“Zhegui, tell me… what should a traditional young mistress wear?”
Jiang Ci sat before the mirror, gazing at the face that was both familiar and strange.
It was a soft, oval face. Her eyebrows were slender but perfectly shaped, framing a pair of almond eyes with long lashes. Her pupils glistened like water, veiled in a gentle mist. Her full, rosy lips and slightly pert nose softened her elegant demeanor, lending her an overall air of innocence and charm.
This face bore an eighty percent resemblance to the one she remembered.
It was eighty percent similar because Jiang Ci could only remember what she looked like before she turned fifteen.
She had just started her second year of high school when the apocalypse broke out. She had awakened a rare but seemingly useless superpower—Mineral X-ray Vision.
To be honest, even Jiang Ci couldn’t see how this ability was of any use in the wasteland.
It had no offensive capabilities, nor was it particularly practical. It only slightly improved her physical constitution when she awakened or leveled up, but the rate of improvement was far slower than that of other ability users.
Under those circumstances, beauty only brought endless trouble.
So, Jiang Ci had disfigured herself.
“But Miss…” Zhegui’s hesitant voice pulled Jiang Ci back from her thoughts. “The Master doesn’t like traditional women! You have to find a way to win him back!”
As she combed Jiang Ci’s hair with a small silver comb inlaid with rubies, she offered advice, “Danqing from Second Miss’s room said that she secretly ordered magazines and pictorials. The women there wear this style called ‘Love Head’—they use heated iron tongs to curl the hair. Maybe we could…”
“Who said I want to please him?”
Jiang Ci tapped a small porcelain jar of osmanthus perfume against the dressing table. She looked up at Zhegui through the mirror and said, “They eat my food and drink my supplies, yet they expect me to lower myself and watch their moods? What kind of logic is that?”
Zhegui sighed. “But isn’t that how it is for married women? Now that you’ve joined the Qin family, you need a son to secure your position. What if that vixen outside gives birth to a boy first? Your parents have only you; surely you don’t want the family fortune to fall into the hands of outsiders?”
“Marriages can be dissolved. Why fear that? Ow…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, her hair was pulled sharply.
Zhegui quickly put down the comb, leaned in to check her scalp, and patted her chest in relief.
“Miss, how can you say such things? Divorce would end up in the newspapers! The Master is a man, he doesn’t care, but you would be drowned in the gossip of the entire city!”
In this era, the vast majority of women, like Zhegui, would never even dream of divorce.
While it existed in the law books, for men and women of the Republic era, it was merely a decorative symbol of civilization. It was enough to know it existed behind glass display cases; one would never actually touch it.
Otherwise, matters of divorce wouldn’t be so sensational as to make headlines.
Changing such deep-rooted mindsets would take time, so Jiang Ci didn’t argue. She simply urged, “Just do as I say. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.”
Reluctantly, Zhegui styled Jiang Ci’s hair into a low, neat bun at the nape of her neck. The bangs were combed together and fixed with hair oil to form a heart shape right in the center of her forehead.
Jiang Ci changed into a pale moon-blue high-collared blouse with wide sleeves, layered with an ivory georgette vest. She paired it with a horse-face skirt featuring white fabric and aqua-blue piping, and finished the look with lake-blue satin shoes embroidered with flowers. Only then did she head out.
The Qin residence was built in the traditional Suzhou garden style, with winding corridors connecting different halls and courtyards.
Jiang Ci lived in the east wing. To reach the main courtyard, she had to pass through two moon gates.
“Young Mistress is here!”
“Young Mistress is here!”
As soon as she entered the main courtyard, the maids announced her arrival in succession.
Qin Huai’an’s great-grandfather had been a scholar and a high-ranking official in the previous dynasty. Although the main branch of the family had declined significantly, they put on just as much airs as they did in their glory days.
Jiang Ci scoffed inwardly as she stepped into the hall.
“Greetings, Mother.”
Madam Qin sat regally in the seat of honor. She sized Jiang Ci up carefully before nodding slightly. “You have just recovered from your illness. Don’t stand on ceremony. Sit.”
Jiang Ci sat on the chair at the lower end of the table, behaving with perfect propriety, exactly like a well-bred lady who never stepped out of line.
Madam Qin’s feelings were complicated.
Logically, having a dignified and steady daughter-in-law was a good thing. Unfortunately, her son preferred the wild, unconventional types outside!
With Jiang Ci’s reserved demeanor, how could she possibly keep a man’s interest?
She was beautiful, yes, but beauty meant nothing if she didn’t know how to please a man!
However, this thought was fleeting, and she quickly turned her mind to the matter at hand.
“I called you here today to discuss something important. Huai’an is the only son of this family. Now that you have married into the Qin family, you will one day be the mistress of this house. It is time you learned how to manage the household affairs. Your father and I have discussed it—we are getting old, and it is time to step back. You are the most suitable person to take over.”
