Senior Sister Chapter 8
She’s actually my wife (angry)
Houshengtang is not far from Huajie Liuxiang.
Although Zi Yan was always low-key and kept to herself when working at the teahouse, her impressive delicate face still made a few people feel familiar, and then recognized that the woman was the former top courtesan of Chunfeng Building.
Most of the customers who came to Houshengtang to drink tea did not care who the shopkeeper was.
But occasionally, there would always be some inexplicable people who would frown and disdainfully accept the tea brick respectfully handed by Zi Yan, or intentionally or unintentionally loosen their grip when receiving the tea bowl, splashing tea on the woman’s sleeve.
Even faced with such subtle contempt like needles, Zi Yan’s clear spirit remained calm, only silently bowing her head and retreating to the counter to help Cao Yun with the accounts, actively avoiding confrontation.
Quietly, it seems that she doesn’t care at all about the glaring malice of those people.
Seems like, it’s just a semblance.
Song Shuqing and Cao Yun saw it all, but they were helpless towards the actions of those people, as they were commoners and couldn’t find a reason to start with them. Therefore, they couldn’t grab them by their collars for a lesson, nor drag them into the alleyway for a beating.
The two could only do their best to maintain the situation, so that Zi Yan didn’t have to face those guests with unnecessary prejudices towards her.
The withered leaves fell to the ground, winter was approaching.
Perhaps because the weather was getting colder, more and more people would always choose to order a cup of tea and pastry when passing by the teahouse, to sit inside the warm room with the charcoal fire burning.
Therefore, the number of guests at Houshengtang increased, even though the three of them were all there, working efficiently, they still felt a bit chaotic.
The one-armed shadow guard and Zi Yan welcomed the guests, while Song Shuqing went upstairs to the warehouse to inventory the stock, and took the opportunity to refill the empty tea jars.
“Kind girl, please pack some of the new tea.” An old man handed over a copper coin and said to the woman at the counter.
Zi Yan responded and turned around to take out hemp rope and oil paper from the drawer, her delicate fingers skillfully wrapping the tea brick tightly and tying a clever knot.
The woman, focused on her task at hand, had a serene expression, with no elaborate decorations on her head, simply tied up with a rope.
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A few soft strands of dark silky hair scattered beside her cheeks as she bowed her head.
The old man waiting, though not a regular at Houshengtang, had come a few times before. Seeing a unfamiliar face, he curiously asked Cao Yun beside him in a loud voice, “Young Cao, I’ve never seen this pretty girl before when I came here previously. Is she your wife?”
Cao Yun, who was using the abacus, raised his head, shook it, and with a calm expression replied, “No.” His answer was as brief as always.
“Oh, so she’s not?”
The guest shrugged, not minding Cao Yun’s usual brief responses, and was about to take the tea leaves handed by Zi Yan. However, several men and women sitting at the round table behind suddenly exclaimed loudly, “Old man, you are too generous towards her.”
A disdainful look combined with intentionally exaggerated playful noises reached them, causing Zi Yan’s outstretched arm in the air to stiffen.
“After all, she’s a woman who has roamed the world’s dust.”
“Yeah, her body isn’t clean at all.”
“How could a person like that possibly be Big Brother Cao’s wife?”
Faced with such blunt remarks, Zi Yan’s hand holding the hemp rope weakly drooped down. Whether it was due to the direct insult from others or self-loathing, she felt her blood rush up as if in an instant, her head burning and feeling a bit dizzy.
Blinking forcefully her eyes filled with heat, the woman set down the tea brick she had just packed, instinctively wanting to go back behind the curtain.
After all, as long as they knew her identity, many people simply would not want to touch anything she had touched…
“Please watch your words, everyone.” Cao Yun, who was calculating the accounts, raised his head, looking at the customers at the table who had mocked Zi Yan, recognizing two of the girls who often visited when he was on duty. Frowning, he was about to speak to stop them, but was interrupted by a loud noise.
『Clang!』
The sound of the wooden box hitting the ground startled everyone in the teahouse.
Song Shuqing, who had come down from the second floor to replenish supplies, stood at the staircase, releasing the large box she had been carrying in her hands, her face dark as she looked towards the group of young people at the round table.
The woman, who usually had a nonchalant smile on her lips, now tightly pressed them together, her upturned eyes and slightly furrowed brow rarely revealing her true emotions, a mixture of anger and disdain in her expression.
She strode over to the round table, looking down at the group of individuals with inexplicable expressions, and after several moments of silent breaths, she slowly spoke.
“Do you think you’re being funny like this?”
Seemingly truly enraged, there was no hint of mockery or sarcasm in her tone, only seriousness.
“Saying hurtful words irresponsibly in ignorance, thinking oneself superior and having the power to judge others at will…” In the corner of her eye, Zi Yan stood alone in the shadowed corner with her head bowed, a sight that pained her.
Clutching her fist tightly, Song Shuqing struggled to control herself from lashing out at the still unimpressed group in front of her.
“… by doing all of this, do you feel proud of yourselves?”
Without waiting for a response, Song Shuqing slammed her hand onto the round table, leaving a mark half a finger deep on the solid wood surface.
The forceful palm wind swept across the faces of several customers, who looked at the damaged wooden table in astonishment at the woman’s strength, feeling an inexplicable pressure and their faces turning slightly pale.
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“Junior Sister, you mustn’t.”
Cao Yun, who knew the woman he had grown up with since childhood, sensed her rare overwhelming intent to harm and quickly exclaimed, “Junior Sister Song! They are just commoners, you must not.”
Narrowing her eyes, seemingly pulled back to her senses by her senior brother’s nervous caution, the woman took a deep breath and suddenly chuckled.
