DDR 64

Chapter 64: Pleasures of Zhuangzi

Although the outskirts of Zhuangzi were not large, they had all the necessities. Steward Quan had managed things very well. Everything was neat and tidy. Surrounded by trees, birdsong, and fragrant flowers, Shen Jingshu fell in love with this place almost as soon as she arrived.

It would also be good to often come and sit here when she had time in the future. The scenery here was indeed very good. Compared with the bustling city, it was much quieter here, which gave her a lot of peace.

After taking a few laps around, Shen Jingshu had basically walked over the entirety of Zhuangzi. She originally wanted to go outside to see the peasant families. However, as it was almost lunch time. Shen Jingshu planned to take a break before going out again.

After tidying up, the whole family sat down to eat together. The food in Zhuangzi could not be said to be great, but it was not bad either. Very refined peasant dishes. Compared with the flavors at home, Shen Jingshu felt that this taste was closer to the real thing.

“Master, Madam, do these dishes meet your tastes? Do you want to change them?” Steward Quan was very attentive in doing things. He had already inquired in advance about the masters’ preferences, and the dishes that were made were very good. They all used ingredients from Zhuangzi, and the taste wasn’t bad.

“Steward Quan, you’ve worked hard. It tastes good.” Although the ingredients were very simple, it is not as exquisite as those at home, the taste was good.

It seemed that Steward Quan had taken a lot of trouble.

“Then, Master, shall I continue to do the same in the future?”

“En, that’s fine. Please make arrangements accordingly.”

“Does the Master like game? If you like it, this servant will let people go up in the mountains to find some. This Zhuangzi actually has some uncommon foods. If Master likes it, I’ll have people prepare more!” Seeing that Shen Wenhua was satisfied, Steward Quan was more at ease. Although this Zhuangzi was fertile, but in the end it couldn’t compare to the city, and the dishes could not be compared. Therefore, he spent some thought on it, and though refined dining wasn’t possible, it could be more flavorful and more characteristic.

The flavors from peasant families was actually very good. He had stayed here for a long time and fell in love with the life here.

It was quiet, beautiful, and full of mountain flavor. There were no restraints, and there was more freedom than there was at home.

“Game is good, naturally if it’s possible then it would be nice. Just pay attention to safety, it wouldn’t be good to meet with an accident.” Shen Wenhua did not object to coming to Zhuangzi and eating some fresh food, but the most important thing was people’s safety.

“Master, rest assured, Zhuangzi has several hunting families. If the Master wants to eat it, just say. I’ll let the hunters know, and naturally they’ll prepare!”

“We will eat whatever you have. We came to Zhuangzi to rest, so there is no need to make everything too delicately. The usual way you do things is fine.” After eating the dishes at home and then coming here, Shen Wenhua felt pretty good. He didn’t want Steward Quan to do anything special just because they came here.

“Yes, Master, this servant will remember that. This servant will immediately instruct the others. Master, Madam, would you like to rest for a while?” Travel-worn and having sat in the carriage for almost four hours, their faces all looked exhausted.

“En, let’s take a rest after eating. You can let people prepare it.”

“Master, rest assured, everything is ready, it’s all new, and the house has been cleaned.”

“Very good!” They finished lunch and let people tidy up before going up to rest. Shen Jingshu also felt a little tired and took a nap. When she woke up, she observed that her surroundings were quiet and peaceful, and she vaguely heard the sounds of people speaking softly. It seemed they were afraid of disturbing her. Seeing the sunshine outside, Shen Jingshu decided to go out for a walk. “Chun Xiao, get ready, we’re going outside for a look!” This was her first time in Zhuangzi. Shen Jingshu was curious and really wanted to take a good look at this place.

“Miss, wait a moment, wash your face first!”

“Got it!” Shen Jingshu cleaned up and went out with Chun Xiao. This time when she went out, Shen Jingshu only brought Yao momo and Chun Xiao with her, leaving the rest at home for the sake of convenience. Otherwise, it would be troublesome for everyone to come over.

* * * *

“Miss, the scenery in Zhuangzi is really nice; it’s better than the gardens in some places!” Chun Xiao spoke sincerely. Most residence’s gardens were meticulously arranged, and compared to the natural scenery of Zhaungzi, they seemed a bit stiff.

