The Daily Life of Third Miss Chu, by Jiang Yuequ

Translator: 247reader

TLC: Tygris

Hello, and welcome to our newest project! My Mandarin is still grade-school level, so I’ve brought translation technology, my editing chops, and, of course, a lot of help from those who know the language better than me to bring y’all a translation that I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Sending Second Sister Away

Spring was just beginning, and the forsythia in the corner of the yard was a cluster of tender yellow. A chill remained, and even a man would still need to wear winter clothes when going out.

It was especially cold at night. The maids in the yard walked hurriedly, with their heads down and their hands in their pockets. The one in the front was an elderly maid, who first ushered the two young maids behind her into the side room, and then pushed the door open and went in herself.

The room was warm. In the dim light of a few candles, a little girl of about twelve or thirteen sat on the daybed. Her hair was loose, and her little face shone like a pearl. At the moment, she was resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Nanny Li was a little anxious. “Third Miss, Third Miss?”

The girl didn’t move, so she called out again, “Third Miss!”

Chu Yi came back to her senses. “Nanny, what’s the matter?”

Nanny Li said, “Third Miss, I saw the carriage heading to Yingchun Courtyard. I suppose the Second Miss will leave tonight. It is unclear if you will be able to meet again… Does the Third Miss want to go and see her?”

Chu Yi asked, “Did the carriage really come?”

Nanny Li answered, “How could that be false? Madam is so cruel. She sent her away just like that.”

Nanny Li had a worried look on her face and Chu Yi’s shoulders slumped. Was her second sister really going to be sent back to their ancestral town?

Chu Yi’s second sister was called Chu Ying, the second daughter of the Duke of Chu’s mansion, and the legitimate daughter of the Duke’s wife, Lady Yan. She was lazy and didn’t like to move. To put it bluntly, she was a salted fish, ^[1]A “salted fish” is someone who is lazy and just wants to lie down and let life come as it will. good at eating and too slothful to do anything else.

Chu Ying was seventeen years old this year. Nanny Li had said that she had been ill since she came of age two years ago. This year, her condition had become even worse. Not only did she not go to gatherings, but she also made all kinds of excuses to delay her marriage.

Lady Yan was furious and had told her that if she didn’t go out, then she should go back to the family’s hometown in Lunan. Later, her second elder sister had once again claimed to be sick and had missed a gathering, but Chu Yi had still thought that, no matter what, Chu Ying was a biological daughter [of the Chu family]. She hadn’t expected that the carriage would come today.

But her di mother always kept her word. Chu Yi said, “Didn’t Eldest Sister’s matter end with her being shut away, just like that?”

Her eldest sister was called Chu Jin. Unlike Chu Ying, she was both talented and virtuous. She was the most beautiful woman in the capital, and countless young men wanted to marry her, including two princes.

That had all happened two years ago. Both princes had wanted to marry the beauty, and for this reason, they had fought each other until they drew blood. The matter had become a popular subject of gossip.

Lady Yan had ordered that Chu Jin be confined to a small Buddhist temple ^[2]This is the family’s household temple. under the supervision of more than a dozen elderly maids. Who knew when she would be able to come out?

Eldest Sister was confined to the family Buddhist temple. Second Elder Sister would be sent far away to Lunan. Chu Yi was next in line.

Chu Yi shuddered. It had been more than a year since she had arrived here. At first, she thought she had transmigrated into a historical fiction novel where her eldest sister was the heroine. But her eldest sister was now in the household temple, and the two princes had already married and taken different wives. They seemed to have forgotten her.

Later, she thought that she had been transported into a “salted fish” novel, where her second elder sister was the heroine, but now she saw that her second elder sister was about to be sent away.

It seemed that she had simply traveled back in time to an ancient era when people were vicious to one another, and especially to women.

Nanny Li said, “Third Miss, go and see Second Miss off. You are sisters, and I’m afraid you won’t see each other often in the future.”

It would be only a small matter to recomb her loose hair, but Chu Yi didn’t know whether she should go or not.

She understood what Nanny Li meant. Duke Chu had many descendants. In addition to several young masters, there were four shu ^[3]Shu daughters were born to concubines, as opposed to di daughters, who were born to the main wife. Said main wife was still the legal mother, or di mother, of her husband’s shu children. daughters. Chu Yi was the third daughter. Without her two older sisters, she became the eldest. Her concubine-mother had passed away long ago, so if Chu Yi showed her abilities early, she might be able to catch her di mother’s eye.

She could be said to have been quite comfortable over the past year. Though she was not valued in the Duke Chu Mansion, her di mother was generous and decent, and she had never lacked for food or clothing. She and Chu Ying hadn’t spent much time together, but they had no conflicts, so it would be reasonable for her to send her off.

