Zisu raised her voice from outside and said, “Miss, First Lady has sent someone to invite you over.”
For Yuxi’s birthday today, the Old Lady had already sent her words that the whole family would have dinner together in the main house that evening. While for lunch, it would be held in Qiu Shi’s yard.
The treatment Yuxi received right now had somehow increased. In her last life, everyone had selectively forgotten about her birthday except for her Eldest Aunt who would give her a birthday present. Where would it be like it right now, with the whole family treated it like it was a big deal?
Ever since there was something hidden in her heart, Duan Xinrong had become wan and unenergetic as she did when she first came.
Zhou Shiya felt that it wasn’t good for Duan Xinrong to act this way, “Xinrong, you have come to participate in Yuxi’s birthday in a good mood. If you go back while feeling wan, everyone in your family can guess what Yuxi has said to you when you ask for your family to refuse the Chiang family’s marriage proposal. At that time, you will make it hard for Yuxi.“
Duan Xinrong felt a twinge of emotion and stood up to apologize to Yuxi, “Sorry, it’s my fault.” Yuxi only said those words to her because of their friendship. So, for the same reason, she shouldn’t bring any troubles to Yuxi.
When the three of them arrived at the main courtyard, Duan Xinrong already had a proper smile on her face, so no one had noticed that there was something different with her.
Qiu Shi looked at Duan Xinrong and said with a smile, “This child has changed a lot lately. She has become more and more beautiful each day.”
Duan Xinrong was a very good-looking girl, with her big eyes, pink face, red lips, and a small exquisite figure. When she smiled, she would show two dimples which made her look sweet.
When Duan Xinrong heard such praise, she shyly replied, “Aunt is overpraising me.”
Qiu Shi’s heart moved. How could she forget this extremely good candidate? Except for Duan Xinrong being three years younger than Ye-er, everything else was according to her requirements for a daughter-in-law. Qiu Shi wasn’t the type of person who could hide her worries. So, with this idea in her mind, she treated Duan Xinrong three points warmly.
Yuxi looked at Qiu Shi confusingly, but she didn’t think too much of it.
Lunch was very rich with the large table full of dishes. The dishes had everything from the sky, on the ground and in the water. Yuxi asked, “Eldest Aunt, how can we finish eating this much?” There would also be a big dinner this evening. So, it would be a waste to eat so much during lunch.
Qiu Shi grumpily said, “They are not for you.” This meant that such a sumptuous meal was actually prepared for the guests.
Zhou Shiya cheerfully said, “If I have to say, sweet and sour fish and lion’s head are all my favourites. Aunt has made them especially for me!” As she looked at Yuxi with a proud face.
Yuxi jokingly said, “Since it’s specially made for you, then, you can eat a lot more today.”
After lunch, Duan Xinrong and Zhou Shiya were preparing to go home. Since Yuxi didn’t know how to persuade them to stay, the only thing she could do was send them directly to the second door.
The Second Door was the door that led to the main living for the Masters of the courtyard.
Image Credit | Siheyuan — Chinese Courtyards, China Highlights
Image Credit | Siheyuan — Chinese Courtyards, China Highlights
When Duan Xinrong arrived at her home, she immediately told her mother everything that Yuxi had told her.
After hearing Duan Xinrong’s words, Madam Duan, Li Shi, was shocked. “Miss Yuxi really said that?” She was very delighted to have such a good daughter like Duan Xinrong. That was why she had been extra careful when it came to her marriage. When the Chiang family came to propose marriage, they didn’t immediately agree. Instead, they sent someone to inquire more about Chiang Jing. They heard that he was very good in all aspects. Besides, Lady Chiang had a good reputation in the upper circles, so she agreed. [+]
Duan Xinrong said, “Mother, Yuxi doesn’t need to lie to me, and this kind of thing can surely be heard as long as you seriously inquire about it. Mother, let’s put off the Chiang family's marriage proposal!“
Madam Duan thought for a moment and said, “I’ll send someone to inquire about it first.” She still had to discuss this matter with her husband, but if what Yuxi said was true, the marriage would need to be put off. Otherwise, when her daughter married into the Chiang’s family, her daughter would be caught in the middle when Old Lady Chiang fought with Lady Chiang.
That evening, when Lord Duan came back from the yamen, he listened to what Madam Duan said, pondered about it for a moment and then decided, “Refuse the proposal!”
Madam Duan did not expect her husband to be so straightforward. “Let’s find out about it first! What if this was just a misunderstanding? Chiang Jing, that child, is really good. It would be a pity if this comes out as only a misunderstanding.“ She had carefully inquired about Chiang Jing’s information before. From the info she had inquired, Chiang Jing was very good in all aspects, which made her very satisfied with him. If she was told to give him up just because of Yuxi’s few words, she was reluctant to do so.
Lord Duan shook his head and said, “There won’t be wind coming from an empty cave. Besides, Rong-er is still young. Let’s choose her marriage slowly and don’t worry too much about it.” Seeing Madam Duan’s face still hesitating, he hurriedly said, “Since we only have this daughter, we cannot take any risk even if there is only a sign.”
Madam Duan nodded, "In that case, let’s just forget about it."
Lord Duan said with a smile, "I'm not boasting when I have to say myself that our family Rong-er is good at everything unlike others, so I’m not that worried about finding a good husband for her in the future. However, it's better to find a family with simple but morally good family background. For a family like Marquis Pingqing, it is a little too complicated." Marquis Pingqing was the only man from his generation in his household. He didn't even have a shu brother. The Old Marquis had a lot of concubines, but he only had a son and a daughter. This showed that Old Lady Chiang had all the power and means.
Madam Duan lightly chastised him as she said, “If we find a simple family background for her, then they surely don't have many resources.” The Duan family had a shallow background, so Madam Duan wanted to find a rich family for her child. This way, she had in-laws that could aid her if anything happened. Of course, the premise had to meet her standards. If not up to the standard, then it was impossible to match them up.
When Master Duan heard his wife’s words, he couldn’t help thinking about what happened in the court which made his mood a little heavy. Song Guifei and the Empress had been fighting with each other both openly and secretly. While the Crown Prince and the 9th Prince were also at loggerheads. He didn’t know how long the current calm situation would last. Once this calm situation broke, there would be another storm. No one could guarantee that his family would not get involved in the whirlpool.
Madam Duan knew nothing about the matter of the court, but because of her own understanding of how the world worked, she wanted to find a family with a rich inside story, so that, in case her family got into trouble, they would have a helping hand.
Yuxi wasn’t aware that the conversation she had with Duan Xinrong had made the Duan couple in a gloomy mood. At this time, she was putting away all the gifts she had received until she went limp with exhaustion. Old Lady didn’t send her jewellery this time around, but she had instead sent a set of four treasures of study from the former dynasty; Qiu Shi sent her a set of jade jewellery; Even Ye Shi lost a lot of money this time when she gave Yuxi a set of red gold jewellery which she had ordered from Ruyi Pavilion.
Han Jingyan was the last one to give his gift. The gift was carried into the room by two people, and all froze at the sight.
The Twelve Panels Screen is the one behind the daybed at the front. Unlike the picture above, Yuxi's Twelve Panels Screen was fully carved.
Image Credit | 红木家具厂 via Sohu
Image Credit | 红木家具厂 via Sohu
Through the Hole Carving (Tong Carving)
It's looked like a 3D carving but it's more of 2 layers of carving from one wood.
Image Credit | 地公主 (漆木精华，广东潮州木雕艺术，金漆木雕, Jul 12th, 2019) via 360kuai
It's looked like a 3D carving but it's more of 2 layers of carving from one wood.
Image Credit | 地公主 (漆木精华，广东潮州木雕艺术，金漆木雕, Jul 12th, 2019) via 360kuai
Yuxi’s mood was very subtle when she saw this gift.
When the Old Lady saw the screen, she then looked at Yuxi’s reaction and her face sank. Her youngest son usually looked smart, but she didn’t expect him to be so confused when it came to such matters.
Yuchen looked at Yuxi and thought she was happy and had gone silly. She could not help but give Yuxi a gentle push. By then, Yuxi finally recovered and happily said, “Thank you, Father. I like it very much.” This screen could not be bought with just two to three thousand taels of silver. This time, Han Jingyan was willing to spend money on her. Presumably, because of her recent growing reputation.
Whan Han Jingyan saw an expression of joy on Yuxi’s face, he nodded slightly. “I’m happy that you like it.”
Wu Shi looked at the screen, and her face turned bad. Just by looking at first sight, she knew it wasn’t something cheap, and somehow the Lord was willing to give it up. It was depressing when she thought till there. Third House financial power had always been in the hands of the Lord, so she didn’t know how many resources the Third House had.
Yujing’s eyes flashed with a complicated look. She used to laugh at Yuxi for having a father who didn’t love her. Now things had changed. She had become the one who was unloved by her own father instead.
While Yuru looked at it with a calm expression. There was no more jealousy nor unwillingness in her eyes. Over the past few years, she had long given up her obsession. Now, she only hoped that Mother would find her a good marriage, and nothing else.
Although Yuxi didn’t have a big celebration for her birthday this time, what she had received was abundant. Zisu, who was in charge of the private room in Rose Courtyard, saw these things, and said with a smile, “This time, Miss’ private room is full to the brim again.”
When Kufu saw the twelve-panel screen that had been delivered, she asked with a bit of embarrassment, “Where are we going to put this thing?” Rose Courtyard wasn’t spacious enough to hold such a large screen.
Yuxi said, “It can’t fit in this room. Put it in the warehouse!” If this screen was broken, it would occupy one-third of her private room. Of course, not to mention that there was no place to put it, even if there was, she was unwilling to put it there, as she looked at it annoyingly.
After the screen was moved away, Yuxi looked at Zisu and instructed, “Go check it out. I want to know what’s going on with this thing?” She didn’t believe that Han Jingyan would go to great lengths just to give her such a good thing. There must be something fishy about this gift.
When Zisu saw Yuxi was preparing to enter the study again, she said, “Miss, today is your birthday. Have a rest for one night!” Even after Teacher Song had left the residence, her Miss still did not relax even for a day.
Yuxi smiled and responded, “I can’t sleep now if I don’t read books.” Since she had a lot of money and was unwilling to give it up reading her book in the evening, she would light up four candles in her study.
Yuxi, who was confined in her study, did not read the medical books, but she instead pulled out The Book of Han from the cupboard. She started reading history books because Momo Quan said it would be useful to read them more, but now, reading it had become a daily necessity for her.
After reading it for half of a shichen, Yuxi thought about it carefully and then wrote down her thoughts. This was what Momo Quan had told her to do. After continuously doing it over the years, it had become her habit.
Meanwhile, in Tingyun Pavilion, Shiqin was lamenting to Yuchen, “The present that the Lord gave to the Fourth Miss this time had taken a lot of thought from the Lord. When this maidservant looked at Fourth Miss tonight, she looked so happy, as she had been smiling all the time.“
Yuchen smiled in response, “I hope this gift can let my Si Meimei knows that Father loves her too.” She knew that Wu Shi wanted Yuxi to be estranged from their father. Now that Father had changed his attitude, she believed that Yuxi would soon eliminate the estrangement between Yuxi and him.
A shichen later, Yuxi went out of the study, took a bath and climbed into bed. While she was on the bed, she kept on tossing and turning since she still could not fall asleep. “Zisu, go to the study and bring over my medical book.”
When Zisu went out, Kufu was waiting outside the door.
Kufu followed Zisu into the study and asked in a low voice, “Zisu Jiejie, why do I feel like Miss seems unhappy?” Her Miss didn’t seem to care much about the precious gift from Master, otherwise, she wouldn’t have put the screen in the warehouse. For any room to be too small to accommodate the screen was just an excuse as she saw her Miss’ face brighten completely after the screen was taken to the warehouse.
Zisu sighed slightly and said, “It is good if only you notice about this.” Kufu and Maidong were Miss’ personal maids, so they could be trusted.
Kufu anxiously asked, “Is Miss still unable to let go of the past?”
Zisu said with a wry smile, “Don’t you know what life Miss had before? If it were you, would you put it down that easily?“ Miss had such a difficult life before that she nearly died. Where was the Lord then? It would not be so easy to repair the broken relationship between father and daughter now.
Kufu also didn’t know what to say. She had never experienced such a thing. Although there were many brothers and sisters in her family, her parents were always kind to them siblings, and they did not even attach importance to the different treatment between boys and girls.
Zisu knew what Kufu was worried about. Kufu worried that Miss’ real thought would be exposed and it would bring harm to their Miss. “You don’t have to worry about Miss. She has discretion. Over the years, she has done everything well.“ At least, no one else could see the difference in Miss except to those close who were close to her.
A few days later, Yuxi knew why Han Jingyan gave her such a valuable gift. The twelve panels screen was originally a gift for Old Lady Han’s 60th birthday prepared by Han Jingyan, however, there was a mistake in the carvings.
Yuxi asked, “What mistake?”
Kufu said, “There is a poem in the ninth panel of the screen. There is a wrong word in the poem.” It wasn’t the woodcarver who made the mistake. It was the person who wrote the poem at fault for writing a homophonic character instead.
Yuxi softly said, “So, it was really like that.” A gift for Old Lady Han, should not be any flaw, or she would be laughed at. It was funny that Yuxi was given something that others didn’t want and she somehow had to feel grateful for it.
Kufu was extremely surprised with Miss' reaction that she had to ask, “Did Miss already know that there was something wrong with the screen?” Her Miss was indeed so clever.
Yuxi chuckled, “I don't know how to pinch and count, so how can I know that there is something wrong with the screen?” All she knew was that the screen was so valuable that it was well-made, but she didn’t have that much weight in Han Jingyan’s mind to even receive it.
Yuxi’s actions fell into the eyes of the Old Lady. The Old Lady turned the beads around and said, “I’m really confused.” It was normal for a father to send valuable things to his daughter, but it was not normal when her younger son sent such a valuable thing to Yuxi. She suspected that there was something wrong with the present, not to mention Yuxi, who was always thinking hard.
Mama Luo also shook her head too, “It is too late to be happy to receive such a valuable gift, but I didn’t think Fourth Miss to…” Fourth Miss’ suspicion was too heavy.
The Old Lady softly said, “She resents and hates us. She’s blaming Yan-er for his neglect and indifference, hating me for throwing her in the Green Bamboo Pavilion despite her life and death.“ Although that girl disguised herself very well, she couldn’t betray people with her eyes. When the girl faced her and Yan-er, she had a smile on her face, but there was not even a fluctuation in her eyes.
Mama Luo could not deny what the Old Lady had said, but she still wanted to say, “Old Lady, Fourth Miss’ filial piety towards the First Lady is not fake. Last year, when the First Lady was ill, the Fourth Miss did not even close her eyes and waited on her. This old servant was moved. Besides, Fourth Miss’ love towards Master Shizi and Second Master is also true. “
The Old Lady didn’t speak, but the beads in her hand were turning fast, which showed her inner uneasiness.
Mama Luo’s thought for a moment and then said, “Old Lady, even if Fourth Miss marries out later on, does she still dare to be unfilial and ready to be called an unfilial daughter just for the sake of harming Third Lord’s reputation? As for the state residence, there are still First Lady, Master Shizi and Second Master. Fourth Miss will take care of them and will not do anything detrimental to the state government. “
Mama Luo had been entrusted by Qiu Shi’s to say good words about Yuxi. Qiu Shi knew that the Old Lady did not like Yuxi, so Mama Luo would occasionally put in a good word for Yuxi so that the Old Lady would not make things difficult for Yuxi. It was also Qiu Shi’s behaviour that saved Yuxi from a lot of trouble.
The Old Lady tightly grasped the beads in her hand. “If not for that reason, how can I tolerate her till this day?”
Noob Translator's Musing
Yuxi's father is really a jerk, isn't he? Who would recycle a broken piece to be one's daughter's birthday gift?
For a moment there, I thought the Old Lady regretted her bias acts towards Yuxi. But she actually didn't regret it even for a bit.
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi