Hualan looked at w.a.n.g shi, turned her head towards the seat, playfully pouting “Grandmother only praised Third Younger Brother, certainly dislike us these girls.”

Old Madame Sheng warmly smiled “What nonsense this child is saying, when you were young Master personally held your hands to read and write, also specially invited the teacher for you. Who dare to dislike our family’s first young miss? Hua Girl is big already but unexpectedly becoming increasingly mischievous.”

Sheng Hualan was born at the best timing, at that time w.a.n.g shi and Sheng Hong were newlyweds, harmonious relations with Old Madame Sheng. Not long later, her younger brother was born, Sheng Hualan is dainty and likeable, being the legitimate first young miss is really spoilt from head to toe; she was raised under Old Madame Sheng for some time. Because w.a.n.g shi was not willing to part with and was sent back. But among the grandchildren, she has the affection with Old Madame Sheng. In comparison, the one born of the same mother, Young Lady Rulan, when she was born is already not a favourable weather.

“Father taught Older Sister before? Then why did he not teach me? I want a teacher too!” As expected, Rulan jumped down the low stool and ran to Sheng Hong’s side, pulling onto his sleeves, acting like a spoiled child.

w.a.n.g shi dragged Rulan to her side, chiding “Not allowed to act wilfully, your father’s official business is heavy now, how to play with you. You cannot even sit still tracing the red characters,1 ask what teacher!”

Rulan was unwilling, stamping her feet and pouting. w.a.n.g shi persuaded and coaxed, Sheng Hong’s face sunk. Old Madame Sheng watched with a slight smile, this moment the quiet and not speaking Molan suddenly spoke “Fifth Younger Sister is still young, tracing requires patience, naturally finds it boring. However learning some verses and principles is good, I feel that there is no need to invite a teacher, First Older Sister’s knowledge is this good, why not invite her to teach, would not it be just right?” Once she finished speaking, pursed her lips and smiled, refined and innocent.

Sheng Hong saw that his daughter was considerate in speaking, att.i.tude soft and gentle, cannot help to praise “Mo’er said well, girls do not need imperial examinations or official career, need not obstinately practice words. However learning some verses and essays to educate the temperament is actually not bad, when Hua’er is free, teaching Ru’er is also good. Teaching the younger brothers and sisters in the capacity of an older sister.”

w.a.n.g shi turned cold and refused to pay attention, Hualan slightly feels disdain. However Old Madame Sheng was looking at the sole person who has not spoken, Sheng Minglan, she is just staring at Molan blankly. She sighed internally.

Rambling incoherently for a while more, w.a.n.g shi slowly brought the topic to Hualan’s age of coming ceremony. Without more words, Old Madame Sheng instructed to allow the mama arrange for breakfast here, arranged into two tables, one table in the legitimate room, three adults to dine. The next room arranged another table for the children to eat together.

Breakfast was carried up, unexpectedly simple. Even though Minglan understood the situation also felt that it is somewhat not presentable. One big china ware held white steamed buns and sesame-oiled steamed twisted rolls. In addition white rice boiled to clear porridge, also a few more small dishes.

Minglan raised her head and saw that Older Brother Changbai’s expression seemed apologetic, Changfeng and Molan’s expressions were as normal and picked up the chopsticks to eat. Hualan and Rulan both pouted, although the movements differ greatly but it is no different from her angle.

Minglan had a maid to serve her as she also slowly ate, thinking back to the breakfast at Madame’s place, lotus root honey cake, cream rolls, fried dough cakes, meat floss with garlic flower twisted rolls, honeydew b.a.l.l.s, boiled dates porridge, red porridge, steamed egg with meat, stewed bird’s nest egg, dried beef chest, sesame-oiled dressed shredded pork, sixteen kinds of small dishes a.s.sorted into an eight treasure case……

The rich families pay attention to food and do not speak, what more these six siblings who were produced from three different factories. Before this even they hardly spoke, this moment could only hear the sounds from the spoon and chopsticks moving.

After eating breakfast, Sheng Hong hurriedly went to the office, w.a.n.g shi returned to her courtyard. Several children after eating also was received by different mamas, the mama responsible for Minglan is not here yet. Minglan hopped off the stool and went to take a look at the door, she dare not to randomly walk in an unfamiliar place but following the corridor along the doorway should be alright.

