Uncle Xu gave them the key, he led them to the other residence, opened the door, lit up a candle, and then, he brought them to check out all the places in the residence, from top to bottom. After everyone had settled down, he went home but said he will come back tomorrow with daily necessities.
Because of today’s incident, A’Rui couldn’t stop blaming himself for Shangguan Xi’s injury. He continued to avoid and keep a distance from her, but still quietly followed her from behind, watching her being supported by Xie Xiao. At this time, Shangguan Xi was arranged to stay in the East room. A’Rui wants to arrange himself in the West room.
“A…A Jin, where are you going? You sleep here.” Jinxia pointed to the room beside her.
“No. I will sleep over there.”
“You need to sleep here so that my aunt can treat you both. There’s no way you’re making her go back and forth.” Jinxia said, “Besides, Ms. Chun has already taken that room, she said the sunshine was good over there. She intended to give you this room, let’s not refuse her good intention. It’s because of her that we get to stay here.”
Jinxia kept talking without stopping, A’Rui had absolutely no chance to interrupt her. After she finished, as he was about to step in, Xie Xiao came out of the room and said: “I will go buy food, what do you want to eat?” Xie Xiao asked.
They haven’t eaten since the fight with the pirates. At the residence, the kitchen is empty, covered in dust, there was no rice or flour, nothing they could use to cook. They would definitely need to go to the market tomorrow.
“Uncle, aunt and Ms. Chun must be hungry.” Jinxia thought for a moment, “Brother, why don’t you find a dumpling stall, he can carry his stall over here, we can eat it while it’s hot.”
Xie Xiao thought it was a good idea, so he quickly walked away.
The beggar uncle poked his head out of his room and said to Jinxia: “Dear niece, your aunt is calling you.”
“Yes, yes..” Jinxia was about to leave, but she noticed A’Rui was still standing there, she said again, “You sleep here, don’t go anywhere else. My aunt will come to examine you later.”
After saying that, the beggar uncle shouted once again. Jinxia thought something must’ve happened, so she hurriedly left, leaving A’Rui alone in the hall.
The room that Jinxia arranged for him was right next to Shangguan Xi, he suspected that Jinxia did this on purpose. After a moment of silence, just as he was about to step into his room, Shangguan’s voice was heard: “The person outside, Brother A Jin, right?”
A’Rui remained quiet for a moment, walked two steps toward her door, then said: “That’s right, and today….Today.”
Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Shangguan Xi quickly said: “Today, it was my fault for not being cautious. Brother A Jin, don’t take it to heart.”
“No, no, no.” A’Rui continued to say, “It was my fault, I startled you and got you hurt.”
“It was my own fault, how can I blame you?” Shangguan Xi paused for a moment, then continued, “I heard that Mrs. Shen came from a family of doctors, her skills are great. My leg was treated and bandaged, it’s much better.”
“That’s great. She’s a great doctor, with her here, you will definitely recover very soon. No need to worry and just rest.” A’Rui said.
In the room, Shangguan Xi tried to say a few comforting words: “Your wounds will definitely heal.”
“Yes, I know.”
A’Rui knew she had said everything she wanted to say. As he listens to her voice, he hears the warmth. She might not recognize him or she is unwilling to recognize him, but since she has tried to comfort him, he can’t let her down.
“Ms. Shangguan, please rest. I will head back first.” He looked at the dim light from the window and said, “My room is right next to you. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to knock or call. I will call Mrs. Shen for you.”
“Thank you.”
A’Rui stared at the door for a bit, then headed back to his room. As he lay down on his head, he remembered just a few days ago, he thought about when they were going to meet again, but now they unexpectedly became neighbours, what a surprise.
***
Jinxia, who was constantly being called by the beggar uncle, thought that something had happened. When she arrived, Mrs. Shen was smoothing out the wrinkles in the clothes, her expression was very calm.
“Aunt, you’re looking for me?”
“Here, try this on.” Mrs. Shen smiles as she looks at her.
Jinxia hesitantly walked over to her, her gaze fell on the sewing kit beside her, then again fell on the bundle of fabric. This means that when Mrs. Shen arrived at her room, she didn’t bother cleaning up the place but continued to sew. Jinxia was deeply moved by this, she was surprised and embarrassed, she feel that Mrs. Shen’s kindness towards her was much more than just strangers.
