Chapter 772 - 397: Go Back After Seeing the Young Master (Part 2)

Chapter 772: Chapter 397: Go Back After Seeing the Young Master (Part 2)

She turned to look at Huai Zi, who was grinning at her with a look of pure contentment. She couldn’t help but give him a light pat. "I didn’t come to see him," she said. "I came to see this plot of land. Pu Pao, don’t you want to plant something? Later, we can dig up those little fruit tree saplings from the garden and plant them here. They won’t grow big under those large trees anyway." Those saplings had sprouted from casually tossed fruit pits; some she had planted on purpose.

Pu Pao’s conscientiousness as a maid was growing by the day. She frowned and tried to persuade Juhua, "Young Madam, we have so many fruit trees at home, and plenty of peach trees by the river in front of our house. Isn’t that enough for you to eat? The grass on the mountain is thick, and there are snakes in the undergrowth. You really shouldn’t be planting things yourself. If you’re set on it, just have my brother and my dad do it."

Seeing her worried expression, this time even Huai Zi couldn’t help but laugh. "Pu Pao, your Young Madam just loves to plant things herself. She also loves to wander around outside, especially in the spring. If she can’t come out for a stroll a few times, she gets restless all over."

Juhua saw Pu Pao staring at her wide-eyed and quickly said, "Don’t listen to his nonsense. When have I ever loved wandering around outside..."

Before she could finish, she started laughing. It was true, wasn’t it? She loved wandering around outside.

’I really am a strange person,’ she thought. ’I’m perfectly capable of enduring solitude—I don’t mind being alone without any company, and I don’t like visiting others. But I also can’t stand being cooped up—I just love being active out in the mountains and fields.’

’When I plant vegetables and trees, my initial goal is of course to harvest them and make money. But more than that, I love watching the seeds sprout, turn into seedlings, and slowly grow, mature, and bear fruit. That feeling is truly indescribable. It’s like how people can’t help but adore a cute baby. I think this must be the natural charm of life itself!’

To keep Pu Pao from thinking she was too wild-hearted, she asked with a grin, "Pu Pao, when you were at home, didn’t you want to go out with your brother to catch shrimp and gather mushrooms?"

Pu Pao nodded quickly. "Of course I did. But Grandma said that once a girl gets older, she shouldn’t run around everywhere, or else she won’t seem like a proper young lady."

Juhua smiled faintly. ’From the perspective of a well-bred lady, I’m really not up to standard. But that’s intentional—I indulge my own spontaneous and natural side. I don’t even plan on teaching Cong to be prim and proper. It’s not that I don’t value a girl’s upbringing, I just don’t want her to lose her spirit.’

"That’s not entirely true," she said. "For us country girls, isn’t it common to gather mushrooms, dig for wild vegetables, and pick wild bamboo shoots? It’s not like we’re running wild outside all day long. It’s better than getting together to gossip, right? But you still have to learn the rules you’re supposed to learn. Remember, in front of others, be polite and well-mannered. Don’t be a chatterbox; listen more and speak less. At home, it’s fine to be natural and at ease. Don’t learn to put on airs. That’s just uncomfortable to watch."

Pu Pao listened to Juhua, first nodding, then saying, "I just think it would be better to let us do this kind of rough work. The Young Madam should just dress neatly and sit at home doing embroidery and needlework. Otherwise, it’s easy to make your hands coarse."

After speaking, she glanced at Juhua’s hands with a look of great pity and regret. That morning, the Young Madam had taken her to pick shepherd’s purse and Indian aster, breaking her nails in the process. She’d then used scissors to trim them all down to the quick. Pu Pao felt awful seeing them—her hands had looked so pretty before with her nicely rounded nails, but the Young Madam didn’t cherish them at all.

Hearing this, Juhua exchanged a look with Huai Zi and suppressed a smile. She reached out and pinched Pu Pao’s cheek—’Mmm, so smooth. Much chubbier than when she first arrived at the Zhang family’s home’—and said, "Pu Pao, are you trying to train me to be as dignified and gentle as the madam of a great household? Do you think my clothes are usually messy?"

Pu Pao shook her head vigorously. "Not at all. I just think the Young Madam is no less refined than any of them. If you didn’t plant vegetables or feed the chickens, and you wore silk clothes, who knows how much more beautiful you’d be."

Huai Zi chuckled. "Pu Pao, it’s one thing to ask your Young Madam not to plant vegetables or feed the chickens. But if you made her stay indoors all day, wearing silk and doing embroidery, wouldn’t that just make her sick from being cooped up?"

Pu Pao said disbelievingly, "But the Young Madam is the best at sitting still! She often sits for half a day doing needlework and never seems impatient. I get bored just being next to her. And the Young Madam doesn’t even like visiting people—it’s always others who come to talk to her. How could a personality like that make her sick from being cooped up?"

Huai Zi couldn’t explain it, so he just shook his head and said, "It’s different."

Juhua could understand Pu Pao’s view on wealth and status. ’In my past life, when I was a child growing up in the countryside, I longed for the city just like this. Back then, my greatest ambition was to study hard, leave the village, and work in a bright, clean office. But once I actually became a city dweller and went through the motions, I found myself missing country life. The complex feelings involved were something only those who had experienced it could truly understand.’

’No, that’s not quite right either. Everyone thinks differently. Not everyone is like me, choosing to return to their original way of life after trying something new. Some people only ever feel that they haven’t climbed high enough or become rich enough. Or perhaps they just enjoy the feeling of constant competition and struggle.’

She propped one hand on a large rock, her gaze unfocused as she looked at the sparse patch of old bamboo they had just planted on the mountainside. A lazy smile played on her lips. Behind her, a stream tinkled in the mountain gully, and a gentle breeze caressed her face. It was an inexpressibly pleasant feeling!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Huai Zi holding their daughter, teasing her endlessly. The scene was the very picture of paternal love. A thought suddenly struck her: ’Is Huai Zi satisfied with this life? He’s a man, only twenty-two. Did he once harbor grand ambitions, only to rein them in somberly due to the pressures of life?’

"Huai Zi, do you like this life? Do you ever feel dissatisfied, wishing you could study and become an official like Yangzi?" Juhua asked softly.

Zhang Huai was taken aback. The happy smile hadn’t yet faded from his face as he asked blankly, "Dissatisfied with what?"

Juhua looked at him. "Have you ever longed for fame and fortune? Do you like the life we have now?"

Huai Zi chuckled. "Of course I’ve thought about it. But everyone’s fate is different, so there’s nothing to be dissatisfied about. As for whether I like this life or not, can’t you tell?"

Juhua nodded. "I know. But you and my brother are both smart. If you really studied as diligently as Yangzi, you might have been able to achieve an official rank. Do you really not regret it at all?"

(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting it with your recommendation votes and monthly passes on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)