Paper Kites

“What topic does the Second Young Miss want to write a poem about?” Zheng Donglin asked, stroking his chin. When it came to poetry, he had nothing to fear, for his mind held countless masterpieces from another world. The authors of the poems he borrowed probably hadn't even been born in this era, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.

“I don't know, just pick one,” Jiang Yu'er said carefully, playing with her slender, jade-like fingers.

“Second Young Miss!” Zheng Donglin raised his voice, feeling that this young lady was far too lazy.

“Why are you raising your voice at me?” Jiang Yu'er, who was admiring her fingers, glared at him in annoyance, threateningly.

“It's nothing.” Zheng Donglin felt a bit guilty. Since he was living under her roof, he shouldn't say anything to displease her, he consoled his male pride.

“In that case, I will recite the poem, but I must trouble the Second Young Miss to write it down,” Zheng Donglin instructed. It wasn't that he didn't want to write, but the people of this era used ancient Han characters. Although he could read, his handwriting was like chicken scratch, incredibly ugly.

“Fine.” Jiang Yu'er cast a lazy glance at him, thinking that this guy was too lazy to even write, forcing her to do it herself. How outrageous.

“This is a poem that suddenly came to mind. I hope the Second Young Miss will not laugh at it,” Zheng Donglin said.

*The rivers and mountains are not in a peaceful era,*
*Why fight each other? It is absurd.*
*Fish in the abyss, birds in the forest, who drives them away?*
*Mountains of bones, rivers of blood, filled with sorrow.*
*The galloping horse will surely turn its head,*
*One must guard against the wild beast when it bites.*
*Tired of the world's affairs, why speak of them more?*
*By the pond, I sing and play in drunken leisure.*

“A Bin, is this truly your poem?” Jiang Yu'er, brush in hand, ready to dip it into the inkstone, stared with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“I just had a sudden burst of inspiration. Does the Second Young Miss find it lacking?” Zheng Donglin said with a calm exterior, though he was laughing inside. Let's see what she thinks; this is one of the best poems by Nguyen Binh Khiem, which everyone admired. Look at her face—her small lips parted, her eyes wide. Yes, that was the feeling, the feeling that made one feel smug.

“I don't believe it.” Jiang Yu'er's mind was in a mess. In her impression, A Bin was a messy, foolish boy, not a cultured, elegant speaker.

“Second Young Miss, if possible, I would rather not have the opportunity to write this poem. If the country were at peace, this poem would not, and should not, have been born.”

“You...” Jiang Yu'er's chest heaved, and after a long moment, she said slowly: “This poem hides a desire to enjoy peaceful leisure, yet is forced to face the battlefield. The person involved is unwilling but powerless to resist, enduring with a sense of helplessness. This is a very beautiful poem. A Bin, I want the family tutor to know that you wrote this poem.”

“Oh.” Zheng Donglin let out a small cry of surprise, not expecting her to analyze it so deeply. He nodded; whether the tutor knew or not didn't matter. His main goal of increasing his food portions had been achieved, so there was nothing to worry about.

“The transaction is complete. I shall take my leave. Farewell, Second Young Miss,” Zheng Donglin said. He wanted to head to the meadow to meet Ding Boling's group, so he wanted to leave quickly. But Jiang Yu'er called him back.

“A Bin, wait.”

“Does the Second Young Miss have any other instructions?” Zheng Donglin asked, puzzled, wondering what she was up to now.

“I'm bored. Do you have any fun games to play?” Jiang Yu'er asked, her voice sounding a bit pitiful.

“Second Young Miss, would you like to fly a kite?” Zheng Donglin stood thinking for a moment. Countless folk games flashed through his mind. Some he thought of were not suited for Jiang Yu'er's status, so he discarded them. Then he thought of something and quickly asked.

Indeed, flying kites was a game associated with the childhood of many generations. Colorful paper kites flying high in the sky created a beautiful picture. In modern times, with power lines everywhere, urban children rarely enjoyed this folk game. But here, there were no power lines.

“What is that?” Jiang Yu'er did not understand what a kite was, let alone how to fly it.

“Strange, at this time, flying kites should have been popular already. Paper kites appeared during Lu Ban's time and began to spread by the Song Dynasty. Perhaps the chaotic flow of time changed history, and paper kites have not yet been born. Maybe Lu Ban hasn't even been born yet. If I popularize flying kites, will I steal Lu Ban's future achievement?” Zheng Donglin raised his brow, thinking that he might become the founding father of kites, which made him quite happy. As for stealing Lu Ban's achievement, he only laughed to himself.

“Second Young Miss, follow me,” Zheng Donglin said, leading a highly curious Jiang Yu'er.

Jiang Yu'er watched him rummage through the estate, first finding a stack of paper, then various tools, a few thin bamboo strips carefully shaved, and some glue.

“What is this?” Jiang Yu'er looked at the diamond-shaped kite in Zheng Donglin's hands. The kite had two long paper tails glued to the bottom, carefully shaved bamboo strips acting as a frame, and a string tied to the center.

“It's a kite,” Zheng Donglin said, looking at the first kite in the world created by his own hands, explaining with some excitement. Then, he quickly made an identical one for himself and handed the first one to Jiang Yu'er.

“Come with me to the meadow, it's cooler there,” Zheng Donglin said, holding the kite and pulling Jiang Yu'er's hand as they ran out, ignoring her blushing face.

Inside the estate, a kind gaze watched the two children running out hand in hand. Uncle Fu smiled; the Second Young Miss was still so good to A Bin. A Bin's fortune was indeed not small.

“Second Young Miss, watch me first,” Zheng Donglin said, holding the kite and checking the wind direction. Once he determined the wind direction, he released the kite and ran against the wind. A magical scene appeared: the first kite in the world gradually caught the wind, flying higher and higher.

“Wow!” Jiang Yu'er's eyes shone with light, looking at the kite in Zheng Donglin's hand as it soared in the sky. Humans, whether ancient or modern, always had a yearning for the sky. Perhaps it was a symbol of freedom, carefree and without worries. Was the invention of kites meant to satisfy this yearning to fly in the sky, traveling with the wind?

Jiang Yu'er imitated Zheng Donglin's movements. She was naturally intelligent—otherwise, she wouldn't have analyzed his poem so thoroughly—her only flaw was her laziness.

The small kite caught the wind, fluttering in the sky. The two paper tails twisted, sometimes forming a U-shape, sometimes forming interlocking arcs. The two kites sometimes flew close, then separated.

Jiang Yu'er quickly mastered the method of controlling the kite. Her jade-like hands controlled the string, guiding it into an arc, her happy eyes curving into crescent moons, her cheeks flushed.

“Second Young Miss, is it fun?” Zheng Donglin asked, sitting on the grass beside her, seeing her so happy.

“It's so much fun! Why didn't I know about this game earlier?” Jiang Yu'er nodded, slightly pouting.

“Because you didn't ask me,” Zheng Donglin replied, amused.

“Hmph.”

“But whenever you're bored, just tell me, and I'll show you even more fun games,” Zheng Donglin said, looking up at the two kites.

Jiang Yu'er suddenly fell silent. Resting her chin on her hands, her beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Zheng Donglin. She indeed felt a flutter in her heart. Suddenly, a sharp snap startled her.

It turned out that while she was staring at Zheng Donglin, her kite had lost control and collided with his. The strings rubbed against each other, and hers, being less sturdy, snapped, causing the kite to lose its support and fly away.

“No!” Jiang Yu'er cried out in shock. She stood up to chase it, but the kite had already flown far away.

“Second Young Miss, take my kite,” Zheng Donglin said gently, seeing her small figure slumped.

“What about you, A Bin?” Jiang Yu'er asked without turning her head.

“Watching the Second Young Miss play is enough to make me happy,” Zheng Donglin said, his face unblushing, his heart steady.

“Ah.” Although Jiang Yu'er was still sad, she felt much better. This time, she controlled the kite more carefully. But even if she wasn't careful, it didn't matter, because there were no other kites for her to collide with. The first kite in the world had been destroyed by the second kite in her hand.

At this moment, a man dressed in neat attire, his hair tied high, with a resolute expression, appeared. Judging by his appearance, he was clearly a martial artist, and a profound one at that.

“May I ask if you two extraordinary figures are performing some kind of magic? I ask abruptly, and I hope you will forgive my intrusion, but my curiosity got the better of me,” the man asked, staring at the lone kite in the sky, his eyes shining.

“Who are you? Please state your name,” Zheng Donglin said, frowning in vigilance as he secretly called out, “System.”

[- Please issue your command, Host.]

“Investigate the person before me,” Zheng Donglin commanded in his mind.

[- Fifth Rank Realm, twenty years old.]

“If a fight breaks out, what are my chances of winning?” Zheng Donglin asked in shock, his voice grave.

[- Zero chance. The Fifth Rank Realm begins to condense the source of True Qi, causing combat power to skyrocket. It is recommended that the Host protect his own life.]

“I am Su Dongliu, a resident of Xiangdong City. I had business in the outskirts today when I suddenly saw you two performing magic. Please forgive my intrusion,” the man said in a neutral tone, showing no ill intent.

“Brother Su Dongliu, that is a paper kite, and it is no magic, just a simple toy. I am Zheng Donglin, and this is the Second Young Miss, Jiang Yu'er,” Zheng Donglin replied cautiously.

“So that object is called a paper kite. Truly marvelous. Did you make this object, brother?” Su Dongliu praised.

“Indeed, I did.”

“You possess extraordinary talent, but from what you said, are you a servant in this estate?” Su Dongliu asked.

“Indeed, I have been a cowherd for the Jiang Clan since childhood,” Zheng Donglin had nothing to hide.

“What a pity. With your talent, you should be roaming the world, establishing a name for yourself,” Su Dongliu said, showing disbelief upon hearing that Zheng Donglin was just a 'cowherd'.

“My talent is not worth mentioning,” Zheng Donglin shook his head, declining.

“Reaching the Second Rank at the age of fourteen, you are indeed modest, brother,” Su Dongliu said, his eyes narrowing into slits as he assessed him with a dangerous gaze.

“You can see it?” Zheng Donglin was shocked.

He had not revealed a single trace of his martial cultivation, yet he did not understand how Su Dongliu could know.

“The Fifth Rank begins to crystallize the spring of origin Qi, allowing True Qi to flow. True Qi has the effect of scanning the body, so it is natural to easily detect your situation, brother,” Su Dongliu smiled profoundly.

Chưa đợi Trịnh Đông Lân phản ứng, Tô Đông Lưu đã mở miệng cáo từ: “Tại hạ có việc bận cần phải giải quyết. Ta thấy được bản lĩnh kỳ lạ của huynh đài, nếu có dịp hãy đến tìm ta.” Dứt lời, y vứt lại cho nó một miếng lệnh bài màu vàng có khắc chữ ‘Vân Loan Ti’.

Zheng Donglin held the 'Yunluan Bureau' token, not knowing what the words meant, but he felt this person was likely not bad. For a Fifth Rank expert to address him as 'brother' just because of a paper kite, and despite his Second Rank cultivation, showed great magnanimity, or perhaps an appreciation for talent.

“Donglin!” A loud call came from the other side, and the owner of the voice quickly appeared—it was Ding Boling. In his hand, he held a diamond-shaped object wrapped in white paper with two long paper tails, which was precisely the kite Jiang Yu'er had lost.

“Boling!” Zheng Donglin was surprised to see the kite in Ding Boling's hand, feeling that the fate between them was indeed deep.

“That thing in the sky looks exactly like this strange object in my hand,” Ding Boling said, looking at the remaining kite in the sky held by Jiang Yu'er.

“It is indeed the same thing I made. Give it to me, I'll fix it up a bit and it can be used again. Fortunately, the string is still attached,” Zheng Donglin said, taking the kite from Ding Boling. After a brief repair, the kite was as good as new. He guided Ding Boling through the basic steps, and the latter quickly grasped how to play.

“Who is that, A Bin?” At this moment, Jiang Yu'er, having grown tired of playing, turned to ask.

“This is my brother, Ding Boling,” Zheng Donglin said.

“You actually have a brother? I thought your only brother was the ox you usually lead to graze,” Jiang Yu'er teased with a light laugh.

“Boling, this is the Second Young Miss, Jiang Yu'er,” Zheng Donglin introduced.

“A Bin, I'm going back to the estate first,” Jiang Yu'er said, smiling and nodding at Ding Boling before standing up to adjust her dress, brushing off the dust.

“Donglin, do you also go by the name A Bin?” Ding Boling asked in surprise, feeling that his brother had many secrets.

“It's nothing, just my childhood name. Do you know what this is?” Zheng Donglin asked, showing the 'Yunluan Bureau' token.

“The Yunluan Bureau!” Ding Boling's eyes widened. He looked around and said, “Donglin, where did you steal this from?”

“A stranger gave it to me. His name is Su Dongliu,” Zheng Donglin shook his head.

“Fortunately. If you stole or forged a Yunluan Bureau token, you would surely be executed. The Yunluan Bureau is a department within the Imperial Court, tasked with maintaining order and protecting the citizens,” Ding Boling said, sighing in relief, looking at the token in Zheng Donglin's hand with some envy.