Chu Yi said, “Help me dress. I’ll go see Second Elder Sister off.”

Everyone in the Chu family was good-looking. Chu Jin’s title as the most beautiful woman in the capital had been well deserved. Chu Yi had been only twelve years old at that time. Over the past year, she had grown a lot, and her appearance had become even better.

Nanny Li called a maid over. Chu Yi didn’t dress up overmuch, simply tying up her hair and pinning two plain pearl flowers in it.

She took out the cloak again. It had grown truly frigid, and hands and feet would grow cold walking through the yard. Chu Yi put on the cloak and asked, “How much silver is left in the box?”

Her money box was managed by Nanny Li. She usually ate and lived in the Duke’s Mansion and had no need to spend money.

A shu daughter received ten taels of silver per month, which meant more than one hundred taels a year. With the addition of her most recent allowance, her savings should be slightly under two hundred taels.

Madam Li said, “Miss, there are 173 taels.”

Chu Yi asked, “How much of it is in banknotes, and how much in silver?”

Madam Li answered, “There are one hundred taels worth of banknotes, and the rest are in silver.”

Chu Yi had no concubine-mother and was not favored in the mansion. She had saved so much money by being cautious and careful.

“Leave twenty-three taels of the silver, and take fifty taels worth of banknotes.”

It was likely that Nanny Li felt a bit of regret. She hadn’t expected that she would have to pay to send someone off. “Miss, are you really going?”

Chu Yi said, “Of course. Hurry up, or we won’t be able to catch them.”

Chu Yi walked quickly. As soon as she went out, she felt extremely cold, with the wind gusting straight against her neck.

She went all the way to Yingchun Pavilion, where she immediately saw a carriage parked at the courtyard gate. Servants were loading things into it.

In the year since she’d arrived, she’d seen many nice things, such as jade ornaments, porcelain, decorations, calligraphy, and paintings… But the curtain of the carriage was drawn back, and, inside, it was empty.

Two maids stood in front of the carriage, holding wooden boxes tightly in their arms, their faces red from the cold. “Why can’t we take them? These are our lady’s things!”

“Madam has ordered that, except for luggage, nothing can be taken away.”

“You are talking nonsense. Our lady is still sick. How could Madam be so cruel? Could it be that you are a backstabbing servant taking advantage of our lady’s misfortune and can’t bear to see her well?”

Behind the two of them stood Chu Ying, wrapped in a white cloak. With her straight posture, she didn’t look sick at all. Ignoring the guards, she said to the well-dressed nanny beside her, “Nanny Chen, I want to see my mother.”

Nanny Chen, who was someone close to Lady Yan, treated the daughters in the household with great courtesy, but the smile on her face today seemed pasted on. “Madam has gone to bed, so the Second Miss should pack up quickly and leave the estate soon.”

Chu Ying did not move. She looked at Nanny Chen stubbornly. “I am leaving the Duke’s Mansion without bidding farewell to my mother, and I feel uneasy. Please, Nanny…”

Nanny Chen said, “Second Miss, look at the color of the sky. Madam has already gone to bed. If you wait until tomorrow morning, Madam will be angry. You’d better leave the house soon.”

Chu Ying bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

Chu Yi thought that her second sister must be full of regret by now. The options had been to get married or to go back to Lunan. Anyone with a bit of brains would choose to get married – at least there would be good food and drink. Lunan was thousands of miles away, and the journey alone would be difficult. How could living in a small, county-level town with her uncle and grandmother be as comfortable as life in the capital?

It was true that Chu Ying, who had not wanted to get married, truly regretted her decision. However, Lady Yan was at the peak of her anger. If Chu Ying continued to make trouble, not only would she not be able to see Lady Yan, but she might not even be permitted to take her luggage with her.

Chu Yi took a few steps forward and nodded in greeting. “Nanny Chen.”

Nanny Chen bowed and said, “Greetings to Third Miss.”

Chu Yi said, “I’ve come to see Second Elder Sister off.”

Straightening up, Nanny Chen said, “Third Miss should hurry. It’s getting late, and the weather is cold. You should go back and rest soon.”

Chu Yi nodded.

Because Chu Ying seldom went out, the two sisters were far from having a deep sisterly love. She had come to see her off both out of a sense of grief ^[4]兔死狐悲 (tù sǐ hú bēi) is an idiom translating to “when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves.” This expression describes the grief or sympathy one feels when a peer or fellow suffers misfortune, especially when they share something in common or are expected to suffer/have suffered the same fate. and for Lady Yan to see.

The two little maids, noses red from the cold, silently took a few steps back.

