It turns out that I traveled to the Kangxi Dynasty
If she had the choice, Yao Jing would have chosen to immediately return to her own world, to jump into the sea—er, no, to crawl out of it. But even if she died, who could guarantee she'd "return to her own world" rather than "die further away"? Han and Tang were fine, but if they were to become primitive beings... Yao Jing felt melancholy. Melancholy continued, and she fell asleep again. She dreamed of fighting with her father for the last piece of duck neck, and... winning! The little baby smiled, drooling.
Yao Jing missed her home, lost in her own thoughts, and seemed unusually quiet. Quiet children are easier to care for, and the maids and servants were happy. But it was too quiet, and the old maid thought it wasn't good. She thought it was a sign of mental stagnation and needed some guidance. She started shaking her tambourine and ringing a small bell, making Yao Jing lose her focus. She finally managed to find some energy to look around listlessly, and then she realized something was seriously wrong.
After unremitting efforts, she could now crawl (with an awkward posture), walk (albeit unsteadily), and speak (only babbling). This was a qualitative leap, wasn't it? Now that she could hear and see clearly, she had enough to absorb gossip and assess her own situation. This realization made her want to cry, and she missed home even more.
As she was being taken out of the tub to breastfeed, she saw clearly that she had been lying on a wooden object shaped like a boat, suspended from a beam by ropes. It swayed with the slightest force. It must have been something like a cradle, but she had never heard of or seen one before her time travel. Aren't cradles placed on the ground? She had seen the kind in supermarkets, and even though the time was wrong, it shouldn't have been so different, right? It was bizarre. From the conversation she overheard between the two women, she figured this thing was probably called a "swing car." "Is little girl asleep?" "She's in the swing car. After all, she's from a wealthy family, so she's steady and doesn't cry or make a fuss."
Waving her little arms and grabbing the front of the wet nurse's clothes, this was another thing that made her want to cry - even if she deliberately avoided talking about this dynasty, she also knew a little about it. For example, the clothing style clearly looked like it was from the Qing Dynasty! Anyway, the Han and Tang Dynasty clothes she liked didn't look like this. Yao Jing gave a middle finger in her heart. Twisting her little neck, she saw the wet nurse's feet. Just because they were exposed under the skirt, it was obvious that the feet were not small. The wet nurse reached out to support her neck and said, "Little girl, be good, don't move, twist your neck carefully, oh oh..."
Yao Jing really wanted to cosplay Zhizunbao from "A Chinese Odyssey" and say, "Oh my god!" She sneezed, and she still had to suckle. How sad, it's the human instinct for survival. She looked up, bored, at the wet nurse. She was a woman in her thirties, with regular features, neat and tidy. Her eyes were kind, and she was mumbling soothing words. Yao Jing sheepishly apologized for the curse words that had just burst out in her mind.
The furnishings in this room were quite nice, Yao Jing thought to herself. From what she could see, this household was quite well-off. She herself had two wet nurses and two maids, and there were at least two more servants keeping house. They truly were a wealthy family, with so many people accompanying a small infant. Through their conversations, she learned that one of the wet nurses was Nanny Wang, the round-faced woman currently holding her, and the other, with an oval face, was Nanny He. The other two maids were clearly not wet nurses; they had never fed Yao Jing. One, with a long face, was called Nanny Wuya, and looked to be around sixty, clearly not equipped for such a role. The other, called Nanny Yin, was slightly younger than Nanny Wuya, but around fifty. The details of these two women's occupations remained to be determined. The maids, one named Chunxi and the other Xiaxi, made Yao Jing wonder if they were accompanied by Qiudong. Fortunately, Xiaxi meant there wouldn't be a Jia Liu...
These were the people she interacted with the most so far. It seemed the little baby was treated quite well. Another person she interacted with quite a bit was the baby's own mother, known to the servants as "Madam." This Madam would visit her two or three times a day—not often, but not infrequently either. And here she was.
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A maid in a bright red dress and a long braid came over and said, "Madam, the housekeepers have finished their work and now we need to see the girl. Tell them to hurry and take her away." Nanny Wang agreed and, together with Nanny He, they wrapped Yao Jing tightly in a small blanket. Nanny He called out, "Chunxi." Chunxi strode over quickly, opened the curtain, and Nanny Wang carried Yao Jing out.
It was already winter, and the snow still lay beneath the walls. The house had a kang (a type of heating system), so it was quite warm, though it was a bit chilly when she first stepped outside. Yao Jing was still young, living with her mother in the same courtyard. She still had her own room in the east wing. In the west wing, she was said to have an older sister, four years old (in nominal age), but Yao Jing had no recollection of ever meeting her.
At first, Yao Jing couldn't see clearly. When she could see again, her sister was reportedly ill. She'd been ill for over six months, from summer through autumn to snow. Medical care was poor in those days, and even the wealthy had a high infant mortality rate. It was said that she'd already lost two brothers before this. The family was relatively indifferent to their sister's prolonged illness. The servants, while nosy, were tactful. Because Yao Jing was still young, they weren't afraid of her hearing, so they refrained from making any excessive remarks.
Walking along the corridor, the main room, facing south, was where Yao Jing's mother now lived. Inside, a woman wearing a royal blue Manchu dress embroidered with plum blossoms and a simple bun was sitting on the kang in the western warm room. She looked to be in her thirties, with fair skin and delicate features. A beaded pendant dangled from her ear.
After Nanny Wang brought Yao Jing in, she greeted her and asked, "How are you today, young lady?" Nanny Wang smiled and said, "Our young lady is very sensible. She's never cried or made a fuss since she was born. From childhood to adulthood, she will definitely be a steady and good girl in the future." The lady smiled and reached out to hold Yao Jing. As she brought her closer, Yao Jing saw that in addition to the hole for the pendant, each of her ears had two more holes—they were only plugged with small earrings, so they were not noticeable from a distance. How trendy!
Madam held Yao Jing and rocked her, teasing her. Yao Jing twitched her lips in boredom. Madam smiled and said to the two maids, "Look, she's smiling. Seeing her makes me feel better." She then asked another woman in her forties standing in the room, dressed in silk, "Is there any news about the master outside?" The woman leaned forward and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, madam. Our master is in Zhili, far away from the Three Feudatories..."
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Yao Jing finally understood the specific year she was in. San Francisco! Even if she was a complete idiot about Qing history, she knew she wasn't talking about San Francisco across the ocean. Damn! So it was the early Kangxi era. No wonder half of what everyone was saying was incomprehensible. It turned out to be the early Qing Dynasty. Even in Beijing, despite the influence of Han culture, many Bannermen still preferred to use some Manchu in their daily conversations. No wonder she couldn't understand what Mammy Wuya and Mammy Yin were saying. They were speaking Manchu, so it was strange she could understand them.
Yao Jing sneezed and turned away silently. "Do I have to learn Manchu too?" It was foreseeable that her future would be miserable. In such an environment, not knowing Manchu meant being half deaf and half dumb. Oh, and maybe even half stupid.
It is really not a pleasant thing to be reborn in the wrong era.
But she had to be honest with herself. At least she didn't have to bind her feet! For this one reason alone, a little hardship and effort in other areas didn't matter. She tried to recall that the Qing imperial court seemed to have a selection system. She wasn't afraid. If handled properly, it wouldn't be difficult to get selected, right? The family seemed well-off. It seemed there wasn't any need to "sell daughters for fame." The Kangxi dynasty was a chaotic mess. She'd heard about the nine succession battles in the Penguin group. She couldn't remember which nine, but she remembered they were represented by codenames like 9527 (there were indeed nine, five, two, and seven, Master Kang...). Using this as an excuse seemed like a reasonable way to convince her family to stay out of this mess. Then she'd have to act sensible and knowledgeable, Yao Jing thought secretly.
When Yao Jing was first called a "fairy," she unleashed her demon-like wisdom. "You won't change your tune, will you? I've been correcting her for two years, and I'm tired of it. If I had that time, I could just do my homework. With good grades, the teacher will naturally protect me." She could just sniffle, no need to cry. Just whisper a complaint, and the unlucky child's parents will be called in. It could be said that from that moment on, Yao Jing developed a sinister streak. It seems human intentions can sometimes be quite powerful. Children, don't give people nicknames casually. It would be disastrous if you ended up calling someone a "prisoner." The governor is busy reviewing his lifestyle and has no time to save the world. (Hey, you're getting off topic.)
At this time, she didn't know that she would have to learn more than just Manchu. But it would be soon.
Yao Jing idly surveyed the room's decor. The layout of houses in this dynasty was likely similar: a kang (kang bed) against the wall, with a kang table on top. Five main rooms, separated by partitions and curtains, filled the cabinets with bottles and jars she couldn't understand. A large vase held a few peacock feathers.
Two girls, about eighteen or nineteen, stood by the kang. Their clothes were slightly reflective, suggesting the material was good. One green, one purple, and the shape was quite nice. Yao Jing, through her wet nurse and others, knew that the round-faced one was Qing'er, and the oval-faced one was Ah Fu. They also had two or three gold and silver hairpins in their hair, suggesting they were maids of higher status. There were four other maids in the room, all wearing the same uniforms: light red satin, green skirts, blue trousers, and navy shoes. Their names were the names of flowers: Peony, Lotus, Peony, and Wintersweet.
Just as she was watching, there was another noise at the door. A girl of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in rose-red, walked in. Her attire resembled the green and purple girls, and she was followed by several maids and servants carrying bundles. She bowed to the young woman and said, "Madam, hello. Please tell me that the large woolen coat you ordered for the master has been handed in with sewing and needlework. Please have a look." The madam was polite to her, "Yu'er is here? Take that plate of milk tofu to your madam." A maid in bright red responded and went to get some snacks.
Yu'er thanked him quickly for the reward and said, "Whose nameplate do we belong to? I'm sure you'll be thinking about it, Madam." Madam smiled and said, "Your Madam was the one the princess brought out from the palace. She's the one who watched the master grow up, so of course I'll think about her. Since she loves this dish, it's not worth much. I think Madam doesn't need this dish either, but the ones in the main kitchen can't cook as well as us Mongols..."
Yao Jing didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She had only just realized that her mother was Mongolian! No wonder her mother's Manchu accent sounded different from her nanny's. They were two completely different languages, right?!
The lady over there had already ordered all the bundles to be unpacked, and then handed Yao Jing to Nanny Wang, who was then personally sorting through the clothes. Yao Jing didn't know much about furs, only that they were expensive. Now, looking at the clothes, which were mostly subdued colors like cyan and blue, the workmanship was exquisite, and it was amazing how even the stitches could be in an age without sewing machines. She turned and spoke a few words in Mongolian to the woman in the silk shirt, who responded in Mongolian and then came forward to look at the clothes with her. Yao Jing didn't understand what they were saying, but from their expressions, she could tell they both seemed quite satisfied.
Yao Jing turned around again and saw that her wet nurse seemed to understand a little, while the maids had a vague understanding, and the little girl was completely speechless. The maids might not understand the "foreign language" spoken by the mistress, and at most they could be assigned to other places for errands. But if a daughter couldn't understand her mother, it would be a serious matter... With a Manchu father and a Mongolian mother, she would have to learn two languages, Yao Jing said silently.
I can’t even learn English well~~~~~~~~The roar in the little baby’s heart can only be ignored.
Her stepmother switched back to Chinese: "Okay, send these to the master together with the clothes I made a few days ago. Go ask the master's family if there is anything they need to bring along, and take those along as well." Yao Jing was amazed at how fluently she switched between the two languages.
The little girl carefully wrapped up the bag and put it away. Yao Jing was still in shock.
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