Chapter 32 The Childhood Betrothal of a Miao Girl (Part Two)
In the kitchen, Jiang Yiqing noticed Shui Mingsheng's distinctive clothes and the...
In the kitchen, Jiang Yiqing noticed Shui Mingsheng's distinctive clothes and the silver chain on his left middle finger, and said that she didn't need to wash the dishes; she could do it herself.
“How can that be?” Shui Mingsheng said. “You’re a girl who’s never lifted a finger, I can’t accept that.”
"Then what should we do?" Jiang Yiqing asked, puzzled. She didn't have to wash dishes at home; the maids did it for her.
Shui Mingsheng suggested, "I'll wash with my right hand; you can hold it for me."
Jiang Yiqing didn't think much of it. She used one hand to help Shui Mingsheng hold the bowl, and watched as Shui Mingsheng squeezed out some dish soap, washed it, rinsed it clean, and the plate became snow-white. Her hands were very nimble, and it was a pleasure to watch her wash the dishes.
How amazing! The dishes were washed quickly, and Jiang Yiqing became more and more curious about the world.
Shui Mingsheng applied some foam to Jiang Yiqing's hands. Jiang Yiqing rubbed her hands together, and seeing that Shui Mingsheng was having trouble washing her hands, she applied the foam to her right hand to help her wash them clean, and then rinsed them under the tap.
Her beautiful, neat fingertips had a faint pink tinge, and her hands were slender and jade-like. Shui Mingsheng couldn't help but tighten her grip on that hand.
Jiang Yiqing saw a hand towel hanging nearby with cute animal patterns that she couldn't understand. Hesitantly, she put Shui Mingsheng's hand on it, held her hand and wiped it clean, then dried her own hands as well.
Is that so? She thought to herself, feeling quite accomplished.
The two returned to the living room, and Jiang Xuerou's expression was unusually heavy when she saw her daughter.
"Yiqing, do you remember when I told you when we were little that you had a childhood betrothal?" She decided to get straight to the point.
"...?" An arranged marriage? Jiang Yiqing was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it, she realized that it probably meant marrying someone.
She felt as if everything was preordained, just as she was originally destined to marry into the general's mansion in place of her brother, Jiang Yiqing in this world also had a childhood betrothal.
Jiang Yiqing wasn't good at disobeying her parents and causing trouble for others, so she cautiously asked, "Are you getting engaged to someone?"
Upon hearing that there was hope, Shui Xi smiled even more kindly, pulled Jiang Yiqing to her side, held her hand, and said, "Yiqing, guess who you're engaged to?"
Shui Mingsheng, standing to the side, felt extremely embarrassed. She turned away, not daring to look at Jiang's mother or Jiang Yiqing, but she couldn't help glancing at them out of the corner of her eye. She then calmly picked up her water glass and took a sip.
"Who is it?" Jiang Yiqing asked softly.
Shui Xi looked at Shui Mingsheng and found that she was looking elsewhere. She was a little annoyed, so she pulled her hand over and held both of their hands in her own.
"It's Mingsheng, Yiqing. What do you think?"
Jiang Yiqing was a little puzzled, but her expression did not change significantly. Jiang Xuerou was also puzzled as to why her daughter was so accepting of it.
There are too many novel things in this world that Jiang Yiqing has never seen before, and according to her observations, gender equality may have led to changes in marriage concepts. Jiang Yiqing did not want to appear too strange and let others notice that something was wrong.
"What do you think, Sister Mingsheng?" Jiang Yiqing looked at Shui Mingsheng with a dependent gaze.
This was the first person she had ever met in this world whom she could trust, and the two were of similar age.
Shui Mingsheng hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Originally, she thought that if Aunt Jiang and Yi Qing didn't acknowledge her, she wouldn't get engaged or become a young mistress, because she didn't want to get engaged to just anyone. But unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and she couldn't help but take it more seriously. Looking at the girl's beautiful, delicate, and exquisite face, she said, "If Yi Qing is willing, I will treat you well."
