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Chapter 3: Qian Xiaoqi, Wait
Song Liangzhuo’s patience was excellent – at least Qian Xiaoqi thought so. Qian Xiaoqi stuck to the bed with her eyes open motionless and Song Liangzhuo also stood in the entrance motionless. Qian Xiaoqi cried in her heart, go already, hurry and go! I won’t fight over the wife position with you anymore, you can go and be lovey-dovey with that Ruoshui meimei of yours!
Chanting ah, chanting this in her heart, Xiaoqi had already mumbled this a dozen times, yet the person at the door didn’t show the slightest indication of leaving.
Lu Liu couldn’t stand by and watch any longer. She walked to the bed and hauled Xiaoqi up. Then, with a smile that seemed to be hiding daggers, she quietly threatened, “Miss can’t be so difficult with guye anymore, otherwise I’ll go back and tell Master and Madam. At that time, if they don’t stomp Song fu flat thatT/N would be strange!”
Xiaoqi gritted her teeth and flipped off the bed with a carp flop. Dusting off her hands, she smiled and said, “Lu Liu, have a nice sleep, I’ll head back first.”
Lu Liu smiled as she returned the greeting, “Miss and guye, take care!”
Xiaoqi’s shoulders trembled, then lowering her eyes, she headed out the door.
Qian Xiaoqi followed behind Song Liangzhuo the entire way and, after much dilly-dallying, finally returned to the bedroom. The moment they entered the bedroom, Xiaoqi stared at the bed. The bed was not narrow; it was big enough for two to sleep on it. Nnnuuh, but she really wasn’t used to it.
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Qian Xiaoqi sat down next to the table and poured a cup of tea for herself. Song Liangzhuo undid his belt, as if he was expecting Xiaoqi to help take off his outer robe. He stood with his back facing her for a long time but still nothing happened. So he turned around only to discover that Xiaoqi was currently drinking tea while her gaze was randomly darting about. Song Liangzhuo, for lack of a better option, took off his outer robe himself then walked to the bed. “Xiaoqi, it’s about time to sleep.”
Xiaoqi swept a glance towards Song Liangzhuo who only had an inner robe on and flushed, feeling extremely embarrassed. Whirling her head away, she said, “Official Song should sleep first. I, hic, I’m super thirsty so I’ll drink tea for a while first.”
Song Liangzhuo did have something occupying his thoughts. Originally he was thinking that he had to make up for the wedding night and was carrying a mentality of dying earlier in order to reincarnate earlier. And so, to get it over with, he prepared his heart for a hard battle. But thinking that Xiaoqi’s flushed appearance seemed shy, and after what Xiaoqi said, Song Liangzhuo also loosened a breath in relief. In his heart, he thought, this is also good. He shouldn’t make things difficult for the new bride.
After thinking about it for a moment, Song Liangzhuo laid down on the inner side, leaving Xiaoqi a wide half of the bed. Xiaoqi glanced at Song Liangzhuo who had his eyes closed while facing the outside direction, then gave a humph in her heart.
Look at that position! He was clearly thinking of having her, Qian Xiaoqi, wake up in the middle of the night to pour tea to serve him.T/N2 Xiaoqi wrung her hands. How in the world did she take a fancy to this kind of person that only has a good appearance without anything good inside? He already took a wife yet he was still fooling around with people outside and tangling in an unclear relationship. And the most important point was-! Xiaoqi lifted her hand and wanted to slap the table, but when that hand neared the table surface she retrieved it just in time.
Haa, she wasn’t sitting in a big restaurant listening to someone give a book-telling ah. This table can’t be slapped!
Xiaoqi straightened her back. Then she nodded and continued.
The most important point was, he actually – for the sake of some other girl, and without distinguishing between the rights and wrongs of the matter – hit her! Her! Xiaoqi! This kind of gentle and kind, adorable and pure, weak little girl!
After finishing off a pot of tea, Xiaoqi had vented all of her anger and was now sprawled on the table as she looked at the candlelight that was the size of a bean and continuously yawned.
“Come over and sleep, it’s the middle of the night now.”
With one quiver all of Xiaoqi’s sleepiness darted away, but after thinking about it a little, she still carried the candle to the bed. Looking at the blanket on the bed, she asked, “Are there any other blankets in this room?”
Song Liangzhuo lifted his brows. “There’s still some in the chest.”
