Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Unusual (1)_1
Following Situ Jin's announcement, "Sister is awake," it didn't take long for the folks from both the Situ Family and the Loo Family to appear in Situ Xin's bedroom. The first to enter was Old Master Situ, who arrived at Situ Xin's room ahead of Old Master Loo. "Baby has woken up, eh? Come, let Grandpa hold you." Old Master Situ had just picked up Situ Xin when Old Master Loo showed up at the doorway. He looked at Situ Xin in Old Master Situ's arms with a gnashing jealousy. Despite his rush, he was still not as quick as Old Master Situ. Situ Jin looked at his sister being held in Old Master Situ's arms and regretted having carelessly called out "Sister is awake." Now, because of that, he couldn't even see his sister. Situ Jin looked pitifully at the figure of Situ Xin in the arms of Old Master Situ, resolving never to make the same mistake again.
Before long, Old Madam Situ and the others had all gathered in the room. "So this is sister?" they said. "She is so adorable." Situ Xin, in the arms of Old Master Situ, tried to look toward the voices but, being so small, she couldn't control her body well. Fortunately, Old Master Situ skillfully adjusted the way he held Situ Xin. Now, both Old Master Situ and Old Master Loo had their child-holding techniques down pat. The two boys who had just spoken were both around ten years old. Situ Xin looked at the two boys, who bore no resemblance to each other, wondering which family they belonged to. Old Master Loo, seeing Situ Xin gaze intently at the two boys, introduced them to her regardless of whether she could understand: "Baby, these are your brothers. This one is the son of your Uncle Ah's son, Brother Loo Jie." Old Master Loo pointed to the finer-featured boy and continued, "And this one is your eldest uncle's son, Brother Situ Che." He pointed to the much sturdier-looking boy as the two ran excitedly to Old Master Situ's side, teasing Situ Xin. They wanted to touch her tender little face but were stopped by Old Master Situ. "Sister's face must not be touched, understand?" After being scolded by Old Master Situ, the boys withdrew their hands. "Sister is so cute." "Yes, yes, unlike Liu Zhengyang's younger brother from the Liu Family, who is skinny and so ugly." "Exactly, how could my darling granddaughter be compared to that brat from the Liu Family?" said Old Master Situ with more than a hint of pride.
Since Situ Xin had not yet reached her first month, the gathering only included the Situ and Loo Family members and no others were invited. Wanting the best for her precious granddaughter, Old Madam Situ had even hired an extra nanny. Originally Old Madam Situ wanted a nanny to help care for Situ Xin, but fearing the newcomer might be clumsy, she had Aunt Wu, who was very experienced with children, look after Situ Xin, while the new nanny was assigned other duties.
The Situ Family had an unwritten rule that even the youngest child should not share a room with their parents and must have their own room. This rule might usually be met with resistance from other children, but Situ Xin internally praised it as a great rule. Situ Xin certainly didn't want to hear the creaking sounds of a bed at night.
However, when night fell and it was time for bed, everyone from Old Master Situ to Situ Jin was concerned about letting Situ Xin sleep alone. Situ Jin even considered the idea of keeping her company in the nursery. On the night before, each member of the Situ Family visited the nursery no less than three times. But after seeing that Situ Xin didn't cry at all and slept soundly, they were reassured.
In the latter half of the night as Situ Xin slept, specks of moonlight, sneaking through the sheer curtains like mischievous sprites, danced and hopped their way toward Situ Xin. As they came close to her body, they spun around rapidly before burrowing into Situ Xin. When every last dot of moonlight had vanished within the room, a red glow emitted from Situ Xin's chest, growing stronger and larger until it enveloped her entire body. Then, as the red light disappeared, the baby Situ Xin on the infant bed vanished as well.
Situ Xin felt an all-over comfort, and as she slept, it seemed to her that the air she breathed suddenly became crisp and clear, and it was filled with waves of floral scents. "Eh, how can I smell flowers while I'm asleep? This dream is a bit too vivid," Situ Xin thought to herself when she suddenly felt something was amiss – this didn't feel like a dream. She opened her eyes abruptly. When she did, she was greeted with brightness: "Eh, it can't be morning already." However, Situ Xin quickly noticed something odd. "No, this is not the room I went to sleep in. It doesn't look like I'm inside a house at all." Situ Xin was puzzled – had someone carried her outside while she was sleeping?
"Ah, I can talk?" Situ Xin then realized she had just been able to speak. She knew from trying that when she opened her mouth wanting to talk, what came out was only babbling noises. "What's happening?" Situ Xin was somewhat bewildered. How had everything changed when she woke up? "I couldn't have traveled through time again, could I?" Situ Xin speculated to herself.
Thinking that she could now speak, Situ Xin wondered if she could also stand up. Even just sitting up would be good. With this thought, she tried to sit up, and surprisingly, she did so with ease. "Let me try standing up now." Situ Xin completed the action of standing with no trouble. Looking at her own little short legs as she stood, she was speechless – so she was still this small.
After standing up, Situ Xin could take in her surroundings. Not far from her, there was a plot of land about an acre in size covered in vibrant blossoms and some plants Situ Xin did not recognize. Her intuition told her that they seemed like medicinal herbs. About half a meter from the land, there was a small pond roughly half the size of a swimming pool. And around the pond, various fruit trees were planted: peach trees, pear trees, apple trees. Situ Xin noted that the selection of fruit trees here was quite comprehensive, including cherry and blueberry trees.