The next day, when Ming Rou woke up, she felt an unusual clarity in her mind. But she found a warm body beside her. Tilting her little head, she then remembered the events of last night, when the Wet Nurse had placed this person in her bed. Usually, when she slept with the Wet Nurse, any slight movement would wake them immediately.
Yet this older sister was sleeping so soundly, not even stirring to help her dress, even now that she was sitting up. Ming Rou crawled over, leaned on the pillow, and used her hands to pry open Ye Qiuniang’s eyelids.
Ye Qiuniang had been up in the night attending to Ming Rou, so she was now in a deep sleep. In her dream, she had slept until noon. Her siblings had all run off somewhere, and her mother, returning from the fields and finding her still in bed, had grabbed a broom and started hitting her, cursing her laziness—how could any girl sleep until the sun was high in the sky like this?
The beating jolted Ye Qiuniang awake. She opened her eyes to find a pair of large, black, shining eyes right in front of her. Startled, she shrank back. The little girl before her, not expecting Ye Qiuniang to suddenly wake, was also startled by her reaction. Immediately, her lips pursed, and it looked like golden beans were about to fall from her eyes.
Ye Qiuniang, acting on instinct faster than thought, did as she always did with her youngest sister. Reflexively, she scooped the girl into her arms and gave her a little bob up and down. “Don’t cry, I’ll lift you up high.”
Sure enough, this trick worked on Ming Rou too. This hug-and-lift instantly stopped her tears. Usually, the Wet Nurse and the maids treated her like a porcelain doll, handling her with extreme care, afraid a single misstep would shatter her. Who would dare rock her so vigorously? But Ming Rou found it wonderfully novel. Tossed about like this by Ye Qiuniang, she found it fun, and her little tantrum vanished.
The servants outside, hearing the sounds within, hurried in to help the Eldest Miss get up. The Wet Nurse entered first, a look of disbelief on her face.
“Aiya, my Eldest Miss, you’re awake so early today! Usually, you’d sleep for another couple of hours. Is your head aching? Anywhere else feel unwell?”
Ming Rou shook her head and replied in a clear voice, “Wet Nurse, nothing hurts. I slept so very well.”
Normally, Ming Rou would look listless upon waking, a far cry from the energy she showed today. The Wet Nurse was all smiles, her gaze falling more favorably on Ye Qiuniang as well. She had thought this country girl would be just another Little Cui, a mere decoration. But unexpectedly, on her very first night, she had managed to soothe the Eldest Miss so well. The Old Patriarch would surely view her in a new light.
With this thought, she dared not neglect her. She instructed the young maids beside her to assist Ye Qiuniang in getting ready as well. In the Ye family, Ye Qiuniang had only ever served others. This scene was entirely new to her. She dodged the helping hands, swiftly put on the clothes prepared for her, straightened up, lowered her head, and said to the Wet Nurse, “Senior Nursemaid, please let Qiuniang serve the Eldest Miss.”
Beside her, Ming Rou, who was letting a maid wash her face and feeling very good after a night of excellent sleep, heard this request and chimed in, “Wet Nurse, let Jiujiu serve me.”
Hearing this, the Wet Nurse realized that Jiujiu was the new name the Eldest Miss had given Ye Qiuniang. But thinking that if the Old Patriarch valued the girl in the future, her status might not be low, having her serve could be inappropriate. She hesitated for a moment.
But Ye Qiuniang was delighted upon hearing this. She quickly took the small towel from Little Cui’s hand. “Qiuniang is willing. Let Qiuniang serve the Eldest Miss today.”
The Wet Nurse could only sigh and let them be. She stayed to the side, explaining Ming Rou’s usual morning routine and dressing habits to Ye Qiuniang, who listened carefully, nodding and committing everything to memory.
Today, Ye Qiuniang was wearing the new clothes the Wet Nurse had sent last night. Dressed in them, with her hair in a neat style, her previous image of a country bumpkin was gone, replaced by a lively, pretty look. And with her tall, slender frame, she was already beginning to show a graceful figure.
It wasn’t hard to see that, in a few years, this girl would blossom into a real beauty. The Wet Nurse looked her up and down, nodded with satisfaction, and said, “You must hurry and tidy yourself as well. Soon, we must go pay respects to the Old Patriarch.”
Old Patriarch Ming always rose early. He would exercise with some light boxing and then wait for the Shopkeepers from various stores to report. By the time they were finished, it was usually mid-morning. Normally, the Wet Nurse would bring Ming Rou to pay her respects around then since the precious little darling would fuss all night and couldn’t possibly get up early.
But today, before the Shopkeepers had even arrived, his little darling came pattering into his courtyard, calling out “Maternal Grandfather” from a long way off. Old Patriarch Ming thought his ears were playing tricks on him. But the clear, crisp voice outside called again and again. Abruptly, he stood up and strode out into the courtyard.
Sure enough, there was Ming Rou, barely taller than his knees, running towards him, her eyes bright and her whole demeanor full of vitality. The Old Patriarch was overjoyed, his beard twitching with delight. He stepped forward, scooped her up, and lifted her high. A few rays of morning sunlight fell into the courtyard, illuminating the little girl’s fair, innocent face and making her large, sparkling eyes stand out.
“My good granddaughter, how is it you’re up so early? Did you sleep well last night?”
“Very well,” Ming Rou said, tugging at his beard. “Did Maternal Grandfather sleep well?”
“If Rou’er slept well, then your Maternal Grandfather slept well,” Old Patriarch Ming chuckled. Seeing she truly looked full of spirit, even more lively than usual, he set her down to play by herself.
