Higher Level Wife

Chapter 132: The Young Marquis Overreached Himself

Author: White Pear Flower

Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/

Translated Gumihou

Proofread by Pill Bug

Gumihou: Deleted a lot of nauseating ‘tee hee~’ moments. Even when I first roughly skimmed through the novel, skipping dozens of chapters along the way, this particular chapter smacks of ??? and !!!?? when I first read it.

Fu Qiuning: It is not my fault.

Gumihou: Of course, dear.

Fu Qiuning: I do not go tee hee~, not even with the children.

Jin Fengju had no idea that the ‘treat’ spoken by Yu Jie was the snake that Jin Ming had especially brought over, only to ‘die upon graduation’. Thinking that it was another one of Fu Qiuning’s unique eating methods, he smiled and said, “Sounds good, ah. I look forward to seeing what your Madam had made.”

Then, he looked around, still smiling, “Has anything… interesting, happened today?”

“What could there be? How could Elder Madam or Second Madam Wan be so quick to return here?” Yu Jie was a straightforward girl with a quick tongue. It was only after the words were out of her mouth that she realised that it might have been a little too impertinent. Luckily, Jin Fengju was too distracted to pay attention to her. She quickly slapped her mouth and beamed ingratiatingly at him, “Madam is in the house. Master should go in quickly. Speaking of which, Steward Jin did not come?”

How could Jin Fengju dare say that Jin Ming was ‘suffering from pangs of conscience’ and could not bear to come to face the ladies? The fellow was so afraid that someone would really be frightened to death or illness from seeing the snakes and refused to support his master. Jin Fengju slowly smiled, “Oh, him, ah? He has some business that needs to be taken care of and will not be here tonight.” As he spoke, he privately scolded Jin Ming: You worthless fellow. Just look at Yu Jie’s appearance. Clearly, your comrades failed to make an impact at Night Breeze Pavilion. Instead, you scared yourself so much that you dare not even come here. How odd, didn’t he say that he brought five or six snakes? Why did no one find even one of them? Wu, could it be that it is too early for snakes to be active and those lazy bones just found somewhere to hide and nest? Is that why no one has discovered them yet?

“What is Master looking for?” Seeing Jin Fengju looking around the gardens so intently, she could only venture to ask what the master was doing.

“Oh, nothing much. Just looking at the flowers in the trees. Hmm, looks like they are withering now.” Jin Fengju quickly reeled back his eyes and tossed out a random reason.

Yu Jie grinned to herself and thought: Although Master is really smart, he cannot escape his background as a natural bookworm who lacks knowledge of the common world. Flowers withering is something that happens every year, what’s so fascinating about it? Aside from those overly dramatic literati, who would care about those things?

However, she let none of these thoughts out, merely snickering to herself as she led Jin Fengju into the receiving room.

When Fu Qiuning saw him enter the gates, she [1a] received him at the entrance. After he sat down, she poured him a cup of tea [1a] and said, “I supposed Yu Jie has already revealed everything to you?”

“Indeed,” Jin Fengju beamed ingratiatingly. [1c] “I wonder just what is it that could make your maid so excited. Since it is so good, shouldn’t you be busy in the kitchen? Or, could it be that this thing takes no time at all to make?”

[2b] Fu Qiuning gave him a strange look. However, she took the opportunity as presented and answered with a quiet ‘Of course’ and left the room. She did not have to make the Snake Soup since there was an expert [1c] around, but Jin Fengju did not have to know that. Instead, she said, “Set the table, Yu Jie, I shall go and check on the soup.”

[1e]

[3b] As Fu Qiuning left the room, Jin Fengju finally realised his misstep. He thought: What was I thinking asking the woman I love to check on whatever is cooking? I could have been sitting with her in this room now!

There was nothing for him to do but wait as time ticked by. Finally, after some time, Yu Jie came in to announce that dinner was ready. [3b] Jin Fengju hurried over to the dining room and saw that Jin Changfeng and Jin Changjiao were already there. The children came over to salute him smartly. [3c] He thought: Ah, even my children treat me better than my wife~~

He went over to pick up each child by the waist and happily ran to the kang where a table had already been set. He watched as Fu Qiuning helped the children out of their shoes and directed them where to sit on the kang. He ended up sitting opposite Fu Qiuning as they waited for Yu Jie to bring the main dish to the table.

Jin Fengju surveyed the tableware with some satisfaction. Although they were not some luxurious golden bowls or silver chopsticks, the tableware were all exquisitely made and much better than the crude bowls and chopsticks from before. When Yu Jie arrived with a large covered bowl, he looked at it with anticipation.

Yu Jie set the bowl on the table and removed the lid, releasing an enticing aroma that immediately filled the room.

“It smells really good. What is it?”

