Chapter 111: First’s Daughters

Disclaimer: 

1. This is an unofficial translation and no permission has been obtained from the author/ official publisher. It may be taken down if the author/official publisher requests. 

2. This is a fan work and the interpretation represents only the translator’s personal views without any input from the author. 

3. No permission has been granted to use, publish, upload and/or copy this translation to any other site except for Second Life Translations.

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After making the evening meal, Shi Cheng accompanied her in sending the food over. When they arrived, they got a piece of good news – from about noon, Liu Tao’s fever seemed to have reduced. And now, his temperature was under control and he had stopped speaking deliriously. His situation seemed to be stabilising. 

When the doctor checked on him, he said that so long as the situation remained mild, there was a chance for recovery. His sentence brought hope to the family and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. 

In the afternoon, Liu Changshi came over again. He stayed for the afternoon, before returning home at night. Seeing how tired he was, Liu Changgeng told him that if he planned to come again the next day, he should just bring He Ruyu over to their place to stay for a few nights. That way he wouldn’t have to keep going back and forth. 

Liu Changshi said he would monitor the situation before deciding. Then he headed home. 

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Mbyv lhldkdt, Nkw Ubydttldt oydvle vs tlv Nkw Ubydtik vs alpv yv bkp bsxl qsa vbl dktbv. Xvblaokpl, kv oswze cl vss vkakdt qsa bkx yde bl oswzed’v cl yczl vs jllr tskdt yv vbkp rynl. Jwv Nkw Ubydtik qzyvzu alqwple. Tl oydvle vs pvyu okvb bkp psd. Nkw Qys pbk yzps qlzv vbyv kv oswze cl kdyrrasrakyvl qsa Nkw Ubydtik vs pvyu kd vbl bsxl obkzl Nkw Ubydttldt oyp swv. Gzvbswtb lhlausdl oyp qyxkzu, vblal oyp pvkzz rasraklvu vs scplahl. 

Nkw Ubydttldt vbld vsze Nkw Ubydtik vs ralryal y xyvvalpp vs pzllr yv Nkw Mys’p pkel. Tl yde Nkw Nkd oswze pvyu yaswde yde jllr oyvnb. 

Tl pbk yde Nkw Qys pbk alvwadle bsxl vstlvbla. Mbl kdpvydv vblu tsv cynj, Nkw Qys pbk oldv vs vbl assx vs alpv, obkzl Tl pbk nyxl shla vs vbl jkvnbld. Fbl vsze vbl pvkzz cwpu vkeukdt Nkw Dw’la vs cskz psxl oyvla, clqsal vyjkdt swv psxl sq vbl nyzxkdt vly zlyhlp pbl bye fwpv cswtbv. Fbl pvllrle vblx kd y rsv sq cskzkdt oyvla clqsal pyukdt, “Zswa eye yde R ekpnwpple vbl xyvvla. Tl vsze xl vs zlv uswa dyk jdso vsdktbv vbyv ol oydv bla yde ul vs nsxl shla blal yde zkhl okvb wp.” Tl pbk vbld nsdvkdwle. “Rd y obkzl, nsxl shla okvb xl. El okzz vlzz bla vstlvbla.”

Nkw Dw’la dseele bla blye. Fbl wdelapvsse bla qyvbla’p kdvldvksd kd tlvvkdt bla xsvbla vs aykpl vbl vsrkn. Tl oydvle Tl pbk vs cl rsavayule kd y tsse zktbv kd qasdv sq bkp ryaldvp. Gde cu kdnzwekdt bla kd vbl ypjkdt, kv oswze, qkapvzu, alralpldv vbyv lhlausdl, kdnzwekdt vbl nbkzeald, olal ytallyczl vs vbkp elnkpksd yde plnsdezu, kxralpp vbl plakswpdlpp sq vbl aliwlpv vs bla dyk. Mblu olald’v fwpv xyjkdt vbl sqqla zktbvzu. 

Mblal oyp sdl svbla alypsd – vbkp nswze cl nsdpkelale tsse dlop. Sltyaezlpp sq oblvbla ul yde dyk olal okzzkdt vs xshl shla, byhkdt psxl tsse dlop oswze nsxqsav vblx ewakdt vbkp pvalppqwz vkxl.

“Ywx, pkdnl ol oydv vs aykpl vbkp xyvvla, vbld R yzps byhl psxlvbkdt R oydv vs yee. Ebld latl xldvksdle cwukdt plahydvp, R esd’v vbkdj bl oyp fwpv fsjkdt…. El’hl pvyule blal qsa iwkvl y qlo eyup, yde byhld’v usw qswde vbyv vblal kp y zsv sq osaj? Rv’p ekqqknwzv qsa wp vs bydezl yzz sq kv. Lso vbyv vbl bswpl kp ps xwnb zyatla, kv kp hlau vkakdt vs nzlyd kv yzz cu swaplzhlp. Gde vbyv’p kq ol bye dsvbkdt lzpl ol dllele vs es okvb swa vkxl. Mbl kdpvydv psxlvbkdt byrrldp, zkjl ewakdt vbl rypv qlo eyup, ol oswze cl nsxrzlvlzu shlaoblzxle. El alyzzu dlle xsal bydep. Gde kq ol cakdt ul yde dyk shla vs pvyu okvb wp, yzz vbl xsal, ol dlle vs byhl plahydvp. Mblal dllep vs cl psxlsdl vs ralryal vbl xlyzp, yde psxlsdl vs es vbl zywdeau. Xvblaokpl, usw oswzed’v cl yczl vs xydytl yzz vbyv!”