One sentence made Jiang Yiqing's face turn bright red, like an apple.
Jiang Xuerou looked at them in surprise, and suddenly felt that she was the one with conservative ideas.
Shuixi then earnestly persuaded Jiang Yiqing: "Yiqing, don't worry. My daughter is single-minded. Once she puts her heart into you, she will definitely treat you well. In our Miao tradition, we are willing to take the love potion for the one we love and devote our hearts to one person for life. You don't have to worry about her changing her mind at all. Moreover, if you feel it's not right, you can cancel the engagement in two months. How about it? Yiqing, take advantage of this summer vacation to visit our Miao region and treat it as a trip."
Looking at her eager eyes and Shui Mingsheng's inexplicably expectant gaze, Jiang Yiqing couldn't find the words to refuse, so she nodded gently and said, "Okay."
Jiang Xuerou: ...My daughter just ran away with my best friend and her daughter like that?
"Shuixi, Shuixi, since you married into the Miao region, we haven't been in touch much. You always give me surprises when you contact me, right? I've heard that the Gu worms in the Miao region are most good at bewitching people. Don't lead my Yiqing into a trap."
Shuixi's eyes dimmed, and she said, "She's your daughter, how could I be?"
"..." Jiang Xuerou stopped talking and waved her hand. "Forget it. I was just worried about how to take care of this child during the summer vacation because I need to practice the piano. Yiqing, you can go on a trip with your aunt and Mingsheng for a while. If you don't want to stay, you can come back anytime."
Jiang Yiqing saw her mother's concern for her, so she didn't want to appear naive and immature in front of her, lest her mother realize that her daughter had been replaced and be heartbroken. Taking this opportunity, Jiang Yiqing wanted to learn about this world and fully integrate herself into it.
The group watched a TV series in the living room for a while. Jiang Yiqing was engrossed in the show when Jiang Xuerou turned it off and said, "This child, why is she still watching TV like this, just like she did ten years ago? Go and get some rest. Don't you always complain that staying up late will give you dark circles under your eyes?"
Jiang Yiqing's emotions were still fluctuating with the plot on TV. She had never seen such a drama before, and it was truly amazing!
She said reluctantly, "Mom, I understand."
"I'm too lazy to make the bed. Let Mingsheng sleep in your room tonight," Jiang Xuerou said, slipping on her slippers and leaving.
Shui Mingsheng followed Jiang Yiqing somewhat awkwardly and said, "Yiqing, if you don't want to share a bedroom with someone, just tell me. I can make do in the guest room for the night."
Jiang Yiqing thought to herself, this bedroom originally belonged to Jiang Yiqing, and it's not hers anymore, so she said, "I don't mind."
Jiang Yiqing thought to herself, "I hope she doesn't mind."
"Yiqing, go take a shower first, and I'll shower after you're done," Shui Mingsheng said.
Taking a bath? Jiang Yiqing was confused.
Seeing her dawdling, Shui Mingsheng found it a bit strange, but thinking that she might be uncomfortable having someone else around, he left the room. Before leaving, he prepared the water for Jiang Yiqing and said, "Just call me when you're done washing up."
Jiang Yiqing walked into the bathroom and saw the water cascading down. Hesitantly, she walked over, and the fine stream of water flowed down from her head, soaking her whole body. Jiang Yiqing felt her tired and tense body instantly relax.
The bottles and jars in the bathroom all smelled wonderful. Jiang Yiqing had never used anything so useful before. The bathing process was much more convenient than in her original world. She dried herself off, put on her pajamas, and went to find Shui Mingsheng.
After Shui Mingsheng finished showering, he saw that Jiang Yiqing hadn't dried her hair yet, so he called her over and said, "Yiqing, even though it's summer, you still need to dry your hair. Come here, I'll dry it for you."
Drying hair? Jiang Yiqing walked over blankly, only to find that there was a very convenient hair dryer.
