Chapter 3: The Young Maiden's Many Peculiar Thoughts

Seeing that A-Wu had stared at the purple *beizi* for a long time, Zi Yan assumed she had picked it. She then took a white gold-inlaid chrysanthemum pattern skirt from another cabinet and held it up before A-Wu.

This was truly a perfect replica of the Fifth Miss's attire from that day. Seeing how skilled Zi Yan's movements were, A-Wu realized this certainly wasn't her first time performing such tasks, which made her feel even more embarrassed.

"Not this one," A-Wu pointed to another plain pink gauze skirt in the cabinet. "Pair it with that one."

She then selected a high-collared pink undergarment. A-Wu had Zi Yan style her hair into a flower bud bun. Rong Wuyou did not have much jewelry, nor anything particularly precious, so A-Wu took two slender gold rose bracelets and strung together over a dozen bean-sized pearl or petal-shaped stud earrings, wrapping them around the bun. It lent her an indescribable air of innocence and tender, naive charm.

Once the ensemble was neatly arranged, Zi Shan brought over the gold sunflower eight-treasure *yingluo* longevity lock that A-Wu usually wore to serve her. Every daughter of the Rong Estate possessed such a longevity lock.

Dressed this way, A-Wu actually appeared more like a delicate young girl than her previous self, who had tried to mimic the Fifth Miss's grand and dignified style; this look was much more suited to her age.

"I feel much better today. Let's go sit in Mother's room for a bit." The "Mother" A-Wu referred to was the Third Madam of the Rong Estate, Lady Cui.

Lady Cui had just returned from serving the Old Matriarch in the main house, and A-Wu rose to go to Lady Cui's primary chamber.

"Has Madam just returned from the Old Ancestor's room? Is the Old Ancestor's health well?" The little maid lifted the soft silk curtain, only to see A-Wu standing at the doorway with a beaming smile.

Even as A-Wu's biological mother, Lady Cui stared blankly at her for a moment upon seeing her. Lady Cui noticed that A-Wu was different today. In the past, she loved to imitate Rong Wu's style—grand and imposing, making her look precociously old, as if a layer of gold had been forcibly wrapped around a peony, which actually stripped away her grace. Today, she was so charming and doll-like, a delicate jade carving, so adorable that Lady Cui didn't know how to express her affection; she felt an urge to pull her into her arms and squeeze her.

Despite her young age, her every movement trailed a captivating, graceful radiance.

Lady Cui pulled A-Wu into her arms, gave her a loving kiss, and cried, "You truly are my heart and soul. Why did you come here yourself? I was just about to go see you." Lady Cui looked at A-Wu with tenderness. "Is A-Wu feeling better? What did you eat this morning? Was it easy to digest?"

Hearing the affectionate "A-Wu"—though the characters were different, the pronunciation was the same—A-Wu felt a surge of emotion. She thought of the parents who had truly loved her for over twenty years, wondering if they were doing well in this life.

However, in this life, A-Wu had already become A-Wu. For the sake of convenience in narration, we shall continue to call her A-Wu.

A-Wu glanced at the rosewood furniture in Lady Cui's room. Although expensive, most of it was made from spliced wood, which ultimately could not compare to the value of furniture crafted from single large pieces of timber. For a moment, A-Wu couldn't help but lament that Heaven truly did not allow anyone to have it too easy. Although she had obtained the beauty she had dreamed of in her previous life, she had been born into an awkward, mediocre position.

In her previous life, she had been proud and refused to accept her fate, competing with Gu Xihui at every turn, until she eventually exhausted herself, leaving her parents in grief and tears. In this life, she had to cherish her blessings.

"I could digest it all. The yam cakes with red date filling were especially delicious." Although they were not as good as the pastries from the Princess's Manor, they were barely palatable, Wuyou thought to herself with a silent sigh.

"If A-Wu likes them, Mother will have the main kitchen make them for you tomorrow." Lady Cui looked at A-Wu lovingly. "Your health is finally improving; there is color in your face again."

At this thought, remembering the difficulties caused by the main kitchen, Lady Cui couldn't help but frown. Thinking of how jade-like and lovely A-Wu was, if she hadn't been born to her, how could her life be so humble, unable even to choose her own food?

Lady Cui tidied A-Wu's hair with a hint of sadness. Although she was looked down upon by the daughters of the First and Second Houses, A-Wu loved to play with Rong Wu. This recent illness was also because of Rong Wu; if not for those two mischievous devils, Rong Si and Rong Wu, tricking A-Wu into fetching things for them, how could she have been caught in the heavy rain and nearly lost her life?

"Why did you think of wearing a flower bud bun today?" Lady Cui toyed with A-Wu's hair. Usually, she loved to imitate Rong Wu, acting precociously old for such a young age by insisting on wearing the styles of grown girls. Rong Wu was already eleven by traditional reckoning, while A-Wu was only eight (both referring to traditional age).

"Does it not look good?" Wuyou asked, feigning timidity.

"How could it not look good? My daughter looks beautiful in whatever she wears," Lady Cui said with pride.

This was not an exaggeration. A-Wu's countenance was magnificent, and she was at the height of her innocent charm; she looked wonderful no matter how one viewed her.

"Mother, I want to make a few more new outfits, alright?" A-Wu tugged at Lady Cui's collar.

Looking into A-Wu's bright, shimmering eyes, Lady Cui found she could not say no. "If you want to make them, then make them." Lady Cui patted Wuyou's hand.

"Mother loves me most." A-Wu nuzzled her head into Lady Cui's embrace. Even her former Princess mother, who always maintained a stern face, could not resist such coquetry, let alone Lady Cui.

Lady Cui rubbed Wuyou's hair with amusement. "You child, now that you're better, you've become quite clingy."

A-Wu smiled but didn't dare answer. She suspected the previous owner of this body had not been clingy to this biological mother. Having nothing to do, A-Wu also flipped through the childish writings left behind by her predecessor. At such a young age, she had been prone to melancholy and vanity, spending her days obsessing over imitating Rong Wu and shamelessly trying to curry favor with those who treated her coldly.

Seeing how Lady Cui was uncharacteristically flattered by her clinginess, A-Wu felt even more contempt for her predecessor. Just because her mother was a concubine's daughter, she had followed the likes of Rong Wu in looking down on her own mother. What kind of behavior was that? She didn't even understand basic filial piety.

If A-Wu were to be as humble and ridiculous as her predecessor, she simply could not do it.

While A-Wu had been ill these past few days, she had heard plenty from the maids gossiping about her predecessor. Instead of acting like a proper mistress, she had imitated Rong Wu to a pathological degree. In this manor, let alone the masters, even the prominent maids looked down on her conduct.

Only Lady Cui and Third Master Rong truly loved her, tolerating her such reckless nonsense.

"What is Mother doing today?" A-Wu sat up.

"What could I be doing? Just taking out your two brothers' clothes to mend them, and making a couple of pairs of insoles for your father." This was Lady Cui's daily life.

In truth, even without being told, A-Wu could have guessed Lady Cui's circumstances. The household affairs were not for a concubine's daughter-in-law like her to manage; when visiting relatives, others looked down on her for being born of a concubine, and even more so because she had married a concubine's son. When A-Wu was a Commandery Princess, she had seen many of the ladies and madams of the Rong Estate, but her own mother was a rare sight.

If it were her former Princess mother, she would surely be brewing tea in the morning and sweeping flowers to welcome guests in the afternoon; the manor's miscellaneous chores would be handled by trusted senior maids, and there would never be a lack of distinguished guests visiting.

"I'll watch Mother work for a while." A-Wu indeed focused her mind on watching Lady Cui do needlework.

