Chapter 2 The Test

Cheng Jin who has not figured out what was going on chattered her teeth violently, nodded her head involuntarily and with her voice tiny as a mosquito, "En."

Qi Furen lifted Cheng Jin's small little face and spoke gently to her, "San Er, ah Niang knows that you are afraid of today's upcoming test. However, you are my one and only daughter. If you throw tantrums and lost your face again during the test, how are we, mother and daughter going to survive in this household?"

Qi Furen couldn't hold her frown after she had finished her words.

At that moment, Nanny Zhang came in with a stack of clothing and Xiao Yu followed in with a bronze basin filled with hot water.

Qi Furen let go of Cheng Jin from her embrace and held her little hand.

"Come over, ah Niang will comb your hair today."

Nanny Zhang spread open a piece of green dress and carefully dressed it on Cheng Jin's waist.

She proceeded with a short maroon dress coat and secured the whole outfit with the thin belt.

Cheng Jin was standing there, succumbed while being dolled up like a puppet.

Qi Furen leaded Cheng Jin to sit in front of the vanity table after finished dressing session. Cheng Jin can't help but exclaimed again when she straddled her face and accidentally saw the face of a stranger in the mirror.

"Ahh!"

Qi Furen took a look at the colour of the sky and got panicked out of sudden.

"San Er, it's already getting late. If we don't start arranging your hair, you will not make it on time. If you are late, your ah Die[1], he... aih... what should we do?"

"Hmm? Test? My ah Die?" Cheng Jin slowly let go of her hands from her face and opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes were misty with a layer of tears.

"Who is the owner of this body?"

"How did I become so small??"

"How did I end up in such a state???"

She did not dare to believe it. She was stunned and kept staring into the reddened eyes through the mirror. She was a kid about six years old, pairing up with a pale complexion and a fragile body.

Sensing that Cheng Jin was sitting obediently in front of the vanity table, three of them immediately began doing her hair agilely. After a while, one was able to see a girl with a pair of big round eyes being sculpted on a delicate peach shape face. It was a little beauty who donned a double half bun on her head. Qi Furen was satisfied with their creation and hence stuck in a flower jade hairpin into her bun. She finally smiled brightly as she looked at Cheng Jin.

Nanny Zhang chuckled cheerfully and genuinely spoke to them.

"Xiao Jie looked just like a little version of you, Furen[2]. She will definitely be a great beauty when she is grown up!"

The seventh madam held onto Cheng Jin's hand and assisted her to walk to the outside. Once they had stepped out of the room, Cheng Jin realized that it was a rather huge courtyard. There was a patio right at the middle and was decorated with two large rock stone fish pond. Between the two ponds, a Begonia tree was blooming radiantly. One can see that it had rained before in the morning as the patio was wet and watery. Those red begonia flowers were alluring. So beautiful! Unfortunately, it was not the time for her to enjoy such beautiful scenery. The seventh madam had increased the footsteps, probably she was worrying about being late again.

Cheng Jin was befuddled with the upcoming test that she was heading to.

'It seemed to be important right? Just now the lady was talking about how it will affect their life in the household. And what about both of them, as mother and daughter?'

She was totally speechless. The seventh madam looked like she was at most in her twenty-three or twenty-four...

'Call her mother?'

Cheng Jin hence tried hard to calm down herself. She wanted to know what will the test be and what kind of question will it be. At least, let her prepare herself for now. As for this sticky change of situation, she will naturally figure it out later. Cheng Jin then slightly tugged on the seventh madam's sleeves and asked, "What should I pay attention to during the test?"

This was the first time the seventh madam heard Cheng Jin willingly questioned about the test matter since morning. She can't help but stop her pace and touched her little head dotingly.

"San Er, ah Niang knows that you had already tried your best to learn all four academics: the musical- Guqin, the chess strategy, calligraphy and the painting. Oh, it is poetry for today... "

"Since you are not those who love to learn, it is natural that you are not very good in it."

"However, San Er must promise ah Niang that no matter good or bad, you must not cry. Don't lose our face!"

The seventh madam seemed to bear a hint of hate in her eyes when she was talking about this.

"No matter how they want to torture us, we will never drop even a single tear. Remember this... San Er?"

Cheng Jin saw the pride in the seventh madam's eyes and hence she nodded eagerly too.

'As long as one does not cry!'

She sighed deep down in her heart.

'Just what kind of environment am I in?'

'What kind of temperament does this body had?'

'The father that had at least seven or eight wives... How would he look like?

The seventh madam held Cheng Jin's hand and started walking into a big hall. The hall was immediately silent down.

In the big hall, two rows of chairs and tables were neatly arranged. There were five women who were embellished with jade ornaments and exquisite jewellery all over their body.

The two chairs in the middle were emptied.

'That must be the seat for her father and his main wife.'

The seventh madam smiled slightly, turned to her left and did a slight curtsy.

"Greetings to all the jiejie[3], please forgive Meimei [4]for being late."

She then turned to the right side and did the same curtsy. All the people who sat down nodded their head in perfunctory.

It seemed like the seventh madam had got used to their coldness a long time ago as she did not wait for them to reply and brought Cheng Jin to the end of the right side and sat down.

After making sure Cheng Jin was standing right beside her, only then she let go of her tiny hand.

Looking to the left, Cheng Jin guessed that three women must be her father's wives. There were two girls standing beside just like her, the older one seemed to be around ten years old and the younger one seemed to be around eight years old.

'Since Qi Furen called me San Er, the two of them must be my Jiejie..."

The two wives on the right side had no children beside them.

Cheng Jin then had secretly made some comparison between the Furens and Qi Furen. She thought that everyone had their own beauty. The seventh madam had a lovely peach shape face with a very pointy chin. Her eyes were captivating like translucent black crystal. Her small body frame only made her looked more delicate and fragile.

'I'm afraid this body of mine probably will look just like Qi Furen in the future...'

Just as Cheng Jin was observing around, she saw the two girls had their mouth twitched scornfully and turned their head away from her.

They showed her a disdained look and had their arrogant face displayed.

It was somehow funny to her.

'Little farty kids'

She was annoyed by the fact that she was actually even younger than them and hence can't help but lowered her head down.

It was only then a loud noise alerted everyone in the room. All the ladies stood up and greeted the man and the woman warm and gently just like the breeze in spring.

"Greetings to Laoye[5], greetings to Jiejie."

The man then started his speech.

" Everyone please be seated."

"Ah Lei! Ah Fei! Ah Luo! Are you ladies ready for the test?"

"One does not sure whether there was any progression for this once in every three months' trial."

............

1= Die, father

2= Furen, a way to address a married woman

3= Jiejie, wives who shared the same husband address the older wives with this term, also used for a younger sister to address an older sister

4= Meimei, younger sister

5= Laoye, a way to address the master of a household, also husband.