While Yu Cailing was thinking about A’Zhu over here, Fu Yi and his wife were also discussing her over there.

“Today I saw the young mistress had much more spirit. When I first arrived and saw her condition, it truly frightened me to death.” After washing, Fu Yi reclined to rest in the warm western living quarters, letting his wife comb his hair.

Zhu paused her comb, pressed her lips together, then said: “When you came, she was already much better. That day the young mistress nearly lost her life. It was also my negligence—I was several days late. Originally I thought A’Yue…” Mentioning this name, her face darkened.

Seeing his wife’s expression, Fu Yi said: “Human hearts change easily—ten years of time indeed. When the Mistress and the General departed, the young mistress had just turned three. I remember the General riding on horseback kept looking back repeatedly, his eyes even reddened. Don’t speak of A’Yue either. Her previous man died under the General’s command. The new one she found already had some connections to the Ge family. How could she be devoted to the Mistress?”

Zhu slapped the comb down on the small table, raising her voice: “Swords and blades have no eyes. When retainers follow the master to seek prospects, it’s naturally uncertain business. The Mistress has always been generous in compensating orphans and widows. Did she lack food or clothing? No one prevented her from remarrying! That time there was a false report that you died at Nanding City, I had the children all wear mourning. Even if I had to find another to marry, would I have delayed the mistress’s duties?! Fear of death, hmph! If afraid of death, she should have been like A’Xiao and had her man stay at the manor. Though there’d be no prospects, at least the whole family would be safe. Wanting both prospects and safety—where are such good things?!”

Fu Yi twitched the corners of his mouth. Actually, after that battle at Nanding City, he quickly had someone return home to report, and it only took a few months before and after. Therefore he very much wanted to make some comments about his wife’s plan to remarry—shouldn’t we consider remarrying after a year to be more appropriate?

In the end, Fu Yi still changed the subject, saying: “Don’t be angry. By the way, the past few times I returned, I kept hearing she grew more unruly as she got older, with a violent temperament, frequently beating and scolding servants, her conduct unbearable. But now I see the young mistress is very good as a person, and the children also like her very much.”

Zhu snorted coldly, then picked up the comb again to comb her husband’s hair: “I’ve never been in the manor, never saw the young mistress. I only thought those base women had taught her badly, thinking she was still young anyway, and when the Mistress returned she could be taught properly. Who knew—hmph, the young mistress is clearly very good. After waking, she speaks gently and harmoniously. I was afraid she was feeling oppressed inside, so I had A’Mei take her around to play. That day when Miss Qiu married off, I had those two guards you gave me accompany them to watch the excitement. After returning, she indeed improved and became willing to laugh and talk.”

Fu Yi nodded with satisfaction, paused for a moment, then suddenly said: “Old Man Qiu is marrying off his daughter again?” Each time he returned, he seemed to hear about this old manor head marrying off his daughter. “Just how many daughters does he have?”

Zhu laughed: “I already said it was the elder miss. What were you listening to? The Qiu family has two sons and only one daughter, who came in their old age. Last time you came it was Miss Qiu’s remarriage. This time is her third marriage.”

Fu Yi shook his head: “Old Man Qiu indulges this daughter too much. A widow remarrying is fine, but her husband is perfectly good, yet she always makes a fuss about divorce and remarriage because she’s taken a fancy to some other man. The neighbors will gossip.”

Zhu smiled, saying: “That new husband she’s taken on is indeed handsome and has a gentle temperament.”

Fu Yi glanced at his wife. Zhu looked back impassively. Fu Yi immediately softened. Then he comforted himself—servants follow their masters’ ways. Compared to the General, his authority as husband was still somewhat better established. That day when the Mistress watched acrobatics at General Wan’s manor, she praised a robust performer as very beautiful. Not only did the master not dare refute, he even raised his wine cup to join in the merriment: “Still my wife has good taste. Though that person is slightly inferior to me, among all the performers he’s the most handsome.” General Wan directly sprayed wine out through his nose—who knows if from fright or anger.

Fu Yi looked toward a small wooden slip placed on the small table—this was what he had galloped back with this time—and asked his wife: “What did the Mistress say in the message slip?” He was illiterate.

Zhu glanced at that wooden slip and slowly said: “Everything is prepared, just waiting for the Mistress to return.”

Fu Yi nodded: “When?”

“Within these three to five days.”

…

Playing until the sun was at its zenith, the children by the stream gradually dispersed to return home. A countryside youth who came to fetch his younger siblings stole many glances at Yu Cailing. Blushing, he handed three fat-headed fish into A’Mei’s hands, then ran off in a panic. A’Mei happily said to Yu Cailing with delight: “Young mistress, someone has taken a fancy to me!”

Yu Cailing ground her teeth, turned her head and said to Fu Deng with a straight face: “A’Deng, have you still not found a skilled mirror polisher? I can’t see anything clearly in that bronze mirror in the room.” She really wanted to see what she looked like now, and incidentally let A’Mei take a good look at herself too. That countryside youth had stolen several glances in this direction. Beside this large round stone were only herself and Fu Deng—he couldn’t have come to look at Fu Deng, could he… uh, probably not.

Fu Deng smiled: “New Year’s is approaching. Probably all the traveling craftsmen have returned home.” Then to his own sister he said, “What nonsense are you speaking? Those fish are for the young mistress.” He had long noticed that youth stealing glance after glance at his own young mistress.

Yu Cailing had nothing to say. Gloomily she walked on the country lane. This impoverished ancient era had nothing whatsoever. With that bronze mirror comparable to a funhouse mirror and the stream water, she couldn’t even clearly see the size of her own eyes and mouth—she only knew her skin was fairly fair. Who knew if that fish-giving youth’s aesthetic sense was normal? What if his aesthetic taste was peculiar?

For instance, her callous father—when young he liked the cultured and intelligent Mother Yu, braving class status differences to marry Mother Yu, causing actively progressive Uncle to be delayed three years before joining the Party. After becoming nouveau riche, Father began liking brainless little vixens. After being romantically involved thus for several years, once he was nearly bankrupted by a business partner. Father Yu had a great awakening and married a self-reliant strong woman widow. Though without much culture, her heart was practical and she knew how to manage life. Husband and wife united in purpose and continued prospering.

Though Yu Cailing detested that callous father, she deeply knew she had actually inherited his flexible brain. Since arriving here, she hadn’t stopped planning for herself. Holding up the fat fish to look left and right, she sighed. She truly hoped she could be born good-looking. Modern women who were ugly could still rely on studying and working, but in ancient times how many paths were there? Should she diligently study martial arts to become a female bandit queen? Then again, at least she hadn’t transmigrated as a slave or lowly concubine or something. There were still people serving her—that was also good fortune.

Furrowing her brow, she discovered she had increasingly loved recalling matters from her previous life recently. Speaking of which, why transmigrate as a female? Transmigrating as a male would be so much better—advancing to study and become an official, retreating to be a merchant or farmer. She didn’t mind homosexuality at all! In this world there must be many impoverished, struggling handsome men waiting for her to rescue.

The cold wind of the waning winter blew refreshingly. After returning home, Yu Cailing handed the fish to Zhu, smiling: “Is there still some of that pork lard from a few days ago? Fry the fish heads until crispy, and use those fresh mushrooms to make fish soup. A’Mei’s father and elder brother have come from afar—drinking soup is most nourishing.” At this time there wasn’t yet sufficient technology to produce proper iron woks. Stir-frying wasn’t possible, but shallow-frying with oil was still doable.

As soon as these words were spoken, before Fu Yi and Fu Deng could open their mouths, A’Mei and A’Liang first cheered and jumped for joy. A’Mei clapped her hands: “That fish soup is the most delicious! And there’s fish tail—let’s roast it with ginger, pepper, and fermented bean sauce like last time.”

Zhu smiled. At this time, people mostly steamed, boiled, roasted, and dry-fried to cook food. Who knew that several days ago the young mistress followed A’Mei to watch villagers slaughter a pig, bought back a basket of fatty tissue from the pig’s belly, and had her render oil from it in a heated iron pot? That oil and cracklings were so fragrant in aroma they nearly attracted neighbors from several li away. The cracklings mixed with rice or cold dishes, while the oil had even more uses—mixed with rice and fermented bean sauce, or directly used to fry vegetables and fish, the flavors were all indescribably delicious.

