Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Having long since dismissed the Chen family from her mind, how could Ming Tang have imagined someone genuinely longed for her return?

People of this era valued festivals, and the Dragon Boat Festival was among the most significant. The Ming household bustled with activity; even Ming Tang, who should have been the most at leisure, was busy with her annual, crucial Dragon Boat Festival task.

The custom of the time was to twist red, green, yellow, white, and black thick silk threads into colorful ropes. Children under ten were to tie these around their arms to ward off evil and invite blessings. Having lived two lives, Ming Tang had never worn such a rope in her previous existence. When Madam Ming first asked her to wear one in this life, she found it novel. As she grew a little older, she began making these five-colored ropes herself for fun.

Madam Ming naturally agreed to such a small request. Coincidentally, the very first five-colored rope Ming Tang braided was requested by an old woman who swept her courtyard. The woman took it home and tied it on her granddaughter. That year, her granddaughter remained free of illness and misfortune, not even sneezing during the coldest weather.

When word of this spread, people came every Dragon Boat Festival to request five-colored ropes braided by Ming Tang. Madam Ming simply made it a tradition, requiring Ming Tang to braid a certain number each year to be given as festival gifts to the household staff.

The five-colored ropes were extremely easy to braid. This year, there weren't many children under ten reported in the manor, so Ming Tang finished her task early. There was still plenty of various colored silk threads left on the table.

After some thought, Ming Tang simply found some scraps of fabric and wrapped them with the silk threads to make a small temari ball.

At first, Wen He wondered what Ming Tang was doing. But as she watched Ming Tang thread the needle, and an intricate and beautiful passionflower pattern gradually appeared on the plain red ball, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I thought Miss was just trying to use up the leftover threads because there was so much!"

Zhe Liu lightly tapped her. "When have you ever seen Miss waste anything?"

Every time it seemed like she was just messing around, the results always left them astonished. Wasn't this just like before?

The two stepped forward and saw Ming Tang already finishing up. She took other materials, adding a tassel and a clasp, turning it into a unique waist ornament.

The temari ball was brightly colored, and Ming Tang deliberately wore a plain-colored outfit to highlight it. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, as soon as Ming Tang arrived at the main courtyard, she successfully attracted everyone's attention.

Madam Ming paused, finding the scene quite familiar. Upon reflection, it seemed their last outing had been similar. She couldn't help but glance at Ming Tang and chided, "You just love to create these unique things."

She had worried that You Niang might not want to go out and draw attention to herself, but it seemed her worries were needless.

It was merely an interesting accessory made by young girls. For a noblewoman of Madam Ming's age, merely noticing it and commenting was rare enough. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Madam Ming briefly reminded them of the people they might encounter today, then led the women of the household to board the carriages and depart.

The Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat races had always been held on the Kunyu River. Because this tradition was long-standing, the various rules were well-established. For example, the organizers and court officials gathered at Kun Tower, while the ladies of various families occupied the Jade Terrace across the river. Although they faced each other across the river, and one could vaguely see the scene on the opposite side, it was not considered out of line in an era that greatly emphasized gender segregation.

Precisely because of this, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, when viewing the boat races from the Jade Terrace, young women often took great care in their appearance—what if their future husband was watching from Kun Tower across the way?

Now, the Jade Terrace was filled with the tinkling of jade ornaments, and the breeze carried the fresh scent of mugwort. Ming Tang looked around, seeing the Kunyu River shimmering before her, splendidly bright under the sunlight. People bustled along both banks, and from time to time, she could hear long, clear hawking calls. It was truly lively, a festive cheer unique to this time and place.

At Madam Ming's signal, she stepped forward to greet several madams. Perhaps unsure how to face Ming Tang, they tacitly ignored her, merely praising her graceful demeanor before shifting the topic to the Ming family's grandchildren, with Ming Wan, who was nearing her coming-of-age ceremony, receiving the most attention.

Ming Tang had anticipated this situation and didn't feel bothered. She stood calmly, listening, and even interjected at opportune moments to praise Ming Wan a few times, then gracefully returned to sit beside Madam Ming.

The young girls nearby, however, had long noticed the intricately beautiful small ball at Ming Tang's waist. Some who were familiar with Ming Wan, as soon as they had greeted the elders and stepped back, came forward and insistently pulled the three of them aside.

"You mean this?" Ming Wan was a little surprised, then smiled. "It's probably something our young aunt made on a whim for fun. We only saw her wear it for the first time when we came out today."

"Your young aunt?" Hearing her words, the girl who had asked about the temari ball glanced in Ming Tang's direction and hesitated—Ming Tang was sitting among the elders, after all.

Someone else, more interested in gossip, whispered to Ming Wan, "Didn't your young aunt get divorced? Will she remarry?"

Ming Wan frowned. "How can you speak so presumptuously about an elder?"

They were all daughters of civil officials, familiar with each other and often playing together. Someone, seeing the situation was awkward, immediately changed the topic: "Good Ah Wan, could you please ask your aunt how to make this? Look at this sachet on my waist; I specifically had a silver shop make it. The craftsmanship is exquisite, but from afar, you can't see anything."

At an age solely focused on dressing up, the young girls instantly forgot their previous topic. With chatter and laughter, the atmosphere became lively again.

The older madams seated nearby looked at the joyful scene not far away and couldn't help but smile.

