Although Miaozhen felt that saving someone was truly a deed worth recording, she also understood with great discretion that this was a secret within the women’s quarters.
Therefore, she never spoke of it openly.
Everyone assumed it was Laoye’s filial devotion that had the story of Miaozhen curing the old lady’s heart palpitation engraved.
Indeed.
Ji Zhenjie, upon returning home, loudly praised her peer’s deed.
Just then, Mrs. Dong came over for a visit and happened to hear about it, mentioning it to her daughter as well.
Miaoyun, standing nearby, heard everything and somehow felt genuinely happy for Miaozhen.
That day when the two sisters met, Miaoyun wasn’t sure if Miaozhen recognized her, but no one mentioned her.
Miaoyun was very grateful in her heart.
Looking back now, those first days in Suzhou Prefecture were surprisingly the happiest.
Although her parents occasionally quarreled, life went on.
“Did you hear what I said?”
Dong Da Xiao Jie asked.
Miaoyun only then snapped back, “I heard.”
Dong Da Xiao Jie was actually quite good-looking, but Miaoyun was born with a natural noble air, every gesture embodying the grace of a true lady.
When she went out, everyone took her for a Young Lady, a perception that deeply annoyed Dong Da Xiao Jie.
Fortunately, Miaoyun seemed aware of this, so she always wore plain clothes to avoid provoking Dong Da Xiao Jie’s dislike.
Now she had learned to temper her sharpness and no longer behaved as before.
But Dong Da Xiao Jie did not intend to let her off easily.
“Xu Dajie, there’s just one month left until the twelfth lunar month. I’m kindly telling you, next year I’m getting married. After the New Year, you’ll have to find another place to serve—you’re no longer needed here. My mother doesn’t say this to avoid you slacking off in your last month.”
Miaoyun had known this for a while, but she needed the money for the New Year.
To be fair, the monthly allowance from the Dong family was quite generous—five taels a month.
But the work was demanding; in truth, she was just a higher-grade maidservant, constantly stabbed by baseless barbs, making her quite miserable.
With only a month left here, she felt somewhat relieved, almost smiling inwardly.
Yet, in Dong Da Xiao Jie’s presence, she calmly replied, “Don’t worry, I will certainly do my best.”
Dong Da Xiao Jie knew she was resentful inside, but what could she do?
A person’s status was decided at birth.
If she was unhappy, she should take it up with her parents.
“Fine.”
Afterwards, pointing at some silk fabric before her, she said to Miaoyun, “You’re skilled. Make me a few more pairs of shoes. They must all be embroidered.”
Miaoyun had to weave cloth with Mrs. Dong at night.
Now that Dong Da Xiao Jie asked for shoes, she thought staying up late would be just fine.
When night fell, she finally headed home.
The biting cold wind blew fiercely.
Her father, wearing an old felt hat and lacking the youthful charm he once had, walked ahead shielding her from the wind.
The two passed by a wonton stall. Xu Yiming, fearing his daughter might be hungry, said, “I made a small profit today. Someone came for a cloth for a funeral, usually they only buy scraps, but today I sold a whole bolt. Let’s have a bowl of wontons here, just the two of us.”
Miaoyun nodded firmly.
Though the stall looked shabby, the oily wooden table and the boiling broth with the white wontons felt comforting in her stomach.
Even the scallions seemed endearing.
“Father, after next month I might not have work anymore,” Miaoyun said.
Xu Yiming wasn’t surprised and smiled, “Then we can have a good New Year at home, that’s not bad. Even if the sky falls, your mother and I are here. Don’t worry about the family; a simple life is good enough.”
That day, a matchmaker came by with a decent proposal.
The groom’s family owned a six-chen shop and had a fairly good business.
Though he was a little short, he was handsome and a xiucai.
It was a steady, ordinary life, but what was wrong with that?
However, Miaoyun didn’t want a life of endless toil, with a bent neck and back, surrounded by countless children.
Such a life was no different from that of cattle or horses.
Though she had the title of being Madame Qiu’s disciple, she was self-taught in cooking, studied scriptures, and even honed her painting skills.
In fact, she was no worse than the genuine disciples.
Why should she be destined for this?
Her life shouldn’t be like this.
That winter solstice, Miaozhen’s share of gifts remained the same, but many gifts came from all directions.
Auntie Fang sent a bolt of water red silk and a bolt of blue shuttle cloth.
