Clear blue skies and bright sunshine. In a small flower bed within the courtyard, roses stand out in their splendor. The blossoms are soft pink, like a shy, modest young lady; the bud clusters resemble children covering their faces and sleeping. The fragrance fills the air, and colorful butterflies flutter about. Cold Wanwan gently bends her hands, swaying her silver bells that chime softly, gazing at the courtyard—so easily visible from one glance—and feels rather bored. Her lively eyes dart around, eager to explore the General's Mansion and get oriented. Arched bridges over lotus ponds, artificial hills and pavilions, lush trees, and fragrant flowers—winding through the curved corridors—reveal red tile roofs, green columns, and glazed eaves, shining brilliantly under the sunlight. Indeed, it's no surprise that this is the General's Mansion of the northern town—truly impressive. Cold Wanwan walks with small, steady steps, nodding in admiration, her silver bells chiming pleasantly. Hm, how luxurious—there must be a considerable amount of silver. Yet, when she thinks about her own clothing and meals, they seem so strictly modest. The more she observes this magnificent scenery, the more her frustration grows. Dare to withhold her funds? With a soft, graceful wave of her slender hand, the water in Lianchi surged violently, forming shimmering, transparent jets that roared like dragons ascending to the heavens. Then, like a burst of fireworks, the water dispersed and returned to the lotus pond. "Giggling... giggling..." Cold Wanwan smiled with satisfaction, her right finger lightly tapping. A flame instantly ignited the trees lining the path, the fire growing stronger. The crimson flames danced gracefully, like fairies, competing in brilliance with the dazzling sunlight. "Ah! There's a fire!" A young maid in a jade-green dress, with her twin braids hanging down, noticed the blaze and cried out in alarm as she passed by. "Where? Where?" "..." A moment later, a group of servants and maids hurried over, some carrying buckets, others using wooden bowls filled with water. "Ah! How did the fire start so suddenly?" Without pausing to ask questions, the servants and maids quickly began dousing the flames. Cold Wanwan stood by, watching the servants and maids, their frantic movements, and curved her lips with quiet amusement. The flames painted her small face rosy, like a perfectly ripe apple. Sparkles danced in her bright eyes, giving her an odd, almost unearthly expression. When everyone finally extinguished the fire, they all looked disheveled—wooden buckets and basins tossed aside, gasping for breath with no dignity at all. It turns out this young lady is her elder sister. Indeed, one never knows what fate holds in store. Look at her stiff, haughty demeanor—she truly makes one feel uncomfortable. "Stand up," said Ling Yue, her head held high, her hand gesturing with a gracious air as though bestowing a favor. "What are you all doing here?" "Reporting to the lady," replied a servant in a green robe, "the fire is being fought." "A fire?" Ling Yue glanced over and saw that the lush grove had been reduced to a dark, smoldering mass. Her heart leapt—these were the trees her father particularly loved. Now they were destroyed in such a way. Remembering her father's fierce expression, she felt both startled and uneasy. "Who did this? Who dared to set the fire? Didn't they know these were the trees the general cherished most?" She stomped her feet, her eyes blazing with anger as she scanned the kneeling servants. "You?" she pointed at the man in the green robe. "Forgive me, lady, it wasn't me," he bowed low. "I only came upon the commotion and rushed here." "Then it must have been you?" She pointed at another one. "Madam, please examine carefully—this servant is not the one. I came only after hearing the cries." Even the black-robed servant was so frightened he kept bowing his head, for the general's temper was more terrifying than that of Yama, the god of death. "Not you. Not you. Then who is it?" Cold Yue grew furious, her eyes wide with indignation. All the kneeling servants were trembling, bowing and pleading for mercy. "Hmph," Cold Yue lifted her head, "then who discovered the fire?" "It— it's me," said the green-robed maid, her eyes glistening with tears, her voice trembling as she spoke. "It must have been you who started the fire," Cold Yue said, pointing at her, irritated by the maid's timid, mouse-like demeanor. "No, truly, it's not me," the green-robed maid cried, shaking her head vigorously. "Pfft—!" Cold Wanwan couldn't help laughing. How utterly ridiculous this cold young lady was! So beautiful on the outside, yet utterly lacking in intelligence. "Who are you?" Cold Bending smiled gently, and everyone present was startled. Turning around, she found a three-year-old little girl standing beside her. Huh—when had she arrived? How had no one noticed her? As she thought this, she couldn’t help shivering. Cold Yue Li raised her brows sharply, her eyes wide open, glaring at Cold Bending. Where had this little girl come from? Look at her—so fair-skinned, as if she could drip water from her flesh, her dark, luminous eyes like stars at dawn, full of spirit. With a neat double braid, her simple light-blue dress, though not particularly elegant, didn’t seem like something belonging to a servant’s daughter. "Who am I?" Cold Bending pointed to herself with her small finger, her dark eyes twinkling playfully. "Huh—does my presence seem so faint? I’ve been right here from beginning to end." "I asked you who you were," Cold Yue Li said, "not when you arrived." She envied Cold Bending’s eyes—so expressive, so persuasive. If this little girl grew up, she would surely outshine her and take her brother, Dayu, from her. "I am who I am "Cold Bending crossed Cold Moon with a sharp glance, and she was furious. Look at this lady—so proud and domineering—surely her mother must be even more formidable. Perhaps she played a part in the tragedy of Xiao Lian." "You—!" Cold Moon was trembling, never having been treated this way before in her life. "Brave!" A maid in a lotus-pink dress stepped forward beside Cold Moon, pointing at Cold Bending and scolding her. "What kind of wild girl dares speak to the lady like this?" "Does my voice need your permission to be heard?" Cold Bending coldly glanced at the maid, her frosty presence chilling. The lotus-pink maid stepped back in shock—how could this be? This child, barely three or four years old, possessed such a sharp, piercing gaze, like a blade of ice, so cold and commanding. Cold Moon was also stunned—how could this girl's eyes resemble her father so much? Full of sharpness and resentment. She felt a deep chill, so profound that she forgot to reprimand this presumptuous young maid. "Indeed, a group of people with IQ scores of zero." "Lin Genggan found them all as if they were fools—truly dull. She didn't even feel like bothering them. Could it be that the ancients simply had such weak endurance? She shook her head gently, waving her silver bell. Then she turned and walked away. Tink-tink-tink... the sound of the bell faded into the distance. Lin Yue watched the gradually shrinking figure. She stomped her feet and shouted, 'Little girl, stay right there! I won't let you off!' 'Not letting me off?' Lin Genggan paused, her small form still. 'I'm delighted.' From Chapter Five onward, the story will truly begin to unfold. Hehe, for now, Lin Genggan's lively and endearing nature is mainly directed toward her nursemaid. Perhaps because she has never had a mother since childhood, when she first arrives in the ancient world and meets a nursemaid who truly cares for her, she might find her a bit bothersome at first. But as she gets to know her better, she begins to feel a deep sense of maternal affection.