Wushuang touched her round belly, which was still bulging from not having eaten for two meals, and missed her slender waist of about 1.7 feet when she was 16.
On the seventh day, Wushuang finally stopped feeling seasick.
After regaining her lively and energetic state, she didn't want to stay cooped up in the cabin, so she took her father to the deck for some fresh air.
The imperial ship in front gradually slowed down. When its stern overlapped with the bow of Wushuang's ship by about ten feet, a plank was erected to connect the two ships.
Wushuang puffed out her little face and stared intently at the new sight.
Then Chu Yao came gracefully carrying Chu Wan. The wind on the water was strong, howling and whipping up the hem of his long robe, as if it might overturn him into the water at any moment.
Wushuang's eyes widened, and she rushed over with her little hands to catch the person. However, she was small and had short legs, so she was not only slow, but she also tripped over the sail rope halfway there.
Chu Yao strode onto the deck as if walking on flat ground.
Chu Wan got down from the ground and skipped over to Wu Shuang: "Shuangshuang, you're finally better! I missed you so much!" She then bent down and gave Wu Shuang a warm hug.
"Wanwan, I miss you so much too." Chu Wan was so enthusiastic, and Wushuang was too embarrassed to hurt a child's feelings, so she went along with her words.
However, with a plump little girl pressing down on her, she couldn't get up at all...
The two little children knelt on the deck and started chatting. Chu Wan said mysteriously, "Do you know why I don't get seasick?"
Wushuang shook his head.
Chu Wan immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons: "Because I learned to swim! Shuangshuang, do you want to learn?"
Is there really a connection?
However, he's not bad at swimming.
She's only been reborn for half a year, and she's already fallen into the water twice. If she could swim, she could save herself next time.
Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw! Whoever wants to fall into the water again, there won't be a next time!
Chu Wan was too young and spoke incoherently, so Chu Yao helped to explain: "Wanwan usually spends most of her time in the palace with Consort Jing. Once, Her Majesty overheard the Seventh Prince mentioning that Wushuang had fallen into the water at the General's Mansion, so she had Wanwan learn to swim."
“My aunt said that if we learn this, we won’t suffer when we grow up!” Chu Wan interjected.
Wushuang chuckled. While it was necessary to plan ahead, wasn't Consort Jing worrying too early?
Jun Shu wholeheartedly agreed. His precious daughter couldn't be allowed to be taken advantage of by some random brat. Self-reliance and self-help must begin from a young age; Consort Jing truly lived up to her reputation as a favored concubine—she was indeed farsighted!
So, Chu Wan and Chu Yao circled around on the deck and quickly returned to the ship. When they left, Chu Yao had Wu Shuang hanging from his other arm.
The swimming lessons were held in the bathtub of Consort Jing's cabin.
It is said that there were only three baths on the entire imperial ship, located in the cabins of the Empress Dowager, Emperor Deqing, and Consort Jing. Of course, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would not allow the two little ones to cause trouble, but Consort Jing favored Chu Wan, and Wu Shuang also benefited from it.
When Consort Jing heard that the two girls wanted to practice swimming, she immediately gave the order: "Heat the water up, and put a charcoal brazier in each of the four corners of the bathroom. It's windy and cold on the river, so close all the windows tightly and seal the gaps with strips of cloth to keep the children from catching a cold."
She was a very gentle and beautiful woman, always speaking softly with a smile on her lips.
Wushuang felt that her expression was somewhat similar to that of her mother, Yang, a look of contentment and happiness that only women with a good relationship with their husbands could have.
While the palace maids were busy preparing, Consort Jing summoned Wushuang to her side to speak.
"I've often heard Wanwan talk about you. Now that I've met you, you really are a well-behaved and adorable little girl. No wonder both siblings like you so much." She said kindly, "I also feel comfortable with you. You must come to visit me more often in the future."
Consort Jing ordered someone to bring Wushuang a gift for their first meeting: a pair of gold and ruby hairpins. The rubies were inlaid in tiny pieces in the shape of rabbits, and a small gold bell, no bigger than half a tail shell, hung from the end of the tassel. It was inserted into her hair and jingled as she walked. It was both precious and unique, yet also childlike, showing that it had been specially prepared beforehand and was not something that had been found at the last minute to make up the numbers.
Wushuang thanked him before accepting the gift, and then began to play with it with great affection.
"Your Majesty is kind and beautiful, just like Guanyin in the painting. I like Your Majesty very much." It is polite to offer a few words of flattery when you receive a gift.
Everyone loves to hear nice words. Consort Jing smiled and lifted Wushuang onto her lap, kissing her round face. She said, "Look at your sweet little mouth. By the way, I heard that your sister is beautiful and brave, quite extraordinary. Marquis of Runan really knows how to raise his daughter."
Wait, how come even my elder sister is listed under Consort Jing's name?
Wushuang's mind raced. Although she didn't think Chu Ye was the best choice for her sister's wife, no one could predict the future, so it was certainly necessary to say a few good words for her sister.
She nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, my sister is the best sister Shuangshuang has ever met."
"How exactly is it good?" Consort Jing asked, clearly intrigued.
Wushuang was unaware of Consort Jing's likes and dislikes, so she could only use the general standards by which people judged women: "My sister is gentle and never raises her voice. Even when Wushuang makes a mistake, she patiently teaches her and never scolds her."
She would pause after each sentence, and only continue when she saw that Consort Jing seemed satisfied. "However, if Wushuang is in danger, my sister will protect me without hesitation."
It's the same as what my son mentioned.
Consort Jing nodded and changed the subject. After all, it wasn't exactly honorable to try and get information out of a four-year-old child, so she should stop there.
The bathroom was quickly prepared, and Consort Jing personally helped Chu Wan and Wu Shuang remove their outer garments and change into short-sleeved undergarments.
The person teaching them to swim was Granny Chu, who served Consort Jing. Chu Wan had learned several times and was already able to swim on her own without sinking. Today, the focus of training was on Wu Shuang.
Chu Yao picked up a book and sat idly in a chair in the corner of the bathroom, watching them.
Wushuang had to practice the simple arm-swinging motion dozens of times while being held by her nanny, until her arms were so sore she couldn't lift them anymore.
"Chu Yao, Chu Yao!" she called sweetly, "Why aren't you learning? Let's learn together!"
He's practicing his moves, so she should be able to take a break, right?
Chu Yao put down his book, sat down by the pond, dipped his hand into the water and then splashed Wu Shuang's face with water: "Practice hard, don't waste your time being lazy."
Having her thoughts exposed, Wushuang felt both ashamed and embarrassed. Unconsciously, she exerted more force, and her movements were not standard, splashing water all over the group.