Chapter 228: This Chicken Can Wash Clothes
The injuries from the heavy boards were not an issue; with a bit of medicinal powder sprinkled on them, they didn’t even need to be bandaged.
The most troublesome part was actually the cuts Ruan Xiang had inflicted on herself.
As Lin Sanniang helped cut the gauze, she sighed and said, “This girl truly laid a ruthless hand upon herself!”
Ruan Xiang recounted her experiences, and Auntie Pang also sighed with emotion. “She is a woman of fierce resolve.”
Only Jian Xingxia, amid her relief, felt a dull ache in her heart—treating the wounds was simple; apply some medicine, bandage them up, and keep them away from water for the time being, and they would heal quickly.
However, it would leave scars on her face. Though Ruan Xiang had said she would rather endure those scars for a pure body than keep a clean visage with a ruined virtue, Jian Xingxia couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.
Such a beautiful young girl was, strictly speaking, around the age of a modern female college student. How could she be allowed to stay scarred?
Jian Xingxia placed an order online for scar-removal medicine and dressings.
It cost a hefty sum!
Her heart ached, her flesh ached, and her wallet ached even more!
Once the wounds were treated, Lin Sanniang found a set of jade-blue Hanfu for Ruan Xiang.
The style of the garment was somewhat similar to Shaoyin’s, except one was a fresh leaf-green and the other a jade-blue. Just like Shaoyin and Ruan Xiang themselves, one was vibrant and full of life like green grass, while the other was quiet and crisp like blue lake water.
Jian Xingxia had already planned it out: “According to Ruan Xiang, there’s still Shishi, Huahua, Ningxiang, Helu, Sister-in-law Cen, and the others… When the time comes, each will have her own color. How beautiful that will be!”
Jian Xingxia hadn’t had many toys when she was a child, so she had never played dress-up with dolls.
Now, she was secretly playing a real-life version.
In any case, whatever clothes they wore were simply ordered by her on her phone. Satisfying her own little wish along the way was just a bonus!
After changing her clothes, Ruan Xiang found that her body had no major issues with broken bones or torn ligaments, and having drunk the chicken soup, her strength had returned. She got up from the bed.
Seeing that her blood had stained the white bedsheets red, Ruan Xiang felt extremely guilty.
“Miss Manor Owner, I’ve dirtied the bedsheet. Let me go wash it right now.”
She could feel that this sheet was made of premium fine cotton, silky and soft. Even at Feiyue Pavilion, such quality would only be used in the top-tier guest rooms.
Yet, the young Manor Owner had let her lie right on it.
Ruan Xiang was overwhelmed by the hospitality.
Jian Xingxia hurriedly waved her hands. “No need, no need! Your wounds haven’t healed yet, so you can’t touch water. You can’t take a bath these next few days either. Whether you are here with me or back home, it’s best to only use a towel dipped in warm water to wipe yourself down.”
Ruan Xiang nodded in bewilderment. A towel? Was it a cloth made from the fur of some strange animal? Was it like a sweat cloth or a scented handkerchief?
But Ruan Xiang was still worried. “If this blood dries, it will be hard to wash out.”
Jian Xingxia smiled. “It’s fine, we have Sanniang!”
Lin Sanniang walked over, stripped the sheets, duvet cover, and pillowcases, and took them to the backyard.
Jian Xingxia led Ruan Xiang to follow her.
Ruan Xiang watched as Lin Sanniang entered a small room, pulled out a strangely shaped object, and started spraying it directly onto the bloodstains on the sheet.
A thick, white foam sprayed onto the sheet, and very quickly, the bright red and dark red bloodstains, along with other smudges, were diluted by the foam, turning into a pale pink.
Ruan Xiang couldn’t help but open her mouth wide in surprise.
Lin Sanniang had originally intended to stuff them straight into the washing machine in the bathroom, but seeing Ruan Xiang watching with such curiosity, she fetched a small basin of water, dipped a corner of the cloth in, and demonstrated for her.
The pink stains diluted by the foam required hardly any rubbing; after just a few swishes in the water, most of them vanished.
Only a faint trace remained on the sheet, virtually unnoticeable unless one looked very closely.
Ruan Xiang had come from a poor background, so she had naturally washed clothes before. She could tell at a glance that this slight residue would completely disappear with just a bit more scrubbing.
Ruan Xiang let out a massive sigh of relief.
However, the wonders didn’t stop there.
Lin Sanniang threw the sheets from the basin into the washing machine all at once and pressed the start button.
Filled with both curiosity and fear, Ruan Xiang hid behind Jian Xingxia, peeking stealthily at that oddly shaped large box.
It looked like a box yet also like a barrel. Madame Lin merely tapped it a few times, and clean water actually started pouring into the barrel inside the box on its own!
A moment later, once the water filled most of the barrel, it began to churn.
Ruan Xiang couldn’t close her mouth at all. She pointed at the rumbling, rotating large box, her face filled with shock. “It… it’s turning by itself!”
