Vaga-lumes sob a luz da lua
A protagonista Qin Xiaoyue, uma garota tola ingênua e ardente como o fogo, está de pé no galho de uma velha árvore de locusto na entrada da aldeia, comendo uma tigela de carne de porco refogada bem qu
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“Sweet as honey~ sweet as honey~ the way you smile—ah-choo! Sweet as—ah-choo...”
In the early-summer breeze, Qin Xiaoyue sat beside the raised field ridge, humming tunelessly as the wind folded itself into the towering rapeseed blossoms. The setting sun and gentle breeze stirred the wisps of hair beside her ears. The golden flowers in her hands were especially vivid, and she gazed brightly at the birds that occasionally stopped there to hunt, her round eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Ah-choo!” She had indulged in watermelon chilled in well water the night before, and ever since waking that morning, she had been sneezing nonstop.
“Sneeze, sneeze, you must hide quickly, or Grandma will find out and get angry again~”
Qin Xiaoyue obediently imitated her grandmother, gently patting her own forehead.
In the vegetable garden, a group of women briskly harvested the fruits and vegetables that had just begun to ripen.
“Dimwit! The loofah’s picked. Take this basket of amaranth and the edamame to the village chief’s house!”
A woman working in the distance spoke as she lifted two baskets of greens onto a handcart.
“Mm-hmm, all right. Dimwit’s going now.”
Qin Xiaoyue hurried to her feet, but suddenly slipped and went tumbling head over heels into the muddy ground.
The comical sight sent the women into fits of laughter.
“Dimwit, have your grandmother wash you properly when you get back.”
“Mm-hmm, all right.”
She scrambled up, hastily wiped the mud from her coarse hemp clothes, and pushed the