Chapter 6

"Chapter 6: Ding Xiang"

Ding Zhao said, "These are all our speculations. What if the child's family really cares for her and had no choice but to put her in the box? Here's what we'll do: I'll go back to Yinfeng Street and see if anyone is looking for the child or even reports it to the officials. If they can explain why the child was hidden in the wooden box, we'll return her. But if they’re too scared to even search for the lost child, there’s something fishy, and it's likely dangerous for the child to go back. In that case, we'll keep the child."

"Mrs. Zhang was visibly reluctant but still nodded in agreement."

"Though disappointed, Xun Xiang couldn’t help but admire the couple for being kind-hearted and law-abiding citizens, genuinely fond of the child they had found. She knew that even if life in their home was modest, she wouldn’t suffer. In these ancient times where boys were favored over girls, even biological daughters often faced abuse."

"She believed the old witch Xun wouldn’t dare to search for the child openly. She hoped there would be no more mishaps and that she could stay with this family."

"Ding Zhao hurriedly left the house."

"Mrs. Zhang changed Xun Xiang’s diaper and laid her on the bed, then went to the kitchen to make rice soup for the child."

"Xun Xiang, both tired and hungry, dared not cry and uncontrollably slipped back into sleep."

"She was gently awakened by Mrs. Zhang, 'Girl, wake up, it's time to eat.'"

"Her tone was gentle, as if she were speaking to her own daughter."

"Xun Xiang sniffed, smelling the delicious aroma of rice soup. She was so hungry that a trail of saliva slid down her chin."

"Mrs. Zhang smiled, picked her up, and sat her at the table, wiping her mouth with a cloth. She then scooped a spoonful of rice soup, blew on it, and tested its temperature with her lips before feeding it to Xun Xiang."

Xun Xiang, not caring about Zhang Shi's saliva in the rice soup, drank it eagerly.

She was extremely hungry.

She took sip after sip, quickly consuming half a bowl in no time.

Zhang Shi mused to herself, "This child seems so easy to care for. It would be great if no one comes looking for her."

A knock on the door sounded, and Zhang Shi put Xun Xiang on the kang bed to answer it.

Ding Zhao, with a serious expression, didn't respond to the inquiry in Zhang Shi's eyes and said in a low voice, "Let's talk inside."

Once inside and the door closed, Ding Zhao solemnly stated, "We can't return the child."

"What happened?" Zhang Shi asked, handing him a towel.

Ding Zhao, wiping his face, explained, "On Yin Feng Street, two people were indeed looking for a wooden box: an old woman in her fifties and a young man about seventeen or eighteen. They said they lost a nanmu carved wooden box containing a treasure, offering a reward of two hundred silver taels for its return.

"When asked what the treasure was, they wouldn't say, just kept calling it a treasure. Zhi Niang, they wouldn't even admit it was a child. There's definitely something wrong. Returning the child would be too risky."

He walked over to the kang, lifted Xun Xiang into his arms, and spoke gently, "Good child, we are fated to be family. From now on, you are my daughter. Although our family isn't wealthy, we won't harm you. We'll make sure you're well-fed and clothed and raise you safely to adulthood."

Turning to Zhang Shi, he continued, "It must be the Bodhisattva recognizing our devotion, granting us a daughter in this way. Everything's set; we'll leave for our hometown the day after tomorrow. Apart from telling the truth to father, we'll tell everyone else that you gave birth to this child."

Zhang Shi chuckled joyfully, "Considering the size of the child, she must be about a month old. We'll say I gave birth to her on July 20th."

Finally assured that she would not be returned to danger, Xun Xiang's long-held anxiety eased, and her face blossomed into a smile.

"By taking me in, you will be blessed."

Zhang Shi said, "The water is ready. Let's give the child a bath. She can't wear those clothes and hat anymore."

Stripped of her clothing, the bare Xun Xiang was placed in a large wooden tub, and Zhang Shi efficiently bathed her.

She praised, "This child is so fair and tender, far prettier than Li Chun and Li Ren. No wonder grandfather always wanted a granddaughter."

Ding Zhao joked, "Those two boys are dark and not as good-looking. There's no comparison."

Zhang Shi, feeling a bit guilty, said, "The child is so beautiful, she doesn't look like our daughter at all. Won't others suspect?"

Ding Zhao replied, "Just say she takes after her grandmother. My mother was very beautiful. My father always hoped you'd give birth to a granddaughter as lovely as my mother. If she had looked like him or me, my father wouldn't have been as pleased."

Ding Zhao's eyes flickered with the memory of a long-lost face – fair skin, a pointed chin, almond-shaped eyes... Unfortunately, he and his two sons, as well as his younger brother and nephew, all took after their father and bore no resemblance to her.

Zhang Shi laughed, agreeing with his reasoning. She often heard her husband and the village elders talk about how beautiful his late mother was.

Suddenly, her face froze, she sniffed, then bent down to smell again, and exclaimed in surprise, "Husband, the fragrance isn't coming from her clothes, it's coming from her."

Ding Zhao raised his eyebrows, intrigued by this oddity.

He quickly bent down to sniff. At first, he was pleased, but then his expression turned solemn, feeling the weight of responsibility growing heavier.

"She's beautiful and has a fragrance. We must take good care of her and protect her from any harm... Oh, I've thought of a name for her, let's call her Ding Xiang."

Zhang Shi smiled, "Ding Xiang, Xiang Xiang, what a nice name."

Xun Xiang liked the name too. She indeed had a destined connection with this couple. The name they chose for her was similar to her own, and even the birth date they decided was only a day apart from hers.

From now on, she would be known as Ding Xiang.

In her previous life, she had a fondness for lilacs, their pale purple color, their subtle fragrance, and that poem about a rainy alley... She never imagined she would bear this name in this life.

Ding Xiang waved her little fists happily.

Ding Zhao chuckled, "Xiang Xiang likes her name too. Tomorrow, I'll go to the herbal shop to buy some herbs and make them into pills. I'll keep them in a sachet for Xiang Xiang to wear, to mask her natural scent."

Zhang Shi asked, "Why not make fragrant pills?"

"We're country folks; we don't have the custom of giving children fragrant pills. We'll say the child has some deficiency and needs to wear medicinal pills for treatment."

Zhang Shi laughed, "This child doesn't look like she has any deficiencies."

Ding Zhao looked at Ding Xiang, indeed fair and plump, in perfect health.

He too began to smile.

After a moment of thought, he added, "We'll say that when Xiang Xiang was half a month old, she suddenly cried uncontrollably one night. The next day, a Daoist priestess said the child had lost her soul and needed the pills to calm her, to be worn until she turns fifteen... Hehe, when the girl grows up, she can wear fragrant pills instead to suppress her natural scent. We'll only tell this to father."

Zhang Shi looked at her husband admiringly, "What a clever plan. Alright, we'll go with that."

Their joy was infectious, and even Ding Xiang, though exposed, was cheerful, her little arms flailing about. She thought about kicking her legs too, but considering her bare state, decided against it as it seemed unseemly.

Zhang Shi found this even more endearing, gently pinching Ding Xiang's cheek or bottom between baths.

Ding Zhao also happily pinched Ding Xiang's little cheek.

After drying Ding Xiang and putting her on the kang, Zhang Shi wrapped the child in her undershirt and covered her with their thin quilt.

Thanks to Melanie Loves Qing Quan for the reward, and Feng Yang Ye Fei for the monthly ticket. Thank you all for your support. In this new book period, seeking collections and recommendations.