Chapter 285: You Cannot Learn This
The roasted meat at the Star-Gazing Pavilion is quite good.
Perhaps it is because it is full of the high technology of this era.
The messenger of Senior Brother Zheng.
They already knew that Mianmian was coming.
In this era, distances are vast and transportation is inconvenient.
If there is truly very important content to be delivered.
There are usually several messengers who deliver it in turns.
Mianmian brought the letters written over many years by the Star-Gazer from Jingzhou. Mianmian thought that since they had not been sent out for so long, they might be more than just letters; they could be reflections, arguments, thoughts, or, in short, something quite important.
He also gave instructions that someone arriving in the capital had sent a letter, saying that someone would be delivering the mail.
A messenger’s messenger.
Therefore, when Mianmian arrived, the people at the Star-Gazing Pavilion were not surprised.
After eating the roasted meat, everyone read the letters together.
Mianmian and Cong Geer also gained the right to read the letters.
There were truly a lot.
The content of some letters was very short.
“Today, the pain in my body is unbearable. The weather is cold. There is a rebellion, and the common people are fleeing.”
“Today, my body feels slightly better, and it is quiet inside and outside the city.”
“Headache. This evening, there was a bird in front of the window that paused for a long time.”
“The stars are very different today; I must record them. After finishing the drawing, it was noon. I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up, it was dark, and I ran to observe the stars in a panic.”
Date by date.
The people at the Star-Gazing Pavilion organized them together.
In chronological order.
Only after Mianmian finished organizing them with the others did she realize that Star-Gazers all have this tradition.
Star-Gazers in various places record their daily lives throughout their lives. This means that they feel their time is approaching, and they need the people at the Star-Gazing Pavilion in the capital to send them a new Star-Gazer to take over, or they have already found a new successor themselves.
This record is given to the people at the Star-Gazing Pavilion to inform them of what problems might arise in their area and who the best candidate would be.
It is trivial, touching, and also valuable.
It is like a very, very good book.
Mianmian felt that it could definitely be edited and published.
It felt like she had found a little something to do.
She still had a shop, but hadn’t decided what to do with it.
If it were used to publish books, such as Great-Aunt’s tea talks, beauty guides, postpartum care, and various other practical topics, they could all be published. People in this era have very limited sources of knowledge, and they tend to keep things to themselves. If there were books—useful books—everyone would cherish them greatly.
She read the letters at the Star-Gazing Pavilion until evening before strolling home.
It seemed like a productive day.
Jiang Changtian came home from work.
He said to his wife, “I have already written to Feng Geer, telling him to return quickly. I have found a match for him, which should be very good. You should take some gifts and pay a visit tomorrow.”
Qin Luoxia hadn’t told her husband about meeting Great-Aunt yet.
She thought that when her husband saw her, it would be a pleasant surprise.
She hadn’t expected her husband to give her a surprise first.
She had been worrying about Feng Geer’s marriage for a long time.
Jiang Yu was already married and had a child, yet Feng Geer, as the older brother, was still single.
However, she was not the nagging type. Although she was worried, she didn’t nag about it all day long.
She believed that her husband would definitely have a way.
And sure enough, her husband had found a good family.
The family her husband approved of must be very good; after all, her husband was quite smart.
Having received the tip, Qin Luoxia quickly sent someone to bring Aunt Yin back.
For such a major event, Aunt Yin still needed to preside over it.
It wouldn’t do if she performed poorly during the visit and ruined Feng Geer’s good marriage prospects.
Also, there needed to be a plan for what gifts to prepare, as they were not familiar with things here in the capital.
“Miss Dong, who broke off her engagement with the Liu family? Oh, I have heard of her,” Qin Luoxia nodded.
“That’s a good thing. If she hadn’t broken off the engagement, it wouldn’t have been our boy’s turn. Such a good family background, such a good young lady.”
Thus, the next day.
Vice Minister Jiang went to work.
Qin Luoxia, accompanied by Aunt Yin and a string of gifts, went to visit The Dong Family.
Meanwhile, Mianmian and Brother Chong went to the temple to watch the Dharma Ritual.
Zi Congheng felt that his daily life was extremely fulfilling and busy.
Every day, there was a reason to go out.
Today, they had to go to the temple to keep Father’s soul company (assuming he had one).
Both of them were wearing white robes.
Perhaps it was because they had eaten too much of Mianmian’s cooking, but their movements were somewhat synchronized.
There was a somewhat indifferent, lazy feeling to them.
The two of them took a carriage together to Taia Temple.
Early in the morning.
The temple bells rang melodiously.
Inside the temple, the incense was flourishing.
The smell was actually quite pleasant.
Watching the monks in their robes, busy moving about, circling, and striking wooden fish, it was indeed very lively.
Zi Congheng took a look and was a bit surprised; the number of senior monks was much higher than on the first day. Could Aunt Qin have paid extra?
