Chapter 32
Little Ginseng didn't quite understand what praying for blessings meant.
But she always listened to Liu Shi, so she nodded directly: "Alright, I'll go."
Nanny Liu didn't disturb them further, bowed respectfully, and left.
Only then did Ye Jiao think to pull Qi Yun and ask: "Husband, what does praying for blessings mean?"
Qi Yun held Ye Jiao's fingertips and said slowly: "Every year before New Year, Mother goes to the temple to make a wish, sometimes even asking the temple monks to give sermons, hoping for family harmony and good fortune in the coming year. She also donates some incense money. You don't need to worry about this, Mother will tell you what to do."
But listening to this, Ye Jiao didn't catch most of it, only hearing one word.
Monks.
This wasn't the first time Ye Jiao had heard this word. Originally she had been buried deep in the mountains, knowing nothing about the outside world. Much of her knowledge came from the little fox, including this word.
The little fox had said that when encountering bald people, one must take a detour. Those people disliked demons the most. Any creature that had become a spirit, whether good or bad, would get beaten up if they encountered them.
At the time, the little fox had encountered a wandering great monk and, without a word, they had started fighting. She had recuperated at Little Ginseng's place for a long time before recovering.
Now hearing she would meet monks, Ye Jiao immediately widened her eyes and instinctively said: "I'm not going!"
This was the first time Ye Jiao had shown such resistance, startling Qi Yun.
Without asking for reasons, the man immediately pulled Ye Jiao tightly into his arms, stroking her hair comfortingly: "If you don't want to go, we won't go. It's no problem."
Ye Jiao gripped Qi Yun's fur coat tightly, burying her whole self in the man's embrace.
When Qi Yun's cool fingertips touched her cheek, Ye Jiao suddenly realized that she was no longer a ginseng spirit.
She was human, completely human, with no magic and no demonic aura.
Previously the little fox had nearly lost her life because the great monk hated demons, but Ye Jiao wasn't a demon now. Surely nothing would happen to her...
Her tense body gradually softened. Ye Jiao nuzzled in Qi Yun's arms and muttered: "Does Mother really like going?"
Qi Yun still held her body, making his voice even gentler: "Mother didn't believe before, but later when my health got worse and worse, she started worshipping Buddha. She's persisted for nearly ten years now, going every year."
Ye Jiao's fingertips moved, and she looked up at him: "Is it... really effective?"
Qi Yun smiled and lowered his head to touch the woman's hair with his forehead: "These things are hard to say. Belief makes it real, disbelief makes it false. Sincerity brings results."
Ye Jiao still couldn't fully understand what praying for blessings meant, but after hearing Qi Yun's words, her thoughts stirred.
She had once been a ginseng spirit, which naturally represented that all things had spirits. But from the day Little Ginseng gained consciousness until she became human, in a thousand years she had never seen any ghosts or gods besides other spirits.
Whether there really were immortals and Buddhas, Little Ginseng didn't know, but what if there were?
She was human now, so she didn't need to fear those great monks. Going with her mother-in-law once shouldn't be a problem.
Since she had become human, she should be a proper human.
Ye Jiao comforted herself mentally, then softly said to Qi Yun: "I want to go tomorrow."
Qi Yun didn't know what Ye Jiao had been thinking in that short time, and showed no impatience with his wife's wavering. Instead, he curved his lips: "Don't worry. Little Su will accompany you. If you get bored, you can come back with her. Elder Sister-in-law always returns home early, so Mother won't mind."
Ye Jiao nodded obediently.
Then Qi Yun thought about the incense money: "Is there no money left in the box at all?"
Ye Jiao replied softly: "There's still about seven or eight qian left, saved to reward Little Su and Tie Zi at year-end."
"Take it with you for now. Soon the shop's money will all come in, and your little box will be filled." Qi Yun spoke while smiling, pulling her closer into his arms.
But this time her hand touched something the man had in his chest, something long and narrow. Ye Jiao couldn't help squeezing it: "This thing feels quite sharp. Husband, don't keep carrying it around. What if you poke yourself?"
Hearing this, Qi Yun remembered he had brought a gift back today. The earlier conversation hadn't been suitable for giving it, but now the atmosphere was just right. Qi Yun took out the jade hairpin: "For you."
Ye Jiao had been studying hair accessories these days and recognized all the pearl hairpins and ornaments in her box. She could tell at a glance this was a hairpin.
