Looking up at the gloomy sky, Ji Mengshi felt the biting chill and said, "It's already mid-October, about time." Thankfully, her eldest son had set out early today to deliver the tax grain to the county town.
Snowy days, rainy days, rainy nights, snowy nights—these were all perfect opportunities for "big" deeds. Seeing the curtain of the west wing room lift once more, Ji An couldn't help but glance sideways.
In such a short while, Ji Xinran was out again looking for something to do. Carrying a basket of charcoal into the room—was she planning to hide inside and indulge in extra meals to gain weight during the snowy weather?
In the Ji household, three meals a day were provided communally. If anyone craved something extra in private, they had to buy it themselves; each wing had its own stove. Living with her parents, Ji An drank meat broth at least five times a month, all sent to the main room by the first, second, and third wings.
Following her daughter's gaze, Ji Mengshi thought she was remembering the stove: "It's cold now; we can't do without hot water in the rooms. I'll have your eldest sister-in-law light the stove and bring it over for you later. Leave the back window in the outer room slightly open, and place the stove near it."
"Alright," Ji An stretched her legs. "Mother, today is Xinran's birthday."
"She's only two days younger than you; I haven't forgotten." Ji Mengshi glanced at the west wing and said irritably, "We'll stew meat tonight. The rest is up to her parents."
Ji An nodded. Just then, a snowflake drifted past the window, floating gently downward. Seeing it, she couldn't help but smile slightly and deliberately raised her voice: "It's snowing."
Sure enough, hearing this, Ji Xinran hurried out of the west wing and stood under the eaves, looking up at the falling snowflakes. Though not too close, Ji An could still see tears welling in her eyes, trickling down the corners and into her hair.
What exactly Ji Xinran experienced in her original life wasn't detailed in the book.
It only mentioned that she became Tan Dong's second wife, managing his household with all her heart but receiving no kindness in return. Finally conceiving a child, when she was four months along, she was framed by Tan Dong's legitimate daughter and mistakenly consumed Hulang Medicine. After a night of recklessness with Tan Dong, she miscarried and severely damaged her health, leaving her unable to bear children again.
For the rest of her days, Ji Xinran stubbornly fought against Tan Dong's legitimate daughter.
That legitimate daughter of Tan Dong—whether she was called Tan Lingzhi or Tan Lingzhi—was both despicable and ruthless in her methods. How could Ji Xinran, a girl from a modest family, possibly contend with her?
Even after being reborn, with the advantage of foreknowledge and Zhan Yunhe backing her, Ji Xinran still couldn't do anything to that Tan girl. In the end, Miss Tan met her demise only when the Tan family fell into decline.
Watching the frail girl reach out to catch the goose-feather snow, Ji An sensed a touch of sorrow, but she felt not a shred of pity for Ji Xinran.
"Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you." In the book, the misfortune of Ji An's marriage could be said to have been entirely transferred to her by Ji Xinran.
How wonderful, it's snowing. Ji Xinran caught a snowflake, its icy chill seeping into her palm. Lowering her eyes, she thought: In this life, she absolutely, absolutely must not repeat the same mistakes. Spreading her fingers, the snow she held had already melted into water, seeping through the gaps between them.
In her past life, after twelve years of battling that wicked woman Tan Lingzhi, she had learned one truth: People are better off being fierce and ruthless; otherwise, anyone would dare to step on you and trample you.
"Think the household hasn't been chaotic enough lately?" Ji Mengshi scolded Ji Xinran, who was about to step into the snow. "Get back inside and stay there!"
Three years ago, when this girl had bumped her head and scraped it, Huang Shi had cried as if her own father had died. The third son had almost outright accused her, the mother, of mistreating his wife and daughter. How would she dare? With this mother-daughter pair, tears would flow like rivers even before she laid a finger on them. If she actually laid hands on them, those two could drown her with their weeping alone.
Lost in her own thoughts, Ji Xinran was startled by the shout, her heart trembling as she immediately snapped back to attention, shrinking back into the room.
"Mother, have you started embroidering the wedding dress yet? Do you need my help?" Ji An reached out to gently stroke the fine wrinkles at her mother's temple.
Ji Mengshi lowered her gaze to the embroidery hoop on the table. "You work on yours. I only have this one task at hand. There's plenty of time, so take it slow."
A gust of wind swept in, swirling the snowflakes twice before racing away. Ji An's nose itched, and she sneezed.