“You called me because of this?” She couldn’t help but ask, she turned to look at the beggar uncle.
The beggar uncle laughed: “What else? Where’s your Da Yang? I’m hungry.”
“We don’t have any rice or flour, so Da Yang can’t do anything. Uncle, just endure it.” Jinxia waved her hand.
“You’re heartless.” The beggar uncle tapped his forehead. Jinxia ignored him as he continued to talk, “When you need me, you called me uncle so nicely, now you don’t need me anymore, whether I die or live, you don’t care. I will wait for my grandson to come home, I will tell him you mistreated me.”
Jinxia laughed loudly and said: “What I mean is, uncle, please endure it for a while. Brother Xie has already gone out to kidnap a dumpling stall for you. I will ask them to add extra spring onion and seaweed for you.”
“Adding those things just makes my breath stink, why don’t you say that you’ll give me extra dumplings?”
The beggar uncle continued to babble and Mrs. Shen finally pushed him out.
“A lady wants to change her clothes, don’t come in.” She said to him.
The beggar uncle never dares to fight back Mrs. Shen’s words. He looked at the door and casually walked towards YangYue.
Even though there were no groceries, YangYue was already busy working in the kitchen. First, he went to fetch water to wash the kitchen, the stove, and the pot, then he dusted the rest of the kitchen. Luckily there was still some wood left for a fire, he quickly started a fire and boiled the water.
“Out of all these kids here, you’re the most hardworking.” The uncle beggar came in carrying wood.
YangYue raised his head, laughingly said: “Senior, it’s been a long day. Why don’t you rest?”
“I’m as tired as you are,” The beggar uncle handed him the wood, seeing his face reddened by the heat of the fire, he pretended not to see it, “This child, Jinxia, is trying on clothes with her aunt. I will tell her to come and help, as soon as they’re done.”
“No need, there’s not much work here.” YangYue hurriedly said, “Senior, just go rest. I will bring you warm water after I finish boiling it.”
The beggar uncle leaned against the kitchen door, he didn’t have any intention of leaving.
YangYue sensed something, hesitated and asked: “Senior, is there a problem?”
“Uh….You’re an honest child. Unlike Jinxia, who speaks without thinking.” The beggar uncle praised him, then said, “What did your aunt ask you?”
“My aunt?” YangYue was confused for a moment.
“Mrs. Shen? Jinxia keeps calling her aunt, aunt, aunt all the time.” The beggar uncle was about to say he’s not as quick as Jinxia, but he refrained from saying it.
“Oh….What did Mrs. Shen say to me?” YangYue wasn’t sure what he was asking.
The beggar uncle had to be blunt with his words: “Don’t you feel that she’s too nice to Jinxia?”
“Yes.” YangYue nodded his head, then laughed and said: “Jinxia has the ability to sweet talk to people, it’s no surprise that she won Mrs. Shen over.”
YangYue is truly a slow thinker, the beggar uncle was getting frustrated: “Did Mrs. Shen ask you something? Did she ask anything related to Jinxia?”
YangYue put the firewood down, then looked at the beggar uncle with a confused face: “Just chatting around. I didn’t pay much attention, so I forgot what we were chatting about.”
“You….”
The beggar uncle shook his head, he couldn’t believe a person like YangYue could become a constable. After thinking about it, he suddenly remembered that YangYue’s father was the leader of LiuShanmen. Feeling a little dissatisfied with his answer, the beggar uncle turned around and walked away.
YangYue continued to look at them, then continued on with his work.
***
After a while, Jinxia came in carrying a bowl of dumplings, and she said: “I knew you would be here. Come and eat while they’re still hot. If a bowl is not enough, I’ll get another bowl.”
“Wait.” YangYue stopped her, he looked at the purple dress on her, “This was made by Mrs. Shen?”
Jinxia nodded her head, carefully avoiding places that might dirty her dress, and she suddenly said: “Don’t you think she’s being a bit unusual?”
“Not just you. Your uncle just came looking for me, he said the same thing.” YangYue said.
“Then, what did you say?”
“I thought it was odd, but I wanted to talk to you first, so I didn’t say anything to him.”
