At dusk, Jiang Nian rose and brought her younger siblings home, finding the entire family gathered outside the western wing room.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Nian walked over, and Jiang Sui said to her:
"Third Uncle brought back a man from the back mountain, covered in blood—it's terrifying. The village physician is inside treating his wounds."
Jiang Nian's face instantly turned pale. Father had still saved Prefect Qi after all.
"Nian Nian, what's wrong with you?"
Jiang Sui nudged her. "Should we have the physician examine you too?"
"No need."
Jiang Nian turned and went back to her room, sitting dazedly before the bronze mirror.
Recalling her previous life, when Prefect Qi had proposed she marry Qi Heng, she had been both excited and apprehensive. She had once caught a glimpse of Qi Heng when he came to fetch Prefect Qi. As a country girl, where would she have ever seen such a noble young master? With just one glance, she had fallen completely.
That man was peerlessly handsome, his posture straight as a pine tree, possessing an innate nobility. He was as aloof as a snow-capped mountain peak, as proud as a deity. She could never quite believe that such an exceptional man had actually become her, Jiang Nian's, husband.
Jiang Xiaomai pushed the door open and entered. She was the daughter of the eldest uncle, seventeen years old this year. Jiang Xiaomai, Jiang Nian, and Jiang Sui all shared a room.
With many mouths to feed, each married couple had their own room, while the young children squeezed into one room. The unmarried Jiang Lao Liu shared with his nephews Jiang Feng and Jiang Gu. Whenever someone married, an additional wing room would be built alongside.
The Jiang family had four northern rooms, with the central one reserved as a main hall and the others used as bedrooms. There were four wing rooms each on the eastern and western sides. As the sons and grandsons married one after another, each took a room. The three aunts had married out, and the vacated rooms were left for the grandchildren to live in.
To the left of the Jiang family's entrance stood a thatched hut serving as the kitchen. Behind the northern rooms was a small side courtyard, with a corner plot reserved for growing vegetables and raising two egg-laying hens and two geese.
As soon as Jiang Xiaomai entered, she wiped her face with a damp cloth and turned to look at Jiang Nian.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
"Nothing."
Jiang Nian forced a slight smile. She had thought it through—since he was saved, so be it. Saving a life was better than building a seven-story pagoda. As long as she didn't agree to Prefect Qi's marriage proposal for his son, she wouldn't have to marry into the Prefectural Residence. Let the events of her past life remain in the past.
Moreover, she could take this opportunity to ask Prefect Qi for more silver—both to improve her family's livelihood and to sever this life-saving grace that had cost her dearly.
The life of a future emperor should be worth a fortune.
"Xiaomai sister, has the man my father saved woken up?"
Jiang Xiaomai shook her head. "I don't know. He's an outsider—how would Third Uncle let us girls see him?"
"Xiaomai sister, don't you think? Since my father saved his life, he ought to give us some silver or something to thank us." Jiang Nian's eyes sparkled, looking every bit the money-grubber.
Jiang Xiaomai gasped and shook her head. "Third Uncle would never accept others' silver. You know how upright he is."
Jiang Nian coughed lightly, trying to sway her.
"Xiaomai sister, I've heard that saving someone's life means taking on their karma. If we ask him for some money to sever this karmic tie, it would be good for both us and him."
"Is there such a saying?" Jiang Xiaomai looked puzzled.
"There is!" Jiang Nian continued her persuasion.
"My father's approach is about accepting payment to resolve troubles. If we don't take their money, they'll feel indebted to us and remain uneasy. What if, to repay the kindness, they demand one of us girls marry their son? Wouldn't that be repaying kindness with enmity?"
Jiang Xiaomai was astonished. "We saved him, and now we have to sacrifice a girl too? Is this repayment or revenge?"
"Father wasn't wrong to save him, but I worry it might backfire," Jiang Nian said, feigning concern.
"No way!" Jiang Xiaomai slammed the table. "Who knows what his son looks like? We saved him, and now he expects one of our girls to marry his son? What wishful thinking!"
"I'm going to tell Grandfather and Grandmother right now!" Jiang Xiaomai stood up and headed out.
"I'll go with you!" Jiang Nian straightened her clothes and followed. Going alone, her words would carry little weight with the elders. Having company would improve their chances.
As Jiang Xiaomai hurried out, she nearly collided with Jiang Sui.
