Aaaand here’s chapter 4! We are getting really close to the introduction of one of the male leads…. The one talked about in the novel summary description… Let the s.h.i.+pping commence! XD I wonder if Cheng Qing still wants to go home or if she has already gotten used to living in this era…. hmmm…. Guess we will have to read and find out! Thanks for everyone’s comments!

The sky started changing into yellow and orange-ish colors as the sun slowly rose.

It was around 5-6am in the morning when Cheng Qing (will be switched to A’Luo) got out of bed.

She then paused to glance down at the thin clothes she was wearing and had a thought that they would be unsuitable for sportswear.

Xiao Yu was also awake and asked a question.

“Xiaojie, what are you doing up so early? It is currently maos.h.i.+. You normally wouldn’t get up until chens.h.i.+.”

A’Luo started to recite the s.h.i.+-ke time system in her mind, thinking that it was better if she quickly got used to the way they counted and named the hours here (using the two hour sub-division system).

With just a smile she replied. “I was so happy overcoming my trial yesterday that I couldn’t sleep.”

She then changed the topic casually while combing her hair. “Xiao Yu, can you help me make some clothes?”

Xiao Yu carried over a pan of water for her to wash her face as she replied. “What kind of clothes does Xiaojie want to make? I am capable of making all kinds of clothes.”

A’Luo smiled again. “I will sketch the design for you later. Oh by the way, Xiao Yu, in the morning… in the morning… do I have to pay my respects?” A’Luo was still not used to referring to her own mother.

Xiao Yu smiled back, knowing who she was referring to without saying it. “Furen (referring to Qi furen) enjoys peace and quiet. She likes to be alone and embroider things to pa.s.s the time. During chens.h.i.+, she will head over to Da furen’s place to pay her respects and afterwards, she will just stay in her room. There is no need for Xiaojie to pay her respects.”

A’Luo was baffled as she continued to ask. “What if I want to learn something? Who do I ask?”

Xiao Yu was in shock before she started to reply.

“If Da Xiao Jie or Er Xiao Jie wanted to invite a teacher, they would rush over immediately no matter where they are from. Plus, San furen and Si furen are also familiar with calligraphy and painting….”

She then paused to look over A’Luo again as she continued.

“Xiaojie you have already chased off several teachers. Furen (again referring to Qi furen) said that when there comes a time you want to learn, she will invite teachers over. But, Xiaojie, our furen is actually a very talented woman. She knows everything.”

A’Luo laughed. How wonderful! She actually had a great teacher close by!

She then switched the topic. “I laid down for too long and now feel uncomfortable. I should get up and move around. Walk with me as I explore around! Once my beautiful mother comes back, I will ask her to teach me!” After adding “beautiful” in front of the word mother, she found it much easier to say.

Xiao Yu laughed as she agreed.

Once A’Luo’s hair was styled in a presentable manner, A’Luo pulled Xiao Yu along in a hurry, rus.h.i.+ng out of their own courtyard.

Xiao Yu also shared A’Luo’s excitement and enthusiasm. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“Xiaojie, in the past, you never wanted to leave the courtyard as you preferred staying in your own room. What made you change so suddenly?”

A’Luo looked up at Xiao Yu. “I could not stand seeing my beautiful mother with tears all the time. In the future, I will not let her stay cooped up in this courtyard, aging slowly while waiting for death. Xiao Yu, you must help me. We cannot let others take advantage of us.”

Xiao Yu’s eyes were tinged with redness as she listened to her words.

As she led A’Luo around the Li family premises, she patiently described to her the current state of the Li family.

A’Luo suddenly realized that she didn’t even know what her full name much less the other family members.

She tried to piece together the information after discussing with Xiao Yu.

“That big sister of mine… Li… something… Li Lei. She is San furen’s daughter. There’s also Si furen’s daughter, Li… umm… Li Fei… “

Once she got all the facts figured out she then tilted her head to ask Xiao Yu. “Why are the two of them so arrogant?”

Xiao Yu looked left and right to check if anyone was listening nearby before answering slowly. “Xiaojie, San furen and Si furen both come from influential backgrounds. You shouldn’t address your sisters by their names, it’s impolite. If others overhear us, they would think Qi furen didn’t teach her daughter proper manners.”

A’Luo then took this opportunity to ask more about San furen and Si furen.

She found out that one of them was actually a concubine’s daughter from Zhang Yuan Wai, one of the major merchants in Windy City. The other was the younger female cousin of the current Minister of Labor.

As for the other wives, they were from your every-day ordinary families.

But Qi furen came from the lowest background, a pleasure house.

It was said that one evening, an official whose surname was Qing, purchased her to be gifted over to the Li family as a wife.

So the truth finally came out.

