Chapter 3
Cheng Qing, like Robinson, was excited for a while upon discovering something useful on the deserted island. After thinking for a long time, there was nothing else.
Cheng Qing opened her eyes and looked at the tent ceiling, realizing that she was truly going to live as this A Luo in the Li residence. The initial fear, tension, and anxiety were forcefully suppressed by her. After all, she was still young, and Old Li was a right minister, so her basic needs were temporarily secure. It would be several years before she had to face other challenges. Perhaps one day she would wake up back in her own bed, and it would all be just a dream. Gradually, her heart began to settle.
Cheng Qing said to herself, from now on she would be the third young lady of the Li family, A Luo. After observing today, she noticed that the women here did not have bound feet, which relieved her. She had seen her grandmother's bound feet and was filled with goosebumps.
Cheng Qing thought that Old Man Li only had three daughters. Should she become his favorite? There are pros and cons; the advantage is that it could improve her and Madam Qi's treatment, granting them certain privileges, while the disadvantage is that it would attract attention, making it difficult to remain inconspicuous in the future
Xiao Yu looked at A Luo's small face, where the tear stains had not yet dried, shimmering under the candlelight. Her face was filled with pleading, indescribably touching. Xiao Yu thought to herself, the young lady is only six years old, and already evokes such involuntary pity in others. I wonder how beautiful she will be when she grows up. She verbally agreed and lay down beside A Luo.
As soon as she spoke, Cheng Qing felt a twinge of regret, wondering if Lady Qi had already informed A Luo earlier, would she be surprised? Lady Qi slowly replied, "San Er, you are still young; I will tell you when you are a bit older!"
The seventh lady sighed and said: "The Li family, in their quest for a son, has married seven times, yet in the end, the lady who entered the family bore a daughter. Your father, the Right Minister of Ningguo, seeing that there were no heirs, intended to marry his three daughters into the royal family to consolidate power. How could he not be harsh on his daughters? All his hopes were pinned on his daughters marrying into influential families. The first lady came from a distinguished background; had she not been unable to bear children, how could the master have taken multiple wives? Mother, you are merely a tool brought into the Li family for the purpose of bearing children."
Cheng Qing woke up from her sleep and hurriedly looked down at herself; she was still in her small body. The surroundings were quiet and silent, with no sound of cars passing by or any human voices. It was as if the entire world had left only her behind. Her eyes turned red, and tears surged forth. The moonlight poured into the room, making it even colder and more desolate. Cheng Qing thought, could it be that she was destined to remain here, bearing the body of A Luo, slowly growing up in this world, and then getting married, thus concluding her life? She couldn't help but feel an overwhelming fear and panic, bursting into tears.
Cheng Qing was anxious; she was eager to understand what kind of world this was. Her mind was still in chaos, having inexplicably turned into a child as soon as she got up, and she had encountered a haphazard group of people, feeling apprehensive for quite a while. How could she not speak about it? Cheng Qing heard herself emit a delicate voice: "It’s better to know early than late; perhaps in the future, A Luo will change her temperament and study diligently to avoid being punished in March!" After saying this, she sighed again; this voice was truly unfamiliar to her.
The seventh lady tightly embraced her and said: "San'er, why must you suffer such a fate as a woman? Why must you be the daughter of the Li family?"
Cheng Qing recalled the various individuals she had seen in the hall, analyzing them carefully. Both Li Laodie and her father were politicians, and she wondered whether Li Laodie was a powerful minister. In ancient times, few powerful ministers met a good end. Most either gained too much merit and alarmed their sovereign or held power for too long and were executed by the emperor. As long as they did not commit any major crimes, it would be best to remain safe and sound. She prayed that all the gods would prevent any incidents like Li Laodie's dismissal, confiscation of property, or execution. The thought of the various tortures from ancient times filled her with fear.
Returning to the Tang Garden, Lady Qi sighed softly as she gazed at the blooming crabapple flowers in the courtyard. She called for Zhang Ma to move a chair for her to sit in the corridor, holding Cheng Qing in her arms, and said: "San'er, you are truly good to your mother. I always thought you were cold-natured, speaking little, and throughout the year, we hardly exchanged a few words. You were also unwilling to learn poetry and literature. I did not expect that you have kept my hardships in your heart. In this family, you are my only relative; your father has not entered this garden for over a year. I always thought you were cold-natured, speaking little, and throughout the year, we hardly exchanged a few words. You were also unwilling to learn poetry and literature. I did not expect that you have kept my hardships in your heart. In this family, you are my only relative; your father has not entered this garden for over a year. However, this poetry is filled with sorrow and heartache, yet carries a sense of stubbornness. You were able to express such sentiments at the age of six; I wonder whether that is good or bad."
Cheng Qing cried and cried until she unexpectedly fell asleep
Cheng Qing looked at the worried expression on the face of the Seventh Lady, knowing that their fates were now intertwined. She glanced at her own small body, feeling inexplicably as if she had traversed time and space, her soul having taken possession of another, in an alternate history. She had originally been a perfectly fine senior student, coming from a well-off family with a bright future ahead. Now, everything was uncertain. Upon hearing the Seventh Lady say that women always suffered here, she couldn't help but burst into tears. She had originally been a perfectly fine senior student, coming from a well-off family with a bright future ahead. Now, everything was uncertain. Upon hearing the Seventh Lady say that women always suffered here, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
The seventh lady looked affectionately at her six-year-old daughter, who had a face just like hers, and it was easy to imagine the beauty that A Luo would possess when she grew up. Her own beauty had been buried in the Tang Garden of the Li residence. She hoped that her daughter's fate would be better than hers, and that she would not have to remain in this enclosed courtyard, feeling as desolate as death.
Cheng Qing thought, at six years old, A Luo had heard that in ancient times, girls were married off at thirteen, which meant she still had at least seven years to learn. What kind of society is this, and what kind of people and events will she face in the future? It is time to start learning from the beginning. The most important thing is just one: the ability to survive and protect one's life is of utmost importance
Cheng Qing said to Xiao Yu: "Tell me what the outside world is like! What kind of country is Ningguo?"
Cheng Qing thought, what kind of place is this! Have I truly arrived in a different time and space? I will learn more later, she needs to think, so she closed her eyes. Xiao Yu assumed she had fallen asleep again, also fell silent, and gradually drifted into a dream.
At twenty-two years of age in mind, with the body of a six-year-old, and possessing modern knowledge and thoughts, Cheng Qing found it not difficult to win the favor of Old Man Li. However, upon recalling the saying that the bird that stands out gets shot and the tree that stands out in the forest gets cut down, she decided to temporarily keep a low profile, familiarize herself with the situation first, and remain content for a few years before taking further action
Zhang Ma Xiaoyu replied with red eyes: "Madam has shown great kindness to us, so we must do our utmost for the young lady"
The seven ladies are likely engaged in both open and covert rivalry, but the six who clearly dislike the seventh lady—could it be because she is the youngest? The most beautiful? Or is there some other reason?
Xiao Yu shyly smiled: "Xiao Yu only knows that there are five countries in the world. To the west is the Qi Kingdom, to the southwest is the Xia Kingdom, to the north is the An Kingdom, to the south is the Chen Kingdom, and to the east is the Ning Kingdom, which is the largest and most prosperous country. We are in the capital city of Ning Kingdom, Feng City. Miss, our Feng City is quite large; it takes several hours to ride from east to west. The Lantern Festival is the most lively, with the banks of the Ning River filled with vendors selling and releasing lanterns, and there are many painted boats. At night, it looks like a place where fairies reside."
