RVW-45.2

When Ah Nan woke up the next day, she blessedly found that her family’s savage Wang ye was no longer there.

Although she had indeed breathed a sigh of relief then, Ah Nan also felt somewhat disappointed.

Outside the room, Ru Cui, who heard some noises, knocked on the door. She pushed open the door and entered after Ah Nan had granted her the permission, and along with her were several maids holding some washing¹The washing here refers to washing/wiping the face and rinsing the mouth utensils, they put them down and then assisted Ah Nan to wash up.

The soreness from ten days of carriage-bound life still enveloped Ah Nan’s body. Added with her bout of raging illness, she could only let Ru Cui help her up. Getting up all of the sudden also caused Ah Nan to feel dizzy, she would have fallen unconscious right back to bed if it wasn’t for Ru Cui supporting her. 

“Where is Ru Lan?” Ah Nan asked as she saw no sight of her.

Ru Cui replied as she handed Ah Nan a wrung warm towel to wash her face, “Replying to Xiao jie, Ru Lan Jiejie’s foot was sprained. The doctor said it’s best for her to rest for three days. She will recover after three days.”

Ah Nan’s memory was somewhat fragmented, she didn’t even remember when she arrived at Tongcheng. Last night she was scared shitless by her family’s Wang ye, even now she still has some lingering fears from the trauma, but she also didn’t dare to ask Wang ye for the details. Ah Nan still recalled nothing even after hearing that Ru Lan got injured, and thus she confusedly asked, “How did Ru Lan get hurt?”

When it came to this topic, Ru Cui was extremely furious, “It was all because of those BeiYue barbarians. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have been thrown out of the carriage! Ru Lan Jiejie wouldn’t have twisted her foot, this servant also wouldn’t have been stuck by the carriage door, a little more and this servant would have hurt her waist…..” Ru Cui couldn’t help but rub her waist as she spoke.

Ah Nan: =__= ! This girl is so lucky. They were all in the carriage together, yet she was the only one who wasn’t thrown off the carriage…..

After washing up, Ru Cui nimbly helped Ah Nan comb her hair, and then supported her as they went to the table outside, where there was already breakfast prepared by the maids from the City Governor Mansion. 

Because Ah Nan was still ill, the food that was prepared for her was also light, not greasy or strongly flavored. After breakfast, she was greeted with the sight of a bowl of pitch black medicine. Ah Nan’s expression was very bitter. She has drunk enough medicine these past few days to last her a few years²The words actually meant “the amount of medicine she took these past two days was the same as a few years worth of medicine she took previously”, I changed it for better flow., she drank so much that she could still taste the bitterness and agony. It felt like her sense of taste would be gone soon. But Ru Cui has already become Chu Baning’s stupid maid-spy and firmly carried out Chu Baning’s order, not letting Ah Nan drink even less of the medicine. 

Just after she finished taking her medicine, Zhang Momo came in, bowed over to Ah Nan, and said, “Wang fei, Lady Gu has come to change your dressing.”

“Lady Gu?” Ah Nan was at a loss. She was unconscious when she arrived at Tongcheng, at the time she was half-awake due to the fever, not knowing if anything had happened during that time span.

Ru Cui also had no choice but to explain to Ah Nan, “This Lady Gu is the daughter of Doctor Gu from Gu family’s clinic. She has been learning medical knowledge from her father since childhood, her skill is also not bad. She was specifically arranged by Wang ye to come and take care of you, Xiao jie.”

Ah Nan nodded, then let the Gu family’s young lady come in.

Gu Xiaoyan³The author seemed to have mistaken the lady’s name. In previous chapter her name is Xiao Yan 笑颜 (meaning smiling/laughing face), here her name is Huan Yan 欢颜 (happy/cheerful face), I’m using Xiao yan for the translation, but if I miss something on the translation (sorry I tend to forget things), just know they are the same person., with a medicine box in hand, respectfully saluted Ah Nan after entering. Gu Xiaoyan looked somewhat nervous, after all this is her first time actually facing a woman from a high-ranking and influential family, she didn’t even dare lift her face. After Ah Nan permitted her to get up, she kept her deferentially lowered gaze and kept her hands in place.

