In her dream, she was chased and spanked by her master all night. When Zhu Changle woke up early the next morning, she felt confused about her vaguely aching bottom - had her master's skills become so profound that he could spank her from thousands of miles away?
"You've been kicking and punching all night. Don't come snuggling in my bed tonight - my old bones can't handle such torment," the Old Madam teased her granddaughter from where she reclined against the headboard.
Zhu Changle quickly moved closer, "Grandmother, did I kick you?"
"I was hiding in this corner," the Old Madam gestured to the outer corner of the headboard, then drew a line on the bed. "That whole area was your territory. Every time I came even a little bit closer, your phantom kicks would reach me."
"I'm so bad! How could I exclude Grandmother from my territory!" Zhu Changle drew a new line, including her grandmother in the space. "This is better - now Grandmother belongs to me."
The Old Madam embraced the child who threw herself into her arms. Though they were joking, it was true that Changle had not slept well that night - her brows had remained furrowed throughout.
"Are you very tired?"
"Just a little bit." Zhu Changle held up her pinky finger. "It's like when I first started learning martial arts as a child. It was exhausting at first, and I even wondered if Master was some enemy of Father's who took me in just to torture me. But later, I stopped feeling tired."
"Did you get used to it?"
"Yes, I got used to it, and I also found joy in it. Trees I couldn't climb before, I could suddenly scamper up easily. People I couldn't beat before, I could now pin down and punch. Plus, whenever I met Master's requirements, he would grant any request I made. There were no rigid rules constraining me, no need to tremble before any regulations. Once I got a taste of that feeling, I became very motivated to practice. After all, who doesn't want to be the one doing the bullying, right?"
The Old Madam nodded with exaggerated seriousness, "That's absolutely right."
"Hehe, the current situation is similar to when I first started learning martial arts - I'm a beginner again, and it feels tiring. But I'm not a child anymore; knowing the necessity of learning this makes it easier to endure. Don't worry about me - I'm very good at comforting myself. Just thinking about the benefits after mastering it fills me with motivation."
The Old Madam gently stroked her back, "Can't your second brother share this burden with you?"
"This was Big Brother's decision. I don't know why he chose to teach me instead of Second Brother - maybe he thinks I'm smarter."
"That must be it."
"Hahaha, Grandmother, you spoil me too much!" Zhu Changle lifted her head to plant a big kiss on her grandmother's cheek, then burrowed back into her embrace.
The Old Madam held this precious darling who was perfect in every way, feeling that no amount of love was enough, yet also feeling truly concerned. The eldest son's choice of Changle over his second brother wasn't because the second brother wasn't smart enough - none of the children in the family were stupid. But when it came to quick-wittedness, the second brother couldn't compare to Changle.
She didn't know what her eldest son was teaching, but anything that could make Changle feel tired must not be easy to learn, and whatever could push Changwang to this point...
The Old Madam dared not think too deeply about it.
When Granny Liang entered and saw the grandmother and granddaughter's intimate scene, she couldn't help but smile too. Only when the fourth young miss was present would the Old Madam laugh so heartily.
"Granny Liang!" Zhu Changle glanced at the water clock and tumbled out of bed, "I'm late, I'm late!"
"Take it slow, don't fall."
Zhu Changle hopped on one foot while putting on her shoes, getting dressed while giving instructions, "Granny Liang, help Grandmother walk around in the courtyard. Wait for me to return for breakfast, and don't eat by yourselves. If you don't watch her, Grandmother will only eat a tiny bit."
With someone backing her up, Granny Liang responded with great enthusiasm.
"Grandmother, wait for me!"
"I know, I know," the Old Madam smiled and shooed her away. "Hurry up and go!"
Zhu Changle ran to the door, then turned back to hug her grandmother and give her another firm kiss before running off.
"This girl..." The Old Madam touched the spot where she'd been kissed, unable to hide her smile. But when she thought of her eldest son's health, her joy gradually faded - today she would need to chant scriptures for an extra hour.
Though she was running late, the sky was still just beginning to brighten. The usually quiet county town was much more lively today.
Her ears twitched, and Zhu Changle walked toward a particular direction with her sword.
In the usually deserted area on the west side of the county town, there was now quite a bustle. Some had laid out worn cloths directly on the ground, others used baskets, some had paired bamboo baskets together, and some displayed their wares on rickety carts. One stall after another was arranged somewhat haphazardly, and though it was still early, there seemed to be more sellers than buyers.
Zhu Changle looked at each stall one by one. There were homegrown vegetables, chickens, ducks, eggs, small game, crude jewelry, handmade candy... The variety was extensive, and seeing all this, Zhu Changle finally found something about this county town that was similar to other places.
As she completed her circuit, no one dared to call out to her. When it came to strangers, especially armed ones, they didn't even dare to look twice.
Zhu Changle didn't linger either. After her look around, she left to cause her usual commotion in the sea. When she came ashore and Aunt Feng wrapped her in a cloak, she had a moment of disorientation - right, Qiuli had left.
"Alright, everyone stop," She pulled the cloak tighter and pushed her wet bangs back from her forehead. Looking at everyone as they finished their practice, she asked, "You've all learned those three moves and the footwork, right?"
Zhou Zheng spoke as their representative, "Yes, we have."
"Come on then, show me."
Zhou Zheng instinctively looked toward Zhu Changning, which made Zhu Changle raise her eyebrows - Second Brother had already established his authority, not bad!
With all the running around before, she hadn't noticed, but now she could see that her second brother had gotten darker and seemed to have lost some weight. As for whether he had become more muscular, Zhu Changle figured she'd get scolded if she tried to pinch him to check.
Being stared at so intently by his youngest sister made Zhu Changning uncomfortable. He coughed lightly and said, "They've only been learning for a few days. It's good enough if they can get the moves right - what is there to see?"
"I just want to see if they've mastered it properly!"
Zhu Changning wanted to point out that these moves were taught by Aunt Feng, and she showed no mercy when correcting form - he had witnessed it thoroughly these past few days. Every one of them bore marks from her whip.
"If they've mastered it, then Aunt Feng will have to leave. Now that Qiuli is gone, Aunt Feng needs to come hunting with me - I won't be able to catch as much by myself."
"Qiuli left?" Zhu Changning was somewhat surprised; he hadn't imagined that person would leave.
"This isn't his home, what's strange about him leaving?" Zhu Changle urged, "Hurry up, show me what you've learned."
Zhu Changning waved his hand, and everyone very skillfully removed the sandbags from their hands and feet before entering the water. Aunt Feng wouldn't let them practice with these in the water, making them rely on their own strength to maintain their stance.
They stopped when the water reached chest height, and everyone took their positions. Following Zhou Zheng's commands, they performed the three moves and footwork.
"Don't stop, continue."
There were no flourishes, just three extremely simple moves. Even with the footwork, they appeared clumsy because they hadn't yet integrated the movements fully, and the water's resistance increased the difficulty. Still, Zhu Changle was quite satisfied - for ordinary people to achieve this level in just a few days showed they had put in great effort.
"Not bad, keep practicing like this. Second Brother, continue supervising them."
