Nannan had barely finished changing out of her princess dress when the neighbor girl, Xiaoyan, rang the doorbell.
Xiaoyan was Nannan's age and quite pretty—round-faced with large, bright eyes. She and Nannan had been friends since Nannan could remember. Every holiday, Nannan would visit Xiaoyan. Because Xiaoyan's father was the village head, Xiaoyan often heard news that other children didn't know about. Nannan had heard just days ago that Xiaoyan had gone to visit an aunt in the city, and she was surprised to find she'd already returned.
The moment Nannan opened the door, Xiaoyan launched into conversation: "Nannan! I just got back from my aunt's house today and heard you had an accident. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Nannan said, nodding. She then stepped outside and pulled Xiaoyan into the courtyard.
"I also heard that Xiao He's father gave him a terrible beating," Xiaoyan continued.
Because Aunt Mei and Uncle Qiang were still objecting to her going fishing at Brother White's house, and Nannan was still scheming about how to convince them, she wasn't paying full attention to this topic. She merely nodded absently in response.
"But why are you dressed like that today? Did you go to a charity event again?" Xiaoyan asked curiously, as if just noticing the princess dress.
The last time Nannan had worn something like this, she had indeed gone to a charity event with her mother.
"No, I went to thank the new neighbors. To thank them for saving my life," Nannan said solemnly, pronouncing each word of "saving my life" carefully, as it was a new phrase she'd just learned.
"Oh, the new neighbors! I heard my father and mother talking about them," Xiaoyan lowered her voice. "My father says they're very mysterious, probably foreigners. That courtyard where they live has been empty for a long time. They just moved in recently."
"You certainly are well-informed! Do you know anything else?" Xiaoyan's information piqued Nannan's interest, and she encouraged her friend eagerly.
Xiaoyan was delighted by the praise and said, "That's all I know for now. But I'll tell you everything I find out later." Then she asked curiously, "Did you see what they look like today?"
"I only saw the boy who saved me. I didn't meet any of the adults. Uncle Qiang said their family name is Yuwen, but I don't think that's right," Nannan said, shaking her head as she recalled Uncle Qiang's awkward moment when calling Brother White "Young Master Yuwen." She looked at Xiaoyan and asked, "Do you know what their family name is?"
"My father didn't say. But I can find out for you," Xiaoyan offered.
With her friend's promise, Nannan began scheming about how to convince Aunt Mei to let her go fish at the "Yuwen house."
Nannan spent an entire evening trying to get Aunt Mei to change her mind and agree to let her visit Brother White's house, but all her efforts failed. Whether she argued her case logically or threw a tantrum, Aunt Mei remained gently but firmly insistent that Nannan shouldn't trouble their new neighbors further. Nannan considered going on a hunger strike to protest, but then decided that would be punishing herself, so she gave up that idea.
Early the next morning, as Nannan lay in bed trying to think of a new way to convince Aunt Mei, Aunt Mei pushed open her bedroom door.
"Time to get up, my little ancestor. Don't you still want to go fishing? I've prepared the fishing net for you. Come on, brush your teeth, wash your face, and eat breakfast."
"Go fishing at the Yuwen house? Didn't you both object yesterday? And now you're suddenly agreeing?" Nannan looked at Aunt Mei's calm face skeptically. "Did you ask my mother?"
"Yes, your mother agreed," Aunt Mei answered gently.
So her tantrum yesterday had worked after all—Aunt Mei had called her mother. Nannan was delighted that her plan was proceeding smoothly. But how come mother hadn't come yet?
Nannan looked at Aunt Mei and asked, "Then why hasn't Mother come?"
"She'll be here very soon," Aunt Mei said, not looking at Nannan but turning toward the bedroom door instead. "Get up now. If you're any later, the young master won't wait for you."
"You've already made arrangements with him?" Nannan asked toward Aunt Mei's retreating back.
"Yes. Now get up," Aunt Mei said without turning around.
Nannan was impressed by how efficiently Aunt Mei had handled things. Since Aunt Mei had called her mother, perhaps she'd learned more about the Yuwen family name issue?
So Nannan called out to Aunt Mei, who was nearly at the door: "Did Mother say what their family name actually is? They're not really Yuwen, are they?"
Aunt Mei stopped and turned around, speaking to Nannan in a teasing tone: "Why do you keep asking about that, my little detective? Stop being suspicious. Your mother said their name is Yuwen."
"Then what does their family do?" Nannan asked, remembering Xiaoyan's information.
"Sometimes I really do suspect there's a full-grown adult living inside that little head of yours, my little princess. Now get up and eat breakfast," Aunt Mei said, leaving the room without answering Nannan's question.
After breakfast, Nannan changed into her favorite blue T-shirt and white shorts, put on the white sun hat Aunt Mei had prepared, and set out. Uncle Qiang dropped her and Aunt Mei at the second gate of the Yuwen property and then left. Shiwei led them to the young master's study.
When Nannan and Aunt Mei arrived at the study door, the young master was, as always, quietly reading a book. This time he had changed into a different white robe, though it was still white.
"We're here, Brother White! See, I told you white suits you," Nannan said from the doorway.
Brother White, who had been absorbed in his reading, looked up at the sound of Nannan's cheerful voice and smiled.
"Miss Chu has arrived! Please, come in and sit. Have you had breakfast? Would you like me to have Wu-ma bring some pastries?" Brother White gestured for them to enter while asking solicitously.
"We've already eaten. And from now on, you can call me Nannan, just like Aunt Mei does. Can I go fishing now?" Nannan didn't enter the room.
"Of course, Nannan," Brother White agreed with an easygoing smile. "Would you like me to accompany you fishing?"
"No, I can manage on my own," Nannan answered confidently.
"Very well, as you wish, Nannan," Brother White said. Then, turning to Shiwei beside Nannan, he said, "Shiwei, please take Miss Chu to the fishing spot. I'll join you once I finish what I'm doing."
Shiwei took Nannan and Aunt Mei to a very safe fishing spot—a pavilion beside the corridor. The fishing net Aunt Mei had brought was the one her mother had used last year. With Aunt Mei's help, Nannan set it up, and to her surprise, it wasn't long before it was overflowing with fish.
Once the fish were placed in a bucket she'd brought along, Nannan grew bored. She said to Aunt Mei, "I'm going to see what Brother White is doing," and then skipped back to his study door. She found him reading again.
"Brother White, may I come in?" Nannan asked politely at the door.
Brother White looked up and smiled at her. "Back from fishing already, Nannan?" He pointed to the sofa and said, "Of course, you can always come in."
Nannan walked in and sat on the sofa. She noticed that chocolate cake had already been prepared on the table.
"The cake is for you," Brother White said, as if noticing her gaze and answering her unspoken question. Then he asked, "Did you enjoy fishing?"
"It was boring. I filled a whole bucket so quickly—no fun at all."
"Was it because it was too easy? Not challenging enough?"
Nannan was amazed at Brother White's mind-reading ability. "Yes, that's exactly it. It's no fun when it's too easy," she said, pouting slightly.
Brother White was amused by her expression and said, "Then how about I play a challenging game with you?"
"What kind of game?"
"Why don't we play chess?"
"Chess? I've never played. How do you play?" Nannan's excitement returned at the prospect of a new game.
For the next month, Brother White became Nannan's chess teacher. She had Aunt Mei accompany her to his house almost every day to practice. Brother White even gave her a chess set to take home and practice with. In the evenings, she played with Aunt Mei at home, then with Uncle Qiang, and even invited Xiaoyan to play. Nannan quickly found herself unbeatable against everyone—except Brother White.
One afternoon, Nannan was playing chess with Brother White and had already lost three games in a row. In the fourth game, she sat staring at the board. After studying for a long time, she realized there was no way to turn this loss into a win. She looked at Brother White, who was calmly watching her, and felt a surge of frustration that she could never beat him. In anger, she flipped the entire chessboard over. "I don't want to play anymore," she said, looking at the scattered pieces.
Aunt Mei was startled and rushed over to pick up the pieces from the floor. "Please forgive her, Young Master Yuwen. Nannan is still young," she said apologetically.
Brother White stood and walked over to Nannan. He smiled gently, reached out, and touched her head. "How could I be upset? Nannan, are you hungry? Let's not play chess today. Would you like a piece of cake?"
He then placed a plate of cake in front of Nannan.
After that, something remarkable happened: Nannan's chess skills improved dramatically. Soon she could draw with Brother White in every game.
Besides chess, Brother White sometimes taught Nannan to read characters, working hand-in-hand with her, and he would also read her fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm collection.
One afternoon, Brother White and Nannan sat facing each other on a sofa as he read:
Her skin was truly as white and tender as snow, yet flushed with the color of blood, and her hair was as dark and lustrous as ebony. So the Queen gave her the name Snow White. But Snow White had not yet grown up when her mother, the Queen, passed away.
When she heard this, Nannan's lips trembled slightly. "It seems Snow White's mother wasn't there for her either..." she said softly.
Hearing her words, Brother White stood and walked over to Nannan. He crouched down, placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. " Don't be sad, Nannan. I will accompany you."
Warmed by the tenderness in Brother White's gaze, Nannan slowly stood up, walked over, and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder—just as she used to do with her mother. Brother White said nothing, only gently patting her back.
Ever since Nannan's love of chocolate cake became known, Brother White's study always had several slices prepared. After she'd grown comfortable with him, Nannan often stayed for dinner, and Aunt Mei would help Wu-ma in the kitchen prepare food for her.
Meanwhile, Xiaoyan's intelligence-gathering mission was making little progress. Beyond what she'd already told Nannan, her father had no more information about the Yuwen family. Xiaoyan couldn't even be certain the family name was Yuwen. But she said with certainty, "This family definitely isn't from Daze. They're probably from Daheng next door. If they were from Daze, my father would have found out everything about them."
"What's different about people from Daheng compared to us?" Nannan asked curiously.
"Nothing much, I suppose. Oh, except for one thing—I heard my parents say that people from Daheng's country practice arranged betrothals," Xiaoyan said, rolling her eyes, then looked at Nannan and said, "You're so fond of chess now—was your rescuer the one who taught you? Maybe he's already betrothed to someone."
Though Nannan remembered that her father's ancestral home was also in Daheng, she had never been there and had never heard that her parents' marriage was due to an arranged betrothal.
But if Brother White really was from Daheng, would he, as Xiaoyan suggested, already have a future bride arranged for him?
One afternoon shortly after, while playing chess with Brother White, Nannan asked casually, "Brother White, how come you're here all alone?"
"I'm spending the summer here with my grandmother," Brother White answered in his usual gentle tone.
"Then how come I haven't seen your grandmother?" Nannan started staring at her chess piece—the Rook. She wasn't sure whether she should capture Brother White's Knight or if there was a trap awaiting her.
"My grandmother was worried you might feel awkward meeting an elder, so she asked me to keep you company. If you'd like to see her, I can take you to meet her. However, my grandmother caught a cold these past couple of days and is resting in the back garden. Once she recovers, I'll bring you to see her," Brother White said, and there seemed to be a note of concern about his grandmother's condition in his voice.
Aunt Mei, sitting nearby, quickly said, "Oh, your grandmother is ill? The temperature has been changing so much between day and night lately. It's easy to catch cold. And at her age, she needs to be especially careful. Has a doctor come? Is she taking medicine?"
"Brother White, you must make sure to get a good doctor for your grandmother," Nannan said, looking at him with concern, having noticed his worry.
Brother White glanced at both Aunt Mei and Nannan and replied gratefully, "Thank you for your concern. A doctor came to see my grandmother yesterday. He said it's just an ordinary cold and she'll recover soon. He's prescribed some herbal medicine for the kitchen to prepare." Brother White then looked at Nannan and said, "Once my grandmother is better, I'll bring you to visit her. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you."
Nannan felt there was something deeper in these words, but she couldn't figure out what. She decided not to worry about it for now. Since his grandmother was going to be fine, she felt reassured.
She continued with her earlier topic: " Then do you and grandmother plan to stay here for good?"
At the same time, her gaze returned to the chess piece in her hand—the Rook.
" I'll have to go back with grandmother to study when school starts. I probably won't stay here forever." Brother White said, and there seemed to be a hint of reluctance in his voice.
"So you're leaving when school starts? Then how will we play chess together after that?" Nannan's attention was still on the pieces. She had already decided to capture Brother White's Knight, so she placed her Rook next to it, considering the move.
"Are you sure about this move?" Brother White asked, looking at her first, then answered in a coaxing tone, "I'll come back during winter break. We can continue playing chess then."
It was a trap.
"Wait, let me think about this some more," Nannan said, withdrawing her Rook. She continued, "I heard that people from Daheng practice arranged betrothals. When you come back for winter break, will you be bringing a big sister with you? Then you won't have time to play with me." Nannan stared at the Rook in her hand, uncertain.
" A big sister?" Brother White seemed amused. He looked up at her and said with a faint smile, "That won't happen."
He didn't deny being from Daheng. So he is from Daheng, Nannan thought to herself.
"Then why don't we arrange a betrothal, just the two of us? That way, you'll only ever have time to play with me," Nannan said. Her attention was still on the chessboard, and she wasn't looking at Brother White.
Brother White didn't seem surprised by her suggestion at all. He smiled and looked at her, answering with complete certainty, " As you wish."
Nannan finished her deliberation and moved her Rook to capture Brother White's Knight.
"Are you absolutely sure this time?" Brother White reminded her gently. " No regrets after the move?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Nannan answered firmly. "No regrets after the move."
That evening when they returned home, Aunt Mei and Uncle Qiang teased Nannan about having arranged a betrothal at such a young age. Nannan countered, "Isn't Brother White good? And didn't Mother approve?" Then she walked away with her head held high.
Nannan thought the summer days would continue on peacefully and leisurely. With Brother White's companionship, she had even forgotten that her mother hadn't kept her promise. But one day in early August, a month later, Brother White made his first visit to their home.
It was a bright, sunny morning. Nannan had just sat down at the dining table with Aunt Mei to eat breakfast when she suddenly heard the doorbell.
Aunt Mei opened the door to find the Yuwen family's young master standing there, dressed in a dark blue suit.
Aunt Mei asked in surprise, "Young Master Yuwen, why have you come so suddenly? Weren't we supposed to go practice chess at your house this afternoon? Please, come in and sit."
Nannan quickly ran to the door and took his hand, asking, "Brother White, why are you dressed like that? Is something wrong?"
Though Brother White looked handsome in the dark suit, Nannan could sense that he hadn't dressed this way just for appearance's sake.
Brother White answered very seriously, "There's been an urgent matter at home. I've come to say goodbye. My driver is waiting in the car—I have to leave immediately."
Aunt Mei replied, "Then please be careful on the road."
Brother White nodded to Aunt Mei, then Crouched down in front of Nannan and pulled her into his arms. Speaking softly, he said, "Nannan, I'll come back for you very soon to play chess with you." He paused slightly, then added solemnly, "Wait for me."
Nannan felt her mind go blank. She didn't quite understand what was happening. She could only nod unconsciously and say, "Okay," while her thoughts raced: He's leaving? This suddenly? When will he come back?
Just then, Uncle Qiang, who had been pruning shrubs in the garden, came over. "Young Master Yuwen, you're leaving in such a hurry? Please be careful on the road."
Nannan mechanically echoed, "Please be careful on the road."
As if hearing Uncle Qiang's voice, Brother White gently released Nannan. He stood up, turned to nod at Uncle Qiang, then walked quickly toward the car parked on the road. After he got in and closed the door, the car sped off in the direction of the bridge, raising some dust behind it.
As Nannan watched Brother White's car disappear from sight, she felt her stomach begin to hurt.
It must be hunger from not having eaten breakfast yet, Nannan told herself.
So she turned to Aunt Mei and said, "Aunt Mei, I want chocolate cake."
"Of course, Nannan. I'll get it for you right away," Aunt Mei replied gently.
Not long after Brother White left, one afternoon, as Aunt Mei and Nannan played chess and Uncle Qiang trimmed shrubs outside, Nannan asked while playing, "Aunt Mei, when do you think Brother White will come back?"
"Nannan, didn't I tell you yesterday? Young Master Yuwen has to go back to school. How could he stay and keep you company?" Aunt Mei replied.
"But he promised he'd come back to keep me company," Nannan said, dissatisfied with Aunt Mei's answer.
"He was just saying that. Only a child like you would take it seriously," Aunt Mei said.
Nannan felt her stomach hurt again at these words. Just then, the sound of a car approaching came from outside the compound.
"Brother White is back!" Nannan cried out.
She immediately stood up and ran to the window to look out. A black sedan had stopped at the gate. Then a man and a woman got out. Both were dressed in dark suits, their expressions serious and somewhat frightening.
Aunt Mei seemed to have seen the car as well. She walked over to Nannan, put an arm around her shoulders, and said, "Nannan, dear, why don't you go play in your room for a while? Aunt Mei will be right there."
"Who are these people?" Nannan asked, looking up at Aunt Mei.
"I don't know," Aunt Mei said, leading her toward the bedroom. Before closing the door, she whispered a warning: "Nannan, don't come out until I call you."
With that, Aunt Mei gently closed the door.
Soon, Nannan heard the sound of the front gate opening and closing. She went to the door crack and peeked through, hoping to hear something. But she could only make out fragmented, indistinct voices.
After a while, the voices faded away. Aunt Mei opened the door and came back into the bedroom.
Nannan looked up at Aunt Mei and asked, "Aunt Mei, who were those people? What happened?"
Aunt Mei gently picked her up and held her close. Speaking softly, she said, "Madame Yuwen... has passed away."
"Madame Yuwen? Isn't that Brother White's grandmother? Why did she suddenly pass away?" Nannan was shocked.
"I don't know much about it," Aunt Mei continued softly. Then she looked at Nannan tenderly and said, "Don't worry, Nannan. Everything will be alright."
The sudden arrival of the black sedan had made Nannan feel uneasy, but looking at Aunt Mei's gentle gaze, she felt that perhaps she didn't need to worry too much. However, the sudden death of Brother White's grandmother troubled her. His grandmother had only had a cold—why had she suddenly passed away? Would Brother White be very sad? Was his sudden departure related to his grandmother's death? Would Brother White come back?