......
"Jiang Wan, eat slower. It's not like there's a shortage of food. Old Lady Jiang always talks about our lack of manners, but how are you so carefree that you've run off with someone?"
"Ugh." (vomiting sound)
"But if I were you, I'd run too. Having to face Old Lady Jiang's face every day would make even food taste bad."
"Ugh." (vomiting sound)
"That young master must be very wealthy. You've always had a keen eye, able to tell someone's status from a glance. Your observation skills have always been impressive."
"Mianmian, we shouldn't follow her example. We don't run away. If you really like someone, let Mom help you bring him back."
"Stop talking so much, it's not good for prenatal education," Qin Luoxia was exasperated by the older girl's unrestrained speech.
This Jiang Wan was quite something.
Even after being confined for a night, she still maintained the demeanor of a well-bred young lady.
Her skin was extraordinarily thick. Most people would have died of shame, but she ate her food nonchalantly without a word.
This toughness didn't seem like that of a child raised with love, but rather like one who had emerged from a wolf pack.
It gave people an eerie feeling.
Old Lady Jiang had truly aged now, having lost her spirit and energy.
When Old Lady Jiang was in Ming County, Jiang Changtian had arranged for people to provoke her daily, constantly boasting about how well they were living now, which was quite spiteful.
The fact that the old lady had endured until now, still able to be fierce and ill-tempered, showed how tough she was.
Jiang Mianmian watched her older sister, who was vomiting yet still managing to make snide remarks, looking quite lively.
She smiled and said, "It's alright. In a bit, Aunt will read to you. Listen well, and when you're born, you'll be able to recite lessons right away. Your grandfather will be so happy he won't be able to close his mouth."
Jiang Yu imagined the scene and burst into laughter.
She didn't like studying, and her sister, though capable, didn't like it either.
They truly were sisters.
Despite Old Lady Jiang's black face, Jiang Yu managed to eat two bowls of noodles while vomiting.
She felt refreshed.
Jiang Mianmian didn't have much impression of Old Lady Jiang, just that she was a rather fierce old woman.
Her impression of Jiang Wan was deep. She felt this person had a kind of magnetism, making one want to look again after just a glance, as if she could focus attention.
When looking at her, everything else became blurry, only she remained clear.
It always gave her a bit of a fright. It was good that this was in their own home, with Father and Mom present. They were immune to all poisons and everything would go smoothly, so there shouldn't be any problems.
This shouldn't count as getting involved in household infighting, at most they were strange relatives, and there probably wouldn't be much interaction in the future.
She was grateful for her parents' ambition.
Otherwise, if she had been born having to face this old lady and Miss Jiang Wan, she would have grown hundreds of extra eyes out of anger.
The men's side ate and drank very late.
They needed to be arranged for overnight stay.
Jiang Wan and Old Lady Jiang were arranged in the guest rooms.
Jiang Mianmian accompanied her older sister to wash up.
Grandma also accompanied them.
Now her older sister was the focus of care in the family.
Jiang Mianmian's mention of prenatal education was just a casual remark, but everyone thought it might be true. The child had a spirit, and education could begin while still in the womb.
Only the pregnant woman herself didn't believe it.
After washing up, Jiang Yu rested in her room.
Jiang Mianmian and Grandma returned to their own rooms.
At night, worried that Grandma might not walk well, she held onto Grandma's arm, skipping as they walked.
Aunt Yin, being pulled along, looked at the little girl and said, "You're so happy?"
"Of course, I'm about to be promoted to an elder, it feels very exciting."
"And I feel that my parents are so accomplished. Without me even having to try, they've already done everything. I feel like I was born to enjoy good fortune."
Aunt Yin: ......
What's with this tone of satisfaction?
"As a young lady, you can enjoy good fortune, but when you get married and manage a household in the future, it won't be so simple."
"Don't worry, Grandma, I won't get married. I'm a young lady now, in the future I want to be an old maid, and later a great-aunt. I'll have someone to take care of me all my life, live happily, and do whatever I want."
Aunt Yin: ......
This rebellious child of their family, her thoughts were a bit hard to describe.
Never mind, teach her slowly. All young girls say they won't marry, but when they meet a man they like, they'll tell their parents to make the decisions.
Jiang Mianmian returned to her own room, went through her washing routine, and excitedly flopped onto her soft big bed. She stretched out her whole body, lay there for a while, then thought about needing to memorize her lessons. Classical Chinese was so hard to memorize. She had just taken it out and flipped through a few pages when she immediately fell asleep. It was so soporific.
Pangya saw that her mistress had fallen asleep, gently took away the book, lowered the bed curtains, and went to sleep in the outer room.
This was the boudoir of an ancient young lady, with someone guarding outside. Generally, no one could easily intrude. Jiang Mianmian just treated it as if she had a roommate.
In the middle of the night.
Suddenly, there was a violent shaking, the whole bed was trembling.
Jiang Mianmian opened her eyes, startled.
An earthquake?
Pangya was already by her side, helping her dress: "It might be an earthquake, Young Miss. What should we do?"
Earthquake? Jiang Mianmian sat up in a hurry, cooperating to get dressed. Mom and Grandma had already come over.
Mom picked her up in one motion and said, "It's alright, don't be afraid."
Jiang Mianmian hadn't been held much since she grew up. Feeling her long legs and arms still being easily lifted by Mom, she really wasn't afraid at all.
It seemed to be raining heavily outside, with raindrops pattering.
Mom and Grandma's clothes were also wet.
"Are Father and Sister alright?"
"They're fine. Father is with your brother, your sister is with your brother-in-law. Everything's okay. Mom is with you."
Jiang Mianmian looked at her little tree, feeling confused. Shouldn't ants or something give a warning before an earthquake? This was so sudden.
In the back courtyard of the Jiang family, not only was there an earthquake, but probably because too many tunnels had been dug, there was a rumbling sound and the whole ground collapsed. Even more dramatically, several huge meteorites fell from the sky out of nowhere, crashing down. The entire back courtyard became ruins.
There used to be a hill, now there was just a big pit left.
It was as if they had been struck by divine punishment.
It was terrifying.
Ancient people were quite superstitious.
This sudden earthquake must mean something big was happening.
But while other places just had an earthquake, the Jiang family even had meteorites from the sky specifically fall on their house. Was this meant to wipe out their entire family?
Jiang Changtian looked at the ruins in the courtyard with a gloomy expression.
Inspector He was also startled.
His guest room wasn't in the back courtyard, but he had still almost been killed by heaven.
He asked with a bewildered face, "What have you done?"
Jiang Changtian wiped the rain from his face and said, "Were you thinking of killing Jiang Wan?"
Inspector He shook his head, then nodded.
"I was just thinking that with the dark night and high winds, I could kill the troublemaker.
But before I could act, the heavens started shaking, then started throwing stones down from the sky, dropping them one by one at my feet. Can you believe it?
I feel like I've offended heaven somehow."
Inspector He nodded. He believed it. He had thought about it too, and then his guest room had also had a hole smashed in it.
Jiang Changtian looked up at the pitch-black sky.
With the crazed look of a villain.
I just wanted to kill someone, and you respond with earthquakes and landslides.
Is she heaven's favorite?
What kind of great deeds has she done to save people from suffering?
Delivering all living beings from torment?
Accumulating virtue and doing good for eighteen generations?
I don't believe it.
She can't be killed?
The next morning at daybreak.
Because of the earthquake, the Jiang family couldn't properly host guests. Jiang Wan left the Jiang mansion with Young Master Liu, Chu Heir, and her grandmother.
She couldn't believe she had actually left the Jiang mansion so easily. Moreover, because of the earthquake, Chu Xi and his group also quickly wanted to leave Jingzhou. Their destination was all the capital, so they headed towards the capital together.
The carriages raced along the road. When they reached the border of Jingzhou, there was an ancient stone monument with the characters for "Jingzhou" written on it, looking majestic and full of the traces of time.
At the moment they passed out of the territory, Jiang Wan felt her whole body relax, as if a great weight had been lifted. She could no longer hold on and fainted, her forehead also starting to burn with fever.
At the Jiang family home.
When Jiang Mianmian woke up early in the morning, she found that their back courtyard now had a huge crater, with many stones in it, leaving her very confused.
Had real meteorites actually fallen on their home?
Was there some mystical explanation for this?
Such large meteorites, falling precisely in the back courtyard.
If they had deviated just a little, the whole family could have been wiped out.
What had happened?
An earthquake wouldn't just target one family.
Inspector He looked at the back courtyard, also at a loss for words. There was still a large stone by his bedside.
This supernatural occurrence was quite frightening.
The two stood at the edge of the large pit.
Inspector He spoke up and asked, "You just let them leave like that? What did you say to Jiang Wan before she left?"
Jiang Changtian said, "I only wanted to kill her, but heaven rained down meteorites, destroying all my crops. What could I say? I just told her that I had fed her a secret drug from Shangqiu Convent, that she would live a very beautiful but short life."
"Didn't you say you destroyed that secret medicine?"
"I did destroy it. I lied to her. We can't kill her, so can't I at least deceive her a little?"
"That's true. This woman is beautiful, with deep thoughts and a calculating nature. She's likely to be prone to melancholy, experience some illnesses, and overthink things. It will be difficult for her to conceive, and even if she does, it will be hard for her to carry the baby to term... I still need to go back and give my nephew a good thrashing."
Jiang Mianmian crouched at the edge of the large pit, still in disbelief, and let Little Tree go for a stroll.
Then she saw Little Tree leading a large group of ants, huffing and puffing as they carried a small stone up.
Jiang Mianmian picked up the stone; it was quite heavy.
She hugged the stone and excitedly said to her father, "Father, have we struck it rich? Look, do you think this is a meteorite that fell from the sky? It must be amazing for forging swords. Father, can you have someone make a sword for me?"
