Chapter 384 (2/2)
Luo Qianqian, who wasn't aware of the rumors around Zhu Yurun, was only the only married woman in the group that was friendly towards her. The other madams all looked at Zhu Yurun in askance. Zhu Yurun had neither talent nor beauty. She really wasn't suitable to come along on this outing.
Qian Yingchen had thought about having her stay home, but if he did that, he might end up seeing a pitiful-looking and bullied steamed bun when he returned from this trip. Thinking of it that way, he decided that he might as well bring her with him.
The great monk opened his eyes and started to take the thin pieces of wood from the guests. He had already looked at several of the poems without saying a word, but his eyes brightened when he saw Zhu Yurun's poem.
I'd go out for a walk alone when I so please,
What a pleasure this brings, only I would know.
Stroll to the river's source,
And watch the clouds rise.
(T/N: These lines are from My Retreat in the Zhongnan Mountains by w.a.n.g Wei. The first two lines are from /2011/01/07/123. The second part of the poem has become an optimistic idiom that figuratively means even when you're at a dead end, there's still hope.)
”This female donor is very broad-minded and unfetteredly elegant.” The great monk handed the poem back to her, pressed both palms together, and said, ”What a rare sight.”
Everyone was slightly stunned. Qian Yingchen took the thin piece of wood from Zhu Yurun. After reading it, he raised his head and looked at her with a furrowed brow.
Zhu Yurun felt somewhat guilty and started to instinctively lean towards Ji Man.
However, before she had gotten halfway there, Qian Yingchen pulled her back to her original position. ”Sit here and don't move.”
Once that thin piece of wood was pa.s.sed around the group, the married women looked at Zhu Yurun with slightly warmer gazes. In the end, they were a group of people that had gathered together because of talent. Talent was the most important thing to them.
Zhu Yurun shrunk her neck and didn't say a word.
The great monk took Ji Man's thin piece of wood next. After the great monk muttered a few words to himself, he actually loudly laughed before reading it aloud,
”Ashamed that my feelings have dirtied the holy path,
I remained afraid of the alluring beauty after entering the mountain.
In this world, who can fulfill both,
Faithfulness to Buddha and faithfulness to you.”
(This poem is by the 6th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tsangyang Gyatso. The translation is from /2015/08/31/faithful-to-buddhfaithful-to-you/ with tiny edits for clarity.)
”Donor, you're truly a mortal world mediator. Even a monk might have deep feelings of love.” The great monk laughed for a while. Looking at Ji Man with a bright gaze, ”This is truly a good poem. Donor's beloved must be a breath-taking beauty for the donor to compare her to Buddha.”
En, Ji Man also really liked this poem by Tsangyang Gyatso. She placed her palms together and respectfully answered the great monk, ”Earthly feelings are pervasive, and this one is unable to part with them. It's good that the great monk is able to chortle with delight over it.”
Translator Ramblings: I think it's reasonable that the other married women look down Zhu Yurun. She had the same opportunities as the other women in the gathering to learn how to write poetry, but she wasn't interested in learning that skill and chose to squander her opportunities. It's perfectly okay that she has different interests from Qian Yingchen, but I think it's fair that there's going to be negative consequences when she chooses to not learn useful skills and wants to marry a man based on his looks.
Just like Zhu Yurun, Luo Qianqian doesn't have stellar looks, but she chose to work hard on learning useful skills, so that she can be judged favorably on her accomplishments. It was nice of Ji Man to write a poem for Zhu Yurun, but is continuing to save Zhu Yurun from the consequences of her previous choices and giving a false impression a good idea in the long-term?
Anyways, I like how the author created a character like Zhu Yurun, and her messy relations.h.i.+p with Qian Yingchen. Neither of them are bad people. Zhu Yurun is a very sweet girl, who doesn't have any bad intentions, but they're fundamentally not suitable for each other. If something doesn't change between them, Ji Man's interference can only serve as a temporary fix.
What do you guys think?