“That’s right, this is called a xiyiji [washing machine]. When it rotates on its own, it’s washing the clothes.”
Jian Xingxia let out a chuckle. “How about it? Pretty amazing, right? This is called a xiyi ji [washing chicken]. Sanniang knows how to use it. If you want to learn, you can ask her for guidance.”
Ruan Xiang nodded vigorously.
So that’s how it is. This chicken can wash clothes.
Though she looked left and right and didn’t think this box containing a barrel looked anything like a chicken, she committed the name to memory.
By now, her mind was completely occupied by the various marvels of the manor, and for a good while, she didn’t think about “death” or her “lost virtue.”
Just then, Jian Xingxia’s phone rang.
Watching Jian Xingxia speak into the black mirror in her hand, Ruan Xiang’s eyes practically popped out of her head from shock.
A short while later, Auntie Lu arrived, bringing a crowd of older matriarchs, aunts, young ladies, and new brides along with her.
“Come, come, everyone come in! We might as well come up and play for a bit before Xiaoxia’s manor officially opens for business.”
Auntie Lu called out to Auntie Houjun, “Houjun, didn’t you say you wanted to film Douyin [TikTok] videos? Hurry up!”
Auntie Houjun had long since brought a whole troupe along. They had changed into outfits resembling Republic-era student uniforms with frog-closure, mid-sleeve tops paired with gauze skirts below.
Ruan Xiang had never seen such clothing before, but she found it quite marvelous. Shifting closer to Jian Xingxia, her eyes were filled with appreciation.
How beautiful.
Auntie Houjun and the others had wanted to film videos at the manor for a long time. They had thought the manor looked beautiful during their last visit, but coming here today, it looked even more stunning.
“Xiaoxia must have spruced things up nicely during the days you were closed, right? Look at these flowerbeds, tables, and chairs—the layout looks much better.”
Jian Xingxia giggled.
Lin Sanniang and Auntie Pang brought out tea and pastries. “Please help yourselves, sisters.”
Auntie Lu slapped her forehead. “Oh dear, I forgot! Qi Shan explicitly instructed us that we have to speak in ancient phrasing when we come to the manor, and we forgot again.”
Auntie Houjun and the others quickly corrected themselves. “Yes, yes, yes, we are all wearing Hanfu right now, so we must be mindful.”
Zhao Meihua and a few other young sisters-in-law were also snapping photos with their phones. Then, they actually pulled out a box of Mahjong, found a comfortable table under the trees, and started playing.
Auntie Pang was dumbfounded. “What are they doing?”
Lin Sanniang quickly dragged Auntie Pang away. “The Manor Owner arranged it. We just need to watch from the side and not say too much.”
Auntie Pang shut her mouth instantly—talking too much easily struck a painful nerve, so she couldn’t afford to blurt things out anymore.
Jian Xingxia sat to the side with Ruan Xiang, helping Auntie Houjun and the others distribute accessories like hairpins, hats, scarves, and umbrellas, and helping them arrange their formations.
Ruan Xiang had experience with this.
As a dancing girl from Feiyue Pavilion alongside Shaoyin, she naturally knew how to position people to look attractive.
Seeing Jian Xingxia shift them back and forth only to make the formation messier, Ruan Xiang couldn’t help but step forward and whisper a reminder: “Stagger the front row a bit, they don’t need to be so tightly packed. The tall ones shouldn’t stand on the flanks; they can go to the middle of the back row…”
With Ruan Xiang taking charge, the results were extraordinary.
When Auntie Houjun and the troupe struck their first pose, they snapped dozens of photos and filmed over a dozen short videos, yet they still hadn’t had their fill.
“Wow, this formation looks beautiful! You’re Miss Ruan Xiang, right? You could totally be our artistic director!”
Ruan Xiang didn’t know what an artistic director was, but seeing Auntie Houjun and the others praising her so enthusiastically, she knew it must be a good thing.
Somewhat embarrassed, she turned her head away.
Auntie Houjun, however, exchanged a look with Jian Xingxia. Seeing Jian Xingxia nod, she initiated a conversation.
“If you ask me, a person must never give up on themselves too early.”
“Take me, for example. My former spouse passed away before I turned fifty. Initially, I thought that since the kids were grown, I would just live out my days all alone.”
“But the more time passed, the more indignant I felt. Who says you’re old in your forties or fifties? In your forties or fifties, finding a partner for a second marriage is just perfect!”
“The children are grown and don’t need our care. At our age, we already have a house and a car if we’re meant to have them, and if we don’t, we probably don’t care anymore. We have some savings, and in another couple of years, we’ll have a pension. This is exactly the perfect time to fall in love!”
Ruan Xiang was profoundly shocked, instinctively gripping Jian Xingxia’s arm tightly.
What kind of person was this!
To actually utter such shocking and unconventional words!