Ji Shi gave two mud gold fans and two bolts of Jing silk, plus four Meilan Bamboo Chrysanthemum handkerchiefs.
Among the house’s several steward ladies, one or two had been cured by her, sending handkerchiefs as thanks.
Miaozhen had Gu Mama invite a tailor to make a small jacket, an undergarment jacket, a cape jacket, cotton-padded trousers, and knee trousers each for herself and two maids.
Xiao Xi spent money to have the kitchen prepare a few of Miaozhen’s favorite dishes, and Xiao Tao somehow brought some fruit wine.
The three of them closed the door to celebrate the Winter Solstice—both lively and secluded.
“Miss, you’re amazing. Before, I wrongly blamed you for always running to the workshop when you weren’t sick. The workshop is no place for you, yet you paid outsiders to prepare medicine. I never expected it would actually be useful,” said Xiao Xi.
She thought it was an incredible honor that a girl not yet fifteen had her name inscribed on a stone stele by the Provincial Governor.
Hearing this, Miaozhen said, “I never fight battles I’m not sure to win.”
This year, she wouldn’t be able to return home for the New Year again.
Maybe thinking of her family, after Winter Solstice, Laiwang and Li Clerk brought sixteen baskets of Dongting red oranges as gifts to everyone in the mansion and brought Miaozhen a letter from home.
The letter asked how she was and when she could be picked up.
The family had arranged a match for her, detailing the groom’s background thoroughly.
He was very handsome, a xiucai, wealthy, with an older brother and a younger brother.
The elder brother was married to a warm-hearted family named Han.
Putting down the letter, Miaozhen’s heart pounded—not from romantic feelings, but because these few pages decided her fate.
Yet, reading again, her father had found someone who met the modern “tall, rich, and handsome” standard.
It was strange how a small household like theirs could successfully arrange such a match.
To know, the local Brahmins usually sought families with roots, at least some influence.
The Xu family was certainly not that.
Some days ago, Third Mistress wanted to help her with a match—one related by marriage to Third Mistress’s maternal family, a wealthy household in Jinling.
They met once, but nothing came of it.
Third Mistress was even a little embarrassed to face her afterward.
She thought Miaozhen’s condition was decent: good looks, excellent medical skills, and stable parental love.
She didn’t expect the younger generation to be so arrogant now.
Clearly, the match her father found was even better than Third Mistress’s proposal.
The Xiao family was in the tea business and ran a medicinal herb shop.
Master Xiao was handsome and a xiucai.
Suppressing her swirling thoughts, Miaozhen asked herself what she truly thought about this engagement.
It was simply a hassle.
With thousands of years of history, human relationships and etiquette were extremely crucial.
No one was born knowing them; life forced everyone to learn.
The complicated relations between mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and co-wives gave her headaches.
Yet, she knew how lucky she was to have responsible parents, who allowed her to live without worries.
Miaozhen picked up the brush and replied to the letter, noting Ji Shi was pregnant and she probably couldn’t leave until after the birth.
She wanted to write more or ask questions, but in the end, wrote nothing else.
After sealing the letter, she gave it to Xiao Xi to send with Laiwang, then lay down to sleep, not telling anyone about the engagement.
But the next morning, her mind involuntarily wandered, wondering what kind of face could receive praise from her father, who was so particular about appearances.
If only he were a little gentler—
Miaozhen’s personality was somewhat firm, sharp, and piercing.
She hoped for a gentle, handsome man.
Even if they couldn’t love each other, at least living together would be comfortable.
These dreamy thoughts disappeared completely once she was dressed and ready.
She first visited two pregnant women to take their pulses and check their conditions, then went to Third Mistress to pay respects.
At Third Mistress’s, the Dongting red oranges from the Xu family were displayed on a tall tray, looking very festive.
She said to Miaozhen, “Thank you.”
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I do like that this author’s approach to marriage is relatively realistic.
A lot of MCs are like, “I just won’t marry teehee” even though their situations are often a lot more urgent than MCs here?
Like Miaozhen’s looks and family are such that she could potentially lie low for a few years and creeps powerful enough to force her to marry them would move on to younger/richer/more noble girls.
A lot of ancient cnovel MCs are ultra mega rich and noble and most of them are that only-possible-in-fiction level of hot where you’re not just hot, you are *universally* considered *significantly* hotter than most of not all other girls on the planet.
People aren’t gonna forget a girl like that is single.