Chapter 52 (2/2)
Ruan Zhu listened to Yun Shi Yi as he placed dishes in her bowl while also explaining what each of them were. Hearing him speak, her nose became sore. During the welcome feast held the day she came back to Ruan residence, there had been no one like him who had attentively explained each dish and she basically didn’t know what she had ate.
This was too wasteful, right?! She thought: If in the future I’m as rich as the Ruan clan, I definitely won’t eat chicken cheek meat or fish brains with tofu and will eat less of swallow’s nest and shark fin.
Yun Shi Wei didn’t know what his little wife was thinking of, and one by one, snatched up all the foods he found delicious.
On the other side, Ruan Ju heard Yun Shi Yi introduce all these famous dishes to his wife and felt so infuriated she almost fainted. In front of her was nothing but braised fish, chicken stewed with mushrooms, fried tofu, pork stir-fry……a few home-cooked dishes. Although previous family feasts were also like this, but currently there was some one that would even speak out the price in detail.
Braised fish
Chicken stewed with mushrooms
Fried tofu
Pork stir fry
The Ruan clan paid particular attention to silence during meals and the concubine-born children did not dare to even breathe loudly. All of their food and necessities in their courtyards were all bought with the hard-earned money earned by their respective fathers by working outside. If their old man had the ability, it wasn’t bad. If he didn’t have the ability, even eating vegetables and tofu would not be easy. To be able to eat such a lavish meal with generous amounts of meat and fish that they didn’t have to spend money for was already very extravagant.
Ruan Zi Xu provided them housing but did not provide them with living expenses.
But Ruan Ju was not the same as Madam Ruan heavily doted on her and always gave her own share away. Towards this, Ruan Zi Xu turned a blind eye as he never squabbled with his wife over small matters. Not only that, in order to appear magnanimous, sometimes he would also give material assistance to this bastard daughter.
“This is the blood bird’s nest soup, which is the best kind among all the bird’s nests. A female eating this can nourish their blood, yin, and skin. Blood nests are formed when swiftlets build their nests inside caves. Our Tian Chu does not have them and the place of production is relatively far, in the country of Siam that is south of Nan Ling. That is why it is also the most valuable and famous, with ten grams requiring two taels of silver.”
Siam was exactly Thailand. Ruan Zhu knew this and had also heard a bit about blood nests.
But how big was ten grams? A spoonful or a small mouthful? Ruan Zhu felt faint. Holy shit! This little bit was exactly the same as two months of life expenses for an average person! Granted, the current famine and rebellion were still ongoing, causing prices to inflate, but it should still be enough to cover a month’s expenses, right!?
“You should eat it instead!” Ruan Zhu returned the half bowl of bird’s nest porridge Yun Shi Yi had placed in front of her. Half a bowl–if it was on the lower end, it would still be around five or six taels of silver, right? If she were to eat that, she would feel even more distressed so she might as well not even eat it.
“Wife, what is it?” Yun Shi Yi was surprised but his expression quickly turned grave: “Is your belly uncomfortable?”
“No.” Ruan Zhu gloomily placed the bowl of bird’s nest porridge before her again.
Lu Piao Xiang’s mind was meticulous and guessed her thoughts. He faintly smiled. It was hard to connect her with the Ruan clan’s eldest Miss as she seemed to have never eaten bird’s nest before. Towards her, he volunteered: “Even though bird’s nest is expensive and valuable, it is not like they cannot be bought. As long as you like it, I will buy them for you.”
Ruan Zhu’s face became faintly pale. Oh crap, oh no. She forgot to explain the situation with Lu Piao Xiang to Yun Shi Yi and how she made the latter wear a green hat.
When Yun Shi Yi returned, he had heard his Maternal Uncle mention Lu Piao Xiang. Right when he was about to reply, who would have expected Ruan Ju from the other side would slam her chopsticks down–pa!
“Mother, I also want to eat bird’s nest, shark fin, fish brains with tofu, and chicken cheek meat.” Ruan Ju scowled and pointed at Ruan Zhu: “What right does she have to eat so well? I am also your daughter, why can’t I eat that?”
Ruan Zi Xu’s face sank: “Impudent! Who are you speaking towards?”
There was absolute silence in the hall. Ruan Ju’s birth father was so scared his face had become white and he gave his daughter a meaningful glance. Although he and his wife had a very good relationship, he lived in the Ruan home and was also of low birth and naturally was frightened of Ruan Zi Xu.
Madam Ruan handed the bowl of bird’s nest in front of her to the male servant behind her: “Mei Yue, go give this to third Miss. Ai, isn’t it just a little bit of food? This child, in a little while Mother will buy several taels of bird’s nest and have the kitchen make them for you.”
Madam Ruan had Mei Yue carry the bird’s nest over, but saw her husband coldly staring at her and smiled in embarrassment: “Aren’t I just thinking the child is pitiful? How much money could possibly be spent in giving her a little to eat? And doesn’t she also call you Father?”
“Mother, your words do not seem to be correct.” Second Miss Ruan Yu stated in dead earnest: “Just because of a single word of hers, her father lives in our home untouched by wind and rain. Look at that fur coat she’s wearing; that kind of hair ornament on her head is also not from our Ruan family. I call Second concubine-Father ‘concubine-Father’ but have never seen them send me any sort of good thing. A person shouldn’t conduct themselves like that, oh~”
It wasn’t that they had never sent anything as they nevertheless had sent over toys and pastries that had been bought for a few coins on the street.
Ruan Ju was so angry her face changed color and she shouted: “I’m spending my Ma’s money, not yours! What the hell status do you have to be so anxious and to care about my affairs?!”
With these words spoken, even the servants cynically looked at her. Madam Ruan’s money, wasn’t it all given by Master Ruan?
Ruan Yu did not intend to let her go and slowly articulated in a low voice: “Originally, ah, I did not care about how much of our Ruan family’s money you spent but you Wei family still do not understand your status or circumstances and stubbornly continue to provoke us. The matter about you all shifting the blame of the poison onto my Eldest Sister, I have not yet cleared it with you all. Unexpectedly, not only do you not know shame, you over and over again invite humiliation upon yourself. You simply don’t know how good you have it.”
“Who did you say doesn’t know how good they have it?!”
It just so happened that Mei Yue had placed down that bowl of bird’s nest porridge down. In the middle of her rage, Ruan Yu angrily extended her hand and pushed it away and the bird’s nest porridge shattered on the ground. The ruined bird’s nest was nothing, but that porcelain bowl was the famous celadon from Ru Zhou. In the future, there would be a sentence: It didn’t matter how wealthy a family was as none of it could compare to a single piece of Ru ware.[c]
Although the celadon of Tian Chu was not at the degree of fame or rarity as mentioned above, they were still absolutely not something an average family could use. Only when there were major banquets would the Ruan family take these out to use.
Ruan Ju’s biological father, Wei Rong, worriedly said: “Ju’er, what are you making a scene for? Quickly, kneel.” His daughter was too headstrong. Even if she wanted to make the other feel uneasy, she ought to secretly hinder them. Wasn’t doing everything in the open just asking to bring misfortune on oneself?
“Pa, you don’t have to worry about this. I just want to ask Mother if I am still her own daughter or not.”
Ruan Ju’s slip of the tongue made her call her concubine-Father, ‘Father.’ This was not permitted.
Since time immemorial, the standard that had been set was concubine-born children must and could only call the principal husband ‘Father.’ Ruan Zi Xu’s face had been swept aside and his complexion immediately became ashen. He coldly spoke thus: “If you do not recognize me, this father, then please leave my Ruan home. I, Ruan Zi Xu, do not raise things that do not know how to be grateful.”
“Aiya, Lord Husband, don’t be angry. She’s just a small child who doesn’t understand.” Madam Ruan hastily called out to him.
“Madam, just you wait and see.”
Ruan Zi Xu stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.
“Mother, I think you should give Papa an explanation.” Ruan Yu stood up, performed the rites towards Ruan Zhu and followed in leaving the hall.
The welcome banquet had ended on bad terms. Ruan Zhu looked at Yun Shi Yi and Lu Piao Xiang before finally stopping at Madam Ruan: “Mother, I am not feeling well and will leave first towards Furong Garden. Do not be too upset. After I persuade Pa, perhaps it will be fine tomorrow.”
Madam Ruan was currently fretting by herself and grasped onto her eldest daugther’s hand: “Mother’s baby, Mother’s darling, you must speak good words for this mother. Your father loves you dearly and will surely listen to you. Ai, you don’t know how difficult it is to manage a large household.”
Ruan Zhu wanted to say that managing a large household was not at all difficult. If you could only calmly carry a bowl of water and maintain a fair heart, how could Father care about that bit of silver?
But Ruan Zhu knew saying these words would not be useful. Carried by Yun Shi Wei, she returned to Furong Garden.
[a] 窗明几净, idiom meaning bright and clean
[b] Raws actually said it was made of 火龙, which directly translates to ‘fire dragon’ and I don’t know how that correlates. I substituted it with stones, which are good at holding heat and also more expensive than say brick or tile.
[c] Ru ware is a very famous and rare pottery style in the Song dynasty and is one of the Five Great Kilns. (Wikipedia)