Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 573 Ling Wei

She had just put it down when Doctor Lin, after washing his hands, came in to comb her hair.

She glanced at the messy room and said nothing, but just gestured for Song Ying to change her clothes.

Song Ying had just stood up with her clothes when there was a knock on the door. Then Yang's voice rang out, "I forgot there's no bronze mirror inside."

The Song family only had one bronze mirror, which was Yang's dowry. Li's mirror was rusted beyond recognition and could not reflect clearly, so it was thrown away.

She felt that she was old and did not need a bronze mirror, so she did not buy another one.

Doctor Lin opened the door and said to Yang, who was holding a bronze mirror, "Instead of a bronze mirror, please bring a basin of water. The clear water will reflect your thoughts, which means to see your true nature."

Yang was stunned. "Is there such a thing?"

Doctor Lin nodded.

Yang smiled awkwardly and turned to fetch some water. By the time she got the water, Song Ying had changed her skirt and Doctor Lin was tying her belt.

"How can this be possible?" Yang was shocked. "Doctor Lin, she is already a grown-up and can dress herself. Why would she bother you?"

Then he gently scolded Song Ying, "Yingwa, what's wrong with you? Doctor Lin came all the way here to give you your coming-of-age ceremony, how could you let her help you dress?"

As he said this, he put down the basin and tried to pull Song Ying away.

Doctor Lin blocked her hand and said, "This is etiquette."

"what?"

Yang was confused. She herself had experienced the coming-of-age ceremony, both before and after her marriage. She had witnessed many girls' coming-of-age ceremonies. This was the first time she heard that a girl had to be helped to dress during the coming-of-age ceremony.

"When a girl reaches the age of marriage, she is not allowed to tie her own clothes; her elders must do it for her, which is a metaphor for receiving instruction from others."

"Is there such a gift?" Facing the serious-looking Doctor Lin, Yang felt very awkward. For the first time, she realized that the difference between the women of wealthy families and the women of their farming families was not only in clothes and jewelry.

This rule is much more complicated.

While she was astonished, Song Ying had already changed his clothes. Doctor Lin looked at his apprentice, who was wearing a lilac-colored cross-collared short jacket and a white horse-faced skirt with lotus patterns.

The butterfly button on the lapel is wrapped with pearl buttons, each of which is only the size of a grain of rice. From a distance, it looks like morning dew on a lotus leaf.

The most wonderful thing is the horse-faced skirt. It looks plain at first glance, but when walking, the herb pattern embroidered on the lining is revealed - angelica, white peony, and licorice, all embroidered with silver thread, appearing and disappearing as you walk, as if you are identifying medicine under the moon.

Song Ying walked a few steps, picked up the skirt and shook it, very satisfied. After trying it on that day, she was satisfied at first, but changed her mind after returning.

She was a doctor, and at such an important event as her coming-of-age ceremony, she had to show some of her medical qualities. So she gave up the Shu brocade skirt of the same color and changed into this lotus-white horse-faced skirt embroidered with a white medicine pattern. It was not only beautiful but also exuded the charm of a doctor.

Doctor Lin smiled, suddenly took off the jade pendant from his waist, and tied it to Song Ying's blue-white silk ribbon, "I almost forgot to follow the rules."

Song Ying's original outfit was like a white lotus among green leaves, exuding a fresh and natural atmosphere. With the addition of this jade pendant, it gained a touch of warmth.

The winter sun shines through the window lattice, casting mottled light and shadows on the jade pendant, and there seems to be a vague medicinal fragrance floating in the air.

Song Ying bent her eyes and said, "Thank you, Master."

Yang was astonished again. This was a jade pendant. Look at its texture, it was crystal white all over. Although she didn't know much about jade, she knew it was top-quality jade.

Master Song Ying is so generous and rich that he gave away such a valuable thing without hesitation!

Song Ying is a woman who has no manners at all. She accepted such an expensive thing so calmly without even trying to refuse.

Although she strongly disagreed, it was not easy to interfere in the affairs between them as master and disciple because of what happened before.

Doctor Lin turned the chair around and asked Song Ying to sit facing the east, saying that Ying Shaoyang was angry.

She walked behind Song Ying and picked up the peach wood comb to comb her hair.

After finishing their makeup, the three of them went out. Song Ying walked slowly in the middle. As her skirt fluttered, the white peony root, licorice and other herbs shimmered in the sunlight, causing the aunties and aunties who were watching the ceremony to exclaim:

Aunt Liu's eyes widened. "Oh my! Are the flowers and plants on that skirt embroidered with silver thread?"

"If it's not silver thread, then what is it? Look at the pattern on the leaves, they look just like the real ones." Aunt Meihua's eyes showed envy. Who would have thought that the orphan girl who had nothing back then would have been so extravagant as to embroider her clothes with silver thread in just a few years.

That's silver!

Under their gaze, Song Ying walked to the incense table set up in the main hall and knelt on the reed mat. On one side of the incense table was a copy of "Female Commandments", and in the middle were ancestral tablets and three incense sticks.

The smoke curled up and floated upwards along the ancestral tablets. Song Ying didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the smoke lingered on her parents' tablets for an especially long time, as if her parents were looking at her reluctantly.

She curled the corners of her lips slightly, thinking that if it was really her parents watching her, they would surely be very pleased and relieved.

The passing of a sleeve brought Song Ying back to his thoughts. He then felt his hair sink slightly, and his master's slightly hoarse voice rang in his ears, "On this auspicious day of the month, I will wear your first clothes. I will abandon your childish ambitions and help you become virtuous."

When the butterfly hairpin was slowly inserted into the bun, Song Ying could clearly feel the warmth of her master's fingertips.

This hairpin was a birthday gift given to her by her master on her first birthday after she became his disciple. It was of great significance to her, so she finally chose this hairpin for her coming-of-age ceremony.

With the silver embroidery on the skirt, the villagers did not think that the silver hairpin was particularly valuable, but only thought that it was very delicately made and beautiful.

The wings of the silver butterfly on the hairpin were extremely thin, almost transparent in the sunlight. They trembled slightly with Song Ying's movements, as if they were about to flap their wings and fly away in the next moment. The finely engraved patterns on the butterfly wings emitted a halo like water waves as they swayed.

At the end of the hanging silver chain, there is a small pearl, casting a small shadow on Song Ying's fair face, making her look graceful and delicate in a unique way.

Yang handed over a cup of sweet rice wine, and Doctor Lin softly recited the blessing: "Sweet wine is rich, and the recommendation is fragrant. Bow and accept the offering, and it will bring you good luck."

After reading it, Song Ying took the wine glass and drank it slowly.

Doctor Lin suddenly added, "Ying means the spirit of plants and trees. Your name contains 'Ying', which indicates a sharp spirit. However, in the practice of medicine, the hard is easy to break, but the soft is hard to break."

She raised her hand, pulled out a piece of Qing Nang flower paper from her sleeve, and handed it to Song Ying. "Ling means auspicious; Wei means medicine. White Wei is slightly cold in nature, can clear away heat and calm nerves, just like the way we doctors use acupuncture—it seems sharp, but in fact, there is always room for maneuver."

Today I will give you the name 'Ling Wei'. I hope that in the future you will act like a needle, being both clean and decisive, yet also leaving room for maneuver."

"Given a name? There's also a gifted name?"

The villagers were all shocked. Aren't only educated people given the gift of calligraphy?