Madam Qin turned to her personal maid. “Wenzhu, call the steward.”
At this moment, Jiang Ci stood up. “Mother is too kind to entrust me with such responsibility, and normally I would not dare refuse. However…”
Madam Qin’s expression darkened immediately. “What? You don’t want to manage the household? You’ve been sulking about Huai’an for days now. A woman shouldn’t be so petty!”
“Mother misunderstands.” Jiang Ci suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and offered a shy, awkward smile. “I dare not take charge because… I am illiterate.”
The last three words caused a drastic change in everyone’s expressions.
The maids looked shocked, and Madam Qin stared blankly for a moment.
She had anticipated many reactions, but never this.
It took a while for her to recover. She looked at Jiang Ci skeptically. “You are the daughter of a wealthy family. Surely you know at least a few characters?”
Jiang Ci shook her head, cheeks flushed. “When I was growing up, my parents believed that ‘a woman without talent is virtuous.’ They never allowed me to study; I only learned embroidery and housework. Our household rules were strict, and I never stepped outside the gates. How could I have learned to read?”
“What about arithmetic?”
Jiang Ci’s voice dropped even lower. “I… I don’t know that either.”
Madam Qin was at a loss.
The Jiang couple were truly too old-fashioned!
They had raised their daughter to be a complete airhead! She couldn’t read a single word!
Madam Qin shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking at Jiang Ci with hesitation.
Jiang Ci lowered her eyes, hiding a glint of calculation, and continued, “However, I cannot bear to waste Mother’s kindness. I heard that Master Huai’an is an educated gentleman who studied abroad. If he were willing to teach me, I am sure I could learn quickly.”
Hearing this, Madam Qin’s expression cleared, and she smiled knowingly. “I thought you were just being stubborn. So this was your plan all along.”
She stood up with Wenzhu’s support. “Very well. It is good for husband and wife to spend time together. I will discuss this with your father when he returns.”
Jiang Ci watched her leave, then turned and walked back to her own courtyard.
***
The next day.
Qin Huai’an stormed into the room, furious.
“Jiang Ci! What trick are you playing now?”
Zhegui stepped nervously in front of her mistress, eyeing him warily. “Master, please! Young Mistress is still weak; she cannot be frightened like this!”
“Weak? She looks perfectly fine to me!” Qin Huai’an tugged at his patterned tie in frustration and dropped heavily into a chair. He glared at her coldly. “I will not teach you how to read. Save your little games of being the ‘helpful wife’ for someone else!”
“Do not be so quick to judge, Master.” Jiang Ci pushed Zhegui aside with a faint, amused smile, sitting up straight. “I want to learn simply because Mother wants me to manage the household, and I cannot refuse. If you don’t want to teach me, that is easy. Either you go tell Mother yourself, or…”
Refusing his own mother was impossible. Qin Huai’an frowned. “Or what?”
“Or you convince Mother to allow me to go to school.”
“You want to attend school?”
“How else am I supposed to learn?” Jiang Ci sat opposite him, adopting a negotiating posture. “You look down on traditional women, Master. But if you want me to accept your views, you must let me see what a ‘modern woman’ truly is. However, the Qin family rules are strict. If I ask, your parents will never allow a married woman to go out alone. So, I need you to speak for me.”
Qin Huai’an scoffed. “Why should I help you?”
“Because it benefits you too. Once I see what I am supposedly ‘lacking’ compared to your lady friend outside, I will naturally know when to back off.”
“You said it.” Qin Huai’an looked her up and down suspiciously. “If I help you, you are not allowed to manipulate my parents or interfere with Manyin and me ever again.”
“Deal. But one condition—I want to go to the best school available.”
That same afternoon, Qin Huai’an went to his father’s study.
Father and son talked for a long time.
“Dad, I have a job at the government office! When do I have time to teach her to read and write? If you really want us to get along, just send her to get a proper education. Let me be honest: I will never have a future with an old-fashioned woman! Either you turn her into a modern lady, or just leave her here to take care of you and Mother while I live my own life!”
“You insolent boy! What nonsense are you talking about?”
Old Master Qin picked up an inkstone as if to throw it. Qin Huai’an immediately leaned forward, daring him. “Go ahead! This arranged marriage is torture! You might as well act like you never had a son!”
He was their only child. How could they bear to hurt him?
With a heavy sigh, Master Qin put the inkstone down. “I must owe you a debt in a past life! Fine! Let her go to school!”
Jiang Ci never found out exactly how Master Qin persuaded Madam Qin.
She only knew that when she came down for breakfast the next day, Madam Qin lectured her sternly as if scolding a criminal.
She warned her never to speak to strange men outside, to always remember her status as a married woman, and so on.
Jiang Ci let the old-fashioned warnings go in one ear and out the other. As soon as the lecture was over, she excused herself to go order new school uniforms and left the house with Zhegui.