Extra 2-3: Nian Sheng (Part 3)

My thoughts must have been too obvious. After returning from the garden, my sister asked, “Nian Nian, why do you keep looking at me like that?”

After discovering her secret, I felt guilty and didn’t know what to say. I stammered, “I… I was just thinking, after you left the capital, cousin returned and spoke with Aunt for a long time. It’s a pity you didn’t see him. You haven’t seen him for almost three years. You must miss him, right?”

My question was a bit sudden, and I expected my sister to ask why I brought it up.

But she only said softly, “Is that so?” and didn’t say anything else.

This is too unusual!

If someone asked me if I missed Yu Sheng after not seeing him for a long time, I would definitely joke, “Of course, I miss him a lot.”

But my sister didn’t give a direct answer.

Not wanting her to feel awkward, I casually suggested, “I think cousin is better than the men you’ve seen. If you can’t find the right person, why not just… settle with him? That way, Mother and Aunt won’t worry.”

My sister sighed, “But your cousin doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be held back by love.”

It sounds like my sister is uncertain about herself.

My sister, who has always been confident, now seems to lack confidence.

But I’m completely confident.

From what I’ve observed over the years, my cousin would do anything for my sister, even pick the stars in the sky for her. So, asking for their marriage is no big deal, right?

People really lose sight when they’re in love.

But this is between them. I can only give a little hint and not interfere. There’s no need to tell my cousin.

These two smart people have survived many challenges in court. I’m sure they can handle love and marriage just as well.

My father came here on business for the Ministry of War and will be leaving soon.

Although my sister doesn’t want me to leave, she thinks it’s better for me to go back with my father because I’m still young, and my studies can’t wait.

A few days before I left, my sister bought me local necessities and clothes and took me to a hot spring bath.

It was still a bit cold a couple of months ago, and my sister wore thick pajamas at night, so her body wasn’t noticeable. But now, with the weather warming up and while taking a hot spring bath, her clothes were lighter, revealing her slim, graceful figure.

Watching water droplets slide down her smooth shoulders, I finally understood the phrase “skin as smooth as cream” ^[1]used to describe exceptionally smooth and delicate skin..

This is what it looks like in reality.

My cousin is really lucky.

Later, my cousin finally returned to the capital after his inspection trip.

Not only did he bring back my sister, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, but also news of their upcoming engagement.

After hearing this, Yu Sheng finally understood why my cousin treated my sister so differently and why he was so committed to keeping our family together—it was all for this.

My cousin had never talked to my sister about the marriage before because there were too many uncertainties in the court. Now that the Crown Prince and Prince Rui have fallen, they can finally be together without worries.

This time, Yu Sheng accepted defeat sincerely, and the yellow jade Chihu^[2]is a type of Chinese paperweight. became mine.

My parents were very happy to hear the news. They thought it was a big event for the family, so they planned to take a vacation and return to Qin County to inform our relatives and friends that their eldest daughter was getting married.

My elder sister has always been well-liked. During the years of mourning for her parents, the villagers took good care of her. After hearing my father’s plan, she said that she hadn’t been home in a long time and should go back to visit. However, she had just taken the position of Grand Music Commander, and the emperor needed people, so she couldn’t leave. Instead, she prepared a generous gift for my father to take back and greet the villagers of Qin County on her behalf.

On the way from the capital to Qin County, my father was in a very good mood.

When I was a teacher there, I always felt that the value of my life had not been realized. When I talked about this with the people around me, they didn’t understand. My only confidant, Lord Chu, left after his promotion, so I lived a rather “lonely” life.

At that time, many thought he was being dramatic. They believed that being a teacher was the peak of his career. Now that he had achieved the sixth rank in the Ministry of War and fulfilled his life’s ambitions, he could finally return with peace of mind.

As a local eighth-rank teacher, my father was always respected. Now that he had become a higher-ranking official in Beijing, his return caused quite a sensation in the county.

There’s a saying, “If you don’t return to your hometown when you’re rich and powerful, it’s like wearing fine clothes at night.” My usually serious father wore a proud smile. He even spoke louder, and his habit of showing off came out naturally, perfectly showing the meaning of this phrase.

As soon as my aunt saw them, she apologized to my father and mother. She thought they wouldn’t come back after the trouble they had, so she took over managing the family property. Now that they were back, she offered to return everything and hoped they wouldn’t mind.

Although my uncle took over our old house and land, he promised the clan elders that he would raise my sister until she married. The dowry left for my sister had not been touched and was still there.

Although what my uncle and aunt did wasn’t very kind, it followed the old clan rules. Compared to the Shen family’s past actions, it wasn’t too extreme.

Yu Sheng had never been back before and wasn’t close to them. He didn’t care for it and said to my aunt, “All your little fortune combined isn’t worth a single hairpin of my sister’s. She doesn’t care, and she won’t. Honestly, if my sister had stayed with you, she would have been buried here for years.”

My uncle and aunt weren’t happy, but they didn’t say much. They just kept toasting my father and eventually left in shame.

They weren’t particularly crafty; they just took advantage of the rules where they could. But sooner or later, they would pay for it. This is what’s known as karma.

As I expected, my sister and cousin got married without any problems, and they’ve been very happy ever since.

Later, the emperor passed away, and Prince Chu took the throne without any challenge.

I graduated from the Girls’ School and prepared for the next chapter of my life.

When it came to choosing a school for us, my sister used her connections so I could study at the Prince of Chu’s private school with several princesses.

At the time, it was called the Prince of Chu’s Palace, but now it’s known as Qiandi. My time there, if mentioned today, would look impressive on a resume.

My father was involved in the imperial examination system, and my cousin was too. My father hoped Yu Sheng would follow that path as well.

