Heaven knows how many years she had been waiting for those two simple words.
She waited till her mind went blank, waited till she heard it all without reacting for a long time.
It was not until Tan Yue called her several times by her ear that Old Lady Jiang refocused her eyes and smiled faintly, “Good child, you are back.”
There was no hugging and weeping, no trembling and tears.
Was it the superior elegance of the great family, or had she already shed all her tears when she was alone?
Jiang Sheng did not know. She pursed her lips and tried her best to pretend to be the obedient granddaughter of the Jiang Family.
“As long as you come back, as long as you come back.” Old Lady Jiang heaved a long sigh of relief. Her slightly aged hand stretched out and landed on the chubby arm as expected.
It was Jiang Sheng snuggling up, with Tan Yue standing on either side of her.
This child...
Old Lady Jiang had an intense smile. “Tell the servants of both compounds and ask the main kitchen to prepare a table of good food. We will have lunch to welcome the young lady this noon.”
“Alright!” The gatekeeper responded loudly and turned to run.
He Rui was following diligently behind, showing his presence from time to time, “Old Madam, slow down, young lady, slow down, Miss Tan Yue, slow down.”
Old Lady Jiang knew clearly in her heart. She smiled, “Thank you for your hard work. From now on, just follow and protect the young lady.”
He Rui immediately accepted the order, excited as if he had dug up gold.
Perhaps her strength was used up. Old Lady Jiang walked very slowly now, introducing the surroundings from time to time in a low voice.
Jiang Sheng listened carefully.
She had told her brothers earlier that she came to gain knowledge, just to comfort them. Only after arriving at the Jiang Family did she realize that she really needed to broaden her horizons here.
It turned out that the residences of wealthy households were not two or three or four courtyards, but directly built several enclosures on the land, and each enclosure was divided into two or three courtyards according to size.
The entire Jiang Family was equivalent to more than ten two-story small courtyards.
That was not counting the lotus ponds dug between the courtyards, the pavilions built, and the land occupied by the gardens of rich purple and red flowers.
The Jiang Family was divided into east and west courtyards, housing less than ten masters in total, but there were nearly a hundred maids and servants to serve them.
There were those responsible for the kitchen, purchasing, clothing, personal care, cleaning outside, and raising horses.
The Jiang Family had a large kitchen that was responsible for three meals a day for the entire residence, entertaining guests, and reunion meals during festivals and holidays.
Each courtyard also had a separate small kitchen, usually used to brew medicine or heat meals for the masters, and occasionally make snacks and desserts.
The young masters of the Jiang Family studied at the Imperial College, and the young ladies also had private tutors to teach them, well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, not inferior to the scholars outside at all.
The monthly salary for the personal maids of the Jiang Family was as high as five taels, and the ordinary maids also got two taels. Usually, the masters would also reward them with various gold and silver jewelry, richer than the girls in ordinary families.
The Jiang Family also...
The detailed introduction was still in her ears, but Jiang Sheng’s mind wandered.
She remembered that Auntie Zhang bought a bolt of cloth for 100 wen and made three sets of clothes from it that were worn for two full years by changing and washing in turn.
She remembered that 1 jin of Angelica cost 3 taels of silver in the big pharmacy, while the small pharmacy in the north city only charged 2.5 taels per jin of Angelica. Wen Zhiyun carried the medicine basket and walked for a whole hour just to save 500 wen.
She remembered that when Jiuzhen Square opened, Zheng Ruqian bought a new set of clothes and deliberately lied that it had cost 50 taels, provoking Jiang Sheng to give him a scolding. She finally learned that it was only ten taels before she reluctantly let him off.
Jiang Sheng remembered working hard to sell her family name pastries, thinking that she had charged an outrageous price, but it was still less than what the Jiang Family’s maids got casually as tips.
She remembered the padded jacket they bought for 12 wen, made from old cloth and patched with rotten cotton to make a big bulky style. Without keeping it tight, it would still let the wind in, but it was the warmest existence that winter.
Those bits and pieces from the past were detailed and close.
Jiang Sheng suddenly realized that after being separated for only half an hour, she was already missing her brothers a little, missing Auntie Zhang, the traveling Zheng Ruqian, and Fang Heng who was in the northern border.
But she was at the Jiang Family.
A Jiang Family without her brothers.
“Sweetie, sweetie.” Jiang Sheng heard Old Lady Jiang calling her.
Jiang Sheng immediately turned her head and said, “Grandmother, what’s the matter?”
Tan Yue at the side nervously pursed her lips. Old Lady Jiang smiled and said, “Nothing, I just want to call you.”
Jiang Sheng heaved a long sigh of relief to cover up her disorientation and embarrassment.
Old Lady Jiang saw it in her eyes and pondered thoughtfully.
It took about half an hour from the Jiang Family’s entrance for the mother and daughter to reach the De Ren Courtyard. During this period, apart from the servants passing by to greet them, the entire Jiang Family was quiet.
Old Lady Jiang calmly pointed at the nearest empty yard, “Do you like it? It’s prepared for you.”
The size of that yard was about two courtyards. On the right was the De Ren Courtyard and on the left was the large pond. There were camellias planted inside, in full bloom. The tall branches stretched out to outside the yard, and whenever a light breeze passed, flower petals would fall.
Going forward another two steps, the plaque hanging above the yard gate came into view. Someone had written the three characters "Yunqi Pavilion" in flying dragon and dancing phoenix style.
He Rui was particularly tactful and took the initiative to push open the gate of the yard. The camellia trees that were only visible through the branches earlier now came into full view. Under the pink and white flowers was actually a swing set that swayed gently in the wind.
Jiang Sheng’s eyes lit up.
No girl could refuse a swing set under the flower trees. She remembered that the commoners of the ten-mile pavilion village would tie ropes between two trees, tie a thick cotton-padded jacket in the middle of the ropes, enough for the children to play on for a long time.
Jiang Sheng also wanted to play, but she didn’t have a rope or discarded padded jackets. She was just a dirty little beggar that no one wanted to bother with.
It didn’t matter, she could sneak over to play for a while after dark.
But who would have known that a single rope was unstable and one could fall without someone holding it. Little Jiang Sheng bumped herself with a big bruise. Afraid that her crying would alert the homeowners, she could only wipe her teardrops and left.
Later, she became wary of swings and kept mum about them.
But some memories were etched in the bones, and some yearnings did not dissipate with the passage of time.
“Want to play?” Old Lady Jiang's gentle voice rang out. “Go ahead, it’s very sturdy, you won't fall.”
Jiang Sheng walked over tentatively and touched it with her fingertips.
The swing set frame was made of pure wood. The ropes were as thick as three fingers. The little stool was firmly tied, covered with a layer of soft satin that made it stable and comfortable to sit on without falling head over heels.
The distance between the stool and the ground was also clever. It was enough for Jiang Sheng to swing her tiptoes to move, and also allowing her to lightly lift her feet off the ground.
He Rui didn't know when he had walked over and pushed lightly. The little girl swung up on the swing.
She swayed back and forth, one push followed by one pull.
Her expression went from blank to surprised, then from surprised to delighted.
"Miss, do you need more force?" He Rui asked.
Jiang Sheng nodded, "Hmm."
He Rui increased his strength. She swung out a semicircle in the air, jumped up high and then fell. The wind brought up her little braids and the petals danced around her.
Yunqi Pavilion was filled only with the crisp laughter of the little girl, sounding like heavenly music.
