Poor Family's Legitimate Daughter Has Special Dimension

Golden Rice Chronicles: The Fields of Home Late August, the golden autumn sun blazed high in the sky. Across the boundless landscape, a sea of golden rice rippled under the gentle breeze, sending waves of grain rolling across the earth. Amidst these swaying, dancing golden waves, a little girl stood. Dressed in a green padded jacket and skirt, her hair styled in childish double buns , she closed her eyes, arms spread wide, blissfully immersed in the overwhelming fragrance of the ripening rice. "Dao Hua~""Dao Hua~" The unmistakable sound – clear, carefree, and bursting with youthful joy – carried on the breeze, swiftly penetrating the rustling sea of gold. Hearing her name, the little girl's eyes snapped open. She tilted her head and spotted the boy running like the wind along the field ridge, waving vigorously as he raced towards her. Seeing him, her eyes instantly curved into crescents, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. She raised her hand and waved back: "Third Brother, I'm here!" Yan Wentao's face brightened with delight at the sight of his little cousin. His long legs stretched into even wider strides. There she stood, smiling amidst the golden rice, the girl in green. Her eyebrows were naturally dark and arched like jade, her lips a delicate rosy red without stain, her eyes sparkled like distant stars, and her skin was smooth as fine porcelain . Even after nine years, Yan Wentao felt he could never tire of looking at his eldest cousin-sister . To him, she resembled nothing less than a jade maiden attendant gracing the side of an immortal. "Third Brother, what brings you out here?" the girl asked cheerfully as the boy reached her. Her fair, delicate cheeks were flushed a soft pink from the intense sun, making her appear even more adorably charming. "And you ask?" Wentao retorted, immediately pulling the straw hat from his own head and carefully settling it onto hers. "Under this blazing sun, what possessed you to come out? Aren't you afraid of turning dark? Look, your face is already red! Grandma will surely scold you when we get back." The girl stood obediently, letting him adjust the hat. Once it was secure, she linked her arm affectionately with his and pleaded in a sweet, coaxing tone, "If Grandma gets cross, you have to help plead my case, Third Brother!" "You!" Yan Wentao tapped her forehead gently, his expression a blend of fond indulgence and helpless exasperation. "Come on, let's hurry home. Uncle has sent a letter. Grandma is waiting for you to read it to her." "Huh?" The girl blinked in surprise. "A letter? Why now?" Yan Wentao shook his head. "The autumn harvest is nearly upon us. He’s likely asking when we'll come to the county town where he serves." The girl gave a nonchalant shrug, her indifference plain. Seeing this, Yan Wentao chuckled. "What? Aren’t you eager to see Uncle and Aunt?" The year Dao Hua was born, her father had passed the provincial imperial exam . The following year, he achieved the rank of Tong Jinshi ( successful candidate, ranked in the palace examination) and was appointed Seventh-rank County Magistrate . Dao Hua had been an infant then, and Grandma was frail. Unable to take them to his distant post, he had left them behind in the ancestral home.Eight years had passed since that separation. Looking at his cousin-sister, who had met her own parents only a handful of times in her nine years, a flicker of heartache passed through Yan Wentao's eyes. "Of course I want to see them!" The girl replied, her tone utterly devoid of conviction. Compared to the stifling confines of a deep mansion courtyard, she vastly preferred the unfettered freedom of rural life. If given the choice, she would gladly remain forever in the fields, living as a carefree idler . By now, the two cousins had reached the main village path, where the bustle of people increased noticeably. "Ah, it's Dao Hua and Wentao!""Third Uncle!""Master Wu!""Auntie Liu!""Uncle Five!" The pair greeted everyone cheerfully and with perfect manners, deepening the smiles on the villagers' faces. "Such fierce sun, what brings you young ones out?""What else could it be? Dao Hua must be inspecting her family's rice paddies again, surely!" This remark drew hearty laughter from the gathered crowd.The little girl laughed along. "Got to keep watch! My family's whole year depends on this harvest, you know.""Dao Hua, listen to your auntie," one woman said kindly. "Your father is the County Magistrate, a great official! A young lady of your standing doesn't need to labor like us common folk. Go home and enjoy your comfortable life!"The girl smiled back warmly. "Auntie, even County Magistrates need to eat!""Hahaha! Look at our Dao Hua! So young, yet already helping shoulder the family's burdens! No wonder Old Madame Yan treasures her so!""Absolutely treasured! If this old man had a granddaughter like her, I'd spoil her beyond measure too!" Amidst the cheerful banter, the little girl kept her bright smile. With one arm hooked through her Third Brother's and the other hand brushing lightly through the rice ears at the field's edge, she skipped lightly down the path towards the village's most imposing compound. As the cousins moved further away, discordant voices rose from the crowd behind them.