Yuchen knew that Yuxi was coming over for the feast. Hence she went out to greet her personally.
Seeing what Yuchen was wearing, Yuxi smiled. Yuchen wore a semi-old, non-up-to-date bamboo green dress, while her three thousand strands of hair were held up by a peach coloured hairpin, which was inexplicably plain. But such a costume made Yuchen look more original than ordinary. [T/N]
After Zisu saw what Yuchen was wearing, she felt that it was just a waste for her to worry about. After all was said and done, it was still her Miss who was awesome.
Yuchen approached Yuxi and couldn't help saying, "You're too thin." The current Yuxi was as thin as paper, which was way too thin.
There was an endless unspoken criticism in Yuxi's heart. For more than ten days, she had only been given clear soup every day, so it was no wonder she could be this thin. "It's nothing. I've been just nursing my health." As long as she was given meat to eat, it wouldn't take a month to regain her old weight.
Liu Yin saw the two of them chatting at the door, and she said with a smile, "Fourth Miss, the Old Lady is waiting for Miss inside the house!"
When Yuxi came into the room, she saw the Old Lady sitting on the couch. The Old Lady was dressed in a stone-blue coloured dress and had her hair combed into a simple bun. She also didn't wear any jewellery at all. To Yuxi's surprise, since she hadn't seen her for more than ten days, she felt like the Old Lady had aged ten years older. [+]
The Old Lady beckoned towards Yuxi and said, "Fourth Girl, sit next to me." After the incident, the Old Lady's attitude towards Yuxi had changed a lot.
Yuxi felt uncomfortable when she heard this, but she still sat beside the Old Lady according to her words. She smiled and asked, "Grandmother, I haven't been here for ten days, but why have you lost so much weight?" Not only did her Grandmother look so thin, but even her complexion also seemed to be very poor.
Yuchen said, "Yuxi, during this period, Grandmother has been chanting scriptures in the family Buddhist hall." When one chanted Buddhist scripture, it was natural for one to follow it by being a vegetarian.
When Yuxi heard this, she immediately knew why her aunt had forbidden her from eating meat for the past ten days, and here was the crux of the matter.
Yuxi prepared a mental outline and said, "Grandmother, everything outside has settled down now. If Grandmother still remembers Feicui Jiejie, please ask the master of the temple to do a few rituals for her to cross over!" The Old Lady's daily chanting of scripture was nothing more than her feeling sorry. It would be a joke to say that the Old Lady would feel guilty because of the death of Feicui and others. The Old Lady didn't even care about her own granddaughter's life, so in what way would she even care about the lives of several maids?
Yuxi also knew that the death of Feicui and several maids were unjust. At the age of several of those dead maids, they should have been released and got married, but the Old Lady was reluctant to release them and said she wanted them to stay for another two more years. Thus their life contracts stayed in the master courtyard.
The Old Lady lovingly said, "I told your father to ask for it two days ago. It's just that there are too many people who died in the capital this time, so we can't arrange for it in the time being." People were looking for Buddhist monks to release their loved ones' souls from suffering by worshipping Buddha and chanting sutras. At the same time, their family tried to free their servants' souls from suffering. So it was only natural that they should give way to those who needed it more significantly.
Yuxi was startled by the Old Lady's sudden loving attitude that she got goosebumps all over her body. The Old Lady had always been indifferent to her. Suddenly, for her to act so loving instinctively gave birth to a feeling to be more on guard in Yuxi's heart.
Yuchen was very worried and said, "Grandmother, your body won't be able to stand it like this." During this time, because the Old Lady had become a vegetarian day in and day out, Yuchen also followed suit. However, she would have medicated food to nourish her body daily, so she was fine.
The Old Lady smiled and said, "No harm." After saying this, she also purposely looked at Yuxi. Seeing that Yuxi was barely smiling, she also sighed slightly in her heart. Three feet of ice did not form in a single day, and trying to get Yuxi to change her attitude towards her was something that couldn't be done in a short time. However, Yuxi was now twelve years old, and she would be getting married in three or four years. The Old Lady had taken great pains to warm up towards her, and in an instant, Yuxi would get married soon. It was the same as doing nothing. Thinking of this, the Old Lady's attitude towards Yuxi became indifferent again.
At this time, a little maid reported from outside, "The Old Lady, the Third Lady, the Fifth Miss and Miss Biao Qiu are here."
The Old Lady's demeanour became more indifferent, "Come in!" Concubine Wen's death was said to be the work of the bandits, but everyone knew it was Wu Shi's doing.
Once Wu Shi walked in with her daughter and niece, the two groups of people were just like how rivers Jing and Wei clearly separated. The Old Lady, Yuchen and the others were dressed plainly, while Wu Shi's group was dressed brightly.
Wu Shi's face was a little unnatural as she bowed towards the Old Lady. Wu Shi and Yurong's clothes were fine. Although their clothes were brighter in colour, they were dressed up more solemnly and didn't go too out of line. Instead, it was Qiu Yanfu's outfit that made people take a second look. [+]
Qiu Yanfu wore a Su brocade with a bunch of flowers and crescent moons pattern dress, clipped against her slender waist. She also had an elegant countenance. When paired with delicate makeup, her charm was unexplainable.
A smile appeared on Yuxi's face as she said, "Fu Biaojie is so beautiful tonight that I can't take my eyes off you! Though I don't know, for whom did Fu Biaojie dress this beautiful for?"
The people in the room's expression was very subtle when Yuxi said this. They still could not forget the previous rumours in residence. And yet today was a special celebration for the Second Master, and it was hard not to let people think about it more.
Qiu Yanfu was so angry that she nearly made her fingers nip at her palm. Whenever Han Yuxi saw her, she would always speak in frigid irony and scorching satire, which made her look bad. Qiu Yanfu cursed in her heart; why didn't the bandits kill this sly girl that night? If this cunning girl died, she wouldn't have to be humiliated.
The Old Lady looked at Qiu Yanfu with displeasure, not only because of Qiu Yanfu's outfit but also at what Yuxi had just said. She knew very well that although Ye-er's martial arts skills were not bad, without the opportunity given by the Lu family, Ye-er wouldn't have been able to display his talents. Naturally, he wouldn't have been promoted up two ranks, which was the joyous celebration they had right now. Therefore, this marriage with the Lu family must not be faltered. "Alright, all sit-down!" The Old Lady had already made up her mind. She had to make sure that Old Three would marry off this girl quickly. If anything happened, it would be too late to regret it.
Not long after, Qiu Shi and Yuru also arrived. Qiu Shi's face was so full of joy that she couldn't even hide it. When her son was promoted, the one with the brightest face was Qiu Shi.
Yuxi took a look at what Yuru was wearing and nodded a little in her heart. Yuru was wearing a half-new light mauve dress with no jewellery except for a pair of silver bracelets on her wrist. Yuru finally learned through experience.
Qiu Shi was a little surprised to see Yuxi sitting next to the Old Lady, but she didn't say much, just smiled and announced, "Mother, the feast will be ready in a quarter of an hour."
At this time, the little maid outside reported, "Old Lady, First Lady, Da Nainai is here." Ye Shi was currently pregnant, so no one would be harsh on her for coming a bit late.
Ye Shi entered the room with her big belly, but before she could bow, the Old Lady said, "Sit down! As you are one us, there is no need to pay any attention to those mere formalities particularly."
In response, Ye Shi immediately sat down without much modesty. She had walked such a long way, she was indeed tired.
After talking for a while, the Old Lady frowned and asked, "Eldest Daughter-in-law, why didn't Yujing come? Send a maid over to ask."
As a result, the little maid Qiu Shi had appointed to check soon returned, followed by Yujing's personal maid Yunying. When Yunying saw everyone in the room looking at her, she shrank, but she still toughened her scalp and said, "Old Lady, First Lady, Miss' body is not feeling well. She has been coughing continuously. She is afraid to come over for fear of passing her sickness and annoying the other masters."
Yuxi lowered her head to hide the smile on her face. It was reasonable to say that Han Jianye's promotion should be the most suffocating for Ye Shi. If there were no Lu family, her Er Ge wouldn't have the opportunity to make a meritorious promotion. Naturally, there was no such thing as two consecutive promotions. It might even have been Second Master Ye who would have been promoted. But now, even the most suffocating Ye Shi came to the feast, and yet Yujing didn't even come. As for whether or not Yujing was sick, she had been fine during the day without Yuxi herself hearing that she was ill, and now she was suddenly coughing. Who would believe it!
The Old Lady didn't look very good as she said, "Since she is ill, she should take good care of herself!" It was a waste of all her hard work for Yujing to be this unknowing when to come or leave. It such a pity that she just showed her true face.
Soon Han Jingyan came over with a few of his sons, followed by Han Jianming and Han Jianye. When Han Jianye arrived, his booming voice filled the whole room.
Yuxi's smile became much more genuine when she heard Han Jianye's cheerful voice. Her Er Ge had always said that he wanted to build a great career in the future. In his last life, his wish didn't come true. In this life, her Er Ge's wish would definitely come true.
Qiu Yanfu had never paid Han Jianye any attention before, mainly because his appearance wasn't her type. But she didn't expect Han Jianye to become an upper fifth rank officer in just a few months. She knew because her aunt's husband was only a lower fourth rank official. Looking at the magnificent Han Jianye, Qiu Yanfu felt bitter in her heart. She was now sixteen years old, and she still didn't know when her marriage would be.
Every little of Qiu Yanfu's look didn't escape Yuxi's sight. She didn't take Qiu Yanfu seriously anymore, for no other reason than that, even if her Er Ge was schemed by Qiu Yanfu again, there wouldn't be a repeat of her previous life. Thus there was no need for her to worry.
When the Old Lady looked at Han Jianye, her eyes were full of smiles, but she still had to say, "Now that you have been promoted up two ranks, this will surely make many people jealous. Be careful in the future, and you must never act recklessly."
When Han Jianye heard this, he smiled and said, "Grandmother, I still want to have a good drink today!" Han Jianye wasn't a rash person either, especially when he was occupied with a mission, and usually, he wouldn't even drink even a drop of alcohol. He didn't have a drink for over a decade now.
Han Jingyan smiled and said, "Mother, today is a big day, and we're at home, so there's no need to be so restrained. Just let Jianye relax and unwind." His nephew had a bright future, and he looked delighted.
The Old Lady nodded, "There's no harm since we're at home, but when you are out, you have to be careful. Ming-er, you'll have to watch after him all the time from now on." How many people outside would be jealous of a seventeen-year-old upper fifth rank officer? Those people must have always been watching him closely in the hope that he would make a mistake.
Han Jianming nodded and said, "Grandmother, don't worry, I'll watch over my Er Di." Han Jianye had been promoted two ranks in a row to Han Jianming's satisfaction, and he felt that Han Jianye was more suited to be paired up with the Lu family now.
An old woman came in and reported, "Old Lady, the food has been served. It's time to start the feast." The Old Lady's dedicated cook was hacked to death by the bandits. This time, the one who handled the ladle was Yuchen's cook.
Looking at the table full of food, Yuxi felt very resentful. Why was it all vegetarian? There was not even a speck of meat. She still wanted to have meat today! She didn't know how much longer she would need to eat vegetarian foods.
 |
| What Yuxi actually feels. |
On her way out the door, Qiu Yanfu couldn't help but look at Han Jianye twice more. She suddenly felt that someone was also staring at her. When she turned around, she saw that it was actually Ye Shi. Qiu Yanfu immediately lowered her head, avoiding Ye Shi's gaze.
Noob Translator's Musing
The chapter for last week. My time is based on +8 GMT, so it's already Monday here. (；´∀｀).
I don't know if it's good that Yuxi's Grandmother treated Yuxi differently now, but for her to immediately give up just because Yuxi was acting surprised is a big no-no. She had at least 3 to 4 YEARS more before Yuxi got married. That's still a longggggg time to me. If you want to change, then change. Sigh~
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi