Chapter 57.1: Move Aside, Bad Green Plum

This time when Xiaoqi switched on, she almost flooded Mother Song's room.

Mother Song banished Song Qingyun to next door and sat down at the table opposite the sobbing Xiaoqi as she started to analyze the reasons why she shouldn't cry.

Mother Song said, "Xiaoqi, did you see Liangzhuo touch her? How come all I saw was her tugging at Liangzhuo, refusing to let go?"

Xiaoqi hiccuped from crying, then spoke with choked up emotions, "He, he h-h- hic, hit me."

"Where did he hit you?"

"Wuuwuu, face, h-hit face."

Dong Mei handed over a moist towel and smiled as she said: "Young Master seemed to have gotten angry and gave Young Madam's butt a smack."

Mother Song sighed, "Don't cry anymore, you've cried to the point even your brain isn't working well. How could you mistake between the butt and the face?"

Xiaoqi pushed away Mother Song's hand and sobbed, "I-i-, wuu, it"

Xiaoqi was hiccuping hard, even after half the day she still wasn't about to finish the sentence. Mother Song smiled, "It was the face?"

Xiaoqi nodded, "D-didn't push, wuu, Ruoshui. He, h-hit me."

Xiaoqi's train of thought suddenly returned to the first time she got hit. That time, she had hastily retreated and when she lost her balance for a moment, she slipped and fell. The grievance in her heart, due to her amnesia, had been held in the entire time. Now that she finally recalled her memories with great difficulty, all the tears that she didn't cry before rushed out.

Mother Song was amidst the clouds and mist, completely unable to make sense of the matter. But from the looks of how grieved Xiaoqi looked, it didn't seem like it was faked. Not to mention, Xiaoqi didn't have the skill to act.

Mother Song was completely at a loss. No matter how meticulous her thoughts were, she still couldn't think of any possible way the white butt was able to turn into the face.

Dong Mei used a moist towel to wipe Xiaoqi's face. When she moved to wipe her hand, she suddenly cried 'ya' in alarm.

The skin on Xiaoqi's hand was already broken due to the second time she recklessly climbed a tree. Then adding on the fact that Song Liangzhuo tugged her hard, her entire wrist area and her palm were rubbed to the point the skin was pulled off. Her fingernail seams were also soaked with blood due to clinging on, and an area of her fingernail had also snapped off.

If it was said that Mother Song was still a little angry before due to Xiaoqi not paying attention to the time and situation and making a racket crying, right now, all that was left was only tender pity.

But it was after Mother Song saw Xiaoqi's injured hand that she became truly furious. Other than the ripped skin and wrist, the back of the hand still had numerous little red dots from being scalded; the more serious areas were even starting to blister. The mung bean sized blisters, compared to the swelling and blisters on the back of Zixiao's hand were nothing much, but the nature of it was much different.

This time, Mother Song didn't care about disturbing other people's sleep anymore. She slapped the table and shouted, "Someone come, go pound on the Lin family's door. Just say that the Lin family's daughter harmed Song fu's Young Madam and caused her meridians to be injured. Have them come invite this honored Buddha back*."

Explanation from my mom since I couldn't find it through googling: is pretty much translated as 'honored Buddha' and it can be used as a term of respect to refer to someone, or it can be used to refer a person the speaker doesn't like who has/or is treated to have a high status. Using the term in the latter way also has the implicit sarcastic meaning of "take your precious Buddha back cause we can't afford to house her."

Song Qingyun was awake this entire time. When he heard Mother Song's angry shout, he draped on a gown and strode over. Upon seeing the still sobbing Xiaoqi, he asked: "What happened? You got hurt?"

Mother Song gave a humph but didn't explain. She whispered something in Dong Mei's ear then Dong Mei nodded and headed out.

Song Qingyun walked over to look at the hand Xiaoqi had stretched out on the table and sucked in a breath, "Great great, you just had to cause a disturbance and end up like this."

Mother Song's brows lifted, "Lao ye has always believed in the Doctrine of the Mean*, later it would be best if you continue being faithful to that belief so as to avoid saying the wrong words and causing embarrassment for both families. Or you can stay behind and go to your sleep."

The Doctrine of the Mean is a Confucianism idea that represents moderation, rectitude, objectivity, sincerity, honesty and propriety. The guiding principle is that one should never act in excess. (take from wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_the_Mean) There's also a very interesting translation of the actual Doctrine .

Song Qingyun shook his head, "I rather not join in your fuss. Women ah, you always have the ability to make small things become big and mess with big things to the point they're even bigger than the sky."

"Humph, knowing how to transform things is also an ability. To make a big thing into a little thing, that's called being obdurate(the Chinese term means to be inflexible, sticking to old ideas rather than thinking of new things. Obdurate, which Ocelot came up with, means unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings.)." Mother Song pulled Xiaoqi's arm and headed to the front hall.

No one was going to rest tonight.

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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Proofread by Ocelot

[Chiyomiras Corner]