Chapter 51.1: Move Aside, Bad Green Plum
There was no way to correct Xiaoqi's walking posture. Mother Song discovered that the moment she had Xiaoqi lift her head, straighten her chest and suck in her stomach, that butt would firmly perk up.
Wen Ruoshui came at first light to see Xiaoqi practice. At this time she had already laughed so much she was leaning askew on the chair, gasping for breath.
Xiaoqi was really gloomy after being laughed at by Wen Ruoshui. The moment her heart became depressed, her walk became even more strange-looking.
In fact, people are most afraid of being stared at when they are walking. Xiaoqi originally wanted to try hard to walk properly, but this time all sorts of strange blunders surfaced. From the original waist moving with the legs, it became the legs moving with the waist. Even the arms that were supposed to be slightly swaying back and forth started to swing back and forth with vigor.
Mother Song was shocked by Xiaoqi's strange actions to the point her facial color continuously changed. Finally giving a sigh, she said: "Let's take a break, take a break before we continue again. Haa, Xiaoqi, don't stand on tiptoe, don't swing your butt, don't be so tense. Just walk how you usually walk, just remember to make sure your back is straight, slightly tuck in your lower chin, and make your steps a little smaller. How can you twist like a snake? And your arms, swinging them with your legs like that, isn't it uncomfortable?"
Ruoshui slapped the table as she laughed, and while at it even amusedly remarked: "Aunt Xue, Xiaoqi even walks with hops. Snake waist and bunny-like, how amusing!"
Xiaoqi fiercely glared over and with a said with a rough tone and anger: "You're the one who's snake who's bunny!"
Ruoshui's mouth flattened as she said dolefully: "Aunt Xue, she's cursing at people!"
Xiaoqi couldn't withdraw the ferocious expression on her face and could only lower her head as she pouted, "No I didn't. Don't like you."
"Alright, alright. Ruoshui, don't laugh at her anymore. Xiaoqi come over here and drink some tea." Mother Song gently said.
Xiaoqi walked over with twists and hops, causing Ruoshui to draw back the corners of her lips and burst out laughing again. Xiaoqi's face completely turned red and her nose gave frequent flares, on the brink of explosion. Wen Ruoshui sensibly closed her mouth and gave a slight cough, "Actually, Xiaoqi's way of walking is also strangely nice-looking."
The anger in Xiaoqi's eyes increased level after level but since she was next to Mother Song she couldn't very well explode. Bitter from stifling the anger, Xiaoqi jutted out her lower lip with her head lowered, huffing and puffing angrily.
Ruoshui held back her laugh and sat up properly before opening her mouth to say: "Aunt Xue, my mom says in a couple days she'll come to have a discussion with you regarding the date of the wedding."
"What is it?"
"My mom said it's not good to hold them together, otherwise there's no way to string together the congratulations in a round. She thinks that either my or Xiaoqi's wedding should be brought forward a little or pushed back a little."
Mother Song wasn't surprised. She had known for a long time that Liu Hengzhi and Ruoshui had an engagement. Even though Ruoshui always made a ruckus about it not being valid, the two parents never made any indications of changing their minds so the marriage would happen sooner or later.
Mother Song turned to look at Xiaoqi. After thinking about it, she said: "It's fine if this side brings it forward a bit, it's just that Xiaoqi must tightly grasp the time to train in manners. As for the wedding attire, tomorrow I'll have people come take measurements. Has Ruoshui already prepared her wedding dress?"
"Liu Hengzhi said he'll prepare it."
Mother Song disapprovingly shook her head, "Directly calling your husband's name, inappropriate!"
"Xiaoqi still calls Zhou gege Official Song though." Ruoshui slightly tilted her head as she replied.
Xiaoqi lifted her head with a 'whoosh' and glared that Ruoshui. Grinding her teeth, she took a deep breath before replying calmly: "Mom, that was in the past. It was husband who had me call him that."
Wen Ruoshui hurriedly added on, "It's also Liu Hengzhi that had me call him that. He said he feels like it's comfortable to hear."
Mother Song hooked the corner of her mouth and said: "The matters of you young people I won't meddle with. Just don't let your own family's husbands lose face in front of others."
Ruoshui repeatedly nodded, "If it weren't for the fact that Liu Hengzhi won't let me come play with Xiaoqi everyday, I'd definitely also learn propriety from Aunt Xue."
Hiss! Seriously an armchair expert, a house fly hovering around the horse's butt and blindly buzzing(bootlicking). Xiaoqi's legs which were trembling like helpless tofu silently disdained Ruoshui from the bottom of their hearts.
After the three people finished drinking tea, Xiaoqi continued to twist her waist and walk back and forth. Xiaoqi repeated looked towards the courtyard, wishing Song Liangzhuo would just suddenly drop from the sky and carry her out of here.
Xiaoqi twisted her waist so much it cramped up a little. Her straightened back ached, her waist ached, her stomach ached. Even her abdomen was starting to have thrashes of pain. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and with a retching sound bent over. Mother Songwho was holding the ferule with an expression gray with defeat from the blow caused by Xiaoqi's walking postureabruptly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with pleasant surprise as she looked at Xiaoqi. With a couple of steps she walked over to help Xiaoqi up, "Nauseous?"
Xiaoqi gave a belch. An acidic odor rose up, causing Xiaoqi to wrinkle her brows in discomfort.
Mother Song hurriedly helped her to the chair and called for Qiu Tong to come in.
"Qiu Tong, hurry up and invite a doctor over."