“Ah Yun, don’t worry.”
“I didn’t intend to do anything.”
“That’s right, people like this are still abundant even in the 21st century. Why should I get worked up here?”
Scratching her chin, Song Shuqing tilted her head, adopting her usual nonchalant attitude once again. Propping herself up on the table, she scanned the group of customers who had spoken earlier, saying, “Zi Yan… really isn’t Cao Yun’s wife.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, her face filled with feigned helplessness, she continued, “To be honest, Zi Yan…”
Pausing for a moment, the woman shrugged as if feeling compelled to admit loudly.
“She’s actually my wife.”
Unconcerned with the disbelieving looks and the jaws dropped in astonishment, she closed her eyes, cupped her heart with both hands, and continued with a serious expression, “She’s my true love, too precious to utter, too delicate to hold, my dear wife.”
“So, to customers like you who not only are rude to the staff but also disrespectful to their families, I’m sorry…” Opening her eyes, Song Shuqing made a very exaggerated bow, crossed her hands in a large ‘NO’ sign, and said, “Please forgive the store for not serving you anymore.”
She grabbed the collar of the two leading men, exerting strength from an arm that usually seemed fragile, and kicked the door open with one foot, half dragging and half shoving them out.
Turning back with a smile, she looked at the remaining two, “So, are you going to walk out on your own or do I use the tossing method?” Her tone left no room for negotiation.
Watching the fleeing figures that she had frightened away, Song Shuqing stood with her hands on her hips and then turned around, making sure to close the door with her foot.
“Junior Sister Song.” Cao Yun sighed as he played with the abacus, pointing to the damaged wooden table by the woman, “Do you know how precious redwood is on the market now…”
“Shut up.” Song Shuqing rolled her eyes and took a pen and paper from beside Cao Yun, brushing to write something. At the same time, she addressed her senior brother, “Your little fans, coming in every day to order a cup of tea and sitting for half a day without a care, and they dare to bully Zi Yan, don’t you do anything about that.”
Puzzled, Cao Yun, who was unaware of this, tilted his head, “What are little fans?”
“Forget it, forget it.” Holding up the written paper, Song Shuqing blew on the ink and then handed it to Cao Yun, saying, “Please paste this at the door.”
『Dogs who disrespect the staff and individuals who disrespect the staff’s families are not allowed inside.』
Looking at the messy and crooked handwriting of Song Shuqing, the man frowned, “Junior Sister Song, your calligraphy is still not very good as usual…”
“You. Shut. Up.” Making a punching gesture in the air, Song Shuqing glared at her senior brother who was of the same age, “I am super annoyed right now, you better not mess around with explosives! Otherwise, don’t blame me for splashing well water on you while you sleep at night.”
As the two former shadow guards were either arguing or teasing each other, Zi Yan stood behind the counter in a daze, feeling like her head was overloaded with information, causing a slight swelling sensation.
Upon hearing the quasi-declaration of love from the one she admire, even though Zi Yan knew that Song Shuqing was just trying to help her out, she didn’t know how to face it.
What have I done to deserve…
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“Miss! Miss!”
The elderly man in front of the counter called out to the dazed woman, smiling gently as he said, “Miss, you haven’t given me the tea I asked for yet.” His demeanor was pleasant, seemingly unaffected by the earlier words.
Regaining her composure, Zi Yan felt a sense of grandeur within her heart and quickly handed over the tea brick she had previously put down, apologizing, “I’m sorry…”
“No need to apologize.” Waving his hand nonchalantly, the elderly man looked at the tea leaves wrapped in hemp rope and oil paper in his hand, smiling as he said, “You are meticulous and skilled, much better at packaging than Little Brother Cao and Miss Song, not afraid of damp even in this winter.”
“Afterwards, I’ll rely on you again, young lady.” Playfully winking at Zi Yan, the elderly man carried the tea he bought, hands behind his back, and walked away slowly.
Having finished talking with Cao Yun, Song Shuqing then turned around the counter and approached the woman, asking with concern, “Hey, Zi Yan, are you okay?”
Seeing the woman in front of her just staring blankly, Song Shuqing felt worried, “You should go upstairs and rest first, we are almost closing the shop anyway.”
“No, no need, I’m fine.” The feeling in her heart was still indescribable. Zi Yan heard Song Shuqing’s concern and shook her head, rejecting her suggestion. However, her head instantly felt dizzy, and her body involuntarily began to lean to one side.
“Hey, hey.”
“You can’t even stand steadily, so go upstairs and rest first.” Extending her hand to support the woman’s shoulder in front of her, helping her stay stable, Song Shuqing insisted, “If you really collapse from exhaustion, Cao Yun only has one hand, and I am so delicate, I won’t be able to carry you up to the third floor.”
Using one hand to open the curtain for Zi Yan, Song Shuqing gently pushed the woman’s back, silently persuading her.
The touch of the palm through the fabric was very clear. Zi Yan turned her head to meet the concerned look of the former shadow guard, feeling dizzy in her head and unable to say a word of 『No』, only obediently climbing the stairs under her gentle urging.
The author has something to say:
Looks like the senior sister is really angry, which is rare~
By the way, if the introduction of Qin and Murong Yan’s relationship can be described as a young shadow guard bottom (who doesn’t understand love/straightforward/loyal like a mad dog) vs. a princess top (extremely biased/paranoid/crazy about criticising beautiful women),
What would be the introduction of the relationship between Song Shuqing and Zi Yan?
(I always feel that explaining the senior sister’s character is difficult to summarize in just one or two sentences for those who haven’t read this story.)
LP: Re-translated on April 30, 2024