Chapter 85 (1/2)
Glossary
儿 | er | (lit. child) diminutive marker used as a form of endearment
Ruan Zhu lifted her skirt to avoid the noisy crowd and not long after, finally reached the shore and stepped onto the bow of the boat. This shabby vessel was a little over thirty meters long and a little over one meter wide. The boat’s cabin was set with shabby planks and black tarpaulin and packed with people that all wore the clothes of the average commoner.
When those people saw that two ladies from a wealthy family had come aboard their boat, they all crowded over in astonishment to see the bustle.
Ruan Zhu stepped closer and performed the rites to Madam Ruan, neutrally saying: “Zhu’er greets Mother.”
Madam Ruan dazedly looked at her eldest daughter: “I heard you gave birth to twins of mixed sex.”
Ruan Zhu forced a smile: “It was in the beginning of the year. The boy is called Bo Yu, the girl is Bo Ya; they are both very adorable.”
“Was it with Mister Lu?” Madam Ruan looked ashore and followed her eldest daughter’s gaze towards an unspeakably noble and tall figure. She still did not know that Lu Piao Xiang was Tian Chu’s fifth prince. After she had been kicked out of her father’s home, she did not have the face to return and was unclear about anything regarding the Ruan clan.
“They are, Ma.” She looked at the shabbily dressed woman who was her mother in name only. She was merely thirty-some years old, but both of her temples had become slightly white and her skin had also yellowed. Ruan Zhu remembered how her figure at home been so beautiful and moved with such a coquettish attitude, but now that pair of watery eyes had dimmed.
“It seems that Zhu’er and Yu’er have been living happy and blessed lives. That is good, that is good.” Madam Ruan’s nose became sour and tears fell.
“Madam!” A man strode out of the ship’s hold–it was Madam Ruan’s fourth secondary husband, Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu: “Madam should go look at Second Brother Wei; he’s violently coughing and the situation does not look too good. The boat owner keeps on cursing to no end, saying he is too smelly and that other guests have already complained. He would like for us to leave the boat.”
Having finished saying that, Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu walked over to bow before the two sisters: “Eldest Miss, Second Miss.”
From head to toe, it seemed as if Madam Ruan had not heard what Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu had said as she absent-mindedly looked towards the two sisters.
“Ma, come back home with us!” Ruan Yu couldn’t bear it and pulled at her mother’s sleeve: “Stop caring about that man anymore, you don’t owe him anything; it’s him that has always owed you. Yu’er……Yu’er also needs Ma by her side.” Her eyes became red after speaking up to there.
Madam Ruan was stupefied and shook her head.
“Why?” Ruan Yu pulled on her mother’s arm and impatiently said: “Are you possibly still concerned about that man? What’s good about him? What part of him can compare to Papa?”
Distress leaked through on Madam Ruan’s face and she only responded after a long while: “It is not because of Wei Rong. Yu’er, you don’t understand. Ma can no longer return. After I passed through that doorstep, I could no longer return.”
Ruan Yu knew her mother’s temper was stubborn and also one that liked face. Any person who could calmly take a step back at that time would not have led their entire family in leaving. “Ma, as long as you still have us in your heart, it won’t be difficult and Papa will also forgive you.”
Madam Ruan’s dark eyes suddenly brightened as she excitedly grabbed her daughter: “Your Papa forgiving me–has he said something like this before?”
Ruan Yu stammered: “Although Papa has never mentioned it before, I know he has always been thinking of you. He has kept all of the items you’ve used before; on your birthday, he was extremely taciturn and didn’t speak the entire day.”
“It was I who let him down.” Madam Ruan suddenly sobbed out: “What on earth is he thinking of me for? We’ve already said to part without hard feelings. Can’t you just find another young and beautiful one?” The last line was said towards old man Ruan.
After a man of Tian Chu repudiated his wife, he lost the right to wed another, but if he truly did remarry, he could not be given a title and any children birthed between the two of them would be regarded as illegitimate and without the right to inherit any property or assets.
The good impression Ruan Zhu had of Madam Ruan came from the day she had given birth to Zhi Xi when the latter entered the delivery room to help take care of her. It could be regarded that having this kind of mother was still with its benefits. Turning her head towards the docks, she saw Xuanyuan Zong Zhi’s handsomely bright figure was still standing there, and the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but curve into a smile while she lifted her hand to beckon him over.
Xuanyuan Zong Zhi saw his wife’s gesture and headed to the shore with large steps, where he then lightly leapt and came aboard. Gazing at her with eyes full of affection, he asked: “Wife, is something the matter?”
Ruan Zhu shallowly smiled: “Do you have any silver banknotes on you?”
Xuanyuan Zong Zhi fished around his sleeves, his expression awkward: “These past few days have been spent on the ship and there has been no use for banknotes, thus I did not bring any.”
Ruan Zhu pushed him: “Go look on the dock to see if there’s anyone you recognize and go borrow some. We can just return double the amount when we return.” The Prince of Qi’s ship was considered part of the imperial household and could not be docked together with the vessels of the commoners so the distance was relatively far and a round trip was rather inconvenient.
“I will find someone. There is no need to pay them back; it is considered their honor to be able to lend us money.”
What Xuanyuan Zong Zhi said was justified. Those men usually fawned over him and it still depended on whether his mood was good or not.
Reaching the shore in one leap, he saw a fifth-rank official and raised his hand to block the other’s way.
That fifth-rank official was just about to rain curses when he saw that it was the most favored Fifth Prince and immediately jumped with fright and hurriedly paid his respects. Xuanyuan Zong Zhi requested a few silver banknotes from him and then turned around and barred a few other officials to coerce more banknotes.
Madam Ruan saw her son-in-law’s actions and was so surprised her eyes widened. Those officials usually had their eyes stuck on the top of their heads and treated commoners viciously. When one met them on the streets, regular civilians had to keep a far distance, so when did this son-in-law have such large ability?
Xuanyuan Zong Zhi returned to the boat with a stack of silver banknotes in his hands. He didn’t know how many there were total and simply stuffed the whole lot in his wife’s hand: “See if this is enough. If not, I will go ask for more.”
This was precisely the advantage of being someone in power–one could openly rob others at any time and any place.
Ruan Zhu saw that these silver banknotes were marked with either fifty taels or a hundred taels. With this thickness, no matter how one said it, it should still be a few thousand, right!? The most an average commoner could earn in one year of hard, bitter labor was ten taels of silver. Exactly how much of the people’s blood, sweat, and tears have these officials raked? Regardless of the time or the space, anywhere there were officials, there would be **?
“Ai! Three years of a just and honorable magistrate amounts to one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver.[a] Words of wisdom, hmm!” Ruan Zhu sighed in admiration and offered the large stack of banknotes towards Madam Ruan: “Ma, take these to rent a solo boat. Don’t cram in one with so many commoners. You won’t have to take the others’ curses and also won’t feel unhappy.”
“How could Ma so easily take this many banknotes?” Madam Ruan’s fingertips touched the silver banknotes, her expression uneasy and then stubbornly backed away: “Take it back to save for my grandsons, for when they marry. Yu’er has already given Ma so much, Ma does not want it. Take it back.”
“Ma, you also saw it. These banknotes were gathered, and besides, I don’t lack silver.” To her, this money was truly almost the same as picking some up from the ground.
“Zhu’er, I don’t understand. Take it back and save it for the children. Ai, it’s not easy to survive in the world and it’s hard to make money!”
Madam Ruan had a good side in that she was not particularly avaricious. The day she left, she would rather save face and refused to open her mouth to ask old Master Ruan for compensation. Saying she didn’t want it meant she didn’t want it, and she stubbornly shoved the wad of banknotes back into her eldest daughter’s hand.
Yet Ruan Zhu saw her mother turn around and run inside the ship’s cabin while tears streamed down her face as if she was afraid to be discovered by her daughter.
Ruan Zhu gloomily held the stack of banknotes as she stared blankly before her, then saw the standing Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu: “Fourth Father, give these banknotes to Mother so your lives can be a little more comfortable.”
Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu refused to stretch out his hand and heaved a sigh: “Eldest Miss, please forgive me for saying this, but I actually feel your Ma’s current circumstances are much better than before as the previous her was ruined by money. You should just take it back!”
They all said money was destructive, but smart people used it to their benefit; fools had their souls corroded by it.
“Although your Ma has never mentioned it, but it can be seen that she deeply regrets what happened before.” Fourth Concubine-Father Zhu shook his head, his entire face rueful. “The one she cherished abandoned her while the ones she paid no attention to yet sent charcoal in snowy weather.[b]“
“Mother was abandoned by whom?” Ruan Zhu asked. Was it Wei Rong, Wei Jia, or perhaps Ruan Ju?
“After we had been driven out by your maternal grandfather, the entire family, including Ruan Ju’s, moved to a poor alley in the capital. Those men of Ruan Ju’s always stole your mother’s silver and later also took her hair ornaments. During that time, Second Miss came over a few times, so perhaps you have heard her say this before.”
Ruan Zhu nodded. During that time when Maternal Grandfather came to shoot the breeze, she had mentioned it.