Chapter 136

Early morning.

Jiang Mianmian woke up and let out a big yawn.

She glanced at the top of the bed, admiring the beautiful mosquito net curtains.

She rolled over twice, tumbling across the bed.

Grandma appeared like a ghost to roll up the gauze curtains for her.

At first, it startled Jiang Mianmian. She couldn't understand how Grandma knew so precisely and punctually when she woke up to start rolling up the curtains.

It was just like the legendary curtain-rolling general, so incredibly punctual.

As Grandma rolled up the gauze curtains, Jiang Mianmian was already sitting in the middle of the bed.

Swinging her little legs, Grandma helped her put on a small dress. Jiang Mianmian noticed that her tummy seemed a bit big, though she wasn't sure why. Her little belly was round and protruding. She thought all children must be like this, feeling slightly self-conscious. It was mainly because Elder Sister's culinary skills had improved so rapidly. Everything was delicious, and she wanted to taste it all. It seemed she ate her fill every day and never went hungry.

Her belly had never gotten smaller either.

After putting on the little dress and shoes, Jiang Mianmian looked down and saw her protruding little tummy. She pretended not to notice, thinking that a child with a bit of a belly should be cute too.

Her hair still felt rather thin. Grandma wanted to tie it up, but she always protested, believing that tying it would make it even thinner.

However, because of the hot weather, she easily sweated, and when she did, her hair would get all wet and sticky. So, she still let Grandma grab her hair and tie it into a little ponytail.

Then came washing up. While doing so, Jiang Mianmian asked, "Grandma, did Father and Elder Brother not come back last night?"

Aunt Yin nodded, "The masters must have had something important to attend to. They'll be back during the day today."

Jiang Mianmian nodded.

She thought to herself that it was rare for Father and Elder Brother not to come home at night. They must be busy with something very important.

Nothing in life comes easy, after all.

After getting up and having breakfast, Grandma was to teach Elder Sister cultural lessons today, and Jiang Mianmian had to learn along with her.

Mom would join in the learning too.

Aunt Yin didn't know what sins she had committed in her past life to suffer such torment at her age.

Among the three females, Qin learned characters quickly but forgot them just as fast. The elder daughter would run away at the sight of characters, thinking they might bite her. The little girl would learn with just one glance but pretended not to know, deliberately leaving out parts when writing.

Jiang Mianmian thought to herself: It's a misunderstanding. She only knew simplified characters; traditional ones still needed to be learned.

Cultural lessons took up half the morning, and the afternoon was scheduled for talent classes.

They were required to learn a musical instrument.

Jiang Mianmian discovered yet another of Grandma's talents – she seemed to know everything.

Grandma taught Mom to play the drums, several drums together, which felt like a modern drum set when played, exuding a valiant and heroic air.

At first, Mom refused to learn, shaking her head and saying she couldn't do it when told she had to learn an instrument.

But when Grandma set up the drums, Mom played happily, with a great sense of rhythm.

Watching Mom play the drums, for the first time, Jiang Mianmian felt that Mom wasn't just Mom, but Qin Luoxia, a woman of radiance. Dressed in a gauze skirt with a waistband, she was tall with a full bosom, long legs, and long arms. As she wielded the drumsticks and struck the drums, her body swayed with the beat. She possessed a unique beauty, an undeniable charm all her own.

Qin Luoxia also really liked the drum rhythms, feeling it was similar to hunting and that it could express her mood. She practiced very seriously. At first, she just wanted to have a skill she could proudly perform for her husband, but as she learned, she genuinely came to enjoy drumming.

She never expected that playing an instrument could be so easy, interesting, and fun.

While Mom was drumming, Grandma initially chose an instrument for Elder Sister that seemed a bit too plain.

The erhu.

With just two strings, when Elder Sister played it, Jiang Mianmian felt it affected her bowel movements. Really, it was so bumpy that she almost had to go, but the vibrations from Elder Sister's erhu made everything retreat back inside.

But Aunt Yin had already tried her best and gave up after many attempts.

They switched to the flute instead.

All you had to do was blow into the holes, plus you could carry it around and even use it as a weapon if needed.

After the ordeal with the erhu, Elder Sister quickly accepted the flute. At least her playing didn't cause constipation anymore.

He had always been exceptionally handsome, but there was always a sense of gloomy beauty about him.

He had a bit of a mad beauty vibe.

Today, however, he seemed much more normal, appearing more handsome and sunny, radiating light from head to toe.

Elder Brother also seemed to have reverted to his rakish self, looking lazily and roguishly handsome, no longer so serious.

Who knows what good fortune they'd encountered to change so much.

Jiang Mianmian asked Father in her childish voice, "Father, you've been gone so long. Mianmian missed you. Did you bring me a gift?"

When elders are in a good mood, it's basic strategy to ask for presents.

Jiang Changtian was a bit taken aback by the question. He hadn't actually thought about bringing a gift for the little one today.

But since she asked, he certainly had to have something.

Jiang Changtian searched his person and produced a small knife.

This knife was something he always carried with him. It had once given him half the courage to keep living.

Now it seemed he no longer needed it. He had something more important than the knife.

This small knife was given to him by his father when he was still alive.

He had always cherished it dearly.

Today, Jiang Changtian took out the knife and handed it to little Mianmian, saying, "Here, you can use it to peel fruit."

Jiang Changtian smiled.

Their family had always been poor. Everyone ate fruit with the skin on, but this little one always insisted on having the peel removed. He didn't know where she'd picked up such a refined habit.

Seeing Aunt Yin's matter-of-fact expression, as if this was perfectly normal, Jiang Changtian had already guessed something about his own background.

But he wasn't certain. He had read Old Lady Jiang's letters - one was addressed to the Seventh Prince Consort, and the other, surprisingly, to the Grand Imperial Son-in-law, the husband of the Eldest Princess.

In fact, he had only read them, not intercepted them. The letters were still sent out. He dared not believe Old Lady Jiang's words, thinking he would wait for people to come and then follow the trail.

Jiang Mianmian hadn't expected to actually receive a gift from her casual plea.

She happily took the small knife, slid down, and went to find Elder Brother.

She asked the same question, and Elder Brother gave her a kiss, leaving her face covered in saliva...

Oh well, she'd play by herself.

Jiang Mianmian was delighted with her small knife.

She began her fruit-peeling career, carefully dissecting fruits with the knife, separating skin, flesh, and seeds with meticulous precision.

Not satisfied with just this, she thought it would be nice if she had small animals to practice her dissection skills on.

As Jiang Mianmian pondered this, the very next day she received a small rabbit brought to her by Jiang Xiaoshu and his army of ants.

A gray rabbit.

It had already been bitten to death.

What a waste of a pretty rabbit.

Jiang Mianmian took her small knife and cut open the rabbit's skin, neck, fascia, bones, and internal organs, arranging everything neatly in categories.

Having great strength was an advantage; during the dissection, her hand didn't get stuck at all. She could cut through smoothly without pausing.

Worried that her family might discover and be frightened, Jiang Mianmian divided the rabbit into the smallest possible units after dissection, then had the little ants carry away and eat the pieces.

Perfect cooperation.

Every day, she set aside some time to receive prey from the little ants, then dissect and divide it, before giving it back to the ants to carry away.

Her skills improved day by day.

Jiang Mianmian also felt very at ease, as if she had found her own way of survival.

A talent all her own. Indeed, with one skill, one need not worry wherever they go.