At three quarters past the hour of Mao, just as the morning light flooded through the carved window lattices, Chen Weiwan kicked open Chuntao's bedding roll.
"Miss! It's not dawn yet!" Chuntao rolled around in the quilt, her hair a mess like a bird's nest.
Shen Weiwan stepped on the edge of the bed, shaking a feather duster in her hand: "The sun is burning my butt! Where are the things I asked you to prepare?"
Chuntao sat up with a start, rubbing her eyes and pointing towards the corner of the wall: "There, over there... Miss, are you really going to do this? The Second Madam's hand was scratched by a stone yesterday. If you do it again today..."
In the corner stood a chipped earthenware basin, half filled with bright yellow millet mixed with dark beans. A layer of fingernail-sized gravel was sprinkled on top, and a circle of dry, hard mud clumps lay at the bottom. Chuntao had scraped three fingers while sifting the pebbles yesterday, and she still grimaced in pain.
"Don't worry," Shen Weiwan poked the pottery basin with a feather duster, making the stones clatter. "The more pain Auntie feels, the happier we will laugh." She remembered the smug look on Liu's face when she took her dowry to the pawnshop to exchange for money in her previous life. A cold light flashed in her eyes. "This is called collecting a little 'kindness tax' in advance."
Chun Tao swallowed her saliva and muttered softly, "But what if the Second Madam doesn't come?"
"She will come." Shen Weiwan sat in front of the mirror and asked Chuntao to comb her hair into a bun. "She must have thought I was a frightened soft persimmon after my crying yesterday. I'm sure she'll come with new tricks to deceive me today."
As soon as the voice fell, Liu's crying voice was heard outside the courtyard gate: "Wanwan, auntie brought you osmanthus cake~"
Chuntao was so frightened that her hand trembled and the comb got stuck in Shen Weiwan's hair. Shen Weiwan endured the pain and winked at her: "The show is coming, receive the guests."
When Liu entered the room, she saw Shen Weiwan wiping her tears in front of the mirror, her shoulders twitching. She was secretly happy, and quickly put down the food box, twisting her waist and leaning over: "My dear niece, what's wrong? Who made you sad again?"
Shen Weiwan turned back suddenly, her eyes swollen like a rabbit: "Aunt! I, I dreamed of my mother..."
Liu's heart tightened, but her smile became softer: "Silly child, it's normal for you to miss your mother. Stop crying, look at your swollen eyes." She reached out to touch Shen Weiwan's head, but was suddenly dodged by the other party.
"Mother scolded me in my dream!" Shen Weiwan threw herself into Liu's arms and cried even louder, "She said that if I gave my hairpin to someone, she would break my hand! Aunt, I'm so scared..."
Liu was so overwhelmed by her crying that her hand, which was patting her back, froze. Break her hand? What the hell was this little bitch up to?
"Wanwan, don't be afraid," Liu gritted her teeth and forced a loving smile. "It was just a dream, don't take it seriously. If your mother is still alive, she would only wish you the best."
"But I'm still afraid..." Shen Weiwan raised her tearful eyes and pointed to the coarse earthenware basin in the corner. "I heard from the nanny that performing the 'Five Grains Cleansing Hands Ceremony' can ward off disasters. Aunt, can you rub my hands again? After rubbing them yesterday, I felt much more at ease."
Liu followed her finger and looked at the grains and stones in the basin, which gleamed fiercely in the morning light. The burning pain in her palm from yesterday instantly returned. She subconsciously pulled her hand back, "Wanwan, this rule is too tiring. My hand was still aching yesterday..."
"Aunt!" Shen Weiwan suddenly raised her voice, tears falling on Liu's embroidered skirt, "Do you not love me anymore? Do you think I'm not as important as Sister Ruorou?"
The shout was so earth-shattering that the maids sweeping leaves in the yard stopped and pricked up their ears to listen. Liu's face turned pale, and she looked at the vague gazes around her, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into. If she didn't agree, wouldn't that confirm the accusation of "partiality"?
"It hurts! Why doesn't it hurt you!" Liu's teeth creaked, and she made up her mind. Isn't it just rubbing your hands? It will pass if you endure it! She forced a smile and stretched out her well-maintained hands, "Come, let your aunt help you rub it."
Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, and she immediately brought the pottery basin over and thoughtfully poured a bucket of cold water into it: "Auntie, rubbing with cold water is more effective!"
Icy water mixed with pebbles enveloped Liu's hands. With the first rub, the rough gravel scraped across her skin like a knife. Liu gasped in pain, the smile on her face instantly twisting.
"Auntie, push harder!" Shen Weiwan cheered on the side, "Nanny said to rub it a hundred times!"
"One, two, three..." Chuntao was counting beside them, her voice getting louder and louder, causing the maids outside the window to laugh so hard that their shoulders were shaking.
Liu's hands were rubbed red by the stones in the muddy water. Every rubbing felt like torture. She wanted to stop, but Shen Weiwan stared at her expectantly, and there were so many servants watching. She could only grit her teeth and rub again and again, until the cracks between her nails were full of mud and husks.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!" Chuntao counted loudly.
Liu suddenly pulled her hand back, her palm red like a cooked shrimp, and the skin was rubbed in several places. She no longer cared about her image and screamed at Shen Weiwan: "Shen Weiwan! Did you do this on purpose?!"
Shen Weiwan shrank back in fear, her eyes red again: "Aunt, why are you angry again? Didn't you agree to help me get rid of the disaster?" She turned to Chuntao and said, "Quick, wrap up Aunt's hand. The skin is so broken, you can't let it get wet."
Chuntao suppressed her laughter, took out a coarse cloth handkerchief and started to wrap it. Liu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She waved the handkerchief away and said, "Get out! Get out!" She stomped her feet and ran out of the yard, with mud spots on her skirt, causing the servants passing by to lower their heads and tremble even more violently.
Shen Weiwan looked at her back, a sneer on her lips. Chun Tao came over and asked in a low voice: "Miss, now the Second Madam will not dare to ask for the hairpin again, right?"
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