If Extra 2
Older Ancestor Top x Scheming Crane Bottom
As the days passed, winter gave way to spring, and He Ying slowly grew up. Now she was already as tall as Shen Yu’s thigh. Her hair was casually tied at the back of her head with a headband, and she had a somewhat timid nature. When they went out, she always needed Shen Yu to hold her hand to feel at ease. Whenever they encountered strangers, she would cling to Shen Yu’s thigh and hide behind her, then timidly peek out her head.
Every time Shen Yu saw her like this outside, she felt a bit puzzled. She was not this shy at home. At home, when she clung to her leg and acted spoiled, she never seemed embarrassed.
Considering that the little one’s shyness might be due to not meeting many outsiders regularly, Shen Yu would often take her to the human world to experience the bustling life there.
Although there were now movies to watch, Shen Yu wasn’t very interested in them. Instead, she took the little one to a teahouse where there were still storytellers. Listening to stories was a pretty good activity for them.
He Ying, holding Shen Yu’s hand, entered a teahouse. They sat on the second floor, while in the first-floor hall, a platform was set up. On the platform sat a woman in a blue robe, her hair tied into a fishtail braid at the back of her head. She sat with a straight back, looking particularly energetic.
When the woman began to speak, her clear voice could be heard even on the second floor. He Ying was curious, as this was her first time being brought by Shen Yu to listen to a storyteller.
“Have some food.” Shen Yu pushed a plate of pastries towards He Ying.
“Mmm.” He Ying nodded, casually picked up a pastry, and put it in her mouth, but her gaze remained fixed on the storyteller below, eager to hear what kind of exciting story she would tell.
Seeing her staring so intently, Shen Yu felt a bit confused and turned to look as well. Although the woman was quite beautiful, she wasn’t so stunning that one couldn’t take their eyes off her, was she?
However, He Ying didn’t know what Shen Yu was thinking. She quickly finished the pastry in her hand, then placed her hands on the wooden railing, rested her head on it, and listened to the storyteller.
“Continuing from last time, after being granted marriage by the emperor, the top scholar became the princess’s consort. The princess loved and respected her, but she always felt apologetic towards the princess. On the wedding night, she told the princess that she was actually a woman…”
Hearing this, He Ying suddenly turned to Shen Yu and asked curiously, “Can two women get married?”
Shen Yu calmly sipped her tea, glanced at the storyteller below, and replied, “As far as I know, the human world does not currently allow same-sex marriage.”
“Huh?” He Ying looked a bit disappointed. “Why did the storyteller say two women could get married then?”
Shen Yu glanced at her and began explaining the story’s background. When He Ying heard why the consort had disguised herself as a man to become the top scholar, her face scrunched up in confusion.
Shen Yu paused and asked, “Why that expression?”
He Ying’s face wrinkled up like a bun, and she quietly said, “Why didn’t the consort like the princess but liked that Li Lang? The princess is a girl, girls should smell better than that Li Lang, right?”
As she met more people, she had realized that girls’ scents were much nicer than boys’. But the best scent was still Shen Yu’s, fresh and subtle, and the more she smelled it, the better it was.
Shen Yu: “…” She didn’t expect her to think this way.
“The consort met Li Lang first, then the princess,” she explained.
“Huh?” He Ying was even more puzzled. “Does liking someone depend on who comes first?”
Shen Yu: “…Do you understand what liking someone means?”
At this, He Ying proudly puffed out her little chest and said, “Of course I know. I’ve seen it. Liking someone means wanting to kiss them!”
Once, when Shen Yu took her out, she saw a man telling a woman he liked her. The woman replied that she liked him too, and then they hugged and kissed. So, liking meant kissing, right?
Shen Yu: “…” She felt something was off with her understanding, but it seemed somewhat correct too.
From what she knew, people who liked each other indeed kissed.
Seeing Shen Yu stay silent, He Ying turned back to look below, saying, “Anyway, I think the consort should like the princess more. The princess didn’t mind her being a woman.”
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Listening to her, Shen Yu felt a bit complicated. She was so young yet knew about love. What would happen when she grew older?
She imagined her growing up and one day holding a man’s hand. No, she said girls smelled better. So, one day she would hold a woman’s hand and say this was the person she liked, and she would live with her, no longer accompanying her.
Thinking of this, Shen Yu’s face darkened, and she suddenly felt angry. She was the little one she picked up and raised. How could she be taken away by someone else so easily?
When He Ying turned back to get another pastry, she noticed Shen Yu’s dark expression and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Is the story not good?”
After thinking for a moment, she added, “Since knowing she saved Li Lang and then returned to live with him, I also think it’s not good.”
Shen Yu: “…”
Her face darkened further as she glanced at the talkative storyteller and didn’t respond.
Should she tell her she wasn’t allowed to like anyone else or be with anyone else? Wouldn’t that make her seem overly dependent on her?
She stood up and said coldly, “If it’s not good, let’s not listen. Let’s go back.”
“Huh?” He Ying looked up in confusion. Seeing that she was serious about leaving, she quickly grabbed two pastries from the plate and followed her.
She held up her left hand and said, “I saw you didn’t eat earlier. Do you want to try? It’s very delicious!”
Shen Yu glanced down. The green pastry lay quietly in her palm, looking particularly translucent.
“No, you eat it yourself.”
“Oh.” He Ying still couldn’t figure out why her mood had suddenly changed.
On the way back, Shen Yu kept thinking about the scene she had imagined earlier. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She had picked her up and raised her, fed her millet porridge one spoonful at a time, and hadn’t even given her back to her biological mother. Why should she hand her over to a stranger?
He Ying only felt the increasing pressure from Shen Yu’s mood but had no idea why. They had been fine in the first half at the teahouse, hadn’t they?
Back home, Shen Yu chased He Ying out of her room. Seeing her only annoyed her now, making her think of her being taken away in the future!
Standing outside, He Ying pouted, thinking that Shen Yu was acting really strange today!
The next day, it seemed like the events of the previous day were forgotten. He Ying was slowly drinking the millet porridge that Shen Yu had cooked. This behavior seemed a bit unusual to Shen Yu.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He Ying looked at her bowl of millet porridge and quietly asked, “Aren’t we going out today?”
Shen Yu: “…”
Going out would inevitably lead to her meeting more people, and the more people she met, the easier it would be for someone to take her away. Thinking of this, Shen Yu’s expression darkened again.
He Ying: “???”
Why did her expression turn bad again?
However, Shen Yu still took her out. She was still young and needed to learn all kinds of knowledge, so keeping her confined at home was not an option.
But taking her out every day didn’t seem like a long-term solution, so she asked, “Should I enroll you in a school, so you can attend classes like other children?”
There were also schools among the Panda Clan, but Shen Yu worried that He Ying might not get along with the other pandas. After all, they were not of the same species, and there was always the risk of exclusion.
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“Can I?” He Ying looked up, her eyes brightening.
Shen Yu: “…” Why did seeing her so eager make her feel a bit unhappy?
“I’ll make the arrangements. You can start school in a few days,” she said coldly.
“Shen Yu, you’re the best!” He Ying beamed a big smile at her.
Shen Yu: “…”
Her expression grew a bit complicated. Ever since she forbade He Ying from calling her “mom,” she had started calling her by her name, and she stubbornly refused to change it.
They went to the teahouse again, but today the storyteller was not there. Instead, there was a magician performing tricks. Shen Yu glanced at him and quickly lost interest. It wasn’t real magic; the magician was a spirit, and she could tell that the objects he produced out of thin air were taken from his spatial storage.
But He Ying didn’t know that. She leaned on the railing, her eyes sparkling as she watched the magician produce a red flower. Excitedly, she said, “Shen Yu, I want to be a magician in the future!”
This act of producing a flower out of nowhere was so cool!
Shen Yu: “…”
Her expression grew complicated. She blamed herself for not taking He Ying out more often, leaving her with little experience. Now, she was mesmerized by such a simple trick. Wouldn’t she be easily deceived by a few sweet words in the future?
At that moment, Shen Yu resolved to broaden her horizons. Only with more experience would she not be easily swayed by others’ flattery!
But seeing He Ying still staring intently at the magician below made her feel uneasy. She raised her hand in front of He Ying, and a water chestnut suddenly appeared in her palm. “Do you still want to be a magician now?” she asked coolly.
He Ying looked at the water chestnut in Shen Yu’s palm, her eyes frozen. She glanced at the magician below, then back at the water chestnut in Shen Yu’s hand, and suddenly realized, “He’s a spirit!”