She asked the young mistress who thought up this method. A’Mei interjected: when dividing the slaughtered pig’s meat, a piece of fatty meat happened to fall onto the edge of a fire brazier nearby. The iron basin pressed against the fatty meat, oil seeped out with fragrant aroma spreading everywhere, and only then did the young mistress think of this method—in truth, she was busy playing with children at the time and hadn’t seen the fatty meat fall into the fire basin. It was only afterward that the young mistress told her.

“That was all eaten up long ago, but yesterday we killed several chickens. I rendered some chicken oil from the chicken belly fat, and the taste is also very good.” Zhu smiled. Actually this wasn’t any rare method either. Long ago some people, when roasting fatty meat, would catch the dripping oil to use in cooking vegetables and mixing with rice, which was also very delicious. Just no one thought that fish fried first before adding to soup would be this delicious, with absolutely no fishy smell. Though this method was good, it consumed too much firewood and fatty oil. Unless it was a prosperous household, they couldn’t afford it.

Thinking of this, she increasingly felt the young mistress was exceptionally intelligent and clever. In the future when she married and managed a household she would definitely be highly capable. Those ugly rumors from outside must have been fabricated by those base people to ruin the Mistress’s reputation—actually Zhu was truly a shrewd woman. If not for excessive loyalty leading to wishful thinking, she should have long noticed Yu Cailing’s abnormalities.

Hearing this, Yu Cailing’s heart turned cold. Don’t think ancient people were stupid. In truth, aside from modern knowledge, she wasn’t much stronger than ancient people. She had only taught the method of rendering pork lard once, and Zhu immediately learned by analogy to render beef tallow, chicken fat, and duck fat, even experimenting with adding ginger slices, Sichuan pepper, cornel berries, and other seasonings to make fragrant oil and spicy oil that were also convenient to preserve. If there weren’t such an intelligent woman present, Yu Cailing would have long ago interrogated A’Mei about the current reign title and dynasty, this body’s parents’ family background and eight generations of ancestors.

“I just steamed wheat rice, pour sauce meat broth over it, paired with fish soup. Young mistress, please eat more.” Zhu looked at Yu Cailing with eyes so loving they could practically melt into water.

In this region the popular diet was mixed rice and rice bowls, usually pouring meat broth or vegetable broth over steamed rice for one meal. Wealthy families would also pair it with some roasted fish or meat or small dishes as accompaniment. Yu Cailing originally liked A’Zhu’s cooking, so she made a slightly shy appearance, lowering her head to enter the room, wash hands, and wait to eat.

The midday meal was indeed fragrant, sweet, and delicious. The sauce meat broth mixed with rice was rich and aromatic, the mushroom fish soup fresh and refreshing. Not only the several young ones, but even Fu Yi and Fu Deng father and son ate with great appetite. Originally people at this time only ate two meals daily, but Yu Cailing had just recovered from serious illness. Zhu wished she could give her nourishing supplements five times a day, which naturally also benefited A’Mei’s siblings—their two little faces had eaten until glossy and slick these past days.

After the meal, holding a sweet and honeyed orange, warming by the cozy brazier fire, listening to A’Mei chatter on about countryside gossip, Yu Cailing immediately felt this life wasn’t bad. This punishment might as well continue being endured.

Who knew Zhu would suddenly say: “Tomorrow someone from the manor will come to take the young mistress back.” These words were like a ladle of cold water poured on Yu Cailing’s head. She was stunned for a long time, yet didn’t know where to begin asking.

The so-called difference between taciturn and talkative was this: if Yu Cailing tearfully said a sentence: “I miss my father and mother,” a talkative person would follow the momentum to gossip about Yu Cailing’s old man and old lady from their acquaintance, romance, marriage, and childbirth all the way to how they left their daughter. But a taciturn person, like A’Zhu, would either silently lower her head without uttering a word, or heavily sigh a sentence “Yes.”

If Yu Cailing pretended filial longing and asked: “Zhu, do you know what kind of people my father and mother are?” Zhu would properly and correctly reply with one sentence ‘Matters of the main family—how would we servants dare speak much?’ and not another word besides. To the point that Yu Cailing didn’t even know if this body’s old man and old lady were alive or dead.

