Ch. 12.3
The next morning, Yi Liankai woke up late so he dressed hurriedly and prepared to go out. Qin Sang was awake but had not gotten up yet. She raised herself slightly from the pillows and while watching him button his suit, said, ‘Don’t forget what you promised me.’
Yi Liankai didn’t turn around. Instead, he concentrated on his reflection as he asked, ‘What did I promise you?’
Qin Sang knew very well that he was teasing her so she ignored this and reclined on the pillows, saying, ‘Although it’s not a very urgent matter, do take note of it and bring it up with Commander Yao when you think the time is right. As the saying goes, “Better to destroy ten temples than one marriage.”¹ Since she’s entrusted such a matter to me, naturally I should do everything in my power to help… .’
Yi Liankai pointed out: ‘She entrusted you with it, not me. Besides, when it comes to such things, even if I speak to Commander Yao about it, the most I can do is make a recommendation²: it’s not as if I can force him to marry his daughter to anyone. What’s more, you haven’t even clarified the ins and outs³ but here you are shouldering all responsibility.⁴ What if this Miss Yao has fallen for the Young General of Chengzhou, Murong Feng? Wouldn’t that make them Romeo and Juliet? Would I still be expected to ensure that this match is made?’
² 敲邊鼓 qiāobiāngǔ: (lit. to beat nearby drum). Collq. speak or act to assist sb. from the sidelines; back sb. up.
He turned round, saw that Qin Sang was looking rather dazed as she sat lost in thought, and burst out laughing: ‘What on earth are you getting so worried about? It’s her nuptials5 after all, not yours.’
5 終身大事 zhōngshēndàshì: Idiom. great event in one’s life (usu. referring to marriage).
Qin Sang recovered and protested: ‘Trust you to even think of such a thing; Murong Feng is only sixteen, how could Miss Yao fall for him!’
Yi Liankai laughed. ‘You never know. From time immemorial, beauties have always loved a hero. Murong Feng is a young hero and it’s not inconceivable that Miss Yao has fallen for him. Never mind even if she really has set her heart on Chengzhou’s Young General. But if this type of sheltered young miss has gullibly6 fallen for a trap set by some gang of swindlers7 and gets cheated of her money and innocence, then that would really be a disaster.’
6 天真爛漫 tiānzhēn-lànmàn: innocent and artless; simple and unaffected.
Qin Sang, listening to his sheer nonsense8, felt that there wasn’t much possibility of such a thing happening. Even so, she could not shake off a niggling worry. After Yi Liankai had left, she got up to dress then went down to the Yao residence again. As today was the matriarch’s birthday proper, opera performances had begun at noon, as had magic performances engaged by friends and relatives of the family. There were also some storytelling performances so the atmosphere was even livelier than yesterday’s.
8 胡说八道 húshuō-bādào: talk nonsense; sheer nonsense; rubbish.
‘I’m sure you’ll understand once you see him.’ — Yao Yuping, Ch. 12.3 © 12
Madam Yao left her to Yao Yuping since she felt that they got on well together. When no one was noticing, Qin Sang took the chance to say to Yao Yuping: ‘I want to speak to you.’
Yao Yuping thus found an opportunity to lead Qin Sang to her own little guest hall again. Before they had even settled down, she had already rushed to say: ‘Jiejie, I really had no idea about yesterday. My mother also only found out about it after everything had ended and she gave our retainer a dressing-down as well. It’s our fault for not being attentive enough in our arrangements. I hope you won’t be angry and I apologise to you now.’
Qin Sang was nonplussed by this statement and couldn’t help laughing bemusedly: ‘You really have me confused. What about yesterday?’
Yao Yuping said: ‘I know Jiejie is too magnanimous to hold it against an innocent party. My mother also dissuaded me from mentioning the matter to you, lest you be troubled by it. But I think my family was careless and did not handle things properly. We should not have invited her. That’s why I must apologise to you today.’
Qin Sang was still all at sea as she watched the girl bow gravely to her. She hastened to help her up, saying, ‘That will do, I’m not angry.’
Yao Yuping replied: ‘Although you’re not angry, I still feel bad. That Min Hongyu has always been a vixen; my mother doesn’t like her either. This time it was our family retainer who invited her to perform. My mother was too busy to notice which performer had been invited and that’s why you had to endure such embarrassment.’
Qin Sang listened and then it suddenly dawned on her. No wonder she had found the huadan oddly familiar yesterday — it had been Min Hongyu. That explained the odd expressions everyone else had worn. So that was why some people had even turned around to gauge her reaction when Min Hongyu had come onstage. And while she had been completely in the dark9, Yi Liankai had come to the Yao residence, cool as you please10… He could not have been ignorant of what was happening thus he had specially made the trip to fetch her away, so that she wouldn’t be a laughingstock.
9 蒙在鼓里 méngzàigǔli: lit. kept inside a drum (idiom); fig. completely in the dark.
10 沉得住氣 chéndezhùqì: 1. to stay calm 2. to keep one’s composure. Please consider reading fromMerakiTranslations rather than at bootleg websites.
But in the eyes of outsiders, wasn’t she already a big joke?
Of late, Yi Liankai had been especially tender towards her which had caused some slight changes in Qin Sang’s attitude towards him. She had begun to feel that he was not that difficult to get along with. But now that such a thing had happened, she felt that he was incorrigible and to be married to such a rake11 was her greatest misfortune. As expected, it was a case of ‘too rich to be a good match’.12 Had she married Li Wangping or even anyone else — whether in love or not — with time and mutual sincerity13, the other party would have come to love her a little. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t be like this unbridled libertine14 who had plunged her into such embarrassment.
11 浪荡 làngdàng: 3. dissolute 4. licentious
14 放浪形骸 fànglàng-xínghái: to abandon all restraint (idiom).
All those guests yesterday must have enjoyed a good laugh at her expense. Especially when it had been that late yet Yi Liankai had still bothered to make a trip down. Everyone had understood his motive, but only she had really believed that he had come just to fetch her home because he knew how little she enjoyed social engagements.
How could she entrust her lifelong happiness to such a man?
She was hurt but none of it showed on her face as she said levelly15 to Yao Yuping, ‘I asked you out because there’s something else I want to talk to you about.’ She then went on to thoroughly explain16 Yi Liankai’s concerns before adding, ‘I’m not doubting your judgement. I’m just afraid you may have fallen into someone’s trap. After all, you’re still young and if you encounter those cheats, it’s unavoidable that you’ll be the one who suffers.’
15 心平氣和 xīnpíng-qìhé: tranquil and even-tempered (idiom); calmly and without stress.
Yao Yuping answered: ‘I understand your meaning, Jiejie. Why not let me ask him out soon so that you can meet him? I’m sure you’ll understand once you see him.’
Qin Sang took her hand and said: ‘That’s a good idea and I would be happy to give you some counsel.’
They talked for a while more before going back out. As they went out, it so happened that Yi Liankai had just arrived so they went to the banquet together. The Yao family was a conservative one but besides the birthday feast, they had also organised a Western-style cocktail party and had turned out a big hall so it could be used as a ballroom.
Yi Liankai was fond of dancing and in the first year of her marriage, Qin Sang had also learned dancing from him. He now wanted her to dance with him but when she thought of Min Hongyu the day before, she felt extremely impatient. However, they were guests at someone else’s house so she could only say tonelessly, ‘Go ahead and dance. I’m going to sit here with Miss Yao and chat for a while.’
Yao Yuping knew that Qin Sang had told Yi Liankai about her affairs and felt rather embarrassed at seeing him now. She said with a blush, ‘Please don’t worry, Master. I’ll keep Young Mistress company.’
Yi Liankai could not very well say anything when Yao Yuping was there. Just then some familiar faces walked in and hailed him: ‘Why aren’t you dancing, Lan Po?’
Someone else added: ‘Master hasn’t danced for a long time. You must give us a demonstration to broaden our horizons.’
They all began talking at once17 as they clustered around him and dragged him on to the dance floor.
17 七嘴八舌 qīzuǐ-bāshé: seven mouths and eight tongues (idiom) — everybody trying to get a word in; all talking at once.
Qin Sang had never bothered with social engagements and did not like amusements such as the opera, mahjong and dancing. Today the festivities did not end until two in the morning so she fell asleep in the car on the way back.
She awoke groggily to find herself being carried by Yi Liankai. When he saw that she had opened her eyes, he only said, ‘Now why are you awake again?’
Qin Sang saw that they were already going up the stairs and said, ‘Put me down. I’ll walk.’
Yi Liankai said: ‘You’re not heavy and anyway, if you start walking, you won’t be able to fall asleep again.’
Qin Sang was extremely disgruntled but by this time they had reached the bedroom door. Yi Liankai carried her straight into the room and put her down on the bed.
Having carried her all the way upstairs, he seemed to have lost that spurt of energy after putting her down. Slightly out of breath, he kept her in his embrace as his head touched the pillow and he lay down beside her. For her part, Qin Sang pushed his hand off and got up to clean her face. Yi Liankai asked: ‘Do you want to bathe? I’ll fill the tub for you.’
Qin Sang didn’t want to answer him. Since this was not originally a residence, a bathroom had been added outside the bedroom. As soon as Yi Liankai went out to fill the tub, she got up to lock the room door after him.°
When Yi Liankai came back and found the door securely locked, he was furious18 and banged twice on the door. Qin Sang ignored him and he angrily kicked the door. She was worried that the door wouldn’t withstand another of his kicks and would be kicked open but surprisingly there was no further sound after this. After a while, she heard him stomping around and guessed that he must have gone downstairs in a temper. Having gone out in this fashion, he naturally stayed out the whole night.
18 無明火起 wúmínghuǒqǐ: get angry for no reason; fly into a rage.
12’s notes:
¹ My translation of 宁拆三座庙，不毁一门亲 níng chāi sān zuò miào, bù huǐ yī mén qīn
³ 來龍去脈 láilóng-qùmài: 1. the rise and fall of the terrain (idiom). 2. (fig.) the whole sequence of events. Translated as ‘the ins and outs.’
⁴ 大包大攬 dàbāodàlǎn: to take complete charge (idiom). Translated as ‘shouldering all responsibility.’
7 Direct translation of 拆白黨 chāibáidǎng: gang of swindlers
12 Direct translation of 齊大非偶 qídàfēi’ǒu: too rich to be a good match (in marriage) (idiom)
13 以誠相待 yǐchéng-xiāngdài: treat sb. with all sincerity (idiom). Translated as ‘mutual sincerity’.
16 原原本本 yuányuán-běnběn: from beginning to end. Translated as ‘thoroughly explain’.
° Wow. So mature .
Ch. 12.3
The next morning, Yi Liankai woke up late so he dressed hurriedly and prepared to go out. Qin Sang was awake but had not gotten up yet. She raised herself slightly from the pillows and while watching him button his suit, said, ‘Don’t forget what you promised me.’
Yi Liankai didn’t turn around. Instead, he concentrated on his reflection as he asked, ‘What did I promise you?’
Qin Sang knew very well that he was teasing her so she ignored this and reclined on the pillows, saying, ‘Although it’s not a very urgent matter, do take note of it and bring it up with Commander Yao when you think the time is right. As the saying goes, “Better to destroy ten temples than one marriage.”¹ Since she’s entrusted such a matter to me, naturally I should do everything in my power to help… .’
Yi Liankai pointed out: ‘She entrusted you with it, not me. Besides, when it comes to such things, even if I speak to Commander Yao about it, the most I can do is make a recommendation²: it’s not as if I can force him to marry his daughter to anyone. What’s more, you haven’t even clarified the ins and outs³ but here you are shouldering all responsibility.⁴ What if this Miss Yao has fallen for the Young General of Chengzhou, Murong Feng? Wouldn’t that make them Romeo and Juliet? Would I still be expected to ensure that this match is made?’
² 敲邊鼓 qiāobiāngǔ: (lit. to beat nearby drum). Collq. speak or act to assist sb. from the sidelines; back sb. up.
He turned round, saw that Qin Sang was looking rather dazed as she sat lost in thought, and burst out laughing: ‘What on earth are you getting so worried about? It’s her nuptials5 after all, not yours.’
5 終身大事 zhōngshēndàshì: Idiom. great event in one’s life (usu. referring to marriage).
Qin Sang recovered and protested: ‘Trust you to even think of such a thing; Murong Feng is only sixteen, how could Miss Yao fall for him!’
Yi Liankai laughed. ‘You never know. From time immemorial, beauties have always loved a hero. Murong Feng is a young hero and it’s not inconceivable that Miss Yao has fallen for him. Never mind even if she really has set her heart on Chengzhou’s Young General. But if this type of sheltered young miss has gullibly6 fallen for a trap set by some gang of swindlers7 and gets cheated of her money and innocence, then that would really be a disaster.’
6 天真爛漫 tiānzhēn-lànmàn: innocent and artless; simple and unaffected.
Qin Sang, listening to his sheer nonsense8, felt that there wasn’t much possibility of such a thing happening. Even so, she could not shake off a niggling worry. After Yi Liankai had left, she got up to dress then went down to the Yao residence again. As today was the matriarch’s birthday proper, opera performances had begun at noon, as had magic performances engaged by friends and relatives of the family. There were also some storytelling performances so the atmosphere was even livelier than yesterday’s.
8 胡说八道 húshuō-bādào: talk nonsense; sheer nonsense; rubbish.
‘I’m sure you’ll understand once you see him.’ — Yao Yuping, Ch. 12.3 © 12
Madam Yao left her to Yao Yuping since she felt that they got on well together. When no one was noticing, Qin Sang took the chance to say to Yao Yuping: ‘I want to speak to you.’
Yao Yuping thus found an opportunity to lead Qin Sang to her own little guest hall again. Before they had even settled down, she had already rushed to say: ‘Jiejie, I really had no idea about yesterday. My mother also only found out about it after everything had ended and she gave our retainer a dressing-down as well. It’s our fault for not being attentive enough in our arrangements. I hope you won’t be angry and I apologise to you now.’
Qin Sang was nonplussed by this statement and couldn’t help laughing bemusedly: ‘You really have me confused. What about yesterday?’
Yao Yuping said: ‘I know Jiejie is too magnanimous to hold it against an innocent party. My mother also dissuaded me from mentioning the matter to you, lest you be troubled by it. But I think my family was careless and did not handle things properly. We should not have invited her. That’s why I must apologise to you today.’
Qin Sang was still all at sea as she watched the girl bow gravely to her. She hastened to help her up, saying, ‘That will do, I’m not angry.’
Yao Yuping replied: ‘Although you’re not angry, I still feel bad. That Min Hongyu has always been a vixen; my mother doesn’t like her either. This time it was our family retainer who invited her to perform. My mother was too busy to notice which performer had been invited and that’s why you had to endure such embarrassment.’
Qin Sang listened and then it suddenly dawned on her. No wonder she had found the huadan oddly familiar yesterday — it had been Min Hongyu. That explained the odd expressions everyone else had worn. So that was why some people had even turned around to gauge her reaction when Min Hongyu had come onstage. And while she had been completely in the dark9, Yi Liankai had come to the Yao residence, cool as you please10… He could not have been ignorant of what was happening thus he had specially made the trip to fetch her away, so that she wouldn’t be a laughingstock.
9 蒙在鼓里 méngzàigǔli: lit. kept inside a drum (idiom); fig. completely in the dark.
10 沉得住氣 chéndezhùqì: 1. to stay calm 2. to keep one’s composure. Please consider reading fromMerakiTranslations rather than at bootleg websites.
But in the eyes of outsiders, wasn’t she already a big joke?
Of late, Yi Liankai had been especially tender towards her which had caused some slight changes in Qin Sang’s attitude towards him. She had begun to feel that he was not that difficult to get along with. But now that such a thing had happened, she felt that he was incorrigible and to be married to such a rake11 was her greatest misfortune. As expected, it was a case of ‘too rich to be a good match’.12 Had she married Li Wangping or even anyone else — whether in love or not — with time and mutual sincerity13, the other party would have come to love her a little. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t be like this unbridled libertine14 who had plunged her into such embarrassment.
11 浪荡 làngdàng: 3. dissolute 4. licentious
14 放浪形骸 fànglàng-xínghái: to abandon all restraint (idiom).
All those guests yesterday must have enjoyed a good laugh at her expense. Especially when it had been that late yet Yi Liankai had still bothered to make a trip down. Everyone had understood his motive, but only she had really believed that he had come just to fetch her home because he knew how little she enjoyed social engagements.
How could she entrust her lifelong happiness to such a man?
She was hurt but none of it showed on her face as she said levelly15 to Yao Yuping, ‘I asked you out because there’s something else I want to talk to you about.’ She then went on to thoroughly explain16 Yi Liankai’s concerns before adding, ‘I’m not doubting your judgement. I’m just afraid you may have fallen into someone’s trap. After all, you’re still young and if you encounter those cheats, it’s unavoidable that you’ll be the one who suffers.’
15 心平氣和 xīnpíng-qìhé: tranquil and even-tempered (idiom); calmly and without stress.
Yao Yuping answered: ‘I understand your meaning, Jiejie. Why not let me ask him out soon so that you can meet him? I’m sure you’ll understand once you see him.’
Qin Sang took her hand and said: ‘That’s a good idea and I would be happy to give you some counsel.’
They talked for a while more before going back out. As they went out, it so happened that Yi Liankai had just arrived so they went to the banquet together. The Yao family was a conservative one but besides the birthday feast, they had also organised a Western-style cocktail party and had turned out a big hall so it could be used as a ballroom.
Yi Liankai was fond of dancing and in the first year of her marriage, Qin Sang had also learned dancing from him. He now wanted her to dance with him but when she thought of Min Hongyu the day before, she felt extremely impatient. However, they were guests at someone else’s house so she could only say tonelessly, ‘Go ahead and dance. I’m going to sit here with Miss Yao and chat for a while.’
Yao Yuping knew that Qin Sang had told Yi Liankai about her affairs and felt rather embarrassed at seeing him now. She said with a blush, ‘Please don’t worry, Master. I’ll keep Young Mistress company.’
Yi Liankai could not very well say anything when Yao Yuping was there. Just then some familiar faces walked in and hailed him: ‘Why aren’t you dancing, Lan Po?’
Someone else added: ‘Master hasn’t danced for a long time. You must give us a demonstration to broaden our horizons.’
They all began talking at once17 as they clustered around him and dragged him on to the dance floor.
17 七嘴八舌 qīzuǐ-bāshé: seven mouths and eight tongues (idiom) — everybody trying to get a word in; all talking at once.
Qin Sang had never bothered with social engagements and did not like amusements such as the opera, mahjong and dancing. Today the festivities did not end until two in the morning so she fell asleep in the car on the way back.
She awoke groggily to find herself being carried by Yi Liankai. When he saw that she had opened her eyes, he only said, ‘Now why are you awake again?’
Qin Sang saw that they were already going up the stairs and said, ‘Put me down. I’ll walk.’
Yi Liankai said: ‘You’re not heavy and anyway, if you start walking, you won’t be able to fall asleep again.’
Qin Sang was extremely disgruntled but by this time they had reached the bedroom door. Yi Liankai carried her straight into the room and put her down on the bed.
Having carried her all the way upstairs, he seemed to have lost that spurt of energy after putting her down. Slightly out of breath, he kept her in his embrace as his head touched the pillow and he lay down beside her. For her part, Qin Sang pushed his hand off and got up to clean her face. Yi Liankai asked: ‘Do you want to bathe? I’ll fill the tub for you.’
Qin Sang didn’t want to answer him. Since this was not originally a residence, a bathroom had been added outside the bedroom. As soon as Yi Liankai went out to fill the tub, she got up to lock the room door after him.°
When Yi Liankai came back and found the door securely locked, he was furious18 and banged twice on the door. Qin Sang ignored him and he angrily kicked the door. She was worried that the door wouldn’t withstand another of his kicks and would be kicked open but surprisingly there was no further sound after this. After a while, she heard him stomping around and guessed that he must have gone downstairs in a temper. Having gone out in this fashion, he naturally stayed out the whole night.
18 無明火起 wúmínghuǒqǐ: get angry for no reason; fly into a rage.
12’s notes:
¹ My translation of 宁拆三座庙，不毁一门亲 níng chāi sān zuò miào, bù huǐ yī mén qīn
³ 來龍去脈 láilóng-qùmài: 1. the rise and fall of the terrain (idiom). 2. (fig.) the whole sequence of events. Translated as ‘the ins and outs.’
⁴ 大包大攬 dàbāodàlǎn: to take complete charge (idiom). Translated as ‘shouldering all responsibility.’
7 Direct translation of 拆白黨 chāibáidǎng: gang of swindlers
12 Direct translation of 齊大非偶 qídàfēi’ǒu: too rich to be a good match (in marriage) (idiom)
13 以誠相待 yǐchéng-xiāngdài: treat sb. with all sincerity (idiom). Translated as ‘mutual sincerity’.
16 原原本本 yuányuán-běnběn: from beginning to end. Translated as ‘thoroughly explain’.
° Wow. So mature .
