[1] é | li | unit of measurement that has varied over time but has now been standardized to 500 meters; Wikipedia
[2] ę¶č¾° | sichen | time system comprising of 12w to-hour periods of the day; one sichen is the equivalent of two modern hours
Now that she is being treated so carefully by an ultra-handsome guy that was most definitely considered eye candy, her vanity was truly satisfied.
While she was getting dressed, Yun Shi Wei, who was still asleep on the bed, sleepily muttered: āZhu Zhu, wait a bit. Second Cousin is here to help you change.ā
Ruan Zhu was frightened by the sudden noise, but couldnāt help but smile after seeing that Yun Shi Wei turned and went back to sleep after he finished speaking. Yun Shi Yi also smiled: āThis guy is simple-minded, if heās not eating then heās sleeping. We donāt have to mind him, letās get dressed first. Oh, I should be referring to myself as āhusbandā. In a bit, this husband will style your hair in a zhuimaji and dress you up beautifully to go out.ā
Itās undeniable that Yun Shi Yi is an extremely outstanding man with a handsome appearance and a gentle and warm temperament. Though itās currently unknown how many assets he holds, but just from looking at the roomās decorations, he should be very well-off. If they were in a later generational period, who knows how many women would chase after him.
A pity that the memories in her head regarding this world arenāt complete. The majority of them were in fragments and she had no way to search for the remaining parts.
After she finished dressing, a servant boy brewed tea and carried a bowl of water for her to wash her face.
Ruan Zhuās two personal servants are both pretty boys that came from her dowry. One of them is called Nuan Chun, the other is Nuan Qing.[a] Listening to these names, one can tell these servants have a special status. They arenāt normal servants because not only do they do the usual work and handicrafts, but at required times, they can also function as bed warmers.
Truly a comprehensive triple service.
Nuan Chun held the comb, preparing to brush his ladyās hair. Before she married, this was his duty but itās since been stolen from him by Yun Shi Yi.
Starting from yesterday, Nuan Chun had been deprived of the privilege heās held for many years and it was the same today, too. Nuan Chunās eyes flashed with disappointment but he didnāt dare go against Yun Shi Yiās directive and could only wear a respectful expression while carefully exiting the room.
Once everything was ready, a gold buyao was inserted sideways into her brushed hairā¦She closely examined her features in the copper mirror. What entered her eyes was the appearance of a fourteen or fifteen year old girl. The complexion was very white, coupled with an oval face; small, exquisite nose and delicate mouth; her pair of eyes resembled the bright luster of clear blue water. It was an appearance that caused others to secretly feel deep affection for her.
Multiple gold buyao (ę„ę ) as worn by Fan BingBing
It wasnāt the type of appearance that would be described as a ācalamitous beautyā but her looks were like a white lilyāpure and natural, revealing the clear elegance and cheerfulness of her body and mind.
ē¾å | White lilies in Okinawa
Not bad. If this was the past life, I could have probably used this face to become a celebrity!
Having slept enough, Yun Shi Wei finally woke up and casually dressed before leaping towards Ruan Zhu to hold her. He placed a kiss on her tender, white face: āOur familyās Zhu Zhu is truly adorable and her scent is amazing too.ā
He had great strength and had carelessly hugged her but it caused Ruan Zhu to feel discomfort. She could only pleadingly look at Yun Shi Yi: āEldest Cousinā¦ā
Yun Shi Yi came over and pushed his brother away: āGo over there. Hurry and see if the carriage is fixed yet. After we eat we still have to return for the first parental visit.ā
Contrary to expectations, Yun Shi Wei was also happy and hollered out the window: āXiao Feng, Xiao Shan, is the carriage ready yet? If not, you better hurry.ā
Ruan Zhu couldnāt help but to cover her mouth and laugh while Yun Shi Yi bitterly smiled: āThis simpleton.ā[b]
Breakfast was relatively simpleāone plate of dried bamboo stir fried with meat; one plate of tossed white fungus; one plate of braised pork; one plate of braised lionās head; six types of small desserts; and one beef and pumpkin soup.
ē¬å¹²ēč | Dried bamboo stir fried with meat
ęø ęé¶č³ | Tossed white fungus
ēŗ¢ē§č | Braised pork
ēŗ¢ē§ē®å夓 | Braised lionās head
Various types of buns and pastries
ēčåē걤 | Beef and pumpkin soup
Yun Shi Wei was the type of guy that must have meat at every meal, hence the braised pork and the braised lionās head were all cleaned by him alone. Ruan Zhu and Yun Shi Yi preferred lighter foods, but Ruan Zhu didnāt have an appetite after waking. After only having a bowl of soup and half a piece of dessert, she put down her chopsticks.
Regarding the young married coupleās so-called return to the brideās parental home, it is done on the third day. The day of marriage is referred to as āday oneā, and the day after marriage is considered āday twoā. On the morning of āday threeā, they must return to visit the brideās parents. In preparation for this day, relatives had long been prepared for their return with piles of delicious food and drinks and were waiting with hearts full of joy.
In this world, the visit to the parental home was not to the brideās family but to the husbandās family. A womanās status at home is high so she can return to her parental home whenever she likes; therefore, thereās no need to ask for her husbandās approval. On the contrary, a husband wanting to visit his parental home with his wife had difficulties among even more difficulties. A wife had so many husbands, there will inevitably be bias towards one or a few males thus thereās a large gap between those that had favor and those that didnāt.
Ever since the female population started diminishing hundreds of years ago and the polyandry system was enacted, many social customs also changed. Women could reside near or in their paternal homes and accept courtship offers as they came or could go to their husbands home. Generally speaking, they could go wherever they wanted.
If a man has the ability and assets, he can leave his familyās home to establish himself. This type of man usually had the prospect of becoming a principal husband. Men without ability or with few assets could only become a lowly secondary husbands. If a man was worse than this, he could only wait to be sold as a servant. Perhaps by relying on their good looks or their ability to run small errands, they could become bed warmers. Then, if they received favor, they might even be able to have the wife give birth to their children.
To increase the population size, even the most average and lowest of servants will be sold or sent to some destitute women to be their lowly concubine. Of course, these impoverished women were more than pleased to accept cheap men to help with the arduous domestic labor and to earn money to support the family.
The laws of Tian Chu only helped the upper echelons of society that had ability. It wasnāt considered a great injustice if people with no talent were hacked to death in the middle of the street by the nobility. However, this was only true if the one being hacked was a man. If it was a woman, it would of course be a different matter.
So many laws and regulations have been changed but the one unshaken rule is that all children born must inherit the fatherās family nameāthis was in order to pass on the household register.
Ruan Zhu only knew that the two Yun brothers are involved in business, but the specifics were still unclear. Looking at the Yun residence, she found their house was in a style not commonly seen. There were three buildings with side courtyards on either side. The entire estate was covered with engraved blue brick and tile, depicting a multitude of birds in various aspects of flight. Overall, the residence was very grand and imposing, and the number of servants currently in use also numbered above ten.
The place she crossed over to is called Lan Zhou which is one thousand li[1] away from the capital, and happens to be the second largest city after the Imperial Capital. The Yun brothersā parents are the landlords of a certain village outside the city. Using a horse-drawn carriage, it would take the greater half of one sichen[2] to arrive.
Yun Shi Yi carried Ruan Zhu into the carriage. Yun Shi Wei was about to enter as well but was pushed out by Yun Shi Yi, who scolded him: āGo to the front to drive the carriage, there is no need for you here.ā
āHaving Xiao Feng and Xiao Shan drive is enough. Besides, thereās no room to sit up front.ā
āGo be their guide. Itās so crowded in the carriage that it canāt fit three people.ā The inside of the carriage was filled with presents to give to relatives, but it was an exaggeration to say that it was crowded. Donāt talk about just seating three people, it was possible to fit even three more.
āItās not like they donāt know the road. The hell you mean I should be a guide?ā Yun Shi Wei was so angry he glared at Ruan Zhu. This was the difficulty of being a secondary husband, but who told him to not have any ability? Using his eyes to show grievance to Ruan Zhu, he hoped that sheād say a few words in his favor.
Ruan Zhu received his distress signal but pretending not to see it, turned her head to glance at the scenery outside the window.
Stamping his feet, Yun Shi Wei could only squeeze in with the servants.
The carriage slowly traveled atop the the limestone pavement. Lan Zhou was worthy of being called Tian Chuās second largest city. On both sides of the road were multi-storied buildings featuring businesses of all kinds. Each shop owner stood at their storefronts, enthusiastically calling potential customers inside to shop around.
There was heavy traffic and pedestrians walked to and fro, causing the streets to be bustling with activity. There were so many things that Ruan Zhu had never seen beforeāa shadow puppet show being performed by the side of the road; a performing troupe popular among the general citizens; various people trying to sell their skills; vendors shouting loudly in an attempt to sell their sham products; someone pulling a donkey along the street; a man using a shoulder pole to deliver goods; there was even a unicycle cartā¦That kind of cart she had only ever seen in picture books when she was young. She never expected to be able to see the actual thing.
Probably something like this
This is such a good version of the Along the River During the Qingming Festival painting!
A famous painting depicting commonersā every day life during a festival. Wikipedia
Feeling that everything in the ancient world was so novel, Ruan Zhu supported herself by holding onto the window frame while continuing to look outside with interest. Seeing that she liked the view, Yun Shi Yi opened the window completely to let her freely observe her surroundings while explaining the sights to her: āYouāve never been to this state city since your motherās family is far away from here, so let me be your guide. This is Yuping Restaurant, which is the largest restaurant in Lan Zhou. Their buns, commonly called Hibiscus buns, are the best with their unique flavor and their neat appearance. Iāll take you to eat some one day. Ah, that nearby house is Mingyue Restaurant. Theyāre most famous for their duck dish. Even the emperorās relatives[c] will travel thousands of li to have a full duck feast. This following place is Lan Zhouās most luxurious inn, called Tianyi Pavilion[d] . This innās owner is no one else but me, this husband. Tianyi Pavilion is currently making a profit but because itās only been open for less than two years, its reputation has yet to spread. But after some time, I believe profits will advance to where weāll be swimming in gold.ā
āInnā, that should be something like my past worldās āhotelā, right?
