Chapter 2 (1/2)
At a peasant’s residence with three green-tiled and red-walled rooms, the spacious courtyard was covered by layers and layers of accumulated snow. A large, black watchdog paced at the entrance, lazily chomping a bone from a cracked bowl. It seemed that the frosty air made it feel extremely cold, as it retreated into its cozy kennel.
It was New Year’s Eve. Colorful paintings, depicting an abundant harvest of all food crops, were pasted at the entrance. Three fat, huge lanterns hung from the roof. Firecracker sounds could be heard from the outside. Occupants of the residence were beaming with happiness, in harmony with the feeling of a New Year’s Eve dinner. Although village delicacies were served, the eight main dishes had been cooked meticulously with attention to detail. The meat and vegetables complemented each other. There were spicy steamed striped bass cooked with bean sprouts1, braised pork2, tea-infused smoked chicken3, five-colored shredded vegetables4, onion and lamb dumplings5, “praying for blessings” shrimp6, four happiness meatballs7 and abundant wealth8.
A large group drank and gambled together. It was an extraordinary scene that was bustling with noise and excitement. At the same time, there was an atmosphere of bleak emptiness in the most remote residence of the peasant’s courtyard. A solitary room was dimly lit by a candle, which seemed as though it would be extinguishing soon.
A tall, young maid with her hair combed into a topknot bun sat in front of the residence, carefully adding firewood to the brazier. As the firewood in the brazier caught fire, a pungent, thick smoke immediately pervaded the small residence.
Another maid with a petite figure ran towards the residence hurriedly as she picked a thin, shabby fan from the ground, before fanning it carefully. She scolded, “Lian Qiao, you should be more careful. Our lady’s health has not recovered yet. What if she chokes?”
Lian Qiao curled her lips with an extremely angry expression. Yet, she still lowered her voice, “I do hope that there is not any smoke. Today, I went to find Zhang Lan family. I didn’t even request for fusain, just normal coal. She has the nerve to blame the heavy usage over these past few days as the reason why there isn’t any more coal left in the storage. Bah! Who is she trying to deceive? At this time of the year, how can there be no coal in the residence? She is just taking advantage of her authority to bully us. If it wasn’t for our currently sick lady, and I do not dare to worry her, I must slap her twice!”
“You-” The fanning maid sighed again, “You should restrain your stubbornness. Although this family bullies us intolerably, we are still living under their roof. We have to lower our heads. If you really stir up trouble, our lady will be the one who will suffer.”
Lian Qiao eyed her in contempt, “Bai Zhi, I did not realize that you are this cowardly. What is the social standing of this family, and what is the social standing of our lady? Regardless of what happens to our lady, with her status, we cannot let these low-born people continue to bully her!”
Bai Zhi shook her head, “Both of us are our lady’s maids. Of course, I want the best for her. It is just that, lately, there has been no news from the capital. I do not know how much longer our lady has to stay here. It is fine if we are here for a short amount of time, but you see, it is already the fourth year now. Master has never sent anyone to ask about her well-being. If we still have to stay here for a longer time and you incite a dispute with them, the one who suffers in the end is our lady.”
Lian Qiao stopped herself from replying. After a moment, she only spoke softly, “Then, should we just allow them to simply bully our lady?”
Bai Zhi only sighed softly.
The house fell into silence again. Only the firewood within the fire was crackling. The two maids kept the fire going with the fan in their hands. No one noticed that the person on the bed had awakened.
Jiang Ruan had been awake for quite some time. Naturally, the conversation between Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao reached her ears, word for word. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to learn that she has transmigrated into her younger self from a decade ago. The experience from her past life felt like a dream from an afternoon nap. However, she knew that her hatred of being callously killed was not something that could be dissipated by a dream. Since God has provided her with a chance to start over, she would not hesitate in accepting and availing it properly.
When she stirred on the bed three days ago, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao heaved a large breath of relief. Jiang Ruan had already been unconscious for more than ten days, since the day she fell into a lake. The medical practitioner that attended to her said he was incapable of defying fate. Zhang Lan family even enquired about funeral rites. Who knew, she would wake up again. Lian Qiao held her hand and cried her heart out, repeating that God had blessed her, while Jiang Ruan merely closed her eyes.