So this chapter may be confusing because both players' thoughts carry on one after the other: When Qin Yaotang or other people think of Shaoqing at least for a little while, Shaoqing is he/him. I'm sure most people will be fine, but just in case...
Meeting the Family:
People are iron, rice is steel. Although, she hadn’t figured out a good solution, she still needed to eat, but Miaofu did not want to eat alone in her room anymore.
She even though she knew she was unliked by her family, she put on fresh clothes; blue robes, tied her hair up with a matching ribbon. She cinched her robes with a nice tassel picked up her white jade fan and went to the main hall for breakfast.
As soon as she appeared at the door, the room went still and stared at her in amazement. Only Qin Yaotang remained expressionless. He merely glanced at her and returned to what he was doing.
Maiofu smirked, and looked at the people with ease. Sitting at the head of the table was her father, Master Pei, next to him on the right was the second Lady. To his left was Qin Yaotang and finally, a beautiful girl dressed in purple; Song Die-er.
Song Die-er was a distant relative of the Pei family. Her parents died and so she had been taken in and fostered by the family. She was loved by Master Pei because of her gentle character. She was a famous beauty in the city, and Qin’s fiancée. The betrothal was not yet official, but it was a private understanding between Qin, Song Die-er and Master Pei. But the whole household knew about it and assumed it was the case.
In addition, Song Die-er confessed her love to Qin. As for Qin, he had no objection. After all, he was gaining a beautiful wife; why would he refuse?
While Miaofu was thinking, no one had spoken, so she decided to break the silence.
‘Father, do you mind if hai-er has breakfast with you?’ she asked, using a humble and polite tone to scare them!
Sure enough, the family looked horrified. The chopsticks fell out of Master Pei’s hand, Mr Ice-man also stopped and turned to her.
Miaofu thought about it, regardless of Shaoqing’s identity as a young master, at least, she should attempt to improve the general perception of Pei Shaoqing. She decided to use the accident as a springboard that caused a change in Shaoqing’s personality. Gently steer Shaoqing’s reputation of a black sheep-rich man’s son that only knew how to cause trouble to something marginally better.
‘Qing-er, you…’ Master Pei began to say, looking at his rebellious son in amazement. This was the first time he had ever heard him speak respectfully.
And, he thought that his son was giving off a different feeling. Before, he always looked cynical and rebellious, his eyes were always provocative, but now he had a gentle aura, with a light smile on his lips. The rebellion of the past seemed to have vanished.
Miaofu hung her head, putting on an appearance of shame and remorse. Holding her fan tightly in his hands, she spoke the words she had practiced,
‘Since the accident, Qing-er has gone through the ghost gate. I suddenly realised that hai-er was too ignorant before, causing trouble and injuring the servants, even deliberately provoking elder brother.’ she paused cast an apologetic look to Qin Yaotang, though she guiltily avoided his gaze.
Yushou! The surname Qin’s eyes were so cold, she shuddered and goose-bumps rose on her skin.
Keep calm, Miaofu! Don’t be afraid in the face of that man! She told herself, while her face remained placid.
‘Hai-er has had time to think, and I realise I have not been a good child. I have troubled you and made you angry. I have been an unfilial child. I was wrong.’ She looked at her father with tears hanging in her eyes, thinking on whether she should kow-tow. (Zuben: It’s already too much as it is) It was usually done like this on TV; the bad person knelt when they are repentant and shed a few tears.
When she saw her father’s astonished and comforting expression, she knew she would be forgiven. She could not help but sigh in relief inwardly; she really could not bring herself to kneel to a stranger.
‘Father, can you forgive hai-er?’ she implored. She turned to his wife, ‘Er Niang, Qing-er also apologises to you. My attitude to you has been disrespectful. Please forgive Qing-er.’
When those words landed, everyone was shocked again; Er Niang?! This is the first time Shaoqing had ever called second lady that.
‘Qing-er, don’t do this.’ the second lady rose from her seat and rushed up to her. Although, she was surprised by the change in attitude, she was also pleased. She took Shaoqing’s hands and led her to an empty seat.
‘Come, we’re all family her. What is there to forgive? Qing-er hasn’t eaten, you must be hungry.’ She helped Shaoqing serve a bowl of scallop porridge. She touched Shaoqing’s head lovingly and smiled tenderly at her, ‘Eat while it’s hot’
The second Lady was a good woman; the kindness in her eyes was not faked. Miaofu gave a small shy and grateful smile.
‘Thank you, Er Niang.’ all very well, she thought, but Madame, why did you have to sit me next to your son? This is giving me a lot of pressure!
She grimaced in her heart, trying to ignore the powerful threatening presence beside her while maintaining a smile.
The second Lady smiled and went back to her seat, ‘Master, aren’t you happy? Qing-er has finally grown up and become sensible.’ (Zuben: it’s only took a near fatal knock on the head but hey ho, can’t look a gift horse in the mouth)
Master Pei did not reply, but just looked at his son. He was comforted by the change, but at the same time he was also embarrassed by his neglect of his son. After all, that his son turned out to be so difficult was also caused by his indifference and sternness.
He sighed and took some fish and put it into Shaoqing’s bowl, ‘Don’t just eat porridge, have more.’
‘Thank you, father’ she said, keeping a meek expression on her face. There was no hostility in her eyes, which made Master Pei even more relieved; it seemed that his son had really changed.
The tense atmosphere became warm, Miaofu also filially plucked the dishes to put into her father and second Lady’s plate, causing to two older people to smile.
She hadn’t expected them to buy it so easily, she thought as she ate her food.
Well, the first step was a success. What next? Should she be a filial son for a while, let the old folks accept things and settle, obey orders for a while, then look for a chance to tell them that she was female?
‘Uncle Pei,’ Qin, who had been silent, spoke.
Miaofu’s heart suddenly stuttered in her chest, the hand holding the chopsticks trembled. Suddenly, she had a bad feeling.
‘That younger brother’s behaviour has changed is a good thing. I think it would be good to take this opportunity to allow younger brother to learn about his family business, so he can do something, lest he shall return to mixing with his group of friends.’
Master Pei knew what his stepson said was right; he had never liked the people Shaoqing was friends with. It was a rare thing that their son has changed character. If he should return to mixing with that group, the change would not be permanent. Moreover, the family business has been fully handled by Qin Yaotang. If Shaoqing could help, then the two brothers could share the burden.
‘That is a good idea,’ the older man said, ‘but Qing-er has never been exposed to the business of the market. He isn’t familiar with the family business, it would be good for him to learn. In this time, you continue to work and Qing-er will follow you. You can also teach him the goings and comings when you have the chance.’
What?! Miaofu shot a glance at her side; they wanted her to shadow Qin Yaotang?! No, she did not want to do it! Does not want!
She shook her head hard in her mind.
What is surnamed Qin up to? Didn’t he hate Pei Shaoqing? Why did he suddenly come up with this proposal? What did he want to do? Did he have plan? Did he see through her actions?
As Miaofu’s mind tossed the questions out, she could hear Yaotang reply, ‘Don’t worry, Uncle Pei, I will look after younger brother.’
As he said that Yaotang turned to Shaoqing, but the younger man’s handsome face did not reveal what he was thinking.
Miaofu’s was alert; what did surnamed Qin want to do?
Yaotang never had any intention of teaching Pei Shaoqing the family business, but the sudden change made him wonder, could such an falling off a horse cause such big changes?
Though the face was the same, the temperament was different. What made him most interested was Pei Shaoqing’s sudden fear of him. Even when their eyes meet, Shaoqing would quickly glance away, and he even avoided approaching him.
Before the accident, the gaze that Shaoqing used to look at him was very complicated; there was resentment, jealousy...and infatuation. Yes, obsessive infatuation.
But now, Shaoqing was like a mouse that came across a cat. When they look at each other, it felt like his hairs were raised.
This made Yaotang wonder; was this Shaoqing unexpectedly afraid of him? Really interesting.
The hardships in his childhood made him learn to observe and study people. He honed that skill in the markets for years, so that he could perceive details of a person just by looking at them. For instance, how Pei Shaoqing’s praise compared to the old foxes at the markets. When Pei Shaoqing repeated fought him; wasn’t it just to get his attention?
He had found it funny, but did not remark on it. After all, this person had not been worthy of his heart at all. Pei Shaoqing had nothing to do with him. But now, he was different. The obsession in his eyes was gone, resentment had also vanished. All that he could see was peace and...alertness.
Just like now, Pei Shaoqing was watching him with vigilance.
‘Qing di,’ Yaotang called. THIS WEB NOVEL WAS MACHINE TRANSLATED BY
‘What is the matter, Dàgē?’ Miaofu quickly replied with a smile. A gentle, deceitful appearance, but her body was subconsciously tense.
Another big change, Dàgē, big brother, Shaoqing now called him so. When he first heard it, Yaotang could not help but raise a brow. Seeing the soft and clever countenance of this person who had always been awkward; if the face was exactly not the same, he would have thought it was another person.
