Chapter 4: The Delicate Girl

  Although it's not yet Jiangnan, there are many rainy days here in the summer. Last night's strong wind and rain have turned into a gentle patter, and the already damp courtyard has grown another layer of moss overnight.

  The door creaked, and the maid hurried in with an oil-paper umbrella and a basket, her wooden sandals making crisp sounds on the stone road. She put down the oil-paper umbrella under the eaves and called out softly to the mistress inside.

  There was no response from inside the door, but a figure could be seen lying on its side behind the screen.

  The young girl's face no longer had the proud and carefree look she used to have in front of outsiders, her eyes were red from sighing, tears welled up in her eyes, she picked up the basket and entered the kitchen next door, soon after, she carefully carried a bowl of soup into the house with quick steps.

  As she walked around the screen, she saw that the girl who had been lying down was now sitting up. Her heart skipped a beat with joy, but then she felt disappointed again.

  That girl's eyes were still covered in white pupils, if it weren't for the corners of her mouth no longer drooling, she would be completely like a foolish child.

  "Mother..." The girl knelt down on a cushion, placing the bowl of soup on a low table, her voice trembling with tears, "Mother."

  The girl did not react.

  "Jiaoniang, jiaoniang, your grandma will feed you." The little girl wiped away her tears and changed the way she addressed her.

  The girl's body moved slightly, and her eyes gradually turned back.

  The girl was overjoyed and carefully brought it over with a spoon in a bowl.

  The spoon paused for a moment at the girl's lips and then opened her mouth to eat it.

  The girl dropped tears again, but her hands didn't stop, and she scooped another spoonful to send over.

  She ate four mouthfuls in a row, and when she was sent away again, the girl didn't open her mouth anymore.

  It's already good enough, the girl put down her rice bowl and wiped away tears with her sleeve.

  "You said I'm called Jiaoniang..."

  Suddenly, the girl's voice came, and the servant girl lifted her head in surprise, only to see that the girl's eyes had returned to normal at some point, although they were still whiter than black, and staring straight ahead would make people feel a chill.

  "Girl! You're awake!" The maid grasped her wide sleeve and wept with joy.

  The girl exhaled softly, her eyes moving around, although somewhat dull, but with a gradually emerging inner vitality. She glanced around at her surroundings, seemingly very unfamiliar with where she was.

  "Half a month, how many times have I fallen ill this month?" she asked.

  The voice is soft and weak, as if it's powerless.

  "As for returning to the young lady's words, it is the third time." The maid hurriedly replied.

  The girl let out a cry.

  "Last month, how many times?" she asked again, "You've said it before, but I don't remember."

  "My daughter doesn't need to remember, my daughter doesn't need to remember. I, your servant, remember what I remember." Half Cabbage said happily and clearly, "Five times."

  The girl nodded again, raised her hand to support her head on the low table, gazing at the screen with a thoughtful expression, but because of the strangeness in her eyes, it looked more like she was stunned.

  The girl suddenly became tense again and carefully scrutinized her.

  "So it seems, I'm gradually getting better." The girl said.

  He nodded hastily, taking a deep breath.

  "Yes, yes, it's all right, it's all right," she said.

  The girl puckered her lips as if she was about to smile, but it seemed like her face had stiffened and couldn't manage it.

  "Half of the celery, I'm a bit unclear about who I am. Tell me again what happened before." she said.

  "Yes, yes." Ban Jin hastily nodded in response and knelt down properly in front of the girl.

  It is now the fifth year of Dazhong Jianyuan, and my surname is Cheng. My given name is Jiaoniang, and I am a member of the Cheng family from Xihua in Jiangzhou. My father served as the governor of Bingzhou, and our whole family originally lived together in Bingzhou. Half a year ago, after his term ended, we moved back to Jiangzhou. Due to illness, I stayed behind alone at the Daoist temple outside the city.

  "In fact, Niangzi has been raised in the Taoist temple since she was six years old." Ban Qin said with her head down.

  "Is it because I was born a fool?" the girl asked, as if repeating to reinforce her memory, yet seemingly questioning and pondering.

  Half of the celery lowered its head.

  "Yes." She said, then thought of something and hurriedly raised her head, "No, no, the young lady is just ill, ill, see, isn't the young lady better now?"

  The girl's face was filled with even more doubt and contemplation.

  "Why is it then that I hardly remember any of this?" she muttered.

  "Mother has been ill for over a decade, so she naturally doesn't remember those things. But, but Mother, don't you remember Old Lady?" Half Cabbage said, with a hint of urgency.

  Old lady...

  A white-haired old woman appeared in the girl's mind, smiling at herself.

  My lovely darling...

  "Grandma..." The girl murmured.

  With this murmur, her originally chaotic mind suddenly became turbulent, as if there were many emotions and images, but they couldn't be seen or grasped, only making her head ache to the point of bursting.

  "Niang zi, niang zi." Half of the celery saw the pain on her face, scared to kneel straight and hold her, shouting in panic, while patting the girl's shoulder.

  In her memory, there seemed to be a pair of hands that often comforted her in this way, accompanied by the action of half-lying down. The girl's emotions gradually calmed down, and the pain also dissipated, leaving only a messy and unclear feeling in her mind.

  "I am Jingniang, I got a foolish illness, my mother died early, my father remarried, and I was not liked. It is said that the immortal pointed me to send me to the Taoist temple for quiet nursing, and later abandoned me." She said.

  As her emotions recovered, her voice also gained strength, but lost some of its gentleness, and seemed to have a somewhat stiff accent, sounding dull and rigid.

  Half of the celery lowered its head.

  They said it was because her body couldn't travel far, and also that they would send someone to pick her up after a while, but in fact, what the truth is, they all knew.

  This foolish child, from the moment he was born, has been a shame to the Cheng family. If it weren't for his mother, Cheng Jiaoniang's persistence, he would have been drowned at one year old when the doctor diagnosed him as an idiot.

  Because of taking care of the idiot son and being cold-shouldered and ridiculed by her husband's family, Chang Yaonang's mother died when Yaonang was six years old. The Chang family had an excuse to drive this child out of the house and send her to a Taoist temple.

  Thanks to her grandmother's care, Jiaoniang survived safely in the Taoist temple. However, a year ago, her grandmother also passed away. Her uncle and aunt would not spend a large sum of money for someone else's child. The Taoist temple ran out of incense money, and at this time, Cheng Xue left Bianzhou, leaving only this child in the temple. Although they said they would come to pick her up, they were separated by thousands of miles, which was not easy.

  It's clear that they have abandoned Cheng Jiaoniang, and her days suddenly became difficult.

  In fact, Cheng's family had abandoned this child long ago.

  A moment of silence in the room.

  "Half a lifetime, it's hard for you to serve me all these years." The girl said slowly.

  Ban Jin shook her head.

  "Ban Jin's life was saved by Old Madam, and Ban Jin had promised to serve her daughter for the rest of her life," she said.

  Since Madame Chiang's mother died, her grandmother knew that the people of the Chiang family were unreliable, the masters were unreliable, and the servants would not be diligent. So she specially gave two maidservants to attend to Madame Chiang, one older and one younger. The older woman died a year ago, leaving only Panqin alone now.

  The girl looked at her and moved the corner of her mouth, Ban Jin was already familiar with her expression, knowing that she was smiling at herself, she hurriedly smiled back, with tears still hanging in her eyes, looking very comical.

  It's so hard to even smile, the girl stretched out her hand to touch her face, as if this body wasn't hers. But anyway, nowadays she can walk steadily and speak, it's just that occasionally she still gets sick and loses consciousness, dislikes sunlight and likes shade and moisture, but overall her body is getting better and better.

  Jiangniang...

  Her hand slowly caressed her face, smooth skin...

  It's strange that I can feel so alienated from myself, but my mind still flashes back to some memories, fragmented memories of Cong Jianni, and some even stranger memories, such as being able to diagnose illnesses.