Seeing this, Ji Mengshi quickly removed the pole propping the window open. "There's little light in the room, so light the oil lamp. Don't embroider today either—curl up on the kang. I'll call you for dinner." With that, she closed the window.
The snow fell heavier, the wind howling fiercely. Soon, the world turned white. Ji An listened to her mother and set aside her needlework. She opened a chest, gathered her private savings, and climbed onto the kang.
She had stored the gold bracelet elsewhere. Counting the small silver ingots in the wooden box, there were seven two-tael ingots, thirteen one-tael ingots, and a small handful of broken silver pieces her father had given her. As for copper coins, she had one string and four hundred seventy-three extra coins.
All these bits and pieces added up to thirty taels of silver saved. Ji An looked satisfied as she picked up the three copper coins tied together with a red string. It was these three coins that had given her her own money box, and she felt genuine gratitude toward her second brother.
As dusk approached, Ji Cheng and his group finally returned to the village. After handing over this year's grain tax, though the snow on the ground was thick, everyone walked with lighter steps.
Zhushi, who had been worried all afternoon, was relieved to see them back. As soon as Ji Cheng changed out of his wet clothes, a bowl of steaming ginger soup was thrust into his hands.
"Drink it quickly," Zhushi said, draping a cotton robe over him. "That wretched weather—couldn't it have held off for half a day?"
Ji Cheng looked at the ginger soup with distaste, hesitated for a moment, but under his wife's watchful gaze, he blew on it, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. He truly disliked the taste.
After finishing, he embraced his wife and showered her with affection, making Zhushi blush before he finally stopped.
"I'm going to Father's place. You and Second Sister-in-law hurry and set out dinner. I'm starving and craving a big piece of meat right now." He had been busy since the autumn harvest, wearing out two pairs of shoes, but at last, he could relax.
Zhushi kicked him lightly. "Then why are you still dawdling here?" Early that morning, her mother-in-law had given her money to buy five catties of pork from town.
With six growing boys in the family, not a scrap of the five catties of meat was left. It was stewed in a pot with potatoes, dried beans, and frozen tofu. After simmering for nearly half an hour, the layer of oil floating on the dish was half an inch thick, and the aroma was rich.
Her mother-in-law had also steamed two baskets of white flour buns. Tonight, they were in for a treat.
After putting on his cotton coat, Ji Cheng headed out. In the main room, Ji Zhongming was waiting for him. The father and son spoke openly, and when Ji An lifted the curtain to enter, she happened to hear her eldest brother mention that an official from the prefecture had come down to observe the people's conditions, and the Shuikesi officials had acted properly this time, rarely causing trouble.
"An official from the prefecture?" Ji Zhongming frowned. "Luo Binyun, perhaps?"
Ji Cheng shook his head. "I'm not sure. I heard he left by noon." Privately, he thought it couldn't be Luo Binyun—that man was far too esteemed.
"Leaving in this weather?" Outside, the wind and snow raged. Ji Zhongming frowned. Still, it was thoughtful of him to come down and observe the people's conditions.
Twenty li west of Chiling Xian lies Shanshan Mountain, covered in cold bamboo. Atop the mountain stands Hanyin Temple, which enshrines the Buddhas of the Three Ages. On ordinary days, people from nearby prefectures and counties would flock here to pray, making the temple extremely popular. To accommodate pilgrims, the temple had cleared land halfway up the mountain to build a guest courtyard.
Normally, the guest courtyard was rarely empty during the day. But recently, the cold weather had turned harsh and unpredictable, leaving few pilgrims to ascend the mountain. Those who came hurried back down, and by nightfall, the courtyard stood deserted.
Today, with snow falling, Shanshan Mountain saw even fewer visitors. After dark, no lights shone from the temple at the summit. Only the eastern wing of the guest courtyard halfway up the mountain emitted a faint, dim glow.
The old woman guarding the door sat on the ground, huddled in her padded coat as she dozed against the wall. The soft moans coming from inside the room did not disturb her in the least. Two men in embroidered robes, each carrying a sword, stood silently under the corridor—one to the south, the other to the north—with their eyes closed, conserving their energy.
The snow continued to fall, and the night grew deeper. The moans from the eastern wing persisted, growing increasingly intense, occasionally punctuated by crude remarks from a man. At the hour of Hai, the room finally fell silent. The old woman at the door stirred, stood up, and quietly pushed the door open. She entered the room for a few moments before emerging and resuming her post.
