The Lady’s Sickly Husband

Translator: Antonia

“Get up, get up.” Old madam looked up to let them up and then waved to Mo Qianxue, smiling, “Come here Mrs. Ning. Let me take a closer look at my life-savor.”

Mo Qianxue walked nearer. She was a little surprised that old madam Jian could recover so quick. Now she looked as if she never had the stroke.

That weird doctor was really extraordinary. Within less than a month, an elder could be in such a cheering spirit with actions of a healthy person. This outcome would be hard even in modern times.

Seeing the curative effect on old madam Jian, Mo Qianxue became more confidence in the medical skills of the strange old man.

“I’ve been worried about your health. Sorry that I bothered you the other day. Now by your spirit, I believe you’ve recovered. What a nice thing to know. Old madam, you’re a blessed person.”

Hearing that, old madam Jian smiled brighter, “I’m too old. I don’t care whether I’m blessed or not. I only wish that those girls could create less troubles for me.”

The speaker was unintentional yet the listener really listened.

When Jian Qingyou heard this, she felt that she had indeed created more troubles to her grandmother about her marriage, standing there, sad and stiff.

Yet, Jian Qingzhen stepped forward, bent over to lean on old madam’s thighs, playing cute, “Grandma. I can’t be more filial; how could I create troubles for you?”

Then, she should take a provocative glimpse at Jian Qingyou.

That was so obvious that when Jian Qingyou was immersed in her sadness, Mo Qianxue couldn’t help cutting in, “Of course you’re filial. I bet old madam must be cheered up when she fell ill and saw you dressed up so bright and smart.”

Judging by her overstated personality, she must always be dressed up luxuriously like a colorful peacock. Therefore, Mo Qianxue induced that days ago when old madam had fallen ill, she might also have maintained her dashy style.

Sharpness flashed by in old madam’s eyes. The Tianqi Dynasty’s top value was filial piety. She was reminded that during the days she stayed in bed half-dying, Jian Qingzhen had worn a bright-red long gown to greet her.

She had left soon after the formalities, without showing any concern or sadness.

Thinking of this, old madam began to feel uncomfortable. She hadn’t been seriously ill yet. If one day she really passed away, would this girl still run about wearing a red gown?

So not dignified! Her Qingyou, who had been brought up her personally, was the best. Disciplined and elegant.

Hence, old madam’s hand that was reach out to stroke Jian Qingzhen’s hair stopped halfway, “How old are you to disregard rules? Get up and sit well.”

Jian Qingzhen had thought her action could gain more favor from old madam but only to be scolded, which made her very confused and get up depressed.

“Qingyou, come and sit here.” Seeing Jian Qingyou’s expression, old madam comforted her, “Look at you. You’re thinner again. Don’t worry; I’ll help you with your marriage.”

Old madam held Jian Qingyou’s hands, talked amiably with her, and gestured to the other two ladies standing over there.

“You can leave if you have nothing to report. I have Qingyou and Mrs. Ning here.” Old madam even didn’t look to them and drove them away.

The grandma and granddaughter talked intimately for a while and didn’t forget Mo Qianxue, pulling her hands and chatted on domestic affairs.

During the conversation, Mo Qianxue told a few jokes before she subtly shifted the subject to old Mr. Wang, the strange doctor.

Unexpectedly, hearing Mo Qianxue mentioning old Mr. Wang, old madam’s expression inbisibly changed and quickly shifted to another topic.

At last, she yawned and claimed that she was a little tired, urging Jian Qingyou to hospitably show Mo Qianxue around before letting them leave too.

Nanny Liang saw them to the door and didn’t forget about cakes. She proposed with a smile that since it was still early, first young lady should take the opportunity to learn from Mo Qianxue how to make the cakes so that she could make some when old madam wanted to eat, a way to offer her filial piety.

Wasn’t it just a cake? Was it necessary to value it so much? Mo Qianxue thought less of nanny Liang’s hospitality and amiability. Yet, she was still willing to teach Jian Qingyou.

Mo Qianxue agreed readily that she would teach Jian Qingyou in a while. Only then did nanny Liang leave with satisfaction.

After nanny Liang left, Jian Qingyou ordered the servants to keep a distance so that she could chat freely with Mo Qianxue.

Mo Qianxue asked about old Mr. Wang and didn’t conceal from Jian Qingyou, telling her that Ning Shaoqing had certain desease and that she wished old Mr. Wang could diagnose for him.

Hearing this, Jian Qingyou was quite worried and then slowly talked about the doctor.

Jian Qingyou wasn’t familiar with the old strange man and only knew him because she had been brought up by grandma.

She said that the man was very strange in that no one in Jian mansion knew his whereabouts. Most of the servants even had never heard of him. It was said that the courtyard he lived was a wasteland which was seldom visited by others and was said to be haunted by ghosts.

She added that old Mr. Wang was a friend of deceased old masters’.

For the former part of what Jian Qingyou said, Mo Qianxue believed! But the last part—the weird old man was one of old master Jian’s friends sounded implausible to Mo Qianxue.

Only by the fact that the first person nanny Liang had people invited was Mr. Wang when old madam Jian had a stroke, the strange doctor couldn’t simply be a former friend of old master Jian.

Obviously, she knew where Mr. Wang lived and that he would come as long as she sent people for him.

According to Ning Shaoqing, the strange doctor now travelled mysteriously and wouldn’t easily visit a patient.

However, a nanny of old madam Jian could get him at any time. This propelled Mo Qianxue to think more. Seeing that no further information would be inquired from Jian Qingyou, Mo Qianxue changed the subject to food and clothes, the most relaxing and popular topics among women.

As they chitchatted, Jian Qingyou led Mo Qianxue to the kitchen.

Nanny Yuan had already gotten the news and arrived at the kitchen in advance to clear it of all servants. Only she left to give a hand to her lady.

Nanny Yuan hadn’t gotten a chance to have a taste of the cake, but if it gained so much praise by old madam and nanny Liang, she believed it must be excellent.

Mo Qianxue only slightly laughed seeing the arrangement. She didn’t expect that the cake could let nanny Liang so alerted as to make this arrangement.

Yet, after all, she could understand and appreciate nanny Yuan’s loyalty to Jian Qingyou.

However, the first step and most crucial one of making the cake was to separate egg white from yolk.

In the ancient times, there were no eggbeaters, so it would cost a lot of time and energy to make egg white into cream.

Mo Qianxue took a glance at plump nanny Yuan who wasn’t young at all and was afraid that she couldn’t withstand the workload.

Without good cream, the cake couldn’t taste delicious.

Mo Qianxue, out of good intention, asked her if she needed a few more servants as assistants, but she decisively shook her head, rolled up her sleeves, confident that she alone would be enough to do a good job.

Mo Qianxue was both annoyed and amused by her. She had no choice but go to prepare all the ingredient.

After that, she began to instruct nanny Yuan to churn egg white.

Nanny Yuan listened and wondered, holding chopsticks to churn the egg white though, how come the liquid egg white could be turned into solid cream which would stick to the bowl without flowing down?

With the doubts, her hands didn’t stop.

Only in a moment, nanny Yuan felt her arms unbearably sore, and, taking a look at the egg white, she found it was still liquid, which made her regret that she hadn’t leave more servants here.

As she regretted to herself, there was a clamor of noise ringing outside.

Nanny Yuan wanted to put down the work and took a look but was stopped by Mo Qianxue, “This is the most crucial part of the work. If you stop it now, the former work will be futile, and you’ll have to start all over again.”

Just as Mo Qianxue was warning nanny Yuan, Jian Qingyou came over and pulled Mo Qianxue out to check what was going on outside.

They had asked Siqin and Nongcha to stand guard at the door, but with such loud noises and they didn’t come in to report, something serious must be happening.

They hadn’t walked out yet when a nanny bumped right into Jian Qingyou who was hold Mo Qianxue to head out.

Mo Qianxue hurriedly to give her a supporting hand.

Nanny Yuan also dropped the chopsticks, stepping forward and giving that reckless nanny a hard shove at the neck, scolding, “How dare you! Who let you break in?”

At this point, the kitchen doors were wide open. Mo Qianxue took a glance outside. Wow, within so short a moment, there stood a dozens of nannies and servant girls out there.

What was going on?

Nanny Yuan didn’t notice the crowd out of the kitchen and, feeling not enough to slap her, scolded the nanny, “Don’t you that first lady is using the kitchen and no one is allowed to enter…?”

“Hey, what is happening? It seems that this family doesn’t want us to live anymore. We even suffer consequence to merely use the kitchen?”

The voice rang from behind the crowded and interrupted nanny Yuan’s words. On hearing the voice, nannies and servant girls automatically divided to make way for the person to pace forward.

That was a woman, fully dressed up, in her thirties. She wore a squatting-horse hairstyle, light-purple silk gown embroidered with spring butterflies and a sapphire cloak. The pair of flirting eyes were like running water. The pink cheek carried a little satire.

“Second madam! Nice to see you.” Seeing who she was, nanny Yuan hurriedly came up to greet her.

The first and second madams were never easy to please. Very likely, she was here to make a trouble. It’d be better to act cautiously.

That reckless nanny was hit in the neck by nanny Yuan and dizzy lying on the ground for a while. Hearing the voice and seeing it was second madam, she cried instantly, “Please save me madam. The seventh lady isn’t well recently, so I wanted to stew some nutritious soup for her, but Siqing and Pincha prevented me from getting in the kitchen.”

“Get up nanny Zhang! If Qingzhen is not well, she surely needs nutritious soup. What a evil servant you are nanny Yuan? Why did you prevent her from getting in?” Nanny Zhang’s words made the second madam harshly scolded nanny Yuan.

By then, nanny Yuan finally saw clearly that woman, surprised, “Nanny Zhang? It was you?”

This nanny Zhang was the wet nurse of the seven young lady Jian Qingzhen, and the second madam was Jian Qingzhen’s biological mother.

In view that her madam was propping her up, nanny Zhang pointed at nanny Yuan and reported angrily, “I came here to stew soup for young lady, but Siqin and Nongqin didn’t let me in. Over there, the fifth young lady’s servants Cuizhu and Cuipin also came to make refreshments for their lady…they argued with each other… I saw there weren’t people here, so went in to prepare nutritious soup but was knocked down the moment I entered the door. She directly gave me a slap in the face even without ask why…”

What a cunning servant nanny Zhang was! It was she who had bumped into Jian Qing, but now she should be telling a lie so naturally, meaning that she was the one inadvertently being pushed down by others. Instantly, she shook off the blame of running recklessly into a lady.

Obviously, she had planned to sneak into the kitchen to learn how to make the cake in secrecy. Just she hadn’t expected to run in the face of Mo Qianxue and Jian Qingyou who was about to getting out.

The seventh young lady? She was jumping lively just now. How come she suddenly wasn’t well?

It was merely an excuse for her to appoint her nanny sneaking into the kitchen.

“It’s gentle to have beaten you. You were so reckless and pushed first lady…” Nanny Yuan wasn’t a person to be pushed around either.

“I just worried so much about my lady and hurried into the kitchen but didn’t notice that the first lady was going out.”

“Qingyou,” the second madam interrupted her words and said in the tone of a senior, “Must you hide it like this only to make a cake?”

Wow. It turned out that all this was premeditated. Otherwise, how could it be possible that so many nannies and servant girls gather in a short time to watch this and that her mother showed up too?

Right. It was a mere cake. Just say it if she wanted to learn. Why trouble so much?

Fortunately, Mo Qianxue exclaimed, that she wasn’t one of those ladies of a big family, otherwise she would be exhausted to death admits covert vying and schemes.

The battle between two servants also became a tussle between two ladies.

Soon, this incident was known to old madam Jian.

Old madam Jian was trimming new plump flowers in a calm mood, and when hearing the report, ferociously cast the scissors on the table.

She threw it so heavily that the table shook and the porcelain and enamel and glaze bottles and vases instantly lost balance and dropped onto the ground along with several branches of plum flowers.

The vases and petals fell on the ground in pieces, scaring a crowd of servants so much that they even wished that their breath could be noiseless.

“The second wife is getting more and more troublesome.”

Nanny Liang replied, lowered her head, “Don’t be angry, old madam. It’s not worthy.”

Old madam’s face was dark with fury surging between her eyebrows, eyes no longer as calm as just now when she was trimming the flowers, “But for her way of doing things, my second son wouldn’t have leave me so early. By now, she hasn’t learnt a lesson yet. Does she think that I can’t do anything to her?”

Nanny Liang held old madam Jian to take a sit. The servants hurriedly came over to clean the porcelain pieces and plants. Old madam kept her eyes looking down and remained silent for a moment. When she looked up again, there was cruelty in her eyes.

“Send Hongyu to take care of the situation and give Mrs. Ning the four-colored refreshments as our apology. Just let them use the main kitchen. If Qingyou wants to learn cooking the cake, let her come to my small kitchen.”

“Yes.” Nanny Liang saw old madam’s expression and knew that this time, she was going to deal with the second madam once for all.

Speaking of the second madam, she seemed to be a cunning woman who, though was a widow, had been maintained a high-profile in the mansion.

In fact, she never knew that she was merely a chess piece that old madam had intended to cultivate to produce check and balance against the first madam. Did she really think that the respect and position she enjoyed in this mansion was because of her maternal family’s power?

Nanny Liang went to direct Hongyu and then came back, retreating all other servants, and began to massage on old madam’s shoulders.

“You’re not in good health and old Mr. Wang isn’t around anymore. You’d better don’t get angry so frequently.”

Hearing Mr. Wang, old madam’s rage disappeared at once and cursed, “That strange old thing. Why does he keep running about all day long? A freak.” She was cursing him, but the tone didn’t carry any trace of dislike.

Nanny Liang replied gently, “He is eccentric, indeed, but he is earnest to you.”

Old madam Jian flushed, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense.”

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for him, how could I marry to Jian family and…”

Old madam Jian breathed a long sigh. Her expression seemed to have travelled back to decades ago.