"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine! Twenty-nine! Twenty-nine!"
"It's my turn, it's my turn."
A few young women at the village entrance were kicking a shuttlecock.
These days, the security in the village was excellent. Although many displaced people, reformed bandits, and wealthy households who had gotten lost on their way to move had been accepted, they had all been properly accommodated.
Kan'er Village had the feel of a small town.
A small trading area had even emerged in the village.
Leading the shuttlecock-kicking was Jiang Yu.
Originally, she had intended to make something for her younger sister to play with.
Her sister wanted chicken feather flowers; her sister was truly a genius, able to make flowers from chicken feathers.
She had plucked the feathers and discovered they were indeed quite beautiful.
But then her sister complained they were prickly and dirty.
She had to tie them together and make a base out of cloth to hold them in place.
Unexpectedly, she found out that this contraption could actually be kicked and played with.
Although her little sister's short legs could only kick it a couple of times.
But with her own long legs, Jiang Yu could kick it many times.
She once broke the record by kicking it fifty-one times without letting it drop.
Unfortunately, she never managed to kick it that many times again.
Though she found it boring to play alone, her little sister Mianmian was too lazy, except when she had just learned to crawl and would crawl everywhere. Now that she could walk, she was always lazy and wanted to be carried.
Heavy as a little stone.
So Jiang Yu took it out to play with her little friends in the village.
The weather was nice.
She also brought Mianmian along.
That way, she could both play and watch over her sister.
Jiang Mianmian watched her older sister and friends kicking the shuttlecock happily, thinking that while other transmigrated beings contributed great inventions, all she had were clothes pockets suitable only for infants and a chicken feather shuttlecock~~
Just for playing.
Ah, despite being only three years old, one could already see what she would be doing in the future - playing.
Jiang Mianmian clapped for her older sister, but soon grew tired. She released Jiang Xiaoshu, watching the little ant go and direct the other tiny ants, a group busy scurrying around, which was also quite fun.
She squatted on the ground, using a stick to poke at the little ants.
She moved her stick forward, and a group of ants moved forward. She moved her stick to the left, and a group of ants moved left.
Ant block set, so much fun.
...
Yin Ping arrived at Kan'er Village.
She got off the carriage.
And asked around.
She inquired if there was a girl surnamed Qin in the village.
Surnamed Qin, that was the Luoxia girl, the only one.
"Yes, old ma'am, are you some relative of Sister-in-law Luoxia?"
"I'm her paternal aunt, separated for many years, now come to find her."
"Oh, Aunt! Please come, come. Luoxia girl will surely be delighted to know a relative has come for her. She's a most sincere person."
"I'll take you to her."
The one leading the way was an enthusiastic woman.
Seeing the two girls kicking the shuttlecock and playing with ants, she quickly called out, "Sister Yu, Sister Mian, come quick, you have a relative visiting!"
Following the woman's call, Yin Ping saw among the group of young women a tall girl kicking the feather shuttlecock with her legs raised high.
She smiled, revealing two rows of teeth.
A dimple on her round face.
A beautiful young woman.
Despite being called, she did not stop the movement of her feet, continuing to kick and count: "Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two..."
Meanwhile, on the other side, a baby girl squatting on the ground, wearing a flowery jacket, plopped down when called, right in front of a large swarm of black ants.
She turned her head blankly, only to find her wooden stick also covered in ants.
Yin Ping froze.
Just for a moment, then she moved.
She walked over and helped the baby girl up.
She gently brushed the ants off the girl's stick, speaking gently, "They might bite, you can't play with them."
Jiang Mianmian shook her head, "They won't bite."
She picked up the fallen Jiang Xiaoshu and put it in her pocket.
Yin Ping's wrinkled, age-spotted face couldn't help but twitch slightly.
Meanwhile, Sister Yu finally stopped, having reached forty kicks before the shuttlecock dropped.
Probably because she noticed someone approaching her sister, she couldn't continue.
She came trotting over.
Scooping up Mianmian, she then asked, "Who are you?"
Jiang Yu was a bit wary.
The last time they had almost been kidnapped, her sister had nearly been lost too, leaving a lingering trauma.
Sometimes she would wake up from nightmares about the kidnappers, crying.
Jiang Mianmian, however, didn't sense any malice from this old lady.
The aura around this old lady was very strange.
Complex yet peaceful.
A very restrained feeling.
But no malice.
"Sister Yu, this is an elderly relative of your family, she says she's the paternal aunt of your mother, come to find her kin," Lady Wang introduced.
The villagers also scrutinized this old woman.
Very elderly, but quite tidy, not a single strand of hair out of place.
A very tidy little old lady.
Large feet.
Yet her demeanor was remarkably refined, as if she had lived a life of wealth and nobility.
Because the old lady was currently dressed very plainly, her jacket covered in many patches.
Since it was around the New Year, the villagers would all take out their newest clothes, and this year, thanks to Mr. Jiang's leadership, everyone's lives had improved, with fewer patches needed.
This old lady seemed to have lived a much harder life than them, carrying only a small bundle.
Her shoes at least looked sturdy.
To go out seeking relatives at her age, with just a head of white hair, she must have suffered greatly.
Such is the state of the world.
Jiang Yu also examined the old lady before her.
She didn't know why, but she sensed that this old lady was formidable, it was hard to believe she could be her mother's relative.
With her mother's character, how could she have such a relative? If she had relatives like this, would they have needed to flee the famine to this place?
It would be more believable if she were her father's relative.
She did feel a resemblance to her father, an abundance of cunning, like a myriad of holes in a muddy pit, too many to count.
The old lady smiled kindly at Sister Yu.
But in her heart, she was scrutinizing her from head to toe.
This girl, her gaze was too sharp, too sharp a gaze would lead to misfortune.
One should not appear too intelligent in this life, especially for a woman.
Nor should one be too unrestrained.
This girl's character showed she had grown up pampered at home, unrestrained and smiling without any restraint.
That was fine for a young girl, but after marriage, such an unrestrained character could offend others without even realizing it.
She also didn't seem to have come of age, still not having come of age at this age.
Her personality was also too frank, her every emotion showing on her face.
She would surely suffer misfortune after misfortune in life.
The younger one, though.
As Yin Ping quietly observed her with those eyes, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
She rarely let her emotions show.
In a place like the palace, showing emotion could easily lead to death.
She was so old now.
She thought she had seen life and death, that she had become detached.
But the moment she saw that baby's face, she was still struck with terror.
It was as if she had returned to the palace.
At this moment, the sky was clear and bright, and the surroundings were bustling with lively sounds and a harmonious atmosphere.
Yet her palms were sweating cold.
A group of people accompanied an elderly lady to the Jiang family.
Her mother was at home.
Her father and elder brother were out.
Her mother heard the clamoring from the crowd, saying they had come to find her elderly relative.
What a load of nonsense about an aunt-in-law.
She was certain she didn't have one.
But now, she had seen the world by accompanying her husband.
Instead of causing a scene, she calmly sent everyone away, leaving only the elderly lady, and closed the door.
Yin Ping sat openly in the courtyard, sipping on the not-so-sweet hot water from a bamboo cup. It was chilly, and even with the warm sun, a cup of hot water was needed to warm her insides.
Looking at the woman smiling at her, she said, "Old lady, if you have any troubles that prompted you to impersonate a relative of mine, you can tell me. I may not have much money, but my husband is a very kind man and is happy to help others. When he returns, perhaps he can assist in finding you a place to stay."
Yin Ping was somewhat surprised.
She had just met this woman, who seemed muddled and nodded agreeably to anyone, smiling at everyone.
When called an aunt-in-law, she warmly responded as such, and then promptly dismissed the crowd of onlookers.
She closed the door.
And immediately exposed her ruse.
Yet she did not become angry or agitated, but remained calm.
Yin Ping, who had struggled at the lowest levels of the palace, was surprised by this woman's composed demeanor as she changed her behavior.
If one were to put it bluntly, this ordinary village woman possessed the bearing of a great general.
If a housewife was muddled, the entire household would lack accomplishment.
A wise housewife brings harmony and prosperity, with each day better than the last.
At least this housewife brought a pleasant surprise to Yin Ping.
She stood up and respectfully bowed.
"This old woman is named Yin Ping, a female teacher gifted by General Zi to two young ladies. I have met Madam Qin."
Jiang Yu widened her eyes, this was her female teacher? She seemed quite formidable, even a little intimidating.
Jiang Mianmian also widened her eyes. Good heavens, it was already outrageous to be gifted homework practice books, but in ancient times, they directly gifted teachers! Too outrageous!!!