Shortly after, a faint fragrance drifted from the room.
The man in embroidered robes standing to the south immediately opened his eyes. "What is that smell?"
The old woman yawned lazily. "No need to be alarmed. My mistress has a weak constitution and struggles to sleep. The Huichun Hall in Shandong Fu prescribed Ningshen Incense, which contains Huangxiang Grass."
The man sniffed the air carefully, confirming the scent of Huangxiang Grass, before closing his eyes again. The wind, which had raged for hours, gradually weakened and died down. The snow continued to fall, and the night grew eerily still.
At the hour of Zi, the gate of the guest courtyard creaked open slowly from the outside. A figure in black stood outside, wearing a bamboo hat but no mask. In the faint light of the dark night, his already straight nose appeared even more pronounced. His thin, tightly pressed lips suddenly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled upward bit by bit.
He stepped inside, calmly closed the gate, and walked toward the southern corridor. Stopping beside the embroidered-robed man lying unconscious on the ground, he crouched down, extended a long, clean hand to the man’s neck, and slowly tightened his grip before giving a sudden, forceful squeeze.
The unconscious man immediately ceased breathing, his head lolling to the side, hanging limply from his neck.
With one dealt with, the figure in black raised his head and looked toward the opposite side. His phoenix eyes, upturned at the corners, held no emotion. He stood up and walked along the corridor.
In the twenty-third year of Changping, the first snow in Qizhou Fu fell for a full day and night before finally stopping. The accumulated snow on the ground reached half a person’s height.
Ji Yu, the second son of the Ji family, trudged through the snow like pulling radishes, taking nearly an hour to make his way home.
As he entered the gate, he saw over a dozen snowmen of varying sizes standing in the yard. His round-faced daughter, who took after her mother, was bundled up like a ball, happily circling among the snowmen with a piece of candy in her mouth.
"Xin Xin, turn around and look at Daddy. I brought you osmanthus-scented cakes."
Hongshi, who was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, thought she had misheard. She rushed out and exclaimed in surprise, "How are you back?"
Her husband, like his elder brother, had been stuck at the Yuanshi examination. Following in his father’s footsteps, he had taken a teaching position at a private school in town, instructing young children.
Originally, the Ji family home was only three li from the town, so commuting daily was no trouble. But two years ago, the school built dormitories and began accommodating students. Since then, her husband had been required to live on the school grounds. Fortunately, the school provided teachers with separate small courtyards, and she would occasionally take Xin Xin to stay with him for a few days.
"The weather is too cold. Last night, some students burned charcoal for warmth and shut all the doors and windows tightly. Fortunately, Teacher Tang got up during the night to check the rooms, so nothing serious happened."
Ji Yu stomped his numb feet, handed the bundle he was carrying to his wife, and picked up his chubby daughter who had rushed over: "In the afternoon when the snow stopped, Teacher Tang had the steward arrange carriages and horses to send the boarding students home to fetch winter clothes. We also get to rest for two days."
"Second Brother." Ji An walked out from the east side room of the main house. Among her three brothers, she still liked his temperament the most. Steady yet cheerful, his actions occasionally impulsive but rarely crossing the line.
The only time he crossed the line was when she was three years old. After his second son, Xinqi, was born, he suddenly felt the burden heavy, so before the New Year, he wrote a hundred pairs of spring couplets. Then he secretly took her to the county town to sell them for him.
Other families sold a pair of spring couplets for four wen, but he told her to sell them for five wen. In both her past and present life, that was the first time she monetized her beauty.
In the end, all the spring couplets were sold, and she also got three wen as her share. When they returned home, her second brother couldn’t get off the kang for three days afterward.
Staring at his younger sister for a while, Ji Yu then turned to look at his own daughter with her flat nose and round face, frowning with worry.
"Xin Xin, how about accompanying your dad to sell spring couplets this year? You shout loudly, and I’ll write diligently. We’ll earn every wen we can. Your dowry, I’ll definitely make it generous."
Ji Mengshi had just stepped out of the house when she heard this and said with an exasperated laugh, "Aren’t you afraid the spring couplets will end up unsold, losing everything you invested?" He actually dared to bring up selling spring couplets again. It seemed the beating he got from the old man that year wasn’t harsh enough.