"Tiange, Tiange!"
A crying voice reached her ears. Mo Tiange opened her eyes in confusion.
"Tiange!" Fourth Lady, who had been keeping vigil by her side, wept tears of joy. "You're finally awake."
Her eyes slowly focused, and she called out dazedly, "Mother."
"Mother is here. Do you feel unwell anywhere else? Tell me quickly."
Confusion surfaced in her eyes, then she rubbed her stomach. "I'm so hungry."
Fourth Lady was taken aback for a moment, then smiled through her tears. "You silly child, running recklessly into the ancestral hall and falling off a chair. You scared the Old Master half to death. And you, the moment you wake up, all you know is that you're hungry. Mother will go make you something to eat. Wait a moment."
She nodded. "Mhm."
Fourth Lady hurried to the kitchen, but as she stepped over the threshold, she suddenly felt dizzy. She quickly braced herself against the wall, her pale face taking a long moment to recover.
Mo Tiange sat up and looked around. Everything was unchanged. She couldn't help but prop her chin on her hand and murmur to herself, "Was it all a dream?"
As soon as she thought this, many strange characters and hand gestures suddenly floated into her mind, startling her.
Those characters were strange, completely different from any she had learned, yet somehow she intuitively recognized them.
"Was it real?" She slowly recalled everything from the dream. The meaning of many of the words, she didn't understand, yet those words were deeply etched in her memory.
Immortals. Did immortals truly exist in this world? Could she also become an immortal, flying through the skies?
But then she remembered what that ancestor had said—that there was no saving her mother—and her expression darkened once more.
Footsteps sounded outside the house. Someone had entered the courtyard. "Fourth Lady, cooking a meal?" Mo Tiange recognized the voice; it was Auntie Awang from next door.
Then came her mother's gentle voice. "Yes. Tiange hasn't eaten for two days since she fainted. She's starving."
Auntie Awang laughed. "The child's awake? That's good. Our family doesn't have anything of much value, but here are a few eggs and some fruit. Give them to Tiange to nourish her—Oh! Your complexion is so poor. Come, come, sit down and rest a while first. I'll handle this."
"How can I trouble you like this? You're always giving us your own eggs. I can't possibly impose further."
"What's there to impose? Stir-frying a few dishes is nothing. Your family helped us plenty in the past. When my husband rolled down the mountain back then, it was all thanks to Fourth Son-in-law's help that he didn't end up lame. Don't stand on ceremony."
'Fourth Son-in-law' referred to her father; Mo Tiange knew that. She had heard bits and pieces: her father was not only learned but also skilled in medicine. Despite his scholarly appearance, he was stronger than anyone else. Uncle Awang said he had martial training. During the years her father lived in the village, the villagers never needed to seek outsiders for medical treatment. He would also help with building houses and digging wells.
She heard Auntie Awang say again, "This child, Tiange, how could a girl enter the ancestral hall? Thankfully, everyone saw she was young and had hit her head, so they didn't make a fuss. How is she now? Is her head alright?"
"She woke up saying she was hungry, so it should be fine."
"That's good. But, with this happening, how will your health manage taking care of Tiange? Has your family called for you to return?"
Mother didn't speak. Tiange could guess the answer was no. Grandmother didn't like Mother, nor did she like her. The uncles weren't close to Mother either. Grandfather was also very cold towards them. In that home, apart from Tianqiao being good to her, no one else paid her much mind.
Auntie Awang was right. Mother was so gravely ill; how could she take care of her? She needed to get better, to take care of Mother.
She rallied her spirits and jumped down from the bed, but dizziness washed over her again.
Many things flitted about in her mind. She knew they were left behind by that ancestor who had spoken to her—something called the Art of the Plain Maiden. She didn't fully understand it, but she seemed to know what she needed to do.
The door was pushed open. Fourth Lady and Auntie Awang entered, each carrying dishes.
Seeing her, Auntie Awang smiled. "Tiange, you're up and about already? How are you? Did hitting your head hurt?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Auntie Awang."
"Fine is good. Come eat. You haven't eaten for two days. You must be starving, right?"
"Mhm." She nodded, then turned to see her mother placing the dishes on the table and saying to her, "Tiange, come eat."
Seeing her mother's complexion, terrifyingly pale, she grew worried. "Mother, what's wrong? Are you unwell?"
Fourth Lady shook her head, offering a comforting smile. "Don't worry. I just didn't rest well. I'll be better after a while."
She didn't suspect anything and took the bowl of rice her mother handed her. Mother said she hadn't eaten for two days. Earlier, she hadn't felt it, but now, smelling the aroma of the food, she truly felt ravenous.
Seeing her wolfing down her food, Fourth Lady and Auntie Awang couldn't help but exchange a smile.
"Slow down. No one's going to snatch it from you. Be careful not to choke."
With some food in her belly, Mo Tiange finally slowed her pace. Looking up, she said, "Mother's cooking is delicious, and Auntie Awang's stir-fried beans smell wonderful too."
Her words made the two adults laugh.
Auntie Awang chatted for a while longer before leaving. Before she went, she said to Fourth Lady, "Even though Tiange is awake, we don't know if there might still be something amiss. Better to ask the doctor to come take another look."
Fourth Lady nodded. "It's just a shame my health is useless, having to trouble Brother Awang to fetch the doctor again."
"Where do such words come from? A distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor. Helping each other is only right. I'll have my husband go to town this afternoon. You rest properly at home. I'll be off now."
"Alright. Safe travels, sister-in-law."
Just after seeing Auntie Awang off, Fourth Lady noticed her little niece had arrived.
"Tianqiao, what brings you here?"
Mo Tianqiao replied timidly, "Fourth Aunt, how is Tiange? I came to see her." Because Fourth Lady had always been ill, the family forbade her from visiting. Tianqiao was quite unfamiliar with this Fourth Aunt.
"Tiange is awake. You're truly thoughtful. Come, come in and sit for a while."
"Mhm."
Seeing Mo Tianqiao follow her mother inside, Tiange jumped up. "Tianqiao!"
"Tiange, eat properly!" Fourth Lady looked at her reprovingly, then smiled at Mo Tianqiao. "Tianqiao, sit for a bit. Fourth Aunt will cook you a bowl of noodles. Would you like long noodles or dragon whisker noodles?"
Mo Tianqiao hastily shook her head. "Fourth Aunt, no need. I've already eaten." Her family said she shouldn't eat at Fourth Aunt's house. She didn't take it too seriously, but as a guest in someone's home, she couldn't be too casual.
Fourth Lady didn't press her. She went to the kitchen, picked out a few of the fruits Auntie Awang had brought, washed them, and brought them over. "Have some plums. These were sent by Auntie Awang next door. Freshly picked."
Mo Tianqiao quickly thanked her. "Thank you, Fourth Aunt."
Seeing her so polite, Fourth Lady praised her a few more times before entering the inner room, leaving the two children to talk.
"Tiange, how did you fall in the ancestral hall? I heard from my father that you even knocked over an ancestor's spirit tablet."
Mo Tiange was about to tell her what she had seen but hesitated. "I... I was careless."
"Grandfather was very angry when he heard. He said it was disrespectful to the ancestors—a girl entering the ancestral hall and even knocking over a spirit tablet. Originally, Grandfather said he would punish you, but the other grandfathers said you were still young and didn't know any better, and there wasn't much point in punishing you. Only then did Grandfather stop being angry."
Hearing that she had angered Grandfather, Mo Tiange buried her head in her rice bowl. She was very afraid of Grandfather because he didn't like Mother, nor did he like her.
"But it's fine now. Where did you hit yourself? Does it still hurt?"
"My head still hurts a bit, but otherwise I'm fine." Thinking of that ancestor's tablet she had knocked down, she grew puzzled again. "Tianqiao, why can't girls enter the ancestral hall? The ancestor at the very top was a woman, wasn't she?"
"Ah? How do you know that?"
"I... I saw the name. It should be a woman's name." Usually, she would tell Tianqiao everything, but for some reason, she felt this unbelievable matter was better kept to herself for now. Especially since that person had said there was no saving her mother; she didn't want Mother to know even more.
"I don't know either. I'll go back and ask Grandfather."
"Forget it. Don't ask, or Grandfather will get angry again."
Mo Tianqiao thought about it and agreed, so she dropped the subject, turning to ask instead, "So when are you going back to school?"
"Tomorrow. I'm already better."
"Good. I have something fun. I'll bring it to school tomorrow, and we can play together."
"Okay."
That afternoon, Uncle Awang from next door indeed went to town to fetch the doctor. Seeing Mo Tiange lively and active, the doctor took her pulse and directly said she didn't need any medicine; she was perfectly fine.
Fourth Lady finally set her mind at ease. She personally went to the kitchen again, stir-fried a plate of greens, pan-fried tofu with minced meat, and asked Auntie Awang to buy some pork trotters from the village butcher. She stewed a pot of pork trotter soup.
Seeing all this, Mo Tiange drooled. Meat dishes were rare in their home, let alone so many good dishes.
Fourth Lady set aside some pork trotter soup for Mo Tiange to deliver next door. Mother and daughter enjoyed a good dinner together, then each went to bed to rest.