Chapter 6: Chapter 6

The young maid who had followed Ming Rou was trembling with fear, terrified of being punished by the Master and Madam when they returned. Ye Qiuniang had no energy to spare for the maid’s anxieties. After all, when Ming Rou was missing, she herself had been frantic enough to want to beat everyone responsible. All the way home, Ming Rou clutched Ye Qiuniang’s hand tightly. What Xu Qionghua’s head maid had whispered earlier filled her with guilt. If not for her, Jiujiu wouldn’t have had to endure this discomfort, wading through water to find her.

The Wet Nurse had often said: as a child, she shouldn’t wade in puddles; in winter, she shouldn’t touch cold water; otherwise, it would cause problems when she was older. Ming Rou now vaguely understood what those problems were. Feeling the icy temperature of Ye Qiuniang’s palm, Ming Rou was filled with self-reproach, yet her words still came out chiding: “You just had to come out in the rain to look. When the rain stopped, we would have come back on our own. Now you’re in such a sorry state.”

As she said this, she pouted and secretly shed tears. Ye Qiuniang, seeing this, gave a weak smile. This stubborn little thing was so willful. She placated Ming Rou with a few casual words. Whenever they reached a deep puddle, she even bent down, wanting to carry Ming Rou on her back. Ming Rou would have none of it. She tugged Ye Qiuniang along, wading straight through the water.

Finally, they arrived home. Old Patriarch Ming, Ming Yulan, and her husband were all waiting inside. They heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the group appear and immediately recalled those still searching outside. Then came the reckoning. Seeing Ye Qiuniang’s weak state, Ming Rou, unusually willful, tried to take all the blame upon herself. Of course, she had no good excuse, simply trying to use the Old Patriarch’s usual doting on her to throw a tantrum.

But today, the Old Patriarch was truly angry. Now aged, his health was failing. He could not tolerate any mishap befalling his precious granddaughter. Ignoring her pleas, he flew into a rage. “Her sole duty in the Ming family is to look after you! Now she’s lost you, that’s the greatest dereliction of duty. Don’t you think she should be punished?”

“It was my choice today not to let her follow. And I was the one who whimsically changed our route, so we couldn’t be found. If anyone should be punished, punish me. It has nothing to do with Jiujiu,” Ming Rou stubbornly retorted.

Normally, although Ming Rou was spoiled, she rarely talked back to the Old Patriarch. This defiance only made him angrier. “You think you’re blameless? I’ll punish her first, then you!” With that, he ordered someone to fetch the whip.

Seeing the slender whip, Ming Rou’s eyes filled with terror, and the color drained from her little face. But remembering that Jiujiu was already feeling unwell, being whipped would be even worse. As the whip was about to descend, a surge of courage came from nowhere, and she squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself over Ye Qiuniang, screaming, “You won’t hit my Jiujiu! If you hit her, hit me too!”

The Old Patriarch was furious. Gritting his teeth, he brought the whip down. It landed half on Ming Rou, half on Ye Qiuniang. Ming Rou had never felt such a lashing before and burst into a loud wail. Ming Yulan had thought her father was only threatening, not that he would actually strike. Although she hadn’t put much thought into her daughter usually, Ming Rou was still a piece of flesh from her own body, the crystallization of her love with her husband. How could she let the old man resort to such force? She quickly knelt to plead for mercy on their behalf.

From the very beginning, Du Xian’s gaze had been fixed on Ye Qiuniang to the side. The young girl was now beginning to show her womanly curves. Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her youthful, graceful body, paired with a beautiful oval face that made it hard to look away. Seeing his wife kneel, he carefully hid the expression in his eyes and knelt beside her.

Prostrated on the ground, Ye Qiuniang was willing to accept the punishment. Recalling the almost-collapsing despair she felt when she couldn’t find Ming Rou, she was still filled with self-blame. Therefore, she dared not utter a word in her defense when the Old Patriarch scolded her. But Ming Rou protected her at every turn, even throwing herself over her to block the whip. This deeply moved Ye Qiuniang. She hugged Ming Rou, heart aching, and said, “Eldest Miss, please stop pleading for me. Qiuniang made a mistake and failed to protect the Eldest Miss. I willingly accept punishment. Please be good and don’t shield me, okay?”

The Old Patriarch’s lash had struck Ming Rou’s body, but to Ye Qiuniang, it hurt more than if it had landed on her own. The Old Patriarch, seeing these two young children show such deep devotion at their tender age, had already half his anger dissipated. Moreover, this single lash had hurt his granddaughter’s body, but it was his own heart that ached. Looking at the pitiful sight on the ground, combined with the pleas from his daughter and son-in-law, he finally found an excuse to relent. He put away the whip and dismissed them.

After they left, he noticed a patch of blood on the floor. Though a man, he had lived long and roughly understood what it indicated. He recalled that in the past, whenever Ming Rou went out, Ye Qiuniang would follow closely without exception. Today, however, she had suddenly been lazy and stayed behind. It was likely her first time. Remembering the heavy storm that afternoon, this child had braved the rain to search until nightfall, and how pale her face had been just now, the Old Patriarch suddenly felt restless.

He sent his Old Servant to arrange for Ye Qiuniang to rest well for a few days. And as for his precious granddaughter, her punishment was to be confined to the house for several days, and the Master would fill her days with lessons—a strict schedule of study to make her apply herself.