Her hubby was so rich. When you want to go out, thereās a car. All right, itās a horse-pulled car[e], but it conserves resources and doesnāt pollute the air. And he also has a house. Even though itās not a skyscraper with extensive rooms and it doesnāt have a flushable toilet, thereās still a garden that can be considered villa-level. As for the innā¦not sure if it offers karaoke, pop groups, and other various performance acts there?
A little while later, the carriage arrived at the city gates. Perhaps due to the cityās archways being too narrow, but it only possible for two carriages to safely cross at one time. If there was a third carriage, the probability of a collision occurring would be high.
The Yun carriage advanced along with another carriage and steadily entered the archway. However, from the other direction came yet another carriage rapidly charging headfirst into the other two carriages, seemingly aiming for the gap between them.
With a loud ābang!ā the incoming wagon collided into their carriage, and the violent impact caused Ruan Zhu to slam against the wall. Yun Shi Yi had also staggered but seeing Ruan Zhu on the floor, hurriedly stretched out his hand to pull her close. However, he was late by a step. āAhā¦,ā Ruan Zhu stifled her groan, one hand covering her head, in too much pain to speak.
āZhu Zhu.ā Yun Shi Yi held her and removing her hand that was covering her head, uncovered the originally bright and clean forehead that was now red and swollen. In a blink of an eye, a big bruise half the length of a thumb took form. His heart hurt and the feeling was more uncomfortable than if he himself was the one injured. Using his hand to gently massage the bruise, he asked: āHow is it, Zhu Zhu? Does it hurt?ā
Ruan Zhu head hurt so badly, she thought it was going to crack open. Her eyes were filled with teardrops but she strove to not let them fall. Hearing Yun Shi Yiās questions, she shook her head back and forth.
Yun Shi Yi kicked the carriage door open, and bellowed at Yun Shi Wei, who was sitting in the driverās seat: āYou despicable guy, what are you doing?! Something so simple as driving a carriage can even result in an accident. What did you dare to eat that gave you such nerve? If you donāt know how to drive, then just get out. No one will force you to stay.ā
Yun Shi Wei stammered: āEldest Brother, it wasnāt my fault. Itās their carriage that came from the other side and crashed into us.ā
Hearing this, Yun Shi Yi became angrier, his eyes stormy. āThen you donāt know how to dodge? Are you waiting for death?ā
Fortunately, the collision between the two carriages was just that their cart shafts had gotten stuck. For the most part, both humans and horses were unhurt though the latter was frightened. If it wasnāt for the two carriages being truly stuck together, one would fear that the horses would long have run wild.
č½¦č¾ Cart shaft = wooden āpolesā sticking out on left where the horses would be hooked to
This was the first time that Ruan Zhu had seen him become angry so she used her hand to pull at his clothes: āEldest Cousin, donāt be angry.ā
Seeing her pale face and that her eyes held a trace of fear, Yun Shi Yiās face slowly relaxed and he used his hand to slowly stroke her back: āDonāt be afraid, Zhu Zhu. This husband isnāt angry at you. Itās just that he shouldnāt have let you get hurt.ā
āIām fine. Itās just a small bruise that will heal in a few days. Itās also not Second Cousinās fault.ā
A young female descended from the opposite carriage, and her skirt swayed with each step as she walked over. While she was not the most beautiful, her appearance was full of a foxās charm. Coming near them, she pulled on Yun Shi Weiās arm and smiled: āI was just thinking who this was. Isnāt this Yun familyās second oldest son? Sweetheart, I didnāt think Iād see you here of all places. I havenāt seen you scoundrel for a while, but you still really exceeded my expectations. How could you have become someoneās secondary husband? Elder Sister feels so distressed. How about you come with this Elder Sister somewhere to chat and reminisce?ā
There was only two meters between the carriage interior and the outside, thus from the open door, Ruan Zhu was able to see everything clearly. Feeling confused that this ancient woman dared to solicit males in the middle of the street, she asked: āEldest Cousin, who is she? She dares to scold Second Cousin while spewing those words?ā
Regarding the relationship between the two of them, if it was matters of love, it wasnāt good to be the one standing between them. But once she thought of Yun Shi Wei potentially having a foot in both camps[f], she truly became indignant. Both eyes blazing, she internally made a sound of anger. Hmph! She, Ruan Zhu, is not that easy to bully. If he wants to leave, thatās fine, but he better be prepared to pay the price.
The author has something to say: Sheās only transmigrated for one day, but this little girl is getting better and better and is planning to eat the two brothers.