Chapter One: Slow Down

  Jiang Nang was awakened from her dream.

  She hasn't been dreaming for a long time, and as soon as she closes her eyes, she doesn't know anything until she opens them again.

  Perhaps because she didn't know who she was, even her dreams didn't know what to do anymore.

  She stood in a sea of darkness, seemingly with nowhere to go and no way to escape, surrounded by increasingly scorching heat, as the massive fire raged across the sky.

  She woke up with a start like this.

  It's strange, there is no fear, only a heart full of desolation.

  Jiang Niang placed her hand on her chest, and her heart was almost frozen still.

  Such a big fire with no way to escape, death is inevitable, so it's not even necessary to be afraid anymore, only desolation remains?

  That shouldn't be desolate either.

  It was as if her heart had been dug out, and when this scene flashed before her eyes again, her heartbeat really stopped for a moment.

  "Daughter?"

  A soft inquiry from a woman came from outside the curtain, followed by it being pulled open, revealing a 16 or 17-year-old maid with curved eyebrows like a crescent moon, who smiled silently.

  Jiang Niang's heartbeat recovered, and her expression returned to normal.

  "Miss, did you have a nightmare?" The maid asked softly as she knelt down beside her.

  The indoor morning light was dim, and Cheng Jiaoniang took a look outside, but the east was still dark.

  "It doesn't matter," she said. "Bàn qín, I'm getting up."

  The maid answered and went to roll up the curtain, while on this side, Jingniang herself entered the inner chamber.

  The maid came over to light the lamp in the bright room and warmed up a cup of water on the small brick stove, doing all this without looking towards the clean house.

  At first, the young girl had instructed herself that this daughter-in-law, due to her physical condition and inconvenience in movement, should be carefully attended to. Unexpectedly, since she came these few days, getting dressed, washing up, combing hair, even cooking meals, none of it was let her do, all done by that daughter-in-law alone.

  This is where it's like having an illness, except for not loving to speak.

  However, there is one thing that girl said was right. This woman loves to give her maids names like Ban Qin (Half Celery).

  She arrived at the Cheng's first, then followed a Taoist nun with the surname Sun to get here. That Taoist nun surnamed Sun was also someone she got to know later, who turned out to be the abbess of Xuanmiao Temple down the mountain and had a very good relationship with the Chengs.

  Cheng's daughter was raised in the Taiping Palace and was often taken care of by the Taoist nuns from the Xuanmiao Temple.

  She followed Sun Guanzhong and came before this woman, who looked her up and down for a moment, then asked as her first question: "Do you have a name?"

  But all men, whether noble or humble, have distinctive names; how can it be that there are those who have no name?

  This woman is indeed ill and asks such foolish questions.

  The maid had already been instructed and knew how to respond.

  "I originally had a name, but it was one that Mistress didn't know. So, I might as well not have had a name," she said.

  The girl in front of her, who looked a bit dull, curved the corners of her mouth.

  "Then I'll give you a name, Half Cabbage. How's that?" she asked.

  The door of the clean room opened and interrupted the maid's daydream. She quickly got up and took down a thick satin outer garment from the clothes rack to put on Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Jiangniang sat down and took the water handed over by the maid, slowly drinking half a cup.

  "Miss, would you like to read a book or listen to one?" The maid asked, picking up a book from the side.

  "Listen." said Jingniang, as she leaned against the armrest and sat down properly.

  "Yes." The maid said, kneeling down and opening the book page towards the lamp.

  "...the oil money is only one hundred will, the alleys and streets are crowded, the doors are hung with lanterns, from Longshan in the south to Beixinqiao in the north, forty miles of lights without interruption. Inside and outside the city, there are millions of households, front and back streets, even remote alleys, hanging lanterns or using jade screens, or silk gauze, or paper lanterns, or telling stories, you and I competing..."

  A soft female voice echoed in the room, and Cheng Jiaoniang leaned against the window frame, listening intently while drawing on the table with her fingers.

  "Slow down." She occasionally spoke out to interrupt the maid.

  The maid adjusted her pace and they continued like this until the east became bright.

  I have read this page seven or eight times already.

  Jiang Yao nodded slightly.

  "Alright, that's enough." She said, sitting up straight and rubbing her right hand.

