Chapter Three: Conquering through the Stomach
Translator: Kitty G.
Editor: None
Ning Shaoqing was left speechless on his corner as he tried to hold back his anger.
In the past, being an elite and promising Young Master of his generation, he never imagined that such a day would come—a day when his Lady would represent the Lord!
In only one year's time he had fallen into this situation.
He was pierced with a knife without warning, only to discover that he had been plotted by his kind mother, his wise brother, and the fiancé he once trusted….Why?
Just why?……
Hateful! Despicable! Really hate!
"Why do you look angry as if someone had wronged you? You had helped those students as a teacher, so it's only proper for them to repay you. Can we eat a meal by only relying on a scholar's face?**"
(**T/N: "face" means reputation in China and is very important culturally. Here she mockingly asks if they can continue to survive without accepting the students' money, just so he can save his generous scholarly reputation).
Mo Qian Xue awaited his next retort, since she had already prepared many words for rebuttal.
In a glance she could see the Ning Shaoqing's face was sickly pale; his gaze was piercing, and unexpectedly, seemed to carry a hint of displeasure?
No, it was grief and resentment!
Her heart could not help but feel regret.
After all in this dynasty, the husband is the Lord. Also scholars were known to have irritable tempers, so it was a normal reaction for him to have difficulty in accepting her way of thinking. He could only blunder when faced with her different mindset.
It was not a good idea to be angry with him.
Having worked in the mall for many years in her past life, Mo Qian Xue was very used to dealing with irritable customers under pressure. So even though she was a bit reluctant, she stood up and decided to admit her fault,
"I'm sorry, just now I was being impatient…As a woman, I can only ask other villagers to send food to our home, but after doing so for a long time, even if nobody has said anything against it, it's obvious that people must be gossiping behind our backs. Because of such an issue, I was afraid that my husband and I would be given a bad reputation. Today I acted a little boldly; next time I will discuss with the Lord first."
Mo Qian Xue's apology successfully awakened the quiet Ning Shaoqing to the gravity of their current situation.
After listening to her explanation, as he thought about it carefully, what Mo Qian Xue said was true; now that he was married and had a wife, it would be inappropriate to always rely on Sister Fang to send for rice and meals every time.
His wife's gentler approach came so suddenly that he was caught off guard.
Although the lady's temper wasn't very good and didn't follow the rules, she who was straightforward in arguing for herself unexpectedly knew when to retreat. After an awkward silence, Ning Shaoqing finally sighed and replied indifferently, "This time is an exception. You can't do this again next time."
His voice reverberated like a cello.
"I'm surnamed Ning, named Shaoqing. In the future you can call me Xiansheng** instead of 'husband' which is the official title. It's best not to use such a title since this is a rural village.
(**T/N: Xiansheng-means mister/sir/teacher. This is not a very intimate way to address someone's husband.)
He had introduced himself and calmly gave advice, meaning that he was willing to get along with her. With this thought Mo Qian Xue finally put her worries down.
If a person treats me with respect, I will also treat them with respect! She breathed a sigh of relief, stepped back, and softly opened, "Of course. Xiansheng, you can go back to sleep while I go to tidy up the house. If you need anything just call for me."
After cleaning the kitchen, a sound footsteps in the yard caught her attention; she hastened out to greet her visitors.
"You haven't even groomed yourself so how can you be cleaning?" Having seen Mo Qian Xue's state, Fang Fangzi pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the lady's face as she frowned in distress. This time Fang Sister came with two young maidens. One of them opened, "That's right Lady Ning, we've come here to help you. Since you're one of us now in this village, you don't have to be formal."
The other woman added sympathetically, "Look, Lady Ning's hands are small and white like jade meaning they aren't used to doing menial chores. Lady should be careful to take care of such hands. Having such an elegant wife, in the future, Ning Xiansheng will surely be successful in his career. Ha ha…."
"Bah! You and your poor mouth!" Sister Fang who was quite honest, laughed at the maiden's words and reprimanded her. Finally she looked to Mo Qian Xue and pointed to the items she had just brought.
"We are here to deliver our Shu Xiu** to Ning Xiansheng. This is from my child, Shuan Zi."
(**T/N: Shu Xiu 束脩—a gift that a student offers to a teacher or master to show their respect; it can be in the form of money, liquor, or even a person's talents or labor)
"This is…." Mo Qian Xue stared in surprise.
The other two women also reported their children's names and put their offerings in her kitchen. Afterwards, they exchanged a few words of gossip, while other women from the village came and went with their bags of offerings. In the end, the two kind women smiled to Mo Qian Xue and bid their farewells.
In her previous life, Mo Qian Xue was able to start her own business and had even earned a place among the ranks of recognized general managers. Naturally she wasn't a brainless woman. She was even able to deal with the sharp tempered mother who visited her house; despite the mother's sour temper in the beginning, the woman had left the house smiling, as if her child had just been admitted to a prestigious school.
Sister Fang who lived next door, came to Mo Qian Xue's home and offered to help with cooking, but Mo Qian Xue insisted that she return to her home.
It was already getting dark and Sister Fang still had two children to feed, while her husband would soon return from a hard day's work, seeking a meal. How can Mo Qian Xue trouble her?
A neighbor wasn't as important as a distant relative.
She wasn't even a distant relative to Fang Fangzi, yet she had such a kind neighbor close by as a blessing. Mo Qian Xue wanted to remain good friends withSister Fang in the long run.
Fifteen students in total had sent eggs, brown rice, oil, vegetables, corn and other food items. There were also several small bowls, pots and other household items.
It seems that the local's customs here are quite simple.
Mo Qian Xue didn't seek for anything rich or expensive, as long as she had adequate food and clothing.
Having experienced a fast-paced living in her previous life, along with all the infighting, Mo Qian Xue was finally tired.
After counting the bundles of Shu Xiu, she secretly calculated for a moment and concluded that their supplies not only would support them for the whole winter, but could also provide their needs for an extra month. In the meantime, she can find other opportunities to work in order to live.
The time was late, and dinnertime had arrived. Ning Shaoqing was laying in bed absentmindedly, while he looked in the distance with a complicated gaze.
Seeing that Mo Qian Xue had arrived in the room to serve the dishes, he sat up and joined her for the meal.
This time and space had never been exposed to the modern delicacies that Mo Qian Xue enjoyed. In modern times, she had expanded her business north and south with her food products. She enjoyed cuisine very much; even the most ordinary dishes can taste unique under her skill.
As Ning Shaoqing tasted the congee she had prepared, his eyes flashed brightly from surprise, before he quickly hid it.
But Mo Qian Xue didn't miss the glimmer of light that flitted across his eyes. The corner of her lips raise in satisfaction.
To conquer a man, one must start by conquering his stomach.**
(**T/N: The english equivalent phrase would be "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" but I thought it was a slightly inappropriate translation in this context because she's not trying to get his heart or affection at the moment)
After washing the dishes, she boiled a large pot of water for herself; it had been many days since she last had a good warm bath.
It was late autumn and the moon hung in the dark sky. Under the moonlight, she finished her bathing, then took off her shoes by the bedside.
Unexpectedly as soon as she climbed into bed, her husband suddenly sat up in surprise and caused her to jump in fright. "You, you're going to sleep here?"
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Mo Qian Xue was confused at his actions. She tried to keep a reasonable tone, but she couldn't mask her anger.
Was he disgusted with her?
This house only had one bed and a quilt, where else can she sleep? Did he feel bothered at the time when she read his palm, and then mistook her as someone indecent?
Did he think she was a perverted girl?
With such a small body, only being fifteen years of age, there was no way this underage girl would have any interest in him. Even if he wanted her, she wouldn't hesitate to kick him out of bed! Not being attracted to someone was excusable but being disliked by others is another matter. With a darkened expression, Mo Qian Xue grabbed the whole quilt, wrapped it around her body, and lied down in bed.
As she closed her eyes, her final thoughts were, Let this man freeze tonight!
Ning Shaoqing was aware of the girl's angry expression, but his heart was also deeply upset.
In the past, unknown girls would climb up his bed from time to time, and he would not hesitate to kick them out of the mattress as punishment.
Could he tell her, his reaction was merely conditioned?