Chapter 31 (1/2)
31. The Mrs. Long San Who Eavesdrops From The Corner Of The Wall
Translated by Ju Hua | Edited by Pu Er
Feng Ning was stunned, and at a loss, she covered her face while foolishly staring blankly at Qiao Li. For what reason could changing faces be done so quickly like this?
Qiao Li seemed to be angry, and she paced two steps back and forth in the room. She stopped, pointed at Feng Ning and scolded, “Explain yourself, just what exactly happened? Not a single matter handed over to you has been done well, and you also brought a protruding belly back to the maternal home. I felt like something was amiss, but with an empty mouth and white teeth*, you actually dared to lie. What giving birth to a daughter will make you ignored, and waiting until you give birth to a son before you pick her up. I actually believed you.” She was so angry that her hand trembled, “Speak, whose vile sp.a.w.n is this?”
*Not a 100% sure if this is an idiom, but Baidu-san says 空口白牙 means not telling the truth or mixing up the truth. I translated it literally.
Feng Ning furiously shook her head, and suddenly started to cry again. Qiao Li angrily said, “Cry, cry for what. Speak, just what is going on?”
Feng Ning loudly ‘wawa’ cried. Qiao Li asked again, and Feng Ning finally yelled out, “I don’t know anything, I really don’t remember anything.”
“Good, very good.” Qiao Li clenched her teeth. “Your one phrase of not remembering, not knowing, leaves this terrible mess for me to clean up.” She paced back and forth again for a few steps, and took a look at Feng Ning with brows tightly creased together. “Right now the Long family is stubbornly saying this child isn’t from the Long family. How can this be good?”
As Feng Ning heard these words, even if she wanted to cry she couldn’t, and her heart felt a burst of sharp pain. Qiao Li also said, “You were here for three years. Three years and you still haven’t been able to bond with Long San? Out of the three brothers his temperament is the most gentle. You also promised back then that you would definitely stand firm, get your hands on those things, and help avenge the enmity of our Feng family. And the result? Three years, and you haven’t done anything at all, but instead came out with a vile sp.a.w.n. You really are lacking in success and abundant with failure.”
Feng Ning lowered her head sobbing and didn’t speak. Right now her mind was in a state of chaos, and she didn’t pay attention to the contents of Qiao Li’s words. Her heart and mind were filled with shame, and there wasn’t even the slightest curiosity towards her own maternal family’s matter and why she came to Long family.
Qiao Li was inside the room pacing around for a long time, then she finally thought of a plan. “You currently not having your memories can also be a good thing. Anything can be denied. The Long family doesn’t acknowledge this child, then I will just in time take this unloved daughter, and have the accusations of forcing out the wife and abandoning the daughter thrust upon them. I will take Bao’er away, and you will just stay here. We have the wedding contract in hand, left behind by our ancestors. They won’t dare to force you to leave, so for the time being you will stay here. The future is long*, and there will also definitely be opportunities…”
*More time in the days to come.
She didn’t finish speaking, when she was interrupted by Feng Ning. She wiped her tears and begged, “Mother, I don’t have any face* to stay here, can you take me back home please? I’ve wronged Long San. I can’t stay here.”
*She feels shame.
Qiao Li was so angry that she lifted her hand, but in the end she restrained herself, and didn’t hit down. She glared at Feng Ning, tolerated and endured, but she pointed a finger at her nose, and shouted, “You useless thing. You didn’t make Long San infatuated with you, but instead allowed him to take your heart. You tell me, if you don’t stay here, and you bring up that vile sp.a.w.n, who would still want you?”
“I’ve made a mistake, but I didn’t want to. Don’t I still have father and mother? If no one wants me, isn’t there still father and mother?” Feng Ning looked up with her small, tearful face, and had clear eyes that revealed hopefulness. Blood relatives were the last people she could rely on.
Qiao Li choked, and clenched her teeth. In the end, she poked her forehead. “You unpromising child. This matter you will leave alone. With mother here, mother will make the decisions for you. Mother will find Long San to speak with.”
“Mother…” Feng Ning was anxious, and pulled on Qiao Li’s sleeve. “Mother, don’t go. It was daughter who was wrong, daughter will follow you two home.”
Qiao Li flung her hand. “Stop being so foolish. Even if mother wasn’t to think of anything else, I would still have to plan for your future. Mother came this time because I heard you were sick and confused. Mother was worried that the Long family would take the opportunity to drive you away, which is why I thought to bring your flesh and blood over here. Even if it’s a daughter that no one likes or bothers with, in any case she is still biological, and it can also be considered that you gave birth to a child for the Long family. It’s just that I never imagined this offspring was actually from your muddled affairs.”
She continued speaking until she was angry again. She clenched her fists to restrain her temper, and also said, “I was also too anxious. I should’ve really carefully thought about the strangeness of this matter. I was also suspicious about your manner of speech at the time, but you have always been obedient and clever that my thoughts didn’t go towards the direction of thinking there was trouble, and only thought that you were over here feeling too much pressure from trying to gain your husband’s family’s favor. If I had thought it over before setting out on this trip, I wouldn’t have brought the child, and also wouldn’t have arrived to such a pa.s.sive situation today. Ah, I am also anxious and confused.”
Feng Ning’s heart felt even more sad. “Sorry, it was entirely daughter’s fault.”
Qiao Li impatiently said, “What’s the use of saying these words now?” She stared at Feng Ning. “This child’s biological father, you really can’t remember the slightest bit of him at all?”
Feng Ning shook her head. She only felt that the situation made her feel nauseous and fearful. Could it be that she had abandoned her own husband in the past, and fell in love with someone else? According to her beliefs, even if she did fall in love with someone else, she wouldn’t do such an inappropriate thing. Could it be, that something tragic had happened to her? Feng Ning thought until this point, and she covered her mouth with her hands and started to cry again.
Qiao Li watched her, and sighed. “Feng Feng, you can just act like you don’t know anything about this matter. Even if you remember who the father of the child is, you also can’t speak of it. You can only tell mother. Mother will help you deal with it. Mother will now go find Long San, and will definitely settle this situation. Don’t panic, you have mother here alright? They want to take this chance to drive out our Feng family, no way!”
She finished speaking, and really turned around and left the room. Feng Ning stood there dumbfounded, and and didn’t know how long she stood there for. Her heart floated and swayed* without a place to settle. She felt like she had to do something. But what could she do? What must she do? She didn’t know.
*Not sure of this phrase: 飄來蕩去… Sounds poetic enough literally translated but I’m not sure if this is an idiom of some sort.
Editor’s note: It means to drift about.
Feng Ning was like a soul floating out of the room. She felt like she was just a dirty sinner, unable to see the light*, so she stuck close to the wall, looking for dark places to walk in. She continuously walked, and found herself arriving outside of Long San’s courtyard. She lifted her head and looked at the familiar room, and suddenly wanted to see him again and listen to him speak, but she didn’t dare to. She felt like she had thousands of words,** and countless questions. She ought to find him to discuss about them, but she didn’t dare to.
*Shameful or embarra.s.sing.
**A lot of things to say.
She finally silently walked over to Long San’s wall, and stuck her ear on it. Just as she did it, she could hear someone speaking in the room.
“I didn’t touch her.” This was Long San’s voice. Even though his voice was light, it was like a sharpened blade that streaked across Feng Ning’s heart. She instantly petrified, and stupidly stood there on spot.
“Hmph, even if that Lady Feng denies everything it won’t work.” This was Long Er’s voice. “Does she think the people of Long family are dead?”
Long San didn’t speak, so Long Er continued speaking, “This is what is called a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity.* She failed at stealing our business, and also knew Feng Ning got sick. She thought we would treat it as a reason to send Feng Ning back, so she brought over the baby Feng Ning secretly gave birth to at home. Did she really think that she could use a child to secure the position of Mrs. Long San? It’s just she would have never guessed, Feng Ning also played her**.