MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 78

 Glossary

·Qin Yuan (秦鸢): The female protagonist, Marquise of the household.

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

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

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

·Qian Da (钱大): Bai Que's father, manages the family treasury.

·Qian Da's wife (钱大家的): Bai Que's mother.

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

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

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Chapter 78: I Like It Very Much

From outside, a young maid spoke softly: "Madam, should the sobering soup be brought in?"

Qin Yuan asked quietly, "Would you like some sobering soup? Otherwise, you might have a headache later, and you still need to go to the military camp tomorrow."

Such soft, gentle words and tender care were greatly appreciated by Marquis Gu. He said, "That sobering soup tastes foul; I've never liked it. But if you feed it to me, I'll drink it. I heard General Jin's wife serves him like that."

General Jin often chattered in his ear about the benefits of having a loving wife and beautiful concubines to care for one.

He hadn't been envious before.

But since marrying Qin Yuan, for some reason, he couldn't help wanting to outdo General Jin.

Qin Yuan secretly rolled her eyes but smiled and said, "Fine. But you have to sit up and lean against the pillow, otherwise it will spill all over the bed, and it'll be uncomfortable to sleep on later."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghui's heart soared with joy, as if he had galloped hundreds of li under a blazing sun and then drunk an iced cherry custard. Every pore in his body felt relaxed and refreshed; his whole being felt light and blissful.

All the pent-up frustrations in his heart vanished without a trace.

"Bring it in," he agreed.

Seeing he didn't object, Qin Yuan called for the young maid to enter.

Unexpectedly, it was Hongye who came in.

Her eyes were full of laughter as she diligently brought the sobering soup to the bedside.

"You may withdraw. The Madam is all I need here," Gu Jinghui quickly said, shooing Hongye out.

Hongye: "…"

She had wanted to say something, but Marquis Gu gave her no opportunity.

Qin Yuan smiled. "I'll call for you later. Go ask Cuiming if the cold noodles are ready. The Marquis will dine at home tonight; let him also try the cold noodles from the small kitchen."

Hongye acknowledged the order, set the tray on a side table, and withdrew.

When Qin Yuan turned back with the soup bowl, she found Gu Jinghui already leaning against the pillow, the corners of his lips slightly upturned, his eyes curved in a smile as he waited for her.

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(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Small Kitchen

Hongye whispered to Cuiming, "Tsk tsk, you didn't see how clingy the Marquis was with our Miss. I hadn't even put the tray down before he chased me out."

Cuiming chuckled softly.

Hongye continued, "They should consummate the marriage now, right? Otherwise, we'll have to wait another ten days."

Cuiming remained silent.

After expressing her concern about whether the couple would finally consummate their marriage, Hongye asked, "Do you know who I ran into while I was out strolling?"

"Who?" Cuiming engaged this time.

"Qian Da and his wife. Oh my, they were so enthusiastic when they saw me! They even asked me to sound out the Madam to see if they could also get a share, to buy pepper."

"Oh."

"Let me tell you, they stopped me and said a whole lot. Between the lines, it was all about how Bai Que was only sent to Wutong Yuan because someone else put her up to it, how the Marquis, mindful of the Qian family's standing, wants Bai Que to have a splendid wedding, how the delusional Zhao Niangzi miscalculated, and so on and so forth. Several stewardesses were gathered around listening. Their flattery just gushed out nonstop."

"The Qian Da couple are certainly efficient in their work," Cuiming remarked, quite impressed by their decisive and unambiguous style.

"I found out that Qian Da's ancestor followed the Old Master on campaigns and carried the Old Master out of a pile of corpses. They evaded enemy searches the whole way back and suffered greatly, even drinking their own urine at one point in their extremity. That's why Qian Da holds significant face in front of the masters. He's entrusted with managing the family treasury."

Cuiming said, "Exactly. That's why the Miss was worried they might hold a grudge against you and tried to find a way to smooth things over."

Hongye said with a lingering fear, "Yes, offending someone like that is no different than offending the wet nurse beside Madame Cui."

The wet nurse by Madame Cui's side was formidable; finding the slightest fault, she could make someone wish they were dead, or at the very least, skin them alive.

Cuiming advised, "The Marquis's household is different from the Qin residence. You should make more inquiries. Let's be careful in how we handle matters, so we don't accidentally offend someone without even understanding the background or how it happened. We might die without knowing why, and even implicate our Miss."

Hongye nodded emphatically.

After chatting for a while, the two were summoned inside. They were told the Marquis wanted to try the cold noodles prepared by the small kitchen.

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(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

When the cold noodles were served, the evening meal from the main kitchen also arrived.

Gu Jinghui had already washed up and changed into a loose, everyday robe of blue gauze. His hair was loosely down, except for a small section braided into a plait, weighted with a bead to keep it in place.

Qin Yuan had also changed into loose, comfortable home clothes. She had removed her hair ornaments, simply tying her hair with a kesi silk ribbon.

The room had been re-scented with incense. The two sat close together, seeming even more intimate than during the day.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Gu Jinghui said, "Just today I was criticizing Prince Qi for his extravagance—he casually orders over a dozen dishes just for going out. In our household, the everyday leftovers are distributed among the maids and matrons. It's important to value resources and not waste. Yuan'er, you handle this very well."

Noble families often admonish their descendants that wealth and status are hard-won, favoring the phrase "cherish your blessings"—meaning to treasure the prosperity their ancestors won by risking their lives, and to prevent descendants from falling into decadence and extravagance, thus destroying the family's foundation.

In recent days, everything Qin Yuan had done met with Gu Jinghui's approval.

His gaze towards her held clear appreciation.

Qin Yuan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. "My father's salary was meager, and he had no other sources of income. He could only maintain the household relying on the bi-annual 'gratitude gifts' and the presentation gifts from students returning to the capital. My legal mother managed the accounts with extreme frugality. Coming suddenly into such a nest of wealth, we just can't bear to see so many fine things go to waste."

Although Qin Yuan enjoyed comfort, she also understood the importance of cherishing one's blessings.

She naturally intended to enjoy herself, but she would not senselessly waste things.

Hearing this, Gu Jinghui's heart ached for her. He took her jade-white, soft, small hand in his and said gently, "You've suffered."

"My husband has campaigned for years on the border; isn't that far more arduous?"

"I am a man, and a military officer at that. I've practiced martial arts since childhood. It's different for you." Gu Jinghui looked at his docile young wife. "Someone as delicate as you should eat more to build yourself up. In the northern frontiers, regardless of gender, people are robust and healthy, able to eat and drink heartily."

Someone as frail and delicate as his young wife would probably be blown away by a single strong gust of wind up north.

Qin Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed, changing the subject instead. "I've heard women north of the frontier often appear in public, and some even go into battle?"

Gu Jinghui nodded.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"The border people aren't like those in the capital. They have fewer conventions. Women speak and act just like men. Many women are even more capable than men."

"I've seen two women whose horsemanship surpassed that of men, with skills accurate enough to 'shoot a willow leaf at a hundred paces' (meaning: shooting with pinpoint accuracy). If the army had female officers, I would have loved to recruit them into a women's unit."

Qin Yuan smiled lightly. "Most men in this world look down on women like that. My husband's perspective is far superior to theirs. Those pedantic scholars恨不得 (wish they could) confine women to the home, keeping them in embroidery towers, ignorant of all matters, spouting nonsense like 'virtue is talentlessness in a woman.' My father is well-versed in literature and history, but he is also worldly and pragmatic; he absolutely doesn't hold such views. That's why I was able to read many books under his guidance. My husband shares my father's enlightened perspective; Yuan'er truly likes it very much."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghui's eyes shone brightly with delight. "Does Yuan'er truly mean that?"

"Of course, it's true."

Qin Yuan had portions of the food set aside for them, and the rest distributed among the servants. She specifically instructed, "Give the Marquis's attendant extra meat dishes. He accompanied the Marquis today and must be tired too."

Hongye, Cuiming, and the others ate outside, while the two of them slowly enjoyed their meal together—warm, comfortable, and at ease, just like the simple married life he had always envisioned.

Marquis Gu could only regret that his marriage leave was too short and he had to return to his rotation at the camp tomorrow. His gaze fell on Qin Yuan's lovely face illuminated by the lamplight, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

(End of Chapter)

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