But Ye Jiao's hands were tucked inside the man's fur coat keeping warm, and she really didn't want to take them out. She just lowered her head slightly and leaned closer to Qi Yun: "Help me put it on."
Qi Yun had never put a hairpin on anyone, but he didn't want to refuse Ye Jiao. He could only carefully insert the jade hairpin into her hair, afraid of touching his wife's skin.
After inserting it, Ye Jiao raised her head again, smiling: "Does it look good?" But before Qi Yun could answer, Ye Jiao gave the answer herself: "Of course I look good wearing it."
Qi Yun's face broke into a smile as he nodded emphatically: "Of course. Jiao Niang is naturally beautiful, so naturally everything looks good on you."
Ye Jiao was delighted by the praise. She liked praising others and also liked being praised.
Happily pulling Qi Yun to continue strolling by the flower beds planted with medicinal flowers, leaning on each other, they looked very loving from afar.
Early the next morning, the courtyard became lively.
With New Year approaching, every household had a busy period during New Year preparations. They needed to clean rooms and paste new window paper, prepare the year-end banquets, especially families like the Qi family with many tenants, who had to prepare quite a lot every New Year, creating quite a festive atmosphere.
When the sky was just getting light, Little Su and Tie Zi were already bustling about in the courtyard. Though they tried to keep their voices down, it was still noisier than usual.
But Ye Jiao didn't want to open her eyes. She turned over and burrowed into Qi Yun's arms.
Since discovering last time that Qi Yun wouldn't develop a fever even when they slept embracing each other, Ye Jiao liked sleeping close to this man.
She ran warm, he ran cold, so they were perfectly suited when together.
Little Ginseng yawned, eyes tightly closed, voice mumbling: "Husband, what hour is it?"
Qi Yun tucked the blanket around her: "Three quarters past the hour of mao."
Very early.
Usually when there was nothing to do in the morning, Ye Jiao wouldn't get up this early. She still wanted to sleep, but soon seemed to remember something and opened her eyes.
Qi Yun patted her gently: "Sleep a bit more."
But Ye Jiao exhaled, sat up from under the blanket, rubbed her eyes, and stretched. Turning around, she reached for her clothes while saying: "Yesterday I promised to accompany Mother out. It wouldn't be good to be late."
But before Ye Jiao could touch her clothes, she felt Qi Yun watching her with particularly focused eyes.
Previously when Qi Yun's health was poor, he had insomnia and slept lightly. Even when asleep, he felt tired, so he always slept until mid-morning. By the time he woke up, Ye Jiao had already risen early.
Later when Qi Yun slept soundly, he woke earlier than Ye Jiao, often rising to check accounts and read while Ye Jiao was still in sweet dreams.
Calculating carefully, today was the first time Ye Jiao had gotten up earlier than Qi Yun since they began sharing a bed.
What Ye Jiao hadn't noticed was that her sleeping gown's ties had come loose, revealing the delicate patterns on her undergarment, making Qi Yun's ears flush red again.
Ye Jiao sensed Qi Yun's gaze but didn't quite understand what he was looking at.
Looking down at herself, then at Qi Yun, Ye Jiao's soft hand suddenly grabbed Qi Yun's collar and gently pulled it open.
Qi Yun: ......
The man looked at Ye Jiao with complete bewilderment, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.
Ye Jiao tilted her head slightly, her face showing a pure, clear smile: "Husband, you're quite fair too. What are you looking at me for?" Then Ye Jiao took Qi Yun's clothes as well, stuffed them under the blanket, and said: "Keep them warm in here, so they won't be cold when you put them on." After saying this, Ye Jiao nimbly wrapped herself in her jacket and stepped over Qi Yun to get out of bed.
Until Ye Jiao lowered the bed curtains, Qi Yun still hadn't recovered.
Had he just... been complimented by his wife?
But why didn't it make him happy...
When Second Young Master Qi was slowly taking off his sleeping clothes to change, he suddenly saw the bed curtain being pulled open again.
The room already had the charcoal brazier lit, warming the room. When the curtain opened, he could feel waves of warmth.
Perhaps because Ye Jiao's eyes were so clear, Qi Yun didn't even think to cover himself with clothes.
Little Ginseng didn't mind Qi Yun's bare arms at all, reaching out to poke him: "Remember to help me draw my eyebrows when you get up." After saying this, she poked Qi Yun's shoulder twice more, smiling as she said: "Husband, your body isn't as thin as before. That's wonderful." Then she went to wash up, leaving Qi Yun sitting on the bed deep in thought.
Qi Yun had been helping Ye Jiao draw her eyebrows these days, and the man had practiced into quite skilled at eyebrow drawing. He drew two distant mountain eyebrows especially beautifully.
When Ye Jiao met with Liu Shi, Liu Shi looked and praised her: "Jiao Niang's eyebrows are drawn more and more beautifully."
Ye Jiao didn't take credit, directly saying: "My husband drew them."
Upon hearing this, not only did Liu Shi laugh, but Fang Shi beside her also smiled.
She seemed to have emerged from the shadow of the thirty strings, her round face smiling until her eyes nearly closed: "Younger Sister-in-law is so blessed. Now Second Brother's health is getting better and better, and you two are in perfect harmony. This couldn't be better."
Ye Jiao blinked and answered honestly: "My husband is very good to me."
This one sentence made Liu Shi and Fang Shi exchange smiles.
This smile seemed familiar to Ye Jiao. It seemed like Dong Shi had often looked at her and Qi Yun with this same smile...
Today because they were going to the temple, where incense burned vigorously, children might not be able to stand the smell, so Fang Shi hadn't planned to bring Little Shi Tou.
There was a temple in town, but Liu Shi was devout and always went to a temple in the mountains. From the Qi family, they had to pass through town and walk nearly another hour to reach it.
This time they didn't take an ox cart but switched to a horse carriage.
Ox carts were excellent for country roads, slow and steady, but this journey was mostly on main roads. The horse carriage was more spacious and faster than ox carts.
Ye Jiao didn't care what they rode, as long as there was food and drink, she was happy.
Liu Shi was also generous, bringing a full basket of sesame balls, but only Ye Jiao was eating. Though Fang Shi was envious, she touched the soft flesh on her arms and still didn't reach out.
The journey went smoothly, just far. When they reached the temple, the sun was already high.
Ye Jiao had originally stopped worrying much about being caught by monks, but understanding something rationally was one thing. Actually reaching the temple grounds still made her heart race.
Her fingers clasped together inside her cloak as Ye Jiao followed behind Liu Shi and Fang Shi, slowly walking forward.
When about to cross the threshold, Ye Jiao took a deep breath and held it.
She lifted one leg and set it down.
Lifted the other leg and set it down.
After Little Ginseng safely crossed the threshold and found nothing unusual about herself, her face broke into a smile.
Being human was wonderful.
At this moment, a richly dressed middle-aged woman hurried forward, smiling before speaking: "Third Lady, you arrived quite late compared to previous years. Were you too busy with matters to get away?"
Ye Jiao was immediately surprised to discover that her always gentle and easygoing mother-in-law suddenly straightened up. Though still smiling, that smile was different from usual.
Where exactly it was different, Ye Jiao couldn't say, but she felt an inexplicable sense of liveliness.
Then she heard Liu Shi say: "Though there are many household matters, having two daughters-in-law to help makes things quite manageable." As she spoke, Liu Shi looked at Fang Shi and Ye Jiao.
Ye Jiao instinctively looked toward Fang Shi. Seeing Fang Shi smile and say "This is a daughter-in-law's proper duty," Ye Jiao wanted to follow with something similar.
But just now Ye Jiao had been overly cautious, crossing the threshold too slowly, and now she had fallen behind them, not looking like she had come together with them.
Liu Shi gestured with her eyes for Ye Jiao to walk slowly, no need to hurry, then continued walking and talking with that woman.
Ye Jiao pulled Little Su and asked quietly: "Who is that person?"
Little Su, being just a tenant's child, only knew some minor details about the master's affairs, not much more.
It was Fang Shi who seemed to deliberately avoid Liu Shi and that woman, slowing her steps. Hearing Ye Jiao's question, she used her handkerchief to cover her mouth and likewise lowered her voice: "That person is surnamed Zhang. She seems to have known our mother since they were young, but she always likes to compete with Mother, year after year. We don't need to get involved, just listen to Mother."
Before Ye Jiao could think further, she saw Madam Zhang suddenly turn around, smiling as she asked: "I wonder where your second daughter-in-law is? I heard she's a farmer's child. What's this, Third Lady, are you reluctant to bring her out?"