“Oh.” Qian Xiaoqi put the candle on the short table next to the head of the bed and strolled around the perimeter of the entire room before flipping through three chests. In the end, she finally dug out a high-quality blanket from a natural wood chest that had red festive decorations stuck on it that was in a corner of the room. Qian Xiaoqi rubbed the smooth rabbit fur blanket and nodded her head with satisfaction.
Xiaoqi wrapped herself up nice and tight with the blanket, then laid down near the edge of the bed. She aimed a warning look at Song Liangzhuo before finally blowing out the candle.
Song Liangzhuo watched Qian Xiaoqi’s series of actions in confusion. After thinking for a moment, he asked softly, “How come you seem like you don’t remember the things in this room? Weren’t you the one that insisted on moving that chest in here?”
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“Ah?” Xiaoqi frowned, vexed. “I hit my head and forgot a lot of things.”
“Is it serious?”
These words seemed to carry genuine concern, so Xiaoqi gave a few words of reply. “It’s nothing.”
The summer flood season was just on the brink of arriving, so Song Liangzhuo was a bit worried. Song Liangzhuo recalled the agreement he had with Father-in-Law and sighed. “If it’s nothing then it’s good. Since I’ve married you, I’ll treat you properly so you don’t need to be over-sensitive about matters.”
Song Liangzhuo paused, then added. “Ruoshui meimei and I only have sibling-like feelings, so Xiaoqi also doesn’t need to worry about this.”
“You guys can be more than siblings. When I go back…” Qian Xiaoqi yawned and continued with muffled words, “When I go back I’ll talk to my dad properly. I won’t make things difficult for you.”
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Song Liangzhuo looked at the back of Xiaoqi’s head with surprise and asked in confusion, “What? Are these angry words? Are you still thinking about that slap?”
“No.” Qian Xiaoqi wanted to say, actually I’ve discovered that I don’t like you anymore. Everyone should go their separate ways. But even though she wasn’t sleepy at first, the moment she got onto the bed, she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Qian Xiaoqi didn’t know if she said it yet and sleepily drifted off to sleep.
Song Liangzhou smiled, then said, “You’re clearly throwing a tantrum.”T/N3
Song Liangzhuo stared at the back of Xiaoqi’s head with indeterminable feelings for a long time. The room was very dark and all that could be seen was a lump of black.
In the future, he would have to spend his days with someone like this. Even though trying to accept her was a bit hard, it wasn’t as far as unbearable. Since he has already decided to marry her, he should at least take responsibility to the very end.
Must have a child as soon as possible!
Song Liangzhuo closed his eyes and tried poking his hand into Xiaoqi’s blanket cocoon. Song Liangzhuo saw that she didn’t make any movements, so he took a deep breath, then with one stroke pulled Xiaoqi’s cocoon into his arms. Holding his breath, he was just about to lower his head to kiss her.
Qian Xiaoqi was shocked awake by this sudden violent pull, and staring at the black figure that was looming over her, she cried out in alarm. Song Liangzhuo hurriedly covered her mouth with his hand and said quietly, “Don’t scream, it’s me.”
Qian Xiaoqi continuously shouted ‘wuuwuu’ noisily. The cocoon was wrapped too tight so no matter how she moved it wouldn’t budge. She was panicking so much that she was covered with sweat in a short amount of time.
Song Liangzhuo spoke huskily, “Let’s make up for the wedding night. Don’t be scared.”
Qian Xiaoqi violently shook her head while going ‘wuuwuu’. Song Liangzhuo said, “I’ll let go, but don’t scream alright? If you scream and they hear, it’ll become a complete scandal.”
Qian Xiaoqi fiercely nodded.
Song Liangzhuo released his hands and Qian Xiaoqi arched and wiggled to inch out of Song Liangzhou’s embrace like a worm. She kept going until she rolled directly onto the floor. Xiaoqi paid no heed to the pain she felt as she pulled the blanket tightly as she sat on the floor. “What are you trying to do?”
This question was a bit profound and hard to reply. Even this top scorer in the palace examination was stumped. What was he trying to do? Uh, how was he supposed to put it? Trying to sleep sleep with her?
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Song Liangzhuo gave a light cough to gloss over his awkwardness, then with a deliberating tone, he said, “We’re already husband and wife.”
It would have been better not to mention the words ‘husband and wife’. The moment ‘husband and wife’ was mentioned, Xiaoqi of the Qian family got angry and spoke ferociously between clenched teeth, “Bucket(propriety), return two tables!* I’m telling you Official Song, you can’t bully people like this. I know that you dislike my coarse rude behavior but now I know that I also don’t have a fondness for your oh-so-elegant attitude! One of these days I’ll go back and clear things up with the people at home. Whoever you were supposed to be intimate with you can go and get intimate with them. There’s no way I, Qian Xiaoqi, will keep you company.”
The first sentence is a play on words, but since it’s made up by the author, I’m not one hundred percent sure. (提桶，還兩桌) When I typed in the pinyin for the word ‘bucket’, the first word that came up was something that meant decorum/propriety. Song Liangzhuo’s name is introduced earlier as ‘sending/gifting two tables’. Now Xiaoqi’s like ‘return two tables’ aka she doesn’t want Liangzhuo.
Qian Xiaoqi hugged the blanket as she stood up but the blanket was still wrapped around her legs so before she could stand steadily, she fell down again. Qian Xiaoqi gave a muffled groan from falling but a light laugh actually came from the guy behind her.
Laugh? Laugh a fart! To actually treat other people’s suffering like an osmanthus flower dessert to enjoy, her heart seriously was muddled by lard to have taken a fancy to this kind of heartless, malicious, cruel, seventh rank, petty, low-ranking official that wanted to force her, Qian Xiaoqi, to do something shameful that isn’t fit to be known by others!
Qian Xiaoqi angrily stomped her feet but before she was able to kick away the blanket she had been lifted up by someone. Qian Xiaoqi was embarrassed and furious to the extreme at the same time. She fiercely used her head to headbutt his chest. Falling onto the floor again, she just happened to pull the blanket off.
Without the blanket wrapped around her, the fall was much more substantial. Qian Xiaoqi laid straight on the floor and continuously cried with ‘aiyoyo’s, ‘yowahah’s, and ‘aiyayah’s.
“So noisy!” Song Liangzhuo smiled as he crouched down. Not without concern, he asked, “Did you hit anything?”
Qian Xiaoqi flipped over onto her stomach so all he could see was her back. Grinding her teeth, she said, “Everything I said was true. Official Song, you better not treat it as a joke. As soon as I go home I’ll clear things up.”
“Too late.”
“Hah?” Qian Xiaoqi swiftly sat up. Rubbing her little arm she knitted her brows and asked, “What, why?”
“Father-in-Law definitely won’t agree.”
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“How come?”
“What married daughter has their husband sever the relationship and then run back home? The reputation after that isn’t good!”
“It’s not severing, it’s divorce! Divorce, you understand?”
Song Liangzhuo was very speechless as he shook his head. “Let’s sleep. If we keep squandering time it’ll be dawn.”
“I’m not sulking with you, I can’t sulk with you. I really don’t want to be married anymore.”
…
“Official Song?”
The person on the bed flipped over.
“Official Song, I know that I’m not fit to be in public and you also find me embarrassing. Can’t we divorce? My dad definitely used something to force you to marry me. When that time comes I’ll just help you get it back.”
…
“Official Song?”
…
Qian Xiaoqi heaved a sigh for Song Liangzhuo who was forced to marry her and also for her pitiful fate. Looks like she really needs to take a trip back home soon to say things clearly. She, Qian Xiaoqi, really doesn’t want to be married anymore. She was just seventeen and only today did she find out that he was already twenty-four!
Seven years ah!
Qian Xiaoqi extended three fingers and rubbed them. She seemed to recall that someone saying before, big eight, big nine, but not big seven(qi1); otherwise, a lifetime, of being deceived(qi1)!T/N4
Who was it that said that though? Qian Xiaoqi hugged her knees as she sat for a while. Then she sighed mournfully a couple more times before rolling up the blanket and feeling for the table. Climbing up by touch, she curled up and fell deep asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
__________
Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Edited by Ocelot
[Chiyomira’s Corner]
T/N – I also sometimes italicize English words to imply emphasis because there is a word in Chinese that implies emphasis which there’s not really any English equivalent for.
T/N2 – Lol, poor Song Liangzhuo. No matter what normal things he does, Xiaoqi always has a ‘unique’ way of looking at it.
T/N3 – How embarrassing to be talking to yourself~ How sucky to be so wrong~ lol~
T/N4 – the reason for the weird spacing was because I was trying to keep the rhythm of the rhyme.There’s 14 beats total: 2, 2, 3; 2, 2, 3;
Glossary
Liangzhuo and Xiaoqiqi are off to a rocky start. I hope it gets better.Thank you for this chapter. I feel the disappointment in both of their hearts.His because of the slap and hers because of the betrayal
I still hate him even though I read this a hundread times. 😒