Chapter 52 (1/2)
Glossary
儿 | er | (lit. child) diminutive marker used as a form of endearment
It was like Yun Shi Yi hadn’t heard his wife’s words at all as his eyes were fixed on her belly. One of his arms was wrapped around her upper body, holding her close, while the other hand was gently stroking the large swell of her abdomen. Surprise suddenly flit across his face: “The child is moving and kicking my hand.”
Ruan Zhu’s eyes became wet again but were full of happiness: “Our child started moving from six months. Apart from turning over, they’ll also use their small hands and small feet to hit and kick. Sometimes I’ll even think inside me is a ball that’s jumping all around, just like they were rolling inside.”
Unfortunately, there was no one she could share these moments with. Yun Shi Wei was impossible; Lu Piao Xiang was improper. Only the father of the child would be able to understand the feeling of the blood connection.
“I have missed so many beautiful moments.” There was some regret on Yun Shi Yi’s face: “I was truly scatterbrained to actually leave while you were pregnant. I was not by your side; the journey to flee from the southern border must have been very exhausting, right?”
“It was okay.” She tearfully smiled. During that time, she had always worried about his safety. Fortunately, fortunately, he had returned and was at her side. She cuddled his warm body and felt that this man was precisely her sky.
Her man had been on the road for a long while and had become thinner but appeared even healthier than before, with suntanned skin and an extra layer of calluses on his palms that were very rough to the touch. Her tender hand traced them and followed the prominent tendons on the back of his hand up towards his arm, shoulder, chest. Resenting the layer of clothing for being in the way, she pried them apart and rubbed her pair of small hands against his chest.
This broad chest had appeared innumerable times in her dreams and she felt it was oh so familiar.
Yun Shi Yi took off his upper garment and allowed her to touch him. He could feel the temperature she transmitted and his entire heart softened.
The Heavens knew how anxious he had been when he found out about the rebellion in the southern border while he was in Liu Zhou. He had entrusted the fast horses of the relay station at that time to deliver a letter for her to quickly leave the area.
Then just when he had rushed the several large carriages full of gold-threaded Phoebe zhennan to the southern border by the use of the stars, it was only to discover that the rebels were much crueler than he had imagined. All of the belongings of the businessmen and the wealthy had been stolen and the clothes on their backs had also been completely peeled off. What’s more, they were arrested and paraded on the streets, and even cruel punishments were used to interrogate them on the location of the rest of their property and assets.
His attendant, Yun Shan, had volunteered to disguise himself as a penniless commoner to investigate the situation inside Mao Er Town. The information he brought back was that there were several merchants that had trusted their luck and hid their money in the mountains, hoping to recover them when it was peaceful again. But the local commoners had recognized them and reported them to the Red Eyebrows army. After the merchants had been captured, they were beaten into unrecognizable shapes.
Yun Shi Yi knew that going through Mao Er Town towards Tian Chu wouldn’t get him anywhere. He sold off the batch of gold-threaded Phoebe zhennan at the lower price possible before heading west with his entourage into the country of Tu Bo. How arduous the journey was, well, there was no need to dwell on it. But when they entered the Tanggula mountain range, the local tribal men saw that they were merchants from the country of Tian Chu and became greedy.
As a result of the scarcity of craftsmen in Tu Bo, their living environment was very poor while the commoners of Tian Chu more or less knew the techniques of planting and manufacturing. Thus, human traffickers from all over brought over slaves that they sold here at considerable prices.
To ensure their safety, Yun Shi Yi gave them money, but the tribal men also wanted to capture them as slaves. Both parties made their move and just in the moment of crisis, a group of men jumped in to save them at the risk of their own lives. Back on the road, they stayed together as a group and entered Han Zhong from the northwest of Tu Bu and arrived in Yu Zhou.
He did not know at all that his wife was in Yu Zhou. However, he had been brought by his group of rescuers here and thought he might as well plan to see his maternal uncle and didn’t expect for her to also be here.
“Eldest Cousin, I’ve been afraid since the beginning that you wouldn’t be able to return. At the time we fled to Rong Chen, I truly couldn’t walk anymore and just planned to come to Yu Zhou. Then, I had also thought you might take a detour but still let Nuan Chun paste some notices for you at the city gate.”
“Wife, you’ve worked hard. Thank you for the trouble.” Thinking about how she was pregnant with his child and at the time when her body was weakest, yet was still fleeing and became all travel-worn, his heart twisted again.
“How did I work hard? Ai, as long as you are alive then it’s good.”
“I am alive, you are alive, there is also our child, my wife being pregnant counts as working hard, right!” He placed his hand again on her belly and distinctly felt there existed a life inside there; his and her’s collaborative offspring.
At this moment, raw emotion billowed out from his heart. Holding her and their child, all of that suffering during these past six months did not matter anymore.
During the period when they were apart, how many nights did he wish he could tightly hug her like this? Now, his wish could finally be fulfilled.
Yun Shi Yi laid down by her side and pulled the quilts over both of them. Drawing her close, he contently entered the land of dreams.
The two people finally woke when it was close to evening. Their eyes overflowing with happiness, neither of them spoke as they just mutually gazed at one another like so.
From the door came some knocks and Yun Shi Yi dressed and went to open the door.
The one that entered was Ruan Yu. Her eyes were bright and she appeared very excited. Towards Yun Shi Yi, she shouted Eldest Cousin in greeting and then threw her gaze atop the bed: “Eldest Sister, Papa said later we’re going to give Eldest Cousin a welcoming banquet and if you don’t fell well, you don’t have to go.”
“It’s fine, I can go.” How could she be willing to part from him?
Yun Shi Yi helped her sit up: “I’ll call Nuan Chun to bring some water over so you can wash your face, freshen up, and dress up prettily. Look at this face that has become like a little kitten’s after crying. If you went out like this and was seen by Uncle, he would think how had I mistreated his daughter?”
Ruan Zhu pouted: “My current figure is very ugly, no matter how I dress up it won’t matter much. Just don’t bother with these honeyed words.”
“Eh? Why do I think you are very beautiful? I’m finished. Is it that there’s something wrong with my eyes?”
“Lord Husband, your words are really pleasant to hear. In the future, you have to say every day ‘Zhu Zhu is the most beautiful.’ Say it one hundred times and I’ll be happy when hearing it and will be able to give birth to a boy.”
“Is that true?” Yun Shi Yi looked miserable: “Then I better not say it. Giving birth to a son is meaningless. I much prefer a daughter, a daughter that is as cute as Zhu Zhu.”
“Then……then what about if it is a boy?” Ruan Zhu became anxious.
“Heavens!” By the side, Ruan Yu covered her ears: “It turns out there was still such a corny couple in the world; I’m getting goosebumps. Oh my word, I need to leave or else I won’t be able to avoid puking.”
“Aiya, Yu’er, don’t leave. In a bit we’ll all go to Jin Se Hall together.” Ruan Zhu was embarrassed at being mocked and hurriedly said something to make her stay.
“Forget it. You guys are newlyweds that have been separated for a long while. I won’t trouble you any longer, you guys can continue!”
Ruan Yu turned around and left.
Nuan Chun and Nuan Qing learned their Master had woken and came in to attend to her. Nuan Chun had brought water so she could wash her face and Nuan Qing went to light up the brazier that had long extinguished.
All fixed up, Yun Shi Yi used a fox fur coat to safely wrap up Ruan Zhu before horizontally carrying her to Jin Se Hall.
Because it was close to the end of the year, the Ruan residence had been tidied beyond recognition and Jin Se Hall had clear windows and clean tables[a]. A large chandelier with one hundred candles hung from the center beam of the hall.
The chandelier was about one meter wide with three layers of sparkling tassels which were dazzling under the illumination of the candlelight. It had been bought by Ruan Zi Xu for ten thousand taels of silver from some Persian merchants and was only used to celebrate the new year. But because Yun Shi Yi had returned and also because it was close to the end of the year, the chandelier had been taken out ahead of time.
All the members of the Ruan clan were present with the principal husband at the main seat and the concubine-born children and secondary husbands sitting below. Ruan Yu sat to the right of the Ruan couple while Yun Shi Yi and Ruan Zhu sat on their left, followed by Lu Piao Xiang and Yun Shi Wei. The latter two upon seeing Yun Shi Yi and Ruan Zhu both stood up in accordance to the etiquette of a secondary husband.
Yun Shi Yi placed his wife in her seat. The floor of the lounge was made of stones so the interior was very warm.[b] He took off her coat and handed it to Nuan Chun, who was standing behind them in attendance.
Ruan Zhu surveyed the room and accidentally met the gaze of concubine-born Ruan Ju. The latter was still thinking of their confrontation from last time and turned away after snorting.
The dishes were served and they were all famous and precious delicacies such as bird’s nest, shark fin, and so on. Placed in front of Ruan Zhu was a plate of chicken cheek meat and a bowl of fish brains with tofu. The value of merely these two dishes cost quite a bit of silver. Dozens of chickens were required to make one dish of chicken cheek meat, and it was the same with fish where only after dozens of fish was it sufficient to make a bowl of fish brain.
Bird’s nest porridge with Chinese wolfberries and ginkgo nuts
Shark fin soup
Of course, with regards to the primary husband, each and every dish was extremely famous and valuable. The secondary husbands and their children could not receive such good luck.