The buildings in the north is indeed different from the south. Tall and wide pillars in the corridors, clear and square slab bench. Not as exquisite as the mansion in Quan Prefecture but the atmosphere is bright. Minglan walked along the wall supported by the pillars, not knowing how many turns she made, pa.s.sed through a few rooms, the more she looked the more she shook her head. This house is big, decorated with simple furniture, aside from the necessary furnitures, completely bare of all precious antiques. The servants are mostly of a certain age, only a few young maids sweeping and washing, seems to be more poverty-stricken compared to other places’ young maids. There is no flowers nor trees, only simple pruned ones, hall looks rather similar to bitter cold cave.

Minglan thought to herself: seems like the rumours are true.

This Sheng household’s Old Madame is born to the household of Marquis Yongyi, naturally haughty, when she was young, she has not seen dirt. In the earlier years, she loved to repeatedly torment others. It is said that she offended both the husband’s family and her maiden family. Afterwards Sheng household’s Old Master pa.s.sed away, she observed the widow life and also changed her nature all the way to after Sheng Hong became of age and got married, the properties of the Sheng household, not one did she keep, all hand to Sheng Hong yet she did not have much private savings left.

She prayed and abstain from meat, cut off from the rest of the world, the entire Shou’an Hall’s servants followed to be like a nunnery, usual food simple and crude, errands have no ill-gains, the days dull. For a period of time even the courtyard’s main gate was also shut, seemingly to be totally separated from people and excitement. The servants are all not willing to go to Shou’an Hall to suffer, so the people being ordered around are all the elderly who accompanied the Old Madame as her dowry.

Minglan concluded: a group of neglected bunch, benefits not high. Material benefits rare, no ambition to lead, staff lack zeal.

Walking to another corner, Minglan suddenly smelled a familiar smell, she was instantly stunned. This smell is just like the one from her deepest memories, she originally wanted to forget the past, she followed the aroma and entered a room. Pushing the door to enter, a small small room, opposite is a red sandalwood table, a few roll of scriptures. On the right is the square chair, by the side it is a Lingzhi patterned red sandalwood square table. Looking deeper into the room, Minglan saw a small small niche, it hung an autumn colored with black golden clouds embroidery veil. Below it was an incense table, in the middle a lies four-legged and two-horned Pixiu2 cauldron, the incense burning within the cauldron. Minglan first smelled the sandalwood, on the left and right of the incense table displayed a chair on each side. In the middle there is a praying mat on the floor, so it turns out to be designed to a temple.

An honourable delicate white jade Guanyin3 is enshrined on the incense table, Minglan raised her head to look at it, only saw that Guanyin is dignified and solemn, her countenance with mercy, almost like it has seen all the sufferings of the human world. Minglan’s eyes suddenly felt warm, cannot help but to shed tears. She thought of Mother Yao, before she went to the countryside, intentionally bought a jaded Guanyin locket, to get it lighted in the temple, tirelessly nagged at her daughter to bring it along, so as to bless this trip to be safe. At that time Yao Yiyi was impatient listening to her mother’s nagging, hurriedly climb up the car but now even if she wants to listen, she cannot anymore.

Now recalling the times before she lost consciousness, she vaguely remembered someone prying the car door open, seems like the people who came to save are here. Also do not know if the Old Madame Judge and other colleagues was rescued? Could it be that she was the only one who died in the duty? Thinking to here, she suddenly felt endless grief, after indignation, it was stupefied followed by negativity. She did not particularly feel the willpower to continue living.

She thinks that the heavens treated her unfairly, if death is destined, then she also should be reincarnated into a better body. Why should Hualan, Rulan and even Molan be able to receive so thousands and ten thousands of pampering and she forced to start afresh, struggling to live? She must familiar herself in this unfamiliar world, go to curry favour with w.a.n.g shi who is not her biological mother. Estimated to suffer in silence in unavoidable, suffering some grievances is also normal. Learning how to watch someone’s face, learning again the skills required for ancient times females to exist.

And this place, is not a world fit for a woman to survive.