Nkw Dw’la vokpvle bla qkdtlap aswde yp pbl pyke, “Gzps, vblal yal ps xydu aycckvp. Ohld kq vblal yal vos rlsrzl vs zssj yqvla vblx, kv’p ayvbla vkakdt. Pye kp cwpu okvb bkp osseosaj – bkp rasewnvp plzz ayvbla olzz. R oydv bkx vs xyjl lhld xsal sq vblx, cwv okvb ps xydu aycckvp vs zssj shla, eye eslpd’v byhl vkxl vs elhlzsr vbkp yaly qwavbla.”

Tl pbk dseele. Mbld pbl pktble, “Rv’p vawl. Mblpl rypv qlo eyup, R’hl clld osaakle ycswv zlyhkdt usw bsxl yzsdl…..Jwv ol….. Gal ynvwyzzu tskdt vs cwu plahydvp.”

Liu Xu’er said, “It’s something we need. If you really can’t get over the fact, you can think of it this way. Whether or not we buy them, slaves would still be sold. But if we buy them, we can treat them kindly…. We would definitely not beat or scold our servants! Right?”

He shi laughed, “You really have a glib tongue! Your mouth keeps flapping, and everything you say becomes alright!”

Liu Xu’er smiled, then picked up the serving tray. Along with He shi, she made her way to the main house. Liu Gao shi was sitting on the kang in the bedroom. Her eyes closed, she was leaning against the wall resting. The instant she heard their footsteps, she immediately opened her eyes. 

“Now that you are back, you should rest. These past two days, you have been running back and forth with me. It’s really tiring. Don’t trouble yourself with the housework, just go and rest.” Liu Gao shi said. 

He shi nodded her head before pouring her a cup of tea. “Mum, don’t worry. The doctor has already said that it’s a good sign that Liu Tao is getting better. It means that the poison has cleared his system.”

Liu Gao shi nodded before sighing. She looked strangely at the tea and asked, “It’s so late – it’s hard enough to sleep with all these troubling matters, so why are we still drinking tea?”

Liu Xu’er smiled and said, “It’s calming tea. We bought it recently because you haven’t been sleeping well these past few days nai. My mum got me to buy some… Nai, what mum said is right – since his situation hasn’t worsened, then he should be getting better. Don’t worry.”

Liu Gao shi’s expression finally eased somewhat. She nodded her head and squeezed out a smile. “Xu’er is so mature. He should be fine. Buddha, please protect him…. Our family have been good people for generations, and Xu’er has helped so many people in the village. Buddha wouldn’t be so hard hearted….”

He shi sighed and passed her the cup of tea. Seeing her take a small sip, she said softly, “Mum, since we’ve moved to town, we’ve been discussing a matter… Before moving, we didn’t mention it to you or dad, because we didn’t know what living in town would be like, whether it would be convenient, and whether you and dad would be able to get used to staying here. But now that we’ve moved, we think it should be quite suitable. The neighbours are cordial, and there are even some that we know from Taohua Village. We thought that it would be suitable for you and dad, so we were thinking that we wanted to bring you over here to stay with us.”

Liu Gao shi was stunned when she heard. She held the teacup in her hand and fell silent for a moment before saying, “Why mention this now? I am not in a state to consider this properly…. Furthermore, your dad and I are very used to staying in the village. We would definitely not be able to get used to living here. We understand your good intentions, but I don’t think it’s for us.”

Liu Xu’er quickly said, “Nai, why won’t you consider it? What’s there to get used to? After all, our village is so close to town! There aren’t any different customs about clothes or food, so what difference is there? We can keep the village house and whenever you miss the village, you can just pop back to stay for a few days. How about that?!”

A laugh escaped Liu Gao shi, “You’re still so young. You make it sound so easy!”

He shi quickly said, “What Xu’er said does make sense though mum. We are not too far from the village. Whenever you miss someone, you can call them over for a visit. All of us have discussed it. When Liu Tao is better, we will think of a way to help support their family….” When she said that, He shi gave a guilty look at Liu Xu’er. “After all, dage is still their father’s brother.”

Liu Xu’er pursed her lips. She would have been perfectly fine to support them if it weren’t for Liu Yun’er.

When Liu Gao shi heard, she immediately reached for Liu Xu’er’s hands and said, “It’s great that you can think this way! I know that year, Liu Yun’er…. Oh forget it. Let’s not speak of Liu Yun’er. But Liu Tao and Liu Xian’er are both your cousins!”

Liu Xu’er shook her head and said, “Nai, what are Liu Xian’er and Liu Yun’er doing? Are they planning to visit or not?”

Liu Gao shi was stumped. Then she started to prevaricate. “Xian’er is already 19…. And hasn’t been matched. She’s too embarrassed to come out….”

Liu Xu’er coldly hmphed. “Is her reputation more important or her brother? For her image, she can ignore her brother in his life and death situation? Liu Yun’er is even more of a joke! Why isn’t she here to visit? What’s the point of raising those two useless girls?!” 

He shi quickly interrupted her. “Don’t speak so rashly!”

How could Liu Gao shi not know that what Liu Xu’er said was the truth? After a long while, she let out a heavy sigh and said, “Perhaps they will come by tomorrow…. Those two children really are a worry.”

He shi then said, “Mum, about moving here. Discuss the situation over with dad. No matter what, their father has already said that we definitely should bring you over. Otherwise, we can’t rest easy staying here.”

Liu Gao shi sighed again. “We will see how the situation develops. When I get back, I will talk it over with your father.”

And that was temporarily all they could say about the matter. After chatting for a while longer, everyone went back to rest. The next day, they went back to the medical hall. 

This day, Shi Cheng didn’t come over, so He shi wouldn’t let Liu Xu’er send them food. They would return home for their noon and evening meals. Since Liu Changqi was completely unwilling to leave Liu Tao and come over for his meals, they would get him to buy some biscuits and what not for his meals. They would continue to monitor the situation for a few more days. 

Liu Xu’er agreed. She spent the day at home making the meal. At noon, both He shi and Liu Gao shi returned home together. When they got back, they brought a piece of good news. Liu Tao had awoken!

“Really? That’s great!” Liu Xu’er was very happy. 

He shi smiled and said, “Although all he did was open his eyes for a few seconds, call for his father before dropping back to sleep, the doctor said this was an excellent sign. Since he could wake up, it means that he will get better!”

Liu Gao shi was overjoyed. “That’s right. While he was awake, they gave him a bowl of medicine. So long as he can take medicine, everything should be fine!”

He shi took the chance to coax Liu Gao shi to rest at home in the afternoon. She hadn’t been sleeping well these past few nights, and she wasn’t young anymore. It wasn’t easy for her body to take this level of stress.

Liu Xu’er joined in persuading her nai until she finally gave in and agreed to rest for a while. 

He shi also told Liu Xu’er to go in and sleep for a while, but Liu Xu’er refused. “Mum, why don’t you go and rest? You’ve also been running back and forth these few days and must be quite tired. I still need to go out and buy some groceries. These few days, we haven’t had any time to do that, and there’s nothing left in the house.”

When He shi heard that, she refused to rest! She wanted to go with her. So the two of them took some money and some baskets to go and do their grocery shopping, leaving Liu Gao shi to lock up the house behind them.

“Why did you mention Liu Xian’er and Liu Yun’er to your nai? It’s alright about Liu Yun’er… But you know that your nai doesn’t like you to speak that way of Liu Xian’er.” As they walked to the market, He shi grumbled at Liu Xu’er. 

Liu Xu’er hmphed before saying, “I just hate those two! Liu Yun’er is a hateful animal, who only thinks about herself. Everyone knows that, so there’s no point in talking about her. But Liu Xian’er is a joke! Her reputation is more important than her brother’s life?!”

He shi shook her head and looked at her. After a long while, she finally said, “ There are some matters that happened in your dabo’s family that you don’t know about…. After your dabo divorced Ma shi, how could her children be happy? Ma shi is their mother! You should be able to remember that the incident started when they had a fight with us….”

Liu Xu’er was astounded. Shocked, she looked at her and said, “Mum! Do you mean that Liu Xian’er and Liu Yun’er blame that on us?!”

“I don’t think it’s to that extent….” He shi however, wasn’t too sure about that, so she changed the topic and said, “Whatever the case, remember what I told you! Nowadays, all of you are grown. Liu Yun’er that dreadful girl can turn crazy at the slightest provocation; who knows what she could stir up! Liu Xian’er on the other hand, is a coward…. Just be wary of the two of them…. I didn’t manage to finish my thoughts earlier. A reason that the two girls might have refused to visit Liu Tao might be because Liu Tao has been trying to mend fences with our family these past two years. They might be unhappy with him because of that.”

Liu Xu’er was stunned for a long while. Finally, she let out a cold hmph before sighing and shaking her head. She didn’t know what to say to that! But that was a totally plausible explanation. Liu Yun’er was crazy, so obviously she couldn’t be expected to be reasonable about the matter. It was easy to see how she would have blamed them for her mother’s divorce. 

As for Liu Xian’er, from the current incident, it was very clear that while she was a coward, she was also extremely petty! And with Liu Yun’er pouring poison into her ears, she would probably also start blaming her family. Added to the fact that she hadn’t been able to find a match, she probably lumped all her problems together and felt extremely wronged! 

Thinking about this, Liu Xu’er couldn’t help shaking her head.