Miss Player turned off the 【Crying】 status.
The basic expressions—【Crying】, 【Laughter】, 【Anger】—were built-in system functions. Players could freely toggle them on or off. If 【Crying】 remained active, one could experience the extreme sensation of tears pouring like a river—flooding like a breached dam. In short, crying one’s heart out.
Of course, maintaining 【Crying】 indefinitely came with side effects.
After all, 【Crying】 was a negative status. The longer it lasted, the worse the character’s condition became.
With a Constitution of only 3, her tiny body could not withstand prolonged strain.
Her eyes no longer “leaked,” and Miss Player began to examine her new home.
The Jiang residence was a three-courtyard estate, divided into front and rear sections. As the most senior member of the household, Madam Sun occupied an entire courtyard alone, residing in the spacious Yinian Hall. The main room faced south, its lattice windows covered with two layers of fine cotton paper. Soft light filtered through, illuminating the room warmly.
The first thing in view was a rosewood canopy bed—nothing extravagant, but polished smooth and warm. Miss Player knew that the carpenter who made it had originally planned to carve a motif of “pine and crane longevity” at the head and foot of the bed, but Madam Sun, upon hearing it would cost an extra two strings of coins, had immediately declared it unnecessary.
The square table beside the bed and the elmwood wardrobe on the other side were just as plain. A faded longevity painting was pasted onto the wardrobe door—yellowed with age, yet never replaced.
Sixteen years later, when Miss Player married, it would still be the same painting.
She was gently laid onto the bedding. She heard Madam Sun mutter,
"What a troublesome little demon. Finally asleep."
Miss Player pursed her lips.
If she had to name the person she disliked most before her marriage in the previous run, it would be her grandmother, Madam Sun.
No matter how much she excelled—becoming the model of a noble lady and bringing honor to the Jiang family, surpassing her brothers by far—Madam Sun still despised her for being a girl. There had never been any real affection between them.
And yet, Miss Player had been forced to treat her with utmost respect to demonstrate filial piety.
Thinking back, Madam Sun did have one redeeming quality—she was straightforward. What she felt, she showed. That honesty, at least, was something.
Miss Player had assumed she would soon be sent back. She had deliberately pretended to sleep, hoping to draw out her grandmother’s intentions. Instead, she heard Madam Sun instruct,
"Taozi, clean out the cradle Jingxing used before. Let the girl use it for now."
Oh?
Was she planning to keep her?
At least for the time being, she would not be sent away.
Miss Player opened her eyes again and looked at the task panel. The previously empty blue progress bar had filled slightly, now showing 12%.
This was the task completion rate.
Everything was going far more smoothly than she had expected.
Just as she was about to doze off, she heard Madam Sun continue,
"Tiangua, watch the girl. Walk softly. I’ll go check on Jingxing and be right back."
Jingxing—Jiang Jingxing, her elder brother.
Miss Player…
Miss Player selected 【Crying】.
She did not like her brother.
……
"What is it now?"
Madam Sun picked up the baby. Her impatience with crying children vanished the moment she saw the infant’s face. The irritation in her voice softened instinctively.
"Did something frighten you? Don’t be afraid. Grandmother is here."
Taozi moved more carefully with the cradle, making no noise, and said to the dazed Tiangua,
"Bring some warm water for the young miss."
Tiangua was not as quick-witted as Taozi, but she worked fast. Soon she returned with a bowl of warm water. She brought a wooden spoon to the baby’s lips—
The baby turned her head away.
Tiangua circled around and tried again.
The baby buried her small face into the swaddling cloth, leaving only the back of her head visible.
"Give me the spoon," Madam Sun said.
The spoon hovered at the baby’s lips. This time, she did not turn away—but she pressed her lips tightly shut.
The spoon and the tiny mouth remained locked in a quiet standoff.
After a moment’s thought, Madam Sun gently rubbed the baby’s chest.
Slowly, the baby opened her mouth and began to suck on the spoon.
Half a spoonful of water was quickly swallowed.
All three tense adults let out a breath of relief. Tiangua clapped her hands in delight.
"She drank! The young miss drank! Old Madam really knows best!"
Madam Sun looked pleased, though she grumbled,
"What a troublesome little girl."
