Chapter 255: Old Cat (Edited)
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou: Also, you bet I’m gonna throw shade on that ‘treasure ship’ even here.
The maid went on and on, repeating herself and getting more shrill each round. Finally, Qiu Yu [1] jumped in to say, “I believe Madam understands the situation. Right, Madam?”
Qiu Yu was sweating so much that it looked like someone had slapped a wet cloth over her head. Well, it was a little warmer in the south after all. Fu Qiuning let her and the other two maids sweat it out a little longer before saying, “I see. I shall take note of the matter. Qiu Yu, bestow some coins to these maids for their performance.”
[1] Fu Qiuning left before Qiu Yu had gotten her purse out of her clothes. Let those three sort things out between themselves.
[2] It did not take long for Qiu Yu to reappear by her side, “Madam, when do you think Master will be back?”
[2] Fu Qiuning gave her an odd look. “How would I know? He has things to do, and so do you. So, go and attend to your duties.”
[1] Qiu Yu smiled flatteringly at Fu Qiuning, saying, “Has Madam forgotten after chatting with the young masters and young misses? With so many officials wanting to meet with him, it would not be surprising if they tried to persuade the master to visit the brothels. Humph, if that happens, I am sure the master won’t forgive them.”
[2a] “Is that so?” said Fu Qiuning non-committally.
[2a] “Of course! The Master is not that kind of person. Otherwise, who in the Capital could stop him from visiting any of the famous brothels there? How many officials out to curry favour with the Master tried to entice him there already? Not even the Old Master or the Old Madam could do anything if he were to go.”
[2a] “In short, it is a man’s decision whether he wishes to visit a brothel or not.”
[2a] “That’s right!” Qiu Yu nodded her head fervently. “Sister Yu Jie had also mentioned before that when the Young Marquis was at Jiangnan, he never lingered at the brothels. It was the guards who wanted to experience the local girls there.”
[2a] “Is it so rare for a man to not visit the brothels?” Fu Qiuning finally asked.
[2a] “Naturally!” Qiu Yu happily, “Even the masters of the estate would visit the brothels now and then, or switch out their concubines and bedmates every few years.”
[2a] “Prince Rong is the same as well, are you trying to imply something?”
[2a] Qiu Yu gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth dramatically.
Having finally silenced the girl, Fu Qiuning and the maid continued their way back [3]. Qiu Yu looked like she wanted to say more, but that was when thunder struck and rain fell from the heavens drenching the two ladies to the bones.
When the two reached the house, Yu Jie and Jian Feng came out to greet her with equally dramatic gasps at her appearance. Still, instead of falling silent, they beamed and said, “ We heard that the weather in the south tends to be on the unpredictable side. To think we should see it for ourselves so soon! It was clearly quite sunny in the afternoon, but it suddenly pours in the evening. Should Master wish to return home, he would surely encounter rain.”
Jin Fengju had left that morning citing that he had gone off to inspect the anti-Japanese guard posts. As a civil servant, he should not interfere with guard post affairs, but the likelihood of the Crown Prince making trouble was high, and Fu Qiuning agreed that it would be best to inspect the place himself. After all, should any Japanese pirates appear, it was likely that Jin Fengju would be blamed for being ‘Weak against the Japanese’. Never mind that the local officials here never seem to clear out the pirate nests around the area.
Fu Qiuning had expressed some concern over the Crown Prince’s sinister intentions, but Jin Fengju had casually said, “No need to pay attention to that person. The Crown Prince’s influence is not strong here. Furthermore, we have several key officials from Prince Rong’s faction here.”
[4] After hearing this, instead of being reassured, Fu Qiuning grew even more apprehensive. After all, this was the same man who boasted that the silly little 9 sails junk was some ‘Treasure Ship’. No, it was best to make her own preparations. Especially since nearly all of the children were there, along with original!Qiuning’s mother and friend. She could not leave their lives in the care of one deluded self-aggrandising person.
“Today, I shall inspect all the coastal anti-Japanese guard posts. Paperwork can wait, it is summer now and late summer to early autumn are the most favourable times for Japanese pirates to act. Not to mention the city people, my own wife and children are all here. Thus, I dare not take this matter lightly. Compared to those wicked Japanese pirates, government official matters are relatively trivial.”
“… …”
[4] Jin Fengju had looked at her with puffed-up chest, but she really had no idea what to say to him. Was that why they had been travelling around with the extra 300 Imperial Guards and 100 personal guards? Also, did he have to word it as though he was fighting the pirates on his lonesome when he had all those guards with him? Not to mention, he was the one who dragged all the children out to this dangerous place and, instead of letting her have Concubine Xu as a helper, she had to be contented with a sick Jiang Wanying instead.
“Qiuning? Are you afraid? There’s nothing to fear so long as I am here. I will not let a single Japanese pirate past the coasts of our waters. I, Jin Fengju, will protect this place and ensure the safety of… everyone here!”
“Sure,” said Fu Qiuning finally. “You do that.”
