The concubine is a man, and the illegitimate son of a divine physician has a spatial ability.

Granny Zhou stepped forward and asked, "May we use the socks and pointed cloth shoes we prepared? These were specially prepared by our mistress for the Sixth and Seventh Misses. They are made of the finest fabrics, soft and comfortable, which can reduce the girls' pain."

Looking at the luxurious pointed cloth shoes, the bound-foot nanny couldn't help but exclaim, "A single bead on these pink pointed cloth shoes is probably worth a year's worth of food, clothing, and daily necessities for an ordinary family! No wonder it's the Yin family of Jiangnan."

Then, the foot-binding nanny took the things from Zhou nanny's hands and quickly put them on Yin Zijin, explaining as she bound them: "Zhou nanny, today is just the first step of the trial binding, to let the girl's feet gradually get used to the restraint, from loose to tight. This step will probably take about two months."

The second step is to test the tightness, which takes about six months. I will try to wrap the foot bindings as tightly as possible. They will be removed every three days. After disinfection, the four bent toes will be pressed forcefully towards the inside of the sole. The girl will also be required to get out of bed and walk around. When she walks, all her weight will be on her eight bent toes. During the day, she will be in so much pain that she can hardly walk. At night, her feet will be covered in blankets, and she will feel both pain and heat, which will be very uncomfortable.

Sometimes, accidental scratches during disinfection can lead to bloody wounds, corns, fever, and swelling. This process continues until the swelling subsides, and the toes are almost naturally bent towards the soles of the feet, with the toes pointed towards the toes, before proceeding to the next step. This is where the maids and servants attending to the young lady need to be extra careful, urging her to get out of bed and move around, ensuring good ventilation and hygiene. Given the young lady's privileged background, I shouldn't need to remind her of these things.

The third step is foot binding, which is the most cruel and painful part. The entire foot bone is twisted forcefully into an arch shape, with the four toes pressed tightly into the lower half of the foot. Because it is bound so tightly, blood circulation is poor, and the body weight is entirely concentrated on the smaller area of ​​the sole, causing both feet to be unable to move due to pain. Ulceration, fever, and swelling are commonplace, and there are even cases of little toes eroding and falling off. Only when the toes can be felt on the side of the foot can it be considered as passing the test.

This is also the most crucial step, and Granny Zhou needs to pay extra attention to it. Many girls fail because of this; their feet become unbearably painful, and they refuse to get out of bed, eventually becoming permanently paralyzed and unable to walk. In wealthy families, it's alright, as they have maids and nannies to serve them. But in poor families, those girls are doomed; being unable to walk is basically being crippled, and what family would want to marry them?

Over time, because she was a girl and couldn't create any value, her parents stopped caring for her and left her to fend for herself. Just like in the Great Sheng Dynasty, where filial piety was highly valued and children had to take care of bedridden elderly people for a long time, the children would also get annoyed and lose their temper.

Oh! Right. The fourth step is the arching. After the foot becomes thin and pointed, the sole of the foot needs to be arched. The front part of the foot should be close to the back part of the heel, and the arch should be straight and concave to form a horseshoe shape to meet the standard.

The foot is considered aesthetically pleasing when the instep is arched due to bending; a banana-like curve is considered undesirable. This shortens the foot length, making it appear smaller. The pain is relatively reduced at this stage, which is crucial for the successful binding of the bound feet.

In our Great Sheng Dynasty, foot binding was practiced, and some women could bind their feet into three-inch, four-inch, or even five-inch golden lotuses... Of course, the smaller the binding, the better, as it meant they could marry into a good family and gain the respect of their husband's family. Therefore, three-inch golden lotuses were considered the best.

Then, there's one last step: maintenance. It's certain that foot binding will cause the soles of the feet to become ulcerated, hot, and swollen. The foot bindings need to be removed regularly, especially in areas that come into contact with flesh and blood, where the bindings may stick and be extremely difficult and painful to remove.

To prevent feet from growing larger after unbinding, some women would still soak their feet while they were still wrapped in cloth. The hotter the water, the better it promoted blood circulation. To maintain the fragrance and prevent odor, spices were added to the water, or alum powder was sprinkled directly between the toes to keep them dry, or scented powder was added to enhance the fragrance. New shoes were also tried on, and sometimes, if the shoes were too small, it would take considerable effort to fit their delicate feet into them.

"Granny Zhou, this is a very detailed account of the foot-binding process. Let me tell you, the Yin family is a wealthy household, and they take the foot-binding of their daughters very seriously. Follow my instructions, and I guarantee the girls will have bound feet that men will adore..."

Granny Zhou listened very attentively and was quite shocked. After all, when she had her feet bound, it was just a quick and simple process without any detailed instructions. Now, after hearing what the foot-binding granny had to say, she had a plan in mind and quickly said with a smile and politely, "Aunt Wang, from now on, the three-inch golden lotuses of our sixth and seventh young ladies will all depend on you."

"After you've finished binding Seventh Miss's feet, please wait a moment. Our lady would like to thank you properly and hopes that Granny Wang will continue to serve the girls diligently."

Aunt Wang stood up and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam. I will do my best."

After that, Ruhe led her to the Seventh Miss's residence. After Granny Wang left, Granny Zhou was afraid that Yin Zijin would wake up and have a hard time accepting that her feet were bound, so she took matters into her own hands and untied her own feet. She took out two pieces of soft cloth, raised Yin Zijin's hands above her head, and tied them to the canopy bed...

After taking the medicine in the morning, Yin Zijin had been sleeping in a daze. She only felt that her feet hurt badly, but because of the medicine, she was able to sleep in a daze. At this moment, she was woken up by the noise of the seventh girl, Yin Ziniao, next door.

Yin Zijing slowly awoke, the stinging pain in her feet unbearable. Her hands were bound, and she didn't immediately understand what was happening. Weakly, she asked, "What happened? Why does my foot hurt so much? My hands…"

Granny Zhou, struggling to get up, patiently explained, "Sixth Miss, please don't worry. Your feet have been bound. Madam said you don't know when you'll return from your trip to Fu'an Temple, so yesterday she decided to hire the best foot-binding matrons in the capital to bind your and Seventh Miss's feet. Originally, the palace matrons..."

Before Granny Zhou could finish speaking, Yin Zijing was very excited and wanted to get up and untie her bound feet. However, she was too weak, her hands were bound, and Granny Zhou was holding her down. She could only lie on the bed and could not move. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she said weakly, "Impossible, how could my feet be bound? Was it really unavoidable?"

She then struggled again, and Granny Zhou said sternly, "Ruhe, go and bring the medicine over."

Then he turned to Yin Zijin and said sternly, "Since the Sixth Miss won't listen to reason, then this old servant will tell the Sixth Miss that today, whether she likes it or not, her feet will be bound. If the Sixth Miss still resists, then this old servant will have to inform the Madam and have the Sixth Miss tied to the bed at all times."

Sixth Miss, you must know that people with bound feet will become paralyzed if they don't move around often. If you wish to remain bedridden, then this old servant will grant your wish. You should think it over carefully..."