That shouldn’t be the case. Based on his understanding of Aunt Qin, she wouldn’t pay that extra money.
He was actually quite wealthy too, but living together, it didn’t seem appropriate to calculate everything clearly. Calculating things one by one like that felt very distant.
Aunt Qin always said, “Save where you should save, and spend where you should spend.”
Aunt Qin was very frugal in some aspects, but very generous in others.
She didn’t care much for superficial things, but she cared deeply about the comfort of her family.
Although it didn’t look luxurious on the outside, what everyone wore underneath was extremely high quality, and the items they used were top-notch.
For all the difficult things Mianmian requested, Aunt Qin would have someone do them, and she would tirelessly ensure they were done well.
Therefore, after staying for just a few days, they felt that everything was very suitable, agreeable, and peaceful.
After watching the Dharma Ritual with Mianmian for a while, he noticed that they hadn’t cut corners on the number of monks; in fact, they had added many more, and they were chanting very earnestly. Zi Congheng then took Mianmian and left.
The two of them went together to look at the eternal lamps. Seeing the wall full of lamplight, they carefully searched through the characters on the entire wall until they found the two characters for Great Marshal Zi, and felt that it was quite good.
A ghost that is remembered by someone is a real ghost, right?
A ghost that no one remembers will disappear.
After seeing the eternal lamps, the two continued strolling.
This time, they naturally walked into the backyard.
Mianmian and Brother Chong walked for quite a while without encountering the old woman from last time; the path was unobstructed.
Zi Congheng was a bit surprised.
The scenery inside was too beautiful.
All kinds of trees, with distinct layers of color—red, yellow, and green.
Every path they walked seemed to have excellent scenery, and every angle looked like a painting.
As they walked, they arrived before a huge lake.
Looking at the emerald green surface of the lake, it felt like a mirror made of jade.
Then Mianmian saw that there was also a very high swing by the lake.
There was someone on the swing.
It seemed to be the old woman from last time.
The old woman had such elegant interests; she was actually swinging.
But before she could finish her exclamation, she saw the old woman’s body fly off the swing, flying very, very high—at least higher than the swing frame—then she did a 360-degree flip, and finally dived headfirst into the water, with a thin column of water erupting from the surface.
Mianmian opened her mouth wide. Who could tell her why she could see fancy diving in ancient times? Oh my god.
What on earth is this?
Zi Congheng already felt a bit of a headache.
This is a “water swing”—flying off the swing and landing in the water.
After a while, the old woman swam from the water to the shore.
He saw that she was wearing a very professional swimsuit.
However, it was not strange; in this era, there are specialized pearl divers. These people not only know how to swim but also how to deep-dive, diving into deep water to collect pearls.
But the risks are very high, and many people die.
Pearl divers wear professional swimsuits.
It’s just that ordinary noble ladies wouldn’t dress like that.
When she reached the shore, a maid came over to wrap a cloak around Princess Huiyun.
Her hair was soaking wet, but she had a smile on her face, obviously enjoying the process.
However, coming out of the water was actually very cold. When the wind blew, one would involuntarily shiver from the cold.
Princess Huiyun was a little embarrassed; it was rare for her to play on the water swing, and she had actually been seen by the younger generation.
They would probably nag again.
Why did that formation fail again today?
Could it be that it doesn’t work on relatives? That makes no sense; even the Emperor couldn’t enter without her permission.
This Mother and son were too bizarre.
Princess Huiyun looked at the two people, one big and one small, wearing white clothes.
The boy, when looked at closely, resembled her nephew, the Crown Prince, somewhat, while the girl looked more like her and felt even better-looking.
Mianmian excitedly leaned over and said, “Great-Aunt, you are so amazing! You actually flew several circles before jumping into the water. You jumped so well; you suppressed the splash so beautifully—there was basically hardly any splash at all. Champion! Great-Aunt, next time you jump, can I come and keep you company?”
Princess Huiyun was a bit surprised; this little girl was indeed very much like her. Others would be terrified and afraid when seeing this, but she actually had a look of admiration, eagerness, and excitement.
Zi Congheng stood to the side, expressionless, and said, “You cannot learn this; Mother will beat you.”
Jiang Mianmian explained, “No, no, no, I won’t learn. Diving is very difficult, and I am also afraid. I want to accompany you because this is a high-difficulty move. When diving, the head touches the water surface first, and the eyes often rub against the water surface, which makes the retina very easy to detach.”
She gestured an action of an eyeball falling out and continued, “Diving can easily injure the waist, break legs, or twist the neck. If you accidentally hit the water with your stomach first, your internal organs could even be smashed. If I am there, I can provide treatment immediately.”
“Great-Aunt, believe me, my medical skills are very good. Even if your internal organs are smashed, I can have a way. I can cut your stomach open to check; I guarantee you won’t die immediately.”
Princess Huiyun:…Someone, drag this death-wishing brat out…
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