Chapter 10 Meeting You Again in the Rainy Season, I'll Lend You an Umbrella
The carriage rolled across the bluestone road and stopped at the gate of the Shen residence. Two maids stepped forward with smiles: "Miss Ming, you've finally arrived. The old lady was just talking about you."
When Mingying first came to the Shen family, she was worried that she would not be used to the Shen family. So Shen Yichuan carefully introduced her to the things in the mansion: "There are not many people in the mansion, and there are few rules. Just treat it as your own home. Father is supervising the repair of the river defense. He has not returned day and night. Before he left, he asked me to take good care of you. After the work is completed, he will personally host a family banquet to welcome you back."
Mingying smiled and agreed, passing through layers of flying eaves and painted beams, looking around curiously. Light filtered through the windows, casting shadows on the ground, and the courtyard's winding corridors connected east and west; green bamboo leaned against the wall, its sparse shadows swaying.
The main hall was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood. In the center of the hall sat an elderly woman with silver hair. As soon as Mingying entered, she stepped forward and embraced her, stroking her hair and examining her closely: "So beautiful, let your grandmother take a good look at you."
Mingying raised her head and called out to her grandmother with a smile.
Wu Ling stood by her side. The last time she saw this niece was ten years ago. Her pale face lay on the bed, as if she would soon leave this world. Now, seeing her like a lotus in bloom, with bright eyes and white teeth, lively and intelligent, and radiant, Wu Ling felt much relieved. She gently reminded her, "Madam, please sit down and talk. Miss Ming has traveled a long way and should rest first."
Mingying turned her head and smiled at her: "Hello, Aunt."
The old lady pulled Mingying's hand and made her sit down close to her. She then took Mingying's pulse and said, "Your mother sent a letter and then stopped caring. I've been on tenterhooks these past few days. I'm so glad you've come today."
Shen Yichuan, who was standing with his hands behind his back, smiled and said, "Manman was thinking of giving you a surprise. The sunset glow guides the way, and birds fly back to their nests. Everyone in the Shen family knows you're coming."
Mingying touched her nose sheepishly and changed the subject, recounting her experiences from the past few days.
The old lady held her hand, a sharp glint in her eyes: "I know about this. Now that you're home, just settle in. The Shen family has its share of cultivators, and you won't have to get involved in anything big."
Speaking of cultivators, Mingying asked again, "What about Cousin Zhiyi? I haven't received any letters from her since last year. Is she still away and hasn't returned?"
Wu Ling shook his head helplessly: "It's kind of you to still think about her. She only said she was going to travel around, and I don't know where she is now. She only sends letters home occasionally, so you probably won't see her again."
Mingying responded with some regret, then moved closer to the old lady and said, "Grandmother, I have another request to make."
Shen Yichuan glanced at her in surprise, then took his leave with his mother and the old lady. The old lady had some suspicions in her mind. After listening to Mingying's explanation of her idea of taking the Heavenly Fire to burn the marriage certificate, she scolded her, "This is simply nonsense."
Mingying chuckled and shook the old lady's arm: "Grandmother, you certainly wouldn't want me to marry into the Xiao family, would you?"
The old lady was both amused and annoyed: "You know now? With your grandmother as your backer, you can do whatever you want in the Xiao family."
"Why would I act arrogantly in the Xiao family? Even the heir of the Marquis's mansion doesn't want to stay in the Xiao family, and they are all elders. I can't keep contradicting them every day. If we all get angry with each other to death, that would be too miserable."
"You, you've said anything to avoid marriage, and you're even contradicting the Immortal Venerable."
"The Immortal Venerable has important matters to attend to, so why would he care about such a trivial matter?"
The old lady patted her head and sighed, "You have no idea why this marriage was arranged back then."
Mingying blinked: "Why? Isn't it because the Emperor is dissatisfied with the loss of power and the fact that cultivators are subservient to aristocratic families, so he wants to target the aristocratic families first in the court? Originally, the four major aristocratic families rarely interacted, but in order to break the deadlock, they chose to form marriage alliances. First, the Xiao and Jin families formed a marriage alliance, then the Ming and Shen families formed a marriage alliance, and now it's my turn with Xiao Jingze."
Seeing that the old lady didn't speak, Mingying continued to pester him: "Grandmother, no matter why it was arranged in the first place, you didn't expect that I wouldn't live past thirty. What's the point of continuing such an engagement?"
The old lady glanced at her disapprovingly: "With Grandmother around, why would Manman only live to be thirty?"
Mingying rested her head on her knees and pouted, "In short, I don't like Xiao Jingze, and I don't like marriage. Xiao Jingze thinks the same way I do. What kind of era are we living in? Please consider the thoughts of us younger generation!"
The old lady was both amused and exasperated by her teasing: "Even if Grandmother agrees to you now, the Shen family has other uses for the Heavenly Fire, and it's not something you can just take away whenever you want."
Mingying looked up and smiled, "It's good that Grandmother agreed. I just wanted to come out and see the world, so I'll just keep bothering Grandmother at the Shen family's house."
The old lady tapped her nose: "You little rascal, you always have such a smooth tongue. You've never been to Huaijiang before, so have your cousin take you around a lot these next few days."
"Isn't my cousin preparing for the imperial examinations? I can do it myself."
"Don't worry about his mind. Grandmother even thinks he's too bored at home. No matter what he does, he should go out and see more of the world. His two siblings are just too quiet. Your arrival will liven things up."
The old lady was skilled in both medicine and physical cultivation. Even in her youth, she wasn't a quiet and docile person. Mingying's personality suited her, and her health was frail, so over the years she had favored this granddaughter more. The two talked for a while, then the maid knocked on the door to remind the old lady to rest on time. The grandmother and granddaughter were reluctant to part for a moment.
Wu Ling found it amusing. The old lady was always a woman of her word, but in front of Miss Ming, she was all for it. She could go to the fields and plant herbs. If you didn't know she was a noble lady, you would think she grew up in the village.
This Miss Ming was also very good at flattery, and a few words made the old lady very happy. She led Mingying to the room she arranged. Mingying smiled and praised her for being young and for managing the Shen family well. She also asked her where the medicine was prepared and what she would eat tomorrow. Wu Ling answered her questions with a smile. No wonder the old lady cared about this granddaughter. Who wouldn't like such a person?
Mingying and Shen Zhiyi's rooms were separated by only one wall, and both rooms had the same layout. They had been cleaned and decorated a few days ago. Two freehand landscape paintings hung on the east and west walls respectively. Behind the screen was a four-poster bed with a blue gauze curtain, and under the window was a pear wood desk with a plain porcelain vase on it, in which two newly blooming white magnolias were placed diagonally. Wu Ling did not know her niece's preferences, so when she left, she simply told her to tell the maid what she needed.
Mingying smiled and agreed, then curiously wandered around the room. Shen Zhiyi was extremely talented in medicine, and there were many books in the room. Mingying chose one and opened it; sure enough, it was a storybook covered in a medical book cover. She excitedly lay down on the bed to read, but after flipping through the pages, she became sleepy. Hugging her pillow, she yawned. She remembered that her grandmother had said the seeds she sent had also yielded results, and she should go see them tomorrow.
Mingying went to bed early and got up early. When Fuling came in with a basin of water, she was startled to see the girl sitting in front of the mirror. She quickly took the comb and styled Mingying's hair into a fairy bun.
Mingying touched her hair in front of the mirror, feeling a little uncomfortable. In the Ming family, she had to do these things herself. The only person in her family who had been with her since childhood was Aunt Bai, and her mother would only ask Aunt Bai to comb her hair during festivals.
The customs and habits of different aristocratic families are different; the Shen family doesn't even eat together. Mingying idly ate the meatless dishes in her room, thinking that next time she must get her grandmother to agree to let her go and keep her company, so that she could at least smell the meat.
After elegantly finishing his breakfast in the west courtyard, Shen Yichuan, remembering his grandmother's instructions, decided to take his younger sister, who had come from afar, out for a stroll. He asked the servant, "Has Miss Ming gotten up yet?"
"Miss Ming left home early this morning."
As the sun rose and the morning breeze ruffled his robes, Shen Yichuan paused in his steps as he stepped out the door, then chuckled to himself.
Ming Yingli jumped off the carriage, her cloth boots sinking into the soft mud. She raised her hand and gently lifted the thin veil hanging from her hat, her gaze falling directly on the experimental field divided into neat squares by irrigation ditches.
