Chapter 124: Times Have Changed
Summer.
A gentle breeze blew.
The rice seedlings were like shy, bashful The Eldest Miss, swaying with their heads bowed.
“Gee up!”
A young girl rode on horseback, brimming with unbridled spirit.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she had round eyes and curved brows.
She galloped back and forth, her long hair flying in the wind.
Jiang Mianmian sat on a small chair under a large tree.
Mosquito repellent incense was stuck in the ground nearby, and a small table was placed next to her, holding cheese, snacks, sweet water, and bitter tea.
The sweet water was hers, and the bitter tea was Great-Aunt’s.
Jiang Mianmian watched her sister with envy as she practiced riding.
This was a reward from Great-Aunt, who said that Sister had performed well in her walking training, so she was rewarded with horse riding practice.
Sister was very happy.
Jiang Mianmian felt that horse riding was heroic and truly looked very good.
However, she felt something was off about Great-Aunt’s words.
It sounded like a teacher saying, “You’ve done well in math, so I’ll reward you with a Chinese workbook. Go practice…”
By the way, they had actually flattened the hill at their home to create a horse track.
Jiang Mianmian wished she could grow up quickly; she wanted to ride a horse too, a real horse.
She was tired of riding the little wooden horse.
Mianmian discovered that besides Sister practicing her walking, Mother was also secretly working hard.
In the middle of the night, she would hear noises and see Mother practicing walking in the courtyard.
It was like an auntie who dances in the square secretly practicing extra moves in the corner.
Mother’s comprehension seemed to be a tiny bit better than Sister’s; now, when she walked with that aura, she looked very stylish.
Sister could only pretend for a little while to fool outsiders.
Mother was already quite good at fooling most people.
Jiang Yu rode the horse for five or six laps, looking spirited, and finally stopped the horse in front of Jiang Mianmian.
She nimbly jumped off the horse’s back in a cool manner.
Aunt Yin wanted to say that this was unseemly, but thinking about Sister Yu’s agility, it was actually fine—just a bit of showing off.
She was a flexible person who adapted to circumstances.
If she were just teaching an ordinary young lady from a wealthy family, being upright and proper would be enough—the rules had to be carved into their bones so they wouldn’t suffer losses after marriage or have faults picked out based on their etiquette.
But if there was another status involved, the teaching method would naturally be different.
She saw that Mr. Jiang was extremely satisfied with her teaching method.
Jiang Mianmian sat on the small chair, clapping her little chubby hands loudly.
“Sister is so amazing.”
Jiang Yu dismounted smugly and reached out to pinch Mianmian’s cheek.
It made her voice sound wobbly.
Jiang Mianmian looked at her sister close to her face and felt that Sister had indeed changed a lot.
Great-Aunt was skilled at grooming; she had trimmed Sister’s eyebrows, and Sister, who originally seemed a bit coarser, was now at least thirty percent better looking.
Great-Aunt also knew how to style hair.
Even though it was the same ponytail, there was a secret to it—there were many braids in the front, and little curly hairs at the temples and forehead, which looked incredibly beautiful.
Jiang Mianmian just felt she was too young.
When she grew up a bit, Great-Aunt would help her style her hair, and it would definitely be beautiful too.
She prayed that Great-Aunt would live to a ripe old age.
With Great-Aunt around, besides looking better, Sister’s dressing style had also become more elegant.
It was still the same cotton ru-skirt as before, without any fancier silk or the like, but when worn on the body, after Great-Aunt’s styling and matching, it looked very beautiful.
It had an indescribable, bright, and beautiful charm.
Besides the external changes and progress, more importantly, there was Great-Aunt’s daily brainwashing education.
It made Sister very confident and proud now.
Although there were many courses Great-Aunt taught, Jiang Mianmian didn’t find it annoying at all because Great-Aunt favored praise-based education.
Even if Sister did something outrageous, like climbing trees, Great-Aunt would always smile, praise her first, affirm her, and then point out the problem.
It was the same for Mianmian.
For example, she liked to suck her fingers.
Although Great-Aunt’s eyes would twitch when she saw it, she never once forced her to pull her hand out.
Instead, she painted Coptis chinensis on her hands.
Later, when Great-Aunt realized Coptis chinensis didn’t work—Mianmian thought Coptis chinensis was fine, it was Chinese medicine after all, not too bitter—she kept sucking away.
So Great-Aunt switched to garlic juice… and it immediately cured her habit of sucking her fingers, as she didn’t like the taste of green onions or garlic.
Jiang Mianmian no longer sucked her fingers randomly when she was out.
The habit was gone.
Sister was very confident now and didn’t pick on the words of the sisters in the village to gossip like before.
Great-Aunt said, “If you dislike someone and talk badly about her behind her back, no matter what, it will eventually reach that person’s ears. If she is truly bad, you have offended a villain without knowing it; if she is not bad, you have framed someone, making you the villain. If you really don’t like her, it’s better to say it to her face than behind her back.”
Jiang Yu tried saying it to their faces a few times… and almost lost all her friends.
Aunt Yin:…
Jiang Mianmian:…
Never mind, teach her slowly; there’s still time.
After finishing her horse riding practice, Jiang Yu asked happily, “Great-Aunt, didn’t you say we were going to the county town today? When are we going?”
“Once you’re ready.”
“I’ll be ready in a moment.”
Jiang Yu said and vanished in a flash.
Aunt Yin:…Exhausting.
Jiang Mianmian was also a little excited because they were going to the county town today to pick out jewelry.
Although she was small, which girl could refuse gold or silver?
Today, all the women in the family were out.
Mother, Sister, Mianmian, and Great-Aunt.
They got a carriage as their means of transport.
Jiang Mianmian sat in the carriage, swaying back and forth, very excited.
Qin Luoxia was actually a bit excited too.
Although she felt the carriage was slow and not as fast as walking, riding in a carriage felt different; she inexplicably felt her status and value had risen.
Moreover, seeing her two daughters sitting in the carriage without having to show their faces in public made her feel very happy.
If her Mother knew she could ride in a carriage now and bring her daughters along, she would probably be able to rest in peace.
Jiang Yu was even more excited; she was so thrilled she wanted to push open the carriage roof to take a look.
She even wanted to sit on top of the carriage; the scenery must be great.
But Great-Aunt told her to behave well outside, saying she would see if she could maintain her composure, and if she could, she would buy her jewelry.
Heh heh heh, thinking of new jewelry, Jiang Yu was grinning so hard her gums were almost showing.
In front of Great-Aunt, she obediently covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
Holding the handkerchief felt quite useful—hahaha, if she wanted to pick at a piece of meat stuck in her teeth, she could just cover it with the handkerchief and no one would see anything.
Mianmian saw her sister’s body trembling with laughter; it was hard for her to maintain a dignified and graceful expression, but Great-Aunt’s teaching was effective.
She was also very happy and couldn’t help but laugh until she drooled.
Great-Aunt reached out with a handkerchief and gently wiped her drool.
The carriage swayed, carrying three people going to see the world, and one, Aunt Yin, who had seen too much of the world.
This was the smallest jewelry shop she had ever been to, yet it was surprisingly her happiest time.
Seeing how happy the three mistresses were, Aunt Yin was also infected by their joy.
She would occasionally help the little one wipe her drool and then instruct, “Don’t show your emotions when you’re out. We must maintain our composure. If you keep a straight face, they won’t be able to guess what you’re thinking, which makes it easier to bargain.”
Sister Yu heard she could bargain, she immediately understood and nodded.
Qin Luoxia also indicated that she understood and had learned something.
Jiang Mianmian:…Great-Aunt has worked hard.
Teaching even has to be related to daily life.
The largest jewelry shop in the county town, “Jinya Pavilion.”
Aunt Yin got off the carriage first and looked critically at the small shop.
It was only two stories high, and the storefront was small—it was quite shabby.
Hearing Sister Yu’s giggling from inside the carriage, she felt very helpless and also a bit heartbroken.
Never mind, she was actually quite happy too.
She kept a straight face, looking meticulous as always.
The shopkeeper of the jewelry shop saw the old servant who got off the carriage first to lift the curtain.
Seeing her posture and aura, he didn’t need an introduction or to ask whose house she belonged to; he instinctively trotted out, bowing to welcome the guests.
Inside the shop, Jiang Wan, who also happened to be there to pick out jewelry today, had a grand entourage with two maids and four guards.
But the shopkeeper hadn’t come out to welcome her personally; what a snob.
Although Jiang Wan didn’t look down on the jewelry in this small shop—her taste was very high—a clever housewife couldn’t cook without rice.
Since she was going to seek refuge with someone, she had customized two hairpins according to her ideas: one for herself to wear and one to give to her aunt.
She was here today to pick up the items.
She wondered who had such great standing to actually make the shopkeeper come out to welcome them personally.
Jiang Wan turned slightly and saw the servant woman, feeling that her temperament was indeed extraordinary.
An old woman stood there, making people feel they didn’t dare to approach her casually.
If even a servant woman was so impressive, how powerful must the master be?
Jiang Wan couldn’t help but feel the urge to befriend them.
As a result, she saw the carriage curtain lifted, and out jumped an elegant and poised young lady, a dignified lady, and a beautiful young girl.
The young girl threw herself into the servant woman’s arms with a haughty air.
Could that elegant and poised young lady actually be the petty Jiang Yu?
Could that dignified lady actually be the rural woman she had always looked down upon?
Jiang Wan’s heart felt as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer; it wasn’t like this, it couldn’t be…
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