On their way back, Yuchen noticed something amiss with Yuxi's expression. She could not help but ask, "What's wrong, Si Meimei[1]?"
Yuxi said morosely, "I heard that a nursing momo[2] is tough. If we don't learn the rules well, we will be told to kneel with a water-filled basin on our heads." This remark was not made up by her but practically made by the momo[2] who taught her in her previous life.
Yuchen burst out with a chuckle. "If a person has not learned the rules well, then she should ask that person to learn it twice more. How dare a momo[2] to punish that person with such corporal punishment?"
Yuxi blinked her eyes. "Really not true? But I heard the maids say that the momo[2] would beat or scold us if their request were not met."
Yuchen helplessly said, "Who talked this nonsense in front of you? We are not servant girls. How can they dare to beat and scold us?" No matter how formidable, a momo[2] was only invited by a family at their own expense. How dare a momo[2] be so presumptuous?
Yuxi also felt that she was in a daze just now. Not to mention, in her past life, the nurturing momo[2] brought by Wu Shi for her had never appeared. Even if that momo[2] did appear in her current life, she would no longer be the one who was easily bullied and did not know how to resist. If she wanted her to kneel with a water-filled basin on her head, it wasn't like there would be no door or window paper around. Yuxi smiled and said, "San Jie[3] is right. I believe it's my fault."[T/N]
Yuchen asked, "Si Meimei[1], are you still going to do your lessons review during this holiday?"
Yuxi shook her head. "I want to visit my hamlet. I have bought it for so long and haven't been there yet!" Last time her aunt had promised to let her go, so this time her aunt would not refuse her.
Yuchen opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
Back in their respective courtyard, Yuchen stood at the window with a cup of tea in her hands and looked outside. The lotus flowers in the lake swayed under the blowing breeze and looked truly beautiful.
Shiqi looked at Yuchen's face, which had a slight melancholy. Shiqi felt puzzled. Then, she asked, "What's wrong, Miss?" Her Miss was fine just now, but her mood suddenly turned sour.
Yuchen sighed softly. "Sometimes, I envy my Si Meimei[1]." She envied Yuxi for being free and unrestrained, while she had to be restricted in everything she did.
If Yuxi knew Yuchen envied her for having a natural and unrestrained life, no one would know what her feelings would be. Therefore, it was best not to wish for someone else's things.
With a smile, Shiqi said, "What Miss expressed was contrary to what I heard. I've been told that Fourth Miss envies Miss more. I heard Hongshan Jiejie[5] say that her Miss often said that if only she were half as smart as Miss, she wouldn't have to study so hard." Few young misses in the Han family could match her Miss' talent.
Yuchen smiled. She believed that Yuxi probably envied her at this point, but not in other aspects.
Yuxi went back to the Rose Courtyard to tidy herself up, and then she went to the main house. Teacher Song would take two days off every month, but there was no such thing as a holiday in nurturing momo[2]'s dictionary. Once she started to learn the rules from the nurturing momo[2], she would never have a holiday until she memorised the rules well. This could be considered her last vacation.
After paying her respect to Old Lady Han, Yuxi explained to her the reason why she wanted to go to her hamlet.
With Yuxi becoming even more excellent, the Old Lady had to pay attention to her more. Her only annoyance was that Yuxi's usual indifference led her to worry that Yuxi's resentment against her would harm the family. So every time she saw Yuxi, her mood would be very complex. "Let the servants handle hamlet's affairs."
Yuxi didn't even think about managing hamlet herself since she knew she didn't have the ability. "Grandmother, I just want to see what my hamlet looks like. When I bought it, I heard my aunt tell me about its general situation. However, I didn't see it with my own eyes, so I always felt uneasy. The autumn harvest is coming soon, and I will know exactly how it stands when I look at it. At least, with this, I won't be fooled by the servants."
The Old Lady was silent for a moment and said, "Since you want to go, then go! But you have to come back before dark."
Yuxi happily responded, "Okay, I'll be back before dark."
After Mama Luo sent Yuxi out, she turned her head towards the Old Lady and asked, "Old Lady, why did you agree to Fourth Miss' request?" She wasn't worried about Yuxi's safety. With family retainers following her, there was no need to worry about it. She only felt the Old Lady was too accommodating this time.
The Old Lady answered, "She had said that she wanted to see the hamlet since the day she bought it. She will never stop asking, even if it will take several months until I give her permission to go there." Yuxi had stubborn energy in her body. She must do what she wanted and would not give up even if she had to grind her slowly. The Old Lady thought that rather than letting her mind continuously worry about it, it was better to follow Yuxi's wishes instead of letting Yuxi run to her side repeatedly, muttering about wanting to visit the hamlet.
Mama Luo smiled. "It's the Old Lady who dotes on Fourth Miss, so everything goes her way. However, speaking of which, her fortune is also good."
The Old Lady agreed with Mama Luo's words. "This girl has good fortune and manages everything very well." The baozi[6] and grocery shops were small businesses, and she didn't pay much attention to them. However, she didn't realise that these two small shops had a monthly profit nearly reaching one hundred taels[7] of silver. The money was nothing much to the residence, but it was enough for Yuxi. Not to mention, she now had a land property.
Mama Luo smiled and said, "No matter how lucky Fourth Miss is, she still can't beat Third Miss." This was a truly blessed person. There was no need for her to worry about anything and be tired. Someone had thought everything over for her, and she only enjoyed the benefits. As for money, Jiang Shi's dowry alone earned tens of thousands of taels[7] per year, enough for Third Miss to live without worrying about food and clothing.
Speaking of Yuchen, a smile appeared on the Old Lady's face. Yuchen was indeed the Han family's fortune.
Knowing that Yuxi was going to visit her hamlet, Qiu Shi didn't stop her but reminded her instead, "The hamlet is full of mosquitoes, so you must take your good sachets with you, or tomorrow, you will come back with your whole body fill with mosquito bites." The season had turned to early autumn, so there would be many mosquitoes in the hamlet.
Yuxi smiled. "Okay, I'll take two more sachets with me. Then, mosquitoes can't even get close to me!" There were herbs in the sachet, so she wouldn't have to worry about mosquitoes when she was there.
In the evening, Hongshan happily informed Yuxi, "Miss, the Old Lady said that Miss' luck is excellent since everything Miss does is going smoothly."
Yuxi's heart suddenly chimed. After maintaining her composure, she asked, "Why did you tell me this?"
Hongshan smiled and explained, "It's the baozi[6] shop and the grocery store run by Miss that is making money. Miss also bought a good hamlet, so the Old Lady thought Miss had good luck. Well, it's especially fortunate."
Yuxi knew that the Old Lady did not suspect anything from her strange behaviours, so she felt relieved. "Now, go home and ask your brother to send a message to Mama Fang and shopkeeper Meng. Tell them to come with me to the hamlet."
Hongshan answered crisply and immediately left.
The next day, Yuxi set out at dawn. Besides bringing Mama Shen, she also took Hongshan, Zijin, and six strong and tall family retainers.
After walking for about an hour, the sun finally came out and inside the carriage became hotter, creating fine sweat on Yuxi's forehead. Zijin took out a round fan and tried to fan Yuxi, but Yuxi pushed her away. "I'm not hot. Please fan Mama Shen instead."
Mama Shen had gained much weight during the past two years in Rose Courtyard. Fat people were afraid of heat, and she had been sweating all over her head. She didn't want Zijin to fan her either. She instead took it and fanned herself vigorously. "If it were cloudy as yesterday, it wouldn't be so hot." She didn't know why Miss must visit this mountain hamlet on such a hot day. What was there to see? That mountain hamlet had nothing but fields and trees.
Yuxi saw Mama Shen's discomfort and said with a smile, "It will be much cooler when we get to the hamlet. I haven't been out of the door for so long, so I want to breathe some fresh air too."