Ah Nan’s face was still haggard and pale, but her smile was still very friendly as she amiably said, “Lady Gu, I will be troubling you.”

This is Gu Xiaoyan’s first time seeing Ah Nan’s appearance when she was awake. She thought, although her small face was still pale and thin, but her pair of black eyes were twinkling, incredibly good-looking. Moreover, when she smiled, there were two sweet dimples on both her cheeks, seemingly able to sweeten one’s heart and make them feel amiable towards her. In Gu Xiaoyan’s eyes, this Su Wang fei was incredibly young, looking young, tender, and immature, like a little girl who has yet to reach marriageable age of fifteen years old. Thus Gu Xiaoyan seriously suspected how Su Wang treated this cute and delicate little Su Wangfei——And because Gu Xiaoyan have to apply medicine to Ah Nan, she was also able to see the ambiguous marks on Ah Nan’s neck. Although Gu Xiaoyan was still an unmarried lady, during the time she treated married women in the clinic, she had also heard several very outspoken women teasing each other about the matters between husband and wife. So she did know what those traces and markings mean.

The blushing Gu Xiaoyan carefully took off the bandage on Ah Nan’s forehead, then she picked up a white-jade bottle and applied the ointment in the bottle carefully onto Ah Nan’s forehead. 

Ah Nan closed her eyes, feeling a comfortable cooling sensation on her forehead. The ointment also had the sweet scent of osmanthus flower, it was very pleasant. 

“Gu family’s Jiejie, this medicine of yours smells so nice ah. What is it?” Ru Cui asked as she stood by the side helping out.

Gu Xiaoyan’s lips pursed in a smile, the movement of her hands didn’t stop as she answered, “This medicine is actually what Wang ye handed to this commoner to be applied on Wangfei’s wound. This commoner has been learning medical knowledge from her father since childhood, but has never seen this medicine. It should be something made by the Imperial Physicians in the palace that commoners have never seen. It should be something that can restore the flesh and without scarring, there’s no need to worry that the wound would leave a scar on Wangfei’s forehead.”

Ru Cui’s eyes went wide as she heard her, then she joyfully said, “That’s really great! This way this servant don’t have to worry that Xiao Jie would be disfigured. Originally Xiao Jie’s appearance isn’t good looking enough, it would be worse if there is an addition of scar in the forehead……”

Ah Nan was initially still enjoying the feeling of that ointment being applied to the wound, but when she heard a certain maid’s outspoken and blunt words, she got so angry her eyes flew open and glared at the stupid maid. As for Gu Xiaoyan, her face was filled with awkwardness and bewilderment⁴Literally translates to “full of black lines”, I think I’m going to translate stuff like this into its implied meaning instead of its literal one from now on.. There is an actual maid who would speak like that about their own lady?? But her sincerely joyful expression made one think she was genuinely happy. If you actually get angry at such a matter, it would be a betrayal of her good intentions……

“Shut up! Can’t you say something nice for once?!” Ah Nan scolded seethingly.

Gu Xiaoyan was really a bit afraid when she saw Ah Nan got angry, dreading Ah Nan, the Wang fei, punishing that outspoken and blunt maid. Only then to see Ru Cui with an expression full of honesty said, “Xiao Jie be rest assured. The body to the hair and skin are all gifts from one own’s parents, these are all Heaven’s will. Wang ye won’t disdain you!”

“………….”

Gu Xiaoyan left with her medicine box after treating the wound on Ah Nan’s forehead.

At this moment, Zhang Momo came in and told Ah Nan that the City Governor Madame Furen was coming to pay a visit to Su Wangfei.

Ah Nan let Ru Cui support her to go and sit on the side hall before inviting the City Governor Madame in.

Ah Nan was actually a bit dizzy and just wanted to go back and rest, but she was living in someone’s house right now. The owner of the house has come over for a visit, it’s too much to not meet them personally. Moreover, she was actually also curious about the City Governor Furen of Tongcheng. After all, this Lady Chu, the City Governor Furen’s deeds has once been a topic of discussion by the public.

