The sun condensed into a dazzling light as it turned into the colour of a sunset glow, like a red leaf fell to the ground covered with yellow dust, and the hills under the setting sun turned into dark purple.
Yuxi lifted the curtain and pointed out, "Eldest Aunt, look, what a beautiful sunset."
Qiu Shi was not in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery. "This scenery is available every day. No need for you to be anxious like you won"t be able to see it again."
Although Qiu Shi"s words weren"t pleasant to the ears, her complexion looked much better than when she came. When Yuxi saw this situation, her heart secretly felt relieved. Her Eldest Aunt was showing the signs of softening, hence Yuxi"s thoughts had not been in vain.
Qiu Shi was still unaware that Yuxi was secretly observing her, so she kindly said, "If you have anything to say, don"t hide away."
Yuxi showed her fawning look, "Eldest Aunt, it"s not that I"m trying to speak on Dageeldest brother¹"s behalf. It"s just that Dageeldest brother¹has always been very protective of Ergeer=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege², which I have seen with my own eyes. Although Dageeldest brother¹has gone too far this time around, he just couldn"t help it."
Qiu Shi furiously said, "But no one had forced him to do this either."
Yuxi knew that Han Jianming had hidden a lot of things from her aunt when she saw Qiu Shi"s reaction. She felt that in order to persuade her aunt to agree to the marriage, she had to tell her everything. "Eldest Aunt, what Dageeldest brother¹didn"t tell you was that Sixth Master Lu had once saved Dageeldest brother¹"s life. This marriage was also brought up by Sixth Master Lu." This action by Sixth Master Lu was somehow like the feeling of begging for favours, which made her dislike it so much.
Qiu Shi"s complexion suddenly changed, "What do you mean about him saving your Dageeldest brother¹"s life? What"s going on? "
Yuxi answered very honestly, "I don"t know. I just heard about it from Dageeldest brother¹himself. Eldest Aunt, this life-saving grace is really a big deal."
Qiu Shi"s face turned black for a long time, before she spoke again, "However, he should not have used an important event in your Ergeer=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege²"s life to pay this life-saving grace."
Yuxi cautiously said, "Eldest Aunt, although Dageeldest brother¹didn"t tell me this personally, I can vaguely feel that there should be other reasons for Dageeldest brother¹"s agreement to this marriage reunion."
Qiu Shi"s expression was somewhat unnatural. Old Madam had told her the other reasons, but she could not accept them. She was not willing to use an important event of her son"s life as an exchange for benefits.
While Yuxi did not miss any chance to praise Lu Xiu, "Eldest Aunt, Lu Jiejieelder sister³is pretty good. I personally believe that if you meet her, you will certainly like her too."
Qiu Shi shook her head as she questioned, "What"s the use of being a pretty good person? Do you think your Dasaoeldest sister-in-law⁴will get along well with her when she marries into the family?"
Yuxi hastily said, "Eldest Aunt, what you"re saying is incorrect. It was the Ye family"s fault for breaking the engagement between the two families. If Lu Jiejieelder sister³marries into our family, Dasaoeldest sister-in-law⁴will be ashamed to face her. How can Dasaoeldest sister-in-law⁴shamelessly go against her? In addition, Ergeer=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege²will definitely not be staying in the capital all the time, and later on, Ersaosecond elder sister-in-law⁵will surely follow him. After waiting for ten or eight years to pa.s.s, who will still remember this incident." .
When Qiu Shi thought about it seriously, she also felt Yuxi"s words were reasonable. However, she still asked Yuxi, "What benefit did your Dageeldest brother¹have promise for you to work this hard as a go-between?"
Yuxi held Qiu Shi"s arm and said to her, "I only agreed after I kept seeing Eldest Aunt with a worried frown and kept complaining about the food not being delicious recently. Eldest Aunt, when I saw Dageeldest brother¹two days ago, I noticed that he had become much thinner. Eldest Aunt, although Dageeldest brother¹had gone too far this time, he just couldn"t help it. The burden of the whole state residence has been put solely on him, therefore, it hasn"t been easy for him to hold the burden by himself either. So Eldest Aunt, please try to be considerate of him."
When Qiu Shi heard these words from Yuxi, she couldn"t help herself from feeling very distressed. She had also noticed how much effort her eldest son had given over the years. Her husband did not care about his son who had been busy in trying to revitalise the family. Since he has been working hard day and night, he looked just like a little old man before he even turned 20. Although she felt really sorry for him, it had long been his responsibility and she didn"t have the ability to say anything about it. After listening to Yuxi"s words, she said, "Alright, I"ll seriously consider this matter and I will also stop fighting with that evil sp.a.w.n."
Yuxi let loose a sigh of relief. What she had spoken a month ago wasn"t as much as she had said today. As a result, her mouth and tongue became dryChinese idiom : talk too much⁶, which also had made her dead tired.
Once Yuxi returned to Rose Courtyard, she cried out, "Water, pour me a gla.s.s of water."
