As dawn began to break, Li Sushu, who had not slept all night, dragged her weary body to Madam Wang’s quarters to pay her respects and bid farewell.
There were too many things to organize and explain. That night, she had spent her time writing and drawing, occasionally arranging the things she would need to bring on the journey.
By the time she finished, it was already midnight, and afterward she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She had already informed Nanny Zhang the previous night that she would be accompanying them back to their hometown this time.
As for why she had chosen Nanny Zhang to accompany her, there was only one reason: Nanny Zhang was strong.
After the three siblings finished breakfast in Madam Wang’s courtyard, a servant came to report that the luggage, carriages, and horses had all been prepared.
Madam Wang reluctantly repeated her instructions to the children over and over, telling them to listen more to Steward Li’s advice while they were away and to pay attention to their safety, among other things.
Concubine Zhao silently shed tears beside her.
Madam Wang lightly scolded her. “It’s such a wonderful day. What are you crying and sobbing for?”
She then called over a maid and gave each of the children a red envelope, offering them her blessing. “May you be safe wherever you go and return.”
After that, she also rewarded the servants traveling with them with red envelopes. The servants beamed with delight and pledged that they would take good care of the young master and young ladies.
With Nanny Zhang supporting her, Li Sushu climbed into the carriage. She had been drowsy all morning and now only wanted to get into the carriage as quickly as possible and lie down to make up for her sleep.
Vaguely sensing Concubine Zhao’s reluctant gaze, she lifted the carriage curtain and waved goodbye.
Concubine Zhao forced back her tears and watched the carriage disappear into the distance before turning around and going back inside.
Li Sushu lowered the curtain, deftly removed her hairpins and hair ornaments, and undid her bun. Then she lay down on the bedding Nanny Zhang had prepared.
Seeing that her mistress was too sleepy to speak, Nanny Zhang turned and went outside to chat with the coachman.
Through the curtain, the indistinct sounds filled Li Sushu’s ears, and she entered a state between sleep and wakefulness.
She could sense that Nanny Zhang and the others had deliberately lowered their voices, afraid of disturbing her sleep.
She felt that she must have fallen asleep, yet she could still let her thoughts run wild.
It was not until noon, when the convoy stopped to rest, that she fully woke up.
After traveling for half a day, they had not yet left the outskirts of the city. Tea shelters stood along the roadside at intervals.
Li Sushu casually tied her hair into a ponytail, straightened her collar, lifted the curtain, and jumped down from the carriage.
Nanny Zhang came over carrying teacups and pastries. “I thought Young Lady would be waking soon, so I prepared some tea and snacks. Would you like to eat them in the carriage, or shall we spread a mat by the roadside?”
Li Sushu saw her older brother and sister waving to her some distance away, so she walked over.
“No need to trouble yourself. Let’s join Brother and Sister at their table.”
Nanny Zhang was delighted to have things made easier for her, and followed with the tea and snacks.
“Brother, I see that the woods here are dense and the grass lush. I wonder if there might be rabbits?”
Li Yueyue was incredibly excited. While they were traveling, she had lifted the curtain and watched the scenery all the way.
Li Ming gave a snort of laughter. “Forget it. We haven’t even left the outskirts of the capital yet. With people coming and going everywhere, how can you call this a dense forest?”
“Besides, even if there are wild rabbits here, they would be far too clever. They’d run incredibly fast, and with our riding and archery skills, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to catch them.”
When the two of them saw Sushu approaching, they hurriedly invited their younger sister to sit down.
Li Sushu saw that her elder sister’s makeup was exquisite and that she was lively without losing her elegance. She secretly admired her. This was what a true young lady of a noble family should be like.
Unlike herself, who could never seem to shake off her laziness.
Since she had slept all morning and had not exercised, she was not very hungry. She ate a few bites at random and then stopped.
“I saw a small stream over there. Shall we go take a look?” Li Yueyue suggested.
As it happened, Li Sushu also wanted to wash her hands and face, so she nodded in agreement.
“If the water is clear, perhaps we’ll be able to see fish. I wonder whether we could catch some and stew a fish soup.”
Li Ming burst out laughing. “See? This is what comes of having so little experience. Even if there are fish in a clear stream, they’ll only be tiny little things. How many would you have to catch before there was enough for you to make soup?”
“Besides, we don’t have any fishing equipment. Do the two of you intend to catch fish with your bare hands?”
When Steward Li heard that his masters wanted to play in the water, he hurried over to dissuade them.
“My young ladies, we can’t stay here for too long. Once the horses have finished eating, we’ll have to continue on our way. Otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t reach the post station by nightfall.”
“Uncle Li, don’t worry. We’ll just go wash our hands and come back. It won’t delay anything.” Li Sushu clasped her hands in assurance.
“If you and Brother hadn’t each said a few words, we would already have washed our hands and come back,” Li Yueyue added.
Having shaken off Steward Li, the two sisters happily ran toward the stream.
Li Ming found it boring to stay by himself, so he followed them as well.
When they reached the stream, they saw its water flowing with a murmuring sound, clear enough to see the bottom. Schools of tiny fish, each no bigger than a fingertip, swam through it.
Whenever someone reached out and stirred the water, the fish scattered in every direction in fright.
“What a pity. Just looking at them, I can tell these little fish would be perfect for frying—fragrant, crisp, and delicious.”
Nanny Zhang understood her young lady well. She hurried over and said, “The bamboo basket we use for carrying the pastries would be just right for catching fish. Young Lady, would you like to try?”
Li Yueyue nodded repeatedly. “Of course I do!”
Seeing that Li Sushu had nodded as well, Nanny Zhang quickly ran to fetch the bamboo basket.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. I’ve noticed that these little fish dart away at the slightest movement. I’m afraid they won’t be easy to catch.” Li Ming folded his arms and reminded them.
“Brother only knows how to say discouraging things!” Li Yueyue protested. Her brother was always throwing cold water on people, which was truly infuriating.
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t catch any. We can just treat it as experiencing the fun of catching fish.” Li Sushu had not caught fish in many years, and she wanted to try it herself as well, recalling the childhood amusements of her previous life.
As they spoke, Nanny Zhang returned with the bamboo basket.
Li Yueyue looked at the stream, then at the basket. She had no experience and did not know how she should catch the fish.
Li Sushu rolled up her sleeves, took the bamboo basket, and lowered it into the water.
The fish scattered in all directions, leaving the bamboo basket empty.
The two siblings were about to speak, but Li Sushu raised a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet, and waited patiently.
The bamboo basket remained steady in the stream. When the hidden fish saw that the ripples had stopped, they slowly emerged in schools and gathered in the center of the water.
Li Sushu saw that more than twenty tiny fish had gathered above the bamboo basket. She swiftly, accurately, and decisively lifted it, sending water splashing in every direction.
The Li siblings held their breath anxiously. When they saw that their younger sister had lifted the basket out, they hurriedly leaned over to look.
Inside the bamboo basket, five or six small fish were leaping and thrashing about, struggling desperately on the verge of death.
Nanny Zhang was somewhat at a loss. She had not expected Young Lady actually to catch fish, so she had not prepared anything to hold them in.
Besides, the journey would be bumpy. Carrying these fish along would truly be inconvenient.
When Li Yueyue saw that her younger sister had caught fish, she became extremely happy and said repeatedly, “Quick, pour the fish out and let me try!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Sushu poured the fish out beside the stream and suggested, “Nanny, find a bamboo strip and gut the fish. Once we reach the post station, we can borrow a kitchen and fry them.”
Li Yueyue found it rather regrettable. If they could have brought the fish along alive, she could have watched them play in the water while traveling that afternoon and passed the time.
She took the bamboo basket and did not think about it any further. Nervously imitating the way her younger sister had done it, she lowered the basket into the stream.
Nanny Zhang agreed, while Li Ming took an exquisite dagger from his person and handed it to Nanny Zhang to clean the small fish.
Before long, Li Yueyue also caught several small fish. Full of accomplishment, she poured them out and continued catching more.
Li Ming watched, itching to try. He repeatedly coaxed his sister, hoping she would let him have a turn at catching fish as well.
After Li Yueyue had caught fish several times, she handed the bamboo basket to her brother, still unsatisfied. “You’re only allowed to catch them once. Give it back to me when you’re done.”