Chapter 272: Daughter of the Republic VS Chinese Opera Singer (11.4)
As for her husband, this t.i.tle of “bandit marshal” was really h.e.l.la appropriate.
Before falling asleep, XunMi had the faint feeling that she seemed to have forgotten something.
At this time, the news that the Marshal had forcefully s.n.a.t.c.hed a woman also quietly spread in Li Hua Province.
On the other side, the Nian family who was anxiously waiting for their baby to return, waited from noon until the sun disappeared behind the horizon.
As the moon rose high into the sky, the candles in the house were extinguished one after another, but they were still waiting for the daughter who had said she was coming back that day.
Nian family’s elder husband and wife felt somewhat panicked. These were troubled times, and their daughter was an outstanding jade-like beauty, if by chance…
“Older brother, sister-in-law, don’t worry. XunMi is so smart, there’s no way she could meet with mishap. She was probably delayed by something on the road.” The second master of the Nian family, Nian YanHui, uttered these words of comfort, though he himself also felt uncertain.
Beforehand, they had heard the rumors spreading outside about the bandit marshal s.n.a.t.c.hing a young lady and bringing her back to his residence.
But none of them took the matter seriously. They all felt it couldn’t have anything to do with their children.
Only now, Nian YanHui didn’t know what to say. He could only pray that his inauspicious thoughts would not be proven correct.
Nian ShuRong was also constantly looking at the door with a worried face. She thought in her heart, how come her younger sister[1] still hadn’t returned? She was really worried to death.
The Nian family didn’t have all of those internal fights and schemes or power struggles, not to mention jealousy. The two houses of the Nian family got along very well, each performing their own duties without conflict.
The difference in age of the three children was not big, and they had played together since childhood, so their affection for one another was also very deep.
“Uncle, Aunt, Mom and Dad, Meimei,[2] why are you all here?”
Nian WenHao, who was hurrying back to see his little sister, still hadn’t entered the door when he saw the whole family at the doorway. “Don’t tell me you’re all waiting for me?”
It’s unimaginable! There had actually come a day when he unexpectedly got to enjoy such treatment.
The first rule of the Nian family was that women should be spoiled, and boys should be raised.
As a result of Nian WenHao’s upbringing, his dad hoped that he would become a cultured intellectual in the future. His name also held those high expectations.[3]
In the end, he entered the garrison troops without a word, and recklessly took the position of a.s.sault instructor.
When the Nian family members came to know of it, without exception they all thought: You’re frickin’ kidding me!!!
The Nian family members all came to an agreement not to partic.i.p.ate in these matters. How could they get involved again in the blink of an eye?
The helpless Nian family still didn’t tell Nian WenHao what to do. They insisted on allowing the younger generation to have the freedom to develop and grow.
“Ge,[4] you really would stick gold to your face. Who’s waiting for you? We’re waiting for Meimei. I also don’t know what’s going on. She still hasn’t returned yet, and it’s gotten dark out.” Nian ShuRong stomped her foot and stretched her neck out to look outside.
She tried to look angry and restrain her laughter at her brother. Her delicate oval face was like a lotus flower breaking the surface[5] and made one feel at ease. Coupled with her scholarly appearance, it set off her graceful nature.
“What, XiaoMei still hasn’t arrived? How can that be?” Nian WenHao didn’t quarrel with his sister at the moment, and his eyes widened in surprise.
XunMi had been pampered by the whole Nian family since she was a child. She was clever and sensible, and never gave them troubles. She did not resemble those daughters of aristocratic families that were unruly and willful.
So when he heard that their little sister had yet to return, Nian WenHao felt certain she had met with an accident.
“You all wait here, I’ll go take a look.” After speaking, he turned and ran out without ever having entered the house.
Nian ShuRong pulled her mother’s and aunt’s hands to head inside. “Auntie, Mother, don’t worry. XiaoMei is definitely all right. DaGe already went to find her. We should go inside to wait. Don’t make yourselves ill waiting for XiaoMei, or when the time comes she will certainly blame herself.”
