Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 7
by Little PandaDistant Relatives
She indeed would eventually need to restore her identity.
But now was not the right time.
Ji Qingchi lowered her eyes, smiled slightly, and shook her head, “Thank you, Wife Master, but right now I only wish to stay by Wife Master’s side.”
Su Yi vomited blood in her heart [心里呕了口血 | xīn lǐ ǒu le kǒu xuè | meaning: extreme frustration].
She had given such clear hints to the female protagonist, yet the female protagonist remained unmoved.
But what could she do? She couldn’t win in a fight, and her words weren’t heeded – she could only continue enduring the female protagonist’s torment.
Su Yi suppressed the blood surging in her heart and smiled, “Husband need not worry, whenever Husband wants freedom, I will grant it.”
After these words, she and the female protagonist fell into an exceptionally awkward silence. If Yanshen hadn’t walked over, they might have stood there all day, becoming statues.
Yanshen wasn’t holding tea, but rather an invitation, as she hurriedly ran in from outside the mansion gate, “Young Miss, Young Miss, we just received a letter from the Su family!”
Su Yi didn’t react immediately, “Su family? Which Su family?”
Weren’t they already living in the Su family mansion?
“Oh my, Young Miss, which other Su family could it be? It’s our main family branch, the Marquis Pingyang’s mansion!”
Yanshen handed her the invitation, “Just now when this servant was going to brew tea, walking outside the main hall, I saw a well-dressed woman standing outside the mansion gate. This servant found her suspicious and had someone ask what she was doing. She said she was from the Su mansion, handed over this invitation, and rode away on horseback.”
After finishing, she stamped her foot and said, “That woman’s attitude was terrible! When speaking to us, she kept her head high and hands behind her back, acting like some great young mistress. When leaving, she even patted the dust off her boots as if we’d dirtied her shoes! Pah! Dog eyes looking down on people!”
Ji Qingchi gave her an extra look – not bad, this little maid had courage. With her master right there, she was this excited; if this were in the capital, she would have been beaten and driven out long ago.
Having grown accustomed to being around Su Yi, Yanshen and Gancao spoke without restraint. Su Yi didn’t mind these things and opened the bright red invitation, scanning it briefly. It turned out to be about her legendary great-grandmother, Marquis Pingyang’s sixty-fifth birthday celebration in three months.
Inside the invitation was also a letter written by her grandmother whom she had never met. Her grandmother told her mother to quickly bring some local specialties, cry a few times before the Marquis to show filial piety, so she might bestow some money and land for security. Otherwise, when her great-grandmother passed, they wouldn’t get any benefits, and finally, her mother wouldn’t be able to support her, leading to her corpse being exposed in the wilderness.
Ancient people married early – this great-grandmother of hers already had a great-granddaughter like her, yet was only sixty-five years old.
Su Yi had never met this great-grandmother. The original Su Yi was always confined to her sickbed, falling ill at the slightest breeze. For her health, her mother never took her along when visiting the main family for birthday celebrations.
Su Yi related the invitation’s contents and instructed Gancao to take it to find her mother – her mother would handle it well anyway.
Seeing the invitation, Ji Qingchi’s eyes lit up – this was an opportunity to shake off Ji Qingxuan’s claws and teeth and safely enter the capital. When she accompanied Su Yi to the capital for the birthday celebration, wouldn’t there be more chances to contact her shadow guards at the Marquis Pingyang’s mansion?
As soon as Yanshen left, Ji Qingchi said, “Wife Master, we’re newly married this year, and Great-grandmother surely doesn’t know. Shall we also go wish Great-grandmother a happy birthday?”
Su Yi looked up to meet Ji Qingchi’s cautious yet hopeful and shy gaze, “Elderly people are always happy to see their grandchildren settled.”
Su Yi knew without thinking what she was planning. She hesitated – the capital was a thousand li from Fengcheng, requiring two months by carriage. She wasn’t sure if her frail body could withstand it.
Ji Qingchi’s gaze was too hopeful, and Su Yi was very troubled. Yanshen hurriedly mediated, “Lord Husband, the Young Miss is weak and cannot endure the fatigue of carriage travel.”
“In that case……” Ji Qingchi certainly knew the Su family young miss was weak, but she just wanted to test, to gain one more chance.
The refined young lord’s previously bright eyes dimmed, and anyone could notice her sadness. “It’s this slave who hasn’t considered Wife Master’s health.”
She leaned on Su Yi’s wheelchair handle, two clear tears slowly falling down her face, “This slave will always stay with Wife Master, going nowhere.”
Not just the unknowing Yanshen, even the knowing Su Yi felt that not letting her go to the capital would be an unforgivable sin upon seeing this scene.
But her little life was also important! Su Yi opened her mouth to say something when suddenly she heard crying beside her ear, “Wuwuwu……”
Turning her head, she saw Yanshen wailing without regard for appearance.
Su Yi had black lines [一头黑线 | yī tóu hēi xiàn | manga-style expression of exasperation], “What are you crying about?”
“I… I feel the Young Miss is… so pitiful wuu wuu… growing up without ever going out… and Lord Husband’s feelings for Young Miss… are so deep and righteous… wuu wuu… truly lovers who never abandon each other wuu wuu…”
“Yanshen,” Su Yi helplessly held her forehead, “read fewer story books in the future.”
One going “yi yi yi” [嘤嘤嘤 | yīng yīng yīng | crying sound] by her ear, another going “wuu wuu wuu” [呜呜呜 | wū wū wū | crying sound].
Su Yi felt she could now apply for a crying competition trophy, one for the female protagonist and one for this little maid.
The noise was giving her a headache.
Rubbing her temples, she secretly sighed – the female protagonist probably wanted to use this opportunity to return to the capital. If so, she would risk her life to send her there. When the goal was achieved, everyone could go their separate ways.
Of course, that was assuming she was still alive.
Having made up her mind, Su Yi sighed, “Husband, don’t be sad. This year I’ll speak with Mother, and we’ll go together to wish Great-grandmother a happy birthday.”
The person who had been “yi yi yi-ing” immediately raised her head, a pair of watery eyes blinking at her, worry surging like the sea, “But Wife Master’s health?”
What excellent acting – the Oscars owe you two little golden statues.
Su Yi sighed, presenting the image of a wife-slave [夫奴 | fū nú | term for submissive husband] willing to risk her life for love, “It’s no matter, we’ll just travel slowly. Besides, I’ve never traveled far, so it can be considered a journey.”
As if! She needed to quickly find several doctors to prevent dying on the way.
Su Yi’s forced smile naturally didn’t escape Ji Qingchi’s eyes. She hesitated, weighing between Su Yi’s life and her own life and future, ultimately choosing the latter.
Sorry, Su family young miss, I’ll burn more paper money [纸钱 | zhǐ qián | ritual money burned for the dead] at your grave in the future.
The female protagonist’s smile was visibly overflowing from her eyes.
Su Yi tremblingly touched her chest secretly – heavens above, she just wanted to live, why was it so difficult?
After things were settled, Ji Qingchi was in a very good mood.
Pushing Su Yi around the mansion.
While pushing, she imitated the tone of the male favorites competing for favor in the palace when speaking to her Emperor Mother, saying softly, “Wife Master, this humble one heard that more sunlight will improve one’s health.”
Though her tone was strange, her purpose in pushing Su Yi around was absolutely sincere.
The Su family had given her the shelter she wanted; if possible, she still hoped the Su family young miss could live to a hundred years.
“Is that so……” Su Yi forced a smile, feeling her heart as cold as fish that had been killed for ten years in RT-Mart [大润发 | Dà Rùn Fā | supermarket chain].
While sunlight is indeed good for health, people meant sunbathing during mild and pleasant weather, right? Now it’s almost noon with such fierce sun – pushing me around like this, are you trying to dry me into fish jerky?
Su Yi covered her forehead, her face pale, feeling dizzy and somewhat nauseous.
Oh no, after just a brief exposure to the sun, could she be getting heatstroke already?
Suddenly her vision went dark, and Su Yi endured the nausea, barely managing to speak, “Husband, I……”
“Young Miss, Young Miss……” Gancao came running in quickly from the entrance.
Su Yi secretly pinched herself, and at least her vision cleared. Seeing the sweat-covered Gancao, she coughed lightly, “What is it?”
“There’s a woman outside with a straw mat, sitting at our mansion gate.” Gancao said breathlessly, “She… from what people around are saying… she seems to be here looking for Lord Husband.”
Looking for Ji Qingchi?
Could it be her enemy coming for revenge?
Su Yi thought, secretly glancing from the corner of her eye at Ji Qingchi beside her. Sure enough, when she heard these words, her expression changed, showing traces of ruthlessness.
Su Yi’s heart trembled in fear – oh no, this sister would become a god of killing in the future. It absolutely couldn’t be her enemy coming to find her. If she suspected the Su family of betraying her location to her enemies, their family would be finished.
Before the female protagonist could suspect their family, Su Yi hurriedly asked, “What does this person look like? Tell me about her?”
If suspicious, they needed to quickly have the guards drive her away.
“Hmm…” Gancao thought hard, wracking her brains to describe, “Very thin, quite fair-skinned, but with a waxy yellow complexion, wearing tattered clothes. Oh, and one more thing, she seems to be mute. No matter how we questioned her, she wouldn’t speak, just kept writing and drawing on a piece of worn cloth.”
Ji Qingchi’s originally fierce expression gradually dissipated when Gancao mentioned the word “mute.”
Su Yi noticed her change but maintained a neutral expression, continuing to question Gancao, “Why does she want to see Lord Husband? Does she know Lord Husband?”
Gancao shook her head vigorously, “Don’t know.”
“Well……” Su Yi pretended to be troubled, looking at the person beside her, “The person Gancao described, does Husband know her?”
“Should be my relative.” Among people she knew, only Ye Shui couldn’t speak, and seeing how reluctant she was to part that day, it must be her coming to find her.
But now she had a nominal wife-husband relationship with Su Yi. If she rashly met with an outside woman, would Su Yi think she wasn’t following the husband’s way [夫道 | fū dào | proper conduct for a husband]?
Ji Qingchi opened her innocent eyes, blinked twice, and stared at Su Yi, “Wife Master, may this humble household see her?”
Su Yi felt like she was getting a sty, exhausted to death but still having to force a smile, “Since it’s Husband’s relative, we naturally must meet them.”
She turned to instruct Gancao, “Quickly invite the person in.”
“It won’t work. No matter what we say, she won’t move from her straw mat, insisting on seeing the Principal Lord [正君 | zhèng jūn | primary spouse], or she won’t leave.”
The author has something to say:
I may not have written clearly why Ji Qingchi treats Su Yi and Ye Shui differently:
1. Ye Shui saved her without asking for anything in return, and exhausted her family’s resources to treat her well – the kind who would eat chaff and vegetables herself to let you eat meat. She cared for her for several months. In comparison, she entered the Su family for counteract misfortune marriage, the Su family wanted something from her, everyone was using each other.
2. Su Yi hasn’t interacted with her long, only a few days. Honestly, between someone you’ve known for days versus months, who would you have deeper feelings for?
3. The female protagonist grew up in the imperial palace, note, the imperial palace – where Tang Xuanzong killed three sons in one day, Sui Yangdi trapped his brother, Tang Taizong directly killed his brothers, Song Taizong killed his brother, Ming Chengzu rebelled against his nephew. In an imperial family, can you talk about feelings if you want to live long?
LP: The people in number 3 are real. And well, imperial families who don’t kill each other were very, very rare and they weren’t perfect either. I think there were ones in early Han Dynasty? I already forgot~
thanks for the chapter