Chapter 123: Walking Practice
“Ah!”
In the middle of the night, Mrs. Wu went into labor.
The delivery process was relatively smooth.
After all, this was her third child.
Jiang Wan, who was waiting outside her mother’s room, let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the cries.
As an unmarried young lady, she not only had to manage the household but also arrange for her mother’s delivery.
It was a close call, but everything turned out fine.
The midwife carried out a baby.
She was very fair, delicate, and tiny, her head constantly turning, looking left and right, her cries peaceful and carrying a slight tremor.
Jiang Wan did not dare to take her; she was too small.
Jiang Huaisheng, upon seeing the baby and hearing it was a daughter, was also very happy and somewhat excited: “She is even more delicate than your sister was; she will surely be a beautiful young lady when she grows up.”
Jiang Huaisheng anxiously asked the midwife, “Is Jinger doing well?”
The midwife nodded: “Both mother and daughter are safe. The madam is also well; she just needs to rest quietly afterward.”
Jiang Huaisheng couldn’t wait to see his wife.
Jiang Wan followed inside and saw her mother lying weakly; seeing them arrive, she smiled weakly.
Yet she looked very content.
“I will go tell Old Madam; Mother, you rest well.”
Seeing that everything was fine, Jiang Wan took her leave.
Although it was the middle of the night, it was no longer that cold.
Wearing two layers of clothing was enough.
The midwife said that giving birth at this time was best, neither cold nor hot, which was convenient for the postpartum recovery period.
In the fifth month, the pomegranate flowers bloomed.
There was a pomegranate tree in the courtyard, with flowers blooming vigorously.
Passing by at night, there was the scent of flowers.
Jiang Wan passed by her brother’s room and saw that the light was still on inside.
Her brother was still staying up late studying.
Recently, her brother’s state seemed off.
He was studying as if he had become obsessed.
Jiang Wan could not counsel him, and she didn’t even know what to say; in fact, studying like this might be more ambitious than before.
Since the New Year, when that person sent the six clay pots and that letter, Jiang Rong had been somewhat broken.
He studied for the sake of the imperial examinations and advancement.
If they rebelled, then he would also be a Rebel.
He asked Old Madam to formally expel that person from the clan, but for a great crime like rebellion, which involved the execution of the nine familial exterminations, how could one escape it just by expulsion? If that were the case, everyone would split their families in half, with one half rebelling and the other half pursuing advancement; if the rebellion failed, they would just expel them and say they weren’t family members—wouldn’t that be naive?
Jiang Wan returned to Old Madam’s room; Old Madam had her eyes closed and had not yet slept, leaning on the soft couch, slowly twisting her prayer beads.
Seeing her come in, she asked: “Was it smooth?”
“Replying to Old Madam, it was smooth. Mother gave birth to a daughter, both mother and daughter are safe, and I am now a big sister too.”
After finishing, Jiang Wan walked to Old Madam’s side and sat down next to her: “Old Madam, Wan’er wants to sleep with you tonight.”
In her mind, the image of her Father beside her mother, and her mother holding the baby in her arms, appeared, full of joy and harmony.
She leaned against Old Madam.
It was the middle of the night, and Jiang Wan lay down together on Old Madam’s bed.
It had been an exhausting day, and sleepiness was heavy.
Suddenly, she heard Old Madam speak: “You should work hard to pack up and get ready; we are going to seek refuge with your aunt.”
Jiang Wan woke up instantly.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t to the capital, but for the whole family to seek refuge with her aunt.
She had an indescribable feeling in her heart; subconsciously, she felt that seeking refuge would make her inferior, yet she was also very excited about meeting that person soon.
She didn’t know if he would see that painting, or if he would see her.
She wrote the character “Xi” in her palm.
Her mind wandered for a long time before she fell asleep.
Old Madam Jiang was originally a light sleeper, and with someone beside her, she couldn’t actually sleep; she endured until she heard Wan’er’s even breathing before she drifted off, and in a moment, it was dawn.