The reason why all the other wives hated the seventh wife so much was because of her low social status.

As for the names: A’Lei’s full name was Li Qing Lei and A’Fei’s full name was Li Qing Fei. And naturally A’Luo’s full name would be Li Qing Luo.

A’Luo let out a big sigh and didn’t say anything further.

She couldn’t help but think that her own mother didn’t have an easy life since she came from a pleasure house. Not to mention her social status was low. If Da furen owned a dog, even the dog at her side would have a higher standing compared to Qi furen.

It really was too depressing.

After walking for half the day, and hearing all about the inner circ.u.mstances of the Li family, she more or less understood her background. And where she stood in this family.

Thinking it was about time for A’Luo to return to her room, Xiao Yu took her by the hand and led her back.

As soon as they got back, A’Luo told her to go check if Qi furen had returned.

After checking to see that Xiao Yu had indeed left the room, she picked up a writing brush and drew a very detailed map of the entire residence on a sheet of paper.

As expected, Tang Yuan was in a remote location.

Next to it was a vegetable garden and the back houses were surrounded by a bamboo forest. Just past that were walls that surrounded the entire residence.

A’Luo gave a nod of satisfaction.

If they wanted to escape by hopping over the walls, no one would find out, considering how isolated they were.

When Qi furen heard that A’Luo woke up early because she wanted to learn the skilled arts, she rushed over.

She wanted to know what made her child change her mind so quickly!

“San Er, What do you want to learn? Why do you want to learn? Please answer your mother!”

A’Luo could tell by her facial expression that Qi furen was filled with excitement and her eyes s.h.i.+ned with warmth.

She slowly walked towards her then tugged at the hems of her clothes, back and forth with a swinging motion.

“Mother, I don’t want to be the best at my studies but just enough to let others know that I am not to be underestimated! I cannot let others look down on us!”

Qi furen’s eyes reddened as her heart warmed. “I knew it…. I always knew it…. How could my daughter be a brainless idiot!  Just by remembering that day where you recited such a beautiful poem, I could tell that you had the makings of a bright future.”

A’Luo forced a bitter smile. Even if she didn’t have the makings of a bright future, she could start now by studying diligently in the four arts.

From this day forward, A’Luo was taught by Qi furen every day. She learned how to paint and  how to play the qin/zither instrument.

x.x.x

A’Luo discovered that a child’s brain picked up knowledge quickly like a sponge. She practically had a photographic memory. And combined with her 22 years of wisdom, she was able to understand everything that Qi furen taught immediately. 

After learning the zither, she found that she enjoyed it a lot and realized that her former tastes in modern music were being replaced by the sounds and tones of the current era. However, she didn’t think it was a bad thing at all, even learning to sing a few lyrics to accompany her music.

One day, Qi furen listened to a song she played called《水調歌頭》 (River’s beginning and end) After listening, she was very emotional. Tears were streaming down her face as she choked and sobbed. “San Er, this song is so beautiful. The way you play the zither is much better than your older sister’s. You were able to convey so many feelings in your songs.”

A’Luo was unconvinced as she responded back. “I think it’s the song itself? And not due to my own zither skills?”

As she spoke, also thought about another song called《梅花三弄》(Three Lanes of Plum Blossoms). If you could compare the two, the contrast was very clear.

She didn’t antic.i.p.ate that Qi furen would reply back with a bit of arrogance.

“Your mother started learning zither at the age of four. No one in Windy City would dispute this. Are you unable to trust your mother’s ears? Just like in this one song called “Three Lanes of Plum Blossoms”, the sound of your zither also has a bit of haughtiness. Your mother is very proud of you.”

A’Luo lamented with a sigh. If Windy City’s number one zither expert complimented her then it must be true. She really was good at playing the zither.

It looked like she just had a thought as she paused for a bit.

“Mother, you must never reveal my skills. Is it okay if I just play for you?” Her voice was just lowered to a whisper.

Qi furen’s eyes sparkled with amus.e.m.e.nt. “Are you afraid of stealing the limelight from your eldest sister? Or the trouble that comes with it?”

A’Luo had a serious expression when she replied. “It’s best if my zither skills are considered inadequate. If others knew my skills were better than hers, I would be forced to play in front of n.o.ble guests all the time. How would I be able to stand it?”

Qi furen pinched her cheeks and hugged her to her chest. “San Er is so smart! It looks like Mother can’t adore you enough!”

A’Luo was becoming more and more fond of this beautiful mother of hers. Not only was she kind and gentle, but her heart was also in the right place. In the future, she would definitely find a way to look after this young mother of hers!

She then started to change up her daily routine.

Each morning, A’Luo would wake up early and go for a run, wearing the trousers and outer garments Xiao Yu made for her.

