Chapter 282: Delivering a Letter
Early morning. Mianmian woke up. She opened her eyes, didn’t see the sun, felt it was still early, and closed her eyes to go back to sleep. After two more naps, the sunlight filtered through the carved doors and windows, slowly inching its way onto the bed, before she finally got up.
Whoever invented the word “lazy” was a genius. Because this way, I can just say I’m not successful only because I’m too lazy. Otherwise, what if I worked hard and still didn’t succeed? Then my incompetence would be exposed.
After eating brunch, she diligently went to water the little vegetable garden she had planted. She ended up getting her clothes all soggy and her feet covered in mud, so she had to change into a new set of clothes.
Today, Father and Mother were not at home. Elder Brother and Elder Sister were not at home either. Great-Aunt was not at home. Suddenly, she was in charge. Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
Brother Chong was still at home. Brother Chong was watching her. Zi Congheng had received an order early that morning: take good care of his younger sister. Aunt Qin had told him once. Uncle Jiang had told him once. Actually, he felt Mianmian was very well-behaved and there was no need to keep repeating it.
However, the elders had given their instructions seriously. And this was the first time he had been asked to take care of someone else. Before, he had always listened to Father instructing others to take care of him. He hadn’t expected that one day, he would become the one taking care of someone else. He finally felt that he had grown up just a little bit.
Zi Congheng had no friends in the capital because he didn’t go out to socialize. One reason was his special status, and the second was his special physical condition. His uniqueness was like a shackle, locking him in.
But in the Jiang Family, it seemed that no one cared about his status. Aunt Qin would see if he was eating well and dressing well. Uncle Jiang would check what books he was reading and if he was in a good mood. Mianmian would check if his body was doing well and if he was happy.
Early in the morning, he watched Mianmian, who had already changed her clothes three times—once because she was so happy eating that soup splashed on her, and again because she insisted on watering the vegetables herself and got mud splashed on her—as she wandered over to Brother Chong.
Mianmian planned to drag Brother Chong along with her to the Star-Gazing Pavilion in the capital to deliver a letter. They had been in the capital for a few days now. It was time to finish the things that needed to be done.
When Zi Congheng heard Mianmian say they were going to deliver a letter, he felt it was a serious matter; promises made to others must indeed be kept. However, when he saw a whole crate of letters, it would be more accurate to call them books rather than letters.
They asked for directions to the Star-Gazing Pavilion along the way and headed toward the east side of the city. They even passed by her brother-in-law’s house. Mianmian almost wanted to sneak in to see her two nephews. But that didn’t seem right in the capital; one couldn’t just run into people’s houses arbitrarily. That would feel weird.
When they arrived at the Star-Gazing Pavilion, she discovered it was very close to the imperial palace. It was on the other side of the palace. There was a gate that presumably connected to the palace. The Star-Gazing Pavilion in the capital was very majestic. One couldn’t just go in.
Even though she produced the token and said they were there to deliver a letter, they still had to wait for a while. Afterward, someone led them inside. The person who came was a young man. His features were plain, and he was very serious.
However, Pang Ya, Wei Biao, and Heita were all stopped outside. They were not allowed to enter. Looking at the people inside wearing all white, they looked like immortal cultivators. It was as if they were very worried that the people from outside would go in and contaminate the place.
If the Star-Gazers of Jingzhou were like miserable programmers, then the Star-Gazers of the capital were like high-level scientists wearing white lab coats. The inside was inexplicably filled with a sense of high technology; the decor was very simple and sleek.
Because they weren’t allowed to bring attendants, Zi Congheng carried that crate of letters, and Mianmian followed along. The two of them walked along the way and saw various instruments that felt both ancient and advanced. Mianmian was a layman and didn’t understand them. Brother Chong, on the other hand, looked at them very carefully, examining each one. They walked quite slowly.
The whole way was quiet and mysterious. It felt like they had walked into a realm of another dimension. After walking for a long time, they finally heard human voices. Someone was talking. She wondered if she would see people with cervical spondylosis from looking up, all dressed in white, tilting their heads back together; that would feel like seeing a group of hanged ghosts floating in front of you.
It seemed she could even smell smoke. Hmm? The smell of smoke was a bit fragrant? Mianmian followed the boy leading the way, and the boy’s pace became a little lighter when he reached this point.
When they arrived inside, they discovered they were conducting a serious scientific activity. Using mirror reflections of light to obtain a fire source, using inorganic matter to cut organic matter, then using specific sequences and combinations, using fire to change the properties of the matter, and then using it to solve the problem of energy deficiency.
In short, they were actually roasting meat. They were roasting lamb. It smelled incredibly delicious. There were even seasonings. A group of ancient Star-Gazers wearing white robes was holding a large, ritualistic event, roasting meat together. No wonder they didn’t let them bring maids or bodyguards. It was probably because they were worried that if they brought too many people, there wouldn’t be enough to eat…
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
