Gu Qingyun chuckled softly, looking at Lady Su with a calm expression. “Mother, becoming a constable was my own choice. I don't believe marriage is the only path for a woman. Being able to serve as a constable and see the wider world brings me true joy.
“I am deeply grateful to you, Grandma, and my aunts for never fiercely opposing my martial arts training. You gave me the foundation to stand on my own feet. How about I just stay home and keep you company for the rest of my life?
“When the chance comes in the future, I'll take you and the whole family to visit the prefecture city and look around. Truly, I am so glad to be your child and so happy to be family with everyone.”
Lady Su gazed at Gu Qingyun, as if seeing an independent woman capable of holding up the sky. A gentle smile touched her face. “You've always had a mind of your own—how could I possibly oppose you? I am truly happy that my Qingyun has grown up. I will wait at home for you; as long as you return safe and sound, that is all that matters.”
Gu Qingyun gently draped an arm around Lady Su's thin shoulders. “Mother, go get some sleep.”
“Alright,” Lady Su replied softly.
After seeing Lady Su out of the room, Gu Qingyun closed the window, sat on her bed, and resumed cultivating her technique.
She discovered that after guiding the technique through a few full cycles, she could control it to run automatically in the background without disturbing her rest.
...
Early the next morning, Gu Qingyun concluded her cultivation as the rooster crowed. She stepped out of bed, straightened her clothes, and pushed open the door.
By then, the entire Gu family was already awake. Old Lady Zhang was bustling in the kitchen with her three daughters-in-law, preparing breakfast for the household.
Her older male cousins were practicing martial arts in the courtyard, while her older female cousins were washing clothes by the water well.
Her older brother, Gu Yihan, who was in the courtyard, saw her and asked, “Little Sister, you finally have a day off. Why didn't you sleep in a bit longer?”
“I'm used to it,” Gu Qingyun replied. “I naturally wake up around this time every day and can't fall back asleep once I'm up. Brother, the weather is nice today. How about we head up the mountain after breakfast?”
Her third male cousin, Gu Yifeng, walked over. “Qingyun, you rarely get to come home, so you should stay back and relax. My mother, Second Aunt, and Third Aunt have been talking about you non-stop this past month and missed you terribly. The rest of us need to head to the fields later, so stay home and keep them company.
“That's right,” he added. “Don't worry, we go into the mountains whenever we have time. Although we aren't as skilled as you, we can still catch smaller game. Two days ago, we caught a few plump rabbits and have been keeping them in the backyard. Grandma will definitely cook rabbit meat for lunch today.”
Gu Qingyun glanced toward the kitchen and nodded. “Alright. I'll go wash up first. You guys keep practicing.”
Once washed, Gu Qingyun went straight to the backyard, where she saw her older female cousins struggling to haul water from the well. She immediately reached out to take the well rope. “Sister Qingmei, let me handle it.”
Gu Qingyun effortlessly lifted the bucket and poured the water into the basin. A bucket that weighed dozens of jin in Gu Qingmei's hands felt as light as a feather in hers.
With her help, Gu Qingmei, Gu Qingling, and the others washed the clothes much faster than usual, and before long, all the laundry was hung out to dry.
“Aah, we're really reaping the benefits of Qingyun being home today! With you around, us sisters have it so much easier,” Gu Qingling teased with a smile.
Gu Qingyun looked at her older sisters, feeling a pang of sympathy. “Sisters, when we eat breakfast later, I'll speak to Grandma. I'll ask her to let you stay home to wash clothes and feed the chickens and ducks, so you won't have to work in the fields anymore.”
Her older female cousins were all at the age to discuss marriage prospects. Her eldest female cousin, Gu Qingyu, was already married. She had married into a family that ran a grocery shop in Zhaoyang County. Since moving so far away after her wedding, she rarely returned, and Gu Qingyun had not seen her in over two years.
Arrangements had already been made for her second-eldest female cousin and second-eldest male cousin; they were merely waiting for the next year or two to marry out and bring in a bride, respectively.
The unmarried sisters exchanged glances, their cheeks flushing with a modest blush. “Qingyun, we haven't worked in the fields at all this past month,” Gu Qingling said softly. “The boys have been handling the field work. Grandma, Mother, and Eldest Aunt told us to stay home and rest our bodies.”
“As it should be,” Gu Qingyun nodded, realizing that Grandma and her aunts were preparing to arrange marriages for them.
Seeing the hopeful anticipation for the future on her sisters' faces, Gu Qingyun refrained from saying anything further.
“Breakfast is ready!” Old Lady Zhang's voice called from inside just as Gu Qingyun was lost in thought. Snapping back to reality, she went inside with her sisters to eat.
Everyone helped bring the food to the table, placing two large bowls in front of each person.
The Gu family practiced individual portioning, dividing food according to gender and workload. Given Gu Qingyun's large appetite, Old Lady Zhang assigned her portions on par with the household's main laborers.
Several large basins were set in the middle of the main table. One contained coarse rice mixed with sweet potatoes, while another held a large portion of braised pork with potatoes. Though the meat had been brought back by Gu Qingyun, only a few pieces could actually be seen in the dish.
There was also a basin of rabbit meat cooked with plenty of mushrooms, and a dish of green vegetables. With just these four dishes, the entire family gazed at the spread with gleaming eyes.
They rarely ate this well on ordinary days, usually surviving on black-flour steamed buns. Meat was seldom consumed, as any extra was saved to sell for silver at the town market.
Once the food was served, everyone dug in ravenously. Right then, a few pieces of rabbit meat landed in Gu Qingyun's bowl. She raised her head and shook it at her older sisters. “Sisters, eat them yourselves, don't give them to me. The food at the county yamen is quite good, and I get to eat meat every few days.”
Seeing that they were about to offer her more, she quickly covered her bowl with her hand.
Her older sisters were truly wonderful to her. From childhood until now, all her clothes had been washed by her sisters in turns.
Although her mother treated her well, in Lady Su's heart, her son Gu Yihan ultimately took precedence.
Gu Qingyun understood that women in this world were all raised with such mindsets. For her mother to not be overly biased toward sons was already commendable, so she asked for nothing more.
In this world, one could ultimately only rely on oneself, but she genuinely held these sisters dear in her heart.
After breakfast, Gu Qingling and the other girls began measuring her body to tailor a new outfit before tomorrow. Looking at the bright, vibrant colors, Gu Qingyun immediately pleaded for mercy. “My dear sisters, I won't get to wear such vibrant colors in the county town anyway. Just use black fabric for mine; it's stain-resistant and durable.”
Gu Qingmei knitted her pretty brows. “How could pitch-black compare to these colorful fabrics? Wearing that will only make a young girl like you look far too mature.”
“Exactly,” the other sisters agreed with nods.
Helpless, Gu Qingyun sighed. “Sisters, I just prefer black. Please indulge me this once.”
After much coaxing, she finally managed to dissuade them.
Suddenly finding herself with nothing to do, Gu Qingyun was just about to step outside for a walk when Old Lady Zhang's voice carried over from a distance: “Qingyun, I left some copper coins on the table. Go into town and buy a few blocks of tofu. We'll make fish and tofu soup for lunch—the broth is deliciously fresh.” She paused, then added with a pained look, “If they have any purple laver, buy a bit of that too. It tastes wonderful boiled with eggs. Just remember, don't buy too much!”
“Alright,” Gu Qingyun called back. Even after living here for over a dozen years, she was still a bit unaccustomed to hearing her grandmother refer to purple laver as wucai, though she knew that was the common name in this era.
She understood why her grandmother repeatedly warned her not to buy too much—this item simply wasn't produced locally.
It was all brought in from coastal regions and carried a steep price tag, making it a luxury they could only indulge in on rare occasions.
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