An Ruo…
An Ruoyu was a responsible and caring elder sister. Not only did she meticulously attend to her younger sister’s daily needs, but she also took on the role of "eldest sister as mother."
Although she was not the eldest sister, and An Ruosu’s birth mother and stepmothers were all well and present, she believed that since her mother had entrusted her younger sister to her care, she also bore the responsibility of guiding her.
Thus, from that day onward, An Ruosu’s daily routine included one additional fixed task—playing a game called Sheng Guan Tu with her second sister.
This game was quite ancient, passed down from some long-forgotten dynasty, encompassing all official positions and ranks in both the imperial court and local administrations. Since the official hierarchy varied across dynasties, Sheng Guan Tu would be adjusted accordingly, but its core rules remained unchanged.
The gameplay was similar to modern board games like Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders, both falling under the category of dice-based games.
However, the dice in Sheng Guan Tu had only four sides, each carved with a seal script character: "Virtue," "Talent," "Merit," or "Corruption." The ranks on the board corresponded to real-life positions, ranging from Bai Ding to San Shi. Rolling the first three characters would result in a promotion, while unfortunately rolling "Corruption" would lead to a demotion or suspension.
The rules of the game were not complicated, yet it was quite entertaining and educational.
After playing for a few days, An Ruosu had already memorized all the officials of the current dynasty, along with their corresponding ranks and responsibilities.
Nearly half a month later, their parents finally found some leisure time. Zhou Shuyu and Aunt Wu personally came to visit the sisters. Seeing that everything in the courtyard was in order and neither of the girls had lost weight, they felt relieved.
Zhou Shuyu said, "I’ve already sent an invitation to your eldest sister. She’ll be coming tomorrow with her husband. Haven’t you both been saying you missed her? When you see her tomorrow, make sure to spend some quality time with her."
An Ruosu exclaimed joyfully, "Really? Eldest sister is coming?"
"Yes," Aunt Wu said with a smile. "On the day after we arrived in the capital, the eldest young lady sent four women to inquire about us. But with so many matters at home, we didn’t have time to entertain her. The madam simply sent someone over instead—first to pay respects to her mother-in-law, and second to tell her to be patient and wait until things settled down at home. Now that everything is stable, we must have her come back for a visit, so she can rest assured, right?"
If the natal family was unstable, An Ruofei, as a married daughter, would inevitably be affected. If the An family were to fall into misfortune, her future circumstances would depend on the goodwill of her in-laws.
To give a recent example, take the founding noble family, Rong Guo Fu. Their former eldest madam’s natal family had fallen into disgrace, her eldest son accidentally drowned, and she herself suffered a shock, giving premature birth to her second son and dying from postpartum hemorrhage.
Such matters were never spoken of openly, but everyone understood them implicitly.
There were indeed those with a conscience, but in the face of prospects and interests, that little bit of conscience was like a candle burning in a cold wind—its flame too weak to withstand the pressure.
Upon learning that their eldest sister was coming, the two sisters were so excited they barely slept half the night. Yet the next day, they felt no fatigue at all. They rose early, washed up, and went together to the main house.
Because they arrived too early that day, An Ruotai and An Ruoran, the two brothers, had not yet finished paying their morning respects, and the two groups ran into each other.
The two brothers first paid their respects to An Ruoyu. Then, An Ruosu greeted her two elder brothers, and only after that did An Ruoyu return the courtesy, asking, "Why are you still here?"
An Ruotai smiled and said, "We usually come around this time."
An Ruoran deliberately looked up at the sky and said to An Ruosu, "I just heard from Mother that she has already found a tutor for you. I only hope that once you start your studies, you will be as diligent every day as you are today."
"Ah?" An Ruosu made a pained face. "So soon?"
From the moment she could remember in her previous life, she had been in school—from daycare to kindergarten, from elementary to middle school. After finally struggling through high school and getting into university, she had only attended for a year before her life abruptly ended.
School, school, school.
In her short eighteen years of life, a full sixteen had been spent in school.
She had thought that in ancient times, the saying "a woman without talent is virtuous" would apply, but she had misunderstood. Regardless of the era, it was best for girls to be talented. Only if they truly couldn’t learn should they shift their focus to "cultivating virtue."
Seeing her like this, her older brothers and sisters all laughed.
After the laughter subsided, An Ruoyu comforted her, "You’re so clever; the tutor is sure to like you and won’t deliberately make things difficult."
An Ruosu clasped her hands together, pleading with wide, earnest eyes, "While the tutor hasn’t been hired yet, let me deceive myself for a few more days. Dear brothers and sisters, please don’t bring this up again."
An Ruoran snorted with laughter, pinched her cheek, and strode away with a hearty laugh. "Avoidance won’t help, little sister. You’d better accept reality sooner rather than later."
An Ruosu stomped her feet in frustration, grabbing hold of her older siblings with both hands. "Second sister, eldest brother, look at him! He only knows how to bully me!"
The brother and sister exchanged a glance. An Ruotai coughed and said with a serious expression, "Second brother has gone too far. I’ll go teach him a lesson right now. Second sister, little sister, I must take my leave."
With that, he cupped his hands in a salute to them and hurried away. Moments later, faint laughter could be heard.
An Ruosu puffed up like an angry pufferfish.
An Ruoyu gently poked her puffed-out cheek and said nonchalantly, "Come on, little sister, let’s go pay our respects to Mother."
The two entered the main hall, where Aunt Wu and Concubine Zhu were already seated below. The two sisters paid their respects to the three elders, and Zhou Shuyu instructed them to rise. She then said to the two concubines, "You need not attend to us today. Go back and have your meals, then return. Our eldest daughter is coming home for a visit."
The two concubines smiled and withdrew. Zhou Shuyu led her two daughters to breakfast and had the room tidied up. Soon after, Aunt Wu entered first. The four of them sat and chatted, with Zhou Shuyu slowly quizzing An Ruosu on her studies and mentioning the tutor she had arranged for her.
"And Yu’er, your previous tutor, Mr. Shi, said you have a natural talent for meticulous brushwork. The tutor I’ve hired for your sister, Mr. Li, happens to have a cousin who is skilled in painting, especially in meticulous brushwork. I’ve already arranged with Mr. Li to take you to meet his cousin, Madam Sun, on an auspicious day. You must prepare well and not embarrass yourself when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, An Ruoyu was overjoyed and quickly stood up. "Rest assured, Madam. When I meet the tutor, I will give it my all."
Zhou Shuyu smiled and nodded. "That’s best. Since you’ll be in front of a tutor, don’t be afraid of painting poorly. If you were already perfect, why would we need to hire a tutor?"
Aunt Wu nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
At that moment, the curtain rustled, and Concubine Zhu entered. After exchanging greetings, she took a seat below Aunt Wu, followed by her maid Dongxue, who carried a small bundle in her hands.
Concubine Zhu reached for the bundle, placed it on her lap, and unwrapped it. She took out two small garments from inside and showed them to Aunt Wu. "Sister Wu, look—these were worn by Ran'er when he was little. I personally supervised their washing and ironing to make them soft. If the eldest young lady doesn’t mind, take them back and tuck them under her pillow. Perhaps next year, they’ll help bring a little boy."
Aunt Wu was the eldest daughter in her maiden family, so Zhou Shuyu and Concubine Zhu usually addressed her as "Sister Wu." Concubine Zhu, being the third daughter in her family, was often called "Sister Zhu the Third."
Seeing that the two small garments were made of fine fabric, Aunt Wu was deeply moved and quickly replied, "Thank you, Sister Third. These are precious things—the eldest young lady would be delighted, not bothered."
From the upper seat, Zhou Shuyu couldn’t help but laugh. "Sister Zhu the Third, it seems we’ve had the same thought." She then glanced at Xiaoyu, who smiled and entered the inner chamber. Moments later, she returned carrying a dark green bundle embroidered with golden lotus flowers, which also contained two small garments.
Holding the four sets of small garments in her arms, Aunt Wu’s eyes grew warm with tears. Choking up, she said, "It’s all because the eldest young lady lacks fortune—her belly has shown no sign for so long, making the whole family worry."
Zhou Shuyu feigned anger. "What kind of talk is that? The eldest young lady has been married for less than two years—how can that be called lacking fortune? Are you indirectly scolding me?"
Only then did Aunt Wu remember that Zhou Shuyu and An Jieshan had been childless for nearly ten years after their marriage, which was why she and Sister Zhu the Third had entered the household later.
Knowing Zhou Shuyu’s temperament, Aunt Wu wiped her tears and smiled. "Sister, you know very well that’s not what I meant."
Concubine Zhu patted her hand reassuringly. "Just look at our mistress—the eldest young lady simply hasn’t met her destined time yet. When the time comes, she’ll surely be blessed with many children, just like the mistress."
With three daughters and two sons, wasn’t that indeed a house full of children?
Aunt Wu’s worries eased somewhat. She rewrapped both bundles and handed them to Qiuguo, who stood behind her. As she made casual conversation with everyone, she kept glancing toward the doorway.
Amid her eager anticipation, the stewardess Nanny Liu hurried in, beaming with joy. "Mistress, both concubines, and young ladies—our eldest young lady has arrived! She’s already at the second gate."
Upon hearing this, An Ruoyu took An Ruosu’s hand, and they rose together to welcome her. They stood in the main hall until Su Ci, the eldest son-in-law, escorted a soft sedan chair inside.
The sedan chair was set down, and Su Ci lifted the curtain, helping out a bright and beautiful young woman in her early twenties—the eldest daughter of the An family, An Ruofei.
"Eldest Sister, I’ve missed you so much!" An Ruosu rushed forward, throwing herself into her elder sister’s arms to cling and act spoiled. An Ruoyu followed a step behind, carefully observing An Ruofei’s complexion as she approached.
Seeing that An Ruofei’s rosy cheeks were natural and not enhanced by powder, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She curtsied and greeted, "Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law, your younger sister pays her respects."
Su Ci promptly returned the courtesy. "Second Sister-in-law, there’s no need for such formality."
After nestling in her elder sister’s embrace for a while, An Ruosu finally straightened up to greet her brother-in-law. Su Ci returned the gesture, saying, "We’re all family, Third Sister-in-law—no need for formalities."
An Ruofei smiled and said, "Let's hurry inside. It's been so long since I've seen Madam and the concubine, I've missed them terribly. I've been wanting to come for a while, but Madam sent someone over repeatedly, urging me not to come just yet. Yesterday, when I received Madam's invitation, I was so excited I couldn't sleep all night—I wished I could grow wings and fly right over."
An Ruosu said, "I've missed you too, Eldest Sister. Madam, the concubine, and Second Sister have all missed you, but they're not as straightforward about it as I am."
"You're the clever one!" An Ruoyu tapped her forehead in mock annoyance. An Ruosu quickly dodged behind An Ruofei, who shielded her with a smile and asked, "What, Second Sister, don't you miss me?"
An Ruoyu was momentarily speechless, then burst into laughter herself.
Author's Note: