“If there are lots of grown-ups who like me, they can be my third father and third mother, fourth father and fourth mother, fifth father and fifth mother…”
“Just like I’m the eldest young miss in our family, my brother is the second young master, our older little sister is the eldest young miss, and our youngest sister is the second young miss!”
“I can have lots and lots of fathers and mothers loving me at the same time…”
Smack!
Weisheng He’s mother was so amused that she gave the girl another light swat on the back.
“You certainly know how to dream! Don’t other people have children of their own? Why would they come be your second father and mother, third father and mother, or whatever else you’ve made up? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh if they hear you?”
Young Miss An reached behind herself and rubbed at her back, her chubby little face scrunching up.
“Grandmother, if you want to talk, then just talk. Why do you have to hit people? If Mother finds out, she’ll scold you again!”
Then she pulled a stern little face and imitated Weisheng He’s expression.
“‘Mother, hitting children is wrong, you know? You have to talk to them properly and reason with them. Otherwise, when they grow up, they’ll resent you.’”
“Grandmother, why do you always forget?”
Weisheng He’s mother carefully glanced at Jia Min and saw that she really was looking at her.
Embarrassed, she scratched her cheek.
“I’m just too used to smacking your older and younger cousins! I won’t do it again.”
Young Master An came over, giggling.
“Grandmother always says that, but she forgets again next time! We’re almost used to it now!”
Weisheng He’s mother fell silent.
She simply pulled both children into her arms and explained awkwardly to Jia Min.
“I’m getting old. My memory isn’t what it used to be! I really won’t do it next time.”
Jia Min, however, did not take the matter of her swatting the children seriously.
There was no other reason.
The men of the Jia family were all like that.
Not only were they beaten by their fathers from childhood, once they became fathers themselves, they also beat their sons as though they were livestock.
Jia Min had long grown used to it.
At most, after her two older brothers were beaten, she would bring medicine, food, or something they liked to visit them.
There was little else she could do.
What Jia Min truly envied was the way Weisheng He’s mother interacted with the two children.
Her own mother had always doted on her, but even they had never been this naturally close.
It was almost as though…
The grandmother and grandchildren were peers of the same generation.
Jia Min smiled.
“It’s all right. The children don’t seem to have taken it to heart. I imagine your daughter won’t mind either.”
Weisheng He’s mother looked confused.
“Your daughter?”
Jia Min paused before explaining, “I mean your daughter.”
Weisheng He’s mother nodded repeatedly.
“Oh, she really won’t mind. She’ll just complain in front of the children that I never remember what she tells me. Now these little ones have practically memorized everything she says and bring it out to tease me whenever they get the chance.”
Her tone sounded aggrieved, but the laughter in her eyes was nearly overflowing.
Jia Min thought of her own mother again.
This time, there was no envy.
Only regret.
I’m already close to death.
I don’t even know whether I’ll be able to see Mother, who has loved me all my life, one more time before I die.
Probably not.
Mother is already old. The journey would be exhausting, and my brothers would certainly persuade her to remain in the capital.
Besides, there has always been a custom that the white-haired should not see off the black-haired.
If Mother traveled thousands of li to Weiyang and damaged her health from grief, I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace even in the Yellow Springs.
Weisheng He’s mother noticed the melancholy in Jia Min’s expression and quickly urged the children to go play with Lin Daiyu.
Then she sat down beside the bed and chatted with Jia Min for a while.
They talked about nothing more than ordinary family matters.
What was life like in the capital?
How large was the Rongguo Residence?
Where was it located?
How many siblings were there in the family?
What did young ladies from great noble households have to learn at home?
What did they usually do?
On the one hand, Weisheng He’s mother wanted to distract Jia Min.
On the other hand, she was genuinely curious.
Jia Min was the only legitimate daughter of the Rongguo household.
The life she had grown up with must have been completely different from that of ordinary people.
If she learned a little more, then after returning home, she would have plenty to boast about to the neighbors.
As Jia Min answered her questions, she gradually sank into memories of her childhood.
Back then, she had been happy.
Those had been the only truly happy years in her more than forty years of life.
Because of that, she answered every question seriously.
The more she spoke, the deeper her smile became.
Even some color returned to her previously pale face, making her look much healthier than before.
Lin Daiyu was playing with the younger children, but she had not forgotten to keep an eye on her mother.
Seeing this, she could not help feeling happy too.
Yet for some reason, beneath that happiness, a faint sadness also began spreading through her heart.
Mother doesn’t seem very happy at home.
Thinking of the maternal family her mother so often mentioned, curiosity appeared in Lin Daiyu’s misty eyes.
Young Miss An noticed that Sister Lin had become distracted and quickly nudged her.
“Sister Lin, what are you thinking about?”
Lin Daiyu came back to herself.
Taking one child by each hand, she led them toward the door.
“I was thinking that since you’ve already begun your studies, you must need brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.”
“My family may not have much else, but we’ve accumulated quite a few books and writing supplies.”
“There are plenty in my study. Come have a look with me.”
“If you see anything you like, you can take it home later. Consider it a gift from me.”
The moment Young Master An and Young Miss An heard the word “gift,” they became excited.
The brother and sister immediately began chattering beside Lin Daiyu’s ears like a pair of noisy turtledoves, barely pausing for breath.
Lin Daiyu was surprisingly patient.
She carefully answered every one of their questions.
Inside the room, only after Jia Min finished recounting several amusing stories from her childhood did she realize she had spoken far too much.
She quickly changed the subject.
“Is Madam Weisheng in good health?”
“She’s all right. She’s just been worrying about the children every day and has lost quite a bit of weight.”
Weisheng He’s mother sighed.
“That child has been stubborn since she was little. Once she decides on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back.”
“That means she knows her own mind,” Jia Min said.
“Without a bit of temper, a woman can’t establish herself in her husband’s household.”
The two chatted for a while longer.
Then a maid entered carrying a bowl of dark, foul-smelling medicinal decoction.
“Madam, it’s time for your medicine.”
Jia Min was already used to it.
She did not ask anyone to feed her.
Taking the bowl herself, she pinched her nose with her other hand and was just about to drink it all at once.
Weisheng He’s mother was startled and hurriedly stopped her.
“Madam Jia, wait!”
Jia Min paused and looked at her in confusion.
Weisheng He’s mother took the small wooden box from her sleeve as she explained.
“This is the pill my daughter obtained from a wandering Daoist priest.”
“Take it together with your medicine so you won’t have to suffer through swallowing something twice.”
“Don’t worry. My daughter has taken it before, and so have I.”
“The effect isn’t especially obvious, but it really does work.”
“Would you… like to try it?”
Jia Min laughed softly.
She handed the medicine bowl back to the maid and personally accepted the wooden box.
When she opened it, she found a deep green pill resting inside.
If she had not already known it was medicine, she might have mistaken it for a piece of tourmaline.
It was beautiful.
One glance was enough to tell that it was precious.
Jia Min did not hesitate.
She picked it up and placed it directly into her mouth.
It did not melt the moment it touched her tongue the way miraculous medicines did in strange tales.
Instead, it was cool and carried a faint sweetness.
After chewing it a couple of times, she could swallow it easily.
Compared with bitter medicinal decoctions, it was much easier to take.
Once she finished the pill, she immediately picked up the bowl of medicine and drank the entire thing in one go.
The maid took the empty bowl and offered her preserved fruit.
Jia Min ate a few pieces before waving her hand.
“No more. I can hardly taste anything anyway.”
She had been ill for so long that her sense of taste had already begun to fade.
The medicinal decoctions that once made her nauseous the moment she tasted them no longer seemed quite so difficult to swallow.
Pain flashed through the maid’s eyes.
After taking her medicine, Jia Min lay back against the pillow and spent a long while catching her breath.