Mother Song anxiously knitted her brows as she said to herself, "Shouldn't have taught walking posture, let's skip over this part first. These couple days let's just do some embroidery and learn some calligraphy. Haa, it's better to hold the makeup wedding sooner. Once the stomach gets big it's won't be easy to conceal anymore."
Xiaoqi's stomach really started to hurt now, layer after layer of sinking pain. Xiaoqi rubbed her stomach as she said: "Mom, my stomach doesn't feel well."
Xiaoqi's unspoken words were, can I go back and sleep for a while? But Mother Song actually intensely grasped Xiaoqi's hand and spoke soothingly: "Xiaoqi, don't be scared. Nothing will happen. Perhaps it's because you've walked too much. Haa, it's all Mom's fault."
"Eh?" Xiaoqi didn't understand.
Wen Ruoshui winded around Xiaoqi in a circle, then asked baffled: "Aunt Xue, what's with her?"
"She's pregnant." Mother Song was certain.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Two voices mixed into one sound. Xiaoqi and Ruoshui shared a glance. Xiaoqi blinked her eyes, feeling the swollen heaviness of her abdomen. With a suffering expression, she said: "Mom, I'm about to get that thing."
"Eh?" This time it was Mother Song's turn to be dumbstruck.
Xiaoqi covered her abdomen and said: "Mom, my stomach hurts. Can I go back and rest?"
Mother Song rapidly blinked her eyes and stared with disbelief at Xiaoqi's stomach for a while, "Your time of month is really about to arrive?"
Xiaoqi flattened her lips with grievance as she said: "Mom, I'm not trying to slack off."
Whether Mother Song truly believed her or not still depended on the doctor's final answer. The doctor said that there's a chill within Xiaoqi's body. The doctor was still quite a good doctor too. When Mother Song expressed her desire to hug a grandson, the doctor in one figuring prescribed an enormous amount of medicine, completely filling an entire sheet of paper. He said that besides getting rid of the chill, it would also nourish the womb.
This time Xiaoqi's face thoroughly turned green, not because of the pain but because of the scare.
As Xiaoqi laid there listening to the doctor go on without end explaining about the effects of each medicinal prescription, cold sweat incessantly popped out. The doctor harped on for quite a while. When Xiaoqi thought she was about to collapse from exhaustion, he finally closed his mouth.
Xiaoqi let loose a breath of relief and fiercely wiped her cold sweat as she lowered her voice to say: "Stinkin' Ruoshui, you only know how to cause me more trouble. Aah, it's infuriating me to death."
Ruoshui shook her butt at Xiaoqi. Then, squeezing onto the bed she asked quietly, "How come your stomach hurts?"
"Because you're infuriating."
"If you don't want to eat the medicine, wait for Zhou gege to come back and just plead with Zhou gege. What's the use of being afraid of that?"
Xiaoqi's eyes turned and whirled. Hugging her stomach tightly, she hummed, "True ah. How come it hurts so much this time? In the past it'd only hurt a little."
"It's a good thing. You don't have to practice walking anymore and maybe Aunt Xue will even feel bad for you and cancel all future practices. Hehe, but Xiaoqi, the way you walk really is funny. Why didn't I know before that you hopped like that when you walk?"
Xiaoqi's face that had became a little better immediately turned green again. With a pull she pulled the blanket over her head. Ruoshui giggled by herself. After she laughed to her fill, she flopped onto the bed and said: "I'm not laughing at you, I'm just laughing at the way you walk."
Humph, it's nothing personal? But laughing at the way I walk is simply laughing at me. Xiaoqi silently humphed.
Xiaoqi's entire day of anger flooded up and suddenly her guts fiercely rushed forth. With her back facing Ruoshui she ruthlessly lifted her leg and sent Ruoshui flying. Ruoshui grabbed the bed sheet and only thanks to that managed not to completely fall. She angrily climbed back up and jumped up, crushing Xiaoqi under her body.
Xiaoqi kicked away half the blanket and abrupted lifted a leg to kick the back of Ruoshui's head. Humph, after being laughed at for an entire day, she can finally let off some steam.
Ruoshui wailed and reached out to clutch Xiaoqi's neck. Xiaoqi imitated the attacks the book-telling Mister talked about, first going with a Mountains Toppling and Seas Overturning Strike, then a round of Demonic Palms. After that was a Earth Covering Tiger Slam on Ruoshui's head. Lastly, a burst of Shooting Fists. As she attacked her mouth was even muttering explanations about each move.
Ruoshui was stunned by Xiaoqi's faintly discernible moves to the point she just stared blankly. Sitting on Xiaoqi's body, she simply watched her sent out move after move. In a moment of distraction, Xiaoqi's last move hit her head and she lost her balance, falling towards the ground.
"Ah~~" A shriek rang out, startling Mother Song who was about to step in and almost causing her to trip over the doorstep.
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Credits: Brought to you by all the voters on novelupdates, Translated by Chiyomira, Edited by Ocelot
[Chiyomiras Corner]
Trivia:
Chinese dresses are red~ I'm not really sure what time period this story is in, I know it's at least the Qing dynasty(1644-1911 AD) because they wear chang paos which was introduced during that time period. Chang pao looks like figure 16, 17ish? It's not bad. It looks rather pretty depending on the TV drama and the way the actresses carry themselves. I usually like to imagine the characters wearing clothing like those of figure 4, 7, and 11 though~ I like flowy outfits~ I'll post pictures of wedding attire when it gets to the wedding~~ If it gets to the wedding?