At dawn, Jiang Jingxing shook off the servant Youxi and, standing on tiptoe, pushed open the main room door.
The room was quiet. Taozi lay sprawled asleep on the footstool. Through a gauze curtain, he could vaguely make out a figure resting on the bed—that was his grandmother.
There was nowhere in the house Jiang Jingxing was not allowed to go. He stepped onto the footstool and climbed onto the bed, and at a glance noticed something that had never been there before—a small red quilt.
Yesterday, Mother had given birth to a younger sister.
Before that, he had thought it would be a younger brother.
Grandmother had said that a younger brother would help him uphold the family’s standing. Jiang Jingxing did not understand what “supporting each other and serving as officials” meant, but he knew that even before being born, that unborn brother had already taken many things that should have belonged to him.
When Mother was about to give birth, he had been moved into his grandmother’s Yinian Hall. The adults all assumed he was too young to remember anything, but he could clearly feel the difference between living in the main courtyard and living in Yinian Hall. It was hard to say which was better—but what he could not accept was having no choice in the matter.
Even so, before the brother was even born, Grandmother had already divided much of her attention away from him, even partitioning a room in the east wing for the future child.
In the end, Mother gave birth to a girl.
For reasons he could not fully grasp, he vaguely knew that, compared to a brother, having a sister was better for him.
Before coming here, Jiang Jingxing had been troubled over how to protect everything that belonged to him. Not long ago, he had figured it out.
The servant who had always attended him feared him because he was the master.
A younger brother—or a younger sister—should also fear him because he was the elder.
He would start by scaring his sister.
Jiang Jingxing lifted a corner of the thin quilt and saw the baby lying softly on the bed. Red lips, a face like white jade, soft black hair—she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his short life.
Miss Player opened her eyes. The suddenly enlarged face in front of her made her instinctively shrink back, but her newly “manufactured” body had limited functionality. Her “violent” movement failed to create any distance—she only managed to squeeze out two layers of chubby chin.
Among babies, plumpness was beauty. If she had a mirror now, she would definitely be charmed by herself.
But at the moment, someone else had already been charmed.
"Little sister is so cute…"
It was Jiang Jingxing—her biological older brother.
Compared to his adult self, Miss Player was far more familiar with this younger version of him.
In the previous run, the two had grown up together. Even as siblings, they had been playmates. There were many siblings in the household, but none of them mattered as much to her as her eldest brother Jiang Jingxing.
Even though this elder brother achieved little in either civil or martial paths, she had never looked down on him.
Yet when she died unjustly, he did not even collect her remains. Clearly, losing a mere younger sister had meant nothing to him.
Miss Player let out a cold laugh and chose 【Crying】.
Having only just been reborn for a single day, she already deeply understood the principle that the child who cries gets fed.
The crying woke Madam Sun, who had only just fallen asleep. Before even opening her eyes, she reached out and pulled the baby into her arms, soothing her while groggily sitting up, checking the diaper, then feeling her stomach.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry. Are you hungry, or did you wet yourself?"
"Grandmother, it’s me—it’s me."
Only then did Madam Sun realize Jiang Jingxing had arrived.
Taozi, who had been sleeping on the footstool, woke and carried him down, pushing her messy hair back into a simple bun.
"Young master, what brings you here?"
"I came to greet Grandmother… and to see my little sister."
Madam Sun had no time to chat with her beloved eldest grandson—the little troublemaker in her arms would not stop crying. Normally, as long as she held the baby, the crying would gradually subside.
But not this time!
Why was she still wailing with her eyes closed?
Was she uncomfortable?
After confirming the diaper was dry, Madam Sun called out, "Midwife Ma! Midwife Ma!"
Midwife Ma, who slept in the side room, had also only just gone to sleep after tending to the baby every hour and a half through the night. But she was younger and sturdier than Madam Sun, and was already awake. Hearing the call, she came out carrying half a bowl of freshly expressed milk.
Madam Sun said to Jiang Jingxing, "Grandmother is feeding your sister her morning meal. Are you hungry?"
Standing on tiptoe, trying to sneak another look, Jiang Jingxing shook his head. "I’m not hungry."
Madam Sun fed the baby with a spoon. Miss Player graciously took a sip—but the crying did not stop, only turning into soft sobs.
Jiang Jingxing became excited. "Grandmother, let me feed little sister!"
Miss Player: As if!
"Waaah—!"
The sudden increase in volume startled Jiang Jingxing into taking two steps back. Could such a tiny baby really make such a loud sound? He began to worry about her.
Was she in pain somewhere?
He fumbled over himself, searching for something. At his age, he wore no jade pendant at his waist and carried no pouch. The only thing he had was the jeweled necklace around his neck.
"Little sister, look at this."
Taozi hurried to put it back on him. "My little ancestor, why did you take it off? This protects you and keeps you safe."
Jiang Jingxing dodged her and held out the jeweled necklace, from which hung a piece of purple jade, toward the baby.
"Ah—waaah—!"
This time, the baby screamed even louder while crying.
Madam Sun saw what was happening and instructed, "Taozi, take the young master out for breakfast."
There was no time to soothe her grandson now.
Jiang Jingxing left, turning back every few steps. Taozi spotted Youxi in the distance and waved him over. She had meant to tug his ear, but seeing the food box in his hands, she realized he had not been slacking—he had been deliberately sent away by the young master.
A ten-year-old servant being run in circles by a three-year-old—Taozi thought to herself: as expected of the master’s son.
Youxi was a little afraid when he saw Taozi.
Jiang Jingxing ordered, "Take the breakfast to my room. Is there porridge?"
"There’s white porridge."
"Then it must be hot. Take it out and let it cool first. Go."
Youxi left without even having time to greet Taozi properly.
"Taozi-jie—" Jiang Jingxing did not put on airs in front of his grandmother’s maid. He did not need her to fear him. Besides, things were different now—his heart felt heavy.
Looking up, he asked, "Does little sister not like me?"
Taozi smiled gently. "What sister wouldn’t like her elder brother? She must have been startled just now. Young master, newborn babies are timid. When she’s a bit older, she won’t remember being afraid of you."
"How old is ‘a bit older’?"
"Not long at all," Taozi said. "Babies change every day. After the Third Day Bath Rite, you can come see her again."
…
The Third Day Bath Rite was an ancient custom meant to pray for a newborn’s healthy growth.
In the previous run, Miss Player had witnessed such ceremonies in a minor official’s household. Her brothers had both received it. When Jiang Jingxing had his, Jiang Yan had just become a successful examination candidate. Even if the guests were not as prestigious as those at her younger brother’s ceremony later, it must have been lively.
Miss Player herself had never experienced it. She was a girl, and Madam Sun had deemed it unnecessary. Jiang Yan, though filial to his widowed mother, had not objected.
This life was different.
Jiang Yan was eager to host a grand celebration—he wanted to show off his beautiful daughter.
Madam Sun silently approved the preparations, perhaps hoping that this superstitious ritual might ease the burden of caring for such a difficult child, lest she work herself into an early grave.
She thought herself already half-buried—but in truth, she was only forty-two.
Miss Player’s opinion: forty-two was the prime of one’s working years.
In any case, invitations had already been sent out.
On the morning of the third day after Miss Player’s birth, an incense altar was set up in the main hall outside the birthing room. Thirteen deities were enshrined, including Bixia Yuanjun, Qiongxiao Niangniang, and Yunxiao Niangniang. Midwife Ma presided over the ritual as the officiant, also known as the Birth Granny.
Madam Sun performed the first bow. Midwife Ma followed. The ceremony began.
Cradled in Madam Sun’s arms, Miss Player stretched her neck to watch the guests perform the Gift Basin Ritual—dropping coins, jade pendants, longevity locks, and other auspicious items into the bathing basin. Some also tossed in longans, lychees, red dates, peanuts, and chestnuts.
Most of the former came from Jiang Yan’s colleagues; the latter were mostly from the Jiang family’s relatives.
The official residence lay within the county office compound and was not suitable for frequent comings and goings by relatives. So Jiang Yan had arranged for them to stay at his in-laws’ house the day before. That morning, his father-in-law brought them all over together.
Despite careful dressing, they could not conceal their rustic air.
Among them were Miss Player’s two uncles and a great-uncle—true farmers through and through. They were not troublesome relatives; Miss Player quite liked them.
Even emperors had poor relations. Their presence did not create any discord.
From the moment the guests saw Miss Player, all they could do was stare.
For a time, everyone fell silent—just like the day she was born. Midwife Ma, her grandmother, her mother, and the maids had all needed nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea before recovering from the shock of her beauty.
Midwife Ma recited auspicious phrases based on each item tossed into the basin. So far, not a single phrase had repeated. No wonder her reputation in the county was so excellent—she could gain entry into any household, from officials to wealthy gentry.
Of course, it also helped that she was considered a “fortunate woman.”
Such women were required to have living parents, a harmonious marriage, both sons and daughters, and a healthy family. To also possess skill in midwifery, a quick tongue, and connections with the authorities—someone like her was rare.
Yet Madam Sun had once offended her deeply.
In the previous run, when Miss Player was born as a girl, Madam Sun had blamed Midwife Ma in her anger and driven her away.
Humiliated, Midwife Ma had spread rumors about the Jiang family.
Those rumors eventually reached Jiang Yan’s superiors and became one of the reasons his career stagnated.
Miss Player had once taken on a task to eliminate Midwife Ma’s resentment.
She had only achieved fifty percent completion—and failed.
At that time, she had already been immersed in the game and had not immediately started a second run after failing to secure a major reward.
She had never expected that this time, Midwife Ma would be presiding over her birth announcement ceremony, maintaining a warm and friendly relationship with the family—and even seeming to like her.
But…
Was she really going to be bathed in that basin full of everything?
The Third Day Bath Rite, as the name implied, required the newborn to be washed on the third day after birth.
Miss Player felt that if she went into that basin, she would not be bathing—she would be boiling into soup.
She would be the main ingredient.
Suddenly, a silver light appeared in her vision.
At the focal point of her sight, a pair of silver exclamation marks flickered in perfect rhythm.
This meant a special system prompt had been triggered.
Miss Player turned toward where the exclamation marks pointed—
the direction of the Jiang family gate.
Oh?
An important character had arrived.