“… …”
There was really nothing much to say after that.
While she was busy pondering over the absurd conversation that morning, the pouring rain that had arrived so suddenly, disappeared just as quickly. There was only a drizzle left. Hearing laughter from the outside, Fu Qiuning made to step out of her house to the nearby courtyard where all the children had been housed. After being stuck in a tiny ship for so many days, the children had to be glad to have the space to run around.
Yu Jie, ever alert to her mistress’s needs, quickly fetched the special oil-paper umbrellas that Master had specially bought from Suzhou.
[5] “Madam, look! This maid especially packed these umbrellas for Madam. Aren’t they all exquisitely made and beautifully hand-painted? The master is really thoughtful, to think of Madam even though he was so far away~”
She ended her little speech with a sigh.
Fu Qiuning also sighed before randomly selecting one of the umbrellas and setting out in the drizzle. She heard Yu Jie trotting behind her as the two made their way to the next courtyard. They found the children running about under the eaves with something cradled in their arms.
As soon as they spotted Fu Qiuning, Jin Zhenyi and Jin Changjiao [5] ran up to her immediately.
[6] “Mother look!”
[6] “Look what we found!”
“These are… cats?”
[6a] The children all looked a little damp from the rain. Their shoes and the bottoms of their trousers were obviously soaking wet, but their arms were still relatively dry. Fu Qiuning looked around and may have even glared at the maids a little. That was when Jin Changfeng stepped forward. Fu Qiuning noticed that he did not have a kitten in his arm.
“Mother…” he began.
Before he could go on, Jin Zhenyi shot forward to shout, “Mother! We-”
[7] “That’s enough, I will hear your explanations later. For now, go and change out of your wet clothes. You there, collect the kittens and keep them in a dry basket covered with a cloth. As for the rest of you, make sure to change out of your shoes and underwear too. Dry your hair as well or I shall send these cats to the kitchen.”
[7] “NOO!!”
[7] Fu Qiuning jumped back at the sudden shout. It was Jin Zhenxuan and Jin Xiuzhen. Jin Zhenxuan looked like he might squeeze the kitten to death…
“The kittens will feel safer and warmer together. So long as you change out of your wet clothes into dry ones, I shall not send them to the kitchens. Well? Go on now.”
[7] Jin Zhenxuan still had that mulish look on his face, but his sister managed to coax him into letting the kitten go. A relatively young maid was put in charge of the basket of kittens while the children scrambled into their rooms to change out of their wet clothes. Even the maids were wet through, probably due to having to chase down their little masters and mistresses in the rain.
[7] Fu Qiuning set up camp in one of the larger halls, instructing the people to light a couple of brazers to keep the chill away. Yu Jie had already been sent to the kitchen to prepare sweet ginger soup. While she was waiting, a long-legged, skinny cat loped in. It had black and brown patterns all over and looked like it could tear a person’s face off if it didn’t like the look of it.
[7] Fu Qiuning stared down at the cat as it loped silently over to the girl with the basket of kittens and sat down to wash its paws.
[7] “… Is this the mother cat?”
[7] “To answer Madam, yes. This is the mother cat.”
[7] “Well, since they are her kittens, she should have the right to see them.”
[7] The young maid hesitated for a moment before setting the basket down. The Mother Cat swiftly leapt into the basket and soon, sounds of purring were heard.
[7] Soon, with a stampede of feet, the children all came rushing in. Some more sedately than others.
Jin Zhenyi sprinted ahead of the pack and threw himself down at her feet. “Honoured Mother! This is all my fault!”
Fu Qiuning raised her eyebrows.
“No, it’s not!” Jin Changfeng knelt down at a more sedate pace and said, “As the elder brother, it is my duty to look after my younger siblings. If it is anyone’s fault-”
“No, it’s not!” Jin Zhenyi interrupted. “Honoured Mother, listen to me! You often say that ‘one should be responsible for one’s own actions’. This whole thing started because of me, so there is no need to involve anyone else. It all started with that cat…”
[6b] At that, he ran towards the maid, snatched the basket from her hands and ran back to kneel before Fu Qiuning. He grabbed the cat and said, “I saw the servants chasing this old cat in the courtyard earlier when it ran from them and hid behind me. Later, after the servants had gone away, the old cat refused to let me leave, so I had no choice but to follow it. It ran out through the side door, and I followed it-”
[6b] “Which you shouldn’t have done!” Jin Changfeng snapped.
[6b] “Well, you didn’t have to follow me,” Jin Zhenyi sulked.
[8] “No, we had to. Otherwise, who knows what mischief you’ll get into?” said Jin Changjiao. “You could end up lying on the cold wet ground with a wound on the back of your head!”
[8] Everyone in the room flinched. Especially Jin Zhenxuan and Jin Xiuzhen.
[6c] To fill the pause, Fu Qiuning said, “Where is your youngest sister?”
[6c] “Fifth Sister is practising her embroidery in her room,” said Jin Xiunan quietly.
[6c] “Again? I already told her time and again to come and play with us, but she’s always hiding in her room,” said Jin Zhenyi in an aggrieved tone. “I told her that if she doesn’t show her face more often, Father would soon forget her name and everything about her.”
[6c] “Ahem,” said Fu Qiuning, because in truth, she was also not too sure what this Fifth Sister’s name was. To change the subject, she said, “Enough about Fifth Sister, continue with your explanation, Brother Yi.”
“Oh, right. Anyway, I followed the cat out the door and to the backstreets. I swear I was just going to go alone, but the rest kept following me. Anyway, the cat led us to the back alley behind the estate all the way to the end of the street. That’s when we found a nest of kittens there. I guess the old cat must be an Old Auntie Cat. It started raining suddenly so we all grabbed a kitten each and ran back to the house as quickly as we could. So, Honoured Mother, this matter really has nothing to do with my brothers and sisters…”
[6c] “How can it have nothing to do with us?” Jin Changjiao actually shoulder-checked Jin Zhenyi at this point. “You want to claim ownership of all the kittens? I am telling you now, I am not letting Spotty go, so don’t even think about it-”
[6c] “That’s right, I won’t let go of mine either!” Jin Zhenxuan suddenly spoke up. “She’s mine! She chose me and climbed into my lap on her own-”
“Ahem,” said Fu Qiuning.
The children quickly subsided at that.
After a short silence, Jin Changjiao said, “This daughter is at fault and is willing to accept Mother’s punishment. However, I must have Spotty. I beg Mother to agree!”
“W-we beg Mother to let us keep our kittens!”
[9] It was not the first time she faced so many earnest pleading eyes. She had taught young children in her past life and although what she had taught was nothing like the standard subjects one would learn at school, children were still children and would take a mile if you gave an inch.
[9] Fu Qiuning silently stared down at the children until they subsided. Once they quieted down, she said, “Do you know what you have done wrong?”
[9] The children looked at each other confusedly. They knew they had done wrong, that much was easily understood. However, although they had prostrated themselves and apologised, none of them was entirely clear why they were in the wrong.
“Keeping a pet is not a problem. It helps you to understand how to care for another life and take responsibility for it. However, running out on your own, even with your servants with you, is a stupid thing to do. To make sure you remember this mistake, each of you will receive ten strokes on the palm.” Here, she turned to nod at Yu Jie.
Yu Jie acknowledged the unspoken order and went to fetch the bamboo board.
Fu Qiuning then turned to the servants next. “Back at the mansion, there are many eyes watching the youngsters. However, things are different here. We do not have many connections with the locals, not to mention that this place is often plagued by Japanese pirates, nothing like the Capital, which is located at the emperor’s feet. Consider this your first offence. Only the children will be punished for this reckless behaviour. If I only punish the servants, none of the children will remember this lesson. However, if you do not stop them the next time they behave recklessly, you shall be the one punished.
Surely, as adults, you will have a better memory for lessons? I do not care whether you grab them or tie them up, just restrain them the best you can. Do not tell me that you do not have the strength to restrain mere children. I shall give you permission now to do your best to intervene should the young masters and young misses are running towards danger. Loyalty is not just blind obedience. As intelligent beings, you should have the ability to judge the situation and understand what should be done. If something similar happens again, your punishment would not be a few strokes on the palm. Understand?”
Gumihou: I’m not sure why AR Qiuning became shouty and naggy all of a sudden…
Fu Qiuning: Someone has to nag and shout the plot into obedience…
[1] BTW, Qiu Yu had been ‘sent away to get money’ in the previous chapter. Presumably, this was done so that only FQN knows what’s going on. Because of the previous chapter’s Note 5, and because maids should know just about everything anyway, it just seems like more superfluous ‘ohmygawd FQN amaze!’ things.
[2] Have Qiu Yu ask ‘When will the Master be back’ instead of FQN
[2a] Have Qiu Yu praise JFJ to the heavens
[3] Deleted thoughts of ‘wow, JFJ had it tough as imperial envoy’, ‘he’s so wonderful’, ‘oh, he almost died there, sobs’
[4] The previous statement was meant to be awe-inspiring, but considering the precedence…
[5] Yu Jie being JFJ’s butt polisher is pretty canon by now
[6] Kids acting according to their set characteristics and not per Author White Flower’s convenience
Deleted: Seeing Fu Qiuning, Jin Zhenyi and Jin Changjiao, who were in the front, immediately stopped and looked at her nervously, not daring to say anything.
Like dude, who are these people?
[6a] Better description for these wet children
[6b] Description of real children being children
[6c] Let’s mention Jin Xiuwho
[7] Help White Pear Flower set up the scenario with a bit more finesse that does not involve blunt force trauma.
Also, why is FQN threatening to have a monk come and give them a beating here? It was presumably because they were running about in the rain, but that’s kind of…
[8] Hey, let’s add some drama~
[9] Author had clearly forgotten about ‘FQN was a teacher of smol children’ detail
