I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32

In the kitchen, Jiang Yiqing noticed that Shui Mingsheng’s clothing was quite unique. On the middle finger of her left hand, she wore a silver chain. Shui Mingsheng insisted that Yiqing didn’t need to wash the dishes and that she would handle it herself.

“How could I let you do that?” Shui Mingsheng said. “You are a young lady whose fingers have never been dipped in spring water either. I would feel quite embarrassed.”

“Then what should we do?” Jiang Yiqing asked in confusion. At home, she never had to wash dishes, as the maidservants did everything for her.

Shui Mingsheng suggested, “I’ll wash with my right hand, and you can just help me hold the bowls steady.”

Jiang Yiqing didn’t think much of it. She used one hand to help Shui Mingsheng hold the bowls. She watched as Shui Mingsheng squeezed out some dishwashing foam, scrubbed a bit, and rinsed them until the plates became snow-white. Her hands were incredibly nimble; even watching her wash dishes was a pleasing sight.

How miraculous, Yiqing thought. Soon, the dishes were clean, and Jiang Yiqing grew increasingly curious about this world.

Finally, Shui Mingsheng put a little foam on Jiang Yiqing’s hand. Jiang Yiqing rubbed her hands together and seeing that it was difficult for Shui Mingsheng to wash her own hand while holding things, she smeared the foam onto Mingsheng’s right hand to help her clean it. She then held it under the faucet to rinse it off.

The tips of those beautiful, neat fingers were tinged with a faint pink. The hands were as slender and graceful as jade. Shui Mingsheng’s grip on that hand instinctively tightened a little.

Jiang Yiqing noticed a hand towel hanging nearby with a cute animal pattern she didn’t recognize. She hesitantly took Shui Mingsheng’s hand, wrapped it in the towel to dry it, and then dried her own hands.

Is this how it’s done? she wondered silently, feeling a small sense of accomplishment.

The two returned to the living room. When Jiang Xuerou saw her daughter, her expression was unusually solemn.

“Yiqing, do you remember me telling you when you were little that you had a childhood betrothal?” She decided to get straight to the point.

“…?” A childhood betrothal? Jiang Yiqing was stunned. But after a moment’s thought, she realized it likely meant she was meant to marry someone.

Vaguely, she felt as if everything was predestined. Just as she was originally supposed to enter the General’s household in her brother’s stead, the Jiang Yiqing of this world also had a prearranged marriage.

Jiang Yiqing was not one to disobey her elders or cause trouble for others, so she asked cautiously, “Am I betrothed to someone?”

Hearing a spark of hope, Shui Xi smiled even more warmly. She pulled Jiang Yiqing to her side, took her hand, and said, “Yiqing, can you guess who you are betrothed to?”

To the side, Shui Mingsheng felt extremely bashful. She turned away, not daring to look at Mother Jiang or Yiqing, but she couldn’t resist stealing glances out of the corner of her eye while pretending to be calm by taking a sip of water.

“Who is it?” Jiang Yiqing asked softly.

Shui Xi looked at Shui Mingsheng and, seeing her looking elsewhere, became slightly annoyed. She grabbed Mingsheng’s hand as well, holding both girls’ hands in her own.

“It’s Mingsheng! Yiqing, what do you think?”

Jiang Yiqing was surprised, but her expression didn’t change significantly. Jiang Xuerou was also puzzled—how could her daughter be so accepting of this?

There were too many new and strange things in this world for Jiang Yiqing. Based on her observations, genders seemed equal here and perhaps views on marriage had changed as well. She didn’t want to act too strange and let anyone realize something was wrong.

“What does Sister Mingsheng think?” Jiang Yiqing looked at Shui Mingsheng with a look of reliance.

This was the first person her own age she had come to trust in this world.

Shui Mingsheng hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. She had initially thought that if Aunt Jiang and Yiqing didn’t acknowledge the arrangement, she wouldn’t force the engagement and wouldn’t bother being the “Young Master” of her clan, as she didn’t want to marry just anyone. But seeing light at the end of the tunnel, she became serious. Looking at the girl’s beautiful, exquisite, and peerless face, she said, “If Yiqing is willing, I will treat you well.”

With that one sentence, Jiang Yiqing’s face turned bright red, like an apple.

Jiang Xuerou watched them in astonishment, suddenly feeling as though she was the only one with conservative ideas.

Shui Xi then earnestly tried to persuade Jiang Yiqing: “Don’t worry, Yiqing. My daughter is very single-minded. Once she sets her heart on you, she will be good to you. In our Miao tradition, one is willing to consume a ‘Love-Guan’ for their beloved, binding their heart to one person for a lifetime. You needn’t worry about her changing her mind. Besides, if you feel it’s not good fit, you can cancel the engagement in two months. How about it? Yiqing, take this summer break as an opportunity to visit our Miao territory; just treat it as a vacation.”

Looking at her eager eyes and Shui Mingsheng’s strangely expectant gaze, Jiang Yiqing couldn’t find the words to refuse. She nodded gently and said, “Okay.”

Jiang Xuerou: … My daughter is just going to run off with my best friend and her daughter like that?

“Shui Xi, oh Shui Xi. Ever since you married into the Miao region, you haven’t kept in much contact with me. And as soon as you find me, you give me a ‘surprise’ like this, huh? I’ve heard that Miao poison insects are best at bewitching hearts; don’t go leading my Yiqing into a trap.”

Shui Xi’s eyes dimmed slightly as she said, “She is your daughter. How could I ever do that?”

“…” Jiang Xuerou went silent, then waved her hand. “Fine. I was worried about how to look after the child this summer while I need to practice the piano anyway. Yiqing, go with your Aunt and Mingsheng for a while. If you don’t want to stay, come back anytime.”

Jiang Yiqing saw her mother’s concern, which made her even more determined not to act immature or let her realize her daughter had been replaced, lest she be heartbroken. Taking this chance, Jiang Yiqing wanted to learn the knowledge of this world and fully integrate herself.

The group watched a TV drama in the living room for a while. Jiang Yiqing was watching with great interest when Jiang Xuerou turned off the TV.

“This child… why is she still staring at the TV just like she did ten years ago? Go and rest. Don’t you always complain about getting dark circles if you sleep late?”

Jiang Yiqing’s heart was still fluttering with the plot of the show. She had never seen such a drama before, it was truly amazing!

She said reluctantly, “Mom, I know.”

“I’m too lazy to tidy up another bed. Mingsheng can sleep in your room tonight,” Jiang Xuerou said, walking away in her slippers.

Shui Mingsheng followed Jiang Yiqing shyly. “Yiqing, if you don’t like sharing a bedroom, just tell me. I can do in the guest room for the night.”

Jiang Yiqing thought to herself that this bedroom belonged to the original Jiang Yiqing, not her. She said, “I don’t mind.”

I hope she doesn’t mind either, Yiqing thought secretly.

“Yiqing, you go take a shower first. I’ll go after you’re done,” Shui Mingsheng said.

Take a shower? Jiang Yiqing was dazed.

Seeing her hesitating, Shui Mingsheng found it a bit strange, but figured she might just be uncomfortable with someone else around. She stepped out of the room, but not before turning on the water for Yiqing. “Just call me when you’re finished.”

Jiang Yiqing walked into the bathroom and saw the water cascading down. She stepped forward hesitantly. As the fine jets of water poured over her head and soaked her body, she felt her tired and tense muscles relax instantly.

The bottles and jars in the bathroom smelled wonderful. Jiang Yiqing had never used such nice things. Bathing here was much more convenient than in her original world. She dried herself off, put on her pajamas, and went to find Shui Mingsheng.

After Shui Mingsheng had finished her own shower, she saw that Jiang Yiqing hadn’t dried her hair. She beckoned her over. “Yiqing, even though it’s summer, you have to dry your hair. Come here, let me do it for you.”

Dry my hair? Jiang Yiqing walked over blankly, only then discovering the convenience of a “hair dryer.”

Shui Mingsheng’s soft fingers moved slowly through her hair. It was so comfortable that Jiang Yiqing closed her eyes, feeling as if she might drift off to sleep.

Once both their hair was dry, Shui Mingsheng asked, “Yiqing, do you keep the light on when you sleep?”

Jiang Yiqing shook her head. Shui Mingsheng turned off the light, and darkness enveloped them.

Jiang Yiqing curled up in the soft blankets. The pillow was soft, and the air was filled with a pleasant fragrance. It was incredibly comfortable. Shui Mingsheng’s tenderness and care made her feel as though she were sinking into a soft dream from which she didn’t want to wake.

How can there be such a wonderful girl in the world?

Shui Mingsheng’s voice rang out in the night, particularly clear: “I was worried you would reject me, Yiqing. It’s so good that you didn’t.”

“…How could I?” Jiang Yiqing said.

“Since I stopped sleeping in the same room as my mother, it’s been a long time since I shared a room with anyone. Human body heat is so warm,” Shui Mingsheng said, instinctively putting an arm around Yiqing’s waist.

Jiang Yiqing froze instantly, unable to move. Though she couldn’t see Mingsheng’s face clearly, it was inches away.

“I usually spend my time with poison insects and don’t have much ‘culture’ (education). I was really afraid you would look down on me, Yiqing.”

Culture? Does she mean knowledge? Jiang Yiqing felt she didn’t have much of that either—did the poetry books she read count?

Jiang Yiqing didn’t understand why Mingsheng was telling her this, but she felt that the other girl was taking this betrothal very seriously.

The Miao territory… Jiang Yiqing had heard her brother speak of it. He said Miao women were terrifying and could silently release insects to take one’s life. But they were also very traditional, refusing to marry outsiders and living forever in the mountains of the Southern Barrens, where venomous insects and snakes provided a natural breeding ground for “Gu” (poison) insects.

But those descriptions didn’t match Shui Mingsheng. She was so graceful, like the bright moon in the sky.

But the Miao region was so foreign. She hadn’t even integrated into a normal family yet; could she really go to such a dangerous place? Jiang Yiqing couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear.

“Mingsheng, when we go to the Miao territory, you will protect me, right?” Jiang Yiqing asked uncertainly.

“Of course. How could I ever bear to see you get hurt, Yiqing?”

Reassured, Jiang Yiqing gradually fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Shui Xi proposed that Shui Mingsheng take Jiang Yiqing back to the Miao village, while she herself would stay in N-City to travel for a while.

Although Jiang Xuerou felt it was a bit rushed, seeing that Jiang Yiqing had no objection, she said nothing more.

She helped Jiang Yiqing pack her luggage. Seeing her standing there dazed, she said, “Yiqing, there aren’t many snacks in the Miao village. You usually love snacks the most; take some with you.”

Jiang Yiqing stood in front of the snack cabinet. She wondered how that other girl was adapting to her original dynasty. There were no snacks like these over there, she wondered if she was doing okay.

She stuffed some snacks into her backpack. Shui Mingsheng walked over pulling a suitcase and asked, “Yiqing, is everything packed?”

Jiang Yiqing nodded, said goodbye to Jiang Xuerou, and followed Shui Mingsheng out the door.

Shui Mingsheng didn’t travel far often, but she was very capable. Jiang Yiqing followed her like a little shadow, letting Mingsheng handle everything while she silently memorized the process.

When the airplane took to the sky, Jiang Yiqing still couldn’t believe it. Although she had guessed it was possible, she hadn’t expected there were truly things in this world that could fly in the heavens.

By the time they got off the plane, she had arrived at a brand-new place she never thought she would visit, and the journey became more remote. First, they took a shuttle to a different airport, flew another leg, and then got into a car. Along the way, she saw banners draped across the road—

“Believing in Gu is a curse; civilized progress is a blessing.” “Discard old habits and traditions; embrace a beautiful home.” “…”