Man Man Qing Luo Chapter 02

Fu fu fu...

Finally, I have finished chapter two, but I may edit some in the future though it wasn't that much (I hope so). Actually I felt the burden when translating a lot of words, and still unsure whether I can finished it till 92 chapters. But reading the comments in another post, I feel motivated and hope I can translate accurately. As you can see, I'm bad at translating proverb and poem, maybe because I was MTL-ing and the words that came up seems gibberish.

In this chapter, we could see Ah Luo's family condition. It's sad that she and her mother weren't favored and struggled.

Man Man Qing Luo

Chapter 02

Cheng Qing raised her head. She saw forty-year-old man in a brown robe sitting in the main seat, a squared face that showed no power. Sitting next to him was a middle-aged woman dressed in a light-colored jacket and silver-purple dress.

Based on their age’s order, then her name must be Ah Luo. Cheng Qing carefully looked at this unrecognized father. When comparing this father and her own father, they seemed the same kind of father who was strict and orthodox, Main Madam's face was somewhat plumped, round and looked amiable, but the eyes revealed some shrewdness.

The middle-aged man slowly said: “Ah Lei, you come over!”

Cheng Qing looked at the ten-year-old girl, she responded and walked to the center of the hall. She appeared calm, and a pair of hands hidden in the long sleeves could be seen faintly forming into fists. Cheng Qing wanted to laugh and bowed her head to hide the smile that was about to overflow. She thought -- really thought, that Ah Lei was not afraid. After all, she was still a child.

The middle-aged man asked: “Ah Lei, these three months, what have you learnt best?”

Ah Lei replied in a fine and gentle voice: “Replying to father, it is a qi [1].”

[1] Qi : China zither

The middle-aged man waved his hand, and the servant put a few stools –  zither was placed properly and retreated.

Ah Lei sat next to the zither, leisurely swayed two strings and said: “Ah Lei is going to play “Three Variation of Plum Blossom” now.”

Then the sound of the zither rose, fresh notes played and sounded around the hall without break. Melody stacked triple times, cool like ice cubes in the stream. Cheng Qing screamed a good one. She had heard “Three Variation of Plum Blossom” played with guqin in modern times, which wasn’t any differences from this time. By listening to live performances –  for the first time, she re-examined her opinion on the ten-year-old Ah Lei, her face was calm, and a beautiful oval face faintly showed a kind of noble bearing. Cheng Qing thought that she only ten years old but her zither skills are superb, really amazing.

She recalled when she was a child, her parents asked her to learn to play the qin. She couldn’t help but stubbornly refused. Now that it has become like this, she might be better to ask someone to teach her something like guqin, flute and maybe whistle too, it might be useful at times! Thinking of how inexplicable she transmigrated in, Cheng Qing felt uncomfortable again. Her hands clenched into fists unconsciously.

Seventh Madam noticed, gently patted her with her hand, and her eyes told her that even if she couldn’t play it, then it’s fine, it’s nothing.

Cheng Qing suddenly felt that the Seventh Madam treated her daughter really good, she felt a warmth filled in her heart. Thinking of this, it can be considered a good luck that the first person she encountered was this kind to her.

At this time, an end notes sounded. When the sound play was finished, Ah Lei stopped and raised her face to look at the middle-aged man.

That father smiled and nodded: “Ah Lei, why did you choose this song?”

Ah Lei flashed a trace of pride, she replied aloud: “Ah Lei sees the plum blossoms in the yard, although it is already early spring in February, it reminds me of the clean fragrance that was blooming in the winter, its character especially looks proud and cool like frost.”

The middle-aged man stroked the beard under his chin and said: “Good, my daughter should have the same character as plum blossoms! Alright, father will come to the plum yard tonight to appreciate the plum blossom!”

When the words came out, Cheng Qing saw a lady on the left, she should be Ah Lei’s mother. Her face flashed a bit of self-satisfaction, and low brows and happy eyes, she gently replied: “Ah Lei is still small, her skills are still lacking. Master over-praised”.

Cheng Qing’s eyes scanned around the hall. Beside her mother – Seventh Madam, which showed no expression, the other Madam in the hall were more or less showed a little jealousy in their eyes. Cheng Qing thought – in this days, the women will always fight for the husband’s attention. The ancients always find fun this way, probably because there’s not much amusement to play, so they only fight with other people, and so on.

Ah Lei retreats to her own mother’s side and stood. It’s time for Ah Fei to stepped out, she an oval goose egg-like face, a pair of big and black eyes with a hint of cleverness. She didn't tremble and loudly said: “Father, Ah Fei has learned calligraphy for the last few months.”

So, the servant lifted a low table and placed a pen and ink on it. A servant girl came up to hold sleeve for Ah Fei. Ah Fei concentrated for a while, suddenly both her hands hold the pen and wrote a couplet. In one go, she put down the pen after appreciating her works, and said with a crisp voice: “Hope Father will criticize.”

Cheng Qing saw the ink on the paper dripping smoothly, what a good calligraphy stroke! Regardless of how left and right divided, thinking how the dog paddled the words, she was quite ashamed. (左右不分轩辕，想起自已的狗刨字，汗颜不已. t.n. : it’s proverb, I don’t know how to translate it)

The middle-aged man looked at it for a long time, and said to Ah Fei: “Ah Fei;s calligraphy indeed has progressed very well, but due to your young age,  the brush force is still insufficient. Put some time and effort in it, it will definitely be great!”

Hearing her father opinion, Ah Fei was beaming with a joy and turned her head to give her mother a light smile. Cheng Qing thought, such a naively cute and pampered expression. Ah Fei was already this adorable at young age, when she grew up, she did’t know how many people will besotted on her!

While she was deep in her observations, she heard the middle-aged man shouted: “Ah Luo, come here!”

Cheng Qing stunned for a moment, Seventh Madam gave her a worried glance and whispered, “San er, your father is calling you!”

Cheng Qing was in a panic and almost forgot that she was Ah Luo and needed to participate in the trial test. She didn’t know how play zither nor calligraphy, what should she do? Not even know what dynasty or where she was in in the first place. Cheng Qing slowly stood and stepped out to the center of the hall with worry.

That father told her: “Your two sisters are both talented, one is good in playing qin, the other is good in calligraphy. Ah Luo, three months ago, you can't hand over your homework, your mother vouched for you and put ten strokes of board down in the record. Saying that in three months later, you will definitely pick up a skill. What have you learned in these three months?”

Cheng Qing thought that there was no other way out than reciting an ancient poetry she has learned from back then before transmigrated. She was only afraid that the people here were familiar with poem she was going to recite. If she said that she copied it, she would said that she liked it. If they never heard of it, then she will have said it’s her exclusive skill. Raised her head, she gently said: “After learning poetry, can I recite one poem?”

The middle-aged man widened his eyes and stared with disbelief at Cheng Qing. Seventh Madam was secretly frowned. The old man smiled and said: “Good, good, our Third Miss can actually recite poems, recite one then.”

Low snicker sounded in the hall. Cheng Qing turned her head and saw that Seventh Madam's face was pale. She sighed and said: “Windy every day at the solitary court in February, Spring cold doesn’t frighten the common park. Begonia full of the color of rouge, independent in the misty rain.”  (二月孤庭日日风，春寒未了怯园公。海棠不惜胭脂色，独立濛濛细雨中。t.n : yup, it’s a poem!!! I borrow this from other translation)

This is the “Spring Cold” by the poet Chen Heyi of the Song Dynasty. Cheng Qing slightly changed the word and finished it with the tender voice that didn't belong to her. She saw that everyone in the hall were stunned and their face was horrified, full of surprised, amazed, envy, all sorts of emotion. Thinking about it again, even she surprised herself after listening this child body’s reciting the poem. She really could not get used to it, the voice was not hers. While the voice was clearly coming out from her mouth, it felt like she was listening to someone else’ talks.

The middle-aged man blanked for a moment and glanced meaningfully at Seventh Madam.  Cheng Qing turned her head to the back and saw there were tears in Seventh Madam’s eyes of, and a hint of pain within the soft tender look.

Cheng Qing sighed, this was not Song Dynasty. It seems that the people here had never heard this poem a verse before.