Back at their quarters, the Wet Nurse and the other old matrons had initially wanted to corner Ye Qiuniang and the young maid for a lecture. But seeing the Old Patriarch’s messenger arrive right behind them, they dared not stir up more trouble and hurriedly released them to bathe and rest.

After a chaotic flurry, the two finally lay in bed. Ye Qiuniang felt as though her legs no longer belonged to her. If not for the fact that Ming Rou had taken the brunt of that whip strike, she might have felt even worse. Seeing the Wet Nurse bring in medicine for injuries, she hurriedly got up to apply it to Ming Rou. Looking at the swollen, red welt on the little one’s back, her eyes couldn’t help reddening again. “Eldest Miss, if anything like this happens in the future, you mustn’t shield me again.”

Seeing her upset, Ming Rou quickly sat up, wincing as she tried to offer comfort. “Jiujiu, it doesn’t hurt. Maternal Grandfather didn’t use any real strength. After the medicine, it’ll be gone by tomorrow.” Ye Qiuniang knew she was just trying to make her feel better. She held back her tears and finished applying the medicine, watching the powder land on the injury and the tender flesh on that small back flinch sharply.

She paused, looking up at the little girl’s face. Sure enough, a pair of tear-filled, wide eyes were looking back at her, tiny mouth pursed, on the verge of crying again. Seeing this, Ye Qiuniang couldn’t help but break into a smile, though her tears dripped down immediately, landing on Ming Rou’s back. Ming Rou whimpered, “Jiujiu, it’s hot…”

“Where is it hot?” Ye Qiuniang immediately tensed, worried. They had all been soaked in the rain and waded through water this afternoon. Ming Rou was constitutionally weak; she feared the child might have a fever.

“Your tears are so hot. They feel like they’re starting a fire on my back. It hurts the wound.” Hearing this, Ye Qiuniang burst out with a wet chuckle. She hastily wiped her tears and leaned down, gently blowing on the injured area. “There, there, a little puff makes the pain go away…”

A moment later, seeing the medicine applied, Ming Rou draped her clothes over her and sat up, then flopped down across Ye Qiuniang’s lap. Though her eyes were still red-rimmed and pitiful-looking from the earlier pain, her mood had brightened considerably. She looked up and asked, “Jiujiu, now that you’ve had that, does it mean you’re a grown-up?”

Ye Qiuniang forced a small smile. “Yes. If I were still at home, this would be the time to marry me off to another family and have children.” Ming Rou immediately exclaimed, “But you’ve already been betrothed to me! Who else do you want to marry?”

This time, Ye Qiuniang let out a genuine laugh. “You’re a girl, and I’m a girl too. Back then, saying I was betrothed to you was just for the Auspicious Marriage. Two women—how can we marry!” Ming Rou pouted. “I don’t care. Anyway, the Wet Nurse said you’re my wife. And everyone in Pingle County knows this. When I grow up in the future, we are going to get married.”

Ye Qiuniang thought for a moment. It had only been three years since she came to the Ming household. The ten-year limit was still far off. By the time Ming Rou truly grew up, she wouldn’t think this way anymore. So she didn’t argue. “Fine. Then you must hurry and grow up. Only grown-ups can get married.”

Ming Rou, upon hearing this, asked another question. “So when I, like you, also have that, does that mean I’m a grown-up too?” “Probably…” Ye Qiuniang hesitated. “Then it won’t be long before we can get married,” Ming Rou said enthusiastically.

Ye Qiuniang looked at the little girl before her, still so full of childish innocence, and found it hard to imagine what she would be like a few years from now. She would surely be a strikingly beautiful young lady, and all the talented youths of Pingle County would probably fall for her. Then, naturally, some outstanding young gentleman would come to court her. By then, would Ming Rou even remember these childish words from today?

Seeing that Ye Qiuniang hadn’t responded, Ming Rou became a little unhappy. But lifting her head, she caught Ye Qiuniang looking at her with such gentle eyes that she was involuntarily soothed by the soft emotion in them. Looking at Ye Qiuniang’s tall, slender form, her fair neck, the slight swell of her chest, and further up to her full lips, Ming Rou felt that tonight, Jiujiu seemed different somehow, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. Could this be what it meant to come of age?

Even the scent she carried seemed to have gained an extra layer, a peculiar, tingling sensation when their eyes met. Ming Rou didn’t understand what this feeling was, but she liked this version of Jiujiu. Thinking of how Jiujiu had to drag her unwell body, wade through water, and suffer the cold just to find her today, and upon return, was forced to kneel on the icy floor by her Maternal Grandfather for so long, Ming Rou felt both heartbroken and deeply unsettled.

“Jiujiu, let’s go to sleep quickly. My hands are warm. Later, I can help warm your tummy.”

Seeing her set aside her usual willfulness, becoming so considerate, Ye Qiuniang felt her own discomfort lighten considerably. “I’m alright. I just need to lie down and rest. As for you, you’ll probably have to sleep on your stomach or side tonight.”

Ming Rou didn’t mind. She then remembered what Steward Zhang, the Old Patriarch’s man, had instructed earlier. She announced excitedly, “Jiujiu, Maternal Grandfather said you can rest for three days and don’t even have to go to the Master’s. You can play all you want!” But then, recalling that she herself was confined to the house for those three days, she immediately deflated.

“Good girl, I won’t go anywhere these few days, just stay in the courtyard. When you come back from your lessons, you’ll see me right away, okay?” Ye Qiuniang couldn’t bear to see her like this and comforted her. Hearing this, Ming Rou was finally satisfied, and she obediently lay down on her stomach.