MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 17

Glossary

· Qin Yuan: The female protagonist, reborn. Wife of the Marquis.

· Marquis of Dingbei: Gu Jinghui, Qin Yuan's husband.

· Hongye: Qin Yuan's maidservant.

· Cuiming: Qin Yuan's other maidservant.

· Zhao Niangzi: The woman brought back by the Marquis from the battlefield.

· Old Madame Gu: Gu Jinghui's mother.

· Gu Shiliu: A young male servant attending the Marquis.

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Chapter 17: Still Not Waiting For Him

"Why wait until after the return visit to say it?"

Gu Jinghui pressed.

Qin Yuan smiled without answering.

Gu Jinghui stared at her lips, flushed red from the hot tea, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was about to say something when Qin Yuan looked towards the hourglass in the corner of the room and said softly, "Calculating the time, they should be here by now."

"What?"

Gu Jinghui asked, puzzled.

Qin Yuan changed the subject. "Marquis, tomorrow is the return visit. Mother personally prepared the gift list for me, wanting to uphold my dignity. As husband and wife, we are one..."

The implication was obvious.

Before she could finish, Gu Jinghui took over, saying seriously, "Yuan'er, I remember important matters like the return visit clearly. You, you..."

His face flushed red. He struggled for a long moment before finally forcing out the rest: "You are my properly married wife, the future mother of my children, the honored lady who will be buried with me. I will give you all the dignity you deserve. Please set your heart at ease."

He seemed eager to swear to the heavens to prove his sincerity.

Even the roots of his ears were bright red.

Qin Yuan had only meant to remind him. She nodded and said, "That's very good. I will remember my husband's words."

The room suddenly fell quiet.

Gu Jinghui seemed to want to speak but hesitated, only holding his tea bowl, slowly taking a sip.

The slightly bitter tea swirled between his lips and teeth, ending with a hint of sweetness.

Just then, a young maid's crisp voice called for Hongye from outside. Hongye went out.

Qin Yuan lifted her eyelids and glanced lightly at Gu Jinghui.

Gu Jinghui felt inexplicably flustered. Soon, the quick-tongued Hongye returned, her face sour. "Reporting to the Marquis, reporting to the Madame, Zhao Niangzi has sent someone again to summon the Marquis. She says Yu Jie'er went out with you today, caught a draft, and is crying for her father."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"Oh?" Qin Yuan said.

Hearing Qin Yuan's drawn-out tone, Gu Jinghui, for some reason, suddenly felt guilty.

"Marquis, do you need to change clothes and go see?"

Qin Yuan turned to ask him, her tone and expression as calm as if asking if he wanted tea or a meal, without a single ripple.

While Gu Jinghui didn't want Qin Yuan to be angry or lose her temper over this, he also disliked her acting this way.

Not receiving his answer, Qin Yuan didn't speak further, just held her tea, savoring it slowly.

Every movement was leisurely and detached.

It seemed nothing in the world concerned her.

Including himself.

Gu Jinghui stood up abruptly. "Madame, I will return quickly. I've wronged you these past two days because of the children. I will make it up to you later. Don't worry about tomorrow's return visit."

Qin Yuan responded sluggishly, "We are husband and wife, one entity. There's no need for such formality, husband. Yuan'er doesn't mind. For tomorrow's return visit, shall we depart at the second quarter of the Chen hour? What does the husband think?"

Gu Jinghui hurried out, nodding, "Fine. The Madame can arrange it."

Once outside the room, Gu Jinghui slowed his pace. Gu Shiliu, not understanding why, also slowed his steps accordingly.

Inside the room, Hongye said mockingly, "What will it be next time? The son is sick, the daughter is sick, next they'll say Zhao Niangzi is sick, right?"

Gu Jinghui's body paused almost imperceptibly. He let out a faint snort, then heard Qin Yuan say calmly, "You see? After it happens many times, you can't even be bothered to make sarcastic remarks in front of the Marquis anymore. This is called getting used to it. In a few more days, will you even care about this?"

Hongye grumbled, "What kind of talk is that, Miss? Should I use Zhao Niangzi's family to cultivate my mind and nature?"

The muscle on the right side of Gu Jinghui's cheek twitched.

He walked out of the courtyard gate with a dark, silent face. Gu Shiliu wisely didn't make a sound, following closely behind.

Outside the gate, the matron sent by Zhao Niangzi saw him and beamed, showing off to the two gatekeeping matrons: "This old servant said the Marquis dotes on Yu Jie'er. Zhao Niangzi was crying terribly earlier; no need to worry now."

Gu Jinghui couldn't be bothered with her.

Gu Shiliu asked, "Why not shout for the Marquis inside the courtyard this time?"

The matron glanced at Gu Jinghui's expression and complained, "The Madame has strict rules. Wutong Yuan has new gatekeepers who stopped me outside, wouldn't let me in."

Gu Shiliu chuckled lightly. "This is different from the northern frontiers. Every courtyard in the residence has this rule. Isn't it the same when you go to the Sixth Madame's courtyard?"

The matron fell silent.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Gu Jinghui, hands behind his back, face like water, strode swiftly towards Fengxuan Pavilion. The matron followed at a trot, panting heavily.

Qin Yuan wasn't idle either.

She called several young maids from the courtyard into the room to speak with them. "There are still a few vacant maid positions in my rooms. Whoever is willing to serve here, report to Cuiming before the Shen hour tomorrow. But let me be clear upfront: don't entertain ideas of becoming someone by the Marquis's side. If you have such thoughts, don't come. Better seek advancement elsewhere, to avoid being thrown out and losing face, wasting the dignity your family accumulated over generations in the Marquis's residence."

When those closest start vying for favor, it's not just a matter of disloyalty.

Qin Yuan preferred to set the rules first.

The maids were tempted. The Marquise had only brought two senior personal maids. The four younger maids who came with her were all quite young. It was precisely when she needed more people. If they served well, they might even compete for a first-class maid position.

After Cuiming led them away, Qin Yuan said to Hongye, "Today I looked at the ledger. The Marquise is allotted six first-class senior maids, monthly allowance three taels; twelve second-class maids, two taels monthly; twenty-four third-class maids, one tael monthly."

As soon as she finished, she indeed saw Hongye's dejected expression vanish, replaced by joyful leaps. "We're rich! We're rich! I've really made something of myself! My monthly pay has risen to three taels!"

Cuiming came in, and Hongye pounced on her, giggling uncontrollably.

"Cuiming, we get three taels of silver monthly allowance each! The Marquis's residence is so generous!"

Cuiming also grinned foolishly.

After letting them enjoy their happiness, Qin Yuan said, "This is only the beginning? Wait until our dowry shops earn big money. I'll reward you with several hundred taels, making you more well-off than the wives of minor officials."

Hongye shrieked, hugged Qin Yuan, and pressed her face against hers. "Really? Really? My Miss!"

But Cuiming frowned. "The Miss's expenses in the Marquis's residence are also high. I see everyone here likes to give tips. The monthly allowance alone definitely won't be enough. I'm afraid we might have to use the dowry funds later. The Miss has never managed shops before; it's better to be careful."

Qin Yuan nodded. "Cuiming is also right. Caution is always good."

These two personal maids who grew up with her suffered no less in her previous life. Cuiming even lost her life early. In this life, she would not let them suffer again.

Having lived a second life, could she not even protect those close to her?

The three of them chatted animatedly for a while before Qin Yuan wanted to rest. Hongye asked in surprise, "Still not waiting for the Marquis to return tonight?"

Qin Yuan shook her head. "No need to wait for him. You two sleep on the footrest again tonight."

"But..."

Cuiming said, "We have the return visit tomorrow. The Miss needs good rest."

Hongye said no more. Holding a thin quilt, she and Cuiming settled down to sleep with Qin Yuan.

(End of Chapter)

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