_・?]

He put down his bag and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. As he busied himself around the house, Xiao Bai stood in the living room, chatting away.

"I'm going to take a shower. Why don't you sit here for a bit? I'll get you some snacks and turn on the TV."

"What? You're going to scrub yourself?" Xiao Bai asked, surprised. She shook her head immediately. "Then I'm leaving. I'm a girl, you know."

With that, she ignored Zhang Tan's attempt to keep her and left, as if she were afraid he might do something untoward.

***

This little girl certainly had a strong sense of self-protection.

That was fine, too. Zhang Tan locked the door, took his shower, and upon coming out, noticed a handful of boiled peanuts sitting on a small stool in the living room. When had they been put there? He hadn't noticed them before.

He picked up a peanut and cracked it open. The plump, round peanut inside was, as Xiao Bai would say, fragrant.

Dressed in shorts and a grey T-shirt, Zhang Tan stepped out. As he went downstairs, he heard the sound of a child crying. In the academy, crying was nothing unusual—it happened every day—but this cry sounded familiar. It sounded like Xiao Bai!

He took the stairs two at a time, and upon reaching the first floor, he saw that it was indeed Xiao Bai crying.

"What's wrong? Why is Xiao Bai crying?" Zhang Tan asked. How could such a resilient and optimistic child be sobbing like this in the blink of an eye?

Xiao Bai looked at him with teary eyes but remained where she was, crying. Mi Mi and Meng Chengcheng were trying to comfort her, and the sweet, dim-witted Meng Chengcheng was silently shedding tears as well. Luo Zikang was also crying, though not as loudly as Xiao Bai this time. Last time, it had been the complete opposite.

Zhang Tan guessed they must have fought again. Teacher Xiao Liu explained that he was right—they had indeed fought, and this time, Xiao Bai had lost and gotten beaten up, which was why she was crying.

Confidence might be intimidating, but it didn't guarantee victory.

Teacher Xiao Liu and the others were already handling the situation, so Zhang Tan didn't intervene. After a while, Teacher Xiao Liu figured out the sequence of events and came over to inform him.

The incident started because Xiao Bai’s cricket had gone missing, leaving only an empty bottle. She suspected Luo Zikang and started an argument with him. Zhang Tan was speechless; he had told her not to make accusations without evidence, but she hadn't been able to help herself and had confronted him.

He thought that was why they fought, but Teacher Xiao Liu clarified that they had only been arguing at first.

"Xiao Bai was wearing new socks today and showing them off to everyone. Luo Zikang saw them and made a few comments, which is what led to the fight," Teacher Xiao Liu explained.

Zhang Tan: "..."

Teacher Xiao Liu elaborated further: Luo Zikang had called Xiao Bai a "hillbilly" and said her clothes were hideous.

"And he also..." Teacher Xiao Liu hesitated.

"Said what?"

"He called her stupid."

"Stupid?" But Xiao Bai was so clever.

"She doesn't know how to read."

"..." Zhang Tan asked curiously, "Does she really not know how to read?"

Teacher Xiao Liu nodded. "She really doesn't. A child her age should be in kindergarten, but she hasn't been. Her family never taught her, and the few words she knows now, she learned here at the academy."

Zhang Tan asked, "But I often see her curled up with a picture book, reading with great interest, even forgetting to sleep."

"She's looking at the pictures and guessing the stories," Teacher Xiao Liu replied.

Zhang Tan suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

***

"How will you handle this today?"

"Both of them are at fault, so both will have to stand in the corner and reflect on their behavior."

Zhang Tan didn't say anything. He didn't know much about educating children, so he left it to Teacher Xiao Liu and the others.

Since Xiao Bai was going to be punished that evening, Zhang Tan didn't go back downstairs to check on the children. Instead, he stayed home and watched *The Lamp Bearer*, starting from the first episode.

The next day at work, Luo Ming provided him with a recommendation, and he would do his best to become the screenwriter for *The Lamp Bearer*. Because the project was relatively simple, there wouldn't be a large writing team; he would be working on it alone.

Comics had their own language, and animation had another. Zhang Tan needed to translate the comic into an animated format, which required simplifying and condensing the plot. However, his principle was to maintain the style of the original work as much as possible without changing the main storyline. The fact that this comic had carved out a path to success in the market proved its value; changing too much would be counterproductive and diminish the original's charm.

Zhang Tan spent the entire day in the office studying the comic and only started writing towards the end of the day.

Driving home, he planned to lock himself in his room to work. Upon entering the academy, he heard someone call "Uncle." He turned to see Xiao Bai, accompanied by a middle-aged woman dressed in plain clothes, with a small stool and a cloth bag at her feet.

"Xiao Bai, you're early today," Zhang Tan said.

The little girl's eyes were red and slightly swollen.

"You must be Xiao Bai's aunt, right?" Zhang Tan stepped forward, remembering that the file stated her aunt's name was Ma Lanhua.

"Yes, I'm Xiao Bai's aunt. Hello, teacher. My Xiao Bai got into a fight yesterday, and I've come to apologize."

Ma Lanhua’s face was filled with a smile, causing her wrinkles to bunch up. Xiao Bai's Mandarin probably came from her—that distinct Sichuan accent.

Zhang Tan looked at Xiao Bai, who was pouting and looking down, silent.

"Both children were at fault for yesterday's incident, so it's not entirely Xiao Bai's fault. However, no matter what happens, fighting is never the answer. There are many better ways to solve problems, right?"

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, teacher," Ma Lanhua nodded repeatedly.

Seeing Xiao Bai still silent, she reached out and tapped her on the head. "You little brat, speak up! The teacher is asking if you understand, right?"

Xiao Bai held her head with both hands, aggrieved. "Got it."

Ma Lanhua glared at her. "Got it? You silly thing, he asked if you understood, not if you 'got it'!"

Xiao Bai continued to hold her head, puffing out her cheeks, and replied weakly, "Sure~"

Ma Lanhua was exasperated. "Sure what! Just say you understand and apologize to the teacher!"

"Uncle, I was wrong. Fighting isn't my strong suit."

Her aunt groaned in frustration. "You're just a tiny tot, and you think fighting isn't your strong suit? Just realized that, have you? Who could you possibly beat? The dogs or cats in the alley?"

Xiao Bai retorted, "The cats and dogs are my good friends! Why would I fight with them?"

"Who are you calling friends? They're filthy! If you keep messing with those stray animals, I'll show you!"

"Bullying a four-year-old, what kind of good aunt are you?"

"Say that one more time, and see what happens!"

"...I love you so much, Auntie~"

Ma Lanhua rolled her eyes at her. "You little rascal, you're a handful!"