Before she could finish speaking, the baby began crying again.
A strange thought crossed Madam Sun’s mind—could a newborn really understand what was being said?
"Old Madam, I think the young miss has wet herself," Taozi said.
The thought vanished instantly.
They unwrapped the baby and took out a diaper. Taozi reached to change it—
The moment her hand touched the baby’s leg, a piercing wail erupted through Yinian Hall.
……
County Deputy Magistrate Jiang Yan returned from office and strode into Yinian Hall.
Taozi stepped forward and bowed. "Welcome back, sir."
Jiang Yan nodded briefly and entered. At a glance, he saw his mother bent over, changing the baby’s diaper. His face darkened immediately.
"How are you all serving her? How can you let Old Madam do such work?"
Madam Sun straightened up, rubbing her waist.
"Lower your voice. Don’t wake your little demon again. Otherwise, no one in this house will have any peace."
She wrapped the baby’s plump arms back into the swaddling cloth, gently pinching them once, then again.
Jiang Yan stepped closer and looked at the baby in silence for a long moment.
"This… this… this is the daughter Yuan’er gave birth to?"
Madam Qian’s given name was Yuanyuan, so he often called her Yuan’er.
"What else could it be?" Madam Sun replied without looking away from the child. "I watched her come out of the birthing room myself. She’s your blood. You take after me—this child takes after your father."
Jiang Yan had grown up knowing his mother’s greatest regret was that he did not resemble his father. Later, when he showed talent in study and possessed strong character, she would praise him—his temperament like his father’s, his intelligence like his father’s.
Everything good was like his father.
He had never met his father.
He had been born after his father’s death.
If this child truly resembled him, then his father must have been extraordinarily handsome. No wonder his mother had always missed him.
Jiang Yan now understood why his mother was willing to keep the baby in Yinian Hall, but he still advised,
"Raising a child is exhausting. You already have Jingxing here, and he’s at that troublesome age. Taking care of another—especially a girl—will be too much for you."
"You think I want to raise a useless girl? It’s your wife’s fault for not giving birth to a son!"
Jiang Yan said, "Then we should send her back to her mother—"
Before he could finish, the baby’s lips quivered, her face crumpling with grievance. Though she had only been in her grandmother’s care for a few hours, Madam Sun already understood this expression well. Her heart tightened at once, fearing another wail.
She quickly lowered her voice.
"Just pretend I said nothing earlier. Actually, I quite like raising children. Leave this matter to me—go do your work."
She looked down.
The baby’s brows had already relaxed as she fell into a deep sleep.
Madam Sun: "…"
What a clever little thing.
She was already entangled. There was no choice but to accept it.
She could not bring herself to send the child back and let her cry until she fainted.
The girl was simply too beautiful.
Jiang Yan left Yinian Hall. Taozi escorted him to the inner gate. As she turned back, she saw Jin Sui, a maid from Madam Qian’s side, entering with a woman dressed in indigo coarse cotton.
After exchanging greetings, Taozi caught sight of the fullness at the woman’s chest and the faint scent in the air. She immediately understood.
Jin Sui said, "This is the wet nurse Madam has hired."
The woman bowed. "My surname is Ma."
Nursemaid Ma was a hired servant, not purchased. It was not that she was unwilling to sell herself—simply that no household had yet chosen to buy her.
"Come with me," Taozi said.
Nursemaid Ma entered the room, keeping her eyes lowered. After greeting Madam Sun, she said,
"I have thoroughly washed before coming. I am ready to serve the young miss."
These words had been rehearsed many times to leave a good impression. She had indeed washed—twice, at extra cost—to ensure she was spotless.
"No hurry," Madam Sun said, rocking the cradle. "What’s the going rate for hiring a nurse these days?"
"One string of coins per season," Nursemaid Ma replied.
Madam Sun nearly leapt up in shock, inwardly cursing Madam Qian for spending so recklessly. She did not know that Nursemaid Ma had omitted mentioning the broker’s fee.
In these times, five taels of silver could buy a young maid and feed a family of five for two years. Hiring a wet nurse for half a year could drain all of it.
Madam Sun conveniently ignored the fact that a young maid could not replace a wet nurse, and that purchasing one outright would cost even more.
