Zhaozhao could hardly move her feet. This place was completely different from the Hu family’s home. No, compared with the Hu family’s home, even compared with the village chief’s home, it was much, much better.
It was clean and tidy. There wasn’t even a bit of mud on the ground, nor were there any unpleasant smells. There was even a sweet fragrance.
At this moment, she felt as though she were in a dream, afraid that if she moved even a little, this dream would disappear.
Jian Yunsang led her to sit on the sofa, “Are you hungry? Eat some biscuits first. Mom will go cook some wontons for you. You used to like them very much. Let’s eat something simple for lunch first, okay?”
After saying that, she took a packet of biscuits from underneath the coffee table, tore open the package, took out one, and brought it to Zhaozhao’s mouth.
The latter subconsciously ate it. The soft, fragrant, and sweet feeling in her mouth made her eyes widen. She, she had never eaten something this delicious before. What was this? A pastry?
Jian Yunsang smiled, “You eat first. Mom will go change her clothes.”
After eating one, Zhaozhao was somewhat reluctant to eat more. She wanted to save them and eat them tomorrow. That way, she would also be very satisfied tomorrow.
Carefully putting the biscuits away, Zhaozhao raised her head and saw Jian Yunsang tying on an apron over by the dining area. She hurriedly got up and ran over.
Because she was not used to the slippers on her feet, she almost fell to the ground.
Jian Yunsang was badly startled and quickly supported her, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Zhaozhao shook her head repeatedly, carefully observing Jian Yunsang’s expression. Seeing that she was not angry because of her recklessness, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why aren’t you sitting there eating the biscuits?”
“I, I can help you cook. I know how to tend the fire. I’m really good at tending the fire. I can also make wontons. Don’t worry, I, I won’t secretly eat them.”
Jian Yunsang’s fingers tightened as she looked at Zhaozhao, who was somewhat nervous and cautious. Her heart ached terribly.
“You don’t need to tend the fire.” As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Zhaozhao’s uneasy expression and hurriedly said, “We don’t have a stove[1]灶台 (zào tái) – a traditional Chinese cooking stove, where firewood or other fuel is burned to heat the cooking pot. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3344027_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3344027_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, so I don’t need you to tend the fire either. The wontons have already been wrapped and are in the refrigerator. We just need to take them out and cook them until they boil.”
Knowing that she would feel insecure after arriving in an unfamiliar place, if she was not allowed to do something, she would probably worry that she was going to be driven away. Jian Yunsang simply took her hand and walked toward the kitchen, “Then can you help Mom set out the bowls?”
“Okay.” Zhaozhao actually still wanted to tend the fire. Setting out the bowls was very simple.
She really wanted to prove that she was useful. Although she was little, she could do a lot of work.
She wanted to stay in this home. It was very warm and reassuring here, and she did not want to leave. Even if she could only stay here as a little girl who did chores, she was willing.
But when she reached the kitchen, Zhaozhao was dumbfounded.
The kitchen was not very big, but there was no stove, nor were there firewood, a rice vat, a water vat, or things like that. She did not recognize any of these things in the kitchen.
She looked at Jian Yunsang somewhat blankly. The latter had already taken out the wontons that had been wrapped and frozen beforehand from the refrigerator.
As soon as the refrigerator door opened, Zhaozhao felt a chill come over her. Just as she was wondering about it, the door closed again.
Right afterward, Jian Yunsang took a pot, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove. She told Zhaozhao to step back a few steps, opened the natural gas valve, and twisted the rotary switch.
Zhaozhao saw that with a ‘swish’, the fire just, just, just ‘flared’ up.
She retreated a step in astonishment. How did she do that?
“Lighting a fire with bare hands. Lighting a fire with bare hands. It’s an immortal technique ah.” The common people beneath the Sky Screen once again erupted into an uproar.
At this point, even the people in the imperial palace were somewhat unable to remain calm.
“There’s no fire starter, no kindling, no firewood, and no charcoal. It just started burning out of thin air like this?”
“She doesn’t even need to add firewood. Look, she just moves that round thing, and the fire can become bigger or smaller according to her wishes.”
“Remarkable, too remarkable. Could it really be an immortal’s means?”
“It’s not quite that exaggerated. Can’t those street performers also spit fire directly? They used strong liquor. The woman in this Sky Screen must have used something similar too.”
“Although that’s true, this fire has been burning for far too long, hasn’t it?”
“And the place where she took the wontons from just now was shrouded in immortal mist.”
“What immortal mist? That’s just ice. Isn’t it the same when you enter your family’s ice cellar?”
“Is that an ice cellar? Ice can be stored in a kitchen without being afraid that the high temperature from the burning fire will melt it?”
The court officials were noisily arguing and had already split into several factions. Emperor Jingxuan did not stop them. His gaze burned as he stared at everything in the kitchen.
Whether or not these were an immortal’s means, he coveted these things greatly. If they belonged to him, that would be perfect.
He somewhat impatiently asked the attendant beside him, “Has the Imperial Astronomical Bureau still not figured out the origin of the Sky Screen?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, there is still no news.”
Emperor Jingxuan knitted his brows and began to feel somewhat irritated.
Jian Yunsang had already put the wontons into the pot. Seeing that Zhaozhao was still somewhat dazed, she asked with a smile, “What’s wrong?”
“I…” She had just wanted to ask about the stove fire when her expression suddenly stopped. Her face flushed slightly, and she covered her stomach with her small hands, becoming hesitant, “I, I want to go, go to the outhouse[2]茅房 (máofáng) – a traditional outdoor toilet, usually located away from the main house. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3344027_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3344027_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });…”
This place was too clean, making her unable to even bring herself to say something like going to the outhouse.
Actually, she had wanted to go for a long time, but as soon as she entered the home, all sorts of strange and novel things diverted her attention. Now, she really could not hold it anymore.
After saying that, she carefully looked at Jian Yunsang’s expression, as though afraid that she would feel disgusted.
Jian Yunsang felt terrible inside, accompanied by overwhelming fury. She had already noticed that whenever the little one made a request or spoke, she would observe her expression, worrying that she would be unhappy, worrying that she had said something wrong. She tried hard to show that she was useful, tried hard not to cause trouble for others, yet she was clearly only five years old. In her life, she was cautious at every turn.
Only by living in such an environment every day could one develop this kind of habit of walking on thin ice.[3]如履薄冰 (rú lǚ bó bīng) – literally “walking on thin ice.” It describes being extremely cautious, as if one could make a mistake and fall into danger at any moment. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3344027_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3344027_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
What kind of life had she lived these past two years? What exactly had the people who adopted her done to her?
Jian Yunsang told herself that she could not rush. Take it slowly, Zhaozhao still did not feel secure now. Once she realized that she was loved and that she would never be driven out no matter what, she would definitely get better.
She took a deep breath and held her hand, “Mom will take you.”
The bathroom door opened, and a blank expression once again appeared on Zhaozhao’s face. She was going to the outhouse. Why had she been brought to such a clean room?
From the moment Zhaozhao said the word “outhouse,” Jian Yunsang guessed that she had previously been using an old-fashioned toilet. She carefully explained to Zhaozhao, “This is a toilet. You can just sit on it. After you’re done, there’s a button here. Press it, and water will come out and flush the dirt away. Try it?”
Zhaozhao raised her head and, under Jian Yunsang’s encouraging gaze, pressed it down. She was immediately surprised to see the water in the toilet form a whirlpool before quickly going down.
She opened her mouth slightly. Jian Yunsang smiled, “Do you want Mom to help you?”
Zhaozhao shook her head repeatedly. Jian Yunsang then showed her how to use the faucet, “Then I’ll wait for you at the door. If there’s anything you don’t understand, call me.”
“Okay.”
The bathroom door closed, and the Sky Screen of the Great Qi Dynasty also darkened along with it.
This was a loophole that the Charity System repaired before shutting down. Putting everything else aside, privacy had to be properly protected so that it could leave peacefully ba.
References[+]