As a daughter who stayed at home all year round, she also enjoyed the love of two mothers and two fathers.
Du Shu {T/N: her aunt/XunMi’s mom} patted Nian ShuRong’s hand, her face full of affection. “ShuRong is really considerate. If it weren’t for ShuRong, your aunt would be worried sick missing Little Mi every day.”
“Not at all. Auntie, I’m also your daughter, ah. XiaoMei isn’t here, so I ought to look after both of you. Although, all of you are taking care of me, hahahaha!” Nian ShuRong leaned on the shoulders of her two loved ones. She resembled a pleased child, with none of the maturity and composure she showed at school.
The two men who followed them in were also smiling.
However, this harmonious scene did not last long. Nian WenHao returned directly to the garrison and asked someone to lend a hand in finding his little sister.
The results were quick, but this was really not what he wanted to see.
His face turned grave and dark.
Today’s rumors were actually about his little sister. How could this be?
He hurried home to convey the situation to the two masters, “Dad, I will go at once to visit Ziju BaiLin.”
That d.a.m.ned bandit! It’s true that bad habits die hard. The only time they’d worked together, the commander’s flag had been taken by him.
Now he dared to play with his little sister. ***, he must beat him up until he was looking for his teeth all over the floor!
Du Shu and Ji JinWen {T/N: YanHui’s wife, probably} both had pale faces. They sat on carved wooden chairs made of cedar, their fingers gripping the armrests until their veins bulged.
“Auntie, Mother, don’t worry. We will go early tomorrow. It’s already late now. I’ll go with my brother to visit the Marshal’s residence to confirm the situation.” Nian ShuRong hurried forward and coaxed the two elders. Nian WenHao also asked all of the elders to go along and rest, and not to worry.
When the people left, Nian WenHao and Nian ShuRong rushed non-stop to the Marshal’s residence.
The distance between the two streets was not very far, but in the dark of the night, the walk still seemed to take some time.
When they finally arrived at the Marshal’s residence, the inside was already dark.
Six guards stood at the gate. When they saw people approaching, they immediately raised their guns and shouted, “Stop! Don’t step forward. This isn’t a place you can enter. Hurry and leave.”
This was the first time Nian WenHao had experienced the pleasure of having soldiers point guns at him, and he felt enraged.
However, he still remembered his business here. He took a step forward and exposed the badge on his wrist. “I am the a.s.sault instructor for the Li Hua Province garrison troops, Major Nian WenHao.”
The soldiers who spoke before immediately came forward to check and confirmed his authenticity, then straightened up to salute: “Sir!”
The soldiers standing behind put away their guns and followed suit: “Sir!”
“En.” Nian WenHao nodded and put away the badge. “Today, your Marshal took away a woman. What’s that woman’s name?”
He just hoped a million times in his heart that it would not be his little sister. He would rather his little sister had just been delayed on the road.
The few soldiers looked at each other, then shook their heads.
“Reporting, Sir! We do not know the name of the young lady. May I ask if Sir requires anything else?” The soldier who had inspected his badge inquired in a respectful manner.
Translator’s Notes
[1] They’re actually cousins, but ShuRong calls XunMi her sister because they all live in the same household (same paternal grandparents).
[2] Mei, meimei, or xiao mei = younger sister. Does not require blood relation, though in this case they are brother/sister. When used as a term of address, I’ll use the pinyin, but when it appears descriptively in the text, I’ll use younger/little sister. I felt the other family member positions translated fine into English, but I feel like there’s something really awkward about addressing someone as “sister” or “brother” in English. On the whole, I want to avoid overwhelming readers with pinyin, so I guess let me know if this grates on anyone’s nerves.
[3] WenHao (文豪) means “eminent writer.” Clearly they want him to be a scholar.
[4] Ge, gege, or da ge = older brother.
[5] i.e. surpa.s.singly beautiful.