"Whether he can bear it or not, it's what Third Brother deserves." Ji An smiled gently, understanding her mother. "No matter how much you dislike her, she is the one Third Brother insisted on marrying through proper matchmaking."
Ji Mengshi fumed, "Your third brother is also a blind fool." The old man had put it well: his vision was too narrow, his understanding shallow.
When marrying a wife, one should seek virtue. Yet Third Brother had wasted all those years studying the classics.
Back in the day, she and the old man had been married for barely a year when his parents divided the household. They had no choice—supporting a scholar cost a fortune. She and her husband understood, and after the division, they gritted their teeth and worked tirelessly. Pregnant and standing before the embroidery frame, she embroidered wedding gowns for others until she went into labor.
They truly endured immense hardship to build this family fortune. Could Huang Shi have managed that?
The gossiping old women in the village whispered behind her back that she looked down on Huang Shi only because she wanted to push her own niece onto Third Brother. Nonsense!
"Some facts cannot be changed, so try to accept them. If you can't accept them, you should let go cleanly." Ji An even admired herself for speaking such philosophical words.
"Let go?" Ji Mengshi sneered coldly, tears glistening in her aged eyes. She pressed her lips tightly together, taking a long moment before uttering, "What kind of sin have I committed?"
Though harsh, Ji An still wanted to say, "Third Brother's heart is with her. If you clash with her, you're driving a wedge between yourself and Third Brother. Take the two roosters in the backyard coop—usually they peck at each other, feathers flying everywhere, even competing to crow the loudest.
But as soon as Big Yellow approaches, they become exceptionally united, joining forces to drive him away."
Ji Mengshi's cheeks twitched slightly as she lowered her gaze.
Ji An finished the last stitch and bit off the thread. "If I were you, I'd send Third Sister-in-law to Third Brother's side, so they can be together day and night. Even teeth and lips bump into each other occasionally. I believe, in time, Third Brother will come to understand on his own."
Ji Yan was no ambitionless bookworm. If even Mother could see through things, how could he not? It was only because he had been studying away from home, spending little time there, and being separated from his wife for so long that he and Huang Shi could remain affectionate until now.
If the two of them were under the same roof, Huang Shi's old habits would likely have been stripped away long ago.
Standing outside the door curtain, Ji Zhongming shook his head with a light chuckle. He had thought his youngest daughter was here to mediate, but it turned out she was full of cunning ideas. Usually quiet, she saw things with surprising clarity.
In the tenth year of Changping, Third Brother passed the Xiucai examination and then entered the Xianxue. After eight years of diligent study, he took the provincial exam in the eighteenth year of Changping but failed. In the twenty-first year of Changping, he took it again and ranked tenth on the Fubang list. With the status of a Gongsheng from the Xiangshi Fubang, Third Brother could have gone to study at the Guozijian in the capital. However, he didn't go, and the Ji family couldn't afford it either.
These past two years, Third Brother had studied even harder. As someone who had been through it, Ji Zhongming understood his urgency. Next year, he would be thirty-two. Third Brother harbored grand ambitions, but time waited for no one.
"Dad," Ji An lifted the door curtain from inside, teasing, "Were you eavesdropping on our mother-daughter chat?"
"How can you speak to your father like that?" Ji Mengshi, who had followed, held a long robe in her hand. "Yar mended this. I looked—the stitches are finer than mine."
"You taught her with your own hands; she takes after you entirely." Ji Zhongming didn't enter the inner room either. His eyes swept over the long robe in his wife's hand as he led both mother and daughter to sit in the main hall. "Yar, go to the west wing and tell your Third Sister-in-law that we're going to the county town."
Ji An was adept at reading expressions and knew her father had something to say to her mother. A slight smile touched her lips. "Alright." As she turned away, her gaze swept over the robe her mother had draped over her forearm, and a flicker of interest lit her eyes. It seemed her father had taken her words to heart.
It was an unintended stroke of luck.
The Xiangshi examination would be held next August, and in the book, the Ji family divided their property not long after the Xiangshi.
She had no intention of stopping it, but she didn’t want her parents to fall out with Ji Yan. It wasn’t that she coveted Ji Yan’s fame or fortune, but Ji Yan ought to fulfill his filial duties as a son.
He had studied for many years and no longer asked his parents for money now, but what about before? He learned to read at three and followed his father to the private school in town at six. Although his father taught at the school, so the family didn’t have to pay tuition, they still had to show respect and offer gifts to the teacher.
After becoming a Xiucai, he went to the Xianxue. It was only the year before last, when he sold his Fubang ranking in the Xiangshi, that he gave the family fifty taels of silver.
After a big argument, the family split. On the surface, he didn’t take the shop or the fertile land, making it seem like his parents were biased and had wronged him. In reality, it wiped clean the debt of his parents’ upbringing. How could such a bargain exist in this world?
Besides, the shop and fertile land were earned through the hard work of the elderly couple.
After his daughter left, Ji Zhongming reached for his robe. "Third Brother really does need someone who understands warmth and care."
Ji Mengshi laughed in exasperation. "Aren’t you afraid she’ll disturb Third Brother’s imperial examinations?"
"She won’t." Ji Zhongming finally found the tear in his robe. Kindness overflowed from his eyes, melting into the laugh lines at their corners.
The Ji family’s courtyard was a typical northern quadrangle. With three sons and considering future generations, they had extended the east and west wings during construction, each side having two rooms. The east wing housed the eldest and second branches, while the west wing had one room for the third branch and another being cleared out. The eldest son of the eldest branch, Ji Xinyun, was to marry next year.
Arriving at the third branch’s door, Ji An raised her hand to knock, but unexpectedly, the door opened from inside.
The girl who opened the door was quite slender, her pale pink jacket and skirt hanging loosely on her frame. Her palm-sized oval face held a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes. Her nose tip was red, but her lips lacked color. Seeing the person outside, the girl showed surprise.
"Aunt."
This was the female lead of Chongsheng Xinran Jinxiu, Ji Xinran. Her looks resembled Huang Shi’s—delicate and clean, with a gentle demeanor—but her lively almond eyes were inherited from Ji Yan. Born two days after Ji An, she was an inch shorter in stature.
Ji An maintained her indifferent expression, her tone steady and flat. "Father and Mother are going to the county. Ask your mother if there’s anything she wants to send to your father."
Ji Xinran was delighted. "The weather has been getting colder lately. My mother has been worried about my father and hasn’t slept well for days." Turning back, she called into the inner room, "Mother, Grandfather and Grandmother are going to the county. Quickly bring out the winter clothes you prepared earlier and ask them to take them to Father."
"Really?" A woman in a sky-blue long jacket, clutching a handkerchief, hurried out from the inner room with quick steps, slightly curtsying. "Little Aunt, when are Father and Mother leaving? The shoes I’m making for your brother-in-law still need a few stitches."
Ji An frowned, seeming displeased. "Then hurry up." With that, she turned to leave, but after just one step, she paused. She looked back at the mother and daughter. "If you’re worried, you should go to the main house and ask, not wait for me to come to your door."
Hearing this, Ji Xinran was taken aback, staring at Ji An.
She was truly beautiful, a beauty untouched by worldly dust. But what use was such beauty? In her previous life, she had been betrothed three times, yet never even stepped beyond the inner chambers. That old dog of the Tan family had even schemed to send her to Xuanwenhou’s side to curry favor. Yet, after failing to establish an independent household for women, she had shaved her head and become a lay Buddhist.
Having ruined Old Dog Tan’s schemes, she, a daughter of the Ji family, had suffered greatly. But Old Dog Tan was naive—what kind of man was Xuanwenhou? With a pen, he could bring peace to the realm; on horseback, he could secure the empire. How could such a virtuous man be swayed by mere beauty?
"Little sister?" Huang Shi’s eyes brimmed with tears.
Ji An lowered her gaze. "You all keep your thoughts hidden in your hearts. Who can guess them, and who would even want to?" Before Huang Shi’s tears could fall, her expression suddenly darkened, her eyes sharp and cold. "So early in the morning, who is Third Sister-in-law crying for now?"
Her sudden change in demeanor made Huang Shi uneasy. She hastily wiped her tears, her voice choked with emotion. "Little sister, it’s my fault. I’m angry with myself—"
But Ji An had no patience for her excuses. "Didn’t you say the shoes still needed a few more stitches?" She turned and walked away, paying no mind to Ji Xinran, who had been watching her intently.
In her previous life, Dr. An had said that she didn’t need to excel in her studies, but she must develop a keen sense of discernment.
Money wasn’t easy to earn. They feared that the family fortune they had toiled half their lives to build for her might be swindled away by others with a few sweet words. So, the two of them took turns teaching her The Art of War, Guiguzi, Microexpression Psychology, and more. During winter and summer breaks, they even arranged various practical experiences for her.
Ji An believed she had indeed developed that discernment. What Ji Xinran wanted to do was none of her concern, at least for now. Besides, she held one absolute advantage over Ji Xinran: seniority.
If Ji Xinran wanted to scheme against her, she would have to persuade Ji Yan. But Ji Yan was merely her older brother. With their father and eldest brother still present, he couldn’t make decisions for her.
Just as she was about to head to the kitchen, Ji An heard the reading under the corridor stop. Several boys rushed to greet someone—it was her eldest brother returning.
"Little sister." Ji Cheng had a square face, a broad mouth, and thick eyebrows, resembling Ji Zhongming by sixty percent. After the autumn harvest, it was time to press for land taxes. As the Lizhang, he was so busy his feet barely touched the ground.
"Eldest Brother," Ji An noticed frost on his skullcap and knew he had left in the middle of the night. "You went to collect grain so early?"
Compared to Ji Yan, Ji Cheng, as the eldest son of the family, understood better how to weigh matters. At twenty-four, he had passed the county and prefectural exams, becoming a Tongsheng. After failing the Yuanshi twice, he went to their father, and soon became the Jiashou of the village. As a Tongsheng himself, with his father’s support behind him, he rose to Lizhang in just three years.
Under Dajing’s regulations, ten households formed one Jiashou, and one hundred households formed one Lizhang.
Eldest Brother’s conduct had visibly grown steady and thorough. For the past two years, their father had intended for him to take the Yuanshi once more. If he could pass, he might even advance further, perhaps into the county’s Shuikesi.
Since learning of their father’s plans, Eldest Sister-in-law had taken even firmer control of household affairs, no longer harboring resentment toward the third branch.
Facing this younger sister, Ji Cheng unconsciously softened his voice, afraid of startling her. "There’s no choice but to press for it. Time is running out."
"Father, Mother, and I are going to the county today." When she was born, Eldest Brother’s son, Yun’er, was already toddling around. Her mother had said she never expected to have another daughter in this lifetime.
Ji Cheng removed his skullcap. "Father mentioned it to me last night. I’ll go hitch the donkey cart in a moment."
"You’re going to the county too?"
"Hmm, Dong Dacheng's family bought twenty mu of land from Zhong Erliang. I need to take the land deed to the county office to pay taxes and get it stamped." Seeing his father walk out of the main room, Ji Cheng immediately approached him. "The grain has all been collected. When I return this afternoon, I'll weigh it again with a few Jiashou. If there are no errors or omissions, I plan to go and deliver it tomorrow."
"Good, deliver it early. After that, you can rest for a couple of days." Ji Zhongming clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the four half-grown boys standing in a row under the corridor. "Why have you stopped? Have you all memorized the texts?"
As soon as he spoke, the vigorous sound of reading resumed. Ji An smiled bitterly. She had just cleared her ears, and now they were being filled again.
Creak
Zhushi, radiating warmth, emerged from the kitchen. "Father, breakfast is ready. Husband, go call Mother to eat. After breakfast, you should leave as soon as possible. Little sister, I've prepared warm water for you. Go wash up quickly."
"Thank you, sister-in-law," Ji An said as she passed her and entered the kitchen.
The Ji family was particular about cleanliness. They brushed their teeth using bristle brushes dipped in green salt. Although Ji An wasn't accustomed to green salt, she found it more effective at cleaning than the toothpaste that cost dozens of yuan in her previous life.
After washing her face, she went to her mother's room to apply some face cream. Once breakfast was finished, Huang Shi arrived carrying a large bundle, her face flushed with embarrassment as she murmured something under her breath.
Seeing this, Ji Mengshi immediately grew angry and scolded, "If you have something to say, say it clearly. Don't keep it in your mouth and chew on it."
"Mother," Huang Shi blinked, her eyes glistening with tears. "I… I just wanted to ask you and Father to pass a message to my husband. Tell him everything is fine at home, and he doesn't need to worry."
This only made Ji Mengshi angrier. "Worry? What does he have to worry about? Is he afraid I've grown tiger fangs and will eat you?"
"No, Grandma," Ji Xinran hurried over upon hearing the commotion and stood in front of her mother. "My mother just wants my father to focus on preparing for next year's Xiangshi without worrying."
Ji An was about to say something but was interrupted by Zhushi, who was clearing the dishes. "Sister-in-law, just put down what you brought. Father and Mother have finished breakfast. Let's eat quickly too. Afterward, we need to go to the vegetable patch and tie up the cabbage."
Shedding tears first thing in the morning—how unlucky. Her husband had important matters to attend to in the afternoon. Who had time to waste with her here?