Yaotang reached out and Miaofu immediately flashed back. When she saw the sharp expression in his eyes, she quickly stopped her retreat, the smile on her face perfectly in place.
Yaotang did not drop his hand, as if he hadn’t noticed her dodge, he pulled and tidied her collar. But his fingers seemed to inadvertently sweep over the outer shell of her ear. Miaofu immediately had goose-bumps.
It was not easy to accept that it was really Pei Shaoqing! But his fingers brushed against the gooseflesh, the usually indifferent Yaotang narrowed his eyes, ‘Qing di seems nervous?’
Nonsense! In Shaoqing’s memory, Yaotang has never been so good to her - helping her tidy her collar. The smile on his lips made her wary; if it wasn’t for willpower she would jump ten steps away from him.
Dangerous!
Miaofu’s heart was playing the bongos but she put on a sly smile.
‘Have I been caught by Dàgē?’ she asked with an embarrassed smile while holding her fan tightly, looking like a nervous child, ‘I’m a little nervous to start training in the family business. I am afraid I won’t do well and drag down Dàgē.’
‘Is that what it is?’ he replied. He had no suspicions of her words but his dark eyes studied her closely trying to discover a chink in her new armour.
This could not be Pei Shaoqing. While he believed people could change for the better, Shaoqing’s change was too drastic. Could getting thrown off a horse make people change so much? He could not believe it.
Besides, it was this Shaoqing that was going to put a needle under Die-er’s saddle, trying to make Die-er fall. If it weren’t for his timely intervention, it would be Die-er who would have been hurt.
But he never expected that they Shaoqing who wanted to harm someone else would end up eating his own fruit and fell off his horse.
Now his attitude has changed completely.
He wondered if Shaoqing was hiding his true nature while wanting to cause harm in secret, but he soon dismissed that idea, because Shaoqing did not have such good acting skills, nor was he intelligent enough. He would only use his identity to bully others naively thinking that his family’s power would always shelter him; ridiculous.
So, he wondered as his black eyes were flooded with a cold light, what was Pei Shaoqing up to? Or was he thinking too much, had Shaoqing really changed?
Miaofu’s head was full of trepidation, she felt Yaotang’s sharp eyes staring at her like he wanted to see through everything, and making her tremble. This surnamed Qin was more difficult than she had thought; she hadn’t expected him to care about what she did.
She had assumed he would continue to ignore her as he had always done. After all, the body was still Pei Shaoqing.
Unable to withstand the quiet pressure, Miaofu cleared her throat, and decided to speak while suppressing her fear. She looked at Qin Yaotang with doubtful eyes, ‘Dàgē, how could you suggest I learn about the family business?’
The misgivings were genuine, for no apparent reason, he wanted Shaoqing to start learning about the family business. What was he trying to achieve?
Yaotang had assumed the little mouse would remain silent and obedient, he had not expected him to have courage, interesting. (Zuben: huh…)
Yaotang casually walked to a bookshelf (Zuben: A scene change and no one told anybody) and picked up an accounts book,
‘After all, you are the heir; you will take over the family sooner or later. Since you are now aware, this is a good opportunity to learn, since I am just an outsider, not good enough to run the family businesses.’ his tone was dull and the words were straightforward without irony, but Miaofu heard the harsh undertones.
The words that Shaoqing had said to Yaotang, he was now using against her?
She gave a mirthless laugh, ‘Dàgē, what are you saying? How could you be an outsider?’ she had to laugh, even if it was not funny, she should still laugh! ‘Father treats Dàgē better than his own son. He would be sad if he heard Dàgē say this.’
To be sarcastic, or not? THIS WEB NOVEL WAS MACHINE TRANSLATED BY
‘But I don’t have the surname after all, even if Uncle Pei is good to me, it would not be right. Qing di needs to work hard, in the end, the Pei businesses would be handed to you.’ his tone remained dull, as though he did not hear the ridicule in Miaofu’s words.
A discomfort rose in her heart, perhaps it was the memories of Shaoqing. This situation was not her business, but her emotions were still affected. And what made her angry was that Qin Yaotang’s words implied that he was being charitable to her; what gave this surnamed Qin such arrogance?
After glaring at his back a moment, she gave a gentle smile, ‘Is that what Dàgē thinks? Isn’t it easy for brother to have the Pei surname? If you ask Father he would be very happy, or would brother like me to help in this matter?’
Qin Yaotang did not respond, he merely looked at her. Miaofu held her smile; holding the sincere decoration just right.
