Chapter 217: Liu Tao Asks For Help

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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That evening, after Liu Xu’er and Shi Cheng got back home, Liu Xu’er shared Liu Sen’s philosophy with him. She smiled and said, “Others would need to labor for a lifetime before understanding this principle. Who would have thought that Liu Sen would understand this so young.”

Shi Cheng smiled and said, “Senzi is a rather enlightened person. But he is just too intelligent for his age. It’s both good and bad…. Let’s see how he manages it.”

Liu Xu’er nodded her head, “We should also provide support. At the very least, we have gone through life experiences that no one else here has.”

Shi Cheng laughed and carried her to bed, “So, since life is short, and filled with bitterness, we should make merry where we can!”

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Liu Xu’er turned her head to look. She saw that it was Liu Tao, scratching his head, standing there. She hurried over to ask, “What? Sange?” 

Liu Tao stood there scratching his head. He stammered out, “Xiuxiu is here…. We wanted to discuss something with you….”

Liu Xu’er quickly nodded her head, “Sure!” Then she followed them into the side courtyard. She could already guess – perhaps her dajiumu was unwilling? And her mother was persuading her earlier?

When she entered the room, she saw that Xiuxiu was sitting there. When Xiuxiu saw her, she hurriedly got to her feet. She hadn’t said anything yet, but her face was already red. She mumbled a greeting, “Biaojie.”

Liu Xu’er smiled and took a seat next to her, “En, what’re you looking for me for?” She tilted her head to look at Liu Tao. Liu Tao had perched on a chair after entering the room and was feeling somewhat embarrassed. His head was hung low. 

Xiuxiu was also looking down. 

Liu Xu’er thought for a moment. She was about to ask a few probing questions when Liu Tao abruptly raised his head and shyly said, “Xu’er, we wanted to ask you for some help… I want to… want to marry Xiuxiu….” After saying those words, his throat was stopped up. He didn’t know how to continue.

Liu Xu’er giggled, “If you want to marry her, then look for dajiujiu and dajiumu to share your intentions…. Did something happen?” She added the question to try and figure out the situation. 

When she laughed, Liu Tao felt rather awkward, but was simultaneously relieved. He nodded his head and said in a single breath, “Xiuxiu’s mother is not willing. I’ve already sent the matchmaker over several times, but they refuse to agree. Xiuxiu’s ye and nai have both agreed, it’s just Xiuxiu’s mother who hasn’t approved.”

Liu Xu’er paused and asked, “Sange, how do you want me to help?”

Liu Tao quickly said, “I wanted you to help me explain. I know what Xiuxiu’s mother is worried about. She might have found out that my mother still comes to me…”

“What?” Liu Xu’er was alarmed. She hadn’t been aware of this, “Your mother…. Still comes to look for you?” But after asking that, she immediately knew the truth in her heart. In the end, Ma shi was Liu Tao’s birth mother! Given Ma shi’s character, how could she let go of such a wealthy son? And as for Liu Tao, he really couldn’t just ignore her completely. That would be too unfilial.

Liu Tao nodded his head. He shamefacedly said, “She’s been coming to me for a very long time. I agreed to give her 100 wen every month… She is still my mother, I can’t just look at her….”

Liu Xu’er had already waved her hands, “Sange, that is a very good solution! What you said, I understand. If I were in your position, I would also do the same. After all, she’s your birth mother. You cannot just ignore her completely.” When she finished, she saw that Liu Tao seemed to have let out a sigh of relief and nodded his head. Then she smiled and said, “But sange, you really do have it well planned! Giving 100 wen a month – that’s the best! There are some words that are not too polite for me to say, but if you really give too much at a time, she might want more and more….”

Liu Tao gave a bitter smile. He looked at Xiuxiu and said, “What do you mean well planned? What you worried about has actually happened. After learning that lesson, I finally managed to harden my will and insist on only giving that amount.”

Liu Xu’er was stunned for a moment. Then she sighed and nodded. 

Liu Tao continued, “There was a period that mum would keep coming to the store to ask me for money. Thinking back, probably some of the workers from the workshop saw it happening when they came to restock the shop and told dajiumu about it… I think that she’s probably worried about this. She’s worried that I would be controlled by my mother… But, there’s no way! I am already grown and I’m not a fool!”

Liu Xu’er thought for a moment and asked, “Sange, are you sure that dajiumu is worried about this?”

Liu Tao didn’t have any time to respond when Xiuxiu abruptly raised her head. Face red, she said, “It is because of this. I overheard my mother tell my dad about this….” She saw Liu Xu’er cover her smile and knew what she was laughing about. Red faced, she turned away, but continued to speak, “My father had initially agreed. He said that Tao ge is a good person… But my mother kept nagging….”

She was, after all, still very young. Her words bore some resentment toward her mother. 

Liu Xu’er nodded her head, she looked at the both of them and smiled and said, “Sange, Xiuxiu, don’t worry you two. When I first got here, I saw my mother speaking to dajiumu. I think she was probably trying to persuade her. I will go over and have a listen. If I can say something, I will naturally try and help you two.”

She stood up and smiled before pointing at Xiuxiu, “You shouldn’t have any resentment toward dajiumu! A child’s marriage is a mother’s biggest worry, and is something they spend a lot of time thinking over. Your mother is doing this for you! When my two elder brothers got married, my mother was so worried, she couldn’t sleep and kept sighing!”

Xiuxiu turned even redder. She pouted and looked up at Liu Tao. Although he didn’t say anything, seeing him look at her, Xiuxiu immediately stopped pouting. She lowered her head and hummed her agreement, “I know, biaojie… I won’t in future.”

Liu Xu’er was really amused. It seemed that Xiuxiu was really being completely managed by sange! Thankfully she could trust that her sange would never bully Xiuxiu.

She smiled and left the room. After she came out, she started to think. Given her identity, it really wasn’t too convenient for her to speak to her dajiumu. After all, this wasn’t her mother! Furthermore, the only reason she could persuade her mother was because she had developed the habit since young. No matter the issue, she would add her own two cents worth, but dajiumu might find a junior interrupting their conversation rude. 

After thinking it over, she decided to just head over to listen to the conversation first. 

So when she came to the side room door, she coughed and entered. 

He shi and Xiuxiu’s mother were still in the room. When they saw her enter, both of them stopped talking. He shi said, “Did you manage to find Xiuxiu?”

Liu Xu’er quickly nodded her head, “Yes, I found her! I’m just here to look for something. Senzi’s book…. It should be in the room. I think it was placed there. I will go and look for it.” Then she pretended to search the room for it. 

At first, He shi and Xiuxiu’s mother tried to wait for her to leave before continuing, but seeing her continually search the room – she even seemed to be dragging out a chest from the corner to look for it – they knew that she would be looking for it for a while. As He shi had an impatient nature, she couldn’t wait any longer. She continued to say to Xiuxiu’s mother, “The most important thing is the child’s own desires. You aren’t Xiuxiu… Think about it, if she really isn’t happy, and you force her to break it off, in future when Xiu… if there is any unhappiness with her future partner, then wouldn’t you blame yourself for not agreeing to her in the first place? What if the resentment festers and she can’t get past it? And then starts to quarrel with her partner every day, what would you do!”

When Liu Xu’er heard that, she knew that her mother was helping Liu Tao. She was probably repeating some of the arguments her father had used on her earlier. Seeing that mum had talked till her throat was dry, and yet dajiumu still looked unconvinced – her brow was furrowed, and she looked very troubled – Liu Xu’er was clear that so long as the issue dajiumu was worried about wasn’t cleared up, she definitely would not agree.

So she came over and smiled as she sat on the kang. Then she asked, “Mum, dajiumu, are you talking about Xiuxiu’s marriage?”

He shi was about to chase her out, when Liu Xu’er quickly smiled and said, “Mum! I just saw Xiuxiu! And found something out…”

Xiuxiu’s mother lifted her head and looked at her, “Xiuxiu…. Did she and your sange…. Say something?”

Liu Xu’er smiled and said, “Dajiumu, I will be honest then. Sange really did ask me to help him think of a way to explain. I agreed, but when I came out, I felt that as a junior, how could I get involved in my elder’s discussion?”

He shi urgently said, “Yet you still…”

Liu Xu’er quickly said, “But dajiumu, I know what you are worried about. Even if sange hadn’t mentioned it, I would still have to say… You are Xiuxiu’s mother, naturally, you consider everything from her perspective, but if you tried to understand sange’s perspective, you would know that this is something he needed to do. That woman, after all, is sange’s birth mother. If he really were to ignore her completely, he would be a heartless, unfilial son! And if he were, then you really cannot entrust Xiuxiu to him.”

Xiuxiu’s mother sighed and said, “Dajiumu really isn’t unreasonable. I don’t mind that he helps his mother. It’s just… who doesn’t know what his mother is like? She would even peel the bark off a tree! She will always be his mother, so Liu Tao would always be… exploited. Also, if Xiuxiu is given to your sange, then that woman would be Xiuxiu’s mother-in-law. Perhaps she would look for Xiuxiu…” She shook her head. 

He shi quickly said, “What are you worried about that for? Do you think Liu Tao is foolish? Wouldn’t he know how to protect his wife? Furthermore, how can it be so easy for that woman….” She was quick to jump in, but just couldn’t address the root of her worry. 

Liu Xu’er smiled and said, “Dajiumu, you really don’t have to worry about this. Sange has just explained everything to me very clearly. In the beginning, when that woman came to him, he did indeed get cheated a few times… Honestly, it was bound to happen. His mother came to him looking so desperate he could only give in! But my mother is right, sange really isn’t foolish! He would never allow that woman to exploit him his entire life. He can think!”

“Even if he knows what’s she’s doing, what can he do?” Dajiumu said. 

Liu Xu’er smiled, “Dajiumu, you really shouldn’t underestimate sange. He’s been doing business with the family for a long time, did you really think he would have no way out? My sange made it very clear to that woman that he would only give her 100 wen per month. He won’t give any more than that.”