One Lifetime Is Never Enough

1.10 Peaceful Day

"Xiao Hua~! There you are!" A young girl in her maid robe burst into a run when she sighted the person she had been looking for.

Xiao Hua; or Mia Simmons; or Bai YuLan, only raised her eyebrows slightly while looking at the approaching girl from the corner of her eyes. Despite the crisp cold air, Xiao Hui's face was flushed after running around the manor to find her. Bai YuLan was currently sitting under a small grove of bamboo trees. There were some bamboo shavings and splinters scattered around her. Her cheeks were bulging slightly, a habit Xiao Hui noticed YuLan always had whenever she was in concentration.

In the whole manor, Xiao Hui was the only person still calling Bai YuLan by her old name.

"What 'Bai YuLan'," one day Xiao Hui had grumbled to YuLan, expressing her discontent, "Xiao Hua is Xiao Hua!"

Xiao Hui had known her since they were only babies. How could Xiao Hua suddenly be Bai YuLan just because their new spoiled Young Miss decided so?

Back then, YuLan was amused. Xiao Hui sounded jealous, but not because of Ji LanBai's growing favors that were showed and expressed only to YuLan. In any case, Ji LanBai had been practically attached to YuLan's hips lately. If the two Madames did not intervene, Ji LanBai would want to follow YuLan to the servants' quarters to sleep together at nights.

It was also inappropriate for YuLan to sleep in Ji LanBai's room, despite the insistence of the latter. Finally Wu JianRui compromised. Within the last month, they had hastily converted the small adjacent connecting study by Ji LanBai's bedroom into YuLan's private quarter. That way Ji LanBai could have access to YuLan's room anytime she wanted.

However, this was on the condition that Ji LanBai would never miss her four arts lessons anymore under the pretext of self-study. There was no more study-room, so there was no more excuses of self-study. Relevant teachers would come the residence, and Ji LanBai was to attend their tutelage without fail.

Ji LanBai begrudgingly accepted.

That showed just how much Ji LanBai like YuLan. Xiao Hui was miffed although she was gradually getting used to her friend being stolen by her young employer.

The person being fussed about however, was still concentrating onto her handicraft without replying to Xiao Hui. On her hands, there were several strands of hard but flexible bamboo, tied together on one end, that she kept planing and cutting using a small knife. Xiao Hui frowned, the item looked like a bunch of slimmer chopsticks that were tied together.

Finally somewhat satisfied with her work, YuLan let out a small sigh and scrutinize the item in her hands.

YuLan touched the hairpin on her hair absentmindedly. The hairpin, though was not the most elaborate in design, was made of a high quality white jade. It was given to, or more likely forced onto, her by Ji LanBai a few days after her birthday. The jade hairpin previously belonged to Ji LanBai.

Why? Ji LanBai said it was for Bai YuLan's birthday. YuLan remember getting so confused about it, because even Xiao Hui and her orphanage friends did not know their exact time of being let into the orphanage, let alone their actual birth-dates.

Back then, Ji LanBai had shyly but smugly said, all the while still thrusting the simple flower shaped jade hairpin into her hands, "You have the same birthday as mine. 'Bai YuLan' l, after all, is born on my birthday. That was when I named you."

YuLan was so touched that she did not want to argue further. In fact, she highly cherished the hairpin and had unabashedly been wearing it every day. It was not a secret that it was a gift from Ji LanBai anyway. This Young Miss Ji, although was very spoiled and sometimes it was very hard to talk reasons to, had a good heart and was truly genuine towards her. YuLan began to treat her like she would her own family. She began to see Ji LanBai as an adorable much younger sister.