Hongshan had been growing up in the inner residence. This was the first time for her to go out. She felt very novel and couldn't help lifting the curtain to look at the scenery.
When Mama Shen saw this, she immediately reprimanded Hongshan, "Why are you such a child? Hurry, put down the curtain."
Hongshan shrunk her head and did not dare to utter a word. Yuxi said softly, "It's rare for us to come out, so please let her do what she wants!" Seeing that Mama Shen still would like to say something, she continued, "I am only five years old this year, so I am not old enough to avoid saying taboo subjects."
Mama Shen immediately lost her voice. Yuxi's performances often made her forget her actual age.
After about half an hour's walk, they finally reached the hamlet. When the group of people got off the carriage, Hongshan couldn't help exclaiming, "It's beautiful."
Lush mountains and fields spread beyond one's sight, with the lots covered with golden yellow rice plants and clusters of bright tiny wildflowers spread on the ground, attracting butterflies to dance lightly. The water in the nearby stream was flowing slowly, with fish swimming happily in the water. This was beautiful rural scenery.
When Yuxi saw everything in front of her, her mood relaxed. It was like a paradise here. Eighteen thousand taels[7] of silver would not be lost in buying this land and forest.
The hamlet head, Steward Chen and his whole family, were waiting at the intersection as early as possible. When they saw Yuxi and her party coming their way, they immediately knelt on the ground to greet, "Fourth Miss has arrived saved and sound."
Steward Chen, an over forty years old man, was a senior servant of the Duke Han of the State's official residence. He used to work in hamlets belonging to the state residence, so he was very familiar with farming. Qiu Shi also fancied this person's straightforwardness and sincere attitude. As a result, she chose him to manage Yuxi's hamlet. Although Yuxi was the master, she was only five years old in the end. If Qiu Shi picked a dishonest person, she was afraid that person would continuously take advantage of his Master.
Yuxi followed Steward Chen into a big brick tile house. The house was huge, with two entrances and a back garden. However, the rear garden had now become a vegetable garden.
"Miss, this house was left by the former steward," explained Steward Chen nervously. The former steward naturally referred to the steward from the Marquis Zhongyong's official residence.
Yuxi said with a smile, "Look at this house, and you will know that Marquis' stewards are greedy." How could a general steward build such a large house?
Steward Chen was horrified but did not know how to explain it. He was afraid of making too many mistakes, so he just stood there with a red face.
Seeing this, Steward Chen's eldest daughter-in-law hastily said, "Miss, this handmaiden family are loyal to Miss and will never do such a thing." Steward Chen's eldest daughter-in-law and Liu Yue's sister-in-law were cousins. It was also because she used her dowry money that the job fell on her father-in-law.[T/N]
This was a sign of loyalty, but Yuxi didn't buy it and said coldly, "Did I ask you?" With the shadow of her previous life, she hated this kind of person the most. When a Madam was in power, this type of person went up the pole to curry favour with her, and when that Madam fell out of control, this person would step on her hard.
Steward Chen's eldest daughter-in-law turned pale and immediately knelt down as she begged, "Miss, please forgive me."
Instead of looking at her again, Yuxi said to Steward Chen, "Take me to the field for me to have a look." She came here mainly to see the rice fields and forests.
Steward Chen rushed to reply respectfully, "Miss, please come with this old servant."
Yuxi looked at Mama Shen and Hongshan, who were preparing to follow her, and said, "The sun is too big. You both stay here, and I will be back soon." She only took Zijin out, with the other six-strong family retainers following behind.
Footnotes Full List
- si=fourth, meimei=younger sister
- a term for an elderly lady
- san=third, jie=elder sister
- Wait... I'm confused. If in her past life, the momo who Wu Shi supposedly brought didn't appear, then who brought the momo who punished her by putting a basin of water on her head? Qiu Shi?
- elder sister. It also can be used for an older female than the speaker.
- steamed stuffed bun
- unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)
- Liu Yue? Mama Liu?
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi