Chapter 268: Motherhood (Edited)
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Gumihou
Proofread by Pill Bug
Gumihou: Fu Qiuning being an actual good mother and mentor instead of… whatever it was in the unedited chapter.
Fu Qiuning took out a silk handkerchief and handed it to Jin Xiuzhen.
“Wipe your tears,” she said. “While I understand that you are sad about the death of your kittens, no amount of tears will bring them back.”
Jin Xiuzhen cried even louder.
“…here, why don’t you play with my cat?”
“… I want to play with Spotty and Inky.”
Spotty and Inky were Jin Xiuru and Jin Changjiao’s kittens.
“Alright, make sure to be careful with the little creatures.”
Jin Xiuzhen nodded and followed her and the other children into her house.
Fu Qiuning glanced around before asking, “Where is Brother Xuan?”
“Brother is… he has not spoken at all. Even my mother looked anxious. Humph, she was the one who harmed the kittens and made my brother like that. I’ll never see Flower Ball or Flower Brocade ever again-”
Just as suddenly as she had started, Jin Xiuzhen stopped speaking. She glanced at Fu Qiuning’s face, her eyes scanning warily for… for something.
However, Fu Qiuning’s expression was the usual cool, polite interest that she showed everyone. Even to father. Sometimes, Jin Xiuzhen had to wonder whether that woman even had feelings at all…
Lately, she thought that it looked like that woman and Mother had been getting along… well, if not well, they certainly had united to do things together. From what she could tell from seeing her interact with the others, this would be the moment where she dispensed one of her pearls of wisdom…
“Regardless, as a parent, she sought to do the best she could for you. Alas, it is often said that one should cherish a worn-out broom as if it were a thousand ounces of gold. It is rare for parents and children to understand each other fully. Although it is cold comfort, you, of all people, should understand from whence your mother’s actions come.”
Jin Xiuzhen squirmed uncomfortably. She thought of the many times she engaged in spiteful behaviours to get her brothers and sisters, sometimes even the concubines and servants, into trouble and could not find the words to condemn her mother anymore.
On Fu Qiuning’s side, she had no idea and no power to change Jiang Wanying’s fate. More importantly, Jiang Wanying herself did not seem to want to change as she hurtled towards a futile end like how a salmon fish hurled itself upstream. [1] It was as though there was something compelling her down this irrational path.
As for Jin Xiuzhen, she could not help but tremble in place as Fu Qiuning’s words left gaping wounds in her chest. She thought: No wonder even Brother Zhenyi and Sister Xiunan went over to this woman’s side so quickly. They knew instinctively, despite her cutting way of speaking, that she spoke the truth.
Was this why Father favoured her so much?
Women of noble families were taught to be good mothers, good support, and to never be jealous. Her mother failed the last one because she loved Father too much. She could not support him in any way except as ‘the granddaughter of a duke’ to bring him prestige. However, what of it? Now that the official wife had gained a Fifth Rank status on her own merit and gained favour with the palace through the creation of new opera, her mother had become nothing but an eyesore to him.
As she sat in the room with her other brothers and sisters, a kitten gambolling at her feet… she was suddenly struck by a terrible epiphany.
Everything that mother did… didn’t it feel like… she was deliberately pushing them away? Jin Xiuzhen suddenly stood up, and the kitten at her feet was so shocked that it scuttled away. The other children looked up at her uncertainly.
“Sister? What is it?”
It was Jin Changjiao who spoke. The elder sister she had never wanted. The eyesore that took away her father’s attention from her…
But… did she ever have Father’s attention?
Like Mother, Jin Xiuzhen worked hard to flatter and charm her father. At the same time, she would sabotage her own brothers and sisters, to make them fall out of favour with Father. Had this ever worked?
Had it?
Wasn’t it something Mother did too?
Look where it got her.
Instead… the person Father ran after was… this woman. The children that she favoured were given attention because… Father wanted her attention and approval. This woman, who lived quietly without scheming for attention was chased after desperately because… of her indifference.
“Oh no, there, there,” warm arms wrapped around her shoulders awkwardly. A different hand patted her back.
The only way to win was to not fall in the first place. However, Mother had fallen long ago, and could only keep falling from now on…
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Leaving the children to comfort their sister, Fu Qiuning sat in her bedroom. A rapidly cooling cup of tea sat on the table as she stared at the darkening sky.
Suddenly, lazy laughter drifted through the room from behind, followed by, “My goodness, I finally feel alive. Ah, I never want to return to those days again. How could any human live like that? I dare say I was clearly soaking in hell.”
Fu Qiuning remained in place, still staring through the window. Instead, Yu Jie was the one who hurried over to say, “Did Master have lunch yet? Master must have hurried back from the front lines only to interrogate those nasty barbarians right after. Surely Master must be hungry? Madam has been so worried.” She cast a quick, desperate glance at Fu Qiuning, signalling for her to show some attention to Jin Fengju.
When Fu Qiuning did not answer, Jin Fengju smiled grimly and said with a loud cheer, “I have not eaten yet, Madam. Shall we have dinner tonight? Fetch two plates of snacks, Yu Jie. Oh, speaking of which, I have rented a house near the official residence. You and Imperial Guard Ling may stay there for a time. It doesn’t make sense for a young couple to sleep separately when they are in the same place.
Yu Jie immediately flushed. She stomped her foot and said, “Master had just gone out for a small trip, but is already back to tease this maid? There is no need for Master or Madam to mind my business!”
She then ran out of the room.
Jin Fengju smirked. He turned to Fu Qiuning and said, “Heh, I was just being kind-hearted, and yet I was told to mind my business. Is that how a servant should speak to their Masters?”
Fu Qiuning was just wondering how to answer this question when she saw Chuang Hua passing by. She waved her hand and the maid hurried in. Fu Qiuning said, “Inform the rest that the Master will be dining at home tonight. Prepared the large hall.”
Chuang Hua accepted the order and scuttled off while Fu Qiuning pretended not to see the sad look on Jin Fengju’s face. He obviously wanted some ‘alone time’ with her, but that was out of the question. Instead of addressing his sad face, she said, “What of the pirates? Are there any more in the city?”
Fortunately, Jin Fenju became somewhat serious as he nodded and said, “I have interrogated that man. In addition to the three who entered the official residence, there were four others within the city. They were a group of fugitives with nowhere to hide as they were being chased by our soldiers. They took a risk and dug a hole to enter the city. Little did they know, on the first night they tried to commit a crime, they failed so miserably. Fortunately, they were too scared to react properly and were even killed off… ahem, if seven of them had entered the residence together, they would not have been so easily fended off.”
[2] Fu Qiuning frowned, “If the guards and servants had been doing their job right, even 10 pirates would pose no problem. We were fortunate to have Mister Cat with us. For some reason, at a critical time, three Eastern Barbarians managed to make their way into the residence without anyone seeing anything. When the children started screaming, only one or two of them started trickling in. In short, we were fortunate to have Mister Cat to protect us despite the gatekeepers, soldiers and all those people having disappeared off to who knows where.”
Jin Fengju’s smile fell. “This-”
“Frankly speaking, I do not fear the remaining four Eastern Barbarians running around in the city. What I truly fear is the lack of competence of the people looking after the city.”
Desperately, Jin Fengju said, “Quanzhou City is not small, with tens of thousands of people. It’s not easy to search. It’s not like it’s under the emperor’s feet, where the Imperial Guards and the Forbidden Army could easily be dispatched to catch criminals.”
“Is that so? If that’s the case, I shall keep the one competent personnel close with me at all times.”
“Qiuning, surely you don’t intend to-”
“Mister Cat shall sleep with me every night from now on.”
“… …”
Before Jin Fengju could properly formulate an answer, Jian Feng came to the room to announce that dinner was ready.
At the dinner table, Jin Fengju was persuaded by Concubine Cui and Yue Lan, who started coaxing him to tell them of his adventure. Desperate to prove that he had been doing things outside and being more than competent, he started talking about the various dangerous situations he found himself in. He was very eloquent in his storytelling, eliciting gasps and cheers from everyone in the room. Jiang Wanying paid rapt attention to his every word.
The children were also at the table with them. Jin Xiuzhen had a shaken look on her face. Now and then, she would look around in bewilderment, as though unsure why she was there… Jiang Wanying continued to smile and laugh at every one of Jin Fengju’s jokes, tittering and making little comebacks as though nothing was wrong.
Fu Qiuning could not help but feel a pain in her chest each time she looked at the mother and daughter pair. After a while, Jin Fengju said, “Why do you look so distracted, Xiuzhen?”
Jin Xiuzhen looked at her father blankly, as though she could not understand the question.
“Sister is sad because her kitten died,” said Jin Changjiao quickly. “We are sharing my Spotty now, but it’s not the same.”
“I see,” it was clear that Jin Fengju had already lost interest in the conversation.
“Don’t worry, Sister. I’m sure we can find another kitten for you,” said Jin Changfeng comfortingly. “In fact, let’s have some of the servants go out and find some-”
“Cough!! Ahem, cough!” Jin Fengju was suddenly struck by a coughing fit.
Feeling vindictive, Fu Qiuning smiled and said, “Look, your father is beside himself with joy at the thought of having more of these reliable little creatures. I’m sure he must feel confident about having an army of cats to protect his precious family.
It was said with such a bland voice that nobody in the room could tell whether Fu Qiuning was joking or not.
In the end, Jin Fengju gamely said, “Don’t be sad, Xiuzhen. After dealing with the Japanese pirates, I will take you to play on Dongfan Island. There are many fruits and seabirds there, and even rabbits on the island. If you like them, we can catch a couple to raise. Rabbit fur is not inferior to cat fur.”
Jin Xiuzhen barely reacted to this. Jin Zhenyi was the one who piped up and said, “Father! I want to raise rabbits too! I will raise them well!”
“Raise them to eat, you mean?” Jin Fengju laughed.
Naturally, everyone laughed with him.
By then, the dishes had been arranged on the table. Just as they were about to start on the meal, Jiang Wanying gave a simpering smile and said, “Surely Lord Husband must have returned much triumphant today? Why is there no fanfare? This humble woman had been hoping to see the soldiers enter the city in glory and to witness Lord Husband’s imposing presence at the city gate.”
“… …”
Fu Qiuning was not even trying anymore. Could she be even more suspicious? The only way she could be more suspicious was to tie a cloth with the words ‘Spy Here’ on her forehead.
Jin Fengju smirked at her. Before answering her, he flashed a glance at Fu Qiuning and said in a low, lazy voice, “Imposing presence and glory? Do you think killing those Eastern Barbarians is easy? Hundreds of soldiers sacrificed their lives in the fight against them. Moreover, although this group of Barbarians has been eliminated, there are still thousands more at sea. They have suffered a big loss this time, and with their brutality, they will surely seek revenge. Just wait until launch a large-scale invasion.”
Well, dinner was quite solemn after that declaration.
[Gumihou: Seriously, the first paragraph was literally ‘Although your kitty died, there’s still the other kittens. Go play with those instead’. Like what in the god damned shit-]
[1] Jiang Wanting’s actions make no sense. Let’s highlight this lack of sense.
[2] Let’s talk about your incompetent people rather than how shiny your buttcheeks are.