“It’s really beautiful. In the future, I should often have my mom and dad bring us over, especially in summer. I think it’s a good place to come!” Zhuangzi was pleasantly cool, and there was a lot of bamboo. Shen Jingshu felt it was very cool and refreshing.

“Hehe, the Master loves Miss so much, of course he’ll agree!”

“Oh that’s right, Chun Xiao, shall we go dig up bamboo shoots?” Thinking of bamboo shoots, Shen Jingshu immediately started drooling. Stir fried bamboo shoots with meat tasted good,[1] especially with the fresh bamboo shoots from Zhuangzi, the flavor must be something special.

“But Miss, is that ok? It will dirty your clothes.”

“It’s okay, we will try something fresh. Be careful, go, prepare the things, and let Ying Tao take us!” Shen Jingshu had a decisive temperament. Once she thought of the matter, she pulled Chun Xiao to go call Ying Tao.

Ying Tao didn’t expect Shen Jingshu wanted to personally dig bamboo shoots, so she was immediately anxious, “Miss, if you want to eat bamboo shoots, just let this servant go. There are many bamboo shoots in front of the bamboo forest. They are very tender and delicious. This servant will go dig some for Miss in a while. You should not go there, Miss, so as to avoid getting hurt.” What was Shen Jingshu’s identity? Where are the people doing these jobs? Ying Tao naturally did not dare to really take Shen Jingshu.

“No problem, I also want to try digging them up myself and personally experience it. Please take me Ying Tao!” The bamboo forest was very deep, and Shen Jingshu didn’t know it well, so naturally she dared not go in easily.

“But it wouldn’t be good if Miss got hurt. Bamboo shoots can hurt your hands. Please don’t go, Miss.”

“Let’s go, Ying Tao, I’ll let you take me, but you’re not allowed to say anything else!” As she was directly ordered, it was hard for Ying Tao to say anything now, so she was forced to take Shen Jingshu, “Miss, do you want to inform the Master and Madam about this?”

“It’s okay, we will be back soon, and dad and mom are still resting, so we shouldn’t disturb them.” If she told her parents, then whether or not she could still go would be a problem. Shen Jingshu was not that foolish!

“Come on, let’s go dig up bamboo shoots!” She pulled on Ying Tao to go. Ying Tao couldn’t help but say “no,” yet Ying Tao was helpless. She felt a little anxious about being punished, so she paid particular attention to taking care of Shen Jingshu along the way. She was afraid she would be scolded if something happened to her.

This young lady from the city was really precious. Looking at her manners, she’d never seen something like it in her life. Also, with those clothes and her appearance, she really looked like a fairy! This kind of young miss, she had to protect her well, else when something happened, it would be very bad.

The three people arrived at the bamboo forest. Ying Tao was afraid Shen Jingshu would be scared, so she walked in front. “Miss. Be careful. There will be some bugs here. Don’t be afraid Miss, if you see some.”

“En……” Hearing about bugs, Shen Jingshu was a little frightened. She felt all her hair stand up on end, but she suppressed the feeling.

“The bamboo shoots from this bamboo forest are the most delicious. They are not too big and they’re tender. Come with me, Miss!” She didn’t dare to go too deep into the forest. Ying Tao planned to take Shen Jingshu to one edge and casually dig some up. In any case, there were a lot of bamboo shoots here, so there would be no shortage of them.

“Okay!” Although she didn’t understand everything herself, Shen Jingshu listened to Ying Tao. The three found a spot and started digging for bamboo shoots. Although Ying Tao was still young, she had often done farm work. So of course she had some familiarity. On the other hand, Shen Jingshu and Chun Xiao had never done such things. Ying Tao had already dug up several while the other two were still carefully digging up their first one. Ying Tao couldn’t help but laugh. “Miss, you have to dig a bit bigger and deeper, else you won’t find many shoots.”

“En, I understand. Ying Tao, you’re so amazing!” Looking from Ying Tao’s swift work to her own, Shen Jingshu felt quite useless.

She was a pampered young miss, and really no better than a peasant girl. Looking at herself and Chun Xiao again, she suddenly understood why some people back home would rack their brains to get other people to do things for them.

Indeed, in this rural area, one had to do everything by oneself. Year in, year out, it was really exhausting. The maidservants at her side didn’t have to do heavy manual labor. Usually they just had to look after her daily life, how could it be that arduous? The days of a maidservant in a rich household were much better than those in a small household. Of course, many people were willing to stay in a rich family as slaves, servants, or even concubines.

“Miss, this servant often sits, and the Miss has a delicate and precious body. Why not take a rest first, and let this servant do the work, it will all be okay.” Ying Tao only smiled at Shen Jingshu’s praise and didn’t say much. However, the movement of her hands sped up.

“No, I have to do something myself!” Since she had proposed this idea herself, Shen Jingshu would not give up easily. Although her actions were not skilled, this did not prevent Shen Jingshu from digging up bamboo shoots. Fortunately, she was clever, and although she was not familiar with this, in the end she dug out a few. Finally Ying Tao looked almost the same, and she nodded, “Miss, we already have a lot, and if we dig more, you won’t be able to eat them all. Miss, let’s go back, or the Master and Madam will be worried.” Ying Tao didn’t dare take Shen Jingshu out for too long, as she was afraid of getting in trouble.

“Okay, let’s go back!” She saw that there were enough bamboo shoots in the basket. Afraid that they wouldn’t be able to finish eating them all today, Shen Jingshu didn’t continue to waste the bamboo shoots. Smiling, they prepared to return.

“Hehe, Miss, please slow down, your clothes and hair are messed up. This servant will tidy you up!”

“It’s okay, let’s go back!”

“Miss, your shoes are muddy. There’s a stream in front, so why don’t we go wash them?” Ying Tao was really worried about Shen Jingshu returning in this state, as she would be the one held responsible! If she could get Shen Jingshu to wash her shoes, of course she would.

“En, okay, it’s better to go wash them. It so happens that my hands feel grubby, so it’s not comfortable!”

“The outside shells of the bamboo shoots are somewhat hairy,[2] and the lady’s hands are so delicate, it must be uncomfortable. We should hurry and wash them!” Hearing what Shen Jingshu said, Ying Tao became nervous, and she walked to the river bank with Shen Jingshu. Shen Jingshu smiled and looked at the dirt on her shoes. It was really the first time that she was so dirty!

Anyway, she was very happy today. She hadn’t felt this kind of carefree feeling for a long time. Since her rebirth, she had taken care at every step to protect her parents and this family. She had hidden her temperament, as she was afraid of trouble. But this was a rare opportunity to let her do what she liked, which was really nice!

“Miss, the stream is right ahead. It’s a bit slippery here. Miss, be careful!”

“Okay!” Looking at the clear stream, Shen Jingshu walked over, cupped her hands, and began to wash her hands. She instantly felt refreshed, “It’s so comfortable! The water is so clear that I can see the fish swimming. But, it’s a pity that I don’t have anything with me, otherwise I could bring some fish back!”

“Does Miss like to eat fish?”

“En, the taste is very good. I looked at these fish and thought they looked delicious, but it’s a pity…” Sighing, Shen Jingshu didn’t think she had the ability to get ahold of these fish. Although the stream wasn’t deep, it also wasn’t shallow. She still had difficulties due to her small physique.

“If the Miss likes it, this servant can give it a try. It is no problem to bring back a few fish when the time comes!” She had always lived here, so of course Ying Tao had mastered certain skills. It wasn’t easy to eat meat in the countryside, and usually ordinary families couldn’t eat meat casually at home. At any rate, the fish in this stream were delicious, so everyone like to eat them.

“Really? Ying Tao, can you?”

“This servant can try it!” Looking around, Ying Tao found a few bamboo poles, rolled up her trousers, and stepped into the stream. The water was still a bit cold. Shen Jingshu noticed this, and was worried. “Ying Tao, let’s forget it. The water is cold. It won’t be good if you catch a cold.”[3]

“It’s okay, Miss. This servant often comes here to fish. Just wait, this servant will catch one. I’m just afraid it won’t be big.”

“It’s no problem, it’s okay if it’s not there. I was just talking casually, don’t take it seriously!” If she’d known, she wouldn’t have said anything. What if Ying Tao got sick from putting her feet in the cold water?

“Miss, don’t worry, this servant’s body is very healthy. It’s nothing, just wait, stand there and don’t talk!” She stood still in the water. Ying Tao didn’t have any tools, so she used the simplest method. Using the bamboo pole to drive the fish into a corner, Ying Tao then stood there and carefully prepared to scoop up the fish with her hands!

“That’s good, Ying Tao, it’s coming…” Shen Jingshu watched Ying Tao nervously, and was still a bit skeptical about Ying Tao catching the fish, but seeing that she was so serious, she didn’t bother her, and just watched quietly. Seeing Ying Tao about to catch a fish, Shen Jingshu was a little nervous. “Be careful…”

Ying Tao heard Shen Jingshu’s words, and she didn’t have the energy to speak at this time, not to mention she didn’t want to startle the fish. She smiled, carefully moved closer, then suddenly shot her hands out and really grabbed it!

“Haha, you caught it, you really caught it! Quickly let me see! This fish seems to be quite big!”

“It looks to be about one catty.[4] It’s a little small, but if I catch a few more it’ll be fine. Just wait Miss!” Ying Tao leaned over and was very patient, but who knows if the fish were scared off or what, but even after a long time, Ying Tao did not catch another.

The stream water was chilly, and when the wind blew, even though there was sunshine, Shen Jingshu felt cold, and didn’t have the heart to continue. “Ying Tao, come out, don’t bother catching another. This one is enough, so let’s go back and just make a soup. I don’t like eating fish that much!” Although she actually did like eating fish very much, Shen Jingshu would never say that at this time.

She knew Ying Tao was just trying to please her, but she didn’t want Ying Tao to get sick because of her.

“Miss, it seems that this servant has bad luck. The fish aren’t coming over here!” It really felt a little cold, and as Ying Tao looked at Shen Jingshu’s earnest expression, she felt a little warmth in her heart, and decided not to persist any longer. She slowly began exiting the stream, however there were too many rocks in the stream. She had been standing in the water for a long time now, and her legs were a little numb. At this moment, she felt a little unsteady when she moved, and felt she was about to fall.

“Be careful!” Shen Jingshu subconsciously pulled Ying Tao, but instead, she ended up being pulled towards the water. She was young, and she was a little unstable for a while, and suddenly her whole person fell into the water.

It was so cold. Shen Jingshu’s first feeling was that it was cold. She hadn’t reacted yet when she heard Ying Tao and Chun Xiao crying out, “Miss, are you ok? Don’t scare your servants like this, Miss, quickly come out!”

“I, I’m okay!” Smiling, Shen Jingshu felt some pain in her foot. She seemed to have twisted her ankle, but Shen Jingshu didn’t want to worry the two, so she pretended nothing had happened.

“Miss, hurry, this servant will pull you out!” She didn’t expect Shen Jingshu would fall into the water trying to assist her. Ying Tao felt completely embarrassed. “Miss, are you really okay? But you fell down? Are you cold?” After speaking, she wanted to drape her jacket over Shen Jingshu’s shoulders, but she was afraid Shen Jingshu wouldn’t want it, and suddenly she had no way to advance or retreat.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. It’s just that my clothes are wet. Let’s go back quickly!” Although she was okay, in the end she wasn’t resistant to the cold. It would be best if she went back to change her clothes and take a hot bath!

“All right!” Ying Tao and Chun Xiao were also anxious, and began dragging Shen Jingshu back. Shen Jingshu saw that both of them seemed to have forgotten their things, and could not but feel helpless, “Don’t forget the fish and bamboo shoots! Today’s efforts cannot go to waste!” Otherwise her injury today would not be worth it!

“Miss is still thinking about this, but your body is more important. We should go back quickly, so as not to catch a cold!”

“En, I know!” After only a few steps, Shen Jingshu felt pain in her ankle. Chun Xiao who was very attentive, soon noticed that something was wrong with Shen Jingshu. “Miss, did you get hurt?”

“Hehe, I seem to have sprained my ankle.” Even if she didn’t say it, Chun Xiao would still find out later, so Shen Jingshu didn’t conceal it.

“Miss, do you want to scare this servant to death? Why didn’t you say anything when you got injured?” Hearing that Shen Jingshu was injured, Chun Xiao subconsciously wanted to take a look, and she inevitably blamed Ying Tao.

