Today, when Yuxi got up in the morning, she saw a magpie calling from the top of a tree. Mama Shen smiled and said, "Miss, the magpie is calling. Today must have been a good day."
Credit : China Online Museum
The magpie is universally admired for its intelligence and guile, but it can be a nuisance to farmers. In China, it has a positive connotation, a harbinger of joy, and as such, a magpie is used in paintings to wish someone joy as xǐ means' glad; joy; happiness'. If the character is shown upside down, like fu, means happiness is arriving. - Chinasage
The magpie is universally admired for its intelligence and guile, but it can be a nuisance to farmers. In China, it has a positive connotation, a harbinger of joy, and as such, a magpie is used in paintings to wish someone joy as xǐ means' glad; joy; happiness'. If the character is shown upside down, like fu, means happiness is arriving. - Chinasage
It was indeed a good day for Yuxi. At noon, she received good news about Mama Fang's baozi1 shop. Even though the shop was only opened recently for business, Mama Fang managed to gain three taels of profits.
Yuxi told the news bearer, "Please tell Mama Fang to take it easy and not to get herself tired." The baozi1 shop now had a strong woman working beside Mama Fang. This old woman was not a servant of Duke Han's residence but was bought by Yuxi herself. Her servant deed was kept by her.
Yuxi also had made a lot of considerations when buying her. The old woman could assist Mama Fang when managing the shop, being her companion and ensuring her safety.
Since the shop started to make money, Yuxi could finally put down the heavy burden on her mind. In her previous life, when Mama Fang was kicked out of the residence, Mama became so sad that she passed away early. In this current life, Yuxi was sure Mama Fang wouldn't face the same fate as the one in her previous life.
When Yuxi went to pay respect to Qiu Shi the next day, she noticed another woman in the room. The woman was wearing a sky blue with willows green beizi. Her face was pure and delicate. Her skin was white, and she had a graceful figure. She was a bright, beautiful woman.
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It was a type of Hanfu with a parallel-collar 'jacket' with side slits beginning at the armpit or waist. It can be secured at the front with ties or a metal button. Extremely versatile, it could be long or short, had narrow or wide sleeves, and was worn by both men and women. During the Song Dynasty, wearing narrow-sleeved beizi over a chest undergarment and skirt/pants was popular. Another name for Ming Dynasty-style beizi is Pifeng/披风. - My Hanfu Favorites
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Qiu Shi smiled when she saw Yuxi's puzzled face and introduced, "Yuxi, this is Concubine Lian."
Yuxi pressed down the thought in her mind and gave her greeting to Concubine Lian.
Concubine Lian bowed to Yuxi and gave her a small gift. Then she also gave Qiu Shi a gift before she asked to be excused and went out with her maid.
Yuxi was determined not to ask Qiu Shi about this kind of backyard affair, so she could only talk to her about the news she received about the baozi1 shop. Yuxi told her how Mama Fang's shop had started to make money even when it had just been newly opened. "Now that the shop is making a profit, Mama Fang has become very energetic, so I don't have to worry much about her anymore."
Qiu Shi lovingly touched her head and said, "You are a good girl!" She not only has a very good heart but is also very kind, thought Qiu Shi. Generally speaking, when a servant was let out, she would only be given some money. Where would you find a master caring for a servant's future after being led out of one's master's residence?
Yuxi went back to her courtyard after their conversation. After returning to Rose Courtyard, she went to find Hongshan and asked, "What is going on with this Concubine Lian?" Since coming to Rose Courtyard, Hongshan became Yuxi's primary source of information. She had a lot of relatives working in the residence, so it was convenient for her to know the current news inside the household.
Hongshan said, "Miss, Concubine Lian was awarded by the Old Lady to Duke Han."