That father gave a laugh and said: “Good, Ah Luo is only six-year-old but she managed to recite such poem. Your mother has put a lot of efforts. There’s no need for board punishment. Father will come to Tang Courtyard at another day to listen Ah Luo’s poem recitation”

As soon as he finished his words, numerous sharp and meaningful glances were shooting in the hall. Cheng Qing looked down, trying to ponder the heavy sentence that the old man had said. ‘Your mother has put a lot of efforts’. She thought that the old man might be thinking that Seventh Madam has taught her to recite poem, but... oh well, I couldn’t hand over my homework three months ago, that’s fine too. Since it’s strange for someone who couldn’t submit her homework three months ago and suddenly able to recite a poem. Didn’t Seventh Madam also say that this Ah Luo did not like poetry and did not study well enough. Cheng Qing retreated back to the side of Seventh Madam, Cheng Qing stood and pondering quietly about those matters. Seventh Madam obviously did not teach her daughter to write this poem. She had to immediately find an opportunity to dispel the doubts of Seventh Madam when they went back to their room.

The father said once again: “Our Li Family can be considered one of the high-ranked family in Ning Country, the scholarly family. After this test, everyone here must be more diligent and be a joke of the country!” At this point, his tone turned harsh.

Everyone in the hall make their promise and slowly dispersed, each people went back to their own residence.

Seventh Madam held Cheng Qing’s hand and let the other Madams went first. Finally, they started heading out of the hall to go to the Tang Courtyard. Cheng Qing felt that Mrs. Seven was quite agitated now, she held Cheng Qing’s hand tighter than before, and their walking pace was obviously accelerated. It seemed that the poem had inadvertently revealed her state of mind. Summing up to the words that the Seventh Madam had told her earlier and the result of the test, the Seventh Madam was clearly not favored.

Cheng Qing walked and looked around the antique cloister of the corridor, Ning Country? The unknown world?

There were those Madams who were hostile to the Seventh Madam, there were that Father whom could be seen as an old cunning fox in one glance. In addition, her two elder sisters who were pampered but possessed great talent, it put a lot of grievance and resentment. What should I do? After reading a lot of transmigration stories, can I be like those people too, flapping their sleeve and have fun in this world? Would she die at a young age? Would she wake up in the morrow morning and go back?

Cheng Qing thought that in the past, this Ah Luo must be an introverted and most probably didn't say much. It’s such a coincidence that Cheng Qing’s personalities was rather calm in difficult situation and won’t make a fuss out of it. Otherwise, even this girl’s beautiful mother was affected and gone, at six years old, wouldn’t she be starved to death? It’s nothing to die of starvation, but in this world, losing your chastity was a big matter. If she somehow got kidnapped and sold into the brothel, she will have to suicide.

Cheng Qing looked up at Seventh Madam, her face had returned to normal, and it seemed that she did not notice anything wrong with this Ah Luo’s. Cheng Qing pondered, since she was inexplicably gotten into this situation, may be this a will form God. It’s a good thing that Ah Luo was still in six years old. If she was older than that, could it be considered as memory loss? She might need to fake an amnesia.

On their way back, Cheng Qing began to look around slowly. This home was definitely for a big family, and the land was quite spacious. That father must be very strict, and the servant who saw Seventh Lady and Ah Luo immediately greeted them, the servants did not even dare to lift their eyes. Was it good to be a rich person or a poor family? After some thought, Cheng Qing chose to be a rich people because most poor ancient people did not know how they died. They didn’t have adequate food to eat or enough clothes to keep them warm and clean. They have to worry with exorbitant taxation, encounter a bully landlord or encounter a famine disaster, who would know if they would get sold with a root of grass on their head (a price was up on them). Although the rich people had fight against schemes and conspiracies, at least her own parents were government officials. She had heard and seen all those direct and sneak attacks in bureaucratic battles in Ming and Qing Dynasties, went to all those complicated social interactions. It was estimated that probably the situation here was almost the same as that generation. Fighting was still in the heart of people.

At this moment, she held onto Seventh Madam’s hand, let’s return to home!

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