Seeing her finally understand, Shen Yu withdrew the water chestnut, not giving it to her.
Feeling wronged, He Ying said, “You were going to give it to me, how can you take it back?”
Shen Yu leisurely sipped her tea. Seeing He Ying’s pitiful expression improved her mood. She said lightly, “I only showed you that so-called magic trick. I didn’t say I would give it to you to eat.”
“But you held it in front of me, so I thought you were giving it to me!” He Ying said, aggrieved. “And you don’t even eat these. You prepared them for me, right?”
Shen Yu now had the mood to watch the petty tricks below, ignoring He Ying’s complaint.
He Ying snorted coldly, turning her head away from her.
Suddenly, she saw a hand extend over her table and quickly retract. She turned to see Shen Yu still calmly watching the performance below, then looked down to see two water chestnuts placed beside her teacup.
She quietly smiled, picking up the water chestnuts and holding them tightly in her hand, suddenly reluctant to eat them.
She hid her hand under the table, holding the water chestnuts tightly, and joined Shen Yu in watching the performance below.
Shen Yu kept her word. A few days later, she handed He Ying a small backpack shaped like a white crane. When she put it on, the wings spread out on either side, making it look like she had little wings. Seeing this, He Ying was a bit stunned and then asked, “Is there a panda one? I want to carry you.”
Shen Yu: “…” What does she mean by “carry her”?
“No. When you grow up a bit more and can fly higher and farther, you can carry me into the sky.”
“Ah? Oh.” He Ying’s eyebrows drooped. She just wanted a panda-shaped backpack.
Shen Yu took her to a human primary school, handed her over to the principal, and said, “Study well. Don’t run around after school. I’ll come to pick you up.”
“Okay,” He Ying responded obediently.
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After the principal took He Ying into the school, Shen Yu stood outside for a long time. Over the years, she had spent almost every moment with He Ying, rarely separating. Now, with the sudden separation, she felt a bit unaccustomed.
It felt like she was back to the lonely feeling of the past, but slightly better. Before, she didn’t know how long she would live like that. Now, she knew she would pick up her little cub in the afternoon.
For many years to come, sending her to school in the morning and picking her up in the afternoon became the highlight of her day.
Meanwhile, the principal took He Ying to a classroom where a class was in session. She knocked on the door and waited outside.
The class suddenly fell silent, and a woman came out. She stood straight like an unbending pine tree, her fishbone braid swinging slightly as she lowered her head to meet He Ying’s gaze.
He Ying was slightly stunned upon seeing the woman; it was the storyteller from the teahouse.
Noticing the child’s look, the woman frowned slightly. Did she recognize her?
“This is Teacher Yang Yan. You’ll be in her class,” the principal said to He Ying, then turned to Yang Yan with a smile. “This is little classmate He Ying. Please take care of her.”
Yang Yan nodded. After the principal handed He Ying over, she left to attend to her own matters.
He Ying looked up at Teacher Yang, wondering if it was just her imagination that she seemed more serious at school than at the teahouse.
“Do you know me?” Yang Yan looked down at the child who barely reached her hips.
He Ying nodded, then shook her head, and said softly, “I saw you at the teahouse.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Yan understood. She led He Ying to a corridor farther from the door and asked, “Why did you start school so late?”
The school year had already started a month ago, and this child was suddenly joining mid-term. She wondered if she would get along with the other kids.
“A while ago, we just remembered the matter of going to school,” He Ying replied truthfully. Indeed, it was only a few days ago that Shen Yu thought of sending her to school.
Yang Yan: “…” How big-hearted must a parent be to forget about sending their child to school?
“Teacher,” Huying called.
“Yes?” Yang Yan looked down into her deep, dark eyes. “What is it?”
“Do you really think the consort doesn’t like the princess? The princess is obviously so nice,” He Ying asked, her brows furrowed, still concerned about this matter.
Hearing this, Yang Yan sighed helplessly. However, her smile soon faded, and she looked somewhat melancholic. She said softly, “I think she does like the princess.”
“If she likes her, why did she divorce the princess and get together with that Li Lang?” He Ying asked.
She obviously went through so much with the princess.
Yang Yan was momentarily stunned, her gaze turning vacant as she pondered. After a while, she said softly, “Maybe the world didn’t allow her to be with the princess.”
After waiting a long time for this answer, He Ying wrinkled her little brow in confusion. “Why? Why wouldn’t the world allow them to be together?”
Yang Yan squatted down to look the child in the eye, gently rubbing her head. “Because they are two women. Two women being together is not accepted by the world.”
He Ying shook off her hand, suddenly angry. “What is the world? Why does the world get to decide if they can be together? If it were me, I’d beat the world! No one can interfere with my choices!”
Hearing the childish voice say such things, Yang Yan smiled lightly, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. What was she doing talking about such things with a child? The world isn’t just one person; it’s millions. You can kill one person, but can you kill everyone with prejudice?
“Alright, let’s go back to class,” she said, reaching out her hand to Huying.
He Ying was still somewhat angry, but seeing her kind, smiling face, she finally placed her hand in Yang Yan’s, letting her lead her into the classroom. Seeing all the children about her age, He Ying was a little startled.
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In her few years of life, she had never seen so many peers.
“This is our new classmate, He Ying. Everyone, get along well,” Yang Yan said.
She placed He Ying at the second to last desk in the first row, saying it was temporary until they could rearrange the seating next week.
He Ying had no objections. She sat down at her desk, her seatmate a slightly thin girl who greeted her with a friendly smile. Seeing her smile, He Ying pulled out two candies from her bag and handed them over. “Have some candy!”
These candies were put in her bag by Shen Yu this morning, saying that kids like candy, and if she shared, others wouldn’t target her.
After sitting down, her body suddenly jerked back as her braid was grabbed and pulled. Her face scrunched in pain as she turned to see a boy pulling her hair. “Why are you pulling my hair!” she asked angrily.
On the podium, Yang Yan noticed the situation and started to walk over when the boy confidently said, “Your hair looks nice, so I pulled it!”
With that, he pulled even harder.
He Ying was furious. She got up, grabbed her hair back from his hand, and kicked the boy hard, knocking him and his chair to the ground!
After retrieving her hair, she tenderly touched her braid, which Shen Yu had tied for her that morning, now somewhat loose.
The boy on the ground started crying loudly, ignoring that it was class time. He shouted at He Ying, “Just wait! Do you know who my dad is? I’m going to get my dad to punish you!”
Seeing this, Yang Yan felt a headache coming on. The boy was the mayor’s son, used to getting his way, afraid of nothing. Now that He Ying had offended him, she wondered if He Ying could stay at the school.
With other conflicts, she could mediate, but this boy was beyond her mediation. She had no choice but to call the principal. The principal, seeing the situation, also felt a headache coming on.
The mayor was notorious for spoiling his child, defending him unconditionally, regardless of right or wrong.
As expected, they couldn’t resolve the situation. The boy called his father in, and the principal called Shen Yu, asking her to come to the school because He Ying had gotten into trouble.
Shen Yu, sunbathing on a lounge chair in the courtyard, was a bit surprised by the call. She had just come back from the school, right? And now she could see the little one again so soon?
Thinking this, she wasn’t worried about He Ying getting into serious trouble. She had investigated beforehand, knowing there were no spirits at the school. He Ying wasn’t in any real danger. Even if her identity as a spirit was exposed, Shen Yu could handle it.
Arriving at the school, the principal was surprised at how quickly she arrived. Had it even been five minutes since the call?
Seeing her, He Ying walked up, feeling wronged, and tugged on her belt. “The braid you did for me got pulled loose.”
Shen Yu’s eyes narrowed as she saw the somewhat messy braid. Her face darkened.
She wasn’t worried about He Ying encountering trouble, but being bullied on the first day was unacceptable. Did people really think so little of her?
Her people, who dared to bully them!
She patted He Ying’s head and looked at the principal.
The principal: “…”
She knew this woman was not to be trifled with, and now facing off against the mayor, who would win? She hoped Shen Yu would win since it was clearly the mayor’s son who started it. If Shen Yu could suppress the mayor, his son might learn some humility, making the school a better place.
Soon, the mayor arrived. Seeing his son’s tear-streaked face and the clear shoe print on his clothes, he was furious, demanding an explanation from the school.
“I don’t care what the school says, but if you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, your tenure as mayor is over.”
Shen Yu said coldly, looking at the man.
No one could bully her people!
The author has something to say:
Daidai: You protect your child; I protect mine!