Yuxi thought that all the young misses of Zhou’s family would come, thus she didn’t expect that Zhou Shiya would come alone instead.
As soon as Zhou Shiya saw Yuxi, she immediately tugged at her and asked in a low voice, “Why are you getting taller again? What do you eat every day to get this tall?“ Back in those days, both of them were about the same height and size. However, now, Yuxi was half a head taller and much slimmer than her.
Yuxi answered, “I am not like you. I eat everything.” She knew that Zhou Shiya was quite picky about food and did not eat a lot of things.
With a painful face, Zhou Shiya responded, “It’s not like you don’t know me. I will surely put on flesh if I eat everything like you.” For someone like her, who could even be fat just by drinking a lot of water, would easily get fat if she couldn't control her eating. This was already not good for her, as she let out bitter tears!
Yuxi laughed, “Then you should pay more attention to your foods.”
Zhou Shiya pinched Yuxi’s face and exclaimed, “This skin. It’s really tender!” Yuxi’s skin was so tender and fair just like white tofu. This made her want to pinch it the second time, just to see if she could squeeze some water out of it. It felt so good that she wished she could pinch her more.
Yuxi pushed Zhou Shiya’s hand away and laughed, “Mine actually incomparable to my San Jie.”
Standing on one side, Yuchen felt quite helpless. No matter when and where Yuxi would always like to say that she was not as good as her. It almost became her mantra.
Mutton fat jade/Suede jade
A type of jade which colours are usually white to yellowish. It is actually known as nephrite, one out of two jade families. It is commonly used by people nowadays and more durable than jadeite jade.
Image Credit | Treasure Adoption Agency
A type of jade which colours are usually white to yellowish. It is actually known as nephrite, one out of two jade families. It is commonly used by people nowadays and more durable than jadeite jade.
Image Credit | Treasure Adoption Agency
Zhou Shiya turned to look at Yuchen, and her mouth twitched. Yuchen’s skin was so fair and a bit reddish. It also looked quite smooth and tender. Her whole person was also shining like a mutton fat jade. Zhou Shiya genuinely admired her but at the same time, she felt envious and resentful. She hurriedly asked, “Quickly tell me, how did you two keep your skin like this? I wish I have such good skin!“
Since Yuxi had a good relationship with Yuchen, she knew about her more than other people. As long as Yuchen’s skin was pinched by someone, even if it wasn't pinched that hard, it would still leave red marks. This showed how good her skin was. Even the rumoured flesh of ice and skin as jade couldn't be compared to Yuchen’s, but she couldn't say these words to the outside world, because Yuchen was not naturally born with skin this good, as she got it by soaking herself continuously in a medicated bath.
Yuchen explained to them what she ate usually but omitted the part where she ate medicated food and took a medicated bath. Despite that, Zhou Shiya still listened to her words earnestly, since it was already in a woman’s nature to love beauty.
A maid came over and announced, “Miss, Miss Duan is here.”
As soon as Zhou Shiya saw Duan Xinrong, she smiled and exclaimed, “You finally come. Let’s wait here for a while!”
Yuchen knew that the three girls had a good relationship. She estimated that there would be a lot of whispers happening between them, so she found an excuse to go back to Tingyun Pavilion. When she arrived at the door, she heard a happy laugh coming from inside the room, and a faint sense of loss suddenly rose in her heart. She also wanted to make several intimate friends like Yuxi, but she couldn’t. As for the reason why she had long known. Sometimes, being too good in everything could also become a heavy burden to her. [+]
Zhou Shiya said in a low voice, “Yuxi, please don’t be angry. I didn’t let my two shu mei come for a reason.”
Yuxi smiled and asked, “Then, how about Shishan Biaojie and others? Why didn’t they come?“
Zhou Shiya smiled and replied, “I told them that you were not feeling well, but I think I knew you didn’t want to just invite anyone for your birthday, so I was looking for an excuse. It’s better for them not to come. When they're around, we can’t even talk about something private.”
Yuxi also didn’t care about them and it was better that they did not come. She also didn’t want to entertain them!
Duan Xinrong said, "Yuxi, you had twice made a hit during previous banquets. Even my mother asked me, was your chess skill really that good?"
Yuxi replied with a smile, “It isn't like that at all. It’s just blown off proportion.”
This made Zhou Shiya urged them, “How about you two play a set and I’ll see how high Yuxi’s chess skills are.”
Duan Xinrong immediately asked Yuxi to hurriedly take out the chessboard and said, “Don’t leave me any leeway and please show me your actual level. I have to see how far apart I am from you.” She used to play chess with Yuxi, but it was all just for fun.
Yuxi didn’t leave any leeway for her. As a result, Duan Xinrong lost the match in less than a quarter of an hour. Duan Xinrong picked up the rest of the pieces on the chessboard and put them back in the chess box. She then smiled and said, “You, this girl, are actually a good chess player, and somehow you have been able to hide it deep enough.”
Zhou Shiya warned, “Yuxi, there will be a 60th birthday celebration for the Old Lady of Marquis Pingqing residence. When that time comes, you shouldn’t seek limelight as you did at Marquis Taining residence and Gongzhu residence.“ At that time, Yuxi could accidentally offend a large number of people.
Yuxi helplessly said, “When did I do that and you’re just exaggerating it. Moreover, it’s not like you aren’t aware of my painting skills. Those people outside are the ones who deliberately exaggerate it which makes me feel unhappy.“ She wouldn’t float up in the air just because someone spoke highly of her skills.
Zhou Shiya also knew that Yuxi was not the type of person who liked seeking the limelight, but she still wanted to advise her, “When you have a visit to Marquis Pingqing residence, you should keep a low profile. There are several girls in the Chiang family whom you should not trifle with.” Several girls in the Marquis Pingqing had their own characteristics, regardless of whether they were di or shu born. It could only be said that Old Lady Chiang was too good at training her girls.
Yuxi said with a chuckle, “On that occasion, I'm sure they won’t pull me to compete with them in chess.” There were four young misses in Marquis Pingqing residence. The eldest di daughter, Chiang Yi, was good at piano and painting. The second di daughter, Chiang Xin, one should not look down on her just because of her young age. However, the twin shu daughters, Chiang Zhen and Chiang Ping were inferior in talents but superior in appearance. Besides, they looked the same and attracted everyone’s attention as soon as they came out. Of course, this was not to say that Chiang Yi and Chiang Xin were not good-looking, but when it came to appearance, they were rather inferior to the twins.
Zhou Shiya jokingly said, “Look at you. From the start, you haven’t taken my words seriously at all. This will make me worry about you endlessly.”
Yuxi smiled, “There is nothing to worry about, and it is also troublesome worrying about things that have not yet happened. Moreover, I also don’t pay that much attention to those false reputations. What is so good about mastering piano, chess, calligraphy and painting? It’s not like we need them once we get married in the future. They can only be pastimes that we use just to pass the time.“
Zhou Shiya had been talking to Yuxi for a long time, while Duan Xinrong had been silent for the whole time. This made Yuxi feel it was a bit abnormal that she had to ask, “What’s the matter with you? You haven’t talked for a long time now.”
Duan Xinrong answered in a low voice, “The Chiang family has invited an official matchmaker to propose a marriage to our family.”
Zhou Shiya asked, “Who did they propose marriage to?”
Yuxi felt that Zhou Shiya often pretended to be naïve. Just by looking at Duan Xinrong’s flushed face, she should have known that the person who had been proposed was Duan Xinrong.
Zhou Shiya quickly responded and asked, “Is it for Chiang Jing, the second young master of the Chiang family? I’ve seen him. He looks good. He seems to have good talent, and he’s already a xiuchai.“
Yuxi frowned. She didn’t know the Chiang family very well, but the two families were in-laws, so she would go to their wedding banquet if there was such a big event like marriage. So she clearly remembered that in her last life, Chiang Jing had married Lin Furong who was Lady Chiang's niece. Yuxi wasn’t clear as to why there was suddenly a change this time around.
Zhou Shiya noticed Yuxi’s expression and asked, “What’s up? Is there any problem with the second young master of the Chiang family?“
Yuxi didn’t say a word. She was busy weighing the matter in her heart, thinking why did it suddenly get so messed up.
Duan Xinrong was worried that she took Yuxi’s hand and asked, “Yuxi, if you know anything, you can’t hide it from me!” She had never seen Chiang Jing, but her mother said that Chiang Jing was good in appearance, talent and character. Her mother always had good eyes, thus she was convinced. Even though her mother’s eyes were good, there were times when it fell short of the standard.
Zhou Shiya began to think that Yuxi was deliberately intimidating Duan Xinrong. It could be seen that Yuxi still did not speak and Zhou Shiya’s heart was also riled up, "Yuxi, is there something wrong? If you know anything, you must tell Xinrong! This marriage event, with just one careless move, will affect her for a lifetime!"
Yuxi weighed it in her mind for a long time before she said, “I don’t know why the Chiang family would propose marriage to the Duan family, but as far as I know, Lady Chiang’s favourite daughter-in-law is Lin Furong, her niece.”
Duan Xinrong’s facial expression showed that she was anxious and doubtful of Yuxi’s words.
Zhou Shiya was surprised. “It can’t be, right? If Lady Chiang likes her niece, how could the Chiang family propose marriage to the Duan family?“ Having said that, she found herself to be quite stupid. The one who was in charge of the Chiang family right now wasn’t Lady Chiang, but Old Lady Chiang. “Yuxi, do you mean that the marriage proposal was Old Lady Chiang’s idea?”
Yuxi later shook her head and said, “I don’t know, but as far as I know, Lady Chiang likes Lin Furong very much and often takes her to stay in the Marquis residence for a short while.” Like in the state residence, the person who wielded the power in the backyard was Old Lady Han. The difference between state residence and Marquis residence was that Qiu Shi had no intention nor ambition to fully take over the management, and she was filial to Old Lady Han. That was why Qiu Shi got along so well with her mother-in-law. However, Lin Shi, Lady Chiang, was different. She had always wanted to be the person in charge of the household, rather than just making sure the household was well taken care of. Therefore, these two, daughters-in-law and mother-in-law, had valiantly fought in a battle of wits over the years. Because of filial piety pressure and since Old Lady Chiang was also a person with skills, Lin Shi had been disadvantageous over the years.
Zhou Shiya quickly responded, “Doesn’t this mean that Chiang Jing and Lin Furong are cousins that are quite close like green plums and hobby-horse?” She found green plums and hobby-horse and something alike was the most annoying thing ever.
Yuxi added, “I don’t know what Chiang Jing’s attitude towards Lin Furong is, but I know that Chiang Yi and Chiang Xin like Lin Furong very much.” She, herself knew that it was normal for her to know about the inner courtyard, but it wouldn’t be normal if she also knew about what happened in the front courtyard.
Duan Xinrong looked at Yuxi and asked, “Yuxi, are you telling the truth?”
Yuxi jokingly said, “If you don’t believe me, ask your mother to send someone to inquire about it.” Because of the continuous fight between Old Lady Chiang and Lady Chiang, Lin Shi, the gate of the Marquis Pingqing residence had been tightly closed, so it would be very difficult to obtain any information about the Marquis’ residence. However, the difficulty was only relative. The Duan family was not a small family. As long as they made up their mind, let alone Marquis Pingqing residence, they could also inquire about the royal palace.
“If this is the case, this marriage cannot be concluded,” Zhou Shiya hastily said. If what Yuxi said was true, Lady Chiang had decided behind closed doors that Lin Furong would become her daughter-in-law! For the Duan family to agree to this marriage was the same as offending Lady Chiang and to reject it would only offend her mother-in-law. The Duan family could not expect to have a good life after this.
Duan Xinrong was not stupid either. How could she not understand the truth in this matter? “Fortunately, I know about it today, otherwise, I won’t know what will happen in the future!” She and Yuxi had known each other for five years now. She knew that Yuxi was not a person who liked to talk nonsense. What Yuxi said must have been true. Fortunately, they had not yet engaged. Now, she still had time to back out from the proposal.
Noob Translator's Musing
It's funny that Yuxi is still thinking about the reason why everything seemed to change from her previous life. Duan Xinrong was supposed to be kidnapped which also ruined her reputation back in Yuxi’s past life. If it wasn't for Yun Qing for saving her, and Han's siblings suggested for Duan Xinrong to be brought to their residence, Duan Xinrong's reputation would have ruined as it did before. Duan Xinrong's father also holds a huge position in the Imperial Palace. Who doesn't want their son to marry a girl who has a good background like Duan Xinrong?
Whichever path Yuxi’s choose now or in the future, it will also affect those around her. The only person whose life hasn't been affected much by Yuxi’s choice is Han Yuchen, except for Yuchen being close to Yuxi in this life.
Oh, one more thing, the idiom 'green plums and hobby-horse' was actually from Li Bai's poem called Song of Changan. It is a sweet poem. You can read the translation by Shifu Yuan here.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi