Chapter 32
She’s Useless at Martial Arts?
T/N: Chapter sponsored by MajorQuinn! Thank you for sponsoring! We’re actually halfway through the first volume/arc of the novel.
Although Du Xiao Li said she wanted to learn qinggong from Leng Er, but Leng Er and the others all thought she was just saying, and didn’t put it to heart much. After all, right now, she was still just a seven year old small child, precisely the time where one is curious about everything, yet didn’t have the patience.
And most importantly, in this era, there weren’t that many women that practice martial arts. Normally, when they reaches marriageable age, they will find someone to marry. In order to be able to find a good husband, those girls all did their best to learn the four arts that men liked. Even an ordinary family’s daughter who didn’t have the conditions to learn these would also take up embroidery and whatnot.
Ji Liu Feng’s younger sister, Jiu Liu Xia, because was born in a martial family and has been fond of martial arts since young, did not excel in any of the four arts, but rather learned a body of martial arts. However, in the capital, this seems very eccentric, and she doesn’t get along too well with ordinary daughters of officials.
“Haha, seeing how you’re normally really weird, thought that you could do anything. Looks like, you really aren’t suited for martial arts! My younger sister learned for two days and could already take big strides, yet you don’t even know how to walk in a straight line one foot after the other.” Ji Liu Feng saw how Du Xiao Li still couldn’t get the gist of qinggong no matter what, even falling on her b.u.t.t several times, and laughed himself silly to the side.
Du Xiao Li was also very depressed. She’d already study with Leng Er for several days now, but she just couldn’t grasp qinggong’s most basic foundations. Leng Er was already about to be driven insane by her. She thought, perhaps it’s because the concept of gravity from her past life was too deep in her mind, that’s why right now she was unable turn the corner.
(T/N: I choked on water when I read this line. I feel like I shouldn’t have laughed as hard as I did at the author’s attempt to logic.)
Niu Jing saw Du Xiao Li’s appearance and was also amused. Hearing Ji Liu Feng’s words, he said, “Li girl don’t be discouraged either. Even if you don’t have the talent to learn marital arts, having skills in other aspects is also not bad. Besides, it’s still a bit better for girls to be gentle and quiet. So that in the future, one can find a good husband.”
Du Xiao Li didn’t feel that she doesn’t have the talent in martial arts. Else, in her past life, she wouldn’t have become someone of the a.s.sa.s.sin world either. Right now, she was just obstructed by her subconscious mind. She crawled up from the ground, patted the dust on her, and found a stool to sit down, saying: “I don’t want to marry! How boring is marrying.”
“Men grow up to take a wife, and women grow up to marry. How come you say it’s boring?” Ji Liu Feng waved his fan and said with a laugh.
Du Xiao Li casted a glance at Ji Liu Feng. Seeing that frivolous look of his, pursed her lips, saying: “One is so free and leisure before marrying, but after marrying, everything needs to revolve around one’s own husband and mother-in-law. Obey the husband after marrying and whatnot, tsk tsk. If two people are genuinely in love, for the sake of one’s beloved, restraining oneself a bit, can still be accepted. But the most unbearable is when men can have wives and concubines, with one’s wife still at home, yet frivolously floating around outside. And women? Give another man an extra glance and it’s ‘not abiding by the rules of married women’. And if there’s really an adultery, then they’ll get drowned in a pig’s cage. Look, how unfair is this?”
“Since ancient times, obeying the father at home, and obeying the husband when married, this is the heaven’s law and earth’s principles. Furthermore, men having three wives, and four concubines, is something very normal. Where are there men that watch over one wife.” Ji Liu Feng said.
(T/N: It always gets glossed over, but peasants usually only have one wife; the multiple wives thing in ancient times is purely for aristocrats and rich people who could afford having multiple wives.)
“That’s why I said getting married is boring! It’s better to just live alone!” Du Xiao Li said.
“When girls grow up, they’ll always need to marry.” Niu Jing said while drying the medical herbs.
“When you grow up, what kind of person will you marry?” Ji Liu Feng followed along Niu Jing’s words and asked.
“Me? If I really have to marry, I won’t ask for great wealth, position or fame, but they need to wholehearted love me, and can only have me as his wife.” Du Xiao Li said. “Can’t have concubines, can’t have tongfangs*, even bed-warming servant girls aren’t allowed. Not only must they have a clean body, but their heart needs to be clean too. No matter how beautiful of a girl, they are not allowed to even glance at. A frivolous young master like you, definitely won’t do.”
(*T/N: Tongfangs – very low-ranking concubines)
“Ai, a little girl like you yet still have this many requirements, see who still dares to marry you in the future.” Ji Liu Feng was amused by Du Xiao Li’s words.
Du Xiao Li sighed and said, “I also think this kind of husband doesn’t exist in this time period, that’s why I said I won’t marry in the future.”
“If you don’t marry, in the future who will take care of you? Your big brother will have to establish a family sooner or later, he can’t raise you your whole life.” Ji Liu Feng said.
“I can raise myself. Why must I rely on other?” Du Xiao Li spoke unconcernedly, “My goal is to earn a lot a lot of money, let big brother marry a beautiful wife, and then I’ll just travel around the world, see all the beautiful sceneries of the world. So exciting just thinking about it!”
“Really a girl with strange thoughts.” Ji Liu Feng a.s.sessed.
Han Ming Yi was sitting under the eaves the whole time, with his eyes closed, dozing off. Hearing her conversation with Ji Liu Feng, his forefinger lightly tapped on the handrail.
After Du Xiao Li failed for the nth time, Leng Er finally gave up on teaching her qinggong, even giving a ultimatum in pa.s.sing: ‘This girl is unfit to learn martial arts!’
To this, Du Xiao Li also didn’t have anything to say. Anyways, she felt that it was also quite good like this. Because of Han Ming Yi’s illness, in their eyes, she was already not normal. If she were to then show talent in martial arts, then in the future, she might really not have anymore peaceful days.
Du Xiu Heng returned once in between. After learning that Du Xiao Li was learning martial arts from Leng Er, he didn’t say anything either. He just said to let her do whatever she wanted to do. Even if in the future, she can’t do anything, he will still take good care of her.
When he saw that the mountain they lived on was dug full of holes, he asked Du Xiao Li what she wanted to do.
Du Xiao Li explained her plans to have the tangerine trees transplanted. After listening, he nodded his head and said, “Even if in the future, it can’t earn money, it’s also not bad to just treat it as turning this mountain green with plants.”
Du Xiao Li even took him to go see the several wells. Because they were just made recently, there weren’t much water in the well. They used the roped tied to the bucket to draw a bucket of water up.
“This water is so nice and cold!” Du Xiu Heng reached in and touched it.
“That’s right. Later, let’s put the grapes in the well for a bit. Then, eating them at night will be even tasty.” Du Xiao Li also stretched her hand into the bucket.
Two days ago, the work for the mountain was finished. Du Xiao Li, seeing that the weather was getting increasingly hot, thus didn’t let the villagers fix up the other mountain. Because this well was relatively shallow, they thus made a few more.
“Then let’s go get some.” Du Xiu Heng said.
This morning, Leng Er and the others went to pick all the grapes on the vine, and shared half with Du Xiao Li. Du Xiao Li saved some for Du Xiu Heng, and the rest were all used to make grape wine. Thinking that afterwards, she won’t be able to eat grapes, Du Xiao Li felt a bit sad inside. However, she planned to go over to the grape vines a few days later to see if there’s any place suitable for cutting. Right now was currently the time for cutting. If successful, then she can start planting in ma.s.s.
(T/N: Cutting is the process in horticulture for plant propagation)
Du Xiu Heng filled half a basket full of grapes and used a coa.r.s.e rope to lower it down, hanging it on top the water, following which the two of them went back. After eating dinner, the two of them finally had the grapes pulled back up. Eating it now, the grapes were ice cold, extremely refreshing!
At present, because the weather at noon was too scorching hot, Du Xiu Heng had no choice but to move out in the morning to return to school. Du Xiao Li waited until after he left, then put on her back-basket and her little satchel, and entered the mountains. This time, she wanted to go see how the tangerine trees are growing, and also see if there’s any grape branches suitable for cutting.
“Silver, you go play by yourself.” After Du Xiao Li had Silver brought to the deepest part of the mountains, she patted its head and let it go hunt by itself.
It’s already almost a month since she’s adopted Silver. In this month, it has grown quite a bit, and its ability to catch some small animals have also improved a lot too.
“Awoo—” Silver had only ran off for a while before running back. Using its mouth, it bit onto Du Xiao Li’s trouser, pulling her in the direction it’d had just gone, seemingly having discovered something.
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