Inner Residence arc ー Chapter 7 (Part 1): Practise Medicine to Help the People
It could be considered that the first Chinese New Year(Spring Festival) I spent since I came to this world passed with much fanfare and without any mishap.
Due to the fact that I only ate and slept, I had put on a few kilograms while Xie Zhaohua's small face had also finally become rounder and her skin had also become a little whiter until she was wholly radiating with health and vitality.
Xie Zhaoying praised as he rubbed my head gratifyingly, "Xiao Hua has grown taller."
I also patted his arm, "Second Elder Brother has also gotten more robust."
We were even.
There was something else fun and that was snowing.
The place I grew up was more to the south. Even if it snowed during winter, it would melt quickly into water upon falling to the ground. However, the Dong Qi's capital was more to the north. During the twelfth lunar month, there would be a heavy snowfall with large snowflakes and the whole world would at once be adorned in silver, which was soul-stirringly beautiful and spectacular.
Hence, when the womenfolk in the family stayed in their rooms to warm themselves at the fire and play Mahjong*, I was exuberantly making lots of snowmen with Xie Lingjuan and friends at the courtyard.
*T/n: A tile-based game that was developed in the Qing Dynasty. It is commonly played by four players.
It may look something like this:
Xie Lingjuan was immensely mischievous despite her small build and had plenty of ideas. She commanded the Ma brothers to spin wildly like houseflies. One moment they were piling up snow while the next moment they were toppling it down. She was purely torturing them for fun.
I set up an area on my own and relied on my previous skills of carving radish flowers* as well as exquisite craftsmanship and some polishing, a contour of Snoopy gradually appeared. Probably because I didn't tamp it, a dog ear fell with a crash.
*T/n: I’m thinking that it should look something like this:
I crouched down to scoop some snow with both of my hands when a pair of slender long hands suddenly reached over and also scooped some. I raised my head and smiled at the person who had come, "Happy new year, Teacher Song."
Song Zi Jing gently returned a smile at me, "Happy new year, Fourth Miss."
Since we were celebrating the new year, he was wearing a new dark reddish purple gown and pretty calm but his disposition was instead genial and indifferent like the spring willow. His smile was impeccable just like this ground of timely snow. I stared at his fine and delicate face and was smitten for a moment.
Song Zijing saw my work of art and carefully to sized it up in his hands. He was clearly unable to recognize what kind of weird creature was it and also couldn't associate it with something superstitious like totemism. After deliberating over it for half a day did he then finally asked, "Is it just a duck?"
I laughed with tears in my eyes, "Teacher is wise."
Suddenly, a snowball flew over out of thin air and smashed straight at the back of that Song Zijing's pretty head. I was about to shout but before my voice had come out, I saw Song Zi Jing as he had a parking reverse sensor installed as he precisely controlled his head. Following that, that snowball brushed past his cheek and came towards me to say hello.
I uttered a brief and faint "Eh?" after which I got hit square in the face and fell to the ground with my back ramrod straight.
My mind was still in a blank when I had already heard Song Zijing's anxious voice calling out to me, "Fourth Young Miss!"
It was then ensued by the laughter of Xie Lingjuan friends as they gloated over my misfortune.
A fire ignited within me. I abruptly stood up and my head bumped into something with a bang. A flash of light passed before my eyes before I fell back again. Teacher Song Zijing was also knocked by me and sat cross-legged on the ground.
Poor Teacher Song. Even though he successfully avoided a hidden weapon, he could not avoid an open attack.
At this moment, I heard Xie Zhaoke's panic-stricken voice. "What happened here?"
After that, she ran over in a haste and supported Song Zijing to stand up. Her voice was quivering. "Teacher Song, how are you feeling? Does your head hurt? Did you hurt yourself there?"
I didn't feel like I should blame her for forgetting loyalty in the face of love and thus crawled up on my own.
At this moment, Xie Zhaoying who had heard the commotion also came running over. Upon seeing me, he pointed at me and burst out in laughter wickedly.
I said fiercely, "Peach blossoms fall and wither to*…"
*T/n: It's what Feihua sang
Xie Zhao Ying's facial expression changed quickly, threw himself over in concern, "Fourth Younger Sister, my dear younger sister, where did you hurt yourself? Is it painful? Let your elder brother take a look!"
I pinched him fiercely and reminded him to not overdo it.
Song Zijing stood up came over to ask me first, "Fourth Young Miss didn't hurt yourself right?"