Her jog would lead her to the rear houses, surrounded by the bamboo forest. All warmed up by the run, she would then practice her modern karate skills here while Xiao Yu guarded the entrance.

Then during the evenings, she would also do yoga for half an hour before going to sleep. At the beginning, Xiao Yu thought her actions were very strange.

A’Luo cautioned Xiao Yu. “If you really want to repay my mother’s kindness then don’t tell others what I am doing. It’s okay if you don’t understand what I am doing. As long as you know that whatever I am doing will help us in the future.”

Xiao Yu nodded as she promised.

Seeing that whatever she was doing helped with her health, she didn’t have a reason to. A’Luo’s complexion became more and more rosy and her footsteps became lighter.

x.x.x

Three months flashed by and it was time for another trial.

A’Luo watched with indifference as Da Xiao Jie and Er Xiao Jie showed off their zither and poetry talents.

When it came to be her turn, she kept her head down and sang a pretty good melody for quite a while.

Initially, Li Lao Die was under the impression that the poem A’Luo recited last time was taught by her own mother. Just for the sake of getting his favor again. Seeing that he has not visited her courtyard for quite some time.

Yet, he heard that his wife didn’t allow A’Luo to study any more poetry. Now, seeing that she was learning how to sing made him happy so he gave her a few words of encouragement.

All of the other six wives couldn’t help but think this was Qi furen’s scheme. Using her daughter as a tool in an attempt to gain favor with their husband. They thought she was utterly shameless and this made them hate her even more.

Fortunately for Qi furen, Li Xiang Cheng rarely visited Tang Yuan. Just one to two times. Perhaps it was because he was constantly watched by his main wife and pestered by his other concubines or perhaps it was because he felt that Qi furen treated him coldly and didn’t feel as welcomed. Either way, this was some relief to the other wives. Otherwise, they would have plotted against her from the very beginning.

These other wives snickered to themselves when they found that this method did little to move the heart of their husband.

The result was that A’Luo would be tested by her father every 10 days.

One time was with chess, one time was with embroidery, one time was with the zither but no matter what she was tested in, she lacked proficiency.

Li Xiang saw that she learned a variety of skills yet was unable to master any of them. But no matter how A’Luo was reprimanded when she demonstrated the progress of her new studies, she would explain in a pitiful voice: “A’Luo will sincerely comply with father’s instructions to study diligently in the next three months and to be tested by father again.”

Since her skills were average, Li Xiang would nod his head, agreeing to give her more time. He wanted her to specialize her skills but it looked like it would take awhile before she could be at level of her sisters: Qing Lei and Qing Fei.

Qi furen asked Qing Luo when no one was nearby. “San Er, how long do you plan on hiding your talents?”

A’Luo grinned. “Mother, in the art of war, you need to appear weak if you are strong. Did you realize that besides First Aunt, all the other Aunts that don’t have children actually like me more than Da Xiao Jie and Er Xiao Jie?”

Qi furen felt as though a big burden was lifted off her chest, knowing that she was not alone anymore. Now she had a daughter that was incredibly clever. For the rest of her life, she can rely on her.

A’Luo was deep in thought. It had been six years since she came to this world and she had already given up the notion of returning back to the modern day world. Her only priority now was  establis.h.i.+ng a foothold here and preserving herself.

But she needed money.

A’Luo thought for a long time and settled on opening a restaurant. Once they made enough money, she thought about taking Xiao Yu and her beautiful mother on a tour of the nearby four countries.

She wouldn’t be able to experience a touring trip like this if she was back in the modern day era.

But perhaps the heavens had plans for her and she would end up marrying someone. If so, so be it. If not, becoming a restaurant owner living a carefree life was not bad either.

By embracing this kind of ideology, it was as if A’Luo’s knowledge transcended through time and s.p.a.ce. Now that her modern knowledge had merged with her ancient knowledge, A’Luo felt that even if she was able to go back one day, she wouldn’t do anything else. She would open up an antique shop and make as much money as she could. Enough to drive her crazy.

Just like this, A’Luo grew up to be twelve years old. Li Qing Fei then became fourteen years old and the oldest sister of the family, Li Qing Lei had become sixteen years old.

At the time, the Li family was baffled at how quickly the news of their two talented daughters spread out through Windy City.

Two years ago, the amount of suitors seeking to marry Li Qing Fei and Li Qing Lei were so numerous that if one gathered them all up near the doorstep they would nearly burst open the front door.

While the third miss, Qing Luo, was rarely known to anyone.

Li Xiang would merely shake his head, ashamed to compare his youngest against his other two daughters, knowing that she still so young.

It was much too early for her to be married off.

Yet, during the spring of this year, at the time of the Peach Blossom feast, the Li family received an invitation from Princess Hu Guo…..