Chapter 98 Night Talk (4) Aunt's Divine Assistance, A-Jing's Love Declaration...
Guoniang muttered, "How dare you say you watched Erlang grow up? Are you even that close to him?"
“Oh, that’s true.” Guo Niang suddenly found the other side of the story extremely interesting: “Young Master has said so much, he’s practically pointing his finger at Lady Chen and telling her to mind her own business. If that incredibly foolish lady still can’t understand the unspoken meaning, can’t appreciate the deep affection Erlang has for his wife, and continues to falsely accuse Lady Changsun, then she is unworthy of being an elder.”
"Oh, her gossipy mouth really can't stay still. She can't win an argument, and she can't shut up either. It's really funny," Guoniang said, hitting the nail on the head.
“I don’t understand those fancy words either, but I’m sure she warned Lady Changsun not to encourage or allow Erlang to associate with the farmers, not to interfere with the children’s education, and not to pay for banquets that would give us lowly people any improper thoughts… If she knew about the re-signing of the land deeds, she would probably think Erlang and Lady Changsun had gone mad.” Guoniang pieced the fragments of the story back together.
"Then I think I understand," A-Cai said with a sudden realization. "Anyway, Lady Chen was furious and embellished her wife's praise of the young master for his ambition and foresight, as well as her refusal to persuade him to stay away from the sedition: '...This wife, who keeps stirring up trouble without restraint, will inevitably lead the family astray in the future. If I were your parents, I would definitely punish her severely, or at least make sure her birth mother, Lady Gao, knows about this and properly instructs her daughter on how to manage a household.' Bah, who does she think she is, daring to lecture my Lady Gao?"
"Disgusting!" Guoniang said. "It's a pity that Erlang is too smart to be instigated by others."
“I thought that after hearing these words, the young master would be furious and argue with this foolish woman again. However, after hearing these words accusing the lady of being arrogant, the young master was actually… actually quite happy…” Ah Cai said, puzzled.
"What's he so happy about?" Guoniang chuckled.
Only after hearing this did Guoniang finally finish listening to the play about joining the army. The good guys were reunited, and the bad guys were defeated—clean, efficient, and perfectly reasonable. Suddenly, she felt thirsty, so she put on her clothes, got off the bed, and groped in the dark to find some water.
By the dim light of the torchlight, Guoniang handed Acai a cup of water and asked, "So, you went back to your villa?"
A-Cai drank the water in one gulp and then said, "Young Master actually felt somewhat apologetic towards Lady Changsun, so he spoke frankly with Young Master Minxing: 'Minxing, please don't take offense, I didn't want to encounter such a relative either. I don't know what strange wind blew today, but she insisted on coming to personally instruct us, and I'm afraid even my uncle and father themselves couldn't stop her.' Young Master Minxing was also straightforward: 'Your relatives in Luoyang are indeed completely different from you.' The young master said with some concern: 'I'm a little worried about Guanyinbi; she must have suffered a lot of grievances because of me.' Young Master Minxing comforted him, saying: 'Look at your aunt; she's so angry she's confused, but Qingjing doesn't seem to have suffered any great loss.'" The young master actually agreed wholeheartedly. The two young men then mounted their horses and began to discuss the marriage of Zhang and Li, the land redistribution system of Qi, the county schools being closed and dismissed for various strange reasons, and the imminent forced labor and conscription… I followed behind, full of complaints. I had expected them to give Lady Chen a thorough dressing-down, but they acted as if nothing had happened, as if no argument had ever taken place. Remembering their previous heated exchange, and their indifference to Lady Chen's false accusation and whether Lady Changsun was innocent, I felt resentful. That's why I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, and wanted to tell you the whole story.”
Ah Cai laughed and said, "That makes sense. If I were you, I would probably have turned around and run away long ago, not wanting to hear another word."
"If I were Lady Changsun, I probably would have given her the order to leave the house the moment she questioned the fact that Lady Changsun's family had suffered from mental illness for generations, and when she looked down on Lady Changsun's adoptive father for being only a low-ranking official. I would have done it in the kind of way, chasing her away with a broom." Guoniang waved her hand in the air a few times and shouted, "Get out! Get out! Get out!"
"You've already mentioned one thing, I want to hear the other." Ah Cai caught the grasshopper girl's fluttering hand mid-air. "Tell me quickly!"
“Well said! If my wife has a grudge against someone, she takes revenge on the spot. She’s not the kind of pampered, weak woman who waits for her husband to come home, cries and complains, and then expects him to stand up for her and get justice!” Guoniang sighed.
Although the two girls were having a good time chatting, they didn't dare to delay their rest any longer, so they forced themselves to lie down again.
After a short while, A-Cai sighed and asked, "Gua Niang, are you asleep?"
"He's full of energy, always thinking about the quarrel between Madam and Lady Chen." Guo Niang's voice carried a faint scent of peonies. "We servants who stayed behind in Luoyang had been making wild guesses about what kind of woman Erlang's new bride would be, but now it seems we were all wrong."
What do you mean by "guessed wrong"?
"She's just not what we expected. She's very special."
"Little grasshopper, do you have someone you love?"
No. What about you?
“I envy Li Fanniang so much…” A Cai’s words were truly abrupt.
“Weren’t we just talking about Erlang and Changsun’s wife? Why are you bringing up Li Fanniang again? Didn’t you say she’s pale and thin, and although she’s good at weaving, she doesn’t know as many patterns as you?” Guoniang was puzzled by Acai’s envy.
"But she is thoughtful and decisive. If I were her husband, I would like her too."
"You're the same. If I were your husband, I'd like you too," the grasshopper said with a smile from the shadows, praising A-Cai gently.
"Her fiancé, Zhang Liang, dotes on her..." A-Cai couldn't tell if she felt envy, jealousy, or something else towards Li Fanniang. This soon-to-be-married couple was poor, destitute, and orphaned, somewhat unsophisticated, and even had a rustic appearance, yet no one could take away the bond between them. When they spoke of each other, their eyes reflected the entire world.
"You don't have a fiancé, what makes you think you can compare to her?"
"That makes sense." Ah Cai felt a little comforted. "Guo Niang, do you have someone you like?"
"Why do you keep asking me this tonight? I don't have it. Do you?"
“He can’t see me…” Ah Cai sighed sadly and closed her eyes.
"Poor Acai," the grasshopper murmured to herself, letting out a soft sigh. Soon, only the soft sound of snoring remained.
In the echoes of the spring breeze, Ah Cai secretly recalled the sweetness of the day. Even just stealing a glance at the boy beside her beloved for a fleeting moment while following him was an incredibly luxurious outing.
Why is she still heartbroken when she should be overjoyed, relieved, and content?
She told the grasshopper a love story full of twists and turns, becoming an observer outside the story, yet unable to become the protagonist of another story.
The author's note: The whole incident ended with Lady Chen being forced to eat two mouthfuls of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).
I almost forgot about Liangzi, he should be getting married soon [frightened].
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