RATMOFANF: Chapter 23

 Character Glossary

· Li Ling (李陵): The Heir of the Zhenguo Duke Manor.

· Shen Jingxiu (沈静姝): The female protagonist, Li Ling's wife.

· Liang Jin (梁进): Li Ling's subordinate.

· Chuán Pó (船婆): The boatwoman.

· Ninth Princess Qingluan (九公主青鸾): Li Ling's cousin, the daughter of his paternal aunt.

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Chapter 23: He Abandoned Her for That Woman Again

Outside, it began to rain again, starting as a light pattering that quickly grew stronger, beating against the boat cabin with a loud, pelting sound.

While the rain fell incessantly outside, another kind of storm raged within the cabin.

Afterward, the two lay together, holding each other.

Listening to the pouring rain outside, Li Ling said to Jingxiu, "The rain is so heavy. Returning would inevitably expose you to the damp. Why don't we stay here for the night?"

Spending a rainy night together on a boat held a certain unique charm for the newlywed couple.

Jingxiu agreed and buried her head in Li Ling's chest, falling into a sound sleep.

As the night deepened and they slept soundly, they were suddenly awakened by urgent calls from outside: "Young Master! Young Master! Are you in there?"

It was Liang Jin's voice.

Li Ling, with his sharp hearing, quickly got up.

Jingxiu was also roused and couldn't help asking, "It's so late. Has something happened for Liang Jin to seek you out?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Li Ling dressed as he replied, "There must be some trouble. Stay here. I'll go out and see."

With that, Li Ling, now fully dressed, strode out purposefully.

Jingxiu hurriedly got out of bed and handed him an umbrella. "It's raining hard outside. Take this."

Li Ling took the umbrella and instructed, "I'll be back soon. Go back to sleep."

Jingxiu sat on the daybed for a long time, but Li Ling did not return. Growing worried, she was about to go look for him when the cabin door creaked open.

A figure wearing a suōyī (rain cape) entered.

The figure removed the rain cape, and Jingxiu saw it was the Chuán Pó.

The Chuán Pó smiled at Jingxiu and greeted her.

Jingxiu asked, "Grandmother, why have you come?"

The Chuán Pó replied, "Official Liang came looking for the Young Master. This old servant brought him here on a small boat."

Jingxiu looked outside and asked, "Where is the Young Master? Do you know what urgent matter Official Liang needed him for?"

The Chuán Pó wiped the rainwater from her old face with her sleeve as she replied, "The Young Master left with Official Liang on the small boat."

Li Ling was gone?

The Chuán Pó continued, "Something happened at the palace. The Young Master rushed off to deal with it."

Something happened at the palace?

Jingxiu asked anxiously,"Grandmother, do you know what happened at the palace?"

The Chuán Pó replied respectfully, "This old servant only vaguely heard Official Liang say that it seems the Ninth Princess in the palace has been poisoned."

So it was Qingluan again!

Jingxiu's heart sank instantly, yet she couldn't help asking another question, hoping against hope, "Grandmother, are you sure it was the Ninth Princess who was poisoned? She is a privileged princess; every aspect of her daily life is attended to by dedicated staff. How could she be poisoned?"

The Chuán Pó smiled and replied, "This old servant doesn't know the details, only what Official Liang mentioned in passing." After a pause, she added, "Having spent many years in the palace myself, such things are not uncommon."

The inner palace was a place of treacherous undercurrents, deceit, and framed accusations—such things happened often. But Qingluan was just a princess; who would want to harm her?

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Jingxiu asked gloomily, "Did the Young Master leave any message?"

The old woman replied, "The Young Master ordered this old servant to look after you, Madam. He said to bring you ashore tomorrow after the rain stops."

Jingxiu said tonelessly, "I understand. You may go and rest."

However, the old woman showed no intention of leaving. She stepped closer and said in a fawning manner, "Leaving you alone here in the pitch black, this old servant feels terribly uneasy. Let me stay and keep you company to pass the time."

As she drew closer, Jingxiu caught a whiff of a fishy, watery smell from her. Suppressing her nausea, Jingxiu replied, "I'm not afraid of the dark. It's late now. You should go to sleep."

Seeing Jingxiu's insistence, the old woman finally left, looking back reluctantly every few steps.

Jingxiu sat in a daze on the daybed, her heart feeling empty.

The room still held the lingering, intimate scent of their earlier passion. Mere moments ago, they had been entwined, whispering vows of love and devotion. In the blink of an eye, he had abandoned her for that woman once again.

Without even a word of farewell.

Amidst rumbles of thunder, the rain outside grew heavier.

Thunderclaps, torrential rain—on such a frighteningly stormy night, the thought of her husband rushing recklessly, anxiously towards another woman made her heart ache with sharp, successive pangs.

Jingxiu lay back on the bed, struggling to hold back her tears. But the more she tried to suppress them, the more the treacherous tears escaped, flowing uncontrollably.

Drip by drip, they soaked a large patch of her pillow.

In her drowsy, half-asleep state, Jingxiu faintly heard the cabin door open again. She bolted upright. Through the gloom, she saw a dark figure enter. Her heart pounded with fear. Summoning her courage, she asked, "Who is it?"

"Don't be afraid, Madam. It's just this old servant."

It was the Chuán Pó again.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"It's so late. Is something the matter?" Jingxiu quickly wiped the tears from her face and asked.

The Chuán Pó approached, carefully drew aside the bed curtain, and looked at Jingxiu, who was sitting huddled on the daybed. "It's thundering outside. This old servant was worried you might be frightened."

As she spoke, she sat down on the edge of the daybed.

Jingxiu hadn't expected the old woman to presumptuously sit on her bed. Combined with the nauseating fishy smell emanating from her, Jingxiu felt extremely displeased. Her face wooden, she said, "I'm not afraid of thunder. Please leave."

The old woman's wrinkled face was piled with a smile as she fawned over Jingxiu. "The boat is damp, Madam. Someone as delicate as you must be careful not to catch a chill. This old servant has prepared a bowl of jiāng chá (ginger tea) for you. Please drink it while it's hot."

With that, the old woman got up, went to the table, fetched a bowl of yellowish liquid, and handed it to Jingxiu.

Jingxiu took it and thanked the old woman out of politeness.

For some reason, being near this old woman made Jingxiu feel intensely uncomfortable. She said to her, "You may go and rest now, Grandmother. I wish to sleep."

The old woman grinned at her, revealing a mouth of broken and incomplete old teeth. "Then this old servant will take her leave." After rising, she turned back, her eyes fixed on the bowl in Jingxiu's hand, and urged, "Madam, drink the tea while it's hot before you sleep."

Jingxiu nodded and urged, "Please go quickly, Grandmother."

After the old woman left, Jingxiu set the bowl aside. She threw on her clothes, got up, and bolted the cabin door from the inside before lying back down on the daybed.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself not to think about those matters, but her heart felt unusually stifled and oppressed.

She simply sat up again, wrapped herself in the quilt, leaned against the soft pillows, and listened to the wind and rain outside.

In her drowsy state, the cabin door seemed to creak open again, as if someone had entered.

But she had clearly locked it.

Jingxiu was instantly terrified, her hair standing on end. Just as she mustered the courage to get up and investigate, the bed curtain was suddenly thrown open.

"Ah! Who is it?" Jingxiu cried out in alarm.

The intruder, not expecting Jingxiu to still be awake, started violently.

(End of Chapter)

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