Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Does She Think She’s Inferior? Pure Daydreaming. _1 Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Does She Think She’s Inferior? Pure Daydreaming. _1 “It’s been poured out,” Xiao Changyi said straightforwardly.
An Jing smiled, “Thank you.”
Xiao Changyi’s thin lips moved slightly, but he said nothing.
Once the Niu Jin Grass was crushed, Xiao Changyi went to untie the bandage on An Jing’s right foot. The Niu Jin Grass that had been applied to her ankle the day before had dried up. Xiao Changyi gently stroked it, and all the dried Niu Jin Grass fell to the ground.
Seeing that An Jing’s right ankle was not as red and swollen as the day before, Xiao Changyi felt somewhat relieved. First, he washed her right foot, then dried it with a clean towel.
Then, Xiao Changyi applied a fresh poultice of Niu Jin Grass on An Jing’s right ankle.
An Jing just sat there, quietly watching Xiao Changyi earnestly apply the crushed Niu Jin Grass, feeling that spending her life with him would be a wonderful thing.
“I’m going over to the village chief’s,” Xiao Changyi said after he was done applying the Niu Jin Grass.
An Jing knew Xiao Changyi was going to discuss their marriage with the village chief.
Given the incident yesterday, when she handed her servitude contract to Xiao Changyi and returned with him to his home, if they were to marry, it would be as though she was bought from a matchmaker, unable to enter Xiao Changyi’s household through a formal wedding like other women of the time. However, they would still need to perform the ceremonial bows.
They would simply forgo the traditional steps of betrothal gifts, presenting the bride’s name, divination for an auspicious date, the official proposal, setting the wedding date, and the bridegroom’s entourage meeting the bride, going straight to the ceremonial bows.
In this era, women who did not enter a family through a formal wedding were considered to have lower status than those who did, but An Jing was a modern person, educated from a young age with the principles of gender and social equality. So, the idea of her seeing herself as lesser was purely fanciful.
Sitting inside, An Jing felt a bit bored, so she decided to pick up a cane and walk out. She sat on the threshold of the main room. Watching the villagers pass by in front of the door made her feel slightly less bored.
Suddenly, the figure of Lin An Jing’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Gu, entered An Jing’s field of vision.
The homes of Lin Anjing and Xiao Changyi were at opposite ends of the village, one to the north and the other to the south, quite far apart. Since there were no fields belonging to the Lin family in the southern part where Xiao’s home was, Mrs. Gu’s presence here was definitely to look for her.
And her intentions were not good.
“Lin Anjing, Uncle Ming wants you to come over,” Mrs. Gu called out, standing at the entrance of the courtyard without coming in.
Lin Ming was the Clan Leader of the Lin family in Jiuping Village; everyone called him Uncle Ming.
Was this an attempt to have Uncle Ming arbitrate? Too bad that justice was on her side.
An Jing lifted her injured right foot and said with a cheeky grin, “I’m injured. I can’t make it over.”
“You!” Mrs. Gu hadn’t expected An Jing to dare dismiss even the clan leader’s words, and she was infuriated.
“Are you going or not?” Mrs. Gu asked, her voice loud, filled with anger and impatience.
An Jing did not respond but slowly turned her head away, looking elsewhere, clearly indicating she would not go.
Mrs. Gu stomped her foot in anger and stormed off.
Upon seeing Uncle Ming, Mrs. Gu exaggeratedly recounted An Jing’s refusal to come, causing Uncle Ming to stumble backwards in shock.
“She has no respect for her elders! No respect at all!” Uncle Ming repeated indignantly.
Then, Uncle Ming personally led a group of people to find An Jing.
An Jing was still sitting on the threshold, her gaze sweeping over the dozen or so people standing in the courtyard. Besides Uncle Ming, Father Lin, Lin’s mother, Lin An Dong, and Mrs. Gu, all were members of the Lin Clan and were all sturdy men.
From the memories of Lin Anjing, she knew that these men were the ones who carried out the clan’s punishments according to Lin Clan’s law when someone committed a transgression.