When a new bride moved into her husband's house, it was just a matter of meeting her first and then set the rules. Qiu Shi was already a grandmother herself, so naturally, the Old Lady would not ask her to stand up following the rules. Wen Shi was the only one standing by the Old Lady's side, ready to serve her food at mealtime.
Qiu Shi's heart was not feeling at ease. She was the kind of person whose heart wouldn't feel at ease when she was unhappy. She could not do anything to Han Jingyan, but it wasn't a problem if she ground Wen Shi down a little bit. So when it was time to eat, instead of calling on her two daughters-in-law, Qiu Shi requested Wen Shi, "Give me a piece of almond tofu." She asked for a steamed twisted roll and chicken soup when she was done, sending Wen Shi into a frenzy. When Qiu couldn't finish her food, she gave it to Yuxi, who was sitting next to her, making Yuxi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Almond Tofu/Junket
Steamed Twisted Roll
The Old Lady knew that Qiu Shi's heart was not comfortable. The expenses for weddings and funerals of her youngest son's wives before and after he married were not small. It was only natural that Qiu Shi didn't feel at ease in her heart. Because she was in the wrong, the Old Lady turned a blind eye to Qiu Shi's behaviour and let her vent her anger. It was Wen Shi's turn to suffer. After being tossed around in the middle of the night yesterday, she had to wake up early this morning. Then, she had to come over without even a sip of hot tea and only could see a table full of food that she could not eat. Her stomach was already growling. Now, she had to run around to serve Qiu Shi. Fortunately, Wen Shi was also an orthodox educated woman, so she didn't dare to put up a front. So, she gritted her teeth and carried on. How can the translator carry on if she keeps seeing the chapter she translated on xinshou blogspot com on another site?
When everyone had finished their breakfast, Wen Shi had become a little pale. Qiu Shi commented with a smile on her face, "Your face is already this white just from serving one breakfast. How can Dimei raise a male offspring if Dimei's body is so weak?"
Before Wen Shi entered the residence, she had heard that Qiu Shi was a very straightforward person. But now, she no longer believed the rumour. Wen Shi was not a baozi that would resign herself to adversity. Upon hearing Qiu Shi's words, she replied softly, "Thank you for Dasao's concern. I've always been in good health. It's just that the last two days have been a bit exhausting." She hadn't eaten anything until now, so it would be strange if she had any energy left.
Yuxi glanced at Wen Shi. She found that this woman was not a good person. When Wen Shi spoke, she wrapped her soft words with needles. This showed that her fighting ability was a notch higher than Wu Shi's. If it were a battle of words, even three Qiu Shi would not be a match for her.
The Old Lady swept a glance at Wen Shi. This woman had just entered the residence and even dared to choke her elder sister-in-law. It was thus clear that she was not an oil-saving lamp either. At that moment, she said with an indifferent expression on her face, "Wen Shi, you can go back first!" All the others also went back, leaving only Qiu Shi behind.
Yuxi was afraid that what had just happened had displeased the Old Lady. But this kind of thing was no place for her, a younger generation, to speak about.
When she walked out of the Main Courtyard, Yuxi saw Yuchen. She didn't even need to ask. Just by looking at Yuchen's stance, she knew Yuchen was waiting for her.
Yuchen told Yuxi, "Come along with me."
Yuxi looked at Yuchen's expression and nodded her head, "Okay!" Although she knew that Yuchen would be uncomfortable with Han Jingyan's remarriage, she did not expect her reaction would be this great.
The two of them kept strolling. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere was unbearably oppressive. It was when they had almost reached Tingyun Pavilion that Yuchen asked softly, "Yuxi, have you ever thought about your mother?" She had been thinking about what her mother looked like these days. If her mother hadn't passed away, she wouldn't have to call someone else as her mother. Also, people said that she looked a lot like her mother. When she was little, she believed it but didn't anymore when she got older. This was because the people in Chiang's family said that Chiang Xin looked just like her mother, while she looked nothing like Chiang Xin.
It was such a heavy topic. It was so heavy that Yuxi did not know how to answer. After half a second, Yuxi said, "I thought about her when I was small, but then, I didn't want to." She would often think about this in her previous life, especially when she was bullied and feeling aggrieved. In this life, she rarely thought about Ning Shi anymore.
Yuchen sighed quietly. "You stopped thinking about her from the time your smallpox got better, right?" The matter of smallpox had always been a vulnerable spot that everyone did not dare to touch. They were afraid that if they brought it up, it would remind Yuxi of when the Old Lady did not invite a physician for her, which made Yuxi feel resentful. [+]
Yuxi shook her head and said, "No, I was so busy after studying with Teacher Song that I had no time to think about her. Up to now, my mother has passed away for fifteen years, and she may have been reincarnated a long time ago. Maybe she is currently living happily somewhere!"
Yuchen laughed. "You can actually look on the bright side of it."
Yuxi walked with Yuchen to the pavilion in the lake and stood there, looking at the few lotus flowers scattered in the pond. She smiled bitterly. "What can I do other than not thinking about it? Even if I think about her, it's not like she will come back. San Jie, don't dwell too much about it. Since San Shu wants to remarry, he will still remarry, and there's nothing San Jie can do about it. If San Jie doesn't like Wen Shi, just put up with her for now. In four months, San Jie will be married into the Wang family anyway." Out of sight, out of mind.
Speaking of marriage, Yuchen felt a little melancholy. "Yes! There are still more than four months to go before I get married. After I get married, I won't be as comfortable as I am now." The royal family had many rules, and after marriage, her life would definitely not be easy. At this time, Yuchen was a little envious of Yuxi. Chen Ran was the second di son, and he didn't have to take over the family business. Therefore, his burden was light, and his wife had a relatively much easier time. Yuxi was also liked by the Lady of Taining and Chen Ran. If she married into the Chen family, she would undoubtedly have a perfect life.
Yuxi agreed with this statement. After she got married, she would not be as comfortable as when she was a young miss. But the good news was that she was now sure that the Lady of Taining was as generous as she was rumoured to be. With Chen Ran's sincerity towards her, Yuxi was actually quite excited about her life after marriage.
Yuxi didn't have high requirements for her future. She just hoped that she and her husband would be harmonious. They would have two or three children, and all together would be a happy and pleasant family. Chen Ran could obviously give her the life she wanted.
Yuchen suddenly laughed. "I always wanted to grow up quickly, but now I hope I will never be." It was better to be a child. You didn't need to think so much when you were a child.
Hearing this, Yuxi looked at Yuchen with some surprise. But soon, she understood that Yuchen was actually worried about her life after her marriage. "The 10th Prince is infatuated with San Jie. Moreover, both Guifei Niangniang and Qinxin Gongzhu also like you. I'm sure San Jie will be thrilled when San Jie finally gets married."
Yuchen looked out into the distance and said, "I hope so!" If Guifei Niangniang indeed liked her, she wouldn't have let Song Linger in before she even married into the family. Song Linger was a member of the Song family and connected through blood with Song Guifei. With such Ce Fei, it would be strange if she married well!
After all, the 10th Prince's position was too valuable for her to be the only one. Sooner or later, he would need to take on a Ce Fei and a few concubines. She just did not expect such a tricky person waiting for her at the Wangfu before her marriage. It was a terrible feeling. Because of this incident, Yuchen was a little less excited about the upcoming wedding that she had to go through.
Yuxi watched as Yuchen spoke of marriage without even a half-smile on her face and sighed slightly. How could she not know it was because of Song Linger, who had become Jing Wang's Ce Fei? It was good that the 10th Prince was sincere to Yuchen, and Song Linger's belly hadn't gotten bigger even after a year of being in the family. Otherwise, if Song Linger had given birth to the eldest shu son, Yuchen's situation would have been very embarrassing.
It was also because of this incident, Yuxi felt that she had been blind. If she wasn't blind, how could she think that Yuchen was the happiest woman in the world before! If Yuchen had the exact nature as she was in her previous life, even if she had the 10th Prince to protect her, she would probably have been swallowed up until she had no bone crumbs left. That was why a woman must be self-reliant. Everything else was just a sham.
Yuchen withdrew her thoughts and suggested, "Let's not talk about these sad things. Do you want to listen to a song? I'll play a song for you." When she married, she would have to please her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She would also be busy with social engagements, took care of internal affairs, and guarded herself against the concubines. Hence, she might not have much leisure time to spend on such an elegant hobby anymore. [+]
Yuxi smilingly answered, "Okay. I wonder how San Jie is getting on with that tune «Phoenix Seeking Its Mate»? If San Jie has learnt it well, can San Jie play this piece for me?"
Phoenix Seeking Its Mate
Yuchen agreed and then ordered her maid to take out the qin.
Seeing this situation, Shiqin advised, "Miss, it's windy here. It's better to just play it inside!" She didn't want Yuchen to get sick before she got married.
Yuxi sometimes really felt that these maids were here just to spoil the fun. Where would the inside of the house have the same artistic ambience as out here?
After Wen Shi moved into the residence, the Old Lady did not demand her to follow any. However, she was very conscientious and did not miss a day of her morning and evening visits. Within half a month of her arrival, she had learned the Old Lady's preferences so well that she managed to make the Old Lady soften her attitude towards her.
When Yuxi arrived at the Master Courtyard that day, she saw that Qiu Shi's face looked uncomfortable. She walked up and asked with a smile, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Qiu Shi said, "Yuxi, it's lucky that you've been adopted by the Main House now. Otherwise, it would be awful to have such a stepmother." She had confronted Wen Shi three times but had not been able to gain any advantage, and that left Qiu Shi with a belly full of anger.
After listening to Qiu Shi's words, Yuxi smiled. "Mother, what is her status? What is Mother's status? If Mother were to go up against her, Mother would be lowering yourself and lifting her up." The status of State Residence was now rested on Han Jianye and Han Jianming. With these two sons, Qiu Shi had no problem walking around in the State Residence. This was the reason why Han Jingyan did not dare to go up against Qiu Shi. On the other hand, Wen Shi was just a new daughter-in-law who wanted to curry favour with the Old Lady because she wanted to get a firm foothold in the State Residence as soon as possible.
Qiu Shi grumbled, "I just can't stand to see her like that."
Yuxi suggested with a smile, "Out of sight, out of mind. If there is nothing important, Mother should not go to the Main Courtyard. Dasao is taking care of a lot of things in the house anyway. If something happens on Wen Shi's side, let Dasao take care of it." It was true that Wen Shi had a few tricks up her sleeve, but against Ye Shi, it was not clear who would win or lose.
Qiu Shi felt that what Yuxi said had a point. "Alright, I'll listen to you." Wen Shi was even younger than her sons. If she continued to confront Wen Shi, outsiders would only see her act as the older one bullying the young one.
After that, Qiu Shi didn't go to the upper courtyard anymore either. With more time to spare, she felt it was boring to be alone. At this time, Qiu Shi decided to raise a child with her. However, she was torn as to whether she should take Qiqi or Lil Boy Shun to be with her. She even asked Yuxi's opinion on this.
Regarding this matter, Yuxi chose to remain silent. No mother wanted her child to be taken away, and no matter what she said, she would surely offend one.
Fortunately, just at this time, the news of Lu Xiu having been diagnosed as pregnant went out. Now there was no need to worry about which one to choose, and Lil Boy Shun was carried straight to the Master Courtyard.
Good news always came one after another. A few days after Lu Xiu's pregnancy was announced, Concubine Jia was also found to be pregnant. The time of her pregnancy was not short either. It was discovered that she was already in her first trimester.
Qiu Shi didn't even bother to ponder deeply about what the notion of the first trimester meant. She just thought that Concubine Jia was pregnant and Jianming would soon have a son. Now, she could finally calm her anxious heart.
Noob Translator's Musing
Even 10th Prince is the number 10 prince, he is still Song Guifei's second son. The only difference he has with Chen Ran is, if something happens to the 9th Prince, he will be the next to assume the throne since the 9th Prince doesn't have any son yet with his Zhang Fei. I can only assume that Chen Ran already has a nephew since it was already stated Chen Ran won't take his father title after his father's death.
And...Qiu Shi doesn't bother about Concubine Jia keeping her pregnancy until she finally reaches her first trimester. It's evident that Concubine Jia doesn't trust anyone in the State Residence. Will this be a good thing for her or not?
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi