Chapter 136: Only Skill Makes Perfection
Early morning.
Jiang Mianmian woke up and let out a big yawn.
She looked at the top of the bed; it was a beautiful, mosquito-proof gauze canopy.
She rolled around, turning over twice.
Great-Aunt appeared like a ghost to roll up the gauze curtains for her.
At first, this used to startle Jiang Mianmian; she couldn’t understand how Great-Aunt knew exactly when she woke up to start rolling the curtains.
She was practically the legendary “Curtain-Rolling General,” just so, so, so punctual.
Great-Aunt rolled up the gauze, and Jiang Mianmian was already sitting in the middle of the bed.
Swinging her little legs while Great-Aunt dressed her in a little skirt, Jiang Mianmian noticed her belly looked a bit big. She didn’t know why, but her little tummy was sticking out roundly. Surely all children were like this? She felt slightly guilty, mostly because Elder Sister’s culinary skills had improved so rapidly; everything was delicious, and she wanted to taste everything. It seemed she was full every day and had never gone hungry.
Her belly had never been small either.
After putting on her little skirt and little shoes, Jiang Mianmian looked down and saw her protruding little tummy. She pretended not to see it; a little tummy on a child should be cute too.
Her hair still didn’t feel very thick. Great-Aunt wanted to tie it up, but she always protested, feeling that the more it was tied, the less hair she would have.
However, it was hot, and she sweated easily. Once she sweated, her hair became wet and sticky, so she was still caught by Great-Aunt and had a little bun tied up.
Then it was time to wash up. While washing, Jiang Mianmian asked, “Great-Aunt, did Father and Elder Brother not come back last night?”
Aunt Yin nodded, “The Master likely had things to attend to; he will return during the day today.”
Jiang Mianmian nodded.
She thought that it was rare for Father and Elder Brother to not come home at night; they must be busy with something very important.
Doing anything is not easy.
After getting up and eating, Great-Aunt was going to teach Elder Sister cultural studies today, and Jiang Mianmian had to learn along with her.
Mother would also learn together.
Aunt Yin didn’t know what kind of karma she had accumulated in her past life.
To have to suffer like this at her age.
Of the three Mother and daughter, Lady Qin learned characters quickly but forgot them just as fast. The Eldest Miss would hide when she saw characters, feeling that they would bite her. The little girl learned them with one glance, yet still pretended not to know them, and would deliberately leave out a stroke when writing.
Jiang Mianmian:…Misunderstanding, she only knew simplified characters; she still needed to learn traditional ones.
Cultural studies were in the morning, and the afternoon was scheduled for talent classes.
One had to know a musical instrument.
Jiang Mianmian once again discovered Great-Aunt’s versatility; she knew everything.
Great-Aunt taught Mother drumming. With several drums together, it felt like a modern drum kit, heroic and spirited.
Mother initially refused to learn, shaking her head and saying she couldn’t do it when she heard she had to learn an instrument.
As it turned out, once Great-Aunt set up the drums, Mother played them very happily and had a great sense of rhythm.
Watching Mother drum, for the first time, Jiang Mianmian felt that Mother was not just Mother, but the woman Luo Xia, shining with radiance. Wearing a gauze skirt, tied with a sash, tall and statuesque, with a full chest, long legs, and long arms, she swung the drumsticks, striking, her body swaying with the beat. There was a beauty unique to her, an undeniable charm.
Qin Luoxia also loved this rhythm; it felt very similar to hunting, and she could express her feelings. She practiced very seriously. At first, she only thought about having a skill she could show off to her husband, but as she learned, she realized she truly enjoyed drumming.
She hadn’t expected that musical instruments weren’t difficult after all; they were actually very interesting and fun.
While Mother played the drums, the instrument Great-Aunt initially chose for The Eldest Miss was a bit too plain.
The Erhu.
It only had two strings. When Elder Sister played, Jiang Mianmian felt it affected her bowel movements. Really, it was so jagged and rough; it was almost coming out, but then it was shocked back in by Elder Sister’s Erhu.
But Aunt Yin had already tried her best; after trying for a long time, she gave up.
She switched to the flute.
You just had to blow into the holes, and it could be carried on one’s person and even used as a weapon.
Having endured the test of the Erhu, Elder Sister accepted the flute immediately, and at least her playing didn’t cause constipation anymore.
But listening to the flute music, Elder Sister had no talent in this area.
Great-Aunt had likely given up too, preparing to just teach Elder Sister one song, enough to show off at a critical moment.
Mianmian was still too young; she didn’t need to learn musical instruments, just watch.
She sat on the straw tatami mat, playing with Ant.
At first, she just played with Ant and a group of little Ants, arranging them in combinations. After discovering last time that she could use Ants to write characters, she found a new way to play.
She could use Ants to draw, and it was especially three-dimensional.
She used a stick to gesture, and the little Ants obediently went to the designated spots.
Soon, Mianmian used the Ants to draw a three-dimensional Great-Aunt.
Aunt Yin had taught The Eldest Miss until her saliva dried up and her ears were almost deaf. She sat down to rest for a while, and when she turned her head, she saw a dark, squirming image of herself on the ground, which gave her another big scare.
Her heart skipped a few beats. Come to think of it, she felt like she had gotten used to being scared; her heart felt like it had grown larger. She even carefully examined the face made of Ants, and actually calmly pointed out, “Great-Aunt has wrinkles on her face; this drawing of yours doesn’t look like me.”
Jiang Mianmian shook her head, “It looks like you, it looks like you! Great-Aunt is the best looking.”
Aunt Yin:…You have a sweet mouth, but I don’t fall for that.
At most, she could let her eat one more piece of preserved fruit, no more; any more and her teeth would be bad. However, she was such a neat freak, her teeth were already well protected, so eating two more was fine.