That night, Qiu Shi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Thus, she simply had a chat with Mama Li. "Do you think I am not very competent as a mother?" She didn"t even realise that her son was dead tired because of being overworked, which showed that there was no other mother who neglected her duty more than her!
Mama Li was very much surprised when she heard about this matter today. "Madam, Master Shiziheir of n.o.ble family⁷was afraid of worrying you, so he didn"t tell you. Since it was for something special, Master Shiziheir of n.o.ble family⁷had to hide it, that was why you wouldn"t know about it."
Qiu Shi knew this was the reason, but she still felt very uncomfortable about it. "Do you think once this marriage was decided, there wouldn"t be any problem between her and her sister-in-law?"
Mama Li tried to comfort Qiu Shi, "Da Nainaida=eldest, nainai=young mistress of the house⁸is a reasonable person, and Madam knows that the broken engagement was not Miss Lu"s fault. Madam, why don"t we find an opportunity to meet this Miss Lu. If she is really as good as what Fourth Miss had said, then let"s agree with Master Shiziheir of n.o.ble family⁷"s proposal!" She could clearly see that both the Old Madam and Master Shiziheir of n.o.ble family⁷ had agreed to the marriage, and only her Madam still strictly opposed it. Even if her Madam kept on opposing, even for two days more, it wouldn"t be able to change anything.
Qiu Shi remained silent for some time, until she finally said, "Then, let"s meet her." If that girl was as good as what Yuxi had told her, then she wouldn"t bring any grievance to Jianye.
In the early morning, the next day, Qiu Shi called Han Jianming to her yard. When she caught sight of the black circles under her son"s eyes, she didn"t know where to throw all the blames. "How did you lose so much weight? How did the people beside you serve you?"
As Han Jianming looked at Qiu Shi"s expression, he knew that Yuxi"s persuasion had worked. He couldn"t help from sighing in his heart. No matter how he and his Grandmother had spoken to his Mother, she wouldn"t budge from her objection. So he didn"t expect his mother could be swayed by Si Meimeisi=fourth, meimei=younger sister⁹"s words of advice. "Mother, don"t worry. I"m still in good health!"
In fact, Han Jianming thought too much of Yuxi. Even before Old Madam told her about the marriage proposal, she already knew that this marriage was imperative, but at the same time, she was very angry with Han Jianming for not putting his own mother in his eyes, and also for using his didiyounger brother¹⁰"s marriage as a bargaining chip. Yuxi"s persuasion was only her way out of the embarra.s.sing situation.
Qiu Shi was still full of complaints as she reprimanded Han Jianye"s attendants, before she said to Han Jianming, "Eat your morning meal here."
At this time, the morning meal had been served.
After having her morning meal, Qiu Shi stated, "I"ll find an opportunity to meet this Miss Lu. If this girl is indeed really good, let"s settle the marriage. Your Erdier=second, di=younger brother¹¹is not young anymore either, so it is better to settle his marriage much earlier."
Han Jianming"s nose was somewhat a bit soursomething like when one felt before when one was about to cry (?)¹²as he said, "This unfilial son of yours whose behaviour has made it difficult for you." He anyway understood the reason why Qiu Shi had been quite adamant in opposing the marriage. Lu Xiu had a broken engagement with the Ye family, and the Ye family was his wife"s maiden family. If his mother went to the Lu family to propose a marriage, then when the wedding day came, people would definitely point their fingers at them and even their own relatives would make a joke of their action. .
When Qiu Shi saw her son looking like this, her heart also turned sour. "As long as you stay in good health, it doesn"t matter if I suffer some injustice." After a pause, she continued, "Write a letter to your Erdier=second, di=younger brother¹¹to ask him to come back. Then I will go with him to meet this Miss Lu. Even though I am still unsatisfied with this, it is still a secondary matter, when compared to your Erdier=second, di=younger brother¹¹"s satisfaction, which is the most important thing." She was the one in charge of the inner court, consequently, how could she not know that Han Jianming had already sent a letter to the mountain?
Han Jianming nodded. "Okay."
Qiu Shi looked at Han Jianming as she sighed, "Son, mother doesn"t understand nor can mother help you with outside matters, but you must never forget to pay attention to your health and don"t wear yourself out." At this moment, she also blamed herself, since her son had already faced difficulty in his responsibility, and yet she, his mother, made it more difficult for him, which was indeed a quite shameful act.
For Qiu Shi to take a good look at her future daughter-in-law, she did not need to sneak around like what Yuxi did. She would go straight to the Lu family as a matchmaker.
Sixth Master Lu relayed the matter to Second Lady Lu and said, "Mother, although it is not polite for Second Master Han to see Meimeiyounger sister¹³, it is still a big event in her life. If what she saw was not to her liking, and yet, we forced her to marry him, Meimei younger sister¹³would have a bad marriage life in the future."
In fact, Han Jianming had lied to Yuxi. The marriage was not initiated by Sixth Master Lu but actually by Han Jianming himself. At that time, when the two of them had a drink together, Sixth Master Lu complained to him for a long time. So, Han Jianming took the opportunity to propose for the two families to be in-laws.
Sixth Master Lu rejected the idea at that time. The Han family and the Ye family were in-laws. Thus, how could he marry his sister to the Han family? However, when he returned home, he heard that those candidates who came to ask for marriage alliance were either fond of wine and women or obviously incompetent people, with some also being crooked melons and cracked jujubeChinese idiom : ugly¹⁴. However, when Sixth Master Lu looked at his sister with grief in his heart, in order not to let his family feel worried, he had to pretend to be an indifferent person; his mother"s face would be filled with worried frowns all day long, which made his heart feel extremely unwell, but, even at this time, he did not even think about Han Jianming"s proposal. Until he heard his father was going to marry outmarry outside one"s social status or far away¹⁵Lu Xiu, as he spoke out Han Jianming"s suggestion on impulse. After he had done saying it out, he regretted it. How could he let his sister marry into the Han"s family?
What he didn"t expect was, after a few days, his father even said to him that this marriage could work. The reason Second Lord Lu did not object to the match was naturally because he found out that Han Jianye had followed Master Yang in practising martial arts all the way, thus he was outstanding in martial arts, and he also had a relatively simple temperament. Such a person was unlikely to have a crooked intestine. With him having martial arts skills, he would certainly have a good future when he entered a military camp; with his simple temper, he wouldn"t mind about his daughter"s broken engagement.
As for Second Lady Lu, she did not agree at first. The reason for not agreeing was the same as Qiu Shi"s. She was afraid that her daughter would not get along well with her Dasaoeldest sister-in-law⁴in the Han family. However, when Second Lord Lu had a discussion with her over this matter, it made her realise that Qiu Shi was a straightforward and easy-going person, nevertheless, her daughter would not suffer her mother-in-law"s anger, so she reluctantly agreed. Of course, the most important thing was that Han Jianye was the tallest among the midgetsthe best person available¹⁶. They had no better candidate than Han Jianye, as by marrying Han Jianye was better than marrying her daughter outmarry outside one"s social status or far away¹⁵. If her daughter was married outmarry outside one"s social status or far away¹⁵, they may not see her for the rest of their life.
When Second Lady Lu heard Qiu Shi"s request, rather than feeling any anger, she felt a lot of relief instead. The fact that Qiu Shi could offer this new suggestion for the two children to meet proved that she was also cautious about the marriage and wasn"t muddled through her workChinese idiom : work half-heartedly¹⁷, "Just in time. I will be going to the satin shop to pick some materials the next day. So it"s better for the meeting to take place at the satin shop." It would have been painstaking for her to deliberately invite Qiu Shi to her home. If this was made public, and in case this marriage also failed, then, it would add up to more groundless gossip about her daughter outside, and her daughter couldn"t stand any more twists and turns right now.
Sixth Master Lu nodded and said, "Okay, I"ll arrange it." If this marriage could be decided one day earlier, his Meimeiyounger sister¹³would not have to feel sad every day, nor would he see the knitted brows on his mother"s face every day. As for the Ye family, the main offender, the criminal ringleaderChinese idiom : main cause of a disaster¹⁸, he would definitely pay them back one day.
Second Lady Lu told old woman Hong who was beside her, "I hope everything goes well." Once this marriage was settled, her daughter did not have to hide and cry under the covers day by day anymore. While, her hanging heart could also finally be put down.
Noob Translator"s Apology & Request For Help
Sorry for the late posting. This chapter was supposed to be posted last Sat.u.r.day or Sunday, but it wasn"t completely translated at that time. Mostly because I didn"t have the mood to translate, even when I had the time of the world during this Movement Control Order that had been imposed on my country because of Covid-19. So, I mostly played games on my phone and got addicted with a comedy ancient Chinese Drama, . I love love love love Gina Jin as the female lead, Meng Fei (Consort Meng). The drama was so hilarious that I couldn"t stop watching it, though I haven"t finished watching it yet. And...one more thing, I"m actually starting to get confused. It seems like, in this novel, once a young master reached adulthood, and got married (or not), he would be called ye (爷) instead of shaoye (少爷) . The reason I"m confused was because I use the word "Master" for both ye (爷) and Laoye (老爷 - which also can be translated as Old Master). This Lu family is givig me a headache. I don"t know if Old Master Lu (Lu Laoye) is Miss Lu"s father or grandfather, since in this chapter, a character that had been described as Miss Lu"s father is called Second Master Lu (Er Lu Laoye) which also get me confused since I translate his third son as Sixth Master Lu (Lu Liu(sixth)ye). If I translated all Laoye as Old Master, doesn"t this mean that Er Lu Laoye (Second Old Master Lu) is the younger brother of Lu Laoye (Old Master Lu), the head of the Lu Clan? I can use "Sir" for ye (爷), like changing Sixth Master Lu to Sixth Sir Lu. It will not sound weird, will it? Or should I just maintain their pinyin. At least I will not be confused, but I don"t know about you guys, the reader. What do you think? This vote will be closed after 14 days.
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