Looking at Lady Cui's sewing basket, every type of fabric scrap and every color of thread was present. One could not be a master of the craft without such a complete collection. As for the predecessor's sewing basket, the items were a chaotic mess, including a half-finished, raggedly embroidered pouch that was truly too embarrassing to show anyone. The predecessor was unskilled in needlework only because she was obsessed with imitating Rong Wu to become a "talented lady," yet she failed to grasp the essence of scholarly pursuits; she was truly a piece of useless wood.

"What is there to see in my needlework? Your health has only just improved; don't strain your eyes. If you are truly well, you should go back to studying with your sisters." Lady Cui sighed inwardly. This child, A-Wu, had top-tier looks, but her wits were simply not sharp; no matter how she studied, she couldn't grasp it. Lady Cui did not expect A-Wu to be as outstanding as Rong Wu, but for daughters of families like theirs, if they could not read and write, it would be a laughingstock. Moreover, as the saying goes, 'a person's elegance comes from the knowledge within'; A-Wu was good at everything, but her mannerisms seemed timid and shrinking, which was unappealing and made studying even more necessary.

Today, Lady Cui saw that A-Wu's mannerisms were exceptionally different, manifesting the elegance of a noble family in every way, and she internally attributed this to her daily studies. Being a mother, she always looked for the positive, failing to consider that A-Wu had begun her education at the age of six, yet had shown none of this grace in the preceding years.

Studying? Wuyou thought to herself with amusement.

In her previous life, the Empress herself had come to personally invite her to the palace to lecture the Princess. In this life, there was no need to study with her sisters. Furthermore, based on her experience, A-Wu felt that no matter how much talent a girl possessed, it could never compare to a beautiful face.

"Books must naturally be read. I will go back to my studies in a few days." Before Lady Cui could continue, A-Wu diverted the conversation to ask for guidance on stitching techniques.

When she was A-Wu, her health was poor and she hardly ever touched needlework. Thinking of how, before her death, she couldn't even hand-make a pouch for her parents to leave as a memento, she felt a sudden pang of heartache.

"Mother's stitching looks different from others; it's like flowers and willow branches intertwining, it's quite dazzling to watch." A-Wu tilted her head toward Lady Cui.

Once the topic of needlework was raised, Lady Cui seemed to open a floodgate of words. "This was taught to me by your grandmother. Your grandmother was originally a seamstress in your grandfather's manor, and her needlework was unrivaled in Qingzhou City at the time. Back then, your grandmother's 'Prosperity and Wealth' double-sided embroidery was bought by a noble in the capital and presented to the palace; even the Empress Dowager asked about it, calling it 'Cui Embroidery'."

A-Wu nodded. No wonder. Lady Cui was merely the concubine's daughter of the Prefect of Qingzhou; how could she marry into the house of the Duke of Anguo, even if it were a concubine's son? She hadn't realized there was such a reason behind it.

As soon as Lady Cui mentioned the "Prosperity and Wealth" double-sided embroidery, A-Wu immediately remembered it, for that very piece had been part of her Princess mother's dowry when she entered the Princess's Manor. The Grand Princess possessed many treasures, but she cherished that "Prosperity and Wealth" double-sided embroidery immensely. It was only brought out from the treasury for distinguished guests; once the guests left, it was immediately put away.

"Mother, please teach me. Poor me, I can't even embroider a simple pouch right now." A-Wu acted like a little monkey, acting coquettishly.

Lady Cui did not suspect A-Wu's change, simply because she loved A-Wu far too much. She loved her regardless of how she acted, and now that A-Wu was being clingy, she was too overjoyed to ponder the matter.

"You are already eight by traditional reckoning; it is time you learned needlework. However, your health is not yet fully recovered. I will teach you slowly after a while."

Wuyou nodded, bid Lady Cui farewell, and returned to the West Courtyard, leaving the matter aside.

*Traditional age* is one method of calculating age, a traditional Chinese method that has been used in East Asian countries since ancient times. The method is as follows: one is recorded as one year old at birth, and one year is added every New Year (currently the Spring Festival, the first day of the lunar month).