On the night that Chu Lian had found out that war had broken out in the northern border, she couldn’t fall asleep until midnight, even though she usually liked to go to bed early and get her beauty sleep.
Chu Lian tossed and turned on her bed. The drowsiness that had plagued her earlier had all but disappeared, and she couldn’t summon it back no matter what she tried.
In the end, Chu Lian could only lie flat on her back underneath her warm blankets, staring up at the canopy of her bed shrouded in darkness.
Although she had read the original book, so many things had changed by now. And even if the events had somehow miraculously stayed the same, it wasn’t like the book had described every single matter in great detail, either.
Take, for example, the battle going on at the northern border. Chu Lian only knew that an event like that would happen. She didn’t know whether they were going to win or lose in the end, let alone how they might have won.
Although she wanted to be a carefree layabout who just cooked good food and earned money all day, the prerequisite for this was that House Jing’an had to be doing well. If House Jing’an was in a precarious situation, then this title of Third Young Madam would turn to nothing.
Furthermore, she loved the family she had in the Jing’an Estate very much, with the exception of Madam Zou. She didn’t want to see them sad or grieving, nor did she want to see them individually sacrifice themselves for the family.
Chu Lian closed her eyes, on the brink of making a decision that would determine the fate of her family. When her almond-shaped eyes reopened, it was as if the entire universe was reflected in them, even in the midst of absolute darkness.
All this time, she had been living happily under the protection of her senior family members. Now that it was time for her to carry her part of the family burdens, she wasn’t going to shy away.
After she had finished thinking things through, Chu Lian stopped tossing and turning. Her eyes slid shut and her breathing turned long and even in just a short moment.
Xiyan was on night duty today and waiting in the side room just outside Chu Lian’s bedroom. When she could no longer hear any noises from within, she settled down to rest for the night in relief.
The next day, the lazybones Chu Lian actually managed to get up by herself without waiting for the maidservants to wake her.
When Senior Servant Zhong entered the bedroom, she saw that Chu Lian had changed into a pink tunic suited for physical exercise, while her soft, dark hair had been tied up into a high ponytail that went all the way down to her waist.
Senior Servant Zhong gaped. She had to calm herself down for some time before she finally found her voice again. “Third Young Madam, why are you dressed… like that?”
Chu Lian tidied up her hair a little, swung her arms and legs around and then pulled on some riding boots. It was only after all that that she looked up and smiled at Senior Servant Zhong. “For morning practice of course!”
Senior Servant Zhong’s face flushed purplish red. “Morning… practice?”
She knew that the master and young masters of the estate had the habit of getting up early in the morning to practise martial arts, especially Third Young Master, who would practise every day regardless of the weather outside. That was because House Jing’an was a military official family. If they wanted to get a post at court, they had to use their abilities to earn one. However, the young and sweet Third Young Madam was just a fifteen-year-old girl who still had baby fat on her cheeks. Wasn’t the idea she was going to morning practice quite laughable?
Xiyan and the rest hadn’t mentioned that Third Young Madam practised martial arts, either!
There was a special martial arts arena and indoor gym in Songtao Court. It was He Changdi who used those areas previously. Now it was Chu Lian who was reaping their benefits.
When Senior Servant Zhong saw that Chu Lian really was going out in such a thin outfit, she quickly grabbed a fox fur-lined cloak from the nearby rack for Chu Lian to wear.
“Third Young Madam, it’s already winter! You can’t go out wearing so little, you’ll freeze!”
Chu Lian quickly pushed the cloak aside. Was Senior Servant Zhong joking? How was she going to run in such a thick cloak?
“Momo, don’t worry. I’ll be fine! It’s just a little cold. Once I start running later, I won’t even feel a thing.”
After saying so, she quickly strode out of her bedroom, ignoring how Senior Servant Zhong was shouting and running after her with the fur-lined cloak. When she reached the outside, the cold air attacked her from the front. Chu Lian rubbed her arms and breathed out white puffs of air as she started running around the boundaries of her courtyard.
When Senior Servant Zhong saw that Third Young Madam had really started running around outside dressed in such thin clothing, she was about to continue chasing after Third Young Madam. However, she was held back by Wenlan, who had just come out from the parlour.
“What are you holding me back for? Why don’t you chase after Third Young Madam and stop her? The matriarch and Countess are already unwell; what will we do if something happens to Third Young Madam as well?”
Wenlan pressed her lips together and shook her head. She was a martial arts practitioner herself, so she knew better than the old servant did. She replied coolly, “Momo, Third Young Madam will be fine. Running like this is good for her body. Just relax, momo. Go and check on breakfast in the kitchen and give the cloak to me. I’ll stay here and look after Third Young Madam.”
When Senior Servant Zhong saw that she couldn’t win against Chu Lian and Wenlan, she stomped her foot before shoving the cloak into Wenlan’s arms and storming off in a huff.
Chu Lian hadn’t done any sort of physical exercise for far too long. After a short period of running, she started panting.
She slowed down and tried to adjust her breathing.
Actually, she had already thought it over last night.
Her thought process was simple. Since she had decided to go to the northern border herself, then she had to make sure her body was in the best condition possible.
Back in the modern world, she had learned enough that she understood how important a strong and healthy body was.
Now that she had decided to make the long journey, she had to do her best to strengthen her body first. She had heard that it would get extremely cold after passing north of the Longxing Basin.
The temperatures there couldn’t be compared to those in the capital. Some of the older and more experienced servants in the estate had mentioned that simply spitting a mouthful of saliva could make icicles form.
Chu Lian’s body was just too weak right now. She might not even make it past the Longxing Basin, let alone the rest of the journey north. Whether it was helping with the war in the north or searching for the Snow Mountain Mists flower, time was of the essence.
Without a strong body, she would only become a burden for House Jing’an if she went to the northern border.
As these thoughts passed through her head, the determination in Chu Lian’s heart grew even more.
