Chapter 39: Time Boils the Rain

Chapter 39 Time Steeps Like Rain

Sun Lanlan grew more furious with each word.

"Just bringing up these rotten matters makes me despise every single member of the Chang family! Ugh! She shamelessly chases after men outside their household, yet has the nerve to accuse others of being indecent! No wonder Lady Qiao looks down on her—she totally had it coming—"

"Where are you even going with this? Quickly, say no more!"

Guo Yutang hurriedly cut off her second cousin's complaints, her eyes filled with clear admonishment. Sun Lanlan, being someone who knew when to quit, clamped her mouth shut, sulking.

Reading the room, Jiang Wan shifted her gaze to meet Ji Jingshu's eyes. The latter immediately shot her a look, signaling that she shouldn’t pry into matters best left unasked.

Jiang Wan quirked a smile.

She found these young girls quite interesting—their average age couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen. In her previous life, they would still be in elementary school, yet here they were, each already skilled in scheming.

It seemed ancient times truly bred sharp minds. Those who could emerge victorious from the intricate battles within noble households were likely not exactly lightweights.

Compared to them, her own twelve- or thirteen-year-old self in the past was as transparent and naive as a clueless fawn, seeing only the good in everyone.

"Old Master Bai is coming. Let’s save the idle chatter for another time."

Jiang Wan’s keen ears caught the sound of movement outside the door, and she quickly called out. The girls, who had just been going on about being besties with their "big sister," swiftly scrambled back to their seats and sat upright.

It seemed the fear students held for their teacher was a universal truth across time. Jiang Wan smiled, opened her book, and began the day’s lessons.

Mornings were for literature, afternoons for martial arts.

*Time steeps like rain, years brew like tea.*

In such fulfilling days, the stars trailed the moon as nights flew by swiftly.

Perhaps the scorching summer got the hint that no one wished to keep it, and so it tactfully withdrew from this world. The autumn breeze, with a gentle sway, carried osmanthus blossoms, scattering a courtyard full of fragrance.

Thinking back, it had only been about three months, yet the Jiang family had undergone a real glow-up, most notably the three Jiang siblings.

Jiang Yaozu, the chubby kid, had long shed his former layers of flesh. Every day, he was disciplined alternately by the literature and martial arts instructors at the academy, and upon returning home, he was often treated to an extra "lesson" by his dear eldest sister. His life couldn’t be more lively.

Though he hadn’t grown much taller, after slimming down, he appeared much more spirited and far more pleasant to look at than before. As for Jiang Wan and Jiang Han, the transformation in the sisters compared to their brother was nothing short of a total transformation!

When they first arrived in Maocheng, the two sisters were scrawny, sallow-faced girls. Even though Xu Shi had tried her best to dress them presentably, their malnourished, pitiful appearance couldn’t be hidden.

Even if everyone tactfully avoided mentioning it, one glance was enough to tell they came from a poor family. From their looks and posture to their words and actions, everything about them seemed rough around the edges.

Fortunately, after these hundred or so days of slow nurturing, the sisters’ thin frames had gradually filled out, healthy and vibrant.

After all, they were still young girls. With their mother doing everything possible to care for them, they had finally grown into the rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed, with dark hair young ladies typical of wealthy households.

Since successfully "this glow-up," Jiang Wan made it a habit every morning to praise the face in the bronze mirror a few times, feeling she’d be doing injustice to this naturally gifted face otherwise.

"Tsk tsk tsk, look at these eyebrows, these eyes, this nose, this mouth—all perfectly placed where they should be. You’re all so well-behaved it makes my heart flutter.

To be honest, back when I was bragging to Nüwa online, I didn’t even dare to have the audacity to ask for something this good!

Since you’ve followed me with such sincerity in this lifetime, rest assured. Even if I starve, I won’t let you suffer. From now on, any good stuff will go to this face first. If I don’t nurture you into a drop-dead gorgeous beauty, I won’t be able to close my eyes even in death…"

Looking at the delicate features crowded onto her petite face in the mirror, Jiang Wan skillfully praised each part repeatedly, afraid that any one of them might act up and grow all wonky.

After all, girls change so much as they grow up—she couldn’t afford not to set aside her aloof demeanor to coax these "sisters."

After praising her face, she moved on to praising her ancestors.

"So, it really goes to show what a legend my grandpa was! How stupidly handsome must he have been in his lifetime to successfully pass down such powerful beauty genes?

If I had a face like this in modern times, why would I bother working in a mental hospital? I’d just grab a brick and debut as a celebrity. Whoever talks trash at me, I’ll smack them."

"Sis, what are you muttering about again?"

Jiang Han wandered in from outside. Without even turning her head, Jiang Wan casually replied while touching her face.

"Nothing, just my daily lament about my ridiculous good looks that I don’t know what to do with."

She meant every word of it.

In her previous life, she wouldn’t say she was ugly, but she was never stunningly beautiful. She stood out somewhat among ordinary people, but compared to this life…

Tsk tsk tsk, instantly, the little girl from the mental hospital could just fall apart on the floor.

"Sis~ stop looking at yourself and take a moment to look at your poor little sister~"

Jiang Han sneakily scooted up to her sister’s back from behind, and the dressing mirror now reflected another pretty and delicate young girl.

A delicate, sweet little face, eyes bright like spring waters, and thick, dense butterfly-wing eyelashes that, with just a gentle flutter, could project an overwhelming innocence straight to the heart.

Jiang Wan met her sister’s gaze in the mirror.

No wonder this girl would later be hailed as the number one beauty in the capital! Just look at this top-tier sweet, innocent type appearance—how perfectly it fits the high-standard archetype of a tragic romance heroine?

So young, yet already hinting at future elegance.

A little lolita of this caliber—it would be abnormal if she didn’t attract the attention of someone as twisted as Li Liugou.

Some mud, rotten to the core, always has the audacity to try to taint white clouds, just to satisfy their vile, filthy desire for possession.

But it’s fine. This time, big sister will dig a pit in advance, just waiting for you to come.

Heh, obsessive lunatic, huh?

Aren’t you just a variant of a mental patient? Don’t worry, no one understands mental illness better than I do!

Reaching out with her left hand, she tapped her little sister’s head from behind. In the mirror, the slightly older girl’s furrowed brows were exceptionally lovely.

"Go on, what’s wrong now?"

"Hehehe, sis, my dear sister! Can you help me?

Windchaser never listens to me. Forget riding it for training—even just passing by it, I feel like it looks down on me.

If I can’t successfully get on the horse today during our day off, I’ll be humiliated again at school tomorrow! Won’t Li Jingxiu laugh at me behind my back?

Sis, please help me~~"

The little girl rubbed against her sister like an affectionate kitten, always managing to soften hearts and make people agree to all her requests for no reason.

Fortunately, Jiang Wan herself possessed an equally striking face, so she could maintain a clear stance against her sister’s deliberate acting cute.