Oops! The Black Lotus Can't Be a Female Supporting Character - Chapter 3
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- Chapter 3 - Mama Sun is a B****
Chapter 3: Mama Sun is a B****
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With the constant scolding from Mama Sun, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense.
“The young miss has made a big mistake, which has displeased Grand Madam. In the future, she should be more careful with her words and actions,” Mama Sun continued to berate Xiao Yanfei. “Ah, Grand Madam even punished the young miss to kneel in the ancestral hall. Since the young miss accepted the punishment, she should see it through. But you, young miss, fainted after just a short while of kneeling. That’s too delicate.”
“If this matter gets out, others might think Grand Madam is mistreating you!”
“Yiniang pities the young miss. She always tells us that the young miss is young and bound to make mistakes in social situations. But, young miss, Yiniang understands you, so why don’t you consider Yiniang more…”
(Yiniang: Honorifics for a concubine)
“If Madam finds an excuse, won’t Yiniang suffer again? These past few years have been really difficult for Yiniang because of the young miss.”
“If the young miss cares for Yiniang, when you see Grand Madam later, make sure to apologize sincerely.”
Mama Sun kept on talking incessantly.
Xiao Yanfei raised an eyebrow.
Because the Grand Madam’s big birthday was approaching, the original owner was copying the “Ksitigarbha Sutra” in the small Buddha hall to pray for her grandmother. The other day, Concubine Cui brought her a snack and accidentally broke the Grand Madam’s most cherished Guanyin jade statue.
The original owner, out of love for her birth mother, took the blame for Concubine Cui and was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night until she fainted from a high fever.
At that time, Mama Sun was serving in the small Buddha hall and witnessed everything.
“Mama Sun, did I break that Guanyin statue?” Xiao Yanfei suddenly asked, her gaze cold.
Mama Sun was first taken aback, then her brows furrowed even more tightly as she asked, “What do you mean, young miss? Are you saying Grand Madam wrongly accused you?”
She felt a bit uneasy, and her voice unintentionally raised a bit.
Xiao Yanfei, looking through the mirror at Mama Sun behind her, blinked her thick, black eyelashes and said in a low voice, “I was a bit confused from the fever. I just asked casually. Why is Mama Sun in such a hurry?”
Mama Sun couldn’t help but feel like she was being led by Xiao Yanfei, and then she suspected that she had overthought it. She advised, “Young miss, you’re already grown up; don’t speak without thinking.”
Xiao Yanfei took the plum blossom silver hairpin that Mama Sun had just picked up and played with it absentmindedly. “This hairpin seems quite suitable for Mama Sun.”
A few strands of radiant morning light shone through the window into the room, and the silver hairpin with three plum blossoms on top glistened in the sunlight. The plum blossoms had small pearls as their centers.
Mama Sun hadn’t reacted yet when she heard Xiao Yanfei say, “Why not give it to mama as a compensation for what I said earlier?”
Xiao Yanfei stood up, raised her hand, and inserted the hairpin into the other’s hairdo. “I’ll put it on mama.”
Mama Sun knew that this silver hairpin came from one of the most famous jewelry shops in the capital city, Jin Yu Tang, and her eyes gleamed with greed.
A hairpin as exquisite as this, rather than letting it adorn the head of a mediocre and useless second young lady, it would be better to give it to her!
In the next moment, a sharp pain shot through her left temple.
She couldn’t help but frown and immediately realized that the pointed tip of a silver hairpin was pressing against her temple.
The ice-cold and sharp hairpin tip slightly pierced her skin and slowly slid down along her temple…
This sensation felt like a dagger pressed against her head.
Mama Sun‘s heart was filled with a chill, and she dared not move a muscle, her fingers trembling slightly as she said, “Quick, take it away!”
Her voice was sharp due to fear.
Xiao Yanfei’s voice, tinged with regret, sounded in her ear, “Don’t you like it, Mama?”
“Such a pity.” Xiao Yanfei casually tossed the silver hairpin onto the dressing table.
Mama Sun instinctively lowered her head and saw a tiny spot of crimson blood on the sharp tip of the silver hairpin, a horrifying sight.
She raised her left hand to touch her temple, and her fingertips were stained with a small bloodstain, causing her pupils to shrink.
Xiao Yanfei sat back down, apologizing gently, “Mama, don’t be mad. I’m not feeling well, and I just didn’t have the strength just now. My hand shook accidentally.”
“Fortunately, it’s just a small cut. Last time, I accidentally cut my hand with a paper cutter, and you said that a little dusting of powdered incense would heal it. There’s no need to be so delicate.”
Xiao Yanfei lowered her head and glanced at the inch-long scar beside the red crescent-shaped birthmark on her left palm.
The previous host had bled quite a bit at that time, and Mama Sun‘s casual remark had left the young girl feeling frightened but with no choice.
Mama Sun stared at Xiao Yanfei with a doubtful and uncertain look for a moment, almost thinking that Xiao Yanfei was seeking revenge on her.
But the girl’s eyes were clear and innocent, like a harmless rabbit, no different from before.
For some reason, Mama Sun felt that something about her had changed.
Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, Mama Sun told herself, “I’ll have to talk to Yiniang about this girl later.”
“Mama, Yiniang gave you to me, and she loves me so much. She shouldn’t blame me for accidentally hurting you,” Xiao Yanfei said, relieved as she patted her chest.
“…” Mama Sun was at a loss for words, feeling as if she had been played. After all, when things had come to this point, if she complained, wouldn’t it make things difficult for Yiniang?
A lump formed in Mama Sun‘s chest.
“Mama, hurry and bandage the wound to stop the bleeding,” Xiao Yanfei said with concern.