Hiring was, in truth, economical.
Her eldest grandson had also had a wet nurse, kept until he was one year old.
Madam Qian, born into a wealthy merchant family, believed only poor households nursed their own children. This was the norm, and Madam Sun had agreed at the time.
But this was a granddaughter.
Why would a girl need a wet nurse? If Madam Qian refused to nurse her, she might as well go hungry.
Just as the thought of sending the baby back arose, Madam Sun looked down—and met a pair of half-open eyes.
When she was young, she had once found a black stone by the river, like a gemstone, and cherished it for years.
Yet even that stone was not as beautiful, nor as clear, as these eyes.
She had brought the stone with her when she married into the Jiang family. But in the years that followed—managing in-laws, losing her husband, raising her son—it had been lost.
…Forget it.
She would hire the wet nurse for one season.
Madam Sun thought: she could always reclaim the incense money she had offered at the temple. If the Buddha had not fulfilled the promise, why should he keep the money?
Looking down at the baby, she muttered,
"You little thing—why are you awake so much? You know there’s food to be had, don’t you?"
She waved Nursemaid Ma over.
"Since the girl is awake, feed her."
Nursemaid Ma breathed a sigh of relief. But when she saw the child clearly, she froze.
"My heavens… such a beautiful child… I have never seen one like this."
She became cautious, as though holding something fragile as fresh tofu, afraid to even touch her.
Madam Sun felt rather pleased.
After a while, Nursemaid Ma carefully picked up the baby.
"Go on," Madam Sun said.
The nurse loosened her clothing, but the baby kept her lips tightly shut, refusing to drink. Sweat formed on the nurse’s brow, yet she dared not force her.
The baby slowly opened her eyes, saw the unfamiliar face—and burst into tears, twisting her body. Spotting Madam Sun nearby, she immediately stretched out her chubby arms.
Madam Sun reacted before thinking, taking the baby into her arms despite being struck lightly on the cheek.
"Grandmother’s heart is melting from your crying. Don’t be afraid—this is Nursemaid Ma. She has something good for you."
The baby kept crying.
"You don’t recognize her, is that it?"
The crying softened.
Madam Sun felt her belly—flat.
She had been crying almost nonstop since birth. She must be hungry.
"Express the milk and feed her," Madam Sun said.
Nursemaid Ma quickly complied, producing half a bowl.
She dipped the spoon and brought it to the baby’s lips—
The baby kept her mouth shut.
Madam Sun took the spoon herself.
This time, the baby opened her mouth.
It took a full incense stick’s time to finish the half bowl. At last, the baby was full and let out a small burp.
Madam Sun’s arms were already aching. Holding the sleeping infant, she muttered,
"You little burden—you’ve latched onto me, haven’t you?"
The baby immediately burst into tears.
Madam Sun caught a smell.
Another diaper change.
By the time she finished, dinner had gone cold.
The baby slept soundly.
Madam Sun ordered the food reheated quickly—rice mixed into broth—and ate in haste. The untouched dishes were shared among the maids and Nursemaid Ma.
Nursemaid Ma ate quickly as well. She could already tell—this child would not be easy to raise.
Some children were easy.
Others were not.
And those were the hardest to bring up.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished eating, the baby cried again.
Her stomach was small. Every hour and a half, she needed to feed. After feeding came urination—and more changing.
Another round of chaos.
In the middle of the night, Madam Sun could no longer rise. She draped her outer garment over Nursemaid Ma and had her feed the baby without lighting a lamp.
But the baby, like a small beast that could smell the difference, refused to drink from anyone but her grandmother.
At first, she cried softly.
Then louder.
Until her face turned bluish again, nearly suffocating.
The commotion woke people in the front courtyard and the birthing room. Even Jiang Jingxing in the east wing was awakened.
This time, Madam Sun spent half an hour coaxing her before she quieted.
Rubbing her aching back, she muttered,
"You won’t drink milk even when it’s there—so stubborn. Good thing you were born into an official’s household. Otherwise, how would you survive?"
She had the milk reheated and fed the baby herself, spoon by spoon.
From that moment on, Madam Sun personally cared for the child in all matters, never again entrusting her to others.