Shui Mingsheng's soft fingers gently traced patterns on Jiang Yiqing's hair, so comfortable that Jiang Yiqing closed her eyes as if she were about to fall asleep.
After they both finished drying their hair, Shui Mingsheng asked, "Yi Qing, do you turn on the lights when you sleep?"
Jiang Yiqing shook her head, so Shui Mingsheng turned off the light, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
Jiang Yiqing snuggled into the soft blankets and pillows, surrounded by a sweet fragrance, feeling incredibly comfortable. Shui Mingsheng's gentleness and care made her feel as if she were trapped in a soft dream, unable to wake up.
How can there be such a wonderful girl in the world?
Shui Mingsheng's voice rang out in the night, exceptionally clear: "I was worried that you would reject me, Yi Qing, it's really great that you didn't."
“…How could that be?” Jiang Yiqing said.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in the same room as someone else since I started sleeping separately from my mother. Human body temperature is so warm.” Shui Mingsheng said, and took the initiative to wrap his arms around Jiang Yiqing’s waist.
Jiang Yiqing froze instantly, unable to move. Although her face was not clearly visible, it was very close to hers.
“I usually spend my time with worms and I’m not very educated. I’m really afraid that you, Yiqing, will look down on me.”
Culture? Does it mean knowledge? Jiang Yiqing felt she didn't have that either. Did the poetry collections she had read count?
Jiang Yiqing didn't understand why Shui Mingsheng was telling her all this, but she felt that he was taking this marriage very seriously.
Jiang Yiqing had heard her brother talk about Miao territory. He said that Miao women were terrifying, capable of silently using Gu poison to take lives. However, they were also very traditional, refusing to intermarry with other tribes and living in the mountains of the southern barbarians, a place teeming with poisonous insects, snakes, and ants—a natural breeding ground for Gu poison worms.
But these descriptions don't match Shui Mingsheng. She is so beautiful, like the bright moon in the sky.
But Miao territory was so unfamiliar, and she hadn't even integrated into a normal family yet. Could she really go to such a dangerous place? Jiang Yiqing couldn't help but feel scared.
"Mingsheng, when we go to Miao territory, you will protect me, right?" Jiang Yiqing asked uncertainly.
"Of course, how could I bear to see you get hurt, Qing?"
Jiang Yiqing felt relieved and gradually fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Shuixi suggested that Shuimingsheng take Jiang Yiqing back to the Miao village, while she would stay in N City for a while to travel.
Although Jiang Xuerou felt a little anxious, she didn't say anything since Jiang Yiqing had no objections.
She helped Jiang Yiqing pack her luggage, and seeing her looking blank, she said, "Yiqing, there aren't that many snacks in the Miao village. Don't you usually love snacks? Take more with you."
Jiang Yiqing stood in front of the snack cabinet in the living room, wondering how that girl was adapting to her new era. She wondered if she was doing well there since she couldn't get the snacks she wanted.
She casually packed some snacks into her backpack, and Shui Mingsheng had already come over with his suitcase, asking, "Yiqing, have you packed everything?"
Jiang Yiqing nodded, then said goodbye to Jiang Xuerou and went out with Shui Mingsheng.
Shui Mingsheng doesn't travel far often, but she's very efficient when it comes to getting things done. Jiang Yiqing follows her around like a little assistant, with everything being handled by her. Jiang Yiqing secretly memorizes these procedures.
When the plane was flying in the sky, Jiang Yiqing still couldn't believe it. Although she had guessed it, she never thought that there really were things in this world that could fly in the sky.
After disembarking, she found herself in a completely new place she had never imagined she would be, and the journey had become quite remote. First, she took a connecting bus to a new airport, then flew again for a while, and then took another bus, seeing banners advertising her arrival along the way—
"Belief in and practice of witchcraft is a curse; progress in civilization is a blessing."
"Abandon outdated customs and traditions to embrace our beautiful homeland"
"..."
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