Yuxi was a little upset and asked, "Why did Grandmother suddenly send a woman to Uncle?" It was not a big problem for a mother to send a woman to her son, but it was a big problem when this kind of thing had never happened in her previous life. This sudden appearance of Concubine Lian brought a sudden feeling of panic inside her. There were so many variables in this life that she could not understand them.
Hongshan shook her head and said, "This is indeed strange. The Old Lady has never personally given any woman to her sons. I don't know why she did it this time." When a mother-in-law tried to suppress her daughter-in-law, she would try to stuff her son with a new concubine. However, the Old Lady had never done such a thing; instead, she asked her two sons to respect their main wives. Unfortunately, her eldest son doted on his concubine, and her second son's respected principal wife died early, making the Old Lady's thoughts in vain.
After noticing Yuxi's doubtful face, Mama Shen asked, "Did Miss in any way cause this matter?"
Yuxi opened her eyes wide and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
Old woman Shen explained, "This old servant didn't dare to tell lies. Miss really had something to do with this matter. Does Miss remember what happened a month ago?"
Yuxi immediately thought of the matter regarding Moyun. She asked, "Do you mean that Grandmother had given Concubine Lian to Uncle because of my anger? How is this possible?" Although she suspected that Concubine Rong was behind the incident last time, no evidence could be used to convict her. Later, Mama Luo informed her that she had already given up pursuing the culprit because she knew it was wasting so much time. Now, they told her that her Grandmother had given her a woman to fight Concubine Rong. This was utter nonsense!
Old woman Shen shook her head and said, "Concubine Rong has crossed the line, so the Old Lady must solve this problem." No significant family could tolerate a concubine who tried to murder the residence masters' children. Whatever the reason, Concubine Rong had already violated the Old Lady's bottom line, so this time, she must be cleaned up.
In her previous life, Yuxi was a simple person. A bit of an idiot and too naive. Fortunately, she was aware that her old attitudes were her shortcomings. So, now, she was working hard to correct them. After listening to Mama Shen's words, she pondered for a while. When she was done thinking from every angle, she concluded, "What Mama means is that Grandmother gave Concubine Lian to Eldest Uncle to win his favour. When he no longer spoils Concubine Rong, he would get rid of her?"
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"Yes," answered Mama Shen. In her heart, she was shocked by Yuxi's deduction.
Yuxi became more confused as she listened to Mama Shen's answer. "Why is it so troublesome for Grandmother to get rid of Concubine Rong?" The Old Lady was the absolute master of the backyard. She needed only one word to deal with Concubine Rong. Why should she go in a circle just to do it? Her mind was too tired even to continue being in a panic.
Old woman Shen felt that Yuxi was not bad. She could think so much with her head. "To know a child, better ask the mother. The Old Lady knows Duke Han's temperament so well. If she deals with Concubine Rong rashly, the Duke will surely turn against the Old Lady. "If the Old Lady could deal with Concubine Rong without thinking about her son, she would have kicked her out ten years ago.
Yuxi knew that to accommodate Concubine Rong, her Eldest Uncle almost turned his face with his mother. Old people depended on their sons to live well in their old age. So, it was customary for the Old Lady to have some scruples. Only Yuxi still felt suspicious, so she asked, "Eldest Aunt also provided a few concubines to Eldest Uncle before, but unfortunately, they all broke under Concubine Rong's hands. Mama, can this Concubine Lian fight well with her?"
Old Woman Shen said, "Since the Old Lady has chosen Concubine Lian, she naturally has her advantages. However, this matter cannot be solved overnight." It would take a while before Concubine Rong could be taken down.
Yuxi was silent and curiously asked, "Mama Shen, why did you tell me all this?" It was not that she was being too suspicious, but she felt that Mama Shen's action was not well-intentioned. This kind of thing should be hidden. How could she freely tell her?
Old woman Shen did not hesitate to say, "Miss, you can't act with one muscle. You have to bow when you need to bow your head. Otherwise, you're bound to suffer." During this period, Mama Shen found that Yuxi did not act following the rules and regulations. She did not consider the consequences of her actions at all. Now, it was okay that she was still young, but when she grew up, she would lose a lot because of her temperament.
Although Yuxi was not particularly clever, she knew what Mama Shen had said was for her good. She asked, "Mama Shen, what do you really want to say?"
"I hope Miss will not get angry when Miss listens to what I'm going to say," said Mama Shen. Everyone liked to listen to praises, but not everyone wanted to listen to criticism.
Yuxi said with a smile, "Mama, you can tell me. I'm not that narrow-minded."
Just as old woman Shen was about to speak, Moju announced from outside, "Miss, the maids from the residence of Marquis of Changping had brought something for Miss."
Knowing that she had just disturbed their conversation, Moju hurriedly brought in two melons. She took a glance at Mama Shen, who suddenly stopped talking.
Yuxi looked at the two melons sent by Zhou Shiya and said with a smile, "Put them in the well water first and open them up after lunch." The melons taste sweeter when being cooled inside the well on such a hot day.
After Moju left, Yuxi asked, "Mama, what did you want to say?"
After a moment of silence, Mama Shen asked, "Is Miss avoiding Old Lady?" Fourth Miss looked quite afraid of the Old Lady, which not only she could see, but so did the Old Lady. Otherwise, she would not have been assigned by the Old Lady to become Fourth Miss' new Mama.
Yuxi was not foolish. If she nodded to Mama Shen's question, didn't it mean she was not being filial? So she could only pretend to be aggrieved and said, "Mama, Grandmother told me not to greet her in the future. I didn't want to upset my Grandmother, so I only dared to do so on the 15th day of the first lunar month."
Mama Shen thought that Yuxi was a very clever girl but lacked guidance from an adult. So, she said, "The Old Lady has sent Hongshan and this old servant to serve Miss, so Miss should know that the Old Lady has changed her attitude towards Miss."
Yuxi was not moved by what the Old Lady had done, but as a precaution, she asked, "Mama Shen means that the Old Lady actually loves me dearly, too?"
To guard against other people's suspicions, Yuxi behaved foolishly in many aspects, except for her extraordinary talent in embroidery. No matter how shrewd Mama Shen was, she wouldn't have noticed these things. Mama Shen answered, "Miss, you're the granddaughter of the Old Lady's immediate family. Is there any reason she shouldn't feel pain when you're hurt?"
Yuxi raised her head and looked at Mama Shen with great surprise. She said, "Mama, you said my Grandmother loves me too. Is this true?"
When Mama Shen saw Yuxi's affection and admiration for the Old Lady, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Naturally, it is true. Miss, in the future, you should visit the main room more often. You get a better life only by getting the Old Lady's favour. "
"What does Mama mean by that?" asked Yuxi with a puzzled face. "Is there anyone else in the residence who will bring trouble to me? That cannot be. My Eldest Aunt loves me very much. So does my Grandmother. Who else would make things difficult for me in this residence?"
Mama Shen felt that Yuxi was too simple, but still, she was not discouraged. Yuxi had never been personally involved before, and she was only four years old. She was very malleable. "Miss, now the Third Lady is in Hebei with the Third Lord, so, naturally, nothing would happen. However, when she returns after three to five years, Miss's life will not be as comfortable as it is now. "
Yuxi felt that Mama Shen was trying to dig a hole for her. "Mama Shen, Mama Fang told me that mother is a very good person." This mother referred to her stepmother, Wu Shi, not her birth mother.
After hearing this, Mama Shen felt that the Old Lady was correct in letting Mama Fang go. With such a silly Mama, Fourth Miss would definitely be taken to the pit. Fourth Miss was already predominant. If she said something terrible about Wu Shi, she would probably be dissatisfied with her. "Whether she's good or bad, Miss will know by then," said Mama Shen gently.
Footnotes Full List
- steamed stuffed bun
Noob Translator's Musing
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi