NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 72
On a winter day, exhaling forms a puff of white mist.
At the gate of the courtyard, one of the two trees sheds its leaves as the seasons change, now bare.
The other tree remains a deep green hue that looks chilly.
Jiang Mianmian, bundled in a thick padded jacket, adds more burden to her already awkward body.
Making her appear adorably plump and round like a ball.
At six months old, she mastered crawling, outright winning at the starting line ︿(￣︶￣)︿.
She used her time saved to... crawl.
Crawling helps develop an infant's vestibular-cerebellar coordination, a milestone in growth that lays a solid foundation for standing and walking later on.
One stride fast, every stride fast! (Roll on, champion Mianmian!)
Qin Luoxia noticed her daughter loved crawling but was obsessed with cleanliness. This child wouldn't touch a speck of dirt, refusing to grab anything unless she saw it cleaned.
She insisted on crawling on a mat, never on the bare ground.
Qin Luoxia wove a straw mat for her to crawl on.
While crawling, a black ant would often lead the way~~
The family had long noticed the ant's presence but assumed it was a guardian spirit since the hunchback was said to have been bitten to death by an ant.
Other households had snake or fox spirits, but for Mianmian, it was an ant~~
Jiang Mianmian would race the ant, always winning because the little black ant would wait for her to catch up.
The little white horse was also very fond of Mianmian. In her home, this horse didn't serve as transport - Father didn't ride it to work, and Jiang Feng didn't take it into town for fear it might be too showy and get stolen, with nowhere to park it.
So most of the time, the white horse just guarded the courtyard like a watchdog, standing by Mianmian.
It was easy to feed, enjoying wild chives and even tree leaves. It didn't eat much grain, which they couldn't afford anyway.
The world had grown more chaotic, with no word from those two young noblemen from the Capital City.
The milk goat was sold because Mother felt it was an insult that she lacked milk - she had plenty and it would be a waste. The household also couldn't support two large livestock, so it was sold for money.
Jiang Mianmian worked hard at crawling with encouragement from the white horse.
With such a magnificent white steed before her, she dreamed of riding it too.
She imagined growing up to ride a sleek white Ferrari, making a stylish entrance.
Though just an infant, Jiang Mianmian's days were busy.
Eating, drinking, relieving herself, and sleeping took up much of her time.
While awake, she crawled to exercise and entertained her family with antics...keeping everyone amused.
From news Father and Brother brought from outside, it seemed famine, banditry, and war plagued the land.
After the summer drought came the winter freeze, an exceptionally cold one this year.
Jiang Mianmian had no personal experience of this.
Her family was better off.
At least they could eat their fill, though their clothes were still patched. But everyone had a padded jacket, and they'd replaced their straw sandals with cloth shoes that had soles.
Though their clothes didn't look like much, the family's complexions were healthy.
The village gossipers with jealous eyes accused them of sucking the horse's blood, that one family couldn't be supported by a single horse - they must all be "horse leeches."
In reality, Jiang Mianmian felt the gifts from those two Capital City nobles contributed, but no family could rely solely on two gifts. Their current situation was mainly due to the family's own hard work.
Mother brought home game more frequently.
Father earned more silver. (Jiang Mianmian didn't know how Father managed it; he didn't say, and Mother didn't ask.)
Her elder brother seemed to have found his stride, bringing home all sorts of odds and ends.
Her elder sister had developed a knack for foraging in the mountains, always returning with delicacies.
The mushrooms Sister dug up smelled so fragrant, even though Jiang Mianmian felt she might wet herself, that aroma made her drool three pounds' worth.
Yet Sister never had an issue eating them.
Once those mushrooms were so vividly colored, more vibrant than Sister's embroidered slippers by her bedside. Yet Sister boiled and gobbled them down, treating herself to extra portions. Aside from a couple of trips to the outhouse, she was perfectly fine.
But the mountain hen Mother had caught and brought home to raise died from poisoning~~
Because Sister had used that same pot to serve the hen's food.
Jiang Mianmian got a terrible fright.
She dared not casually touch Sister's food ever again~~~
Sister earned a beating from Mother.
A real beating.
Jiang Mianmian watched with trepidation in her heart.
Thankfully, to this day, she had never been struck by Mother.
Qin Luoxia felt her youngest daughter's cleanliness fixation was exactly like her father's.
Mother, who readily wielded an axe at the elder siblings, was most patient with the baby Mianmian.
On this day, Mother didn't venture into the mountains.
In winter there was little game, or the animals hid deeper.
