In the early week of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts from Hebei arrived.
Qiu Shi took the gift list, scanned it, and handed it to Mama Li. "Take this and register them." It was not like the State Residence depended on Third Lord's annual gifts to survive anyway, and she wouldn't keep sulking over something this trivial.
Mama Li did not comment on the gift list but talked about another thing, "This time, Third Lord sent a lot of good things to Third Miss, but none to Fourth Miss."
Qiu Shi unexpectedly started to ridicule Third Lord's act again, "It's not surprising that the same thing happens every time." During New Year or other celebrations, Yuchen would always be given gifts separately, while Yuxi was always neglected.
Mama Li questioned, "How can this be the same? Now, Fourth Miss is also studying with Teacher Song. She's performing so well now that even if she is no better than Third Miss, she will not be worse in the future. In doing so, the Third Lord is not afraid of hurting her heart." If Fourth Miss produced favourable results after learning from Teacher Song, she would be able to marry into a good family, which was also beneficial to the family. If the father and daughter were at odds, even if Fourth Miss married into a good family, it would not help the family.
Qiu Shi did not think so, but she smiled and said, "Him hurting her heart? The gifts are all prepared by Wu Shi. If Yuxi wants to blame someone, she will surely blame Wu Shi. How can she blame her own father? Just like these gifts, do you think he didn't know?" With her brother-in-law's cleverness, how could he not know that Wu Shi's gifts were getting less and less? Wu Shi just wanted to save more money for her family's resources.
Although Yuchen received many good things, she was not happy at all. She went to find the Old Lady to complain, "Grandmother, only I alone received things from Hebei, but not Si Meimei[1]. Year in and year out[2], there will surely be animosity between Si Meimei[1] and me." She had gotten along well with Yuxi nowadays, and it had given birth to affection for her. She didn't want to affect her sisterhood with Yuxi because of these messy things.
The Old Lady put down her cup and asked, "How do you think it should be solved?"
Yuchen answered, "Either they buy other gifts for Si Meimei[1] or don't give anything to both of us. Grandmother, please persuade Mother on this matter!" Previously, they only sent her small things, so there was no need for the gifts to be concealed. This time, Wu Shi sent her two chests of stuff for her alone, so it wouldn't be hard for people to criticise her. Yuchen could also feel terrible attention behind Wu Shi's gifts. This showed that trials and hardships would appear in their family later on. When her father returned home with his new family, the residence would no longer be peaceful.
The Old Lady nodded and said, "I'll talk to your father about this." Yuchen was the younger generation. These things were not suitable for Yuchen to speak about, so the Old Lady had to be the one who needed to come forward.
All the maids and old women in the Rose Courtyard cried out the injustice to Yuxi. Unfortunately, Yuxi, as the party concerned, did not take this matter to heart. Instead, she kept thinking about her baozi[3] shop and grocery store. "The Mid-Autumn Festival will be over in a few days. The business of the grocery store should be very good, right?" The grocery store opened by her was a little more expensive than her other store because of its good quality. However, the residents living on Shangyuan Street generally had some money and were willing to give it up. Therefore, the business of the grocery store should be alright. In the first month, she made a profit of six taels[4] of silver, and the prospect was up-and-coming.
Hongshan smiled. "Miss, the moon cakes in our shop are so delicious that they will be sold out." This was also a lucky matter because the woman who made the mooncakes was not found by Mama Fang but by Hongshan. This woman's surname was Zhou. Hongshan overheard that Mama Fang wanted to hire a married woman through an interview, and she took the initiative to find her. Zhou's Jiangnan cookings were authentic, and the moon cakes were delicious. Mama Fang hired her after tasting the foods she had made.
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Han Jianye returned to the residence.
Yuxi took Zijin to see Han Jianye and told him she wanted Zijin to learn martial arts from him. Han Jianye shook his head. "Xi-er, Master's martial arts must never be indulged to others."
Yuxi persuaded, "Er Ge[5], it's not that I'm asking you to teach Zijin all the skills you have learned from your Master. I'm asking you to guide her at least with two simple tricks?"
Han Jianye shook his head and said, "I can't. Even if it is just to guide her, she must consult my Master before she can succeed. If I let Master know that I teach martial arts to others without his consent, I am afraid he will expel me."
Yuxi got a fright. If Er Ge[5] was expelled from his school, his future would be lost. She hurriedly said, "If that is so, then just forget it."
Han Jianye smiled and said, "When I return to the mountain, I will ask the Master first. I will teach this little girl two tricks if that old man agrees."
Yuxi nodded. "Er Ge[5], don't tell anyone about this!" She couldn't let the Old Lady punish Zijin before she could even learn martial arts.
Han Jianye smiled and promised, "I won't tell anyone. Yuxi, you've lost a lot of weight recently!" He still found the previous plump, round and mellow Yuxi was much good-looking.
Yuxi denied, "No, I look the same as before."
Han Jianye smiled and began pinching Yuxi's face. "Well, how can you say you looked the same as before? There is no meat on this face. I can only feel bones. You have to eat more. It's better to be fair and plump."
Yuxi's head was full of black lines. When did being fair and plump were good? Only when she was a fat baby! Er Ge[5] temper was so jumpy that she did not know when he would mature.
During the New Year's Eve feast, all the masters of the state residence would eat together. It was no exception, even for the Mid-autumn Festival. Everyone would gather in the main house.
Yuxi looked at Concubine Lian, who should not have appeared and felt a click in her heart. Although Concubine Rong had been favoured before, she never appeared on New Year's Day feast. This Concubine Lian must have an excellent way to get the Old Lady's approval to let her appear during the family reunion.
Looking for an opportunity, Yuxi asked Liuyin in a low voice, "Liuyin
Jiejie[6], why is Concubine Lian here?"
Liuyin smiled and replied, "Concubine Lian is pregnant, so the Old Lady specially granted permission for her to attend today's dinner." Concubine Lian's pregnancy had been kept in the dark without showing the mountain and revealing the water[7]. She even hid the news from her Lady. After the pregnancy reached the first three months, she finally exposed herself.
Yuxi's eyes moved. Concubine Lian even hid her pregnancy from her Eldest Aunt, showing that she did not trust her. However, she must have coaxed all the maids and old women around her to hide it from everyone for the first three months. This method was not lacking compared to Concubine Rong's. Yuxi was curious to know if the Old Lady had played any role in this or not.
Liuyin noticed that Yuxi's look was not very good, but she was very considerate and did not forget her Lady's kindness to Fourth Miss. "Don't worry, Miss, Concubine Lian is measured and not as arrogant as Concubine Rong. Moreover, the Old Lady will not let her break the rules."
Yuxi looked at the pregnant Concubine Lian, still standing to serve dishes to Qiu Shi, and smiled gently. "The rules are irregular and vary from one person to another." No matter how good Concubine Lian was, she would not be able to shake the position of her Eldest Aunt, but there was another favourite concubine, like Concubine Rong aside. It was no use for Yuxi to worry about these matters anymore. It wasn't like she could intervene in this kind of thing.
After the lunar greetings, the crowd gathered to eat moon cakes. The Old Lady smiled and said to Yuchen, "Chen-er, today is the night of the mid-autumn festival. You can play a song to help cheer us up."
Yuchen immediately ordered her maid to fetch her qin and played a very cheerful tune.
Listening to the melodious music from the
qin while eating delicious cakes and fruits made Yuxi enjoy herself so much.
When the song finished, Yujing said with a smile, "San Meimei[8] plays beautifully. Si Meimei[1], I heard your painting is exquisite. I wonder if Si Meimei[1] can draw tonight's beautiful scenery?"
Yuxi knew that Yujing could not hide her true nature and could not settle down just a few days after she came out. "I learned painting from my teacher, but my painting skill is far worse than that of my San Jie[9], so I will not present an ugly picture for everyone to see." She didn't care if people said Yuchen was better than her because Yuchen was much better than her. This was a fact. She didn't need to avoid or treat it like a taboo. However, everyone had their own skills, and she also had skills that Yuchen could not match, such as embroidery, although this skill was cheaper than painting or playing the qin.
Yuchen smiled gently. "Si Meimei[1] is too modest." Teacher Song told her that Yuxi was gifted in painting, but Yuxi preferred embroidery and spent very little time painting, which made Teacher Song feel regretful. Yuchen could not understand some things. Was embroidery more important than painting? She would undoubtedly have studied painting instead of embroidery if it was her.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Han Jianye went back to the mountain.
An example of an ancient fist handbook (quanpu). This illustration is from Yao's fist handbook.
Source | Jp5000
Source | Jp5000
To Yuxi's surprise, Han Jianye's attendant sent her a fist handbook a few days later. He said, "Fourth Miss, after hearing the Young Master talk about Zijin, Master Yang gave this fist handbook and said that Miss Zijin should practice according to this."
After waiting for the attendant to leave, Yuxi opened the fist handbook, full of various moves. She couldn't understand them, so she gave the book to Zijin. "When you are free, you should practice according to the pictures in this book. You should not stop practising every day, okay?"
Zijin replied without thinking much, "Okay." Learning this was much simpler than learning characters. Although she only needed to recognise three words daily, they would add up over time. However, she immediately forgot what she had learnt right after she finished her study, though she could learn other things quickly. Every time she was scolded by Miss, she wanted to cry.
Yuxi said, "If you practice your fists, go to the backyard instead of the front yard. Remember that?" Zijin's fist practice couldn't be concealed, and she also didn't want to hide it. However, the front yard was full of people where they came and went most of the time. If Zijin accidentally hit someone, it would be very troublesome. While the backyard was spacious, and no one walked around. So, Zijin could practice there casually.
Zijin hurriedly nodded. "Okay."
At the end of the month, Yuchen told Teacher Song, "Ma'am, Grandmother said that nurturing momo[10] will come in two days. When she comes, I can't study with Teacher for the whole day anymore."
Every year, in the ninth month, the Imperial Palace would release a group of people. These momos[10], who had served concubines in the palace, were in high demand. The Old Lady had chosen suitable momo[10] and was waiting to welcome her to the house.
Teacher Song, who was not surprised by the news, said, "From now on, you come to Magnolia Courtyard early every morning, while in the afternoon, you can learn the rules and etiquette from the momo[10]. I'll give you the new schedule next time." In fact, if she had to say a few words, Yuchen's rules and etiquettes were already excellent. So, there was no need for a nurturing momo[10]. However, she didn't have the power to intervene in this kind of matter.
Footnotes Full List
- si= fourth, meimei=younger sister
- Chinese idiom: over many years
- steamed stuffed bun
- unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)
- er=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege
- lit. elder sister, but can also be used on an older young woman (stranger)
- Chinese idiom: to hide the key facts
- san=third, mei=younger sister
- san=third, jie=elder sister
- A term for an elderly lady
Noob Translator's Musing
I thought that it would be better if I set the day for me to post a chapter. I decided to post a chapter every 5 days. At least I will remember to post it instead of getting distracted by other things besides my work. I will post more chapters within these 5 days if I have more time.
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi