Concubine Daughter’s Survival Manual (Chapter 4 Part 2)
Chapter 4: The Funeral (Part 2)
Translator: Tygris
English proofreader: 247Reader
The daughters of the Yang Mansion were accompanied by two first-ranked maids, four second-ranked maids, one menial pozi, [1]婆子 (pó zi) refers to an older female servant. [2]粗使婆子 (cū shǐ pó zi) does the rough and labor-intensive work such as cleaning, laundry, etc. and one supervisor mama. Seventh niangzi had always been in Ninth yiniang’s courtyard. It could be expected that there would not be many useful people by her side.
When Bailu brought Seventh niangzi to the western side-courtyard, only Lixia was by her side.
“After all, Ninth yiniang still needs someone to remain by her side.” With such a light and casual sentence, Qiufeng was left behind.
Bailu treated Seventh niangzi with an additional few points of care.
The western side-courtyard had once been the residence of Eldest niangzi. Eldest niangzi had moved to Baifangyuan, her own courtyard, after she had turned ten, and [the western courtyard] had been converted into Eldest Madam’s cloakroom. Eldest Madam had several tens of boxes of clothing; how could the main hall accommodate them all?
Because Eldest Madam’s orders had been sudden, Seventh niangzi’s possessions could only be temporarily stacked outside the doors, waiting for the boxes inside to be carried out before being moved in.
These wooden boxes with faded and chipped paint appeared quite conspicuous to the eyes of the people of the main courtyard.
In the main courtyard, the poorest existence would be Zhang pozi, [3]婆子 (pó zi) refers to an older female servant. who was in charge of sweeping. But even in Zhang pozi’s abode, one could not find such a tattered wooden crate.
As everyone looked at Seventh niangzi, in their eyes appeared a few points of ridicule and a few points of contempt.
Seventh niangzi acted as though she did not notice anything, magnanimously entering the main hall to pay her respects to Eldest Madam.
Ninth ge’er was currently playing with Fifth niangzi, drawing. Second niangzi had found a book and was reading while leaning against the beauty couch. [4]美人榻 (měi rén tà), aka 贵妃榻 (guì fēi tà), or the Imperial Concubine’s couch, is a narrow couch/bed suitable for both sitting and napping. These are specifically used by women during the day. See photos from Baidu. The shape is also similar to that of a Chaise longue – Wikipedia. Eldest Madam smiled as she chatted about everyday matters with Liang mama. This was a scene of family bliss and self-evident warmth.
“Greetings to Mother.” Seventh niangzi curtsied.
Eldest Madam gazed towards her, and seeing the white flower near her temples, slightly wrinkled her brows. “You have come.”
“Yes.” Seventh niangzi reached up to brush her bangs, and removed the white flower. “Greetings to Second Elder Sister. Greetings to Fifth Elder Sister.”
Second niangzi’s gaze remained fixed on her book, not lifting a single bit. Fifth niangzi gave a humph. “Ninth ge, your biological elder sister has come.”
Ninth ge raised his head and glanced at Seventh niangzi, then lowered his head back down to laugh aloud at the small figures Second niangzi had drawn.
At the end of the twelfth month, Ninth yiniang had been so sick that she could pass away at any time. Ninth ge had only come to see her once, and only took a single glance, far away, from the threshold. He twisted his head away and began crying from fear. His nanny [5]养娘 (yǎng niáng) in this context refers to a female servant responsible for raising or caring for a child. This may include the responsibilities of a wet nurse, but also includes other responsibilities. had hurriedly picked him up and comforted him the entire way back to the main courtyard… Ninth yiniang had not even gotten to see his face clearly.
Seventh niangzi’s eyes dimmed slightly.
Eldest Madam first furrowed her brows due to Fifth niangzi’s words, but seeing that Ninth ge failed to react, her happiness was restored. Taking the paired tokens [6]对牌 (duì pái), usually made of bamboo or wood with words or numbers written on them, come in either two halves or in a pair. These serve as a token of trust and/or authority and is used by the servant to withdraw something or do something with the consent of the head of the family. off the ebony wood rack, she handed them to Liang mama.
“In a bit, go have someone make some new clothes for her according to her measurements.” She thought for a moment, then added, “First alter a few sets of clothes that Little Five has grown out of and have her wear them for a few days while the new clothes are being made. Then swap them out when the new clothes arrive.”
These words meant that she looked down upon Seventh niangzi’s shabby appearance, not at all like that of a daughter raised in the main courtyard. Additionally, she did not want Seventh niangzi to keep anything which Ninth yiniang had given her.
Liang mama’s eyes flashed over Seventh niangzi’s ears, neck, and wrists, and was able to quickly put her heart to rest: Ninth yiniang had not left any valuable jewelry to Seventh niangzi.
Then, her heart ached somewhat.
Even the jewelry on Third niangzi and Fourth niangzi was worth as much as hundreds of acres of farmland, not to mention Second niangzi and Fifth niangzi. They were all daughters of Master Yang, but Seventh niangzi did not at all seem like the daughter of an official family. Judging from her attire, she seemed more like a young maidservant.