…
Dawn.
Jiang Mianmian yawned and got up to pee.
After peeing, she stretched out her hands.
Great-Aunt helped her get dressed and combed her hair.
To mention a sad thing, she had been moved out of her parents’ room; from now on, she couldn’t eavesdrop on them anymore and could only listen from the room next door, next door, next door.
To mention an even sadder thing, her current roommate was Great-Aunt.
At first, Jiang Mianmian was a little nervous, worried that she might expose something, since some of her actions were still a bit strange.
However, Great-Aunt seemed unfazed by everything and could always self-rationalize and explain it away.
Moreover, Great-Aunt was very contradictory; on one hand, she demanded that Mianmian not be lazy, but on the other hand, she served her in a way that made her even lazier.
She closed her eyes and stretched out her hands, waiting for her undergarments, outer robes, and shoes to automatically put themselves on.
Aunt Yin dressed the little girl and carried her out.
Strangely enough, at over fifty years old, her health in the Jiang Family had become increasingly robust; she walked as if flying, and her strength seemed to have increased a bit. In fact, her strength hadn’t been small to begin with; for her to survive in the palace, besides her circumspection, there was the fact that she had actually been hiding a great deal of strength.
She said she had dispersed all her family wealth, keeping only a small bundle.
It looked like a set of spare clothes, but it was actually a very heavy bundle containing many valuable treasures.
Others wouldn’t guess that such a bundle could be so heavy.
But now, her strength was actually even greater, with endless energy.
Except for losing a bit too much hair—perhaps from worrying too much.
But it was also growing back a lot…
At her age, she actually had many new, small baby hairs on her forehead, and they were black.
Her white hair fell out in handfuls, while the baby hairs grew in tufts.
She basically hadn’t been sick, except for that one time she ate the mushroom soup cooked by The Eldest Miss and had diarrhea all night.
The family was used to it; they drank it often and were perhaps accustomed to it.
Aunt Yin had diarrhea for a whole night, and a lot of the old skin on her face had rubbed off.
In the imperial palace, she had heard of a substance that, when eaten, could detoxify and preserve one’s youthful appearance.
The Golden Elixir that the Emperor had masters refine had this effect.
The Emperor would only bestow the Golden Elixir upon a concubine he favored extremely.
Indeed, after eating it, one would glow with health, and their skin would become much fairer overnight. For a period, their skin would be so white it seemed to glow, and they would be greatly favored. Unfortunately, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down; they were too flashy and soon died.
Aunt Yin had seen those corpses; they were terrifying, yet the corpses were lifelike and extremely beautiful.
She had doubts about the Golden Elixir, but this was something the Emperor consumed; it was not for a palace maid like her to worry about.
However, The Eldest Miss’s mushroom soup, besides giving her diarrhea, made her feel more energetic, and she felt as if she had become ten years younger.
Therefore, Aunt Yin had observed carefully.
She discovered that the people in this family all had immense strength.
Her bit of strength was not at all out of place here.
Everyone seemed very healthy, with no illnesses or disasters.
It seemed like everyone was hiding a little secret.
Aunt Yin did not continue to investigate; knowing too much was sometimes not the way to longevity.
She carried the little girl outside.
She looked up and saw Mr. Jiang.
“Aunt Yin, don’t keep carrying her. Let her walk by herself. I think Mianmian has gained quite a bit of weight recently.”
Aunt Yin was a bit embarrassed.
She had subconsciously picked her up.
Jiang Mianmian was placed on the ground, and with a patter-patter-patter of her little legs, she walked up to Father and spread her arms: “Father, carry me.”
Jiang Changtian:…
Jiang Mianmian hugged Father’s leg and said:
“Father, you should carry me more when I’m little. When I grow up, you won’t be able to carry me anymore. Every day you carry me is one day less.” Jiang Mianmian said seriously.
