Chapter 20: 20

Qi Yun was always cold, but Ye Jiao was different. She was warm all the time.

The moment her lips touched the man’s cheek, it became so hot that Qi Yun felt an unfathomable dryness.

Ye Jiao didn’t come for anything in particular. Before Qi Yun could respond, Ye Jiao ran back as if accomplishing a task, clutching the hand warmer.

Coming fast and leaving fast like a gust of wind.

Although this wasn’t Xiao Su’s first time seeing them so close, this time it was directly in front of her face.

Seeing that Qi Yun didn’t say anything, Xiao Su didn’t poke around and ran away with the broom.

Qi Yun touched the lingering warmth on his face and thought for a while. He realized that this was what he taught her.

The so-called small thing that’s done before a husband and wife separated – Jiao Niang kept his words in her heart, like always.

Qi Yun felt like his thoughts were divided into two: one half was self-disgust after making up words to trick the lady, and the other half was sweet as if drowning in honey.

The corners of his mouth curled up. Qi Yun looked at the flower garden from the courtyard gate; there were indeed a few plants that he liked, especially in the cold days when they still vibrantly bloomed.

The times had now changed though. While he still liked to see life, he was no longer the sickly man who could only look at flowers and plants.

What was so important about colorful and red flowers? For the sake of Jiao Niang, everything was worth it.

Ye Jiao, who was in the yard, sincerely said to Dong Shi: “It’s good to get married. There’s a lot to keep track of, not only for the brain, but also for the mouth.”

Dong Shi’s face was puzzled, but soon the two of them resumed their conversation about medicinal herbs and the atmosphere warmed up.

That night, it snowed for the first time in the year. It was officially winter.

As the weather got colder, the charcoal basins in the house changed from one to two and the curtains on the windows were replaced with heavier fabrics.

Ye Jiao had to replant the flowers, and Dong Shi often came to help her. One thing led to another, and the two of them became acquainted.

The stone bud grass was also doing very well. It was the only one kept in a flowerpot and spent the most time under the sun every day in Ye Jiao’s arms. The little flowers kept blooming without wilting, which had Dong Shi clicking her tongue in admiration.

Qi Yun was a lot busier than before. In addition to planning the wine shop with Steward Song, he also went to see Father Qi. They would end up talking for the whole day.

Ye Jiao became accustomed to holding Qi Yun’s hand while sleeping at night. She used to be afraid of overstimulating him, but now since they didn’t meet much during the day, she could only make up for it at night.

Qi Yun never refused, and even enjoyed it.

When the second snow of winter stopped, Qi Yun finally relaxed.

At dinner, Qi Yun told Ye Jiao: “The wine shop in town will open in two days.”

That’s what he told Father Qi recently.

The three brothers of the Qi family each had their own work. Qi Zhao took care of the village, Qi Yun managed the shops, and Qi Ming concentrated on studying.

It was a tradition that parents did not separate families, but Father Qi established rules early on. No matter how much income the three brothers made, they gave the family a fixed amount. Except for this fixed amount, the rest of the money was their own.

Currently, the only person with no income was Qi Ming. However, Qi Ming was a good student and had a bright future, so his family was willing to provide for him.

When Qi Yun proposed to open a new shop in town, Father Qi nodded. Steward Song nabbed the shop that he had been eyeing for some time.

Ye Jiao also heard about this news. She put down the spoon and said with a smile: “Chunlan told me. She also called me over to watch the fun.”

Qi Yun remembered that Chunlan was Dong Shi(‘s nickname). He grabbed a magnolia slice [1] with his chopsticks for Ye Jiao and the corners of his mouth were slightly tilted: “It seems like the two of you can talk.”

Ye Jiao nodded. Dong Shi was a bright and generous person, and quite accomplished with medicinal herbs. Ye Jiao also had the heart to learn something from her, and the two got along exceptionally well.

Xiang Gong was not as sick as he used to be, but relying on her to heal his body was slow. If he got sick in the future, he still needed to use herbal medicine. Ye Jiao was thinking about taking precautions.

With all these thoughts in her head, Ye Jiao casually put the magnolia slices in her mouth.

Ye Jiao’s eyes widened with that bite.

So tasty…

Qi Yun gave her another chopstick full of slices and patiently said: “These are the new winter bamboo shoots cut into slices and baked with honey. It’s the current seasonal dish. You have to eat it fresh – do you like it?”

Ye Jiao nodded repeatedly and couldn’t speak. Her mouth was bulging, which made her look like a little hamster.

After swallowing what was in her mouth, Ye Jiao sincerely sighed: “Xiang Gong, you know so much.”

Qi Yun faintly smiled. He could now calmly accept Ye Jiao’s compliments.

He gave her another chopstickful [2] and the man said: “It’s cold outside, so I won’t go when the shop opens. But that day will be lively with lots of people. Dong Shi’s invitation is the perfect time to go shopping together. Just let Mother know tomorrow.”

Ye Jiao was actually not interested in the fun and games. It didn’t matter to her if she went or not.

Before replying, she heard Qi Yun follow up: “I haven’t visited the pharmacy for a while; you can go for me and take a look around.”

Pharmacy?

It was time to take a look. Ye Jiao had only heard about it from Dong Shi’s words, but she hadn’t seen the real thing yet.

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Ye Jiao swallowed the words of refusal in her mouth and cheerfully agreed.

She had a good meal that day and slept soundly at night. The next day, Ye Jiao went to Liu Shi’s yard early in the morning.

Liu Shi was getting older and slept less at night. When Ye Jiao came, she had already recited the scriptures.

After hearing the second daughter-in-law’s intentions, Liu Shi nodded and warmly said: “Ever since marrying and coming to my house, the only time you went out was to visit your maternal family. [3] It’s good to go out and take a look around. I’ve also met the Dong family’s daughter and she’s capable. Having her accompany you puts me at ease. When you go out, wear thick clothes. Feel free to use up the lipstick I gave you and dress yourself up. Don’t be too plain.”

Ye Jiao responded and accompanied Liu Shi for a little longer before leaving.

Instead of going out immediately, she went back to her yard and sat in front of the bronze mirror with her chin in her hands. She started thinking – what is this thing called dressing up?

The Little Ginseng had been a human for a month, and there was nothing wrong with how she ate and drank. She could also distinguish the clothes she wore – what was in season, what to wear inside, and what to wear outside.

But she had never powdered her face. She was makeup-less [4] every day.

She grew well, with beautiful features and skin that was fair no matter how long she was exposed to the sun. This was considered a natural foundation. The body of the Little Ginseng had good circulation and was full of energy, with a face as white as snow. Even with a straight face, she was good-looking.

The fact that Liu Shi told her to dress up put Ye Jiao in a difficult position.

The Little Ginseng stared at the blurry figure in the bronze mirror for a long time. She reached out and rummaged through the drawer of the dressing table.

When she got married, she didn’t wear anything except the gold bracelet on her wrist. Most of the things there were bought with the help of Liu Shi. Ye Jiao hadn’t looked at them carefully because she didn’t use them often.

Now, she took out the bottles and jars from the drawer. She picked up one of the celadon rouge boxes, opened it, and sneezed before seeing what was inside.

Fortunately, the Little Ginseng remembered to cover the box first before sneezing, so it didn’t sprinkle everywhere.

Rubbing the tip of her nose, Ye Jiao picked up the box again. 

The pomegranate-red rouge had a strong floral fragrance; after a good whiff, it smelled nice.

Ye Jiao didn’t know how to use it. She remembered a few people in her head like Liu Shi, Fang Shi, and even Dong Shi used powdered rouge. Ye Jiao dipped her hand in, according to memory, and looked at the blurry figure in the bronze mirror. With a blink, she smeared it on her face.

The figure in the bronze mirror wasn’t very clear. There was only a rough outline and murky color. The Little Ginseng couldn’t tell which areas were lighter and which needed a touch-up.

When she reached the back (of the drawer), she found something interesting. She took the box and picked up the wooden cork. It seemed like the color inside was more bright, so she picked it up with her fingers and patted it on her face.

Qi Yun returned to the house after reading the account books for a bit. When he opened the door, he smelled a strong fragrance.

It wasn’t the sweet smell that Jiao Niang carried, nor the herbal scent that Qi Yun inevitably obtained, but a relatively strong aroma.

It was like a floral scent, but one couldn’t tell what kind.

Qi Yun thought that Ye Jiao brought flowers in again, so he closed the door and walked into the inner room.

With a glance at Ye Jiao’s back, Qi Yun took off his robe and hung it on the shelf. As he walked, he spoke: “Jiao Niang, there are pigeons simmering in the kitchen. You…”

The voice abruptly stopped when the woman turned around.

Ye Jiao had never had pigeon soup. She blinked and was about to speak when Qi Yun stepped forward and hugged her into his arms.

Following that came Qi Yun’s urgent voice: “Jiao Niang, were you smoked by the charcoal or scalded by the water? Does it hurt?”

***

The author has something to say: 

Qi Yun: Suddenly shocked.jpg

Ye Jiao: ???

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Footnotes:

[1] Magnolia slices are a famous dish from the Gan, Hunan, and Fujian regions. They’re basically bamboo chips. This is what they look like according to Baidu:

[2] Think of “chopstickful” like “he gave her a handful of slices.” Well in this context, the measuring standard is a chopstick’s worth of food, not hand’s worth. 

[3] This is a throwback to when the bride visits her maternal family three days after the wedding in ye old days.

[4] The literal translation of “makeup-less” is an idiom/phrase denoting a woman who wore no make-up during an audience with the emperor. Apologies for the weird flow.

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Translator’s Notes:

It’s the pale beauty standard for me, lol. Lmk if you ever read a Cnovel where the FL isn’t a white beauty.

A Note from the Translator: my thoughts after translating 10 chapters!

Next chapter will be delayed for a couple days since this week will be full of birthday festivities.

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