Jiang Wanru listened to the occasional laughter coming from next door, slowly finishing her meal. She heard Jiyans laughter, and her eyes felt a little warm, but she could only look up at the dark yellow ceiling. Five years ago, in that moment between sleep and wakefulness, she remembered everything she had seen since she was three years old. At that moment, she was extremely grateful to be able to recall everything from her past life, to remember the warmth she once had, so as not to feel the bone-chilling cold of the cruel reality.
She still remembered the first time she saw her birth mother, Yu XiXi. When the news of her awakening spread, Yu XiXi was the first to rush over. She entered the room with a handkerchief embroidered with flowers in her hand, followed by a simple and honest woman. After entering, Yu XiXi took one glance at her young daughter lying on the bed, saw that her eyes were open and clear, and then sat down beside the bed with a relieved expression, tears streaming down her face, looking delicate and beautiful, evoking deep sympathy.
Jiang Wanru was quietly crying, her head bowed low, while Yu Xixi slowly came to a realization as she gazed at her. She understood that the woman who had given birth to her in this life was a rare and precious person, like a white lotus flower. Jiang Wanru secretly felt fortunate that she had overheard the whispers of the two maidservants, so when facing her own mother, she didnt immediately reveal her overwhelming joy, but instead carefully concealed her emotions. Of course, Yu Xixi didnt give her time to savor their deep mother-daughter bond, as she was too caught up in her own sorrow.
Jiang Wanmu stared blankly at Yu Xixi, who was crying nonstop, and listened to her muttering: "Why... why would my daughter be like this?" As Jiang Wanmus expression turned wooden, the woman behind Yu Xixi raised her eyes to examine Jiang Wanmu, her gaze fixed intently on the slightly swollen spot on her forehead. She gently pulled at Yu Xixi and said: "Miss, lets go back. The young miss has just woken up; we should let her sleep a bit more."
Yu carefully wiped away the tears on her face with a handkerchief, stood up and glanced at Jiang Wanruo on the bed. Her eyes held unspoken disappointment towards this daughter. She turned around and walked out. The woman behind her, however, approached the bedside and slipped a small box into Jiang Wanruos hand, whispering: "Miss, remember to use the medicine in the box to dress your wounds."
She quickly followed Yu Xis slender figure out of the room, and Jiang Wanmu stretched out her hand to gently pinch the box. Mu Gen Niang, who had been standing beside her in a green dress, came forward to take the box, opened it to smell the fragrance, used her hand to apply some, and lightly applied it to Jiang Wanmus forehead. As there was no one else in the room, she leaned in close and whispered: "Miss, this box contains the best bruise cream. Ill keep the box well-hidden and take it out to apply it to you when no one is around. Alas, it must be Yu Niangs dowry, and its hard for Chun Niang to hide it until now."
Jiang Wanru watched as Mugen Niang wiped her forehead, listening to her sighs and seeing her quickly hide the small box at the bottom of the bedside cabinet. After meeting Yu XiXi, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness from within her bones. That delicate person, like a flower, only indulged in her own sorrow, never truly taking care of her young daughter, not even offering a comforting word, and when leaving, still gave her daughter a disappointed glance.
When Jiyans mother came to collect the bowls and chopsticks, Jiang Wanru had already put away her emotional fluctuations. After his mother left, Jiyan rubbed his hands several times with force, then gently stroked them back and forth several times. He looked at Jiang Wanru sitting in front of the table, still with a wooden face, and said in a soft voice: "Miss, my mother taught me to embroider flowers, my mother said Ive been doing well lately. If Miss is willing to learn, I can teach Miss to embroider flowers."
Jiang Wanru heard her words, suddenly raised her head towards her, and saw the sincerity in her eyes. Jiang Wanru sighed slightly in her heart, and said softly to her: "Ji Yan, you are a child born into the Jiang family, there are some things that you should also have a feeling about, do you think the Jiang family would allow me to learn embroidery?" Over the past few years, Jiang Wanru had learned not to underestimate those who were younger and lived at the bottom.
Ji Yan listened to Jiang Wans words and nodded lightly, saying: "I know the mistress wont like Miss being clever, wont like Miss being capable. The fifth miss has already entered the clan school, I heard that the old lady likes her very much." Jiang Wan knew that Ji Yans mouth was referring to the fifth miss, who was born by the legitimate mothers accompanying maid.
When the fifth miss was born, it was not long after Jiang Wans head injury. Jiang Wan remembered that she had only been awake for a few days and was still listening to various news from the Jiang family when she heard about the birth of the fifth miss. Her father was excited and named her "Wanqing", saying "This girl has the elegant demeanor of her mother." When this remark reached Jiang Wans ears, the water in her mouth sprayed out directly.
The stepmother, having received praise from her husband, immediately promoted her own personal maid to the position of aunt. After hearing that Jiang Wanru could get out of bed, Old Lady Jiang directly ordered: "From now on, Third Miss doesnt need to deliberately show filial piety in front of me, things that cant be shown off, standing at the door makes me feel annoyed." As soon as the old lady spoke, most of the maids in Jiang Wanrus courtyard left one after another within a year.
Only Mu Gen Niang and Shi Tou Niang remained by her side, according to their words: "Third Miss is still young now, she needs someone to take care of her. The mistress thinks we are honest, so she left us to guard her." But in private, they didnt say that. Mu Gen Niang herself was willing to take care of Jiang Wanru, Third Miss was only one month younger than her son, and when she was young, she was breastfed by Mu Gen Niang, so in her heart, she always felt that Jiang Wanru was more intimate with her than others.
Jiang Wanting listened to the person beside Old Lady Jiang, who came over to convey this message. The woman looked at Jiang Wanting with a wooden expression and showed some sympathy as she spoke. After finishing, she quickly turned around and left, leaving behind Jiang Wanting, who hung her head in silence. Mu Gen Niang looked at her with an unbearable expression, thinking that such a small child could not have committed a great fault to make Old Lady so disgusted, she was only taking the place of her mother.
The eldest son and daughter of the Jiang family, at the age of three, had to enter the clan school to learn characters. The younger sons of the Jiang family, at the age of four, had to enter the clan school to learn characters. The younger daughters of the Jiang family, at the age of five, also had to enter the clan school to learn characters. The eldest daughter of the Jiang family, at the age of six, had to start learning a craft. The younger daughters, at the age of seven, also had to start learning a craft. But all this had nothing to do with Jiang Wanruo, who, at the age of four, had looked forward to entering the clan school to learn characters. However, Old Lady Jiang said, "A woman without talent is virtuous. Third Miss, youre excused from attending the clan school."
At the age of seven, she thought it was time to learn some skills, and in this era, girls had to learn how to sew their own clothes. But she didnt expect this, and this time it was her stepmother who casually mentioned it, saying with a heartache: "Wan Mu, you were born to enjoy good fortune. Look at these years, she doesnt need to go to school to worry about learning characters, and theres nothing wrong with her. This needlework is always a waste of mental energy, and her body has never been very healthy, dont exhaust yourself and get sick."
Jiang Wanru remembered hearing Mugen Niang say this as she turned around, seeing the indignation in her eyes, and stretched out her hand to gently pat her. In her heart, she had long understood how to survive in the Jiang family.