Despite Silly Girl’s tall stature, she was only fourteen years old.
Jiang Yixi smiled and said, “What a good girl.”
Pleased by the praise, Silly Girl grinned happily and added, “Granny Xiang has a nasty mouth, saying Second Young Lady is trying to climb above her station by pursuing some young master. I was so angry I punched her face until it bruised. Second Young Lady is so beautiful—how could she be the one chasing others? Others should be the ones trying to win her favor!”
Shui Xiang couldn’t stop her from speaking out.
Jiang Yixi smiled indifferently. “Silly Girl is right. I think so too.”
Silly Girl chopped the firewood into smaller pieces and stacked them by the side room. Clapping her hands, she said, “Sister Shui Xiang, I’m heading back now. If Second Young Lady has any tasks in the future, be sure to assign them to me and not anyone else.”
Shui Xiang agreed with a smile and handed her two pink silk flowers. “These are a reward from the young lady.”
Silly Girl beamed with joy, wiped her hands on her clothes, and held the flowers up to her hair to admire them. “Thank you for the reward, young lady. These flowers are so pretty. I’ll wear them home to show my grandfather and brother—they’re sure to praise me for looking beautiful.”
Just then, Mama Wu returned from shopping and said with a laugh, “Our Silly Girl is already quite beautiful.”
Aside from her grandfather, father, and brother, this was the first time Silly Girl had been praised for her looks. Shyly covering her face, she scampered away.
Mama Wu had already washed the pork intestines outside and now entered the side room to stew them in the pot.
Jiang Xun came running in, his face flushed red.
“Sis, Sis…”
The young boy resembled Jiang Chen—handsome and brave, with a wheat-colored complexion, making him the most good-looking among the Jiang family’s boys. However, his gait was unruly; he bounced and skipped as he walked, giving off an impression of immaturity and lack of poise.
As he rushed into the room, it was as if a ray of sunlight had burst in, brightening even Jiang Yixi’s heart.
Jiang Yixi knew why he had come back at this hour. She stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with her handkerchief.
“Slow down. Why are you back before school ended?”
Jiang Xun didn’t answer but glanced around furtively.
Understanding his meaning, Mama Wu and Shui Xiang withdrew.
Jiang Xun then leaned close to Jiang Yixi’s ear and whispered, “Sis, Brother Lianshan came to see me secretly just now. He said Young Master Meng told him that if the Old Lord and Madam Meng come to propose marriage, you must not agree. Both of them, along with Third Young Master Meng, are against this match—it’s only because the Old Lord forced them to accept. Marrying Third Young Master Meng won’t bring you happiness. If our family rejects the proposal, it could somewhat restore your reputation, and their resentment toward you would lessen.”
When the old Duke Chengguo passed his title to his eldest son, he had foreseen that Meng Cimo might lose sight in both eyes. Nevertheless, he petitioned for Meng Cimo to be named the heir apparent. He argued that the Duke Chengguo Estate already possessed boundless wealth and didn’t need a future leader to expand it further—maintaining the family legacy was sufficient. The emperor, respecting the old Duke and pitying Meng Cimo for going to the battlefield at such a young age, granted the request.
Meng Lianshan was Meng Cimo’s personal guard and attendant. Grateful for Jiang Chen’s life-saving grace, Meng Cimo had met Jiang Xun once after returning to the capital the previous year and asked if he had any requests. Jiang Xun said he wanted to learn martial arts and become a general like his father someday.
Meng Cimo gave Jiang Xun five hundred taels of silver, a precious sword, and a set of bows and arrows, instructing Meng Lianshan to regularly guide Jiang Xun in martial arts.
When Jiang Xun returned home, he tried to give the silver to Jiang Yixi, but she refused, saying it was improper and that men and women should maintain boundaries. Somehow, the old lady found out about it and took the silver, claiming she would keep it for Jiang Xun to use for his future marriage…In her previous life, Jiang Xun had conveyed the same message, but Jiang Yixi hadn’t listened. She knew marrying Meng Ciyu would incur the hatred of Madam Meng and Meng Ciyu herself, but considering she had already been intimate with Third Young Master Meng, refusing this marriage would make it impossible to find a good match. She believed that by being gentle, considerate, virtuous, and sensible—turning hardened steel into pliant silk—she could eventually move them. Not only was she unwilling to refuse the marriage, but she also forbade Jiang Xun from telling anyone about Meng Cimo’s message…
Meng Cimo understood the true intentions of the Duke of Chengguo and his wife and, fearing she would suffer after marrying into the Meng family, had someone deliver the message to stop her. But she refused to listen, thinking she had landed a great bargain.
Jiang Yixi felt sorrowful; in her past life, hadn’t she been blinded by wealth and status too?
Seeing his sister lost in thought, Jiang Xun advised, “Sister, I also think Third Young Master Meng isn’t the right match for you. Marrying into that family like this won’t bring you happiness. I heard from Brother Lianshan that Madam Meng is particularly strict about rules.”
This child was quite clear-headed at critical moments and genuinely cared for his sister.
Jiang Yixi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I know my limits and won’t overreach by marrying into the Meng family. Also, don’t speak of this matter to anyone—it wouldn’t be good for Young Master Meng or me.”
Jiang Xun breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially feared his sister would covet that marriage and end up suffering after marrying Third Young Master Meng.
“I’m not foolish, of course I won’t say anything. Sister, you still need to convince Grandmother and Uncle not to agree to it.”
Jiang Yixi replied, “I’ll explain the stakes to them clearly.”
Jiang Xun pulled a grass-woven fish from his pocket. “I bought it at the street corner after class.”
Jiang Yixi took it. “It has a rustic charm.”
“If you like it, I’ll buy more varieties next time.”
Jiang Yixi stopped him. “Having one or two of these trinkets is enough. Instead, buy me a set of ‘Immediately Visible Medical Forest’ and a set of silver needles—quietly, without anyone noticing.”
‘Immediately Visible Medical Forest’ was the most advanced and comprehensive ophthalmology treatise of the Jinhe Dynasty, spanning six volumes.
In her previous life, after entering the nunnery, Jiang Yixi was filled with remorse, feeling that if she had heeded the advice and not married into the Meng family, that person wouldn’t have used such methods to harm her and Meng Cimo.
She wanted to cure Meng Cimo’s eyes, even if it seemed like a fool’s dream. In the early years at the nunnery, she diligently studied from books until she met Old Doctor Shen and began systematic learning. Thanks to her foundational knowledge from those years, she learned with twice the result for half the effort.
The book covered explanations and treatments for various eye diseases like conjunctivitis, glaucoma, and cataracts, but Old Doctor Shen said these wouldn’t be of much help for Meng Cimo’s condition. His illness wasn’t rooted in his eyes but in his brain.
Still, she had to maintain appearances, so she planned to spend her time studying medical texts. With her innate talent, she could learn to treat illnesses just by reading.
The book set was expensive, costing twenty taels of silver, plus three taels for the silver needles.
Jiang Yixi took out ten taels of silver and a gold hairpin.
“This hairpin can be pawned for fifteen taels—don’t accept less.”
Jiang Xun understood it was a medical book but didn’t know what it specifically treated. He thought it wouldn’t be bad for his sister to pass the time reading. Hearing her even knew the pawn value of a hairpin, he was puzzled.
“Sister, how do you know this gold hairpin is worth fifteen taels?”
Jiang Yixi vaguely replied, “Mama Wu told me.”
Jiang Xun returned the gold hairpin and five taels of silver to Jiang Yixi. “Brother Lianshan gave me twenty taels. With an additional five, it’ll be enough.”
Meng Cimo knew that after Jiang Xun’s silver had been taken by the old lady, whenever Meng Lianshan occasionally gave Jiang Xun some money, he never gave too much—only ten or twenty taels for pocket money.
Jiang Yixi accepted it, as she still had many expenses. She also advised, “Your brother is growing older day by day, and it’s not quite appropriate to keep taking his money. Don’t accept it anymore in the future.”
Jiang Xun nodded in agreement.