Cheng Qing thought, how can a six-year-old child be so capable? Just as she was about to remedy the situation with a few words, she heard the voice of Lady Seven, which turned her anger anew: "Those few people are still not at ease, always using your lack of skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to criticize you. Today, I am truly worried; that punishment is likely to fall on you, and I cannot protect you. The daughter of the Li family is indeed useless; she cannot help your father and is worth less than Xiao Yu! Truly, she is my daughter; how could she not understand poetry and literature!" The daughter of the Li family is indeed useless; she cannot help your father and is worth less than Xiao Yu! Truly, she is my daughter; how could she not understand poetry and literature!
Cheng Qing analyzed herself. She studied English in university, which she found to be of little use. Having lived in modern society for twenty-two years, she had learned some knowledge that she would use to some extent. Poetry could be copied, and the five thousand years of culture she understood and grasped should be sufficient. It was fine if she couldn't remember all the Tang and Song poems; she still recalled some well-known lines. She was not good at singing and always sang off-key, but that was alright; knowing some lyrics might still come in handy. She practiced yoga and had trained in karate, which was her strongest skill. She could handle three to five ordinary men in a short time. At least she was not a helpless woman! Cheng Qing sighed in relief, thankful that her parents, who were officials, were often busy with work and had little time to care for her, allowing her to practice karate and learn to protect herself. Because no one was there to look after her, she learned to take care of herself and cook at the age of five. Oh right, cooking!
When she returned, she took note of the surrounding environment. Tang Garden seemed to be located in the most remote corner of the Li residence, taking about ten minutes to walk there from the main hall. There were only two servants, Zhang Ma and Xiao Yu. Zhang Ma had spent more time with the Seventh Madam, while Xiao Yu stayed close to her. The room was arranged elegantly, and there were no visible valuables such as gold, silver, or jewels. The Seventh Madam today had only two jade hairpins and a pearl flower in her hair, which was much simpler compared to the other six. Remembering the Seventh Madam's gentleness and sorrow, Cheng Qing concluded that perhaps she had given birth to a daughter, which led to her being neglected. The Seventh Madam today had only two jade hairpins and a pearl flower in her hair, which was much simpler compared to the other six. Remembering the Seventh Madam's gentleness and sorrow, Cheng Qing concluded that perhaps she had given birth to a daughter, which led to her being neglected.
Madam Qi entrusted Cheng Qing, who was in her arms, to Zhang Ma to be taken back to the room. She stood there alone, gazing at the begonia in a daze, recalling the poem that A Luo recited during the examination, and tears began to fall silently.
Cheng Qing saw Xiao Yu with her tousled hair, rubbing her sleepy eyes, still just a child of about ten years old, yet she came to comfort herself. She thought, I am already twenty-two years old, how can I let you take care of me? Gradually stopping her tears, she said to Xiao Yu: "I can't sleep, Xiao Yu, come up and lie down with me for a while, talk to me."
The seventh lady lowered her head and smiled gently at Cheng Qing: "I do not hope for San'er to achieve great things; I only fear that you will not make progress and anger your father, leaving you unable to even seek a modest living. You are very much like your mother in her youth, willful and stubborn, always making things difficult for Zhang Ma and Xiao Yu, and never taking your studies to heart. I cannot bear to scold you, but San'er, this world is always harsh on women. If you do not marry into a good family, a life of hardship will follow." As she spoke, she shed two lines of clear tears.
As the candlelight flickered outside the curtain, Xiaoyu lifted the gauze curtain and anxiously embraced her: "Miss, did you have another nightmare? Xiaoyu is here, Miss, do not be afraid."
Cheng Qing saw that the Seventh Lady had no doubts at all, so she was too lazy to explain. By this time, she had become somewhat accustomed to the embrace of the Seventh Lady, which was fragrant and soft, reminiscent of her mother's arms when she was a child. Nestled in the Seventh Lady's embrace, she asked, "Can you tell A Luo what help is needed, and what exactly does that father do? Why must the daughters of the Li family be proficient in the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"
Madam Qi stared at A Luo for a long time, then called over Zhang Ma and Xiao Yu, gently saying: "The young lady is still inexperienced; please be a little accommodating towards her. She is not a cold-hearted child, just a bit willful."