It was getting late, and Wu Shi was still in the main room. So Mama Luo reminded the Old Lady, “Old Lady, it’s getting late. It’s about time for you to let the Third Lady go back.”
The Old Lady impatiently said, “Then, let her go back!” When Wu Shi served her today, she had made her furious again.
Mama Luo tactfully persuaded, “Old Lady, Third Lady does not understand your painstaking efforts right now, but she will understand one day.” She knew that the Old Lady did all this not to harass Wu Shi but to hone her.
With a headache, Old Lady said, “I don’t expect her to understand my painstaking efforts, but I just hope she doesn’t use her status as an elder to hold down the two girls while believing herself to be infallible. Fortunately, Yuchen is still fine, as she can still consider the overall situation. She also won't fuss over some small matters. But Fourth Girl’s temper, where she will let herself suffer some losses. If Wu Shi provokes her again, who knows what else will happen?“ Just like what happened last time when Wu Shi hit her, and Yuxi had made a scene from it. This made the whole residence know that Wu Shi had abused her, causing her reputation to be heavily discredited. It happened that Yuxi was still a victim in this case. Not only the Old Lady couldn’t punish her, but she also had to appease her too.
Mama Luo incredulously said, “The Third Lady is not so dim, is she?” The Third Lady couldn’t even deal with the Fourth Miss. If she provoked the Third Miss, too, one wouldn’t know how the Third Lady had died.
The Old Lady sighed, “It’s a pity that there is no regret medicine in this world. If I had known that Wu Shi would be like this, back in those days, I would have asked Yan-er to just send the children back to the capital in any way.“ When she wrote to Han Jingyan to send the children back to the capital, Wu Shi was unwilling, so she hardly insisted at that time. As a result, none of the three children had turned out good. Yurong was a girl, and she would be married to someone else’s family in the future, so for her, it almost didn’t matter in all aspects, but for the two legitimate grandsons...she only had a headache when she thought of their current performances. This was the result of mistakes in Wu Shi’s way of raising them.
As Mama Luo heard these words, she knew that the Old Lady was dissatisfied with Wu Shi’s two sons. However, what had been done, had already been done. It was no use to regret it now. At present, she could only persuade, “Old Lady, children have a destiny that is not necessarily shared by their parents. Besides, the Main Branch of this family has a bright future, so it doesn’t matter if the Third Branch is a little bit different.“
Old Lady Han gave out a wry smile. When did the Main Branch have a bright future? Jianming was still pretty good. Jianye was also still good as long as he didn’t become a hindrance to somebody. Still, those two were her only hope for the bright future of the family.
Without mentioning Old Lady Han’s worries, Yuxi went to the main courtyard and told Qiu Shi about what had happened in today’s banquet. After she was done telling her this, she said, “Eldest Aunt, when I looked at Heshou Xianzhu’s attitude today, she had treated us no different than other people. I think I might have been oversensitive last time.” The truth could not be told to anyone, even to Qiu Shi.
Qiu Shi pondered for a moment and then said, “It is better to be careful when you go out later on. By the way, you should have less contact with that Jiang girl in the future. It’s not good to be that competitive at a young age.“ Since she couldn’t always be by Yuxi’s side, she would lend her hand in reminding her instead. She wasn’t afraid to say those words even when she started to blush.
Naturally, it would be unlikely for Yuxi to create a deep friendship with Jiang Qi. “Duan Jiejie and Shiya Biaojie were also there today, but I had been too busy to properly chat with them.” She had been with Junzhu most of the time today, so Duan Xinrong and Zhou Shiya didn't feel good enough to come forward and catch up with her.
Qiu Shi didn’t mind the matter much, as she said, “There are plenty of opportunities for you to speak with them later on.”
Yuxi accompanied Qiu Shi as they chatted for a long time. At last, when Qiu Shi noticed that the day had gotten dark, she let Yuxi return to her own yard.
That night, Yuxi kept tossing and turning in her bed, unable to fall asleep. She simply asked Zisu to come over and talk with her.
Zisu felt that Yuxi was acting quite strangely earlier today, but she didn’t know when it would be appropriate to ask her properly. Now that Yuxi had personally looked for her to talk, she took this chance to ask, “Miss, did something happen today?”
Yuxi replied, “Nothing happened.” After a short pause, she asked, “Zisu, why do you think people live?”
All of a sudden, Zisu’s throat got choked as this question was too deep for her to answer. After thinking for a moment, she bluntly replied, “Miss, why do people need so many reasons just to live? If you are alive, then you are alive. Do you think it is okay to think about dying instead?”
Yuxi shook her head and explained, “It's just that I don’t think it makes any sense just to live like this.” In her last life, she lived for her life; even though she lived with no dignity and suffered humiliation, she never wanted to die. But in this life, she didn’t want to live in such a muddleheaded way anymore. In this life, she would live for herself and live wonderfully, so she would not have any regrets. [+]
Upon seeing this, Zisu became more anxious, as she asked, “Miss, is there something wrong with you? If there’s anything in your heart, don’t hold it back. Just by holding it in one’s heart, it will only bring harm to oneself.“ This Miss in her household had something that she held back deep in her heart, and she didn’t want to tell anyone about them. This was not good. Having too many things restrained in one’s heart would likely bring problems to oneself.
Yuxi smiled and responded, “What can you do for me? Don’t think about it. I slept too much during the day, so you go get my medical book. Just by looking at it, l will surely fall asleep!“ If she tried to force herself to sleep like this, she wouldn’t be able to sleep until dawn. Reading the medical book was the best way to hypnotize people. When she read medical books, she could fall asleep in a few minutes. It was no exception today. Yuxi, who had put down her worries, fell asleep soon after looking at the medical books.
Since Yuxi slept too late last night, she overslept the next day. Zisu and Kufu both wished Yuxi would sleep more and were unwilling to wake her up. As a result, when Yuxi finally woke up, the sun was already three poles high.
Yuxi didn’t say anything about this matter either. After she had washed and groomed herself up, she went to her study, then handed a written letter to Kufu as she instructed, “Ask your father to give this letter to Mama Fang.” Kufu’s father was a groom in the state residence, while her mother was the inner courtyard stewardess who was in charge of the maids. Kufu’s mother’s job was provided by Yuxi, in order for her to conveniently find out the news of the residence. The couple also helped Yuxi run some errands.
Kufu received the letter and was about to go out when Yuxi felt that this was inappropriate again. She stopped Kufu and said, “Give me back the letter, and you can go out first.”
Kufu could not understand Yuxi’s action, but she still handed back the letter according to Yuxi’s words. “Miss, I will be right outside the door. Please let me know if you need anything.”
Yuxi looked at the letter in her hand and thought a lot about it. Finally, she decided not to deliver the letter. Heshou Xianzhu might be staring intensely at her now. If she had sent people asking for information about Jiang Hongjin now, all her previous efforts would have been in vain.
Yuxi said to herself, “I’ve been waiting for so many years. It’s not going to be that bad if I just wait for a bit more time.” Anyway, there was still time for her to find out the truth. If she went checking about it now, in case it was exposed, it would not be pretty once Heshou Xianzhu had her eyes set on her.
The Old Lady placed Yurong under house arrest for a month, and she was finally released. By this time, the nurturing momo had already been invited.
Only a day had passed when Yurong cried out bitterly, “Mother, my whole body hurts.” Although it hurt, she didn’t dare to say that she would not study or change her education. She knew that she would receive severe punishment if she dared say so.
Medicated Wine
It is a transparent medicated liquid obtained by using wine as a solvent to soak out the effective components of herbs or animals. It is usually used to reinforce body fluids and nourish the blood. Most of these medicated liquors are taken orally, while some are used externally. For more info on medicated wine, visit TCM Wiki.
Image Credit: TCM Wiki
It is a transparent medicated liquid obtained by using wine as a solvent to soak out the effective components of herbs or animals. It is usually used to reinforce body fluids and nourish the blood. Most of these medicated liquors are taken orally, while some are used externally. For more info on medicated wine, visit TCM Wiki.
Image Credit: TCM Wiki
Yurong gasped in pain, but she gritted her teeth and said, “Mother, don’t worry, I’ll learn the rules properly from Momo. Once I learn the rules, Grandmother won’t hate me anymore. At that time, she will also not make it difficult for Mother anymore." This huge change in Yurong was hugely Qiu Yanfu’s contribution.
Wu Shi’s tears swished down. “My Rong-er has grown up and now knows to help Mother get over difficulties.” She would rather have her daughter as carefree and happy as she was in Hebei than have her child become like this. It was just that she couldn’t even protect her baby now.
Old Lady Han soon noticed Wu Shi’s huge changes. She was so surprised that she immediately instructed Mama Luo, “Go and find out what’s going on.” She was happy to see Wu Shi get better, but her attitude had just drastically changed in one night. There must be something fishy going on.
The real person who held the power in Duke Han of the State's residence was Old Lady Han. There was nothing in the inner courtyard that she couldn’t find out about.
Mama Luo came back soon and told the story roughly, “Old Lady, this old servant has looked at this Miss Qiu quite well. She knew how to persuade the Fifth Miss and could also help relieve the Third Lady.” It was a pity that she didn’t know where Miss Qiu got in the way of Fourth Miss’ eyes, as she had been continuously ridiculed by Fourth Miss.
The Old Lady sneered, "Do you think Qiu Yanfu was doing this for Yurong and Wu Shi? She did it for herself." If Wu Shi and Yurong had been suppressed, Qiu Yanfu would not be able to appear in public. So when Wu Shi was suppressed by her and Yurong was placed under house arrest, the most anxious one was Qiu Yanfu.
Mama Luo then stated, “In any case, it is also a good thing that the Fifth Miss and the Third Lady can listen to her persuasion. What do you think, Old Lady?”
The Old Lady nodded slowly, “As long as she doesn’t think of any wicked idea. If she wants to climb into a good marriage with the help of the residence, I will help her. Humph, if she starts to think of any wicked idea...“ She was referring to Qiu Yanfu having an idea about Han Jianye.
Mama Luo smiled and said, “It was just a chance encounter. How can we take it seriously?” She spared no effort in saying good words about Qiu Yanfu, as she would receive benefits from doing so.
The Old Lady did not point it out bluntly as she said, “I hope so! Speaking of which, Ye-er is also 16 years old this year. As for Qiu Shi, she has not yet decided anything for him after all these years.“
Mama Luo responded, “The First Lady also wants to find a suitable one for the Second Young Master. This old servant heard that she had already chosen a candidate. It is estimated that the marriage will settle soon.“
The Old Lady did not reply. Han Jianming’s wife, Ye Shi, was chosen by her, so she had no intention of interfering in Han Jianye’s marriage. However, she knew that Qiu Shi had always been filial and would inform her if she had decided on the candidate.
Han Jianye’s marriage was not only worrying the Old Lady but also Qiu Shi herself! She couldn’t help muttering to Yuxi about how hard it was to find a suitable daughter-in-law.
Yuxi asked, “What sort of person does Eldest Aunt want to find for Er Ge?”
Qiu Shi answered, “She has to have a good look, a good temper, and a good family background. Furthermore, your Er Ge likes gentle, soft, like water girls. If she meets these requirements, then she is the one.“
Yuxi almost knelt after hearing what her Aunt had said. Weren’t these requirements too demanding? Although Er Ge was the young master of the Duke of the State residence, he was also the second son who wouldn’t inherit the title, plus he didn’t have any merit to his name yet. Besides, he had an immoral father. In fact, he did not have a lot of choices.
Yuxi considered it for a moment and then gave her suggestion: “Eldest Aunt, let’s put off Er Ge’s marriage first till he gains merit to his name. By then, he will have more choices in candidates for his marriage.” Although she wanted Han Jianye to settle his marriage earlier, marriage was a life-long event. If he found an undesirable one, he would be miserable all his life.
Qiu Shi then said, “Let’s take a good look at it first. Marriage is a life-long event that ought to be chosen carefully and cannot be rushed. It’s easy for the marriage to go wrong if we do it in a rush. Bad marriage will only lead to a bad life.“ She had rashly married the Duke of the State back in the day and had experienced unfortunate consequences all her marriage years. That was why she was being extra cautious when it came to her son’s marriage.
Yuxi was somewhat amused. Eldest Aunt had been worried and irritated all the time, and yet, it was also she who said not to worry too much. She really pitied her Aunt's loving mother's heart. “Well, Aunt, take your time, and may you find Ersao who satisfies you and also has kind feelings for Er Ge.”
Noob Translator's Musing
You know, Mama Luo had been bribed by Qiu Yanfu. If I'm not mistaken, it started at the banquet at Marquis Taining's residence. That was why Mama Luo didn't believe that Qiu Yanfu would have any idea about Han Jianye. If she knew what would happen in the future - shake head -
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi