The study.
The chirping of cicadas penetrated the carved window screens covered in green gauze, as heatwaves rolled through the midsummer afternoon.
Jin Qizhi sat upright at the study desk, the sleeves of his thin robe rolled up to reveal his pale wrists.
He was holding a brush, writing commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals, with fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead from the heat.
“Eldest Brother~” Jin Lanyue lay on the bamboo mat, kicking her tiny feet back and forth in the air. “Can we play cat’s cradle, please?”
Without lifting his head, Jin Qizhi guided his brush across the Xuan paper with a soft rustling sound. “Do you still remember the characters I just taught you?”
The little dumpling immediately puckered her tiny mouth, her chubby cheeks puffing up like a little pufferfish.
She rolled over to the edge of the desk and gently tugged at her eldest brother’s hem. “It’s too hot~ Yue’er’s little head is dizzy from the heat, I can’t remember the characters-characters~”
Jin Qizhi finally laid down his brush and looked down at the little slacker.
“Fine.” Jin Qizhi pulled out a brocade box. “Play with this instead.”
The little dumpling eagerly opened the box, revealing an exquisite set of tangrams inside.
With a cheer, she clutched the box and ran patter-patter-patter to the bamboo mat by the window, clinking and clanking as she began to fiddle with the pieces.
Silence returned to the study, broken only by the faint sound of ice melting in a bronze basin.
Jin Qizhi picked up his brush again, occasionally glancing over at his self-entertaining little sister.
After an unknown amount of time, Jin Qizhi suddenly realized the rustling sounds had stopped.
Turning around, he saw the tangram pieces scattered all over the mat, but the little dumpling was nowhere to be seen.
“Yue’er?”
“Over here~” a milky response called out from not far away.
Jin Qizhi stood up to look, and was instantly caught between tears and laughter.
Jin Lanyue had crawled over to the ice basin at some point, and her entire body was practically draped over the bronze rim.
The hem of her gauze dress was already soaked through, yet she was completely oblivious, using her tiny hands to scoop up the floating blocks of ice.
“It’s chilly and so comfy~” She narrowed her eyes like a lazy little kitten.
“Get up, quickly!” Jin Qizhi hurriedly lifted her away. “What if you fell in?”
Even though the meltwater in the basin only reached Jin Lanyue’s knees, that didn’t stop him from feeling that his little sister was in grave danger.
Suspended in mid-air by the back of her collar, Little Jin Lanyue flailed her limbs like a little turtle. “But Yue’er is hot~ Eldest Brother’s study is like a steamer trunk!”
Jin Qizhi sighed, picking up a round silk fan to gently blow air her way. “A quiet mind naturally keeps you cool. Look at Eldest Brother…”
“I’m hot, I’m hot!”
Left with no alternative, Jin Qizhi ordered the servants to bring in a fresh basin of ice.
“Hooray! Thank ou, Eldest Brother!” Jin Lanyue was happy again.
Cradling her in his arms, Jin Qizhi dragged the bamboo mat closer to the new ice basin, placed his sister back onto it, and patted her fluffy little head. “Play right here, you aren’t allowed to run off.”
“Mm-hmm!” Jin Lanyue nodded obediently, and only then did Jin Qizhi head back to his desk, looking back three times with every step.
Seeing that Jin Lanyue was just lying right beside the newly delivered ice basin playing with her tangrams, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his hard work.
As the little dumpling played, her body gravitated toward the ice basin. The tangrams were abandoned on the mat as her chubby little hands gripped the rim, her round, large eyes staring intently at the ice inside.
The ice blocks in the Marquis Beiding estate were large chunks harvested during the winter and preserved in the ice cellar, to be brought out for use during the summer.
To better absorb the heat, the ice had been cracked into smaller pieces.
They looked crystal clear and exceptionally beautiful.
Jin Lanyue only felt the cool, refreshing chill, and looking at the ice made her think of ice bowls.
Delicious ice bowls, delectable ice bowls.
She wanted to eat an ice bowl…
The ice right in front of her looked very delicious too…
[Task Triggered]
It is midsummer once again. Your eldest brother, who used to dote on you, now treats you with cold indifference. He once heartlessly expelled you from the Marquis estate. After your return, because you accidentally offended him, he forced you to kneel in the study as punishment.
Only after a long while does he permit you to stand. Your legs ache terribly. Looking at the man before you who keeps his gaze downcast on his work, you wish nothing more than to rush forward and stab him.
But you cannot. However, as you turn your head, you spot the ice basin nearby.