However, Yu Sheng didn’t get along with the family and was more interested in martial arts.

Her father arranged for him to join the army to gain experience before making other plans.

After arranging things for Yu Sheng, my brother asked me about my future plans.

To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it yet.

Mybrother  said, “There’s no rush. Take your time to figure it out. Many people spend their entire lives trying to decide what they want to do. It’s not too late to know before you die.”

Later, the teacher who taught music at Luojia Girls’ School was in poor health and asked me to help as an assistant.

After I became a teaching assistant, I realized that being a teacher is very different from being a student. As a student, there were assignments, pressure, and exams, and I didn’t feel any joy—it was just something that had to be done.

But now, as a teacher, there are no more exams, and the pressure is less. Watching my students grow and improve every day, I felt happiness instead.

I told my sister that I really enjoyed this work and that it would be nice to continue teaching at a school.

My sister was very happy to hear that. She treated us to a delicious meal at Zuixianju and shared her experiences from teaching at the Imperial College.

Mrs. Luo was also pleased to hear that I wanted to stay on, as I was the teaching assistant most liked by the students, and everyone hoped I would remain.

A few months later, the teacher at Li Yue, the private school connected to our family, passed the imperial examination and returned home to prepare for the next stage. Since the new teacher hadn’t arrived yet, I was asked to substitute for a while.

Princess He’en’s youngest son, Jiang Nan, also studied at the Luo family school. Since he often struggled with etiquette and music courses, I became his tutor. After several lessons, we became familiar with each other.

There were so many aristocratic children at the Luo school that I didn’t pay much attention to Jiang Nan at first.

But over time, I found that Jiang Nan was a pretty decent guy. He was good-looking, loyal, and though his academics weren’t the best, they were acceptable. His best qualities were that he was good at enjoying life but wasn’t a playboy. His biggest advantage was his talent in managing business, and every investment he made turned a profit.

Princess He’en was the late emperor’s favorite and the first to support the King of Chu. Whether the late emperor was alive or the new emperor was on the throne, their family lived comfortably.

My mother was always frugal, and my father believed in working hard, so I never understood these luxurious things.

He knew my personality well and that I wouldn’t accept expensive clothes or fancy banquets. Instead, he often took me to enjoy simple but unique food, like the fresh meat wontons from Songji on the main road outside the city, the fish soup in a hidden alley outside the capital that was so delicious, and the tender roasted meat praised by the King of Chu, which made me feel happy with just one bite.

After we became “acquaintances,” he invited me to his home many times. His brother and sister-in-law were always warm to me, and mother and Princess He’en often spoke to me.

Princess He’en openly expressed her love for me and said several times that a girl like me would be perfect for Jiang Nan and could balance out his rougher side.

One day, when he was walking me home, he stopped me and asked seriously, “Nian Nian, I’m not young anymore, and we’ve known each other for a while. Do you think… I can go to your house to propose marriage?”

Luckily, it was winter and got dark early, or else he would have seen how red my face was.

No matter how happy I was, I couldn’t agree right away.

I told him calmly, “I’ll need to ask my family’s opinion first.”

I always trusted my sister’s judgment on these matters.

After all, she had wisely supported the King of Chu, showing her keen insight.

My sister was pleased to hear this and immediately booked a private room in a nearby teahouse to meet him the next day.

Jiang Nan thought his cousin’s husband was an old family friend, so he brought him along for support.

When everyone arrived, I realized we were all acquaintances.

Jiang Nan’s cousin’s husband turned out to be Chu Xun, who my sister had known from her time in Qin County.

Chu Xun looked deeply at my sister and said in a serious tone, “I heard Anan wanted to meet Nian Nian. I thought it would be her aunt accompanying her, but I never expected it would be her sister.”

My sister remained calm and said, “It’s okay. Since we’re all familiar, it makes things easier. Don’t be nervous, Xiao Jiang. Let’s just chat casually.”

It seemed my path to marriage would not be smooth. We had just started talking and hadn’t even finished two cups of tea when my brother-in-law arrived.

It’s true that good things come with challenges.

When my sister saw him, she asked, “How did you find your way here?”

He replied, “I passed by the Ministry of Revenue and heard from your attendant that you were here, so I came.”

My sister explained why we were gathered and said, “Nian Nian trusts me, and mother also put this matter in my hands, so I thought of handling it. If you finished work early, you should have gone home and waited for me.”

He didn’t say much, just gently held my sister’s hand and sat down.

Having seen their affectionate moments for years, she knew he came because he simply couldn’t wait to see her.

But when he noticed Chu Xun was here, his expression darkened, and the atmosphere in the room changed.

The tea room’s charcoal fire was burning brightly, but I felt a chill.

Jiang Nan, who holds a simple job in court, had never faced someone like my brother-in-law. Already nervous about meeting family, Jiang Nan was even more flustered by my brother-in-law’s sharp questions.

Jiang Nan’s face turned pale, but he managed to answer the questions. His answers weren’t perfect, but they were passable. Fortunately, he held on.

The situation was awkward, but my sister and Chu Xun smoothed things over.

However, my brother-in-law’s attitude kept making things tense. My sister soon realized this and quickly stood up to end the meeting: “I have other things to do at home tonight, so we’ll leave now.”

My brother-in-law led the way out. I took my sister’s arm, winked at Jiang Nan, and said, “I’m going back with my sister.”

Once we left, I whispered to her, “Brother-in-law is a cabinet minister ^[3]refers to high-ranking government official., but why does he still act so… childish?”

My sister agreed, “He is very childish.”

Though it sounded like she was complaining, her smile was sweet.

Well, I guess today is another day of witnessing their affection.