Chapter 301
Chapter 301
Ji Yan’an could bring the Ji Family’s women who still lived at home with him, but there was nothing he could do for those who had married into other households.
Normally, no matter what happened, those in power would not implicate daughters who had married out.
But the petty emperor on the throne now might be another story.
Old Madam Ji saw the situation clearly. Sooner or later, there would be a war between her grandson and the emperor.
She could hardly demand that her grandson, who already had more than enough on his shoulders, protect every daughter who had married out of the Ji Family as well. That would be asking far too much of him.
For now, all they could do was leave each woman to her fate.
In this age, few people were free to choose their own path.
At the dinner table, Second Aunt held on to Ji Yang and peppered her with questions.
In front of her grandmother, Ji Yang once again became unnaturally quiet. Whether it was the way she sat, the way she stood, or the smile on her face, everything about her was a little too proper.
Those were the accomplishments expected of a noble young lady.
But seeing such “accomplishments” imposed on a girl not yet nine years old felt wrong no matter how one looked at it.
“Enough!”
Second Aunt had ruined Old Madam Ji’s perfectly good mood in an instant.
“This is her own home. Let her be at ease. Those rules and manners are for outsiders. As long as she makes no mistakes in public, that is enough. Why must you harp on them all day even when she is home?
“Yangyang is still young, yet you demand that she observe every rule every moment of the day. You cannot even manage that yourself. Is it reasonable to be so strict with a nine-year-old child?”
Ji Yang gently clenched her hands.
She was exhausted, but she also knew that her grandmother meant well and truly cared about her.
“Mother, you know the Ji Family’s situation. Yangyang must be raised to the standards of the noble young ladies in the Capital City. Only then will she be able to find a good husband and avoid being criticized and bullied by her mother-in-law.”
“That still does not mean she must keep it up every moment. She is at home, among family. She should be allowed to relax. Besides, how old is Yangyang? You spend all day worrying about finding her a husband, but that is still years away.”
Second Aunt said, “She is not that young anymore. It will only be a few years.”
Old Madam Ji said, “Eat. I will see to Yangyang’s education myself.”
“Yangyang, relax when you are at home.”
Ji Yang obediently replied, “Yes, Great-Grandmother.”
She eased up a little. Sitting on only the very edge of the stool and keeping her back straight at all times was truly exhausting.
Second Aunt was displeased, but Old Madam Ji’s word carried great weight in the family, so she did not dare argue too much.
After dinner came a walk outside to aid digestion. Old Madam Ji then took Ji Yang and Jiang Yunsui to her room.
She said to Jiang Yunsui, “Since Yan’an has acknowledged you, you are my granddaughter from now on. You can study with me.”
Jiang Yunsui blinked. “Study what?”
Old Madam Ji brought out an abacus.
“I do not expect either of you to become a great scholar. Works like Admonitions for Women and Rules for Women are not much use in Mobei. You do not have to follow all their rules or study them, but you must know what is written in them.
“The world works the way it does. There are things you may choose not to learn, but you must understand them. Only when you understand the rules can you live better in this world.
“The other thing you must learn is how to manage a household.
“And to manage a household, you must learn to read account books, judge people, and put them to good use…”
Old Madam Ji spoke slowly, and every part of her lesson was meant for their benefit.
Even though Jiang Yunsui found it dull, she still followed along and learned a little.
Old Madam Ji kept their young ages in mind and did not try to teach them too much at once.
After studying for two hours, she let them go off and play.
Once the two girls had left, Old Madam Ji accepted the tea Nanny Li handed her.
“Yangyang and Yunsui are both clever. I am simply getting old. It has been so long since I taught anyone these things that one lesson has worn me out.”
Nanny Li said, “Why must you teach them personally, Old Madam? You can have your two senior maids teach them arithmetic and the like. You only need to keep them pointed in the right direction.”
Old Madam Ji smiled. “I have to find something to do. Otherwise, these old bones of mine really will rot away.”
“Yangyang has been suppressed far too much. Nanny Li, find something to occupy Second Aunt, so she stops filling her days with foolish ideas. A perfectly good child has become wooden and timid under her instruction.”
“Little Yunsui, on the other hand, has been raised very well. She is healthy. Even in the Capital City, I rarely saw a child who looked healthier than she does. She has a good temperament too – lively, unafraid, and quite clever.”
“With Yangyang spending time with Little Yunsui, I hope some of that liveliness rubs off on her. Children should look and act like children. Otherwise, what is the point of a life already set in stone from beginning to end?”
When she was young and had followed her husband to Mobei, she too had raised dogs and galloped across the grasslands. She had even secretly disguised herself as a common soldier and gone off to fight the enemy.
She had been recognized in the end and given a fierce scolding, but she refused to admit defeat and got into a fight with her husband instead.
Looking back now, those distant memories remained the most vivid moments of her life, far more alive and unforgettable than all the years she had spent as a noblewoman in the Capital City afterward.
Only by living that way could one say this trip through the world had not been in vain.
*
“They are so well-behaved.”
Jiang Yunsui had brought Ji Yang with her to feed several eagles.
A large bowl beside them was filled with freshly cut meat.
Each girl picked up a piece with her chopsticks. The gyrfalcon swooped over first and snatched the meat from Jiang Yunsui’s chopsticks.
Another eagle flew over and took the piece from Ji Yang’s.
With the meat in their beaks, the birds landed on a wooden perch nearby and swallowed it in a single bite.
The perch had been built especially for them from a felled tree.
There was even a nest on it where they could rest.
It was Ji Yang’s first time being so close to eagles. Her eyes shone with excitement.
“They can deliver messages too.”
That was what they had been hatched and raised to do in the first place.
“That is amazing!”
Ji Yang was curious about everything here, and she thought Jiang Yunsui was amazing too.
“Hehe…”
Praised with such sincerity, Little Mushroom was so proud that if she had possessed a tail, it would have been sticking straight up.
“Awoo, awoo…”
Several puppies with full, round bellies toddled along on their short legs behind their parents. The moment they saw Jiang Yunsui, they came scampering over as fast as their stubby little legs could carry them.
Youyou and his mate took one look and paid them no further mind. Quite content to leave their pups with Jiang Yunsui, they ran off elsewhere to stroll around on their date.
“Wow, puppies!”
The puppies had inherited all their parents’ good looks.
Some took more after their wolf mother, with snow-white fur and beautiful blue eyes. Others resembled Youyou, their coats as red as flame.
Still others were a mixture of both. Their fur was white all over, but a ring around the neck, or the tail and ears, would be streaked with a beautiful red.
The two colors truly looked lovely together.
Jiang Yunsui picked up the chubby white puppy that had reached her first.
“Here. They just ate, so rubbing their tummies will feel really nice.”
At first, Ji Yang was at a loss as she held such a soft little puppy. But its cuteness soon overwhelmed her. Copying Jiang Yunsui, she placed the little creature on her lap and gently rubbed its round belly.
She truly loved it here.