Chapter 262 (Part 2): Mid-Autumn Festival
Translated by Gumihou
Edited by Vinisha
Please read this at kitchennovel dot com
With the calculations all made, she smiled and said, “Very well. I shall sing for everyone. This is a folksong that I overheard the servants sand when I was a child. They say it was a popular country song. Though I am not sure which village it came from, the catchy tune stayed with me until now.” With a plausible explanation for the song set, she cleared her throat and breathed in deeply before beginning.
“
As I cross the moonlight
Shining from the window to the floor
Am I crossing snow? ”
She sang and sang, until
“
The moon is round again today
We saw yellow Osmanthus again
Why, oh why is it
Each year on Mid-Autumn
I’ll miss home night after night… ”
Su Nuan Nuan trailed off, suddenly the thought of her home, the 21st century home separated by time and space caused tears to trickle down her cheeks. She didn’t notice the tears until her voice grew too choked to sing. When she finally recovered, she blinked and wiped her eyes, forcing a cheerful smile to say, “The more I sang, the more I thought of my parents. It looks like this song really doesn’t fit the season at all.”
Old Madam Fang said, “It’s my fault as well. I should have realised that as a day for reunion and family gathering, Mid-Autumn Festival would be a day we all yearned to be with our relatives. I have no reason to insist you to sing this song just for our entertainment. However, I must say it’s a very nice song, I wonder from which small village it came from.”
At Su Nuan Nuan’s uncharacteristically melancholic state, Concubine Jing also rushed in to cover for her. “Speaking of which, this one has learned the guqin [3] since young and has learned one Mid-Autumn folksong. If First Madam does not mind me disgracing your outstanding person with my shameful performance, perhaps I could be of some entertainment for everyone.”
With that, she opened her mouth and began to sing without further preamble. Following the little performance, Shi Yurou and the others also offered up little jokes or stories or sang songs to liven up the atmosphere. Eventually, even Su Nuan Nuan’s melancholy diminished.
As the moon reached the middle of the sky, the air grew colder and the group returned to their individual courtyard with great cheer. Back at Spring Breeze Court, Su Nuan Nuan flopped down face first onto her bed, nearly scaring Hong Lian and the rest of the maids out of their wits. They quickly flocked around her anxiously, “Missy, are you well?”
“I’m fine, I’m just very tired.” Su Nuan Nuan closed her eyes and muttered. “I’m not going to bath, no bathing, I just want to sleep now.”
Xiang Yun hesitated for a moment, but then whispered, “But the master is not back yet. Perhaps Missy should wait for a little longer?”
“Not waiting.” Su Nuan Nuan said stubbornly. She squirmed on the bed and kicked off her shoes and yawned twice more before muttering. “I’m too tired now. Even if I waited for him, it’s not like we can talk much before I nod off. Just sleep first. Hong Lian, take down my hair. Luckily we only stuck two beaded hairpins in, how annoying to have to take down all the make-up.”
Hong Lian and Xiang Yun exchanged a look and saw the worry in each other’s eyes. Su Nuan Nuan had always been active and lively, but for some reason after coming back from Liaodong, she had somehow become rather lazy? Not just tonight, it was every night. Aside from that one time she told off Xu Ran Yun, they had never saw her lively self anymore.
The two maids proceeded to carefully help Su Nuan Nuan take down her hair and combed it out properly. Even when they used a slightly damp washcloth to wipe her face, she barely stirred. In fact, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Helpless to do anything else, the maids could only help her out of her outer clothes and roll her back into her blankets, growing even more worried when this did not wake her either. They retreated from the room and was about to discuss the matter when Duan Tingxuan came in. At the sight of their missing hairpins, he said, “What about your madam? Is she asleep?”
“Yes.” Hong Lian answered, and proceeded to say, “Master, ever since Missy came back, she had\s been very tired and listless lately. This one is not sure if Missy had caught a cold or an illness that might be hurting her vitality. Perhaps master could invite a good physician to come and look at our Missy?”
“Surely not? Though she did seem a bit tired, I’m sure she hasn’t been exerting herself too much, ah.” Duan Tingxuan was also deeply surprised by this. Finally, concern took over common sense and he decided that it would be best to have a physician come and take a look at Su Nuan Nuan.
In fact, the very next day, an Imperial Physician came to visit Spring Breeze Court.
Su Nuan Nuan had just freshened herself up when she heard that Duan Tingxuan had invited the Imperial Physician to look at her. Speechless, she said, “Surely there’s no need to be so excessive? A special visit? I’ve just been overly tired, a few days’ rests would cure that. Just like him to make a mountain out of a molehill, is he not afraid of setting tongues wagging?”
However, since the Imperial Physician was already here, naturally she would not object about going for a consultation. Otherwise, their sin of frivolity would be even greater. Su Nuan Nuan dressed herself up properly and came to the main living room. As she extended her wrist to be examined, her mind flew towards the blooming osmanthus flowers from last night.
She thought: Since they bloomed so well this year, I should pick more flowers to make something. Whether it’s for making sweets or brewing wine, or even osmanthus flower cake, it’s all bound to be very delicious.
Author White Pear Flower: Just think, if you’ve really transmigrated, it’s not like you’ve travelled to a foreign land where you can go back home by hopping on a plane. Once you’ve transmigrated, that was it, you can’t go back. No wonder even the strong Nuan Nuan would cry…
[Gumihou: Wuwuwu… who’s crying? You’re crying!]
[2] Wen Ming Yue – There are actually two songs with the same name. One by He Yu Xuan and the other by Yisa Yu. The one sang by Su Nuan Nuan is the first one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5fpz7fAPCw
我读过窗前明月光 疑是地上霜
为什么举头望明月 低头思故乡
今夜里又见月儿圆 又见桂花黄
为什么年年中秋夜
夜夜思故乡
问明月 悄悄问明月
故乡在哪里
你是否和我一样在远方 故乡在远方
问明月 悄悄问明月
亲人在哪里
你是否和我一样在远方
亲人在远方
By He Yu Xuan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwJZoMqebDQ
別無奈 明月被雲覆蓋
不過是 風對它的偏愛
如果說 星星是天空那片海
月是潮汐的期待
雲散開 嗚
月光照亮紅塵的陰霾
世界在這一刻靜(停)下來
放下所有成敗
誰在迷戀自由的光彩
放任相愛卻又任性離開
也許誓言如滄海
只要琴聲不會改
那是一生中
最後的崇拜
誰在彈著世俗情愛
任誰都想要個淋漓痛快
燃盡黑夜的塵埃
風把雲推開
他就會踏著琴聲回來
問明月 還有多久等待
不覺倚上清冷的窗臺
忽然間 他披著月色入夢來
許我一生的摯愛
By Yisa Yu
[3] Guqin – a musical instrument, a type of zither
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