Her actions were the same. What family’s young lady needed to bow to the housekeeping pozis or matrons?
She smiled as she stepped in front of Seventh niangzi and held her hand. “You will get new clothes to wear. Is Seventh niangzi happy?”
Seventh niangzi revealed a pure and innocent smile, softly responding, “Naturally, I am happy. Many thanks to Mother. Many thanks to Liang mama.”
Eldest Madam could not help but smile. This Seventh niangzi is an obedient one.
Though she had placed this person in her house out of necessity, [7]情非得已 (qíng fēi dé yǐ) means that one has no alternative but to take some action; unavoidable. it was less hassle to have someone who possessed a good temperament than one who did not. In the case of someone such as Third niangzi, Eldest Madam would rather hand her off to someone else to raise.
“In the future, we will be together every day. There is no need to be so polite,” she said.
Second niangzi looked at her mother, then looked again at Seventh niangzi.
A brief flash of disdain appeared in her eyes.
Fifth niangzi, however, did not have this kind of restraint.
“Niang!” [8]娘 (niáng) means ‘mother’ but has the connotation of intimacy. In general, it is a respectful term for mothers and women of an older generation. she yelled vigorously. “I refuse to give my clothes to other people!”
Eldest Madam frowned and swept her gaze over Seventh niangzi.
Seventh niangzi lowered her head to stare at the tips of her toes, revealing a hint of unease, but her spine and back remained perfectly straight.
Seventh niangzi had been raised solely by Ninth yiniang. As soon as Ninth yiniang finished her postpartum confinement, [9]See: Postpartum confinement – Wikipedia she took Seventh niangzi with her to their ancestral hometown in the Northwest. [10]See: Northwestern China – Wikipedia
The people back in their ancestral hometown in the Northwest were simple and honest. Every day, the only people that Ninth yiniang could interact with were those villagers. Upon arriving back in Suzhou, every day was spent in the southern side-courtyard, and rarely did she even walk out the door. From the moment of her birth, Seventh niangzi likely had not even gone outside more than a few times.
And Fifth niangzi?
She was born to Eldest Madam and raised by Eldest Madam. At the young age of two or three, she had been brought outside to play at Taihu. [11]See: Lake Tai – Wikipedia Every winter, she would also reside at Xiangxuehai [12]香雪海 (xiāng xuě hǎi), literally a term describing a fragrant sea of white, i.e. a metaphor for a vast expanse of blooming white plum blossoms, refers to a scenic area in Guangfu Town, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Baidu link has pictures. for a month or two. Not to mention that over the past years, whenever women from other major families had come to visit, Fifth niangzi had always shown up to accompany the guests.
According to common sense, when comparing these two people, it should be Fifth niangzi who was generous and composed, and Seventh niangzi who was stingy and willful.
But now it seemed quite like the opposite. Seventh niangzi was calm and composed, and though a bit embarrassed, did not seem overly shy. And Fifth niangzi? Willful and domineering…
Eldest Madam sighed.
“You have so many clothes that you cannot even wear them all. Will taking a few sets to give to your younger sister harm you in any way?” Her tone was soft and gentle, but anyone could hear the edge inside. Even Ninth ge had put down the brush and come over. “Fifth niangzi, why do you not learn from your Eldest Sister?”
Though Eldest niangzi was a concubine-born daughter, she had lost her mother when she was born, and she was also the eldest of all the daughters. From a young age, she had been raised under Eldest Madam. She had always been generous and courteous, and had been warm and welcoming to her sisters. Last year, when she married, Fifth niangzi had been so reluctant to let her go that she drenched several handkerchiefs in tears.
Upon the mention of Eldest niangzi, Fifth niangzi no longer spoke. She angrily sat down and turned her head to avoid looking at Eldest Madam.
Liang mama hurriedly smiled and said, “Seventh niangzi, the boxes on that side should be ready to be moved.”
Seventh niangzi curtsied towards the Eldest Madam and nodded to her sisters before leaving the main hall with Liang mama.
Not even the edge of her gaze touched Ninth ge’er.
Ninth ge’er slanted his lips, then took no further interest. He buried his head to continue drawing, one circle after another.
“Fifth Elder Sister, I drew a Nine Linked Rings puzzle [13]See: Baguenaudier – Wikipedia for you. Do you want it?” he asked. His clear and bright tone immediately disrupted the silent atmosphere in the room.
Fifth niangzi squeezed out a smile, looked over Ninth ge’er’s drawing, and rubbed his head, smiling. “All right, Little Nine is most considerate of Elder Sister.”
Eldest Madam also smiled.
Lichun joined in the fun. “Ninth ge’er is a considerate person.”
Gazing at her three children, Eldest Madam’s eyes were filled with appreciation. Her words, however, remained light. “The children of our Yang clan should naturally be this harmonious.”
Second niangzi lowered her head to drink tea. The disdain in her eyes deepened.
Translator’s Note
This is part 2. Enjoy!!!
Keep an eye out for our regularly scheduled posting this weekend 🙂