After the instrument class was the etiquette class.
Great-Aunt taught how to observe people.
Jiang Mianmian had to learn this class too; this was about social interaction, and not learning it definitely wouldn’t do.
Jiang Mianmian heard Great-Aunt say, “When a superior meets someone of lower status, their gaze must not be overly enthusiastic; calm is best. There is no need for pity either, as it appears hypocritical…”
“When a superior meets someone capable, their gaze should be sincere…”
“When a superior meets…”
Jiang Mianmian listened with starry eyes. There were so many nuances to observing people! And was Great-Aunt perhaps a bit too confident in their family?
They just lived in a village, and now they just had slightly better conditions than others in the village, maybe slightly better than people in the county. Why teach about “superiors”? Wasn’t it a bit too early, too sudden?
However, seeing that Mother and Elder Sister were learning very seriously, Jiang Mianmian had to obediently follow along and couldn’t cause trouble.
If she really caused trouble, Mother could be very fierce; Mother’s axe brandished with tiger-like power.
Aunt Yin saw the little girl following along, and she actually wanted to say, “You don’t need to. You really don’t need to learn. Honestly, the way you look at things is detached from worldly matters; you’re a natural superior, better at putting on an act than your Father. You really don’t need to learn this.”
Jiang Mianmian was learning with great enthusiasm when Great-Aunt handed her a Nine-Linked Ring and told her to go play by herself.
Jiang Mianmian:…
Fine, the Nine-Linked Ring was quite fun too.
While Elder Sister and Mother were studying, Jiang Mianmian heard a commotion; Father and Elder Brother had returned.
Jiang Mianmian went out to greet them.
Now their family didn’t have to climb up the slope from the village; they had built a road, and one could ride a horse directly up from the village entrance.
From afar, she heard the sound of hoofbeats; it was Father and Elder Brother returning.
For some reason, they seemed very happy today.
Jiang Mianmian, like a little weight, climbed onto Father first.
Elder Brother loved to rub her head too much; Father was better.
Jiang Feng returned and saw Jiang Yu glancing at her sideways. He asked strangely, “What’s wrong? Are your eyes cramping?”
Jiang Yu:…She was using the method of sincere observation taught by Great-Aunt.
Mother looked at Father with admiration, reverence, and affection, and it was indescribable… anyway, it was “stringy.”
What had Great-Aunt taught?
No wonder she didn’t want her to learn it.
Jiang Changtian came home today, looking exceptionally clear-headed, as if he were different from usual.
In the past, he was also extremely handsome, but there was always a sense of gloomy beauty.
A bit like a “crazy beauty.”
Today, however, he seemed much more normal, looking better and more sunny, glowing all over.
Big Brother also seemed to have returned to his roguish appearance, languid and a bit roguishly handsome, not as serious anymore.
Don’t know what good deeds they went to do to have such a big change.
Jiang Mianmian asked Father in a milky voice, “Father, you’ve been out for so long. Mianmian missed you so much. Did you bring me a gift?”
When elders are in a good mood, asking for gifts is a basic operation.
Jiang Changtian was slightly stunned by the question; he really hadn’t thought about bringing a gift for the little one today.
But since she asked, there must be something.
Jiang Changtian searched his person and fished out a small knife.
He had always carried this small knife with him; it had once given him half the courage to live.
Now he didn’t seem to need it; he had something more important than the knife.
This knife was given to him by his Father when he was alive.
He also cherished it exceptionally.
Today, Jiang Changtian took out the knife and handed it to little Mianmian, saying, “Here, you can peel fruit.”
Jiang Changtian smiled.
Their family had always been very poor; everyone ate fruit with the skin on, but this little one insisted on peeling the skin off to eat it. He didn’t know where she got such delicate habits.
Seeing Aunt Yin look so accustomed to it, as if it should be that way, Jiang Changtian actually already had suspicions about his own background.
But he wasn’t sure. He had read the letters from Old Madam Jiang; one was for the Seventh Princes Consort, and one was actually for the Grand Princess’s husband, the Grand Prince Consort.
In reality, he had only read them and hadn’t intercepted them; the letters were still sent out. He didn’t dare to believe Old Madam Jiang’s words; he thought that when the people came, he could just follow the vine to find the melon.
Jiang Mianmian hadn’t expected that a casual act of acting spoiled would actually result in a gift.
She happily took the knife, slid down, and went to find Elder Brother.
She asked again with the same reason, and Elder Brother gave her a kiss, covering her face in drool…
Forget it, she would play by herself.
Jiang Mianmian was very happy holding the knife.
She began her life of peeling, using the knife to break down the fruit bit by bit, separating the skin, flesh, and seeds clearly.
After separating it, she still wasn’t satisfied. If only there were a small animal, she could review her anatomy lessons.
As Jiang Mianmian thought this, the next day she received a little rabbit that Ant and the Ant army had carried to her.
A grey rabbit.
It had already been bitten to death.
What a pity for a beautiful rabbit.
Jiang Mianmian held the knife and sliced open the rabbit’s skin, neck, fascia, bones, and internal organs, placing them in categories, arranged neatly.
One good thing about having great strength was that when dissecting, she didn’t get stuck at all; she didn’t need to pause, just sliced straight through.
Worried about being discovered by her family and giving them a fright, Jiang Mianmian finished dissecting the rabbit, breaking it down into the smallest units, and then let the little Ants carry it away to eat.
Perfect cooperation.
Every day she set aside some time to receive the prey given by the Ants, then she dissected and separated it, and then let the little Ants carry it away.
Her skills grew more mature day by day.
Jiang Mianmian also felt very at ease, as if she had found her own way of survival.
A specialty of her own; indeed, if a person has a skill, they will be calm and unhurried wherever they go.
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