On Ying Tao’s side, when she heard Shen Jingshu was injured, she immediately became anxious. “Miss, are you okay? How could you get injured for this servant? This servant, this servant is not worth it, Miss, don’t scare this servant!” Shen Jingshu had risked slipping and falling just now in order to save her, so Ying Tao felt very moved. Now hearing that Shen Jingshu was injured, she felt very guilty! Her eyes became all red, and she thought to herself that aside from her parents, Shen Jingshu treated her the best.

“Ai, I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just that my ankle hurts and it’s a little hard to walk.” It was best not to walk on a sprained ankle. Shen Jingshu had studied medicine for so long, but it was also common sense. It was just that she thought it wasn’t serious, and didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

It seemed that it was swelling up, so she wouldn’t be able to play for the next few days. What a pity.

“This servant will carry you back. Miss, your clothes need to be changed quickly too!” Such things happening to herself didn’t matter, but she could not afford any mishap happening to the person in front of her!

“But I’m heavy, can you carry me?” Although Ying Tao was bigger than her, she looked thin and weak. Shen Jingshu was worried.

“Don’t worry, Miss, this servant is strong!” How could people who worked year-round not be strong? Without saying anything further, Ying Tao picked Shen Jingshu up and walked back. Chun Xiao saw Ying Tao looking so remorseful at this moment, but she said nothing and just followed them back.

* * * *

At this time, Dan Yuerong didn’t know that her daughter was injured. She thought Shen Jingshu had just gone out to play, so when she saw Ying Tao returning with Shen Jingshu on her back, she was shocked. “Shu’er, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? How did your clothes get all wet?” Looking at Shen Jingshu sorry appearance and the mud on her shoes, Dan Yuerong didn’t know what to say. She was worried to distraction, where were the others to look after her?

“Mom, I’m okay, I just accidentally fell into the water. It’s no big deal!”

“You, ah, how could you go out like this? This girl, you really make me worry!” It was good to see her daughter’s face. After Dan Yuerong recovered, she carefully inspected Shen Jingshu and felt relief, “How can you make such a mess of yourself?”

“Mom, can we wait to talk about this later? I feel a little cold now, so I want to take a hot bath and change clothes so I don’t catch a cold.”

“Yes, yes, someone come! First have someone prepare the hot water for the Miss’s bath, and also go boil some ginger soup, and find a doctor to come over!” Dan Yuerong quickly arranged someone to bring Shen Jingshu into her room, and then she recalled the matter of a doctor, and she was immediately out of her wits. “Steward Quan, which doctor is good near here? Go and ask him to come over!”

“Yes, Madam!” Steward Quan soon invited the doctor to check on Shen Jingshu. Aside from her sprained ankle, Shen Jingshu was fine. She took her hot bath, drank the ginger soup, and also had Ying Tao and Chun Xiao have some too. Only then did she take a nap. When she woke up, she didn’t feel any discomfort, so Shen Jingshu felt relieved.

It seemed it was really a good decision to study medicine. If it were the past, she would have already fallen ill. Fortunately, she had been paying attention to her health these days. Her body was much better than before.

“Miss, are you awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Chun Xiao waited for a long time, fearing that Shen Jingshu was sick. At this time, seeing that Shen Jingshu had woken up, she was finally relieved.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay!”

“Then this servant will go tell the Madam!”

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Translator’s Notes

[1] The dish looks something like this. Bamboo shoots are mild in flavor, and have a sort of spongey yet firm texture. I’m personally pretty ambivalent, but they’re healthy. Fun fact: raw bamboo, when eaten, creates cyanide in the stomach. So always eat them cooked lol.

[2] Outside of the bamboo shoots, freshly dug up.

[3] Sorry I can’t help it, but that is not how viruses work. The cold can weaken your immune system though, making it more likely you’ll catch a cold from someone else. I know most people know this, but I hate translating such blatant misinformation and not saying anything about it.

[4] One catty is about 1.3 lb, or 600 grams.

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Although not much happened in this chapter, the person we were expecting to see will finally show up in the next chapter 😉

As an aside, while translating the scene in the bamboo forest, I couldn’t help but think of this song. #TBT Wang Leehom’s “Depths of the Bamboo Forest”