Not long after, a beautiful woman clothed in simple but elegant clothes came in. She was about twenty six/seven years old, and along with her were several maids and Momos. The woman was calm and poised, not looking ill at ease the slightest bit when facing someone of a Wang fei status that is far nobler than her. Her appearance exuded unwavering determination and charm, looking like a hard-on-the-surface-gentle-inside kind of woman. Indeed, she had the boldness and resolution to abandon the wealth and flourishing capital to follow her husband along to be posted in impoverished border areas, completely disregarding the world’s views and words.

He Furen first saluted Ah Nan, then sat down and smiled to Ah Nan, “It seems like Su Wang fei has gotten a lot better. Yesterday you were still unconscious, it really made Wang ye anxious.”

“Thank you for He Furen’s concern. It was Ben gong who has intruded on City Governor He and Furen’s home.” Ah Nan politely replied.

He Furen pursed her lips in a smile. She was just an insignificant Furen of a City Governor, not really deserving to be thanked by a Wang fei. Moreover, it was Su Wang who chose the City Governor Mansion for his Wangfei recuperation, no one would dare say anything against him. He Furen was secretly sizing up Ah Nan, also really curious about this Su Wangfei who appeared in Tongcheng in such a high-profile manner. After all, yesterday Su Wang personally rode a horse as he princess-carried her when they entered Tongcheng to seek doctor for her, then brought her to the City Governor Mansion. There were so many commoners along the roads who saw them, and they couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at their deep affection* between husband and wife. It also caused everyone in Tongcheng to be aware that Su Wangfei had also come to Tongcheng.

It could be said that Ah Nan has already become famous before people even see her.

He Furen and Ah Nan only made small talk for a while, but tactfully took her leave when she saw Ah Nan’s exhausted face. Before leaving, He Furen also sent over two capable maidservants to Ah Nan to help Ah Nan out. Ah Nan naturally thanked her once again.

After He Furen left, Ah Nan let Ru Cui support her back to the bed, then she lay on the bed and fell asleep not long after.

Tongcheng was already cold and about to snow in November. The sky was overcast heavily and it has been a while since the sun could be seen, exhaling breath came out in clouds of fog.

Braziers have been burning in the room, but maybe because of her pretty serious illness, Ah Nan felt her limbs have begun to feel cold after sleeping for quite some time. Fearing the cold, she burrowed herself in the blanket. Her whole person has shrunk, tucking herself like a shrimp, only leaving out her headful of jet black long hair loosely scattering on the pillow outside of the blanket. If one didn’t look carefully, they would have thought there was no one in the bed, only a lump of blanket.

When Chu Baning lifted the bed curtain, he saw a certain someone had wrapped herself into a cocoon. He couldn’t help but frown at the sight, worried that that person would be suffocated, so he quickly pulled the blanket open only to see the sleeping Ah Nan’s rosy face.

Chu Baning has just come back from outside, his hands were still cold and he couldn’t help but rub his hands together to warm them up. After warming his hands, he felt Ah Nan’s forehead, only breathing a sigh of relief when he found that her fever had subsided.

But when he saw her thin and not-chubby little face, the Wang ye’s expression turned slightly cold. The hand that was initially gently caressing her face turned to pinch a certain person’s no-longer-as-fleshy cheek.

Hmph! Ben Wang will discipline you for not obeying and making Ben Wang worried! Pinch⁵The pinch here was the character 掐 (not 捏 like used in the above paragraph), this one can mean nip off/pinch off, can also mean choke or throttle (in short a bit more forceful in action compared to 捏), or a slang for fight. first then we will talk!

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Translator’s note:

Trivia on the *:

鹣鲽情深 (literally: deep affections [情深] like that of (two) Jian(s) [鹣] and (two) Die(s) [鲽]) is from 史记 (The Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian. It describes the deep affection between loving a loving couple.

The Jian refers to a mythical bird with one eye and one wing, so the male and female have to fly side by side together, which is why there is a legend about 比翼鸟 or (inseparable) lovebirds (literally means birds flying side by side).

As for the Die, it is actually what we call Flatfish (yes that one you are imagining, the very very ugly one, these ones. Blessing you with this picture); it require both of its eyes close together in order to move, hence it is also called 比目鱼 in Chinese (meaning fish with its eyes side by side)

Also, I’m back! Haha sorry it took quite a while. Hope you enjoy the translation! Also, ko-fis are very much appreciated! Thank you and see you in the next chapter!