Chapter 140. Have heart
Back to Madam Qin. Initially, she felt a little complacent for pushing away Sy Family’s troublesome matter. Unforeseen, she was slapped in the face so quickly. The little-known Su Family actually invited old Madam Liu to be the academy head.
After Magistrate Qin found out about this, there was a slight feeling of blaming her for slow movement and resulted in Liu Family getting the benefit: "Nowadays in Luohe Prefecture, who doesn't know Erya Female Academy? Who doesn't know Erya Female Academy’s academy head is old Madam Liu of Liu Family? Now Liu Family is in the limelight in Luohe Prefecture for a while."
Madam Qin glanced at her family’s master with inexplicable guilt. She didn't even dare to tell him that Su Family invited her to be the academy head first and she felt it was too risky and rejected it. Madam Qin, whose lips were slightly dry, picked up the cup and took a sip. She didn’t know what to say for a while.
"Forget it. Since we missed the position of the academy head, there’s the deputy head. I remember that Su Family’s lass had dropped by to visit you this spring? Come to think of it, she will give you face." Official Qin’s unintentional remark made Madam Qin even more guilty. Back in spring, Su Family’s lass came knocking to find her. It was to ask her to be the academy head!
Seeing his wife not answering for a long time, Official Qin was a little displeased: "What do you think, Madam?"
"What Master says is right. It's just that Su Family’s lass and I haven’t been in contact for a good few months. To suddenly..." Madam Qin came back to her senses. Thinking how she was going to pull down her face to beg Su Family's lass, she was a bit vexed. It was always others holding her high. But now she had to plead with someone. Where does her face go then?
"Madam, please think about it for your husband. Now that we lost the head start to Liu Family and Liu Family occupies the limelight, how will I gain a foothold in Luohe Prefecture in the future?" Thinking of Liu Zhi Chuan's proud face, Official Qin felt that he couldn't swallow this breath. Liu Zhi Chuan, had a good younger brother and a good younger sister. But they were both on the same level. Why did Liu Zhi Chuan suppress him in everything?
Madam Qin knew that her family's master and Liu Family were butt heads in private. Although her own face was important, it couldn't win over Master's face. So she nodded and agreed hesitantly.
After sending off the contented Official Qin, Madam Qin who was standing on the porch looked at the somewhat tall sky. She couldn't help muttering to herself: "Could it be that I was wrong?"
Her personal attendant didn’t dare to speak. Can anyone tell her how to move this useless chess peice?
***
You Jin received Madam Qin's letter when she took their family’s children to Houjiawan for a walk.
"Invite me to admire chrysanthemums?" You Jin looked at the beautiful handwriting on the letter and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. It seemed that they hadn't seen each other for half a year since Madam Qin clearly rejected her invitation. Why did she suddenly think of sending her a letter?
Yue Wen Sheng, who was also sitting in the parlor, heard about this and recalled the gossip he heard from his classmates that day. So he spoke out, "Could it be because of Erya Female Academy?"
Yue Wen Sheng won the 37th place in the spring examination and was currently studying as a Tongsheng in Luohe Prefecture Fu Academy.
"Why do you say that?" Hearing Yue Wen Sheng's words, You Jin became a little curious. This younger cousin brother was mature for his age. How could he still know these gossips? What’s more, it was gossip about Erya Female Academy. This made it even more interesting.
Yue Wen Sheng felt this most powerful elder cousin sister's interested gaze on him. He couldn't help but feel a little shy. Coughing dryly, he responded: "I just heard a few gossips from my classmates in the academy that day. Saying Official Liu and Official Qin were in a banquet. Erya Female Academy was mentioned and everyone praised old Madam Liu as a female Zhong Zhu Ge, who understands righteousness. They also praised as Liu Family a scholarly family and the daughters they cultivated were all good."
"Is there such a thing?" You Jin looked at her younger cousin brother who was blushing as he talked. She couldn't help laughing. This kid was quite shy. She spoke: "Then if Madam Qin comes to me because of this matter, could it be that she wants to be the academy head?"
Thinking of this reason, You Jin really wanted to laugh. When she first invited her, she kept refusing. Now that Erya Female Academy had been established, she wanted to get a share of it. Truly want to occupy whatever good matters?
Despite all the criticism, she still had to attend the appointment.
And Madam Qin's purpose was indeed as You Jin and Yue Wen Sheng guessed- to get a share of the Erya Female Academy. The other party didn’t seek profit, just fame. You Jin wasn't an inflexible person. It went without saying she wouldn’t reject Madam Qin like an egg thrown against a stone. She arranged for the post of supervisor according to Madam Qin's wishes.
The supervisor only needed to show up at major festivals to represent the academy during the ceremony performance. This not only satisfied Madam Qin's requirement to show up among the ladies of noble families, but also didn’t require her to pay too much attention to the actual affairs of the academy. For Madam Qin who disliked trouble, it was perfect.
Of course, the addition of Madam Qin had further improved the reputation of Erya Female Academy. Although it was said that there was only one time for centralized enrollment in a year, it was only autumn now and many rich people had already sought Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Zhao to arrange for their girls to study in Erya Female Academy.
The status of Erya Female Academy as the number one female academy in Luohe Prefecture was made permanent. Even when some people want to open a female academy later, none of them can surpass Erya Female Academy. .
***
Currently Su Family had designated personnel in charge of each work. Now there wasn't only Third Master Huang outside. Su Family had also recruited a new supervisor. A fair and chubby middle-aged man named Ai Chang was in charge of the Sujiayan. Ai Chang was capable. Under his management, Sujiayan was also thriving. You Jin can be regarded as completely free and began to arrange for You Yin's dowry.
You Yin had already turned 15 in spring. Now it was autumn. Her wedding with Han Li was scheduled for May 18 next year.
Because Han Li had no father or mother, the two will still live in Su’s house after they get married. However, to give the young couple privacy, You Jin decided to build a new three-story house on the left side of Su Family's current house after a family discussion. The triple entry property was the future home of the young couple.
Mrs. Han knew that Su Family was going to build a new house and had some ideas herself. In the past half a year, the cosmetic shop she ran had earned some money. So she bought the two mu of land on the right side of Su Family's house. One after another, they started the construction.
Today's west side of the Wuliqiao River was no longer as desolate as it was when Su Family first arrived five years ago, because there was a pier for water transportation a few kilometers away. So many families who used to live on the east side of the river began to slowly moved to both sides of the west river’s official road. Besides Su Family's house, there were four or five families who built new houses on the west side of the river. which was quite lively.
"I heard from Mother that Younger Sister Xiao Ning's marriage had been settled. I wonder to which family?" Outside the gate of Su's house, You Jin, who was out for a walk with a few big dogs, just happened to meet Zhao Chun Hua who was returning from the stall. The two of them stood by the river and had a conversation.
Zhao Chun Hua was no longer farming the fields in the wind and sun every day like before. She had grown fairer and looked much younger than a few years ago. She smilingly replied: "The second son of Zhangjia Village’s Lizheng in the west of Dingcheng. The wedding date is set on the twentieth of December. You must come and attend, You Jin." Zhao Chun Hua smiled happily, presumably because she was very satisfied with her daughter's marriage.
"I watched Younger Sister Xiao Ning grow up. Even if Auntie doesn't invite me, I will remember to add dowry for my younger sister!" You Jin accepted Zhao Chun Hua's invitation with a smile. Following this, she asked Zhao Chun Hua about her granddaughter’s situation: "I heard that little Ni Ni isn't feeling well recently? I still have some nourishing medicine at home and will send it to Auntie in a while."
Lian Hua-er gave birth to a thin and small daughter at the end of spring this year. Because of Lian Hua-er's excessive worrying during pregnancy, little Ni Ni was born undernourished. Currently she was almost half a year old and was always unwell every now and then.
Speaking of her only granddaughter, Zhao Chun Hua’s initial smile faded from her face. Sighing, she responded, "It's not that I want to gossip. It's just that my daughter-in-law always overthinks. Say, which woman doesn’t dote on the child they birth? Everyone in our family is overjoyed, only she isn’t. You Jin, you don’t know, our little Ni Ni is only five months old and she doesn’t even have milk to eat! I really don't know what Lian Hua-er is thinking!"
You Jin didn't answer her words. After all, this was someone else's family affairs. How would it look, if she, an outsider, intervened? She just smiled and said: "As the grandmother, Auntie got to work harder. I will send someone to send some supplements over later. Auntie, see if it's of any use."
Zhao Chun Hua looked at the beautiful You Jin, who was sensible and considerate, and then thought about the daughter-in-law who was acting up every now and then. She couldn't help sighing again. It was all fate!
The two chatted for nearly a quarter of an hour before they parted. No one took this matter to heart. Nor did anyone notice that in the field not far away, a figure hunched down at a low place and heard every word.
When You Jin got home, she asked Auntie Song to find a box of unopened bird's nests of average quality and two thin ginseng and send them to He's house.
After sending Aunt Song away, Zhao Chun Hua went back to the main hall and opened the box. She was stunned: "This is, bird, bird's nest?"
She thought it would be some normal nourishing medicinal material. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be four cups of bird's nest plus two wild ginseng! Although Mrs. Zhao had never seen a real bird's nest, she had heard people mention it a few times. She kind of knew how precious it was.
"What bird's nest?" Sitting on the couch smoking a pipe, He Hao asked curiously when he heard his wife’s stuttering.
Zhao Chun Hua was still staring at the box in a daze and didn't come back to her senses. It took a while before she briefly talked about meeting You Jin today: "I thought it was just some normal nourishing medicinal material. Never thought that this child would give it away such valuable things! No, I'd better take it and return it to Su Family!"
After finishing speaking, she closed the lid and prepared to return it.
"Wait a minute, wait a moment. You already accepted it. What do you mean by returning it?" He Hao hurriedly stopped her: "Since You Jin sent it over, it’s her thought. Keep it. Stewing it to nourish you and the children is a good idea."
Seeing family head say that, Zhao Chun Hua kept the things: "Alright. I'll cook a pot tomorrow for Lian Hua-er."
Although Mrs. Zhao disliked this overthinking daughter-in-law, she would still think of her when there was anything good. After all, a town girl like her married into her family and gave birth to a little granddaughter for their family.
In the early morning of the next day, Mrs. Zhao went to Su's house to ask Su Family’s cook how to stew bird’s nest. After stewing a cup of bird’s nest in the afternoon, she gave half to Daughter-in-law and Daughter each. For herself, she mixed some water to dilute it just to have a taste.
Back to Lian Hua-er. Yesterday she saw people from Su Family bringing over a large box of things and today she could have this small half bowl of bird's nest. She felt even more aggrieved: "When you have anything good, you keep it for yourself and only give this half a bowl of bird's nest. Are you treating me like a beggar?"
After finishing speaking, she slammed the bowl onto the table. The banging sound scared the little Ni Ni who was sleeping on the kang into crying.
Being disturbed by the baby's cries, her mood worsened. Thinking of the grievances she had suffered since she married into He Family for more than a year, she couldn't bear it for a while and leaned on the table and began to cry.
Back to Madam Qin. Initially, she felt a little complacent for pushing away Sy Family’s troublesome matter. Unforeseen, she was slapped in the face so quickly. The little-known Su Family actually invited old Madam Liu to be the academy head.
After Magistrate Qin found out about this, there was a slight feeling of blaming her for slow movement and resulted in Liu Family getting the benefit: "Nowadays in Luohe Prefecture, who doesn't know Erya Female Academy? Who doesn't know Erya Female Academy’s academy head is old Madam Liu of Liu Family? Now Liu Family is in the limelight in Luohe Prefecture for a while."
Madam Qin glanced at her family’s master with inexplicable guilt. She didn't even dare to tell him that Su Family invited her to be the academy head first and she felt it was too risky and rejected it. Madam Qin, whose lips were slightly dry, picked up the cup and took a sip. She didn’t know what to say for a while.
"Forget it. Since we missed the position of the academy head, there’s the deputy head. I remember that Su Family’s lass had dropped by to visit you this spring? Come to think of it, she will give you face." Official Qin’s unintentional remark made Madam Qin even more guilty. Back in spring, Su Family’s lass came knocking to find her. It was to ask her to be the academy head!
Seeing his wife not answering for a long time, Official Qin was a little displeased: "What do you think, Madam?"
"What Master says is right. It's just that Su Family’s lass and I haven’t been in contact for a good few months. To suddenly..." Madam Qin came back to her senses. Thinking how she was going to pull down her face to beg Su Family's lass, she was a bit vexed. It was always others holding her high. But now she had to plead with someone. Where does her face go then?
"Madam, please think about it for your husband. Now that we lost the head start to Liu Family and Liu Family occupies the limelight, how will I gain a foothold in Luohe Prefecture in the future?" Thinking of Liu Zhi Chuan's proud face, Official Qin felt that he couldn't swallow this breath. Liu Zhi Chuan, had a good younger brother and a good younger sister. But they were both on the same level. Why did Liu Zhi Chuan suppress him in everything?
Madam Qin knew that her family's master and Liu Family were butt heads in private. Although her own face was important, it couldn't win over Master's face. So she nodded and agreed hesitantly.
After sending off the contented Official Qin, Madam Qin who was standing on the porch looked at the somewhat tall sky. She couldn't help muttering to herself: "Could it be that I was wrong?"
Her personal attendant didn’t dare to speak. Can anyone tell her how to move this useless chess peice?
***
You Jin received Madam Qin's letter when she took their family’s children to Houjiawan for a walk.
"Invite me to admire chrysanthemums?" You Jin looked at the beautiful handwriting on the letter and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. It seemed that they hadn't seen each other for half a year since Madam Qin clearly rejected her invitation. Why did she suddenly think of sending her a letter?
Yue Wen Sheng, who was also sitting in the parlor, heard about this and recalled the gossip he heard from his classmates that day. So he spoke out, "Could it be because of Erya Female Academy?"
Yue Wen Sheng won the 37th place in the spring examination and was currently studying as a Tongsheng in Luohe Prefecture Fu Academy.
"Why do you say that?" Hearing Yue Wen Sheng's words, You Jin became a little curious. This younger cousin brother was mature for his age. How could he still know these gossips? What’s more, it was gossip about Erya Female Academy. This made it even more interesting.
Yue Wen Sheng felt this most powerful elder cousin sister's interested gaze on him. He couldn't help but feel a little shy. Coughing dryly, he responded: "I just heard a few gossips from my classmates in the academy that day. Saying Official Liu and Official Qin were in a banquet. Erya Female Academy was mentioned and everyone praised old Madam Liu as a female Zhong Zhu Ge, who understands righteousness. They also praised as Liu Family a scholarly family and the daughters they cultivated were all good."
"Is there such a thing?" You Jin looked at her younger cousin brother who was blushing as he talked. She couldn't help laughing. This kid was quite shy. She spoke: "Then if Madam Qin comes to me because of this matter, could it be that she wants to be the academy head?"
Thinking of this reason, You Jin really wanted to laugh. When she first invited her, she kept refusing. Now that Erya Female Academy had been established, she wanted to get a share of it. Truly want to occupy whatever good matters?
Despite all the criticism, she still had to attend the appointment.
And Madam Qin's purpose was indeed as You Jin and Yue Wen Sheng guessed- to get a share of the Erya Female Academy. The other party didn’t seek profit, just fame. You Jin wasn't an inflexible person. It went without saying she wouldn’t reject Madam Qin like an egg thrown against a stone. She arranged for the post of supervisor according to Madam Qin's wishes.
The supervisor only needed to show up at major festivals to represent the academy during the ceremony performance. This not only satisfied Madam Qin's requirement to show up among the ladies of noble families, but also didn’t require her to pay too much attention to the actual affairs of the academy. For Madam Qin who disliked trouble, it was perfect.
Of course, the addition of Madam Qin had further improved the reputation of Erya Female Academy. Although it was said that there was only one time for centralized enrollment in a year, it was only autumn now and many rich people had already sought Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Zhao to arrange for their girls to study in Erya Female Academy.
The status of Erya Female Academy as the number one female academy in Luohe Prefecture was made permanent. Even when some people want to open a female academy later, none of them can surpass Erya Female Academy. .
***
Currently Su Family had designated personnel in charge of each work. Now there wasn't only Third Master Huang outside. Su Family had also recruited a new supervisor. A fair and chubby middle-aged man named Ai Chang was in charge of the Sujiayan. Ai Chang was capable. Under his management, Sujiayan was also thriving. You Jin can be regarded as completely free and began to arrange for You Yin's dowry.
You Yin had already turned 15 in spring. Now it was autumn. Her wedding with Han Li was scheduled for May 18 next year.
Because Han Li had no father or mother, the two will still live in Su’s house after they get married. However, to give the young couple privacy, You Jin decided to build a new three-story house on the left side of Su Family's current house after a family discussion. The triple entry property was the future home of the young couple.
Mrs. Han knew that Su Family was going to build a new house and had some ideas herself. In the past half a year, the cosmetic shop she ran had earned some money. So she bought the two mu of land on the right side of Su Family's house. One after another, they started the construction.
Today's west side of the Wuliqiao River was no longer as desolate as it was when Su Family first arrived five years ago, because there was a pier for water transportation a few kilometers away. So many families who used to live on the east side of the river began to slowly moved to both sides of the west river’s official road. Besides Su Family's house, there were four or five families who built new houses on the west side of the river. which was quite lively.
"I heard from Mother that Younger Sister Xiao Ning's marriage had been settled. I wonder to which family?" Outside the gate of Su's house, You Jin, who was out for a walk with a few big dogs, just happened to meet Zhao Chun Hua who was returning from the stall. The two of them stood by the river and had a conversation.
Zhao Chun Hua was no longer farming the fields in the wind and sun every day like before. She had grown fairer and looked much younger than a few years ago. She smilingly replied: "The second son of Zhangjia Village’s Lizheng in the west of Dingcheng. The wedding date is set on the twentieth of December. You must come and attend, You Jin." Zhao Chun Hua smiled happily, presumably because she was very satisfied with her daughter's marriage.
"I watched Younger Sister Xiao Ning grow up. Even if Auntie doesn't invite me, I will remember to add dowry for my younger sister!" You Jin accepted Zhao Chun Hua's invitation with a smile. Following this, she asked Zhao Chun Hua about her granddaughter’s situation: "I heard that little Ni Ni isn't feeling well recently? I still have some nourishing medicine at home and will send it to Auntie in a while."
Lian Hua-er gave birth to a thin and small daughter at the end of spring this year. Because of Lian Hua-er's excessive worrying during pregnancy, little Ni Ni was born undernourished. Currently she was almost half a year old and was always unwell every now and then.
Speaking of her only granddaughter, Zhao Chun Hua’s initial smile faded from her face. Sighing, she responded, "It's not that I want to gossip. It's just that my daughter-in-law always overthinks. Say, which woman doesn’t dote on the child they birth? Everyone in our family is overjoyed, only she isn’t. You Jin, you don’t know, our little Ni Ni is only five months old and she doesn’t even have milk to eat! I really don't know what Lian Hua-er is thinking!"
You Jin didn't answer her words. After all, this was someone else's family affairs. How would it look, if she, an outsider, intervened? She just smiled and said: "As the grandmother, Auntie got to work harder. I will send someone to send some supplements over later. Auntie, see if it's of any use."
Zhao Chun Hua looked at the beautiful You Jin, who was sensible and considerate, and then thought about the daughter-in-law who was acting up every now and then. She couldn't help sighing again. It was all fate!
The two chatted for nearly a quarter of an hour before they parted. No one took this matter to heart. Nor did anyone notice that in the field not far away, a figure hunched down at a low place and heard every word.
When You Jin got home, she asked Auntie Song to find a box of unopened bird's nests of average quality and two thin ginseng and send them to He's house.
After sending Aunt Song away, Zhao Chun Hua went back to the main hall and opened the box. She was stunned: "This is, bird, bird's nest?"
She thought it would be some normal nourishing medicinal material. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be four cups of bird's nest plus two wild ginseng! Although Mrs. Zhao had never seen a real bird's nest, she had heard people mention it a few times. She kind of knew how precious it was.
"What bird's nest?" Sitting on the couch smoking a pipe, He Hao asked curiously when he heard his wife’s stuttering.
Zhao Chun Hua was still staring at the box in a daze and didn't come back to her senses. It took a while before she briefly talked about meeting You Jin today: "I thought it was just some normal nourishing medicinal material. Never thought that this child would give it away such valuable things! No, I'd better take it and return it to Su Family!"
After finishing speaking, she closed the lid and prepared to return it.
"Wait a minute, wait a moment. You already accepted it. What do you mean by returning it?" He Hao hurriedly stopped her: "Since You Jin sent it over, it’s her thought. Keep it. Stewing it to nourish you and the children is a good idea."
Seeing family head say that, Zhao Chun Hua kept the things: "Alright. I'll cook a pot tomorrow for Lian Hua-er."
Although Mrs. Zhao disliked this overthinking daughter-in-law, she would still think of her when there was anything good. After all, a town girl like her married into her family and gave birth to a little granddaughter for their family.
In the early morning of the next day, Mrs. Zhao went to Su's house to ask Su Family’s cook how to stew bird’s nest. After stewing a cup of bird’s nest in the afternoon, she gave half to Daughter-in-law and Daughter each. For herself, she mixed some water to dilute it just to have a taste.
Back to Lian Hua-er. Yesterday she saw people from Su Family bringing over a large box of things and today she could have this small half bowl of bird's nest. She felt even more aggrieved: "When you have anything good, you keep it for yourself and only give this half a bowl of bird's nest. Are you treating me like a beggar?"
After finishing speaking, she slammed the bowl onto the table. The banging sound scared the little Ni Ni who was sleeping on the kang into crying.
Being disturbed by the baby's cries, her mood worsened. Thinking of the grievances she had suffered since she married into He Family for more than a year, she couldn't bear it for a while and leaned on the table and began to cry.
Man, there must be something off with Lian Hua-er, why doesn't she just talk it out with her husband or MIL. Thank you for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteI’d like to feel sorry for her because her husband really has unrequited feelings for You Jin but very few could marry for love in that society. Her in-law's are caring and her husband doesn’t mistreat her. What gives her the gall to mistreat her own daughter?
ReplyDeleteI must add, his unrequited love is something of the past.
DeleteSure, his gaze still follow You Jin when they're in the same room and he becomes upbeat after he saw her. But, which person who wouldn't? You Jin is like a scorching light of life and energy. Who--as long as they have pure heart--would not feel uplifted after seeing such optimism? Yes, it can be love, but not always.
I believe he's just see You Jin as his past love and someone he respects now. After all, he almost lost his drive of life after his heart broken. But then, he turned around and became a Xuicai after he married his current wife. Even if it's not out of his love for this Lian girl, he has been trying to step out of his unrequited love. This Lian girl can get so much more happiness if only she talk, make a proper communication with her husband and in-laws instead of expecting the worse of people to manifest in them.
Three things I feel I should mention --
ReplyDelete1. She's probably a teenager (17-18) yrs old and still immature just like most girls..... Our MC is double that age if you count both lifetimes which is why she is mature and a more attractive daughter in law for potential mother in laws.
2. Lin Hua seems to have a lot of misunderstandings with her mother in law so technically to her, only her father in law doesn't prefer someone else as his daughter in law. Her husband has unrequited feelings and her mother in law (though unknowingly) shows her preference for Yu Jin.
3. Of course she should talk it out with her husband or mother in law but as her elder with more experience it should actually be upto Aunty Zhang to explain and reassure her (not just actions but also words because people can actually be very oblivious -- speaking from personal experience -- and sometimes wont understand things unless they are pointed out).
Not to mention that noble ladies who were married off in the same age often went along with and Old Mama/Momo who would be able to explain such thiings to them and look out for their best interests.
ReplyDeleteIts also possible that she's suffering from post-partum depression (which is still not much known about, forget in those times) that just makes her relationship with her in laws and husband worse.
ReplyDelete