A small note: I’ve been translating 三少 as third young master because I a.s.sumed the words 三少 (literally, three less) were short for 三少爷 (third young master). However, I realised that I could be wrong so please take my translation with a grain of salt >_
Edited by Dusk
Chapter 4
On Friday, there were only two afternoon cla.s.ses. After cla.s.s, BaoBei carried a bunch of bags as she took a bus to her brother-in-law"s company, planning to hitch a ride with him to their house as she was going to spend the weekend there.
"BaoBei, you brought all these gifts for your brother-in-law?" The secretary who was always ordered to bring things to BaoBei"s school greeted her politely.
"Yes yes." BaoBei was bent over at an empty seat in the secretary"s office, playing the computer. When she heard the secretary’s voice, she guiltily nodded.
What gifts? The bags were filled with her many weeks" worth of dirty laundry, ready to be carted off to let the maids wash.
As the saying goes, compet.i.tion dwells where there is a man and his foe. [1] In that secretary"s room, there seated four secretaries, all female. It would be surprising if gossips were not shared.
Every time BaoBei came, she had to listen to all the different types of company gossip.
It was obvious that the secretaries were letting BaoBei listen to them on purpose. In fact, they even hoped that BaoBei would pick up the spirit of gossiping and went back to share some of it with the Chairman"s wife.
BaoBei did not want to listen at all, and in the end it was Xia Tian"s phone call that had saved her.
"What is it?"
Xia Tian was probably still in cla.s.s because his voice was low and wasn’t that audible.
BaoBei clicked her tongue then suddenly shouted, "You won"t waste the bills if you speak louder!"
"Xia BaoBei! Are you trying to kill me?" Xia Tian who was speaking in a low voice a.s.sumed that the other side would too, so his phone was firmly pressed to his ear.
"If you are willing to die then I"m willing to bury you."
"I"m not going to chat with you anymore. This weekend, I"m going back to S City. You take care of yourself."
"If I don"t take care of myself then who will? You?" Xia Tian was a prodigy. He might be one year younger than BaoBei but both of them entered university at the same time. The siblings entered the same university, however one was in the Business Department while the other was in the Law Department. Even in such a big campus, they would still b.u.mp into each other whether they meet up deliberately or not.
"Good girl. This weekend go back to elder sister"s place." Sometimes, Xia Tian acted more like an elder brother. The little b.a.s.t.a.r.d was like a mother hen, super protective towards his two elder sisters, especially BaoBei. Even if they don"t meet up during the week, Xia Tian would still use every way he can to protect his sister.
" I don"t need your reminder! I"m already at brother-in-law"s place."
"Alright then, I"ll hang up."
"Hey, Xia Tian, why are you going back to S City?"
"Grandfather wants me to do something." This child was actually clueless too, but as long as he was asked to, he would do it.
"Then that thing from S City, bring me that that that……"
"That that that?"
"You"re asking me what that that that is? Aren"t we supposed to be one of the same heart? It can"t be that you don"t know what that that that that that that is……"
"Okay okay. I got it. I"ll bring it for you." Xia Tian’s head ached.
"I"ll be angry if you bring back the wrong thing."
"I"m hanging up." Xia Tian hung up the phone before BaoBei could reply.
After the third young master got married, he has started to become more of a family man. In these few years, he had already turned into the epitome of filial piety. [2] BaoBei sighed. Her sister"s husband was not only talented, he was also self-conscious. [3] In BaoBei"s eyes, this third young master was the ultimate husband and man. What"s more, the Xia sisters were just in time to see the third young master in the prime of his life. [4]
Leaving work half an hour earlier, the third young master got into his car to drive home, and beside him was BaoBei. To leave and arrive at work half an hour earlier was the third young master"s habit. If he was any later then he would be stuck in the morning and evening rush hour. How annoying!
The car entered the high cla.s.s villa housing area developed by Mr Guan. BaoBei looked around, thinking that getting a house here would probably make her scrounge for food her entire life. And true enough, there were still few houses that were empty even after all this time.
"Mo BeiYu!" BaoBei shouted as she got off the car.
And not even ten seconds later, her sister came out of the door as she carried Mo BeiYu. Mo BeiYu was still small, and once he was on his mother"s arms, he’ll refused to come down.
This little kid was especially clever. Once his father was there, he would attach himself to his father because he knew that his father would never allow his mother to become too tired.
"Come come! Let aunty carry you." Once she put her dirty clothes near the entrance, BaoBei took BeiYu into her arms and walked away. The little kid knew that he had to please his aunty, but, after not seeing his father the whole day, he wanted his father to carry him. So he reached his hands towards his father and called "papa".
However, everyone ignored him. His aunty wanted to hug him so she just entered the house with him in her arms. His father, well, he also ignored BeiYu. His father hugged his mother first, before he held her hands and walked into the house.
Xia Xu stared at all the bags at the door. Even without asking, she already knew that those were things that needed to be washed.
While she handed the slippers over to her husband, Xia Xu turned her head to reprimand her sister. "For a lady, she has to at least learn how to do basic ch.o.r.es. If they don"t, then what will happen after they get married?"
"You can"t expect me to be like you and practice like it"s some kind of martial arts, right? Even my brother-in-law doesn"t want you to do so much." BaoBei hugged her nephew as she teased and played with the little kid. For children, once there was something fun to play, they would even forget how they wanted their father to hug them just a while ago.
BaoBei especially liked eating at her sister"s place. This place was filled with familial love, [5] it was very soothing. Xia Xu, who didn"t like to cook would still cook a few of her husband"s favourite dishes. During the meal, they would feed Mo BeiYu as they chattered on softly.
Xia Xu might look quiet but her conversational skills are quite amazing. The key is to understand the person and read the mood of the situation as they speak. This is why even after years of marriage, the third young master could still spend a few hours before sleeping to hold his wife"s hand as they talked. In their relationship, Xia Xu was a master, and the third young master enjoyed this kind of life. [6]
Today as well, Mo BeiYu sat on the baby chair, a Hermes baby bib around his neck and a spoon on his left hand as he scooped up the baby food to eat by himself. Xia Xu would take a look at her child once in a while. Seeing him so obedient, she would then turn around to talk with her husband and sister. Silence at the dining table was not a rule in the third young master"s house because he enjoyed the hustle and bustle.
"BaoBei, did you get a boyfriend at school?" Xia Xu suddenly asked.
"Why did this conversation suddenly turned to me?" BaoBei wailed.
"I would also like to know." The third young master usually liked to drink a bit at the table. However, after he got married, the times he got drunk have not exceeded three times.
"Brother-in-law, you"re too evil. Ganging up on me with elder sister."
"There you go talking nonsense again. When did we gang up on you? We"re just worried about you." Xia Xu smiled as she scolded her.
"No, no boyfriend." BaoBei huffed.
"No one suitable?" The elder sister asked.
"Hey! None of them has been able to enter my line of sight. They all suck." But after she thought for a while, BaoBei continued, "But there is this one person that I"ve liked for quite a long time."
"Who?" Xia Xu was quite interested in all the secrets of her younger siblings. Xia Xu might have been married for years, however her heart was still childish. This was because she had married at a young age, so she was actually still quite young.
"This person, he likes it when I don"t wear any make up. He likes it when I tie my hair up in a ponytail. Every day he would ask me what I ate for lunch and what I wanted to eat for dinner. He would complain whenever I buy clothes, but then praise me that I"m beautiful when I wear them. He doesn"t want me to waste my money, and hands over his bank card. When he calls and hear me cry, he would keep quiet and then say, "Don"t study anymore. Come back, I"ll raise you!""
BaoBei said all that, her face enraptured. But as Xia Xu listened, she felt that it was impossible. Soon she started to glare at BaoBei.
"This man, I love him as well."
"Who is this man who loves you the most in the whole wide world?" This time it was the third young master who asked. What a smart man, accompanying the two sister as they acted out a play. This was how their life was.
"This man who loves me the most in the whole wide world is already married to my mom!" BaoBei cried with exaggerated sadness.
The third young master laughed.
Halfway through dinner, a guest suddenly appeared.
After the third young master answered the phone, he personally went to the door to greet the guest.
"You didn"t look for Little Five?" [7]
"He was out. Probably another job."
"You"re quite sneaky huh [8], coming back without telling anyone. How long have you been back?"
"It"s been two days."
The third young master and another man"s voice could be heard. Guessing by the voice, BaoBei was sure it would be a good looking man. The voice was unlike her brother-in-law"s low but magnetic voice. It was more of a clean and even a bit flat kind of voice that gave a soothing effect.
"How long are you going to stay this time? The third young master asked.
Soon enough, while they talked and walked, the two men appeared at the dining room door.
The man wore a pair of casual dress pants and a simple white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbow. With one hand in his pocket, he looked undeniably handsome.
As he raised his eyes slightly to look at them, BaoBei felt like the room"s light dimmed.