He then turned his attention to Ye Qiuniang, who stood beside the Wet Nurse. Compared to her plain attire yesterday, today’s outfit gave her a completely new look. She stood slightly bent, with an expression of utmost deference.
Old Patriarch Ming’s sharp eyes scrutinized her, his expression unreadable. He then turned to the Wet Nurse and said, “Watch for the next few days. If Rou’er can wake up this early every day, we’ll adjust her schedule with the Tutor. As the saying goes, ‘make full use of your morning hours.’ The earlier she goes, the more she can learn.”
He paused, then added, “Tell the Tutor that, from now on, when he teaches the Eldest Miss, he might as well teach Qiuniang along with her. I don’t expect her to become a great scholar, but if she’s to stay by Rou’er’s side, she should at least be able to recognize a few characters.”
Hearing the Old Patriarch’s words, an excited expression spread across Ye Qiuniang’s face. She had thought that reading and writing were things forever out of her reach. She never imagined she could benefit from the Eldest Miss’s light. She immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the Old Patriarch. “Qiuniang will forever be grateful for this chance to study. I am willing to repay the Ming family by working like an ox or a horse my whole life.”
The Old Patriarch nodded. “Get up. There’s no need to repay the Ming family. Simply devote your life to serving the Eldest Miss well.”
Ye Qiuniang quickly responded, “I will absolutely not disappoint the Old Patriarch’s hopes.”
Old Patriarch Ming nodded. He called Ming Rou, who was playing nearby, over to speak with him for a while before releasing them to go see the Tutor.
The Tutor was an old gentleman who had retired from the Hanlin Academy. He had been specially hired by the Ming residence, and Old Patriarch Ming had given him a small courtyard to live in. Every day, after breaking her fast, Ming Rou would go there to practice characters and study. Now, hearing he was to teach one more student, he reacted with little emotion. Teaching one was teaching, and teaching two was also teaching. The Ming family’s pay was generous, and the Eldest Miss was just beginning to learn. The new girl had also never studied. Their progress would be the same, and both seemed well-behaved. Compared to the naughty princes and royal grandsons, this would be a breeze.
Ming Rou was young, but she was naturally bright, and her progress was faster. Ye Qiuniang, though encountering brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for the first time, knew how to seize an opportunity and was diligent enough, showing the drive of a slow sparrow eager to take off first. Master Zhang saw that despite their great age difference, the competitive yet supportive atmosphere between them was highly gratifying. This Young Lady Ye, when she didn’t understand something, wasn’t too proud to ask a little girl not even five years old for help.
And the little girl, being asked for guidance by someone older, felt very proud. She dared not slack off in her own studies, afraid that if Ye Qiuniang asked something even harder, she wouldn’t be able to answer and would lose face for the Eldest Miss. So she worked even harder.
Old Patriarch Ming secretly came by a few times to observe. Seeing how they interacted, he stroked his beard, nodded, and left without a word.
What truly made him see Ye Qiuniang in a new light, however, was the matter of Ming Rou’s eating habits. Whether it was fate or the Taoist Priest’s words coming true, Ye Qiuniang’s arrival had indeed lessened Ming Rou’s heart ailment. She no longer cried at night. Therefore, under the Old Patriarch’s attention, the Ming household treated her with considerable courtesy. She even took her meals together with Ming Rou.
Ming Rou had always been raised delicately and was extremely picky about food and clothing. If something didn’t taste good, she wouldn’t take a second bite. She only favored a few specific foods. But how could a person’s body get all the necessary nutrients from just one type of food? This had long been a headache for everyone in the Ming residence. But if the child wouldn’t eat, what could they do? Force-feeding was out of the question.
Ye Qiuniang watched the girl across from her, still picking and choosing. Fatty meat, rejected. Starchy root vegetables, dismissed. Fruits not sweet enough, cast aside. Ye Qiuniang couldn’t help but frown. In her countryside, there was no such luxury of picking and choosing. Anything that could fill the stomach, they’d stuff right in.
Seeing Ming Rou toss another morsel onto the table, Ye Qiuniang finally couldn’t help herself. “Eldest Miss, why not give the things you won’t eat to Qiuniang? Throwing them away like that is such a waste.”
Ming Rou lifted her eyelids to glance at her. “Jiujiu, you can take whatever you want to eat. There are so many dishes here, surely enough for you. Why do you want my leftovers?”
“Eldest Miss, I heard the old people in the village say that a person is allotted only a limited amount of food in their life. Once it’s eaten up, their life comes to an end… The way you’re so picky, taking only one bite and then discarding it—doesn’t that count too? What if—”
Ming Rou was clever and precocious; she instantly understood what Ye Qiuniang was implying. Frightened, she pulled back her hand, but then asked defiantly, “What does that have to do with you eating my leftovers?”
“Eldest Miss, have you forgotten my position? Since I’m the Eldest Miss’s wife, the two of us are one entity. If I eat what you don’t, and I’m full so I don’t eat anything else, then our combined portions won’t be used up so quickly, will they?”
Hearing this, Ming Rou was immediately conflicted. Even if Jiujiu was willing to eat her leftovers, she couldn’t be so selfish as to give her scraps. Still, she said unhappily, “Fine, but it doesn’t taste good. I don’t like it.”
Ye Qiuniang smiled. “Spinach may not be tasty, but eating it helps you grow tall. I know of a very delicious sauce. Later, I’ll make some for the Eldest Miss to dip it in. Then even spinach can be very delicious.”
Ming Rou’s eyes lit up. “Really? Jiujiu is so amazing.”
