1489 Too Much Is Too Much
After two years of seclusion, she could finally rest. Jing Jiaren felt relaxed. After taking a bath last night and drinking the Divine Suppression Soup, Jing Jiaren slept very soundly that night.
The next morning, if Honghong hadn’t growled downstairs, Jing Jiaren probably would have overslept and missed the time to partic.i.p.ate in the oath-taking meeting. She was awakened by Honghong’s roar. When she opened her eyes, she heard a mirthful female voice asking, “Honghong, your master isn’t up yet?”
From the voice, she was probably the nanny her mother had brought over from the Zhang family. Jing Jiaren had called her “Grandmother Lu Mian” ever since she was young.
Jing Jiaren hurriedly got up, took off her silk jacket, and put on her coat. After she pushed open the sliding door and walked to the balcony, she leaned against the railing and shouted at Grandmother Lu Mian, who was talking to Honghong in the courtyard downstairs, “Grandmother Lu Mian, you’re here so early?”
Lu Mian was an old lady who looked to be in her sixties. She was wearing a dark green dress and her slightly white long hair was neatly combed.
!!Lu Mian raised her head gently. When she saw Jing Jiaren, her eyes immediately revealed affection.
As soon as she woke up in the morning, Jing Jiaren’s long black hair was draped behind her shoulders in a slightly messy manner. It weakened her cold aura and added a hint of gentleness to her. Looking at the woman who had become more and more slender, Lü Mian said in a soft voice, “Jiaren, your mother asked me to come over and make you a bowl of pasta.”
Compared to other super worlds, the Divination Continent, which believed in divination, was somewhat superst.i.tious.
They felt that eating pasta before partic.i.p.ating in large-scale compet.i.tions and important occasions brought good luck.
Jing Jiaren smiled as she lamented, “My mom is really superst.i.tious. Thank you, Grandmother Lu Mian.”
“Okay.”
The lock outside the door opened automatically and Lu Mian was let inside.
After Jing Jiaren returned to her room, she entered the cloakroom.
All her dresses were of the same style and were either black or red. Although the colors were the same, the designs were exquisite and elegant. Jing Jiaren chose a black dress with a tube top and a camellia on the chest.
The flamboyant dress made Jing Jiaren’s skin look fair and her neck look slender.
After Jing Jiaren did her hair and went downstairs, the pasta was ready.
“Jiaren, come and eat.” After Lu Mian wiped her hands, she stood at the side of the dining room. After Jing Jiaren finished eating the noodles, Lu Mian brought the bowl into the kitchen and said, “Your mother asked you to go to her place before you set off. She has something to tell you.”
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
Jing Jiaren stood up and washed her hands. After saying goodbye to Honghong, she went to the Patriarch’s Mansion.
* *
Jing Jiaren’s mother’s name was Zhang Zhanyi. She was an aloof and elegant woman. From the back, she looked like an older version of Jing Jiaren.
Early in the morning, the maid placed cl.u.s.ters of fresh flowers on the stone table. Madam Zhang chose a few of them and said, “Take the others away.” The Jing family had their own Spirit Gra.s.s Academy, which also cultivated flowers. Every morning, the gardener would pick a batch of flowers before sunrise and send them all to the Patriarch’s Mansion. After Madam Zhang chose them, the other spiritual flowers would be sent to other people’s courtyards.
Madam Zhang placed a bouquet of magnolia shears on a black jade plate and decorated it with a rockery. Then, a plate of flowers with oriental charm was completed. “Move this bouquet to the Patriarch’s desk.”
“Okay.”
As soon as the maidservant took the bouquet away, Madam Zhang turned around and looked out of the courtyard door. When she saw the slender and elegant woman outside the door, a charming smile appeared on her face. “Jiaren, come over and let me take a look.”
After Jing Jiaren pushed the door open and walked in, she walked around the camellia garden and came to Madam Zhang. “Mom.”
After Jing Jiaren sat down on the empty stool beside Madam Zhang and picked up a thin bamboo to fiddle with, Madam Zhang guided her gently as she watched her actions. After Jing Jiaren finished fiddling, she looked at the thin bamboo in the green jade bottle and commented, “Not bad. It’s quite tasteful, but it’s too full.”
After Madam Zhang picked up the scissors and cut the bamboo branch on the left side of the thin bamboo, the arrangement of the flowers instantly became elegant and graceful.
“Mother, you’re the best,” Jing Jiaren praised sincerely.
Madam Zhang shook her head and said meaningfully, “Oriental flower art emphasizes beauty. If you go too far, it won’t have the same effect. If you’re too full, it’ll look messy. It’s like this when it comes to arranging flowers, and it’s the same when it comes to people.” Madam Zhang stared at Jing Jiaren with her beautiful eyes as she said, “Jiaren, you’re the thin bamboo in this bottle. Although you’ve grown up tall and straight, your life has been too smooth-sailing and you’ve never suffered any setbacks. If you encounter a strong wind, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear it.”
Jing Jiaren understood. This was why her mother had called her over to talk. “You want to remind me not to be arrogant and look down on the other partic.i.p.ants just because I have some talent and ability?”
Madam Zhang was relieved to see that Jing Jiaren understood immediately.
She nodded and replied, “That’s right. You’re my daughter. I know better than anyone that no matter how levelheaded you seem to outsiders, you’ve always been proud deep down. When I was young, I was very similar to you. I always felt that I was superior and number one in the world. But the world is very big. There are always people better than you.”
“You’re indeed talented in divination, but how can the partic.i.p.ants who were able to qualify for the Divination Conference be ordinary? All these years, you’ve been in seclusion, but were the other partic.i.p.ants wasting their time? Jiaren, you have to always be respectful to your compet.i.tors. That way, you won’t fail too miserably. I hope you understand this principle.”
Madam Zhang had always been smart and intelligent. Jing Jiaren had been very obedient to her mother since she was young.
Madam Zhang’s words had a much greater impact on Jing Jiaren than Jing Ruge’s words.
After Jing Jiaren thought about it seriously, she replied humbly, “Mom, you’re right.”
Madam Zhang looked at the time and saw that there was still plenty of time, so she chatted with Jing Jiaren for a while longer. “How were your gains from this trip to the inner academy?”
Jing Jiaren replied, “Successfully finding the Divination Ultimate Art is my greatest gain.”
Madam Zhang smiled and looked at her meaningfully before saying, “Then… what about other aspects? Have you met any young men who fell in love with you? Your father, your aunt, and your uncle met and fell in love in the inner academy. To us, the inner academy has a special meaning. I thought you would also meet your significant other in the inner academy.”
Jing Jiaren looked at Madam Zhang reproachfully, then lowered her head and said self-deprecatingly, “The news of me and Ye Qingyang has long spread throughout the three thousand worlds. Who would dare to get involved with a heartless woman like me?” Jing Jiaren had never planned to get married in her life.
When Madam Zhang heard this, her heart ached. She held Jing Jiaren’s hand in her palm as she lamented, “As time pa.s.ses, everyone will eventually forget about this matter. Oh right, Ye Qingyang didn’t bully you in the inner courtyard, did he?”
Jing Jiaren shook her head. “He’s not that kind of petty person.”