Similar indirect probing—Yu Cailing didn’t know how many times she’d tried these past days. But she didn’t dare ask directly—ask who currently held power in the manor? Ask who managed her daily living? Ask about her biological father and mother’s situation? An intelligent person would immediately know something was wrong, let alone someone like Zhu with a crystal-clear heart and mind.

Seeing Yu Cailing’s lost and dispirited appearance, Zhu felt unbearable pity. She wanted to tell her some things, but thinking of the Mistress’s instructions she dared not speak much, saying in a low voice: “Young mistress, don’t be afraid. When you go, settle your heart. Whatever should be will be.”

Yu Cailing stared fixedly at Zhu, thinking in her heart she must ask directly. But on her face she pretended to be pitiful, saying sadly: “Zhu, did I truly commit such great wrongs?”

This question was asked with the antelope’s horns hanging—traceless and unfindable. She couldn’t help but give herself a thumbs-up.

Zhu said indignantly: “What wrong has the young mistress committed?! First, no murder or arson. Second, no theft or robbery.”

Not a criminal case was good. What kind of flower could civil litigation punish a minor with? Yu Cailing breathed a sigh of relief, vaguely and pitifully saying: “Then… why punish me to this extent?”

Zhu said angrily: “Those are all not good people! Bullying the young mistress for not having…” She braked hard, let out a breath, and said: “Young mistress, rest assured. They don’t dare treat you presumptuously.”

Could this body’s parents really be dead?! Yu Cailing wondered. She heard that Zhu wanted to say something but held back, and felt very regretful. Thinking for a long time, she could only say in a low voice: “I’m afraid when I go back this time, I’ll lose my life.”

Thinking of the girl who was deathly ill over ten days ago, Zhu sighed and grasped Yu Cailing’s hand, saying: “This servant will say one last thing—no one dares touch the young mistress’s life.” She still couldn’t help letting something slip.

Yu Cailing had some confidence in her heart now.

That afternoon, listening to Zhu’s family clanging and banging busily outside for a long time, sleeping soundly again that night, the next day upon waking she discovered the entire small courtyard was different again. Those warm and thoughtful daily household items had all disappeared. The bottles, jars, sauces, and salt in the kitchen had decreased by more than half. The entire courtyard seemed cold and desolate—especially critically, Fu Yi and Fu Deng father and son had left before dawn.

Who knew the people from the manor were very late in coming. It wasn’t until Yu Cailing had just lain down for her afternoon nap that two horse carriages leisurely arrived late. Zhu felt contempt in her heart: from the manor to here was only half a day’s journey. If they had departed before dawn, they should have arrived before noon. Clearly those base woman’s confidants had long grown lazy, only departing after the sun rose high above the treetops.

Yu Cailing was pulled onto the carriage in a dazed and confused sleep. Zhu originally wanted to give a few more instructions, but unfortunately under everyone’s gaze she could only give up. However, A’Mei and A’Liang were reluctant to part.

Inside the carriage was originally piled brocade and accumulated embroidery, incense burners and bedding all present. Unfortunately ancient carriages had no shock-absorbing equipment. After only two incense sticks’ worth of time, Yu Cailing was completely jolted awake, hearing a nagging, shrill female voice that hadn’t stopped talking since boarding the carriage—actually she had been constantly criticizing how she lacked ladylike deportment, how she was unruly and difficult to teach, how her family’s mistress worked so hard in raising her, and so on.

Yu Cailing raised her head to look at this dried-up thin woman, narrowing her eyes. Just now she heard Zhu call her “Stewardess Li.” She very much disliked this woman. Stewardess Li looked at Yu Cailing—clearly she also didn’t like her.

Stewardess Li wore a deep blue curved-hem deep robe. Around her waist she wore a set of scarlet brocade sash adorned with quite a bit of gold and silver. Unlike Zhu who daily only coiled her hair into a round bun at the back of her neck, her hair was wound into a full three large buns—two buns at the temples in crescent moon shapes hanging beside her ears, one triangular bun at the crown of her head towering very high, fiercely piercing through three thick gold hairpins like three incense sticks. The white powder on her face weighed at least eight taels if not a full catty. Yu Cailing despaired at this era’s aesthetic sense and once again worried about her own appearance.