‘Ha!’ Yaotang softly smiled. The sudden chance stunned Miaofu, but rationale quickly returned. Damn it, she lost control. (Zuben: Huh…)
He walked up to her and handed her several books. Miaofu reached out to take them, hiding her panic behind a wall of placidity, but her fingers trembled slightly.
‘These are the basic accounts of the embroidery square and the tea house. Study it today. If you don’t understand it, write down your questions and ask me. The day after tomorrow, you will travel with me.’
Travel? She frowned, ‘Where to?’
‘To inspect the embroidery squares and tea houses in Xiangcheng, and to let you meet the management of the stores as well. Don’t sleep late tomorrow night.’ he said walking past her.
Seeing he was leaving, Miaofu breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Right,’ he said when he stepped on the threshold of the accounts office, he stopped like he suddenly thought of something and turned back to her, ‘Remember for later, when you want to laugh, your eyes should not be so cold, otherwise your laughter looks too fake.’ he left.
Miaofu froze; she could absolutely hear the mockery in his voice. She gripped the account books in her hands tightly as she listened to his footsteps fade away. Her body began to tremble.
Qin Yaotang!
She was so angry she threw the books down. Hateful! She was being played.
From the start to finish, he had been testing her. She had known he was dangerous, and she had been on guard. But she had gotten so angry, and behaved like an idiot.
Damn it! ‘Miaofu, you stupid girl!’
What should she do now? After being seen through, what would Yaotang do?
She could no longer be calm because, she had been totally confused by Qin Yaotang.
Alert then alert… (Zuben: Red alert! Red alert! It's a catastrophe!)
♢
The day of their trip dawned.
Miaofu sat far in a corner of the carriage, her legs tucked under her with her head resting on a soft cushioned pillow, eyes closed, pretending to be sleeping soundly.
She still had not figured out how to deal with Yaotang, so she did not dare look at him. When she got into the carriage, she closed her eyes and avoided speaking to him.
In the face of her attitude, Yaotang said nothing, remaining indifferent as though nothing occurred the day before yesterday.
However, his manner made Miaofu more nervous. Listening to the sound of account books being turned, her body was so tense she could not sleep at all.
She was too tense, and the bumpy carriage made her uncomfortable but she did not dare move because she afraid to be found out pretending to be asleep. (Zuben: What a dumbass)
Ah...shit! She was in a conundrum.
Yaotang looked up at the person who was sleeping. His lips were tight, breathing was fast and short, eyelids trembled; he was obviously not asleep.
He could not deny that the brand new Shaoqing was very interesting now. He was usually indifferent to Shaoqing’s behaviours. He wasn’t interested in the character of someone irrelevant to him. Shaoqing had been assigned the position of ‘waste of time’, that he was not worthy of his attention. But now, he was different. This was obviously Pei Shaoqing, but he had suddenly become alert and mysterious, making him remember his heart. (Zuben: Whot? What?!)
He wanted to know what Pei Shaoqing was up to; could the fall off the horse head really make a person change personalities? (Zuben: Yes)
But if Shaoqing has really changed for the better, then it is a good thing. He really wanted to turn over the work to Shaoqing; he didn’t want to attain something that was not his in the first place. Although Uncle Pei treated him as a son, these businesses are Pei, so a Pei running it is best. (Zuben: das just stupid, but you’re being honest with yourself Qin Yaotang)
So, he proposed Shaoqing’s apprenticeship in the family business, so that he could observe whether Shaoqing had changed his ways or not.
Just a few days have passed and he had a strange feeling in his heart. In addition, the probe he had done in the study made him very suspicious. Previously, Shaoqing was impulsive without brains, but now he had a glib tongue and his mind was detached and clam.
The day before, because he had irritated him, he was able to discover Shaoqing’s disguise, but when he inadvertently discovered Shaoqing’s goal (Zuben; Huh? I wonder if I am reading what I am writing.), there was a look of panic before it was quickly covered up with a mask of gentility, if he had not been watching him, he would not have found out.
Interesting, very interesting.
Picking up a celadon tea bowl, Yaotang took a sip and returned it to the table. He continued to study the accounts book in his hand, as for the person pretending to sleep - don’t need to pay attention to him for a while.
Feeling his gaze move from her, Miaofu’s anxiety slowly calmed down, but yet, she still had the shivers and her heart was full of uneasiness. She felt like a little mouse being tightly held, and there was a painful terrible mousetrap waiting for her.
Apologies for any typos. I have looked through but I'm sure there are ones I won't see until a month's time at which I will be holding my head in embarrassment.
♢ Chapter 3