Xie Zhao Ying was holding a piece of fragrant handkerchief from some unknown woman to wipe my face. My words kept on being cut off by him. "I'm fine…. It's just that…. The second bump…. Ouch….. Ouch ouch ouch ouch! Second Elder Brother, you wiped the part where I bruised myself!"
Not only did the chief culprit, Xie Lingjuan not run away, she was even secretly laughing at the side.
I was planning to lecture her a little when an old female servant suddenly made a big fuss as she ran into the back courtyard. "A great joyous occasion! A great joyous occasion! Eldest Young Madam is pregnant again!"
Everyone was stupefied. I had even thought that Eldest Sister-in-Law only damaged her digestive system from being a glutton during the new year but I didn't expect that there was secretly good news again.
Xie Zhaoying pulled me. "Let's go and congratulate Eldest Sister-in-Law."
I smiled charmingly, "Wait a second."
Xie Zhao Ying was so frightened by my smile that he emitted cold sweat.
I joyfully ran towards the front of Xie Ling Juan and friends who had yet to come around and grinned until my white and neat teeth were visible. "Your mother is going to give birth to a younger brother! There will be no one who loves you next time! Everyone doesn't want you anymore! They're going to sell you to a blind bear as a child bride……"
That was until Xie Zhaoying helplessly dragged me away, leaving Xie Lingjuan who wanted to weep but had no tears standing at the same spot.
Eldest Sister-in-Law was indeed pregnant. It had been two months and the foetus was very stable. Madam Xie was so delighted tears coursed down the old woman's cheeks. She was saying that the wish she made in front of Buddha last year had come true and that she would enter the mountains to redeem the vow to Buddha.
As soon as I heard that she could go out, vigour instantly rushed over me and I leapt over with a face full of flattery. Hugging Madam Xie's arm and acting like a spoiled child, I said that I also wanted to go.
Xie Zhaoying sneered, "What fun are you trying to join in?"
I smiled beautifully, "I'm going to ask Bodhisattva to bless me so that I can enter the Eastern Palace* earlier."
T/n: It can refer to a few different places, but in this case, it should be referring to the residence of the imperial consorts.
Madam Xie was very moved, "Xiao Hua, it's so great that you have come to such a realisation."
Hence, after the New Year, I sat in the horse carriage and swayed around as we set off for Mount Wan Fo. Yunxiang sat beside me and helped me peel the seeds while I picked them up and tossed them into my mouth.
It was really nice having a maidservant. Whenever I wanted to eat this last time, I had to be the one who does it.
Actually, transmigrating here wasn't that bad, just that I didn't have much freedom. How wonderful would it have been if I transmigrated to a male and could travel freely around the world? However, how should I solve the physiological problems? Since I naturally wouldn't be marrying a wife, could it be that I was going to collect a bunch of handsome male companions? Wasn't this exactly the currently trending homosexual……
As I was thinking nonsense, the horse carriage stopped and the cart driver said, "Fourth Miss, there are refugees blocking the road up ahead so we'll have to reroute."
I pushed aside the curtain to look outside. I was shocked to see that on the ground where the snow had thawed had quite a number of people in ragged clothes huddling on the grass beneath the trees. Every one of them was sallow and emaciated with frustrations plastered all over their faces.
I asked, "What happened here? Why are there so many refugees?"
The cart driver replied, "Fourth Young Miss doesn't know. Snow disasters befell the northern area and there are still many people trapped in the snowfield. These are those that had run away but couldn't enter the city. Thus they're all crowding outside."
"Isn't the weather already warmer?"
"But the cattle and sheep from their house have all frozen to death. There's nothing to eat even if they return."
I suddenly saw a mother who was hugging a child while wiping her tears. That child's whole face was green and his limbs convulsed from time to time.
I hurriedly stopped the carriage and jumped down from it.
Translated and Edited by: HaruOngy and LalaKurouds
Translator Corner:
In the future, for any chapters that are translated and edited by both HaruOngy and I, the credits will be stated. HaruOngy is also currently working on another project, “What an Audacious and Sly Servant”, so once she starts uploading, I’ll insert a link too. 🙂
In the meantime, if you all are interested, I have also started to release a new novel. It is set in a historical setting too, but the premise is rather distinctively different. If any of you want a more detailed synopsis, you can ask me haha
We will be releasing the next few chapters faster to make up for the few days break!