MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 62

 Glossary

·Qin Yuan (秦鸢): The female protagonist, Marquise of the Dingbei Marquis Household.

·Hongye (红叶): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Cuiming (翠茗): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Gu Jinghui (顾靖晖): The male protagonist, the Marquis.

·Zhao Niangzi (赵娘子): The widow the Marquis brought back.

·Cheng Ge'er (程哥儿): The twin boy.

·Yu Jie'er (玉姐儿): The twin girl.

·Bai Que (白雀): A maidservant serving Zhao Niangzi.

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Chapter 62: He Can't Be Thinking About Consummating Our Marriage, Can He?

The implications of her words were truly provocative.

Hongye burned with anger and opened her mouth to retort, but Cuiming quickly pulled her back. Despite being restrained, Hongye continued to glare fiercely at Zhao Niangzi.

Seeing their mother in tears, the two children rushed forward, roughly shoving Qin Yuan aside in their haste. They clung to Gu Jinghui's legs, wailing, "Father, do you really not want us anymore?"

In the past, Gu Jinghui would have immediately picked the children up to comfort them.

But fresh from hearing that horrifying story at the Qin residence, his heart was still unsettled, and he was determined to create distance from Zhao Niangzi and her children. Hearing this, he hurriedly addressed Zhao Niangzi, "Eldest Brother's Wife, listen to what Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er are saying! I'm merely dismissing a maid, and they say I don't want them anymore. Do they truly think a maid is more important to me than they are?"

Zhao Niangzi stared blankly. This was completely different from what she had anticipated.

Deeply stricken, Zhao Niangzi could only sob, too upset to speak.

Qin Yuan, caught off-balance by the shove, stumbled. Hongye and Cuiming rushed to steady her. Her ankle was twisted, a sharp pain making her gasp.

Gu Jinghui looked at her anxiously. "Yu'an'er, are you hurt?"

"I-I'm alright."

Gu Jinghui's face darkened. He looked down sternly at the children clinging to his legs. "Cheng Ge'er, Yu Jie'er, this is my lawfully wedded wife. I am your honorary father, and she is your honorary mother. I had planned to arrange a proper day for you to pay your respects to her, but you've been constantly ill, so it was delayed. You bumped into her; apologize immediately. In the future, she and I will care for you together."

Upon hearing this, the children glared at Qin Yuan with resentment and anger.

Yu Jie'er shrieked, "Father, I only want you and Mother! I don't want her! I don't like her! You shouldn't want her either!"

Although Cheng Ge'er remained silent, his expression showed he felt the same.

"How dare you speak like that!" Gu Jinghui roared.

Yu Jie'er, who had never been scolded by Gu Jinghui in her life, immediately let out a wounded screech and burst into loud sobs. Cheng Ge'er followed suit, crying just as hard.

Zhao Niangzi made no move to comfort or hush them, merely standing to the side and silently shedding tears.

Qin Yuan: "..."

After a moment's thought, she said, "I have some ointment I can use inside. I'll go in now. Husband, please... attend to your guests." Without waiting for Gu Jinghui's response, she leaned on Cuiming and Hongye and walked away.

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Abandoned, Gu Jinghui could only stare dumbly as Qin Yuan's figure disappeared through the gates of Wutong Yuan.

This... this... this...

Hongye, supporting Qin Yuan, trembled with rage. Once they were some distance away, she spat out, "That... family is utterly unreasonable! The children are ill-mannered, and the adult has no shame!"

Cuiming, equally furious, added, "The way that Zhao Niangzi speaks, one would think the Marquis wronged her! Anyone watching would think they were a family of four, with no room for anyone else." This was the first time Cuiming had spoken so bluntly, revealing the depth of her anger.

"Judging by this scene," Qin Yuan said dismissively, "the Marquis will have quite the tussle with them in the future." But precisely for that reason, they needed to be sent away. Otherwise, the trouble would be endless.

"You shouldn't have left, Young Lady," Hongye complained. "You should have let the Marquis carry you back inside himself, let that Zhao Niangzi watch helplessly!" She struggled to contain herself before finally spitting out, "Shameless! And she's taught the children to be wild and willful too. What five- or six-year-old children act and speak like that? Utterly uncouth, like little barbarians. And they go around claiming to be the Marquis's children? They only bring him disgrace!"

"Enough, enough," Qin Yuan soothed. "They are the children of the Marquis's benefactor. Having grown up in the northern frontier army camps, it's inevitable they'd be a bit... unrefined."

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt herself lifted into the air. Startled exclamations sounded beside her. When her heart settled, she found herself cradled in Gu Jinghui's arms, her head pressed against his shoulder. A faint scent of wine wafted to her nose.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" he chided gently. "How can you walk on a twisted ankle?"

Qin Yuan peered over his shoulder in surprise. Under the lantern light outside Wutong Yuan's gate, she saw the stunned figure of Zhao Niangzi, holding the two wailing children, staring fixedly at them.

"Aren't you going to deal with them?"

"Deal with what?" Gu Jinghui thought to himself. If he handled it now, wouldn't that maid Hongye fill her mistress's ears with a basketful of complaints about him later? Though, admittedly, the maid was right—he should carry her back.

Qin Yuan gave him a light push. "What did they actually come for?"

The Marquis's body stiffened slightly. "It's about that maid, Bai Que. I gave the order today for her to be expelled from the estate. Zhao Niangzi said the children are fond of her and can't bear to part, begging me not to punish Bai Que."

Hongye sneered inwardly. This hardly seemed about Bai Que; it felt more like a bid for the Marquis himself. But with Gu Jinghui present, even her quick tongue had to remain still, the words bottled inside.

"Bai Que's family probably went to plead with your mother too," Qin Yuan remarked. "When I went to the Main House earlier, she seemed quite troubled."

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Seeing that Qin Yuan wasn't pressing further about his history with Zhao Niangzi, Gu Jinghui relaxed. "Bai Que's parents are very capable; they manage the family treasury. Such clever people, yet they raised such a foolish daughter. That Bai Que absolutely cannot stay. Not only is she oblivious, but she also fans the flames."

Standing outside Wutong Yuan in this sweltering heat to ambush him—who exactly were they trying to annoy?

"Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er are usually quite well-behaved," he continued. "Perhaps Bai Que has been saying negative things about you in front of them. That's why they acted that way. I'll go back later and discipline them properly, make them apologize to you."

Seeing him still trying so hard to mend the relationship between her and them gave Qin Yuan a headache. But as the Marquis's wife, she had to accept it. She couldn't very well hold a grudge against two children and appear narrow-minded.

"We'll see," Qin Yuan said. "I don't think you'll be able to convince them." The one speaking ill of her was likely their own mother. Any good relationship between her and them was probably hopeless.

Gu Jinghui, having drunk some wine, now held a delicate beauty in his arms, her fragrant scent wafting around him. His heartbeat quickened. "If I can persuade them," he whispered hoarsely, "what will you do?"

Qin Yuan glanced at him sideways. "What else? Be a good honorary mother, I suppose."

Gu Jinghui hummed in acknowledgment. After a long pause, he said, "Don't worry. I won't do anything foolish."

Qin Yuan chuckled softly. "Good."

Gu Jinghui walked swiftly, carrying Qin Yuan far ahead of Hongye and Cuiming. As they crossed the covered corridor bridge, he mischievously blew a soft breath against her ear.

Qin Yuan turned her head and met the Marquis's eyes. Under the glow of the ox-horn lanterns hanging from the corridor eaves, they shone dark and bright, seemingly intent on drawing her in. Her heart couldn't help but flutter nervously.

He can't be thinking about consummating our marriage, can he?

Flustered, she quickly said, "Zhao Niangzi is still waiting out there with the children. You should at least go and make things clear to them, lest she keeps blocking the gate with them. It would look bad if this got out." Though her words were subtle, they both understood—even if they were to be asked to leave the estate, they couldn't afford to tear all courtesy aside.

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's Note: check out my other work— The Marquis’s Beloved is a Black-Hearted Lotus and Rebirth as the Matriarch of a Noble Family (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

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