MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 87

 Glossary

·Qin Heng (秦恒): Qin Yuan's brother.

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

·Qin Jijiu (秦祭酒): Qin Yuan's father. Chancellor of the Imperial College.

·Madame Cui (崔氏): Qin Yuan's mother.

·Qin Wan (秦婉): Qin Yuan's sister.

·Lin Ziqi (林子奇): Qin Wan's husband.

·Old Madame Gu (顾老夫人): Gu Jinghui's mother.

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Chapter 87: I Don't Believe It

Qin Heng grew impatient. "Eldest Sister, you're still reminding me about such a small thing?"

Qin Yuan glared at him. "Then hurry back. I'm waiting for Cousin Siyuan."

Qin Heng rushed home excitedly, heading straight to the main room to speak with his parents. As soon as he entered, he saw his second sister and her husband were also there.

"Second Sister, Second Brother-in-law, you're here too." Qin Heng greeted them, then put down the package in his hand. "Father, Mother, I'm back. These are things Eldest Sister asked me to bring back."

Qin Jijiu frowned. "You went to the Dingbei Marquis's household to find the Marquis and brought things back? Aren't you worried people will look down on your eldest sister?"

Madame Cui also cautioned him, "You can't just take everything back home. Being seen as shallow will make people laugh at us."

If the Marquis's household looked down on the Qin family, that wouldn't do. They would have to speak properly with Qin Yuan later.

Qin Wan and Lin Ziqi, who always came empty-handed, remained silent upon seeing this.

Qin Heng looked wronged and said loudly, "I refused many times! Eldest Sister just sent some tea and an inkstick, saying they were for Father. There are also just two packets of pastries, made by the Marquis's main kitchen. Eldest Sister said the family hasn't tried this style before and asked me to bring them back to taste. They aren't worth much."

As he spoke, he also took out the greeting gift from Old Madame Gu. "This is the greeting gift from the Old Madame. Eldest Sister told me to accept it."

Upon hearing there was tea and an inkstick, Qin Jijiu immediately opened them to look. "Good heavens, has your eldest sister struck it rich? She's sending me such fine tea and Huizhou ink!"

Qin Heng said, "This is the tea served to guests at the Marquis's household."

Qin Jijiu glared at him, then sniffed the Huizhou ink repeatedly, clearly loving it dearly.

Seeing the greeting gift Qin Heng received, Madame Cui couldn't help but say, "The Marquis's household is truly wealthy, giving such generous gifts even to a child."

Such a fine mutton-fat jade pendant, carved with a carp leaping over the dragon's gate—such an auspicious motif.

The carving was exquisite, and the jade was crystal clear, worth at least a hundred taels of silver.

The Marquis's household was simply too extravagant.

Every gift was lavish.

Madame Cui wanted to tell Qin Heng she would keep it for him until he was older and knew how to treasure things.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

But Qin Heng pulled out another bulging pouch from his pocket.

"What's this?"

"It's also part of the greeting gift. I haven't looked at it yet."

Qin Heng opened the pouch. It was filled with silver peanuts. As he opened it, a few rolled out.

Madame Cui felt both delight and astonishment. "My son, does the Dingbei Marquis's household have mountains of gold and silver? To give such a substantial gift even to a youngster like you."

"Your son isn't that young," Qin Heng protested.

Qin Wan's expression shifted repeatedly as she looked at these items.

In her previous life, when Qin Heng went to the Marquis's household to visit her, he never received such preferential treatment.

As the saying goes, 'love for a person extends to the crows on his roof.' Was Qin Yuan so beloved by Old Madame Gu?!

Qin Wan's hands tightly twisted her handkerchief, her heart filled with indescribable bitterness.

Qin Heng said smugly, "The Old Madame probably gave more because I look refined and handsome. Eldest Sister said the Old Madame likes good-looking people. I saw for myself—all the maids and matrons in the Old Madame's room are very pretty, dressed in gold and adorned with silver. The Old Madame likes Eldest Sister very much and repeatedly said Father and Mother should rest assured she would never let Eldest Sister suffer any grievance."

He then turned to Qin Wan. "Second Sister, you should stop worrying about Eldest Sister. Everyone in the Marquis's household treats her extremely well. In Eldest Sister's Wutong Yuan, everyone is very respectful and doesn't dare make a single mistake. The maids and matrons from the Upper House also don't put on airs and greeted me with smiles. Eldest Sister asked me to tell everyone she is living very well in the Marquis's household and to put their hearts at ease."

Hearing this, Qin Wan said stiffly, "Is... is that so? That's good then."

Madame Cui glanced at her daughter's unpleasant expression and sighed inwardly.

Such wealth and status should have belonged to this foolish daughter of hers.

But who could she blame?

She herself had insisted on pushing it onto Qin Yuan.

Madame Cui, strong-willed for half her life, had stumbled over Qin Wan's marriage. For months she couldn't make sense of it, even donating twice as much incense money to the temples as in previous years.

Qin Heng continued, gesticulating animatedly, "Second Brother-in-law, the sixth brother of my brother-in-law—I should call him Sixth Brother—the Old Madame said he gets along very well with you and even plans to start a poetry society together. The Old Madame asked him to come out to keep me company, but he was injured and said he was too embarrassed to meet people. He said there would be plenty of chances to meet with frequent visits in the future."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Jijiu glanced at Lin Ziqi.

Lin Ziqi also said with a dry laugh, "Gu Jingjun is the exception in the Dingbei Marquis's household. He likes reading and enjoys socializing with scholars, unlike Marquis Gu. I also met him at a poetry gathering. We chatted and realized we were distantly related by marriage. What a coincidence."

Qin Heng thought for a moment. "The Dingbei Marquis's estate is simply too vast. Just Eldest Sister's Wutong Yuan is as big as the entire rear courtyard of our Qin residence. I originally wanted to learn horseback riding from my brother-in-law, but he went to the camp... I still need to find our cousin. Eldest Sister said to give him a message."

With that, without waiting for anyone else to speak, he ran out of the main room, heading to the small side courtyard to find his Second Aunt and cousin.

"Come back!" Madame Cui quickly stopped him, taking a packet of pastries from the table and handing it to Qin Heng. "Take a packet of pastries to your Second Aunt. Say they're from Yuan'er to show her filial piety."

Qin Heng acknowledged and ran off.

Qin Jijiu took the displeased-looking Lin Ziqi's arm. "Come, come, let's go sit in the study and taste the Marquis's household's fine tea."

Father-in-law and son-in-law left.

Qin Wan hung her head low, unable to conceal her gloom. Seeing this, Madame Cui naturally knew what she was thinking and sighed. "What's done is done. Don't dwell on it. Focus on living a good life with your husband."

Qin Wan said stubbornly, "I don't believe it. How could Qin Yuan live a good life in the Marquis's household? That woman surnamed Zhao and the maid named Bai Que under her, and Sixth Madame Gu... How could these people let her live well? Could Old Madame Gu really like her? I don't believe it."

The more Madame Cui listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She demanded, "What on earth are you thinking about all day? You don't worry about your husband, you don't worry about the Lin family, so why are you worrying about the Marquis's household affairs? Qin Yuan is beautiful and has a good temperament; she has caught the Old Madame's favor. Isn't it good if she lives well? Her living well in the Marquis's household is good for you and for your brother. Heaven knows how I tossed and turned for her these past few days, afraid she couldn't establish herself. The Dingbei Marquis's household is our best marital connection. Your father said long ago that Brother Heng's talent for study is average; in the future, he'll have to rely on his brothers-in-law for support."

Qin Wan turned her face away disdainfully. "How much help do you think the Dingbei Marquis's household can give Brother Heng? The Dingbei Marquis is just a military man. Besides fighting, he can't do anything. When the court stops waging wars in the future, what use will he have? Just supporting those retainers must cost a fortune. Those masters in the household only know how to enjoy themselves. Take that Gu Jingjun who likes reading—he's just a good-for-nothing who can't even pass the county-level exams, spending his days among flowers and willows, keeping many concubines in the household. How much can such a family help Brother Heng?"

"One must have foresight. It would be better to treat my Ziqi well. In the future, he..."

(End of Chapter)

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