The Grand Secretary's Pampered Wife

Chapter 36

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S T E L L A R C L O U D

[Celeste S.] [Azurixa] [Robert K.]

O R A N G E S T A R

[Talia R.] [K.Rom]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Camille] [Linds] [Esther D.]

G O L D S T A R

[Nem]

The Madame pointed to the edge of the kang bed and smiled gently, "Have a seat and talk."

Gu Jiao sat down on the kang bed obediently. A small table was placed between them, and there were some exquisite snacks on the table.

The Madame pushed the snack in front of her and said, "Are you hungry? Have something of these first. The vegetarian meal will be here in a minute."

"En." After climbing the mountain for an hour, Gu Jiao was indeed quite hungry. She picked out a yellow flower-shaped pastry.

Gu Jiao remained very quiet as she ate.

"Is it delicious?" The Madame asked.

"En." Gu Jiao nodded her head. Seeing that the Madame looked at her doubtfully, she paused and then said, "It's better than Li Ji."

"What is Li Ji?" The Madame asked again.

"The best refreshment shop in town." Gu Jiao answered.

The Madame was finally relieved. In fact, these snacks were made by herself. When she had nothing to do at home, she would make snacks to pass the time. Unfortunately, between her pair of children, her son was too sick to eat, and her daughter, though in good health, didn't like to eat the snacks she made, which made her doubt that the things she made were actually unpalatable.

Gu Jiao wasn’t just pretending to eat them. She really thought they were delicious.

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The Madame found a sense of accomplishment in Gu Jiao. She couldn't help looking at Gu Jiao a few more times. Gu Jiao had a birthmark on her face, and only now did she really pay attention to it.

She was such a nice girl, ah! Truly a pity. The Madame secretly lamented.

Then, she noticed Gu Jiao's hand. It was a pair of hands that was immersed in labour all year round. The palms of her hands were covered with calluses, and there were also intertwining scars on the back of her hands.

The Madame suddenly thought of her daughter. She felt glad that her daughter was born in a Marquis Estate and didn't have to go through the hardships of the common folks, otherwise, she, as a mother, would have to grieve herself to death.

Gu Jiao stayed in the Madame’s room for a while, and a plate of chestnut cakes went down into her small belly. At the same time, the abbot had also returned to the temple.

Gu Jiao wouldn’t forget her business after all. She bid farewell to the Madame and then went to the abbot's living quarters.

The abbot’s age was somewhat old. But despite his gray beard, he appeared hale and hearty, full of vitality. It should be due to the perennial practice of martial arts.

Gu Jiao succinctly stated her purpose, "...I wonder if the abbot is willing to sell it?"

After saying that, she heard no reply from the abbot for a long time. When she fixed her eyes on him, she saw the abbot staring unblinkingly at her... face.

Gu Jiao was just about to ask, ‘Is there something on my face?’ But when the words reached her lips, she remembered. That’s right, isn't there something on her face?

"Abbot?" Gu Jiao called his attention.

"Ahem!" The abbot returned to his senses, cleared his throat, and sat upright. He said, "Just now, you said... You want to buy this mountain?"

Gu Jiao: "Yes."

Abbot: "How old are you this year?"

Eh?

Wasn’t the topic of conversation changing a little too fast?

"Can't one buy mountains if they’re young?" Gu Jiao asked lightly.

"Ah! No, no! Amitabha, don't get me wrong, little benefactor!" The abbot put one of his hands before his chest and said, "My Junior Brother Disciple Jing Xin, who is in charge of temple’s property, has gone out and won't be back until two or three days. It would be better for the benefactor to come back in a few days."

"All right, I will come again some time before the new year." Gu Jiao said and got up to leave.

From beginning to end, the abbot's gaze never left her birthmark.

Gu Jiao frowned and said, "Abbot, although I don't normally care what others think of me, you are a monk. Don’t you think it's a bit wrong to always stare at other people's defects like that?"

The abbot hastened to make amends, "This old monk acted discourteously, may the little benefactor take no offense!"

After Gu Jiao left, it still took a long time before the abbot completely recovered to normal.

One of his disciples stepped forward and asked, "Abbot, what's the matter with you?"

"I just remembered something." The abbot said.

"What did you remember?" The disciple asked.

The abbot let out a sigh and said, "It was many years ago."

That night, he was ordered to mark a newborn baby with the gecko cinnabar[1]. However, he drank too much that time. As a result, his hand trembled from intoxication and applied it on the little baby girl's face instead...

When he woke up the next day, he remembered what he had done and hurried to make amends to the Marchioness, only to find that the child in the Marchioness’ arms had a clean and white face. There was no trace of the gecko cinnabar at all.

Because he was too drunk, he was not very sure about his memory either. But since the baby's face didn't have it, he probably didn't do it, right?

After so many years, he had completely forgotten about it. However, when he saw the little girl just now, these memories came to mind all of a sudden, making him wonder again whether he really applied gecko cinnabar on people's faces that night.

No, he was tasked to mark the Marquis Estate’s daughter. Just now, the girl said she was a villager from the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile, Gu Jiao went to see the Madame from earlier after leaving the abbot’s quarters, only to be told that the other party had already gone down the mountain.

"Her ladyship instructed this humble monk to give these boxes of snacks to the little benefactor. Please accept them." The monk in charge of cleaning the quarters handed Gu Jiao a large bundle.

Gu Jiao weighed it in her hand and knew that the Madame had given her all the snacks.

Gu Jiao sighed softly, but she hadn’t returned the clothes to her yet...

The clothes that the Madame lent to Gu Jiao were good in appearance, but they were not conducive to walking on the mountain road. She reckoned she would get it ripped in two steps. This couldn’t be blamed on people’s poor upbringing. After all, people who could afford this kind of material didn’t need to walk on their own.

On the way back, Gu Jiao walked very fast, worried that the elderly woman would not get along with the family next door. After all, the elderly woman had a bad temper and was very picky. She belonged to the extremely unsociable type.

But contrary to her expectations, Gu Jiao was dumbfounded as soon as she entered their door.

What happened? Why were there so many people here? Furthermore, they were all women?

Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang had never taken the initiative to socialize with the villagers. In the past, only those who had letters they wanted to write or read would come to their home, and the highest record was three a day, then no more.

Therefore, Gu Jiao simply didn’t understand why their main room was suddenly packed with people?

The elderly woman sat majestically in the highest seat, while Second Uncle Luo's wife, Aunt Luo, stood beside her respectfully with a pot of tea in her hands.

On the other side was Gui Fang, Aunt Zhang's young daughter-in-law. Gui Fang was carrying a tray with melon seeds and a handleless tea cup in it.

Gu Jiao was even more puzzled. Didn't Sister Gui Fang just give birth to a child?

The rest of the people didn't seem to have the qualifications to get close, so they stood on the opposite side, squeezing against each other. It looked just like a countryside version of a palace fighting drama!

"All right, withdraw." The elderly woman put down the melon seeds and waved her hand.

Everyone retreated a step, and before leaving, they all saluted the elderly woman in a crooked form.

Imperial concubines’ salutations warmed the heart and delighted the eye, but when a group of village women, with their heads wrapped in headscarves, made the same salutation, it was simply like a large accident scene!

Gu Jiao must not allow this terrifying scene again. She grabbed Xue Ningxiang nearby and asked, "What did my family’s elderly woman do again?"

Xue Ningxiang replied, "Grandaunt is telling the villagers a play! Listening to it was very nice!"

The corner of Gu Jiao’s mouth twitched, "What about the salute?"

Xue Ningxiang thought for a while before she realized what Gu Jiao meant. She said, "Oh, you’re talking about that? Grandaunt taught it to us. She said that’s what people do in opera houses!"

People in opera houses don’t do this!

The elderly woman was blatantly tricking everyone into saluting her.

Gu Jiao was left wondering. Where on earth did this elderly woman come from in the end? How was she such a demon?

1. ↑ — Gecko Cinnabar: a potion made from gecko, fed on red cinnabars, which had been dried and powdered. From this, the ancient Chinese could concoct a mixture which they use to mark a girl’s arm with a small dot. Apparently, once it disappears, it means that the girl is no longer a virgin.

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Also, please also have a look at our other translations!

Everyone But Me Is Reborn

Her father is a coward and senselessly filial. Her mother is weak and gullible. Her elder brother is a wastrel.

When she married into the Wangfu, she suffered and was coldly treated. And by the time she was in labour, she was fated to die with the unborn child in her belly.

This was supposed to be Ning Nuan's life.

However this time, everyone but her is reborn.

Ning Nuan is at a loss. She felt that her dad has suddenly become the pillar of the family, her mother’s temper became fierce, and even her elder brother, who would only walk the dogs and play with birds all day, has begun picking up books and reading them carefully.

There is also that juvenile that shows up at the wall of her courtyard everyday, calling her “Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan” with an honest face.