Who hadn't experienced such an innocent, carefree youth? It was truly nostalgic.

Ming Tang sat behind Madam Ming, listening to several "old" madams, who showed no trace of white hair, reminisce about the past. Naturally, she refilled Madam Ming's teacup.

A Lady Wu, who had just arrived, couldn't help but be drawn to the sight. She saw Ming Tang in a green dress with a blue top, one or two jade hairpins in her dark hair, dressed neatly and simply. Yet, a colorful small ball hung from her waist, showing a touch of youthful vivacity, and she had a beautiful face with bright eyes and white teeth. Lady Wu couldn't help but ask, "May I ask which granddaughter this is, Madam? She is so thoughtful."

Madam Ming paused, then smiled. "You Niang is my youngest daughter. She has indeed always been thoughtful."

Lady Wu realized she had spoken wrongly and immediately felt awkward, stammering for a long time, unsure what to say. She was truly vexed in her heart. How could the Fourth Miss Ming, who had been married once, look so natural and not at all out of place dressed as a maiden? She truly hadn't expected the rumored Fourth Miss Ming to look like this.

"Thank you, Madam, for praising my youthful appearance," Ming Tang said, touching her cheek and smiling. "I never thought I'd have a day when I'd be mistaken for my mother's granddaughter. It seems Mother truly gave me a good face, making me look very young."

Lady Wu quickly followed up, "Isn't that true? The Fourth Miss looks so young, truly like she's just come of age. I was thinking that Madam Ming, your granddaughter, had reached the age for matchmaking, and that's why you kept her close and wouldn't let her play."

The people present suddenly fell silent... This was truly, as they say, hitting a sore spot.

Madam Ming, however, was not offended. "Our You Niang is indeed at a good age, and I also hope she finds a good marriage."

Her husband had said that the two memorials from before were still being held up, and the Emperor acted as if nothing had happened, so his attitude was unclear. Moreover, Madam Ming, from a personal standpoint, did not want Ming Tang to waste her prime youth.

For now, they would let some rumors spread. If there was a good match, it would depend on You Niang's willingness. If there truly wasn't a suitable one, it was still a stance. Even if the Emperor didn't want to see a woman divorced and at home, it wasn't as if they hadn't tried to find a new marriage for You Niang; they just hadn't found one for a while, had they?

Lightly dropping this bombshell topic that caused others to ponder secretly, Madam Ming calmly picked up her teacup and drank. The people present, however, couldn't help but focus their gazes on Ming Tang.

To be honest, given the Ming family's doting attitude towards this Fourth Miss, even if she was a divorced woman, if there was a suitable candidate in their family, marrying her would certainly not be a loss. Even if she were just kept as a decorative piece.

Ming Tang herself was not lacking in qualities, though it was rumored she had some difficulty with childbirth...

As some people's eyes flickered, they had already pulled out a suitable candidate from among their relatives—close in age, a widower with children, with stable family assets, and also from an official family. All in all, he couldn't be considered entirely mismatched with this Fourth Miss Ming.

Even though Ming Tang had already guessed that Madam Ming wanted to find her another marriage soon, and she wasn't resistant to remarrying, facing so many scrutinizing eyes at once made her feel a bit overwhelmed. She put on a shy expression, lowered her head slightly, and said to Madam Ming, "Mother, I'll go for a walk."

She rose from her seat, nodded to everyone, and strolled out of the resting area, choosing a secluded corner.

The Jade Terrace covered a large area. This spot was remote, with two tall willow trees nearby whose drooping branches happened to enclose the area, forming a relatively private space.

Ming Tang saw that there was no one around, and couldn't help but stretch, leaning back gently against the railing.

Behind her, Wen He couldn't help but admonish, "We're outside, Miss. Please be a little more mindful."

It wouldn't be good if outsiders saw her like this.

"Alright, alright, I know. But you, why are you so serious today? I almost thought I brought Zhe Liu," Ming Tang said with a smile to reassure her, straightening up. She rested her hands on the railing and looked out, resuming her usual upright posture.

"Since Sister Zhe Liu isn't here, of course I have to do her part too," Wen He remained unmoved, her demeanor even more solemn, as if Zhe Liu had possessed her.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, and the willow branches danced wildly. Ming Tang's dress also fluttered with the wind.

Wen He frowned slightly, not expecting the wind on the Jade Terrace to be so strong. Seeing that Ming Tang was temporarily fine, she reported briefly and turned to go downstairs to the carriage to fetch Ming Tang's cloak.

Ming Tang didn't feel cold, but she worried that if the wind grew stronger, today's boat races might be affected.

Amidst the dancing leaves, someone on Kun Tower across the way also seemed affected. Ming Tang only saw figures moving about on the opposite side, unsure what was happening.

Speaking of which, she wondered if the rumored exceptionally handsome Crown Prince Pei would appear today. Living in the capital, Ming Tang had grown up only hearing of his elusiveness, but had never personally witnessed his famed beauty.

Lost in thought, she felt a tug at her waist. Ming Tang looked down to see a child, exquisitely delicate like a carved jade figure, standing beside her, one hand gripping the small temari ball at her waist, refusing to let go.

Seeing Ming Tang look down, he quickly released his hand, then raised his wrist, showing off the silver bracelet on it. He pointed to Ming Tang's waist and said crisply, "Trade!"