Chu Ying looked sad. “Third Younger Sister…”

Chu Yi, taking her hand, said, “Mother is still angry. Even if you went there now, it would be useless.”

She secretly stuffed a purse into Chu Ying’s hand, saying, “It’s still cold now, so bring some additional thick clothes and medicinal herbs.”

The light in Chu Ying’s eyes gradually faded. Finally, she nodded, saying,  “Take care, Third Younger Sister.”

Chu Yi replied, “Take care, Second Elder Sister.”

As she was not allowed to take anything valuable with her, in the end the maid only packed some heavy clothes and some medicinal herbs. Altogether, the party consisted of one carriage and quite a few guards, though it was unclear whether the guards were for protection or surveillance.

Chu Ying only took two maids with her. Lady Yan said she would send them back to their hometown, and she really had sent them back, even sending them out of the city that very night.

Nanny Chen, having done her job, smiled at Chu Yi. “It’s getting late, Third Miss, you should leave now. Have a bowl of ginger tea when you return – don’t catch a cold.”

Chu Yi said, “The road is slippery, so be careful, Nanny.”

After returning to Yixia Pavilion, Chu Yi sneezed a few times. Nanny Li went to the small kitchen to make ginger tea, and Chu Yi drank three bowls in a row.

She was afraid of falling ill and dying in this courtyard.

She didn’t sleep well that night, and her dreams were foggy. She had thought that Chu Jin and Chu Ying were also transmigrators, but now she wasn’t sure.

There was no plot armor. ^[5]光环 (guāng huán) is the idea/story-telling trope where the main character has an unrealistic ability to overcome harm or difficulty, simply because the plot requires them to survive. With a single wrong step, you would have locked yourself on a path towards certain death.

Could Chu Ying still return?

Nanny Chen returned to the main courtyard and said to Lady Yan, “Madam, the Second Miss has left.”

Lady Yan was nearly forty years old. With proper maintenance, she would look as though she were in her early thirties. However, thanks to the overwork and worry of the recent days, a few new white hairs had sprouted on her temples.

For a moment, Lady Yan’s eyes went dull, as though filled with a hint of tears, but when Nanny Chen looked up again, Lady Yan’s face was once more expressionless.

Lady Yan said, “She chose this path herself. I tried to persuade her, but she has brothers and sisters in the household, and I must consider them.”

Nanny Chen said, “But the Second Miss has realized her mistake and asked me if she could see you tonight.”

Lady Yan had already instructed that if Chu Ying made this request, it was to be ignored.

“If she had known this would happen, then why did she do it in the first place? The Duke Chu Mansion has already become a laughingstock. Letting her stay would be an even bigger joke. Besides, the Duke has already complained about this. If I did nothing…” Lady Yan sighed deeply. “The guards are in place. Send her there and keep her under strict surveillance. I have sent a letter to the household. We cannot let the old lady and my brother and sister-in-law indulge her.”

Nanny Chen lowered her head. “There were ten guards and two maids. Most of the luggage was warm winter clothes and bedding. For other items, this servant supervised the process and didn’t let them take any. When the Second Miss has suffered enough, she will definitely think things through. Today, several of the other young ladies also came to see her off. I saw the Third Miss secretly handing silver to the Second Miss.”

The eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Lin, had come over, but the various young masters hadn’t come. The Fourth Miss and her younger sisters had arrived early. Their eyes were red from crying, and they kept saying how reluctant they were to part. However, they were not very close to each other on normal days, and they were just pretending to have a close relationship for their di mother to see.

It was the Third Miss, though usually quiet and with no concubine-mother to help her, who had been the most generous.

Lady Yan listened in silence. Nanny Chen couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She simply felt that the lady had a miserable life. Of her two daughters, one had was immured in the household temple, without knowing when she would be able to come out, and the other had been sent back to their ancestral town and would no longer be by her side.

Lady Yan said, “After respects are paid tomorrow morning, I will keep the Third Miss back to chat for a while. Chu Xin and the others are still young, and their temperaments are unclear. The Master was already unhappy because of Jin’er’s matter, and now Ying’er is like this too. Who’s to say that this won’t implicate the First Young Master?”

Rubbing her eyebrows, Lady Yan added, “Find two valuable items from the storehouse and give them to the Third Miss tomorrow.”

With Duke Chu around, Lady Yan couldn’t be soft-hearted, so Chu Ying hadn’t been able to take any valuables away with her.

She had felt sorry for her daughter, and so by her actions, Chu Yi had also helped Lady Yan.

Nanny Chen said, “I will go right away.”

The moon rose and set. Chu Yi woke up before dawn, washed and dressed, and went to the main courtyard to pay her respects.