Jiang Changtian:…
He still couldn’t resist his daughter’s pleading little eyes and picked her up.
She was heavy.
Aunt Yin chuckled; if you didn’t spoil her, the little girl would already be climbing on your neck.
Aunt Yin kept her eyes on her nose and her heart on her heart, pretending not to see; not making the leader feel awkward was a basic operation.
She went to the kitchen and saw The Eldest Miss, who was slicing noodles, her hands moving so fast they were just a blur of afterimages. She couldn’t help but sigh.
Although Mrs. Qin said she hoped her children would be safe and smooth, living to old age without illness or disaster.
But as her teacher, she certainly couldn’t just let it slide.
She still had ideals and goals.
At the very least, she had to cultivate someone presentable.
Especially after seeing Mr. Jiang’s appearance and the aphorisms and allegories of the ants, she had a new direction for cultivation.
But… the direction was wrong.
This knife skill, this carving, this craftsmanship.
“What is Sister Yu doing? I told you to practice walking today; have you practiced well?” Aunt Yin asked with a straight face.
Jiang Yu smiled awkwardly: “Great-Aunt, I am researching how to make dragon beard noodles. It will be sister’s birthday soon, and I want to cut these noodles. Look, I’ve cut them as thin as hair strands; they must be delicious. There’s still a lot left; I haven’t finished cutting them. I’ll go with you as soon as I finish cutting.”
Aunt Yin stepped forward, reached out and snatched the knife, took the remaining dough, held the knife with both hands, and with a “clang, clang, clang,” she chopped rapidly, flour flying everywhere.
When the dust settled, the neatly cut, thin noodles lay there like a head of dark hair.
Who didn’t know how to do that? Who didn’t have a unique skill?
Aunt Yin looked at the dumbfounded Sister Yu and spoke politely: “Can you go with me to practice walking now?”
Sister Yu obediently followed Great-Aunt out.
To avoid making her sister lose face, Father and Big Brother had both gone out.
Jiang Mianmian ate the pastries made by her sister, sat on a small chair, dangled her legs, and watched Great-Aunt teach.
“The pace must be composed, neither rushed nor slow, elegant and poised.”
Her sister took big, exaggerated steps.
Great-Aunt would occasionally lash out at her sister’s calves, thighs, and back with a small feather duster.
“Don’t hunch your back, and don’t spread your legs too wide.”
Well, the feather duster was also a small invention of classmate Jiang Mianmian; such a small achievement.
It was just right for hitting her sister.
She probably didn’t expect that it would also hit her own body in the future.
Jiang Yu felt that she was walking quite well, but Great-Aunt said it was no good.
“When standing, you must stand straight, head held high and chest out. You cannot lean against the door while standing; it is not dignified and will also obstruct others from walking.”
Jiang Mianmian chewed on a small steamed bun, thinking, this Great-Aunt really knows her stuff. No wonder when describing courtesans, it was always said they leaned against the door; it turned out it meant they were not dignified.
“When encountering a turn, the angle of the turn must be wide to avoid hitting corners or bumping into other people, causing unnecessary misunderstandings.” Aunt Yin held the feather duster, facing The Eldest Miss, teaching her word by word.
Jiang Mianmian: Ho ho ho, knowledge point; you definitely won’t meet love at a corner.
Aunt Yin couldn’t worry about the little girl sitting on the chair dangling her legs, eating a bun and watching the excitement for the time being.
“When leaving from beside an elder, your movements must be slow, expressing a sense of respect and reluctance to part.”
Jiang Yu stepped back, walked past Great-Aunt, and smiled so broadly her gums showed.
Aunt Yin raised the feather duster and swung it into a blur of afterimages, and the feathers flew up.
Fluttering, they landed on the bangs of Jiang Mianmian, who was sitting on the side eating snacks.
She sat there blowing at the feathers on top of her head.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo!”
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