She couldn't catch too many, leaving some for food next year.
The family was rationing their dried meat, enough to last this winter.
Qin Luoxia sat on the straw mat doing needlework.
Beside her was a brazier with a small fire going to keep the outdoor area warm,
since Mianmian preferred being outside.
This child was easy to care for, never fussy or crying, but insistent about certain things - cleanliness and sunlight.
She disliked the dark, dingy house interior, only willing to stay indoors for sleep.
Jiang Mianmian crawled over, struggling to sit before Mother to watch her needlework.
Mother's stitching was remarkably fine, surprising for someone Jiang Mianmian often saw wielding an axe.
She pointed at the right side of her own clothes, wanting Mother to sew her a pocket.
"Mama, mama, pocket," Jiang Mianmian said. She no longer drooled easily, and though her speech wasn't clear, she could express herself.
She simply didn't understand where people kept their belongings, thinking it convenient to have pockets sewn into her clothes to put her hands in or carry her little friend the black ant.
Qin Luoxia was patching clothes for her eldest son Feng, whose garments tore quickly from sword practice and needed constant mending.
Seeing her plump little daughter sitting before her, fat little hands with dimpled fingerprints outstretched, she felt utterly endeared.
The baby girl was a miniature version of her husband, but even rounder and fairer, melting her heart at the sight.
Unable to resist, she set aside her work to plant a kiss on those sweet lips, then asked, "Does my little treasure want me to sew pockets on her clothes?"
Jiang Mianmian nodded her round little head seriously.
Qin Luoxia laughed again.
The more she looked, the more delighted she felt.
"I'll sew them right away," she said.
Seeing the sun was quite bright and the brazier nearby kept them warm, she removed Mianmian's outer garment.
Jiang Mianmian cooperatively extended her arms.
Qin Luoxia laughed once more.
Her round face now had dimples on both cheeks.
Perhaps it was from recovering after childbirth - her features weren't as swollen or chubby as when Jiang Mianmian first saw her, making her look lovelier.
Jiang Mianmian felt her mother exuded an innate maternal beauty; just being near her made her feel at ease.
Qin Luoxia found two scraps of fabric and sewed them on where Mianmian had pointed, like patching holes. But she left the tops open instead of sealing them shut, creating makeshift pockets that could indeed hold small items quite conveniently.
As Jiang Mianmian sat waiting for Mother to finish, her elder sister Jiang Yu returned and joined them by the brazier.
Out of habit, she scooped up her little sister and cradled her.
Jiang Mianmian leaned against her sister's chest, sensing that her tiny "bread buns" seemed to have developed a bit~~
Soft to the touch.
"Mother, Achui is really getting married. You told me to take her a cloth, so I did, but it felt so underwhelming giving it. Why would a girl want to get married? She'd be freer staying at home," Jiang Yu said wistfully.
She was a year younger than Qin Luoxia. Qin Luoxia was already of marriageable age, so she was probably not far behind.
But the thought of that terrified her. Life at home was so good; at home, she would always remain a maiden.
Qin Luoxia tapped Jiang Mianmian's head lightly. "What nonsense are you thinking about? When you eventually meet your destined gentleman, not even he could stop you from getting married."
Jiang Yu said with certainty, "That won't happen. Living with others can never be as comfortable as living at home, eating whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want."
"Mom, what are you doing?" Jiang Yu asked curiously as she watched her mother sewing something.
Jiang Mianmian thought to herself, "Hmph, my sister will soon know about my innovative reform. Perhaps it will start a trend, and everyone's clothes will have pockets in the front."
"Your sister's arms are short, so I'm sewing a couple of pockets on the front of her clothes for her to put things in," Qin Luoxia said tenderly.
Jiang Mianmian: ...o(╥﹏╥)o
When Jiang Yu saw the pockets, her eyes lit up. "How convenient for carrying snacks!"
"Mom, Mom, sew a couple for me too, no, six of them," said Jiang Yu, thinking she could use them to separate different snacks.
Jiang Mianmian: ...o(╯□╰)o
"Are you silly? Your sister is just a child, so a couple of pockets are fine. But you're a grown maiden. What would it look like with all those pockets? So foolish! Who puts things in outside pockets? What if someone saw it and asked for it? Would you give it to them?" Qin Luoxia scolded her. Jiang Mianmian: ...
Ah, let me just play cute. The great invention of the time-traveler has failed for the first time.
The whole afternoon was spent idling by her sister and mother.
The weather was cold.
But their company was warm.