Indifferent, comforting, flourishing, a deep bottomless pit.
"I"m not leaving anymore." He said in a low voice. His voice sounded like a priceless ba.s.s cello.
BaoBei had no idea why but his words. .h.i.t straight into her heart.
Pursing her lips, BaoBei closed her eyes as she felt her face blush.
Outrageous! [9] She can"t believe that she had thought that he was talking to her.
"Not bad, MoXiu! Finally decided to stop being a foreign devil huh?" the third young master brought the man over to the dining table.
Jiang MoXiu quite naturally sat down on BaoBei"s left side. Xia Xu had already stood up to go fetch another set of cutleries and placed them where the guest sat.
"Sorry for neglecting you earlier." Xia Xu apologised as courtesy. [10]
"Sister-in-law is too nice. I was the one who intruded." The other party also replied with courtesy.
"Xia Xu, this is Little Five and Little Six"s childhood friend. He also hung out a lot with us elder ones, just like a bug. He had lived in the US all this while though recently, he has started to move his business into the country." It was obvious that the third young master was in a good mood.
"MoXiu, this is my wife Xia Xu. Since you didn"t come back for our wedding, you guys haven"t met yet, right?"
MoXiu nodded his head and smiled.
The smile was absolutely impeccable. However, BaoBei felt a bit uneasy, feeling like this man was hiding more than what he let on.
"This is my sister-in-law, Xia BaoBei."
Jiang MoXiu turned his body slightly towards BaoBei, making her unconsciously turn her head to face him. Look! One glance and she felt like she had entered a deep pool. The bells in her head rang. This man"s eyes are super-duper beautiful!
"Nice to meet you, BaoBei."
"Nice…… Nice to meet you……" This greeting, no matter how you listened to it, sounded very awkward.
BaoBei was not a cowardly person. She blankly stared at the other party"s eyes for a while. 3 seconds later, and not a second more, she immediately turned her eyes away. Going by how corrupted she was, she felt like she would have jumped on him if she didn"t look away.
"This elder brother, have I seen you somewhere before?" This might be true, but for the one"s listening, it sounded more like a perfunctory question aimed at eliminating her embarra.s.sment.
Jiang MoXiu smiled a bit and did not reply. Only his eyes flashed, as an instance of gloominess could be seen.
[1] 有人的地方就有江湖, literally, "A place with people will have a Jiang Hu." Jiang Hu is that xianxia place where people will fight for their pride and their life.
[2] 成了完全的二十四孝, literally "Has completely become the 24 Filial Exemplars."
[3] Self-conscious as in he understood his own faults and was not arrogant or proud.
[4] 更叹，夏家姐妹是恰好赶上了三少最男人最有责任心的年华. I don"t really know what this mean to be honest. Like, if I broke it off it would be something like, "What"s more, the Xia sister were just in time to catch up to the third young master"s most manly and most responsible years." Which to be honest, I have no idea what that means >.
[5] 夫妻恩爱父慈子孝, literally, "the couple is loving while the father dotes on the child and the child respects his father".
[6] Truthfully, this pa.s.sage gave me a headache. Too much words that I don"t understand T^T The original was "别看夏絮平时安安静静的，可特能聊，关键是善解人意，是三少身边的解语花。不然怎么结婚这么多年了，三少时常会在睡前牵着老婆的小手和她絮絮叨叨地聊上好几个小时哪。夫妻相处之道，夏絮是个中高手，而三少很享受这样的生活模式。" If anyone has any better translation, just tell me.
[7] Little Five, as in the fifth youngest brother or something like that.
[8] He actually used 低调 which means something like low-profile. I have no idea how to make the word low-profile sound teasing so I opted for sneaky.
[9] Literally here was "Think too much!" But that sounds weird so…
[10] Literally, " "Our family were dining so we neglected you." This was Xia Xu"s learnt courtesy." Which to be honest sounded weird af so I opted for apologising.
Pytha says:
This chapter was harder to translate than I thought it would be. It’s also longer >_
I think I’m going to keep up this once every two days schedule for a while.
Funny thing, when I was translating the part about Xia Xu and the third young master, my playlist started playing Chainsmoker and Coldplay’s Something Just Like This…. Such irony….
By the way, have I mentioned that I butcher the original a lot? If I haven’t, then I do. I try to not make it sound so awkwardly Chinese so the overall tone and writing style of the author shifts slightly (or a lot). If anyone decides they can do a better job, feel free to pick this baby up~
Thanks to everyone who liked and commented ^_^