Chapter 156: A School for Both Boys and Girls
Chapter 156: A School for Both Boys and Girls
Suishu was soaking in a medicinal bath that Doctor Liu had recently prescribed for her; it was nourishing and scar-removing.
Aunt Xiang meticulously measured out the correct proportions and mixed them with warm water before allowing Suishu to climb into the tub.
She soaked for about an hour, with additional hot water added a few times to maintain the temperature and prevent catching a chill.
Suishu soaked until she felt drowsy.
It would take more than one bath to see the scar-removing effects.
However, she did feel very relaxed afterward.
After Suishu had rinsed off, Aunt Xiang carried her back to bed.
Queen Qi, still concerned, instructed the attendants on the preparations for tomorrow's incense offering and then came to check on her again.
Seeing the little girl struggling to keep her eyes open, Queen Qi gently patted her and said, "Sleep now, sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to go to the temple."
With no other pressing matters, Queen Qi planned to stay at Lanruo Temple for a few days after offering incense.
Suishu's eyelids grew heavier under her mother's gentle patting.
The system remained silent.
Even though Suishu hadn't heard a story the previous day.
However, the system's priority was for the child to live and sleep well.
What it wanted was for Suishu to grow up healthy and happy, not to be woken up in the middle of the night for stories.
So, a good night's sleep was all that mattered.
Suishu soon drifted off, and after a while, Queen Qi got up to leave.
She inquired about the preparations for Suishu's trip, and upon being assured that everything was in order, she retired for the night.
Perhaps due to falling asleep too early, Suishu woke up in the middle of the night.
Still groggy, she went to the bathroom and, upon returning, sat on the bed for a while before asking groggily, "Lele, did I miss story time again?"
It wasn't yet midnight, so it still counted as today.
So, it was fine to call for a bedtime storyteller.
The system promptly responded, "Yes, Suishu. Do you want to hear a story, or should we just go back to sleep?"
Suishu was a bit disoriented and sat there quietly for a moment before responding with a confused, "Huh?"
System: ...
She really hadn't woken up yet and was forcing herself to stay awake to respond.
The system felt like laughing but was concerned about hurting the child's pride, so it gently coaxed her instead, "Let's sleep, let's sleep."
Its coaxing, however, stirred up Suishu's stubborn streak.
She sat up in bed, hands braced on her thighs, and said softly, "I don't want to!"
System: ...
A child's thoughts could sometimes be so simple yet so difficult to understand.
After some consideration, the system asked, "Do you want to hear a story?"
Suishu nodded obediently, "Yes, yes."
Since Suishu wanted a story, the system would, of course, oblige.
The system was quite efficient at summoning storytellers.
Today's storyteller was another beautiful auntie.
To Suishu, all the aunties were beautiful.
The name hovering above the woman's head made the system pause.
Deng Sui.
A historical figure! A woman capable of assisting an emperor and managing state affairs was certainly no ordinary person.
The system wasn't sure what kind of story Deng Sui would tell Suishu.
It didn't want to interrupt, so it could only watch from the sidelines.
Upon seeing the storyteller, Suishu greeted her with a smile, "Auntie, hello."
She was still a bit sleepy but was forcing herself to stay awake for the story.
She thought that her mother and brothers had been very happy after she sent them the earthworms today.
And she was sure they would be even happier when she collected a few more stories to tell them! This was the real reason why she had woken up in the middle of the night.
Or perhaps, Suishu hadn't slept soundly from the start, and she had already made up her mind to get up and listen to a story.
To that end, after her bath, she drank an extra cup of water.
Deng Sui was quick to accept new things. After learning the rules, she looked down and saw a small, round head with a layer of shallow bruises.
What about this child's hair? Deng Sui wondered, but fearing that these questions might touch on the child's heartache, she didn't ask further and instead softened her expression and asked, "Suishu, what story would you like to hear? Auntie will tell it to you."
It had been a long time since Deng Sui had coaxed a child, and she still felt a bit awkward doing so.
Suishu didn't know what she wanted to hear, so she could only follow her heart and say, "I want to tell a story to Mother and my brothers, but what kind of story should I tell?"
Deng Sui's life was full of twists and turns, but it was also exciting.
There were many things she was involved with.
When suddenly asked to tell a story, she didn't know where to start.
After some thought, Deng Sui finally opened her mouth and began, "Auntie will tell you about school. Girls should also learn knowledge; otherwise, how can they manage the entire country?"
Suishu naturally knew that knowledge was essential.
So, when Auntie started talking about it, she sat obediently and listened like a well-behaved student.
However, it was still the middle of the night, and she hadn't slept well.
So, she started to feel drowsy after a while.
Her little head nodded off.
Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
Deng Sui was quite engrossed in her storytelling, and she didn't start with the basics of reading and writing.
She talked about the current trends, the status of men and women, and finally, the fact that both boys and girls could attend school.
Unfortunately, Suishu had already dozed off by this point.
And even if she hadn't fallen asleep, Suishu might not have truly understood.
After all, Queen Qi had promised her that she could go to primary school once her body recovered.
Suishu didn't have to face the difficulties of not being able to go to school, so she naturally didn't understand the challenges involved.
Watching the little girl's head nodding off, Deng Sui revealed a loving smile.
She didn't know how much of what she said the child had taken in.
She also didn't know if her words would have any impact on this child or this era.
However, she did her best to say what she could and should.
The next day, Suishu was awakened by Aunt Xiang.
It was just after three in the morning when she woke up.
The city gates of the capital opened at this time.
So, they had to get up early and set off while it was still dark.
Lanruo Temple was a bit far, and it took some time to get there even after leaving the city.
On the way, they meandered and arrived at the temple not too early.
To make up for time, they had to leave early.
Suishu hadn't been sleeping in lately, but she also hadn't woken up this early.
She was still groggy when Aunt Xiang woke her up, and she instinctively reached for her clothes and then got ready for the day.
There wasn't time for breakfast, and with all the liquids they'd be consuming, they would need to consider convenience along the way.
So, Queen Qi's intention was to bring some snacks that they could eat on the road.
The young masters still had classes to attend, and Queen Qi didn't plan to take them with her.
Moreover, today's trip was mainly for Suishu's well-being.
Queen Qi wanted to pray for Suishu's health and peace of mind.
Feng Xuanrui and the others had wanted to go with them when they found out about the trip the previous day.
However, since Queen Qi wasn't taking them and they remembered the consequences of skipping classes and being punished by Shen Lao, they hesitated and ultimately decided against it.
The second update will be at 7 pm.
(End of Chapter)
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