Chapter Four: The Farmer's Daughter
Wang Heng knew she was not clever, but she had her own way of thinking—
Her mother was beautiful, so her father sent her away.
A-Jiu looked like her mother and would become beautiful in the future, so she too would be sent away by their father!
"No!"
Wang Heng did not want to be sent away. She had already lost her mother; she did not want to lose her home as well.
Her large apricot eyes brimmed with tears, and her small, chubby body trembled slightly.
It had to be said that her mother's departure, though it did not make the once naïve and pure Wang Heng suddenly wise overnight, awakened in her a sense of crisis.
She did not know why, but she was simply afraid, haunted by the constant fear of being abandoned.
"Meow!"
The fat ginger cat sensed Wang Heng's fear. Its round eyes flickered with confusion: What was the little devil scared of now?
There were no ferocious beasts, nor any threatening two-legged creatures.
It had even rolled onto its back, offering its belly for the little devil to pet, but the little devil did not seem pleased at all.
The cat's cry snapped Wang Heng out of her daze.
Lowering her head, tearful eyes blurred, she saw a plump figure.
"Tanuki! You fat tanuki!"
The chubby tanuki cat looked so soft and squishy, perfect for petting.
But Wang Heng, worried about being sent away, had no heart to indulge.
However, gazing at the rotund cat, an idea suddenly struck her.
Hadn't her aunt just said, "She only looks a bit chubby now, but if she slims down, she'll surely be a beauty"?
So, Wang Heng's chubbiness meant she could not become a beauty!
Fat = Not beautiful = Won't be sent away!
Wang Heng's eyes immediately sparkled.
"Ninth Miss! Why are you still playing with that stray cat?"
At that moment, Baizhi arrived.
"Meow!"
The fat ginger cat twitched its ears, and with a surprising agility for its size, leapt quickly onto the rockery.
By the time Baizhi reached Wang Heng, the orange figure had already vanished among the rocks.
"Baizhi, is it true that being fat makes someone unattractive?" Wang Heng asked earnestly, not caring about the cat’s escape as she looked up at Baizhi.
Baizhi misunderstood, thinking her little mistress was talking about the fat tanuki cat.
Recalling how wild and untrainable the tanuki was, always coming to Wang Heng for food and treats, Baizhi nodded, “Yes! Being fat makes you less attractive!”
What kind of cat gets so fat? These were years of famine, after all. It was said that not even bugs survived in the fields, and all the rats, cats, and dogs had ended up as meals for the starving masses.
Yet this tanuki had, thanks to her little mistress, eaten itself into a ball.
Covered in fat, it wobbled when it walked!
And still, it could not be tamed, only showing up when hungry or craving. Once fed, it would flick its tail and disappear, always leaving Ninth Miss grumbling.
Baizhi had long disapproved of the tanuki cat, so now that Ninth Miss finally voiced her “dislike,” she took the opportunity to list all its faults: “It eats too much, turns into a ball—no matter how pretty it was, now it’s just grossly fat.”
At six years old, Wang Heng had her own logic—
Eat too much, get fat like a ball, and you’ll be disliked!
That was not just “not beautiful”—that was “ugly”!
Her already bright eyes now shone even more, like dazzling stars.
Baizhi was momentarily entranced: Ninth Miss’s features so closely resembled her mother’s—indeed, she was beautiful.
Had she not seen it herself, Baizhi would never have imagined that a five or six-year-old could be described as “beautiful.”
Though Ninth Miss had been well cared for by her mother and was a bit more rounded, she was still lovely and adorable—like a soft, sweet rice dumpling that everyone wanted to dote on!
Alas, beauty often met with misfortune.
Her lady’s stunning looks were already lost to the world—
Sigh, if only Wang Heng could be protected by the Wang family and have a happy future.
…
“...Hic! More, please!”
It was time for the evening meal, but her mother would never sit by her side again.
After days of tears, Wang Heng no longer cried at the mention of her mother.
Kneeling behind the small food table, her chubby little hands gripped silver chopsticks as she ate alone.
When she finished, she burped contentedly but refused to put her chopsticks down.
Lifting her small head, she said to the middle-aged woman standing nearby, “Nurse Fu, I want more!”
Nurse Fu had originally been Wang Heng’s wet nurse. Seeing how steady and educated she was, Lady Jiang had made her Wang Heng’s governess, responsible for her education and supervision.
A nurse was different from a governess.
Typically, for a family of Wang’s standing, a young lady’s governess would be carefully selected and held to the strictest standards.
But the Wang family had fallen on hard times, and the political climate was tense.
Moreover, the family matriarch, Old Madam Xie, did not like Lady Jiang, nor did she care for Jiang’s daughters. She paid them little heed, leaving them for Lady Jiang to manage herself.
Lady Jiang, coming from humble origins, had no powerful family behind her. She could manage to find a few maids for her daughter, but a suitable governess was much harder to come by.
Wang Lin, though fond of his wife, cared more for the family’s reputation, his career, and filial piety.
She was but a little girl, still young—there was no need to fuss. When she grew up, and if the world calmed, they could rely on the Wang name and would surely find suitable staff.
Unfortunately, Lady Jiang did not live to see that day...
Before her passing, Lady Jiang summoned Nurse Fu, gave her some valuables, and entrusted Wang Heng to her care.
Nurse Fu had always felt grateful for her mistress’s trust. Now, with such a heavy responsibility placed upon her shoulders, she felt a surge of loyalty.
After Lady Jiang’s death, Nurse Fu became even more devoted to Wang Heng’s care.
Unbeknownst to herself, a soft pity for Wang Heng had taken root in her heart.
By custom, the family’s young masters and mistresses were not to be greedy at the table.
Seven or eight-tenths full was considered best—this was the Wang family’s unique way of maintaining health.
But Nurse Fu, seeing the adorable child before her and remembering she had lost her mother at such a tender age, could not help but soften.
The girl was not being naughty; she just wanted to eat a little more—what harm was there in that?
The Wang family would not be undone by feeding their little girl a bit extra!
“Baizhi, bring Ninth Miss more food.”
“Yes!” Baizhi replied and hurried to the kitchen.
Soon, she returned carrying a lunchbox.
“There isn’t much food left, so I asked the cook to make some minced meat porridge. There were also some snacks in the kitchen, so I brought them too!”
Nurse Fu’s care for Wang Heng was matched by Baizhi, herself only three years older, who also felt compassion for her pitiful little mistress.
Without needing Nurse Fu to say anything, she had already gone to fetch extra treats.
Ninth Miss’s mother had sacrificed herself for the Wang family. How could Ninth Miss not have enough to eat in her own home?
The Wang household, able to live in luxury, owed all to Lady Jiang’s grace. They should be grateful and treat Ninth Miss well!
Baizhi was a family servant, but her own parents had more than one child, and she had never lived well at home.
When the main house chose maids, her parents wanted her younger sister to go, but Lady Jiang chose her instead, giving her a life of warmth and abundance.
Ninth Miss herself was a lovable, gentle mistress.
In the two or three years since entering the household, she had never been beaten or scolded, and she had enjoyed comforts she never imagined.
Baizhi felt immense gratitude toward Lady Jiang and Ninth Miss, long since regarding herself as their confidante.
Hearing of Lady Jiang’s fate, Baizhi could do nothing for her, but she could remember these debts and protect Ninth Miss at all costs!
“Ninth Miss, eat as much as you like. If there’s anything else you want to eat or need, just tell us!”
Baizhi, still simmering with indignation, spoke softly to Wang Heng.
Wang Heng: ...So full!
But for the sake of turning into a ball, for the sake of becoming ugly, she gritted her teeth and ate, and ate, and ate!
...
Hedong County, the Wang family shrine.
In a dilapidated farmhouse at the edge of the village, on the wooden bed in the west wing, a frail little girl with sparse hair slowly opened her eyes...
PS: The update time is tentatively set for 18:00 every day. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know. (づ￣ 3￣)づ