That day, Lin Fang woke up only when the lamps were lit. Opening her eyes, she saw Lin Wu sitting on the edge of her bed, his small hands deftly weaving something by the candlelight.
“Fifth Brother, are you making a toy for Fang’er?”
“Little sister, you’re awake! Look, Fifth Brother made you a small bamboo basket. Do you like it?”
“Wow, it’s so pretty! Fifth Brother is so skilled. Fang’er loves it!”
The tiny bamboo basket was no larger than Lin Wu’s own fist, with semicircular loops along the rim, resembling a wreath when viewed as a whole.
“Hehe, I haven’t finished the lid yet. Once it’s done, you can put apricot pits inside, and they won’t fall out,” Lin Wu said, gesturing as if covering the basket.
“That’s wonderful! Fifth Brother is the best!”
Hearing his sister’s sweet praise, Lin Wu’s face fell. He sighed, “Fifth Brother isn’t good. Today, I didn’t protect you properly. Father said I was closest to you when it happened. If I had reacted faster, you wouldn’t have sprained your ankle. It’s all because I was too slow.”
Lin Fang comforted him, “Fifth Brother, today wasn’t your fault. Who could have guessed she would hurt someone?”
“Mother also said,” Lin Wu shook his head, “that I wasn’t calm enough. Maybe it was my words that made her lose her temper and hurt you. Father said we should always stand up for you, but we also need to assess the situation and choose the right approach.”
Lin Fang then realized that her own words might have provoked Li Cuilian first. However, given her young age, her parents likely considered it understandable and didn’t mention it. In truth, her injury was partly her own fault. She resolved to remember this lesson—to always consider the situation and choose her words carefully in future confrontations.
Wanting to ease Lin Wu’s guilt and distract him, she said, “Fifth Brother and Fang’er are still young. It’s natural we don’t think things through. If you still feel bad, Fang’er will punish you by making you play with me. I haven’t tossed apricot pits today—you have to join me.”
“Wait a moment, little sister. The lid will be done soon.”
“No, I want to play now!” Lin Fang pouted, thinking she couldn’t let him dwell on his guilt.
“Alright, I’ll get them now.” Lin Wu gave in. His sister was usually very well-behaved, unlike other spoiled young ladies, but when she acted spoiled, she could be quite persistent. He retrieved four smooth apricot pits from the drawer of Lin Fang’s bedside table, and the two began playing on the bed.
This apricot pit tossing game was something Lin Fang had played in her previous life as a child. It could be played by two or more people. The pits were painted red on one side and blue on the other. Before playing, they agreed which color would count as points and how many rounds they would play.
To play, all the pits were held in one hand. One pit was tossed into the air while the rest were scattered on the ground. The player then caught the tossed pit. Next, they tossed it again, picking up the pits on the ground that counted as points before catching the tossed pit. Picking up one pit scored one point, two pits scored ten points, three pits scored a hundred, and so on.
The sequence—toss, scatter, pick up, catch—was repeated, always using the same hand. Using the other hand was against the rules. If a player grabbed the wrong pit, missed catching the tossed pit, or touched a pit they shouldn’t, their turn ended, and the next player took over. After several rounds, the one with the highest score won.
There were many variations of the game. For example, all the pits could be tossed and caught on the back of the hand, then tossed again to be grabbed midair. The player who caught the most won. Different rules could be combined to increase the difficulty.
The number of pits used depended on the players’ hand size. At least three were needed, but fewer pits meant younger players. With her small hands, Lin Fang could only manage four pits. She had thought of this game to improve her dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
Playing with Lin Wu, Lin Fang felt like she was setting herself up for defeat. Lin Wu could sit still and play flawlessly until Lin Fang couldn’t resist interfering. When it was her turn, she scored few points and had to scramble around, as the pits always ended up scattered everywhere due to her clumsiness. To train herself, she refused any help in picking them up.
As they played happily, Li Cuimei came in with dinner. “Fang’er, Wu’er, it’s evening now. Don’t strain your eyes. If you want to play, there’s plenty of time during the day. Eat first. Wu’er, your sister brought back colorful tofu from the mountain. Have some more with her.”
“Yes, Mother.”
After putting the pits back into the small basket and storing it in the drawer, Lin Wu returned to the bedside. The maids had already set up a small table on the bed with the meal.
“Oh, colorful tofu! It looks so pretty and smells delicious. I bet it tastes amazing!” Lin Wu’s eyes sparkled as he sniffed.
“Hehe, it really is delicious. Wu’er, have some more,” Li Cuimei said, both amused and touched. Her youngest son had been so consumed by guilt over his sister’s injury that he barely ate at dinner, despite the tofu being served. Now that his worries were eased, his appetite returned.
After the meal, Li Cuimei gently rubbed her daughter’s full belly, helping the little glutton digest. Softly, she advised, “Fang’er, remember: your feet are small, and you can’t run fast. If someone means you harm, stay far away and out of reach.”
“Yes, Mother. Fang’er will remember. The slow bird must fly early, right?”
“The slow bird must fly early? Hehe, you could say that. My precious is so clever.”
Lin Fang inwardly rolled her eyes. Just using a four-word idiom was considered clever? She was definitely benefiting from being young.
“Fang’er, do you know what else you did wrong today?” Li Cuimei prompted.
Wrong? Lin Fang tilted her head, thinking hard but coming up empty. “Fang’er is slow. Please enlighten me, Mother.”
Li Cuimei explained, “You shouldn’t have mentioned Fifth Aunt learning from me. Both your Fourth and Fifth Aunts studied with me, as did your uncle. There was nothing wrong with that in itself, but to your Fifth Aunt, your words implied she was of lowly birth.”
Lin Fang gasped in realization. “Oh! So in her eyes, I was exposing her weakness, which made her lash out at me.”
“Exactly. You understand well,” Li Cuimei said approvingly.
“Yes, Mother. Fang’er will be more careful with her words in the future,” Lin Fang said, her mood dampened.
Li Cuimei stroked her daughter’s curly hair gently. “My Fang’er is so clever, hitting the mark with one word. Mother is proud.” A reprimand followed by praise.
“Mother, Fang’er wants to learn martial arts. Fang’er isn’t afraid of hardship,” Lin Fang brought up again.
Li Cuimei sighed regretfully. “Fang’er, your father refuses not because he thinks you can’t endure hardship. We know you’re strong. But your natural physique is unsuited for it. Your stance is unstable, and you might hurt yourself. There are many ways to protect yourself. For example, the medicinal herbs your Second Grandmother taught you can be used for self-defense.”
Lin Fang persisted, “But Second Grandmother’s methods depend on chance. What if there are no herbs nearby or they run out? Wouldn’t I be helpless? Second Brother dislikes martial arts, but Father still makes him practice daily to stay strong. Even if Fang’er isn’t suited for combat, couldn’t I train to strengthen my body?”
Lin Wu, worried for his sister, added, “Mother, Third Sister doesn’t like martial arts either, but Second Grandmother taught her the Five Animal Exercises. Practicing daily keeps her healthy.”
“Alright,” Li Cuimei relented. “I’ll talk to your father. We’ll let Fang’er try the Five Animal Exercises first.” Though she didn’t practice martial arts, she knew the exercises required a stable stance. But her daughter had begged so many times, and she couldn’t bear to disappoint her again. She decided to discuss with her husband if there were any suitable methods for Lin Fang.
“*Mwah!*” Lin Fang planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek, melting Li Cuimei’s heart.
“Mother, hehe, one more thing,” Lin Fang said, pushing her luck.
Li Cuimei pinched her daughter’s nose affectionately. “What is it? If it’s about more training, Mother won’t agree.”
Lin Fang shook her head. “No, Mother. Even if I had other requests, I wouldn’t ask now. That would be too greedy.”
Lin Wu laughed. “Hahaha! Mother, little sister is so sly—already greedy but trying to talk her way out of it!”
“Mother,” Lin Fang quickly continued, “I was thinking, if we spun wool into yarn and knitted it into close-fitting clothes and stockings to wear in winter, wouldn’t they be light, warm, and not bulky?”
“Oh? That’s an idea I haven’t considered. It’s a good one. I’ll discuss it with your Second Grandmother. She sells wool every year and must have some stored. We can try spinning it into yarn and knitting a piece first.”
Successfully diverting her mother’s attention, Lin Fang stuck her tongue out at Lin Wu, who pressed his lips together, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
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