An idea strikes you—isn’t he working so diligently? Didn’t he fail to spare you even a single glance while you knelt below? Then you will take the ice basin away and see just how diligently he can work in this study that feels like a steamer trunk!
Either tear down his facade of dedication, or let him suffer from heatstroke!
[Task: Remove the ice basin]
[Reward: Basic Illness-Dispelling Talisman x3]
Jin Lanyue tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and flashed a cheerful smile.
She understood!
Auntie System said: “…Eldest Brother… study… ice… remove…”
She knew exactly what to do!
So, Jin Lanyue eagerly reached out her chubby little hand, grabbed a piece of ice, and stuffed it into her mouth with a big omnom.
“Mff… coold…” she mumbled indistinctly around the ice. “Remoof… remoof it into my tummy!”
She began to crunch and munch, her little baby teeth battling hard against the ice.
Her cheeks puffed out completely. The ice was too hard, so she balled her tiny hands into fists, straining with all her might.
Crunch, crunch, crunch… munch, munch, munch…
With the first piece of ice down her throat, she slumped limply beside the ice basin. “Whew… chilly, but so tiring…”
It wasn’t as tasty as an ice bowl.
But her mouth felt cool, her body felt cool, and it didn’t seem quite as hot anymore…
She rested for a bit, then balled her tiny fists again to pump herself up. “No way, Yue’er cannot admit defeat!”
Her little hands were so chubby that when she made a fist, little dimples formed over her knuckles. Opening her fair, tender little hand, she grabbed another piece of ice and stuffed it into her mouth with an omnom.
Crunch, crunch, crunch… munch, munch, munch…
By the time Jin Qizhi looked up again, Jin Lanyue was already holding a fourth piece of ice, about to shove it into her mouth.
Horrified, the brush flew right out of his hand. “Yue’er, you can’t eat that! Put it down right now!”
He bolted over in a flash, scooping Jin Lanyue up and snatching the ice from her hand, before turning a tense gaze toward the ice basin.
What he saw nearly made him faint.
The neatly stacked tower of ice in the basin was already missing a chunk from its corner.
“Good heavens, how much did you eat?!” He looked back at his little sister, who was staring at him with a perfectly innocent expression, even flashing him a harmless smile.
But the moment she opened her mouth, a blast of cold air wafted out.
“Yue’er knows how to count now…” Jin Lanyue counted seriously on her fingers. “Four… no wait, it was three pieces.”
Her expression was innocent yet carried a hint of anticipation, hoping to be praised.
Jin Qizhi’s vision blurred in waves. He practically wanted to pinch his own pressure points to stay conscious, his voice trembling: “Take it away… take it away quickly…”
“Hurry up and take the ice basin away!” He felt completely overwhelmed.
A servant entered the room and carried the newly brought ice basin back out.
“Take that one away too!” Jin Qizhi felt like he was developing a psychological trauma toward ice basins.
The servant doubled back and carried the half-melted ice basin away as well.
[Task Completed]
Using a clever little trick, you have removed the ice basins. Seeing your eldest brother on the verge of fainting before you, you feel a wave of satisfaction.
[Reward Obtained: Basic Illness-Dispelling Talisman x3]
[Ding!]
Detected that the host is about to fall ill.
Cause: Excessive consumption of unhygienic ice.
Symptom: Diarrhea.
Basic Illness-Dispelling Talisman x1 has been automatically applied. Please rest easy, host.
[Current Remaining Basic Illness-Dispelling Talismans x2]
Jin Lanyue rubbed her tummy, finding that her stomach, which had been rumbling a moment ago, was no longer making any noise.
Jin Qizhi held his sister and slowly sat down on the bamboo mat, staring blankly ahead as he questioned his life choices.
After all, even as the mature eldest brother, he was only ten years old; his mental fortitude wasn’t quite that unbreakable yet.
Jin Lanyue bit her finger, finally starting to ponder dully whether she had done something wrong.
Eldest Brother didn’t look very happy.
But the chilly ice really was quite tasty…
Jin Qizhi sat dazed on the floor, his mind racing through countless thoughts.
He thought of how his tutor had asked him to write commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals, praising his brilliant intellect and predicting he would top the imperial examinations in the future…
His little sister ate three blocks of ice.
He thought of how his parents held high expectations for him, his father hoping he would mature early to share his burdens…
His little sister ate three blocks of ice right under his nose.
He thought of how he had been a role model for his peers since childhood, the legendary “model child” in the mouths of adults…
His little sister! Right under his nose! Ate! Three! Blocks! Of! Ice! From! The! Ice! Basin!
With a dull thud, Jin Qizhi collapsed flat on his back, dead straight upon the bamboo mat.