Low-lying clouds swirled in the sky, and the new green shoots in the paddy fields were delightful. Mingying followed behind Uncle Xu. However, some of the rice seedlings in the paddy fields in the east district had leaves that were unnaturally pale yellow. Uncle Xu had a worried look on his face: "These green rice seedlings have been turning yellow for several days. I followed the girl's advice and watered them with shallow water, but it didn't help. I'm afraid there's something wrong with the roots."
This "Qingyu" is a rice variety she bred that is suitable for the climate of the Huai River region, and it had a bountiful harvest last year. Mingying did not respond immediately. She squatted down and carefully pulled up a yellowish seedling. She rubbed the mud between her fingertips to reveal the slightly brownish roots for a closer look.
"Uncle Xu, send someone to check if the water source at the entrance of the irrigation canal is clean. These diseased seedlings and the mud under their roots should be sent back to the seedling inspection area for inspection first."
After Xu Bo acknowledged and left, Mingying observed for a while longer, then looked up at the sky. The wind rustled the rice leaves, and the gauze curtains danced in the air. She had come at an inopportune time; it seemed like it was going to rain.
The smell of earth in the air was even stronger, and all that could be heard was a soft rustling sound. Mingying, holding her hat, ran to the tree to take shelter from the rain. Dark water stains appeared on her robes. She reached out and wiped the water droplets that fell on her face. She tilted her head and looked at the carriage in the distance. Should she run over there now?
After hesitating for only a moment, a sneer suddenly came from above her head. Mingying looked up in surprise and looked around. That disdainful whisper was all too familiar. Had she encountered a ghost in broad daylight?
Xiao Jingze leaned against a branch, his hair loosely tied back, wearing a gold-embroidered brocade robe that clashed terribly with the surroundings. One leg was casually bent, his elbow resting on his knee, and he held a gourd-shaped wine pot. The leaves cast shadows on his face, and not a drop of rain fell on him, clearly indicating that he had used an isolation spell.
He lazily lifted his eyelids, admiring the other person's disheveled appearance, and slightly curled his lips: "Does Miss Ming have some special hobby, liking to run around in the fields on rainy days?"
Mingying blinked, and leaves swirled down onto her veil. She reached out and grabbed the fluttering curtain: "What special hobby does Prince Xiao have that he likes to drink in the trees on rainy days?"
Xiao Jingze didn't speak. Raindrops fell through the gaps in the leaves, landing on the tip of her nose. Mingying lowered her head and wiped it. Xiao Jingze rested his chin on his hand and looked at her. Her hair, hanging wetly from her veil, made her look like a fallen goddess.
Mingying sneezed, touching her nose, and asked in a muffled voice, "Why is Young Master Xiao here? Weren't you going back to Lanling?"
Xiao Jingze chuckled and swung off the chain from his wrist. The golden bell at the end jingled and swayed in the air. Mingying looked curiously at the small bell hanging in front of her eyes: "What's this?"
Xiao Jingze said lazily, "I'll lend you an umbrella."
Mingying reached out and grasped the bell. Fine golden light spilled from between her fingers and transformed into an umbrella handle. As it swirled, the umbrella opened to shield her from the falling raindrops.
Mingying's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Young Master Xiao, you came all this way just to borrow my umbrella?"
Xiao Jingze landed lightly and met her gaze: "Naturally, it's about the marriage certificate. Now that we've obtained the Heavenly Fire, let's burn the marriage certificate."
Mingying moved the umbrella closer to him and asked in confusion, "I didn't borrow any heavenly fire, why is Prince Xiao so certain?"
Xiao Jingze raised his eyebrows, and Mingying explained earnestly, "I asked my grandmother as soon as I saw her, but she said the Shen family had other uses for it and asked me to wait a few more days—Does Young Master Xiao really trust my abilities so much that he came all the way from Lanling?"
Xiao Jingze tapped the ring on his finger: "You gave the Purple Cloud Chariot to the Shen family to use?"
Mingying nodded: "I showed it to my cousin when I came, but what does it have to do with heavenly fire?"
Xiao Jingze gave her a half-smile: "Qianji Yin sensed the aura of Heavenly Fire."
A note from the author:
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As I was writing, it suddenly occurred to me that Mingying usually gets up very early, while Xiao Jingze likes to stay up all night, so they always seem to run into each other at strange times.
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