Dawn broke.
Jiang Mianmian watched the sunrise and then went back to bed for a little more sleep.
Father had gone to work again.
By the time Jiang Mianmian woke up again, it was broad daylight.
The nap was very comfortable and deep.
She dressed herself and got up, following the smell to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Elder Sister was energetically standing at the stove, from which wafts of rice aroma filled the air, making Jiang Mianmian hungry.
Grandma was sitting by the fire, adding more wood.
"Making these pastries, the heat is very important. Start with a high flame until it boils, then switch to a low heat and let it warm slowly," she instructed.
Jiang Yu nodded earnestly.
Jiang Mianmian greeted, "Good morning, Grandma. Good morning, Elder Sister."
She thought to herself that although Grandma was old, she was still very robust. She had gotten up to watch the sunrise just like her, and after taking a nap, Grandma was already up early.
Aunt Yin turned to look at the doorway where the Little Girl was yawning non-stop, her hair and clothes all messy, and her feet shod in grass slippers. She stood up and redressed the Little Girl.
Then she took her to wash up and comb her hair.
The Little Girl was particularly careful about her teeth, which were still not fully grown in, yet she insisted on brushing them thoroughly.
Well, the cleanliness and the laziness, in some ways, must be hereditary.
Aunt Yin, no stranger to this, served her with dedication.
Damn, she was supposed to be a teacher, but somehow she ended up serving again, which was really undignified.
Aunt Yin knelt down to comb the Little Girl's hair, trying to keep one knee up.
After finishing the hair, the Little Girl leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
"Muah!"
"Thank you, Grandma."
Aunt Yin wiped the saliva off her forehead, stunned for a moment.
Then she picked up the Little Girl without thinking.
"Are you hungry?"
Jiang Mianmian nodded and then shook her head.
"I need to poop."
Aunt Yin: ...
She took the Little Girl to the toilet.
Seeing the wooden bucket with a round lid on it.
The Little Girl's bottom fit just right on it.
"Grandma, watch me, I can't poop."
Aunt Yin stood up and went outside, saying, "Call me when you're done."
Standing outside, she saw ants marching in lines, a sight to behold. This lazy and pampered nature, truly fit for royalty, who else would have a special seat just for pooping?
Smelling a faint stench and hearing the Little Girl shyly say she was done.
Aunt Yin came in and carefully wiped the Little Girl's bottom, then examined the poop seriously.
Experienced nannies must know how to inspect poop.
The shape of the poop, whether it was continuous, whether it was hard or soft, or watery, the color right or not, by examining the poop, one could tell how well the master had been eating, whether she needed to drink more water, or eat less meat or sweets.
Aunt Yin cleaned up carefully, checking it over.
A beautiful poop, coiled, with a medium firmness, indicating the Little Girl had been eating well and digesting well, though the color seemed a bit too dark, wondering what she had eaten.
Jiang Mianmian stood a bit farther away, somewhat disgusted.
Although she did it herself, she didn't want to smell it; it was stinky.
She curiously watched Grandma observing her poop...
Well...
Grandma has some peculiar interests.
After dealing with the poop, Aunt Yin stood up, feeling a bit dizzy and blurry-eyed from squatting too long.
It was mainly because she hadn't slept well last night.
In fact, she usually pays great attention to her health.
In the palace, if you were in poor health and looked sickly, you would have been done away with long ago.
Good health is the foundation of everything.
She planned to catch up on some sleep today.
After washing her hands, Aunt Yin saw the Little Girl come over to hold her hand, which was both amusing and annoying.
Back in the kitchen, she saw Elder Sister busily digging out squash from the fire pit.
Seeing them arrive, she excitedly said, "Grandma, Sister, the squash is roasted, come quickly."
Aunt Yin: ...
Case closed.
Eating too much roasted squash turns the stool black; burnt food should not be consumed in excess, it's not good.
Jiang Mianmian sweetly said, "Thank you, Elder Sister."
Aunt Yin served the prepared meal for the Little Girl, then deliberately moved the roasted squash far away.
The Little Girl didn't notice and happily ate her meal without speaking.
She quietly finished her meal, rinsed her mouth, and only then began to talk.
She didn't want to get cavities while her teeth were growing, which would definitely be painful, and there were no dentists back then.
Aunt Yin mentally added another note about her: meticulous, a trait ingrained in her bones, not surprising, haha.
Clever, but without guile, she moved the squash herself, and the girl didn't even notice.
Ah, this naive demeanor, if she were really in the imperial palace, this foolishness would probably not let her survive long.
After Mianmian finished her meal, it seemed Elder Sister's pastries might also be ready.
Elder Sister was quite patient; Grandma said not to open the lid as it would let the steam escape, and she really didn't open it.
Only when Grandma said it was okay did she open it.
A pot full of plump, white rice cakes.
Each one grinning, looking quite delightful.
Aunt Yin took one, broke off a piece, and tasted it; it was good.
Elder Sister Yu had already devoured six.
Jiang Mianmian found them too hot and was still blowing on them.
Aunt Yin watched Elder Sister's actions, her eyebrows twitching slightly; this temperament still needed to be refined, too impatient.
Aunt Yin gave Elder Sister a new task, to beat eggs.
"Keep stirring with chopsticks until the egg turns into soft, dense foam. Do not rush, and do not stir back and forth, only in one direction," Grandma earnestly instructed.
Jiang Mianmian curiously thought, isn't this just a human egg beater?
Indeed, many ancient pastries were said to be delicious, and it was not for nothing.
Elder Sister Yu was very respectful of Grandma, who now ranked just below Father in her esteem, quite impressive.
She obediently began to beat the eggs.
Aunt Yin figured this would keep Elder Sister quiet for a while.
She then went out to sunbathe the little one for a bit.
The little master needed to sunbathe to strengthen her bones.
After settling the Little Girl, Aunt Yin's forehead was slightly sweaty.
Jiang Mianmian also felt it strange; before Grandma arrived, she played well by herself at home.
Now that Grandma was here, it seemed she was very busy, and suddenly her own little days felt more comfortable.
She inexplicably felt the comfort of being cared for.
No, no, this is the teacher.
Respect for teachers and their teachings is paramount.
Jiang Mianmian spoke in a babyish voice, "Grandma, I'm just playing, go see Elder Sister."
"It's better to teach Elder Sister, she's still young, she doesn't need it yet."
Indeed, inside Elder Sister Yu had already called out, "Grandma, Grandma, I did it, look, it's all bubbles, it's bubbling up, one egg turned into so much!"
Aunt Yin turned around, disbelieving, how could it be so fast.
In the kitchen, Elder Sister Yu had already whipped up three bowls of bubbly eggs, the afterimages lingering in her hands...
Aunt Yin's eyebrows twitched, she had been too emotional lately, it was killing her.
"Have you practiced swordplay?"
"My elder brother taught me, it wasn't fun, so I didn't continue," Elder Sister Yu said sheepishly.
"But he was worried about me getting kidnapped again, told me not to learn too much, just one move, stab, stab, stab, that's enough to kill someone. Grandma, you're amazing, you noticed right away, I was thinking just that while beating the eggs, stab, stab, stab, and it was very quick."
Elder Sister Yu's eyes sparkled, the words 'please praise me' clearly written on her face.
Aunt Yin nodded, "Not bad, very good, let's do it again."
Outside in the courtyard, under the big tree, Jiang Mianmian was playing with a small tree.
She discovered that the ants called by the small tree could arrange themselves, forming words.
In ancient times, people would fish out stones to carve words on them, or catch fish and carve words on their bellies.
Jiang Mianmian thought this was a bit troublesome.
If during a crowded moment, a group of ants could just crawl over and write a line of words, that would be impressive, though it seemed it had been done before.
Just smear some honey on the ground, and the ants would be attracted to it.
Jiang Mianmian found the scene quite amusing, all the rebellious maxims seemed to be man-made.
She tried to have the small tree guide the ants to form a few words.
Finally, having managed the elder girl once again, Aunt Yin came out to handle the younger one, only to see the Little Girl in front of a mass of black ants, which obediently formed the words: "Though Jiang is but one family, the fall of Chu is certain."
Aunt Yin's vision darkened, and she staggered...