“…Did Fourth Young Lady hear clearly what I just said?!” Stewardess Li’s voice became increasingly shrill.

Yu Cailing was also displeased. She wasn’t any kind person either. After her parents divorced in childhood, she originally wanted to be Triad Sister Thirteen. Who knew she stepped wrong and read university, becoming a law-abiding citizen.

“Didn’t hear clearly.” She blandly smoothed out her wide sleeves.

Stewardess Li was full of fire. She originally thought Yu Cailing had suffered so many days of hardship in the countryside and would already be docile. She didn’t expect her to still be this difficult to serve. She could only forcefully suppress her anger and pick out the important points to say: “I said, the Mistress is magnanimous and has already pardoned the wrongs Fourth Young Lady committed. When Fourth Young Lady returns this time, you must obediently listen to the Mistress’s words.”

Yu Cailing narrowed her eyes. This person was very reasonable. Whoever treated her well, she couldn’t be tough with them—as obedient as could be. But if someone was harsh with her, then she also wouldn’t be polite. She didn’t come to this broken place to swallow anger and bear humiliation. At worst it would cost her life—go back and reincarnate again!

“So many mistresses—which mistress?” Mistress your father’s eighteen generations of ancestors! Why not call her Mama-san?!

“The Mistress is your paternal aunt!” Stewardess Li raised her voice. “You don’t even know who your paternal aunt is anymore?!”

“Naturally I know.” Yu Cailing smiled without mirth. “Uncle’s old mother!”

“You, you…” Stewardess Li nearly fainted. Her finger pointed at Yu Cailing trembling continuously: “Do you know what filial piety and brotherly respect are, what gentleness, goodness, respect and frugality are?! Speaking so disrespectfully—could it be you still want to be punished again?!”

She felt rather strange. This girl could be considered raised under her watch since childhood—she was most skilled at bullying the weak and fearing the strong, tyrannical and domineering toward servants, but whenever facing someone more formidable than herself, she would soften. These years, each time the Mistress heavily punished her, then afterward added more winning over and comforting, she would become more obedient.

Yu Cailing raised an eyebrow, saying: “I suffered a serious illness and nearly died. I’ve seen through everything now. This is my nature. If you want to manipulate and control me, impossible! If you’re so capable, then don’t come fetch me! I’ll get off the carriage right now and go back!”

These ten-plus days she also hadn’t idled away, going out daily to see countryside customs, hearing women and children’s household gossip. The so-called ‘what those above favor, those below will pursue even more ardently’—the social atmosphere between nobility and commoners couldn’t be too divided. This countryside itself was where the private property estates of several powerful noble families intersected. In just these short days, she had heard farmers tell main family stories including three divorce cases, four remarriage cases, and one case of newlywed spouses mutually assaulting each other—she hazily felt this region’s folk customs were rough and bold, with ritual propriety far less strict than the ancient times she knew of.

Seeing the girl fierce and savage, Stewardess Li quickly played the elder card, saying loudly: “Your father and mother don’t care for you anymore. Your paternal aunt has raised you these ten years, day and night—how hard she’s worked! Yet you’re so disrespectful!”

Hearing these words, Yu Cailing’s first reaction was ‘So this body’s old man and old lady aren’t dead after all.’ Her second reaction was ‘Could it be that all roads lead to Rome—this body also has the fate of parents divorcing since childhood?’

Father Yu and Mother Yu were the first divorced couple in town after Reform and Opening Up. Although afterward there were many more divorced couples, at that time the degree of discussion among townspeople was unprecedented. It implicated Yu Cailing, still in kindergarten, to be pointed at and gossiped about daily. She wasn’t crushed into inferiority and timidity by public opinion, but instead bizarrely evolved in reverse, developing a thick skin and hard heart.

Yu Cailing pulled out her hairpin and with a snap flipped open the lid of the small hand warmer on the small table. Rolling up her sleeve, she grabbed the hand warmer and put on a little hoodlum’s airs, viciously saying: “You base servant, do you believe I’ll splash this charcoal fire onto your face?!”