"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.

For her birthday, Ji LanBai had received a lot of beautiful and expensive birthday gifts.

A new guqin from her mother, Wu JianRui; a small gemstone encrusted dagger from her father, Ji ChanFang.

"Uh oh, here's the Young Miss coming," Xiao Hui muttered, having noticed sound of hurried steps and soon the voice that they had known so well.

"YuuuLannnnnn~~!!" Ji LanBai ran up to them, not bothering to conceal her excitement. Her eyes brightened up when she saw YuLan . It was like a lost chick having found its mother. Ji LanBai had recovered from her sickness and had been very active again, running and following YuLan everywhere. Sometimes YuLan had to find places to hide just to find a bit of peaceful respite.

Ji LanBai was wearing a snow-white mink coat. It was birthday present from Third Prince Zhang GuoFu. She liked it very much and had been wearing it any opportunity she got. On her left wrist, there was a jade bangle, with intricate engraving of an orchid flower. It was her birthday present from Ji SongLi and Second Madame Hai FenChu. Hai FenChu chose a plain jade bangle from a jeweler, and Ji SongLi actually engraved the flower pattern himself.

From the older princes and Zhen BuFeng, she just received a good sum of pocket money. Ji LanBai thought those elder brothers gave very dull gifts. However, for her parents, it was completely appropriate. After all they were not family, nor were they going to be closely acquainted with her future.

YuLan finally looked up to the incoming group. There were Ji LanBai, two of her maids, Young Master Ji SongLi, the three princes, and Zhen BuFeng.

"The whole country might as well be here." She could not help but frown, "Does everyone have too much time on their hands? Why are the princes and both Generals' sons here, too?"

Despite not being expected to, YuLan wanted to give some kind of present for Ji LanBai as well. Hence she had been working on the item in her hands for the past couple of weeks. There were a few things she had been missing that she had taken for granted in her past life; along the obvious like sitting toilet bowl and its flush function, electric toothbrush, microwave, computer and internet, television... .

She also missed her electric mixer.

The bamboo craft that she had finally completed was actually her version of a handheld mixer. She was penniless and could not give any money or buy anything expensive for Ji LanBai, so she decided to try baking a cake. In fact, she was quite fond of sweet desserts in her past life, baking small batches of cakes whenever she had the time.

Seeing the four healthy strong boys suddenly gave her an idea. Her frown disappeared and she flashed a smile.

Ji SongLi examined Bai YuLan's face when they got closer. The gauze on her face had been removed. Although her chin still sported a red bumpy line, a reminder of her wound a few weeks ago, her jaw no longer swelled like a over-ripen tomato.

"Young Miss," YuLan and Xiao Hui curtsied in greetings, to which Ji LanBai quickly puffed up her cheeks in annoyance,

"I have told you, you don't need to call me 'Miss'," LanBai grumbled softly, clearly referring to YuLan only and dismissing Xiao Hui. The latter silently scrunched up her eyebrows.

YuLan also did the formal greetings to the other personages in turn, ignoring her displeased Young Miss' request. Then, she turned to look at Ji LanBai in the eye, pursing her lips in a tight line, "I thought it's time for Young Miss' calligraphy practice?"

YuLan could now speak in full fluency. It was not hard for her to adapt to their accent, especially when she already knew the language. In her previous life, there was even one occasion that she managed to learn conversational Japanese and speak it fluently in only a month, all in order to get a project from a very old-fashioned and uptight Japanese businessman who refused to talk to anyone in English.

Ji LanBai winced slightly and quickly cowered behind her elder brother. If there was one person she could not say no to, it was this new maid; or new friend; or new sister like in her wishful thinking . Ji LanBai had grown so attached to YuLan, and ever since the latter's show of care for her when she was sick, she respected her a lot.

"I was looking for you...," she weakly protested. The three princes and Zhen BuFeng observed with amusement.

"Young Master Ji," YuLan lowered her gaze politely, her slight movement exuded elegance unbefitting of her age, "Please deliver Young Miss to her teacher. Sun-laoshi must have been waiting for her already"

Sun Chen, normally called Sun-laoshi, was her calligraphy teacher.

Ji SongLi stilled for a second. Ji LanBai opened her mouth again to protest, peeking her little head from behind Ji SongLi's back. YuLan's eyes quickly snapped onto her again,

"If there is no new character learnt today by Young Miss, this servant will lock the study's door tonight... ."

Ji LanBai's eyes widened, then she looked flustered, then her expression quickly turned into reluctant acceptance. If YuLan locked the door, she would not be able to slip into her room tonight. She had become so used to YuLan's warmth when she slept. YuLan could have reported it to her parents of her inappropriate conduct, but she had been entertaining her willfulness instead.

Not only that, YuLan only always addressed her by her formal title and referred to herself as 'servant' whenever YuLan was dissatisfied. If Ji LanBai kept pestering her today, YuLan would keep her detached distance.

Stomping her small feet, she harrumphed in dissatisfaction but obediently headed to the living room to see Sun-laoshi. Ji SongLi gave YuLan a smile before following his sister, her maids trailing behind. Xiao Hui looked at YuLan briefly before following her Young Miss along.

Crown Prince Zhang KongJing's shoulders had been shaking up and down, in his bid to try to withhold his laugh. Finally, he could not hold it anymore. He laughed so hard tears started to form in the corner of his eyes.

The other three younger boys just looked at each other, not quite sure what to say. If the masters themselves did not mind, who were they to intervene and punish the little maid for her insolence?

Third Prince Zhang GuoFu then noticed the bamboo item in YuLan's hands and asked, "What is that?"

YuLan smiled at them politely, turning her gaze down for a while in acknowledgement of his question before lifting her head high again to look at Zhang GuoFu. Her eyes were bright and clear, containing expectation. It was not quite the attitude or posture a maid should maintain in front of royalties or people of higher standings, but pleasant enough in her own opinion.

Despite knowing that most of them were royalties and she probably had to learn and show more courtesy and reverence, these brats were half her age at least. Her soul was already thirty years old. How could she suddenly regard teenagers, no matter how regal they were, as her superiors. However, she had indeed paid attention to these powerful figures, and noted that they were much more relaxed than the royalties she read about or watched in movies in her last life. Perhaps because they were still young? In any case, she would make use of these healthy teens to do her bidding,

"This servant wonders if Your Highnesses can assist with something?"

Zhen BuFeng was stricter than the three princes due to his martial upbringing. He was a bit displeased and was about to reprimand her "What gall! Not only she did not lower her lowly eyes when speaking to Third Prince, she had the nerve to ask the three royal bloods for help."

"It's something for Young Miss Ji...," she continued, interjecting his thought.