Jinxia tightened her eyebrows: “Even uncle doesn’t know why Mrs. Shen is good to me….Da Yang, today when we were at the dock, when i tried to help Ms. Chun, she desperately blocked and stopped me from going. Her strength was really strong….It was like….” Jinxia wanted to say something but she couldn’t think of the right word.
“Like a mother protecting her child from danger?” YangYue said.
“Like a mother?!?” Jinxia repeated these words, she frowned, “No way. Mrs. Shen is the daughter of a noble family. Even if she wants to raise a child, it would be someone like Ms. Chun. After all, she doesn’t like governmental officials, so how can she be so nice to me….I always feel that it was a little odd. Thinking about it, since the meal, when you mentioned your father’s name, she immediately became different.”
YangYue thought for a moment: “Maybe I should send my father a letter, asking if he knows her.”
Jinxia hesitated: “Let’s wait a few more days, it’s not an urgent matter. Wait until Sister Shangguan’s leg to heal. Your father is now living in the Xie’s family house, if Sister Shangguan’s injury is not mentioned, and when they find out later, Brother Xie’s father will be furious, but if we tell them now, we’re just making them more worried for no reason. It’s better to wait, then we can write a letter. At least after reading it, they will feel more relieved.”
“Alright.” YangYue nodded his head.
After their meal, everyone cleaned up and went back to their room. It was a quiet night.
***
“You must take care of your hair, if it gets rough, it won’t be good.” Mrs. Shen said while combing her hair, she sighed: “Tomorrow, I will buy some black sesame seeds and knotweed root, then grind them into powder, so you can drink them everyday.
*[Knotweed roots have the benefit of enhancing immune function, blood flow, especially to the eyes, heart, skin, and joints, TN]
Jinxia looked into the mirror, she can feel the pain on her head, as Mrs. Shen brushes her hair: “No need to bother….My hair is always tied up, there’s no need to comb it…. A….A….A…gentle, gentle, please don’t brush it with force.”
After combing carefully, she lifted her strand of hair up and smooth it out: “Don’t move! Remember, you’re a lady. Even if you’re a government official, you’re still a lady. These days, I happen to be very free. I will teach you proper techniques to be a lady, so you don’t disappoint…..”
Jinxia looked at her suspicious expression, quickly turned around and asked: “Disappoint who?”
“Don’t disappoint your aunt! Don’t move.”
Mrs. Shen continued to brush her hair again.
After a struggle, Jinxia continued to stare at the mirror, noticing that Mrs. Shen was cleaning up the brushes. Jinxia stood up, was about to run out, she turned around and said: “I heard YangYue calling me, I’m leaving!”
“Wait!” Mrs. Shen exclaimed.
Jinxia just reached the door, she couldn’t help but stop, upon her calling. Jinxia turned back and said: “That’s right, I need to go buy spring rolls. Aunt, what type do you like? Sweet or salty?”
Mrs. Shen ignored her question, earnestly reminded her: “Walk like a lady. Don’t run around carelessly, or else people will question you.”
“Oh.”
Jinxia agreed, then slowly closed the door behind her, silently let out a sigh. She thought, maybe Mrs. Shen could still see her from the window, so she quickly moved away and then ran fast.
At this time, the beggar uncle and YangYue just came home from buying dumplings. Jinxia walked toward them and quickly pulled the beggar uncle to the side.
“Uncle, when do you plan on marrying my aunt?” She asked.
“This kid….What are you thinking about early in the morning?” The beggar uncle looked at her with bulging eyes, curiously asked.
Jinxia urged him: “Hurry up a little, I’ll throw in some nice words! Otherwise, I will find someone else for my aunt.”
“You dare!?”
“I see why not!” Jinxia put on an arrogant attitude, “Look at my head. Early in the morning, she already pulled me up to brush my hair, to the point my head hurts. Not to mention, she wants to teach me how to be a lady so I don’t disappoint her.”
“She wants to teach you?” The beggar uncle thought for a moment, then said, “Well, it’s not my head.”
Jinxia became irritated: “Uncle, do you not understand? My aunt is getting old, she wants a child.”
The beggar uncle froze in his place.
“Can you be a little quicker? After marriage, give birth to a child, so there’s someone for her to teach, don’t need to spend all her time on me.” Jinxia patted his shoulder, looked at him and continued to say: “Hurry up, uncle! If she keeps trying to change me, I will start hiding from her.”
Suddenly, she remembered they just bought some dumplings. After finishing what she had to say, she took the dumplings and followed YangYue, leaving the beggar uncle alone.
The beggar uncle was still standing in the same spot, motionless. When the breeze flew in, a spider fell down on his shoulder, the little spider crawled up to his head and decided to start webbing there.
***
Chun Yumin rolls up her sleeves, and she proceeds to wash the bamboo chopsticks. After rinsing them, she wiped them dry with a cloth.
YangYue, who had just returned from wiping the table and chairs, saw that she was washing the chopsticks, and he quickly rushed over: “Ms. Chun, this is trivial work, let me do it.”
“It’s alright. I can do it….There’s only so much I can do to help, plus I’m learning.” Chun Yumin said with a friendly smile. She carefully counted the number of people and neatly placed the clean chopsticks on the table.
Because of yesterday’s incident, Chun Yumin lost both of her maids. Cen Shou was becoming upset because the Young Master had ordered him to keep everyone safe. Adding to that was Uncle Xu’s words yesterday, about pirates coming to Xinhe City, it made his heart even more restless. He had been pacing back and forth all night until the sun had risen, that’s when I got a chance to close his eyes for a little while. At this time, Cen Shou sloppily walked into the dining hall because of the lack of sleep, he was extremely tired. When he noticed Chun Yumin was arranging chopsticks, he rushed over and frantically said: “Ms. Chun, why are you doing this? Did Miss Yuan tell you to do it?”
Jinxia was always known for not following proper standards, and without thinking much, he immediately concluded that it was Jinxia who forced Chun Yumin to work.
At this time, Jinxia who had just entered the dining room heard what Cen Shou have said: “I told her to do something?”
Chun Yumin hurriedly explained: “No, I want to do it….”
Before she could finish, Cen Shou cut her off, he angrily walked toward Jinxia: “I told you yesterday, Ms. Chun is a lady, you can’t order her around. You and she are not the same, how can you tell her to do such a thing?”
“This matter has nothing to do with Miss Yuan, I did it myself.” Chun Yumin tried to speak as loud as she could, but it seems like Cen Shou didn’t want to believe her.
Jinxia didn’t argue back right away, she looked at Cen Shou for a moment, then she noticed the eye bag under his eyes, she said: “You didn’t sleep well last night? No wonder you’re so angry in the morning….Why didn’t you sleep? Still thinking about the pirates and yesterday’s incident? Feel that you didn’t perform your responsibility well? Was it because you think you didn’t take good care of Ms. Chun or was it the loss of coins, so you’re afraid your Young Master will punish you? Or was it because Uncle Xu said the pirates will come to Xinhe City, so you feel that this place is not safe anymore, but because your Young Master said to wait here, so you don’t dare to leave? Is that why you keep walking back and forth all night?”
Cen Shou was stunned at her words, not expecting her to understand his frustration: “What are you? A ghost?”
Jinxia smiled: “I guessed right? Brother, sit down….Take it easy, have some dumplings to soothe your throat.”
Never heard of dumplings can be soothing for your throat. Chun Yumin covered her mouth and laughed. Jinxia was able to calm Cen Shou down.
“Ms. Chun, please have a seat as well,” Jinxia called out to Chun Yumin.
Chun Yumin smiled: “Everyone eats first, I will go invite the two seniors first.”
Inviting seniors down to eat is not a job for Chun Yumin to do, just as Cen Shou was about to open his mouth, Jinxia quickly jumped in: “What a lady! Brother, do you not understand? Ms. Chun came from a noble family, we all know that. Even if she does want to do something, you can’t stop her and no one would dare to ask her to work either, but because she’s a nice person, this is called the basic principle, since we’re all in the same state, it’s only fair that we all share the burden.”
“You’ve thought of everything, huh?”
“Actually, Brother, I understand you very well. I know you’re very compassionate and gentle towards women, you don’t have the heart to see her work, it’s alright.”
Jinxia’s words managed to subdued his emotions. At first, Cen Shou thought about eating right away, but he suddenly said: “Let’s wait for the two seniors to come and we’ll eat. There’s Shangguan Bangzhu and Young Master Bangzhu, have they eaten yet?”
“They can’t come down, but I will bring it up for them and A’Rui too.”
Jinxia quickly took the dumplings, then ran away.
Uncle Xu gave them the key, he led them to the other residence, opened the door, lit up a candle, and then, he brought them to check out all the places in the residence, from top to bottom. After everyone had settled down, he went home but said he will come back tomorrow with daily necessities.
Because of today’s incident, A’Rui couldn’t stop blaming himself for Shangguan Xi’s injury. He continued to avoid and keep a distance from her, but still quietly followed her from behind, watching her being supported by Xie Xiao. At this time, Shangguan Xi was arranged to stay in the East room. A’Rui wants to arrange himself in the West room.
“A…A Jin, where are you going? You sleep here.” Jinxia pointed to the room beside her.
“No. I will sleep over there.”
“You need to sleep here so that my aunt can treat you both. There’s no way you’re making her go back and forth.” Jinxia said, “Besides, Ms. Chun has already taken that room, she said the sunshine was good over there. She intended to give you this room, let’s not refuse her good intention. It’s because of her that we get to stay here.”
Jinxia kept talking without stopping, A’Rui had absolutely no chance to interrupt her. After she finished, as he was about to step in, Xie Xiao came out of the room and said: “I will go buy food, what do you want to eat?” Xie Xiao asked.
They haven’t eaten since the fight with the pirates. At the residence, the kitchen is empty, covered in dust, there was no rice or flour, nothing they could use to cook. They would definitely need to go to the market tomorrow.
“Uncle, aunt and Ms. Chun must be hungry.” Jinxia thought for a moment, “Brother, why don’t you find a dumpling stall, he can carry his stall over here, we can eat it while it’s hot.”
Xie Xiao thought it was a good idea, so he quickly walked away.
The beggar uncle poked his head out of his room and said to Jinxia: “Dear niece, your aunt is calling you.”
“Yes, yes..” Jinxia was about to leave, but she noticed A’Rui was still standing there, she said again, “You sleep here, don’t go anywhere else. My aunt will come to examine you later.”
After saying that, the beggar uncle shouted once again. Jinxia thought something must’ve happened, so she hurriedly left, leaving A’Rui alone in the hall.
The room that Jinxia arranged for him was right next to Shangguan Xi, he suspected that Jinxia did this on purpose. After a moment of silence, just as he was about to step into his room, Shangguan’s voice was heard: “The person outside, Brother A Jin, right?”
A’Rui remained quiet for a moment, walked two steps toward her door, then said: “That’s right, and today….Today.”
Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Shangguan Xi quickly said: “Today, it was my fault for not being cautious. Brother A Jin, don’t take it to heart.”
“No, no, no.” A’Rui continued to say, “It was my fault, I startled you and got you hurt.”
“It was my own fault, how can I blame you?” Shangguan Xi paused for a moment, then continued, “I heard that Mrs. Shen came from a family of doctors, her skills are great. My leg was treated and bandaged, it’s much better.”
“That’s great. She’s a great doctor, with her here, you will definitely recover very soon. No need to worry and just rest.” A’Rui said.
In the room, Shangguan Xi tried to say a few comforting words: “Your wounds will definitely heal.”
“Yes, I know.”
A’Rui knew she had said everything she wanted to say. As he listens to her voice, he hears the warmth. She might not recognize him or she is unwilling to recognize him, but since she has tried to comfort him, he can’t let her down.
“Ms. Shangguan, please rest. I will head back first.” He looked at the dim light from the window and said, “My room is right next to you. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to knock or call. I will call Mrs. Shen for you.”
“Thank you.”
A’Rui stared at the door for a bit, then headed back to his room. As he lay down on his head, he remembered just a few days ago, he thought about when they were going to meet again, but now they unexpectedly became neighbours, what a surprise.
***
Jinxia, who was constantly being called by the beggar uncle, thought that something had happened. When she arrived, Mrs. Shen was smoothing out the wrinkles in the clothes, her expression was very calm.
“Aunt, you’re looking for me?”
“Here, try this on.” Mrs. Shen smiles as she looks at her.
Jinxia hesitantly walked over to her, her gaze fell on the sewing kit beside her, then again fell on the bundle of fabric. This means that when Mrs. Shen arrived at her room, she didn’t bother cleaning up the place but continued to sew. Jinxia was deeply moved by this, she was surprised and embarrassed, she feel that Mrs. Shen’s kindness towards her was much more than just strangers.
“You called me because of this?” She couldn’t help but ask, she turned to look at the beggar uncle.
The beggar uncle laughed: “What else? Where’s your Da Yang? I’m hungry.”
“We don’t have any rice or flour, so Da Yang can’t do anything. Uncle, just endure it.” Jinxia waved her hand.
“You’re heartless.” The beggar uncle tapped his forehead. Jinxia ignored him as he continued to talk, “When you need me, you called me uncle so nicely, now you don’t need me anymore, whether I die or live, you don’t care. I will wait for my grandson to come home, I will tell him you mistreated me.”
Jinxia laughed loudly and said: “What I mean is, uncle, please endure it for a while. Brother Xie has already gone out to kidnap a dumpling stall for you. I will ask them to add extra spring onion and seaweed for you.”
“Adding those things just makes my breath stink, why don’t you say that you’ll give me extra dumplings?”
The beggar uncle continued to babble and Mrs. Shen finally pushed him out.
“A lady wants to change her clothes, don’t come in.” She said to him.
The beggar uncle never dares to fight back Mrs. Shen’s words. He looked at the door and casually walked towards YangYue.
Even though there were no groceries, YangYue was already busy working in the kitchen. First, he went to fetch water to wash the kitchen, the stove, and the pot, then he dusted the rest of the kitchen. Luckily there was still some wood left for a fire, he quickly started a fire and boiled the water.
“Out of all these kids here, you’re the most hardworking.” The uncle beggar came in carrying wood.
YangYue raised his head, laughingly said: “Senior, it’s been a long day. Why don’t you rest?”
“I’m as tired as you are,” The beggar uncle handed him the wood, seeing his face reddened by the heat of the fire, he pretended not to see it, “This child, Jinxia, is trying on clothes with her aunt. I will tell her to come and help, as soon as they’re done.”
“No need, there’s not much work here.” YangYue hurriedly said, “Senior, just go rest. I will bring you warm water after I finish boiling it.”
The beggar uncle leaned against the kitchen door, he didn’t have any intention of leaving.
YangYue sensed something, hesitated and asked: “Senior, is there a problem?”
“Uh….You’re an honest child. Unlike Jinxia, who speaks without thinking.” The beggar uncle praised him, then said, “What did your aunt ask you?”
“My aunt?” YangYue was confused for a moment.
“Mrs. Shen? Jinxia keeps calling her aunt, aunt, aunt all the time.” The beggar uncle was about to say he’s not as quick as Jinxia, but he refrained from saying it.
“Oh….What did Mrs. Shen say to me?” YangYue wasn’t sure what he was asking.
The beggar uncle had to be blunt with his words: “Don’t you feel that she’s too nice to Jinxia?”
“Yes.” YangYue nodded his head, then laughed and said: “Jinxia has the ability to sweet talk to people, it’s no surprise that she won Mrs. Shen over.”
YangYue is truly a slow thinker, the beggar uncle was getting frustrated: “Did Mrs. Shen ask you something? Did she ask anything related to Jinxia?”
YangYue put the firewood down, then looked at the beggar uncle with a confused face: “Just chatting around. I didn’t pay much attention, so I forgot what we were chatting about.”
“You….”
The beggar uncle shook his head, he couldn’t believe a person like YangYue could become a constable. After thinking about it, he suddenly remembered that YangYue’s father was the leader of LiuShanmen. Feeling a little dissatisfied with his answer, the beggar uncle turned around and walked away.
YangYue continued to look at them, then continued on with his work.
***
After a while, Jinxia came in carrying a bowl of dumplings, and she said: “I knew you would be here. Come and eat while they’re still hot. If a bowl is not enough, I’ll get another bowl.”
“Wait.” YangYue stopped her, he looked at the purple dress on her, “This was made by Mrs. Shen?”
Jinxia nodded her head, carefully avoiding places that might dirty her dress, and she suddenly said: “Don’t you think she’s being a bit unusual?”
“Not just you. Your uncle just came looking for me, he said the same thing.” YangYue said.
“Then, what did you say?”
“I thought it was odd, but I wanted to talk to you first, so I didn’t say anything to him.”
Jinxia tightened her eyebrows: “Even uncle doesn’t know why Mrs. Shen is good to me….Da Yang, today when we were at the dock, when i tried to help Ms. Chun, she desperately blocked and stopped me from going. Her strength was really strong….It was like….” Jinxia wanted to say something but she couldn’t think of the right word.
“Like a mother protecting her child from danger?” YangYue said.
“Like a mother?!?” Jinxia repeated these words, she frowned, “No way. Mrs. Shen is the daughter of a noble family. Even if she wants to raise a child, it would be someone like Ms. Chun. After all, she doesn’t like governmental officials, so how can she be so nice to me….I always feel that it was a little odd. Thinking about it, since the meal, when you mentioned your father’s name, she immediately became different.”
YangYue thought for a moment: “Maybe I should send my father a letter, asking if he knows her.”
Jinxia hesitated: “Let’s wait a few more days, it’s not an urgent matter. Wait until Sister Shangguan’s leg to heal. Your father is now living in the Xie’s family house, if Sister Shangguan’s injury is not mentioned, and when they find out later, Brother Xie’s father will be furious, but if we tell them now, we’re just making them more worried for no reason. It’s better to wait, then we can write a letter. At least after reading it, they will feel more relieved.”
“Alright.” YangYue nodded his head.
After their meal, everyone cleaned up and went back to their room. It was a quiet night.
***
“You must take care of your hair, if it gets rough, it won’t be good.” Mrs. Shen said while combing her hair, she sighed: “Tomorrow, I will buy some black sesame seeds and knotweed root, then grind them into powder, so you can drink them everyday.
*[Knotweed roots have the benefit of enhancing immune function, blood flow, especially to the eyes, heart, skin, and joints, TN]
Jinxia looked into the mirror, she can feel the pain on her head, as Mrs. Shen brushes her hair: “No need to bother….My hair is always tied up, there’s no need to comb it…. A….A….A…gentle, gentle, please don’t brush it with force.”
After combing carefully, she lifted her strand of hair up and smooth it out: “Don’t move! Remember, you’re a lady. Even if you’re a government official, you’re still a lady. These days, I happen to be very free. I will teach you proper techniques to be a lady, so you don’t disappoint…..”
Jinxia looked at her suspicious expression, quickly turned around and asked: “Disappoint who?”
“Don’t disappoint your aunt! Don’t move.”
Mrs. Shen continued to brush her hair again.
After a struggle, Jinxia continued to stare at the mirror, noticing that Mrs. Shen was cleaning up the brushes. Jinxia stood up, was about to run out, she turned around and said: “I heard YangYue calling me, I’m leaving!”
“Wait!” Mrs. Shen exclaimed.
Jinxia just reached the door, she couldn’t help but stop, upon her calling. Jinxia turned back and said: “That’s right, I need to go buy spring rolls. Aunt, what type do you like? Sweet or salty?”
Mrs. Shen ignored her question, earnestly reminded her: “Walk like a lady. Don’t run around carelessly, or else people will question you.”
“Oh.”
Jinxia agreed, then slowly closed the door behind her, silently let out a sigh. She thought, maybe Mrs. Shen could still see her from the window, so she quickly moved away and then ran fast.
At this time, the beggar uncle and YangYue just came home from buying dumplings. Jinxia walked toward them and quickly pulled the beggar uncle to the side.
“Uncle, when do you plan on marrying my aunt?” She asked.
“This kid….What are you thinking about early in the morning?” The beggar uncle looked at her with bulging eyes, curiously asked.
Jinxia urged him: “Hurry up a little, I’ll throw in some nice words! Otherwise, I will find someone else for my aunt.”
“You dare!?”
“I see why not!” Jinxia put on an arrogant attitude, “Look at my head. Early in the morning, she already pulled me up to brush my hair, to the point my head hurts. Not to mention, she wants to teach me how to be a lady so I don’t disappoint her.”
“She wants to teach you?” The beggar uncle thought for a moment, then said, “Well, it’s not my head.”
Jinxia became irritated: “Uncle, do you not understand? My aunt is getting old, she wants a child.”
The beggar uncle froze in his place.
“Can you be a little quicker? After marriage, give birth to a child, so there’s someone for her to teach, don’t need to spend all her time on me.” Jinxia patted his shoulder, looked at him and continued to say: “Hurry up, uncle! If she keeps trying to change me, I will start hiding from her.”
Suddenly, she remembered they just bought some dumplings. After finishing what she had to say, she took the dumplings and followed YangYue, leaving the beggar uncle alone.
The beggar uncle was still standing in the same spot, motionless. When the breeze flew in, a spider fell down on his shoulder, the little spider crawled up to his head and decided to start webbing there.
***
Chun Yumin rolls up her sleeves, and she proceeds to wash the bamboo chopsticks. After rinsing them, she wiped them dry with a cloth.
YangYue, who had just returned from wiping the table and chairs, saw that she was washing the chopsticks, and he quickly rushed over: “Ms. Chun, this is trivial work, let me do it.”
“It’s alright. I can do it….There’s only so much I can do to help, plus I’m learning.” Chun Yumin said with a friendly smile. She carefully counted the number of people and neatly placed the clean chopsticks on the table.
Because of yesterday’s incident, Chun Yumin lost both of her maids. Cen Shou was becoming upset because the Young Master had ordered him to keep everyone safe. Adding to that was Uncle Xu’s words yesterday, about pirates coming to Xinhe City, it made his heart even more restless. He had been pacing back and forth all night until the sun had risen, that’s when I got a chance to close his eyes for a little while. At this time, Cen Shou sloppily walked into the dining hall because of the lack of sleep, he was extremely tired. When he noticed Chun Yumin was arranging chopsticks, he rushed over and frantically said: “Ms. Chun, why are you doing this? Did Miss Yuan tell you to do it?”
Jinxia was always known for not following proper standards, and without thinking much, he immediately concluded that it was Jinxia who forced Chun Yumin to work.
At this time, Jinxia who had just entered the dining room heard what Cen Shou have said: “I told her to do something?”
Chun Yumin hurriedly explained: “No, I want to do it….”
Before she could finish, Cen Shou cut her off, he angrily walked toward Jinxia: “I told you yesterday, Ms. Chun is a lady, you can’t order her around. You and she are not the same, how can you tell her to do such a thing?”
“This matter has nothing to do with Miss Yuan, I did it myself.” Chun Yumin tried to speak as loud as she could, but it seems like Cen Shou didn’t want to believe her.
Jinxia didn’t argue back right away, she looked at Cen Shou for a moment, then she noticed the eye bag under his eyes, she said: “You didn’t sleep well last night? No wonder you’re so angry in the morning….Why didn’t you sleep? Still thinking about the pirates and yesterday’s incident? Feel that you didn’t perform your responsibility well? Was it because you think you didn’t take good care of Ms. Chun or was it the loss of coins, so you’re afraid your Young Master will punish you? Or was it because Uncle Xu said the pirates will come to Xinhe City, so you feel that this place is not safe anymore, but because your Young Master said to wait here, so you don’t dare to leave? Is that why you keep walking back and forth all night?”
Cen Shou was stunned at her words, not expecting her to understand his frustration: “What are you? A ghost?”
Jinxia smiled: “I guessed right? Brother, sit down….Take it easy, have some dumplings to soothe your throat.”
Never heard of dumplings can be soothing for your throat. Chun Yumin covered her mouth and laughed. Jinxia was able to calm Cen Shou down.
“Ms. Chun, please have a seat as well,” Jinxia called out to Chun Yumin.
Chun Yumin smiled: “Everyone eats first, I will go invite the two seniors first.”
Inviting seniors down to eat is not a job for Chun Yumin to do, just as Cen Shou was about to open his mouth, Jinxia quickly jumped in: “What a lady! Brother, do you not understand? Ms. Chun came from a noble family, we all know that. Even if she does want to do something, you can’t stop her and no one would dare to ask her to work either, but because she’s a nice person, this is called the basic principle, since we’re all in the same state, it’s only fair that we all share the burden.”
“You’ve thought of everything, huh?”
“Actually, Brother, I understand you very well. I know you’re very compassionate and gentle towards women, you don’t have the heart to see her work, it’s alright.”
Jinxia’s words managed to subdued his emotions. At first, Cen Shou thought about eating right away, but he suddenly said: “Let’s wait for the two seniors to come and we’ll eat. There’s Shangguan Bangzhu and Young Master Bangzhu, have they eaten yet?”
“They can’t come down, but I will bring it up for them and A’Rui too.”
Jinxia quickly took the dumplings, then ran away.