  Fingers have been rubbed red, and perhaps it won't be long before a layer of callus is worn out.

  "Miss, do you want to comb your hair?" The maid saw that Miss Chang had picked up a nearby comb and hurried over to ask, "Let me do it."

  Jiang Nang has slowly combed her hair by herself.

  "It's not needed," she said.

  Whatever daughter says goes, just listen and don't ask too many questions.

  The maid thought of the previous servant girl's words, if it were just that servant girl who had instructed her, but even the old master had also given such instructions.

  Let this woman go her way; love her as you will.

  The old man attaches so much importance to this daughter-in-law, it's not just pity.

  The maid stood still, gazing at the woman sitting in front of the screen, slowly combing her hair. Her hair was well-groomed, dense and black as ink, never tied up, scattered and hanging down, spreading on the ground when she sat down, like a piece of brocade.

  The furnishings of the house were simple, and the woman's place of activity was only the clean room, bed, and desk. Basically, there was no need to tidy up, and there was only one book, which had already been placed properly. After washing the water cup and extinguishing the small brick stove, the maid sat in her original position, not knowing what to do next.

  "There were originally two maids, but their eight characters were not good, and they were not good for the mistress's health, so they were all sent back."

  When she met Sun Guanzhu at Cheng's house, she told herself like this.

  A Taoist nun criticized their eight characters as unlucky, and from then on, no one dared to use these two maids.

  The young lady came from the Zhang family, had read books and recognized characters, knew that light words in this world could also be compared to a knife that kills.

  What have these two girls done to offend this Taoist nun?

  But all these have nothing to do with her, what she needs to worry about is a sick daughter-in-law who lives alone outside, with only one maid serving her, isn't that going to exhaust herself to death?

  Unexpectedly idle and worried.

  It seems like she's useless except for reading books.

  Jiang Nang quickly finished combing her hair and stood up.

  "Let me cook, miss," said the maid hastily.

  Jiang Chao

  The girl saw her curve up the corners of her mouth.

  "I'll go," she said.

  The maid followed with a helpless and nervous expression, remembering the instructions and not daring to ask or block her way. Just as they reached the door, the woman said another sentence that completely shattered the maid's self-esteem.

  "Oh, you, what do you want to eat?" she asked.

  "Girl." The maid quickly took a few steps, "These things are what I should do, if you do it this way, how can I take care of myself? If I don't do anything, won't I be useless?"

  Jiangniang stopped in her tracks.

  "Yes." She seemed to think for a moment, smiled slightly, "The feeling of being useless is not good, okay, you come then."

  The maid let out a sigh of relief, feeling an overwhelming urge to cry tears of gratitude, finally able to get things done, what bliss.

  The sky was bright, and seven or eight riders appeared outside the gate of Jiangzhou City with two horse-drawn carriages.

  There were already two or three men and women waiting at the city gate, looking up with anticipation, and when they saw this group of people, they were overjoyed.

  "Director Cao." They hastily came over to greet him.

  A middle-aged man leading the way reined in his horse.

  "You've arrived," he said, turning his head to look at the man beside him. "Fourth Master, these are the people in charge of our family's annex in the Cheng family."

  This is Chen Shao's brother, Chen Jia Siye. Since Chen Shao cannot come in person, his younger brother has come to ask for a doctor on behalf of their father as a sign of respect.

  Chen Siye nodded and looked around the city with a hint of anxiety.

  "Let's go to Cheng's house quickly," he said, turning his head to look at his followers, "Are the gifts all ready?"

  The attendants responded in unison.

  "Wait a minute." Cao's manager hurriedly stopped him and said.

  Chen Siye frowned.

  "Zao is handling things, it's really slow and can't be helped. Li Taisheng said that we can only hold on for two more months. The round trip will take us over a month, if something unexpected happens again..." He said anxiously.

  "I know I know." Cao Guan said hastily, while comforting him and looking at the men and women, "Do you know where your wife is?"

  Several men and women looked at each other in dismay, they suddenly received a message from the servant this morning that someone had arrived at home, thinking it was their family who came to help them with their affairs, so they rushed over hastily, but unexpectedly, the one asking questions was the wife.

  Which daughter?

  Note 1: Excerpt from "The Prosperous Records of West Lake Old Man"