"What's going on? Why the rush?"
Jiang Xiaomai pulled Jiang Sui toward the main hall. "We need to talk to Grandfather and Grandmother."
Grandmother Jiang was sitting in a well-lit spot in the main hall, mending clothes. When the three girls approached, she held up her needle.
"Perfect timing. I've been struggling to thread this needle forever."
Jiang Xiaomai took the needle and thread and threaded it instantly. "Grandmother, I need to talk to you."
"Young eyes are indeed sharper," Grandmother Jiang said, running the needle through her hair a few times before squinting to continue her mending.
"Go on, what is it?"
"Has the man Third Uncle saved woken up?" The three girls crouched at her feet, looking up at her eagerly.
Grandmother Jiang glanced at them with a smile. "He just woke up. Your eldest uncle went hunting in the mountains to help nourish him back to health."
"We've been so good to him. Would he ever repay kindness with enmity?"
"What nonsense are you talking, child!" Grandmother Jiang glanced toward the west wing. "That man said he would repay us, but we saved him without expecting anything in return."
"Why not expect something!" Jiang Xiaomai gently tugged her clothes.
"We could ask him for some silver. That's called accepting payment to resolve troubles," she said, turning to Jiang Nian. "Right, Nian Nian?"
"Mhmm," Jiang Nian nodded with a smile.
"You three girls!" Grandmother Jiang waved them off dismissively. "Don't let others laugh at us. Does the Jiang family starve or clothe you poorly? Go on, go play somewhere else!"
"Grandmother!" The three girls were shooed away.
In the west wing, Prefect Qi sat up in bed, clutching his wounded chest. He had been on an inspection tour when pursued by enemies. Several guards had died along the way, and he abandoned his carriage to flee, eventually reaching the village's back mountains where a hunter rescued him.
If not for this farmer's help, he would have bled to death. His family, having lost contact with him, must be frantic with worry. He needed to find a way to reach them.
Smoke rose again from the courtyard kitchen as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family prepared dinner. The eldest branch's granddaughter-in-law, An Shi, arrived carrying her child.
"Mother, why are you cooking alone? Where are the other aunts?"
The eldest daughter-in-law turned to smile and play with the child in her daughter-in-law's arms.
"Your second aunt went visiting relatives with her daughter-in-law. Your third and fourth aunts are washing clothes by the river—they should be back soon. The fifth aunt isn't feeling well and is resting in her room."
An Shi rolled her eyes. "What discomfort? Clearly she's just slacking off, deliberately dumping all the work on Mother. With a whole family's meals to prepare, how can you manage alone?"
The eldest daughter-in-law smiled without replying, bending over to slap coarse pancakes onto the pot. The pot bubbled and gurgled with boiling cabbage and tofu.
"Aunt, we've come to help too."
Jiang Nian and her two sisters Jiang Xiaomai approached. Jiang Nian washed her hands, took the coarse pancakes from her aunt, and bent over to stick them onto the pot. Jiang Xiaomai sat down to tend the fire, while Jiang Sui smilingly pushed their aunt out of the kitchen.
"Aunt, go rest in your room for a while. Today the three of us will handle the cooking."
"Alright, mind the heat carefully. Don't let anything burn."
"Understood!"
The eldest daughter-in-law left the kitchen with a smile.
An Shi flushed with embarrassment. Had her earlier gossip been overheard by these three young sisters-in-law? How utterly mortifying.
"You carry on then. My child is hungry – I'll go feed her." An Shi hurried away with her son in her arms.
When Jiang Lao Da returned from hunting, carrying four fish, two wild rabbits, a bag of chestnuts and a bundle of wild vegetables, Jiang Sui's eyes curved into smiles as he entered the kitchen.
"Wow! Uncle hit the jackpot today!"
Jiang Lao Da specifically instructed them: "Prepare these fish separately. Send one to that injured guest."
"Understood!" Jiang Sui took the fish and placed them in a basin, calling out to Jiang Li who was playing in the yard:
"Xiao Mi Li, go fetch Jiang Feng and Jiang Gu. Tell them to come process these fish and wild rabbits."
"Right away!" Jiang Li bounced cheerfully toward her eldest brother's room. Upon hearing there were both fish and rabbits, Jiang Feng and Jiang Gu came rushing out.
"Where are the fish and rabbits?"