When she watched《Autumn in My Heart》a long time ago, friends all cried terribly for the free and unconstrained fate of Enxi but Yao Yiyi alone sympathised with that Xin’ai. Under the law for female leads, Enxi seemed to be that beautiful and kind and Xin’ai is considerate yet harsh. Everyone’s emotions are all towards the side of Enxi but everyone all neglected a problem: the one that is originally born into a well-to-do family, being the big young miss ought to be Xin’ai. When she was born, she ought to have that warm and cozy family and Enxi is supposed to grow up living in that dirty and terrible small store, being bullied by elder brother and enduring mother’s temper.4

In Yao Yiyi’s opinion it is Xin’ai who received unjust treatment. If Xin’ai in the beginning was to grow up in a warm environment where everyone cares, she also might not need to grow up having that harsh character that fussed over everything. Because of this unlucky experience, even when she returned to her parents’ side in the future, also has estrangement with her mother, unable to be intimate like mother and daughter. This debt of Xin’ai, who is to settle?

Seeing that in the end both male and female leads died, Yao Yiyi even maliciously thought, Enxi is destined to seek repayment from that family. She definitely will die because of leukaemia, she not only gratuitously obtained ten over years of happy life that did not belong to her. Still delivered her adoptive parents’ sole son into the Yellow Springs5 and leaving behind at her adoptive parents side the child who will be filial was instead the always unloved Xin’ai.

Naturally Enxi is very pitiful, do not tell me Xin’ai is not pitiful?

Now Yao Yiyi thought the same, her original happy life was stolen and changed into a pitiful girl’s life. If she reincarnated into a girl who received thousands and ten thousands of pampering then she might feel guilty. But after concealing her feelings a few times she also will just accept but this situation is the reverse of history.

Her original life although do not have maids to wait upon but that time her life is free. She has already endure college entrance exam and seeking of employment, life’s first difficult pa.s.s is already over. She posses a good job and a warm household, recalled two days before the landslide, Mother Yao still called to say there is top-notch goods waiting for her to go on a blind date. If melodramatic events such as the other woman, terminal illness, car accident etc, she would be like most common girls, ordinarily living a full life.

And what about the current Young Lady Minglan, her biological mother is a concubine and already dead. Reckon this moment waiting to be reincarnated. Master has three boys and four girls, seems like he does not particularly like this concubine-born daughter, still a legitimate mother who does not plan to be the Virgin Mary. The benefit is that she do not take the office-bearer exam, the bad is that her future husband candidate, she have no right to express her opinions. Her life in the future can only be left to chance, she cannot find the police if there is domestic violence, applying safflower oil by herself to get by. If there is mistresses no matter how many, she also cannot make noise, ought to be virtuous and treat them like sisters. Also unable to complain to the courts if the husband is bad and wretched to no end.

Oh, that is right, there is still worst, perhaps even cannot gathered to be a legitimate wife, concubine-born daughters are usually good materials to be concubines.

This life full of challenges, how is Yao Yiyi to resign.

But she can only resign herself.

She followed the example of her mother praying, respectfully kneeling before Guanyin, both palms together, praying for her mother and elder brother in that world to be safe and healthy, do not worry about this daughter; from today onwards, she also care about food and vegetables, care about the rivers and big mountains, earnestly try to live on.

Big drops of boiling tears rush forth, she is silently choked with emotions. Her tears followed obviously thin and weak face, dripping onto the light cyan praying mat. Some penetrated and disappeared, some landed on the ground, becoming one with the dust. The morning rays entered through the lotus-coloured screen window, bright and splendour, soft and beautiful.

The small small body of Minglan rested on the praying mat, unprecedented tranquility in her heart. She prayed sincerely in a low voice from her heart, wishing that Guanyin would be merciful, look after every emptied Five Aggregates6, pa.s.s through every hardships, wishing for no worries, no worrying things, nothing frightening, keep away from those that go against her dreams, taking all grief.

1. Children learn how to write by tracing Chinese characters that are printed in red
2. A mythical animal that looks like a winged lion, there are two kinds of pixiu and the double-horned ones, aka pi ya, are meant to ward off evil and they should be in pairs.
3. It is the Chinese G.o.ddess of Mercy.
4. Enxi – Eun-suh; Xin’ai – Shin-ae
5. Underworld in Chinese mythology
6. Also known as Skanda, the theory that one has five elements that make up one’s physical and mental existence.

Translating the details especially the food was so hard I want to cry. Hope you guys have patience with me because I am really weak. Here Minglan poured her heart out, I hope you guys will be patient with her. Next up, a day in the life of Minglan under w.a.n.g shi’s roof!