V7C1

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There appears to be a few typos more than usual that may or may not change the meaning of some things, but the overall direction should stay the same.

001

It was night. Within the torrential rain, sounds of footsteps were particularly noisy that one could only hear an aged voice anxiously yell out, “Madam!”

The woman’s voice carried an irrefutable dignity and a bit of feebleness that could not be avoided, “Shut up, and have the person dealt with.”

Inside the room, candlelight flickered, projecting people’s figures onto the window. The wet nurse looked at the twins in her arms, and hesitated for a while, “Madam, since his Lord has not yet come back, this…… this your own child- to discard one of them, would you have the heart to do so?”

The soaked hairs stuck onto the face, the woman’s lips grew white, trembled and then once again tightly pursed. In the end, she still shut her eyes, “Have the oldest child settled and raised in the dark room, then.”

As though they understood, the infant in her embrace started crying. The wet nurse thought for a while, and softly said, “Madam, is Concubine Zhou not also at full-term? Whether or not this child would be born, wouldn’t it depend on your one word?”

“But……”

“It is still his Lord’s child, [whether they are] blood-related brothers, wouldn’t it just be the same? Suppose they were to grow up [and something were to happen then], wouldn’t it be done if we were to just deal with it properly again [at that time]? Twins are originally an unclear(?) matter. If you were to do this, it would only be because you had no other choice. I trust the young master would not blame you.”

The woman lightly sighed, “Then we’ll go ahead with your idea.”

In the blink of an eye, five years had gone by.

Within the house, there was a stove burning off, nice and warm, making people at ease. A fair and tender little dumpling was wrapped in a jade-green quilted jacket, just like a tightly packed little glutinous rice[1], chubby and extremely cute. His little legs ran, and vaguely called out from his mouth, “Mo…… Mother……”

The woman stroked the slightly messy hair, and the face that was still cold and frosty just a moment ago turned into a smile. The little dumpling who did not yet understand entered her embrace as she opened her arms, “How is it that Rui ge’er[2] has come today?”

The little dumpling’s smiling expression was hard for people to resist, and the little face that wormed into the woman’s arms rubbed against silk surface of her clothes, “Rui ge’er misses Mother.”

Before the woman expressed her affection, the wet nurse that stood by one side lightly coughed, as though to remind her of something, and softly said, “Madam.”

When she saw the child that was still standing to the side, the fires that were just put out by Rui ge’er instantly rose up again. Madam Wang[3] held the little dumpling in her embrace, and purposely covered the other person’s eyes to not let him see how she looked, “Wang Yu[4], what are you doing still standing there, and not going back to recite your books? If you cannot recite them by today, then don’t eat dinner.”

The child that was a few parts similar to the little dumpling raised his head. When he met with pair of the lively eyes, the pair of eyes that were like dead waters looked to have a few bits of vitality, then disappeared in a flash. In a neither fast nor slow manner, he rigidly adhered to courtesy, “Yes, Mother.”

As the child gradually left, the wet nurse who stood by one side slightly disapproved, “Madam, good or bad, Yu ge’er is your child. This partiality of yours has become boundless. How is it that a mistress’ child is more close compared to your own child?”

“Wet nurse!” Madam Wang saw Rui ge’er raise his head to look at herself, smiled, and teased the little dumpling in her arms every now and then, “This is what I owe Rui ge’er. As for Yu ge’er, he is the Wang residence’ future heir. If I do not treat him more strictly, then should I be indulging him like other good-for-nothings?”

“He is the Wang residence’s future family head, while Rui ge’er has nothing at all.”

The wet nurse shook her head. Although she did not agree, in the end, she was just the Madam’s servant. As for what the other person does, what kind of decision she makes, she was unable to influence it.

She only pitied Yu ge’er.

Wang Yu walked along, with a pair of eyes that carried a silence and air of lifelessness that did not correspond with this age. He raised his head to look at the azure sky, up until the person behind him starting questioning. He did not reply with a single word, and only very slowly walked back to his own courtyard.

Another five years had passed. The previous little dumpling had turned into a big dumpling, and was still that lovable little lord in the embrace of the legal mother. On the other hand, Wang Yu too gradually grew bigger, and went from a silent child into a silent youth. In his eyes, not a sliver of light could be seen.