Mama Sun quickly covered the wound with a cloth, fearing excessive blood loss, and muttered, “I’ll go down first.”
Without looking back, Mama Sun left, leaving two maids feeling uneasy.
Xiao Yanfei pointed to the butterfly hairpin picked by Hai Tang and said, “I’ll take this hairpin.”
“Yes, Miss,” Hai Tang quickly responded, placing the gold hairpin in Xiao Yanfei’s hair, along with a dual lotus silk flower with blue and yellow petals.
Xiao Yanfei looked at herself in the mirror and felt much better, admiring her exquisite and indescribable beauty.
As she got up, she said, “Let’s go.”
The layout of the Hou Mansion was complex and elegant, with various courtyards, corridors, pathways, and beautiful pavilions interconnected, offering picturesque scenes every few steps.
Ronghe Hall was located in the western part of the Hou Mansion, exuding an imposing and elegant atmosphere.
Guided by a young maid from Ronghe Hall, Xiao Yanfei made her way through hallways and small halls toward the main hall.
In the center of the main hall hung a green plaque with three large golden characters that read “Ronghe Hall,” below which was a painting of a reclining Guanyin.
From a distance, Xiao Yanfei could see an elderly woman sitting at a high-backed chair made of rosewood with carved phoenix and dragon motifs. She was dressed in a dark silk embroidered robe, and a few strands of silver hair were scattered among her black hair.
Sitting to the left and right of the elderly woman were two women in their thirties, both of noble and distinct beauty.
Xiao Yanfei knew that the elderly woman sitting was the Grand Madam of Hou Mansion, and the woman with phoenix-like eyes on the left was the Marquis’ Furen, Madam Yin.
(Furen: polite and formal way to address the wife or lady of the household, especially in noble or aristocratic families.)
The woman with a fine appearance on the right seemed unfamiliar and was likely a visitor rather than a member of the Hou Mansion.
Stepping over the threshold, Xiao Yanfei walked into the hall and awkwardly paid her respects to both the Grand Madam and Madam Yin.
“Grandmother.”
“Mother.”
The Grand Madam looked at the young girl a few steps away and impatiently toyed with her Buddhist prayer beads. She couldn’t help but feel annoyed; this girl was always so slow, her temperament was truly unrefined.
Madam Yin nodded slightly at Xiao Yanfei with a calm gaze, revealing no emotion.
“Madam of Marquis Weiguo, this is my granddaughter, Yanfei,” the Grand Madam turned to the woman on the right with a friendly smile, “Yanfei, don’t forget to greet Madam.”
Xiao Yanfei slightly turned and greeted the Furen of Marquis Weiguo, “Greetings to the Madam of Marquis Weiguo.”
“What a beautiful young lady you are,” the Madam of Marquis Weiguo smiled and warmly asked, “Good child, what do you usually enjoy doing?”
Xiao Yanfei obediently replied, “I enjoy reading books and taking care of flowers, Furen.”
“This girl is well-behaved,” the Madam of Marquis Weiguo observed Xiao Yanfei and then took a golden bracelet from her wrist as a token, “You can keep this bracelet.”
“Thank you, Madam,” Xiao Yanfei replied softly, trying to maintain a proper demeanor.
“Madam, you’re too polite,” The smile on Grand Madam’s face deepened, and then she said to Madam Yin who was sitting on the other side, “Ah Wan, take Yanfei to prepare some refreshments.”
There are so many maids and women in the Hou Mansion, so there is no need for the dignified Madam of Hou Mansion to prepare tea.
The implication in the words of the Grand Madam was clear – she had something private to discuss with the Madam of Marquis Weiguo, and she wanted Madam Yin and Xiao Yanfei to leave temporarily.
Madam Yin smiled and, together with Xiao Yanfei, retreated to another room.
The maids quietly left the room, leaving only Mama Wang to attend to them.
The Madam of Marquis Weiguo carefully stirred the tea leaves floating in her tea, took a sip of the hot tea, and said, “Grand Madam, I see your granddaughter is not only beautiful but also knowledgeable and well-mannered. You are truly fortunate.”
She praised Xiao Yanfei, her tone gentle and polite, but her gaze was somewhat distant.
“Madam, you are too kind,” the Grand Madam modestly replied.
The Madam of Marquis Weiguo adjusted her sleeve, sighed softly, and changed the subject, “Ah, my husband’s health has been deteriorating lately. Even in his illness, he keeps worrying about Ah Chi and can’t rest easy. Ah Chi has come of age, but there is no one by his side who truly understands him…”
She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her eyes.
While the Madam of Marquis Weiguo’s words seemed ambiguous, Grand Madam seemed to understand, and said in a warm tone, “I once asked the venerable Master Yuan Jing from the Baiyun Temple to read the fortunes of my two granddaughters. He said that this child has a good destiny, deep blessings, and will bring prosperity to the family.”
The two women locked eyes with each other, and with just a few words exchanged, it was as if they had reached a certain unspoken agreement.
The Madam of Marquis Weiguo sighed again, “I only hope that this joyous occasion can dispel the negative energy, and that my husband can recover.”
“Good people have their own fortunes,” Grand Madam said with a smile at the corner of her lips, adding, “Madam, you seem a bit tired. Please take care of your health as well…”
For a common-born girl like Xiao Yanfei to attend a joyous occasion at the Duke’s residence, even if it’s as a concubine, it is still her good fortune!
Note:
“Weiguo/ Wei Guo” here is not the Duke’s name. It’s a state/title, but I don’t want to call him “Duke of Weiguo” every sentence because it’s just redundant, so he’s ‘Duke Weiguo’.
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Translated By: Allthingsfluff