Chapter 115: Molan Gets Married (2) Translator: Iris
According to traditional customs, the bridegroom would be stopped at the gate until he gave some red packets containing money to his brothers-in-law and fulfilled their requests. Eldest Brother-in-law Yuan Wenshao asked Liang Han to dance with a sword according to the military music, Bringing in the Wine. Changfeng asked him to compose a poem about summer peach. Changbai was the kindest of the three because he didn’t utter a single word.
On the third day, Molan returned to the Sheng Mansion to visit her legal parents. She wore a bright red muslin coat with patterns of pomegranate flowers and sat in the chair with a shy smile. Liang Han sitting beside her seemed gentle with her. Seeing that they seemed devoted to each other, Wang shi was burning with anger in her heart and couldn’t resist lecturing Molan with a straight face, “… Marquis Yongchang Household is a noble family. After marriage, you can’t lose your temper or do as you wish. You should show filial obedience to your parents-in-law and get on well with brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Don’t talk nonsense or act recklessly. And don’t bring shame on the Sheng family.” Then Wang shi gave Molan a long lecture.
Liu Kun’s wife felt helpless. Concubine Lin and Molan was very capable of dealing with the verbal aggression. As expected, in the face of Wang shi‘s criticism, Molan lowered her head and pretended to be obedient. Then she looked at Liang Han with watery eyes as if she was wronged and about to fall down at any time because of her private grief. Liang Han was full of sympathy for her and subconsciously defended her.
Wang shi became angrier. After thinking for a while, she turned around and whispered a few words to Caipei as she slowly twisted her lips into a meaningful smile.
Sheng Hong was satisfied with Liang Han though the young man had some habits of playboys. Changfeng was the happiest person in the room because he was glad to have Liang Han as his brother-in-law. He took Liang Han’s hand and passionately chatted with him. But the two of them couldn’t communicate effectively with each other because one mistakenly thought that Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi were brothers and the other didn’t know the eleven uses of Fuyue.
T/N note:
Fuyue: a large, axe-shaped weapon in ancient times.
Changbai kept silent. He often said, “Don’t judge a person on the basis of first impression. We should not jump to conclusions unless we have made intensive and thorough investigations.” Minglan thought it quite right.
Liang Han followed Molan to kowtow to Old Madam Sheng. When he stood up and raised her head, he saw two well-dressed girls standing beside Old Madam Sheng. The girl on the left was unattractive to him. But the girl on the right attracted his attention. She wore a white satin gown and a white brocade skirt. Her outerwear was a light pink double-breasted sleeveless over-dress. She had twisted her black hair into a bun and pinned it with a red agate lotus-shaped hairpin. There were some fresh lotuses in a white porcelain flower vase on an ebony table beside her. The lotuses sent forth a delicate fragrance.
Liang Han gawked at her and felt that she was as pretty as a picture and had the air of nobility. Although she just stood here with her head bowed, she paled the others with her beauty.
In a trance, he heard Wang shi talking, “… This is your sixth sister. From now on, we’re family…”
Liang Han heart suddenly sank. When Old Madam Sheng had come to propose the marriage, he readily agreed. For one thing, Chunge had been pregnant for several months and couldn’t wait any longer; for another, he thought that the Fourth Lady of the Sheng family was a beautiful girl of fine, delicate features. Madam Liang had said to him, “I hope you won’t regret it.” Now he finally understood the meaning in her words.
Molan was angry at Wang shi‘s behaviors. From ancient times to the present, a bride would return to her parents’ home with her husband on the third day after the wedding. The newly married couple should kowtow to elders and the bridegroom should greet his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Hualan’s mother-in-law refused to come here on pretext of illness. There was no need to ask the unmarried sisters to come here and meet their new brother-in-law. But Wang shipurposely sent her maids to bring Minglan and Rulan over here. Obviously, she wanted to…
Molan gritted her teeth to hold back her rage before she twisted her head sideways and smiled gently at Liang Han. She cast a coquettish glance at him, her rosy lips slightly open as if to utter some honeyed words. Liang Han was dazed for a while, and then felt a bit more comfortable. Although Molan was not as pretty as Minglan, she was a charming woman. Seeing what Molan had done, Rulan curled up her lips with contempt. Minglan kept her head bowed from beginning to end. She knew Wang shi’s intentions and had to do her legal mother the favor though she was unwilling.
After the exchange of conventional greetings, the men and the women sat at different tables for a meal. After dinner, they drank tea and ate pastries. Molan wanted to show off the wealth and extravagance of Marquis Yongchang Household but Wang shi, Rulan and Minglan had no intention of asking her about Marquis Yongchang Household. So she had to take the initiative in talking about her married life in order to show off her happiness, but Rulan soon interrupted her. The conversation was as follows.
Molan fanned her rosy face with a handkerchief as if the room felt very hot. “… It’s really hot today. Fortunately, the cellar in Marquis Yongchang Household is big enough to store a large amount of ice. We can use the ice everyday…”
“The curd cheese given by Lian is really delicious. I feel that it’s made from ewe’s milk. Sister Minglan, do you think so?” Rulan looked at Minglan with interest.
“Er… I have no idea about it,” Minglan answered honestly.
After that, Rulan stole the show and continuously talked with Wang shi and Minglan. They chatted and laughed. The bride, however, was given the cold shoulder. Molan’s face was livid with anger. Fortunately, Hai shi couldn’t bear to see Molan sitting still in embarrassment, so she asked about Molan’s married life with a smile, which thawed the atmosphere in time.
What Rulan had done was unsuitable. In the evening, Hai shi went to the House of Carefree and wanted to give Rulan some advice. But she didn’t expect that Minglan was also here.
“Sister Rulan want to learn needlework. So she asked me to teach her.” In fact, Minglan was very tired. Maybe it was because Molan grew older, she gradually became interested in needlework. So she often invited Minglan to give her some advice about her needlework. “It’s much more tiring to teach someone to embroider than to do the embroidery myself.” Minglan rubbed her eyes and helplessly thought to herself, “To make matters worse, the student is not very clever.”
Minglan looked downcast, which aroused Hai shi‘s sympathy. She knew that Minglan must have had a hard time teaching Rulan because Rulan was quick-tempered. Hai shi asked Minglan to have a rest and then turned to speak to Rulan.
“Sister Rulan, please listen to me. Molan is your sister. Now that she has been married, you two will seldom meet in the future. Why not try to get on well with her? If outsiders know that you are in a bad relationship with her, they will laugh at our family. Furthermore, Molan has married into Marquis Yongchang Household. Maybe you will ask her for help in the future. So it’s better to be friendly to her.” As the eldest sister-in-law, Hai shi tried her best to persuade Rulan.
However, Rulan didn’t take Hai shi‘s remarks to heart; instead, she refuted eloquently, “The outsiders won’t know what happened between me and Molan unless Molan tells them. Sister-in-law, I have feuded with her for a long time. She hates me and I dislike her too. Even if I try my best to get on well with her, will all previous ill will be removed? Will she stop giving me a bad review in front of outsiders? Will she help me when I get into trouble? No, she won’t. All I’m hoping for is that she won’t kick me when I’m down. So, Sister-in-law, I can only rely on the support of my parents, eldest brother and you in the future.”
Hai shi was stunned by Rulan’s remarks. After thinking about it carefully, she thought that Molan was quite right. Minglan with the embroidery frame in her hands quite approved of Rulan’s opinions. ‘If I had been born as the legal daughter and had a capable mother and an aspirant brother, perhaps I would have done the same thing as Rulan did,’ she thought.
After a long silence, Hai shi gave a bitter smile and said, “Alright, I will say no more on this matter. But you’d better control yourself in front of outsiders in case of being caught out.”
Rulan pouted and nodded unwillingly. Hai shi carried on speaking to Rulan. After a while, Rulan was tired of listening to her. In a fit of pique, she drove them away on the excuse of being sleepy. Minglan finally seized the chance to slip away.
On the way back to the House of Clear Dusk, Luzhi couldn’t help complaining, “Why doesn’t Lady Rulan ask maids who are skilled in needlework to teach her? Whenever she wanted to do embroidery, she asked Lady Minglan to her house at once. Whether day or night, whether our lady went to bed or not. Does she really treat our lady as her sister?”
Even Dangju got a bit angry. “Doing embroidery at night is bad for one’s eyes. Even if Lady Rulan really wants to learn needlework, she should choose a proper time to consult our lady.”
Minglan kept silent for a few moments before she chided softly, “Don’t say any more.”
They were walking in the courtyard. The sky was spangled with stars. Quiet came over the whole Sheng Mansion. Minglan took a deep breath and felt much more comfortable. Most people like to compare themselves to others. But for Minglan, if she often compared her living conditions with Hualan or Rulan’s, she would be overwhelmed with unhappiness. However, when she recalled the poor woman, Cao Jingxiu, she got comfort. There was no psychologist in ancient times. As a time-traveler, Minglan should adopt a positive mental attitude.
After a while, Dangju said in a low voice, “Young Madam Molan seems to live well in Marquis Yongchang Household.” Dangju couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘Is it really a good marriage? It should have belonged to my lady but Young Madam Molan stole it.’
Luzhi snorted with disapproval. “It’s too early to come to a conclusion that she will live a good life. After all, a new latrine will be certainly welcomed by people for at least three days,” she whispered, almost spitting venom from her mouth.
Minglan felt embarrassed by the metaphor in Luzhi’s words.
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