He watched as Wang Rui[5] smiled and gave him a plum flower branch, with a body with not one spot that was not something Mother had chosen for the other person. Wang Yu slowly received it, and once he did not see the other person’s figure, it was like he had changed into another person- his expression turned demented, threw the flower branch onto the ground, used his foot to aggressively grind it a few times, then turned back into that usual tepid youth, and unhurriedly used a handkerchief to wipe his own hand, as though rubbing off something dirty.

The male servant behind him hesitantly called out to Wang Yu, and only saw the expression in the other person’s eyes as though it was looking at a dead animal.

Afterwards, the person beside Wang Yu had been changed, and the former young male servant no longer appeared within the residence.

Recently, an esteemed guest was to come to the Wang residence. It was said that the Lord met with an immortal outside, and would come back together a bit later to the residence. As the legal son of the family, Wang Yu would naturally appear. At the same time, he also saw that following beside Madam Wang was Wang Rui. As the son of the mistress, the big dumpling had been protected quite well, and even held Madam Wang’s most cherished eight-treasured stove[6] in his hands.

Madam Wang’s body was often cold and was afraid of getting cold. That [stove] was something that the Lord had specially used a lot of gold to obtain from somewhere else. Even the duties of daily cleaning, she would only leave for the wet nurse to do, and would never use of other people’s hands(?).

And yet, today, it had gone into an illegitimate son’s hand.

Everyone had waited for a long time, when Lord Wang had finally returned. He very respectfully walked at the front, leading the way for the person behind him. Once one could see that person’s face, everyone could not help but hold their breath.

They had originally thought that the family’s little young masters were good looking enough, but for this person, although they had grown to be a bit short of the two little young masters, the airs of a banished immortal was not something anyone could imitate.

Precisely [an air] that would make people want to have that lofty banished immortal dragged down to the dust in one grasp.

Wang Yu took one look at this person, felt a bit bored, then wily thought of what kind of excuse he could use to leave. He only heard the other person indifferently say to the eager Lord Wang, “I have foretold that I have a destiny with the residence’s young master, and especially returned with the Lord(you), in hopes in being able to bring a little disciple back.

Lord Wang was so excited his face turned red, and hurriedly nodded, “Of course, Mr. Taoist[7]. Take a look at which one of my sons you have a destiny with, just say it and it will be done.”

Through the corners of his(Wang Yu’s) eyes, he saw Madam Wang push Wang Rui forward without a trace. Inside, he couldn’t help but sneer, but also could not help but let an air of irritation rise, and even wanted to rush over there and have the warming stove in Wang Rui’s hand violently smashed apart.

Just watch, this person’s gaze in the same fashion would only stop at Wang Rui.

Only, until after Wang Yu had come to, he abruptly raised his head and looked at Shen Qing Yi, and only saw that the other person completely ignored the Wang Rui that had been pushed to the front by Madam Wang, who softly said to him, “Would you be willing to follow me to Qing Lun mountain and be my disciple?”

There was no expression whatsoever on this person’s face, but their facial features instead were exceedingly gentle, as though absorbed, like the existence of another person was no longer there.

This was the first time Wang Yu experienced this kind of feeling. In an instant, he felt a bit hopeless, nervous, like how a normal young boy would be, then embarrassed. His hands did not even know where to put itself, that within the moment, he did not reply in time.

[1] 粽子- the full term, for proper visuals, is steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. See this for example.

[2] 哥儿- a term in which to refer to a boy (child) in the family with affection, similar to just using 儿 by itself, except this term makes it explicitly known it is for the boy. Can also be translated as brother, but used in reference not towards your own brother, but like how one would call their spouses mommy/daddy when speaking with their child. It’s the child’s brother/daddy/mommy.

[3] To note, the ‘madam’ used in this case is not 夫人 like it was in the previous lines above, but 氏. Kind of like ‘Mrs.’

[4] 王裕- the Yu (裕) character means, abundant, or well-off. It’s quite the ironic name for the character.

[5]王瑞- the Rui (瑞) means, lucky, or just simply an (good) omen. Equally ironic considering traditions of twins being a bad omen.

[6] 八宝暖炉- the ‘eight treasured’ portion usually refers that something is made of eight main ingredients (when referring to food). Although it is called a stove, one should not be imagining a full stove half a body tall, but rather, a portable, small hand warmer similar to the shape of a pot.

[7] 道长- A respectful way of referring to a taoist, as compared to calling them a 道士.

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