Jingnu Qishu
These past two days, Jiang Jingshu has been working tirelessly, running with Su Xiaoyue every day after school.
Preparing for the sports meet left Jiang Jingshu extremely tired. During her Chinese class, her head began to droop uncontrollably.
"A quiet and beautiful maiden awaits me at the city corner. I love her, but she is not there; I scratch my head and hesitate."
The Chinese teacher was lecturing when she seemed to notice Jiang Jingshu, who was dozing off in the audience, and called out to her, "Jingshu?"
Jiang Jingshu looked up at the sound and saw her Chinese teacher smiling at her.
She rubbed her eyes and continued looking down at her Chinese textbook.
"You have fifteen minutes to read this on your own. I need to find someone to translate it."
Jiang Jingshu's eyelids had been drooping, but she managed to open them wide when she heard the teacher's words.
She was really sleepy.
These past two days, she's been running in the morning, running at night, running during PE class, and running after school. She simply doesn't have the energy to muster for class anymore.
Jiang Jingshu had read "The Quiet Girl" and understood its meaning.
Therefore, she wasn't too worried and quietly relaxed a bit.
Fifteen minutes later, the Chinese teacher scanned the students below the stage, her gaze settling on Xie Zhijin.
"Xie Zhijin, could you translate the first sentence?"
Xie Zhijin's weak subject was Chinese. When he heard his name called, he stood up.
"What does 'quiet and beautiful girl' mean?" The Chinese teacher looked at Xie Zhijin with a smile.
Xie Zhijin subconsciously looked at Jiang Jingshu, "A gentle and quiet girl is very beautiful."
Fortunately, Xie Zhijin was very familiar with this poem.
When faced with questions from his Chinese teacher, Xie Zhijin answered fluently.
The Chinese teacher smiled with satisfaction and praised Xie Zhijin, saying, "Not bad, Xie Zhijin, you've made great progress."
Xie Zhijin looked at his Chinese teacher with some embarrassment.
Jiang Jingshu secretly glanced at Xie Zhijin, who was answering questions, and quietly took out a pen and paper to draw Xie Zhijin's answer.
"Jing Shu, is your name derived from this poem?" The Chinese teacher was lecturing when she suddenly seemed to remember something, and her gaze shifted to Jiang Jing Shu as she asked her curiously.
Jiang Jingshu nodded blankly.
However, Jiang Jingshu's previous name was not Jingshu.
My thoughts drifted back thousands of years.
She had no idea what happened before Jiang Jingshu was born; she only knew from what the palace servants said that Jiang Jingshu was born without a name.
Jiang Jingshu's mother rose from a palace maid to a high position by secretly climbing into the emperor's bed, which led to her pregnancy.
When the emperor learned of this, he was furious.
At the time, not knowing whether the mother was carrying a prince or a princess, he spared Jiang Jingshu's life and issued an edict to remove the mother and keep the child.
Jiang Jingshu survived by sheer luck.
On the night of his birth, his mother was put to death.
When Emperor Yongning learned that his mother had given birth to a princess, he simply flicked his sleeves and left.
Jiang Jingshu's birth was unexpected, unappreciated, and even accompanied by bloodshed and loss of life.
How could someone like her have a name?
Fortunately, Jiang Jingshu's mother's friend never abandoned her and took Jiang Jingshu with her after she was born, raising her little by little.
When Jiang Jingshu was just learning to speak, she took the nanny's hand and said to her, "Would you like to be my mother? All my brothers and sisters in the palace have mothers who love them, and I want a mother too."
In this vast palace, without the protection of one's mother, it would be extremely difficult to survive.
Jiang Jingshu could only place all her affection on her nanny.
At these times, the old woman would earnestly tell her, "Your Highness, this old servant will accompany you like a mother, but your mother will always be just one person."
Jiang Jingshu was born without a name; everyone simply called her "Your Highness."
It's never appropriate for her to have no name, so the nanny secretly tried to arrange for Jiang Jingshu to meet Emperor Yongning and have him bestow a name upon her.
But as an insignificant nanny and an insignificant princess, she was not taken seriously by Emperor Yongning. Emperor Yongning simply asked the eunuchs around him to think of something.
The eunuch was uncultured and naturally couldn't think of any grand or elegant name. "Your Majesty, although the Seventh Princess is Your Majesty's flesh and blood, she was born to a lowly woman and is not worthy of a good name."
Emperor Yongning simply waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Think whatever you want."
"The princess is the seventh in line, so let's call her Qiqi (Seven Seven)."
Therefore, Jiang Jingshu's first name was Jiang Qiqi.
She always asked the old nanny, "The Prime Minister's daughter is named Zhenzhen, which comes from the peach tree's tender leaves. The General's eldest daughter is named Youyou, which comes from the deer's cry of 'Youyou,' eating wild apples. Even the daughter of the old nanny who serves the Imperial Concubine has the beautiful name of Lingyi."
After Jiang Jingshu finished speaking, she looked at the nanny and curled her lips, "And my name, Jiang Qiqi, is indeed meaningless."
A name is very important. A child's name usually embodies the love and expectations of the whole family.
She didn't want to be called Jiang Qiqi.
The name seemed to be a constant reminder to her that her birth was neither anticipated, nor loved, nor blessed.
The old woman simply patted Jiang Jingshu's head, looking at her with loving eyes, "Your Highness, a name doesn't mean anything."
Jiang Jingshu nestled quietly in the nanny's arms. After a long silence, she said, "Nanny, please give me a name."
“Your Highness, this is unreasonable.” The old woman could only shake her head and tell her that it was unreasonable.
Jiang Jingshu grasped the old woman's hand and said, "Old woman, I want my name to be chosen carefully by someone who loves me."
Seemingly moved by the sight of little Jiang Jingshu, the nanny agreed. From that day on, the nanny searched through all the books, and finally one day, she told Jiang Jingshu, "Your Highness, this old servant has thought of a good name."
Jiang Jingshu looked at the nanny with great longing.
"Does Your Highness like the name Jing Shu?"
Jiang Jingshu's eyes lit up immediately, "Jingshu, Jingshu, a quiet and beautiful woman, Jingshu finally has a name."
Finally, Jiang Jingshu had a name that was filled with all her love and expectations, given to her by her loving nanny.
However, Jiang Jingshu's second nickname, which was full of expectations, was inspired by Zhou Mingyuan and was chosen by Jiang Jingshu herself.
When Zhou Mingyuan brought her the military treatise, Jiang Jingshu was squatting by the pond in the Imperial Garden.
Jiang Jingshu was gazing sadly at the fish by the pond when she noticed Zhou Mingyuan approaching. She looked up at him.
"Your Highness, why do you look so sad as you gaze at the creatures in the pond? Is something troubling you?"
Jiang Jingshu simply sighed, "I just feel sorry for these fish in the pond."
"Why?" Zhou Mingyuan seemed puzzled. He looked at Jiang Jingshu, trying to find the answer in her eyes.
Jiang Jingshu just stared at the fish in the pond and couldn't help but smile, "It's just a sigh that even if these creatures swim for a lifetime, they will never be able to swim out of this small pond in the Imperial Garden."
"Your Highness, are you perhaps comparing yourself to a fish in that pond?" Zhou Mingyuan looked at Jiang Jingshu with a smile.
The next second, he handed the military treatise in his hand to Jiang Jingshu, saying, "Your Highness, do you know that a golden carp is not something that can be kept in a pond?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jingshu looked up at Zhou Mingyuan, and then heard Zhou Mingyuan say, "When the wind and clouds meet, one can transform into a dragon."
"How can you know I'm not someone to be trifled with? Young Master, aren't you overestimating me?" Jiang Jingshu straightened her expression. "Thank you for your military treatise, Young Master."
After handing her the book, Zhou Mingyuan didn't say much, only telling Jiang Jingshu not to underestimate herself.
Jiang Jingshu had reached the age of marriage, and she also adopted a nickname for herself, just like men in ancient times did when they underwent the coming-of-age ceremony.
The nickname "Xiao" came from Zhou Mingyuan's encouraging words to her, and thereafter, she chose Jinlin as her nickname.
Jinlin is a homophone for "golden scales".
Just as a golden carp is not meant to be kept in a pond, so too is Jiang Jingshu not meant to be kept in a pond.
—
After Chinese class, Su Xiaoyue came to find Jiang Jingshu to go to the restroom. When they passed Xie Zhijin's seat, Su Xiaoyue pulled Jiang Jingshu's hand and stopped in front of Xie Zhijin's desk.
Jiang Jingshu looked at Su Xiaoyue with a puzzled expression.
Su Xiaoyue stared at Xie Zhijin, "I didn't expect you to have memorized this classical Chinese text. That's amazing."
Xie Zhijin:?
"I remember you used to get a lot of classical Chinese passages wrong when you recited them, how come you can recite this passage so fluently?"
Su Xiaoyue stared at the two of them with a cunning look. Jiang Jingshu pulled Su Xiaoyue away, while Xie Zhijin watched their departing figures.
Why is it that I can memorize this particular article perfectly?
Su Xiaoyue's question echoed in Xie Zhijin's mind.
Xie Zhijin didn't remember the poem at first; it was only after returning from the amusement park with Jiang Jingshu that day that he happened to open his Chinese textbook.
It just so happens to be the page from "The Quiet Girl".
He happened to read on.
"Loving but not seeing, scratching one's head and hesitating."
Xie Zhijin looked at the Chinese textbook in front of him, then looked away from the direction the two had left. He took out the candy that Jiang Jingshu had given him on the day of the parent-teacher conference.
"The beauty of a bandit woman is a gift from a beautiful woman."
Xie Zhijin experienced the artistic conception of poetry easily for the first time.
Many obscure and difficult classical Chinese phrases that he used to understand now seem to have changed.
Inside the restroom, Jiang Jingshu waited for Su Xiaoyue outside. When Su Xiaoyue came out, Jiang Jingshu pretended to be angry and said to her, "What did you mean by what you said to Xie Zhijin today?"
"Jiang Jiang." Su Xiaoyue straightened her expression. "I know how you feel. I was just testing the waters for you."
"Testing?" Jiang Jingshu repeated Su Xiaoyue's words, "Do you know how I feel?"
"Don't pretend with me, Jiang Jiang. Based on my probing, Xie Zhijin likes you."
Jiang Jingshu turned away, saying, "Don't talk about this anymore. I don't like him anymore."
"Why?" Su Xiaoyue asked, puzzled. Xie Zhijin's feelings for Jiang Jingshu were very obvious, and she could see everything clearly.
Furthermore, Jiang Jingshu also likes Xie Zhijin.
Su Xiaoyue didn't understand why Jiang Jingshu kept avoiding the issue.
After a long silence, Su Xiaoyue took Jiang Jingshu's hand and asked, "Jiang Jiang, you don't have an avoidant attachment style, do you?"
"Avoidant attachment style?" Hearing the unfamiliar term, Jiang Jingshu looked at Su Xiaoyue with confusion.
"Jiang Jiang, do you deliberately avoid intimate relationships?" Su Xiaoyue held Jiang Jingshu's hand. "When you chose to transfer schools, do you remember the time you spent away from me? And now, what about your feelings for Xie Zhijin..."
Su Xiaoyue didn't finish speaking. She stopped what she was about to say and gave Jiang Jingshu a hug. "It's okay, I understand you. If you don't want me to talk about it, I won't. You must have your reasons. I just hope that if you have something on your mind, you won't hide it from me."
Jiang Jingshu hugged Su Xiaoyue back, "I..."
"No matter what happens, you must remember that I am here to love you. No matter what you become or what your personality is, I will never leave you. So don't think that just because you are someone else, you should subconsciously avoid me or my feelings."
Su Xiaoyue still didn't let go of Jiang Jingshu's hand, "You will always be my best friend. No matter what you are like, no matter what you are worried about, you will always be my best friend."
"So, don't listen to those unpleasant voices in your heart and choose to stay away from me," Su Xiaoyue whispered in Jiang Jingshu's ear.
The next second, Jiang Jingshu gently patted Su Xiaoyue's back and said to her, "I know, Xiaoyue."
Jiang Jingshu thought, this must be what it feels like to be loved, to be chosen with unwavering conviction.
Jiang Jingshu, now that you've come to this world thousands of years in the future, it seems you'll never feel cold again.
Because there will always be someone by your side, telling you that she will always be there for you.
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