Fu Qiuning looked at him for a moment, “Lord Husband did not know?” [1c] Then, she muttered half to herself, “No wonder, it is a rather rare dish in the north.” [1f]

“Well, it smells [4] really good. Like a very good chicken soup with plenty of ginger.” He smiled benevolently at Fu Qiuning. Considering her frugal nature and her attachment to the produce in her garden, it’s probably one of the chickens she had personally raised and not something like bear paw or deer tendon. Therefore, he should show extra consideration when eating this soup despite its common ingredient.

Jin Changjiao had already helped herself to a bowl and smiled charmingly at her father, “Father, you must try this quickly. It is very, very delicious. When Brother and I were younger, our bodies were very weak. It is thanks to this soup that we are now so healthy.”

Fu Qiuning laughed [1g], “Well, meat in general is good for growing children.”

“But this is extra, extra good. Aunt Yu and Yu Jie said so,” Jin Changjiao insisted. “Brother and I think so too. Mother, did you forget? When we were really, really poor back then, we can’t even have meat during Lunar New Year, but thanks to this, we could still eat well.” She beamed sweetly [1h] at her father. “Anyway, Father should try it. It’s a great favourite and a wonderful treat we all love.”

Jin Fengju had already helped himself to the soup. [4] He guessed that it must be some kind of wild animal caught in the gardens. Perhaps an eel or turtle? They did have a pond… But the meat did not look like either… It is definitely not rabbit either. He savoured the soup carefully in his mouth and smiled at Jin Changjiao, “Indeed, it is very fragrant and delicious. Although I must say, I can’t tell what kind of meat it is.”

Even as he spoke, he kept drinking the soup, even nibbling at the white meat.

Fu Qiuning and the twins kept their mouths shut, staring as the man unknowingly ate the snake soup. As they watch him take a second bowl, she said, “It’s fine if you think it’s delicious. After all, there is no need to greet the chicken that laid the eggs you eat, yes?”

The comparison did not quite make sense, but Jin Fengju had [3d] scented another potential dish to bring before the emperor. If he could bring another dish to tease the emperor’s appetite, he could sing Fu Qiuning’s praises before the Sage again and perhaps even raise Fu Qiuning’s status even more. Beaming with pride at this scheme, he said, “Well, since this is such a good nutritious thing and something I never had even at the imperial dining room, I could recommend it to the emperor, just like the hotpot from last time. The emperor really enjoyed the hotpot. I do believe he would enjoy this soup too-”

[3e]

“Pffftt!!!”

He was interrupted by laughter from Yu Jie, Aunt Yu and [3e] Jin Changjiao. Jin Changfeng was looking away, his face a little pale. Fu Qiuning also had a rather frozen look on her face. [1i]

“What’s the matter?” Jin Fengju was really shocked. He warily looked at the bowl in front of him. “Wait, don’t tell me this is something like, like… rat meat? Well, well… even so, hahahah! There is no need to worry, back when I had to issue a decree to the borders, I happened to get caught up fighting the Northern Army under General Chen. However, we ended up trapped on a hill and most of the food, even tree bark had been eaten up before reinforcement arrived. I remembered we even trapped rats in the forest for meat. Even so, I must say that this one soup is definitely better than the one we had!” He took another large gulp of the soup. [4] Indeed, he mustn’t forget that this soup was made back when Fu Qiuning was living in abject poverty. How desperate for meat they must have been then? He must show enthusiasm no matter what!

On the side, [3f] Jin Changjiao piped up, “Rats are nicer when roasted. Especially those that had been eating our crops.” [5]

“… I see, then, this is…” Jin Fengju looked at his bowl again.

Finally, Fu Qiuning took pity on the man and said, “Yu Jie found a large python today and-”

Suddenly, Jin Fengju coughed. He covered his mouth, but he must have swallowed wrong because the coughing fit did not stop. Aunt Yu quickly poured a glass of water for him while Jin Changfeng patted his father on the back.

“Cough, cough, cough…” it took a long time for Jin Fengju to get over this coughing fit. His entire face was flushed red as he stared at them all. “Qiuning, you… did you say this is… snake… Snake Soup?

Fu Qiuning nodded, “Yes, it is Snake Soup.”

[3f] “Father, didn’t you eat rats before? Snake is tastier.” Jin Changjiao quipped. “Right, Brother?”

Jin Changfeng coughed but did not contribute to the conversation.

[3e]

Jin Fengju sat in place like a frozen statue. After a long time, he lowered his head and said in a faint voice, “You are saying… that you found a snake in your yard and… and caught it? Yu Jie caught it? And you ate it?” He sneaked a glance at the young maid standing on the side. He thought: Just… what kind of girl is she? Is she still a girl? It’s one thing to not be afraid of geckos, but surely most women would run away from snakes? Would any venture forward to catch them?

Fu Qiuning laughed softly, “Indeed, Yu Jie is the one who caught it. Generally, we will smash the head in after picking the body up with a stick. We were in luck today as one of the new servants happened to be from Lingnan and was very proficient in catching [2d] and cooking snakes. Lord Husband is lucky today, because Uncle Lin came from generations of chefs specialising in Snake Soups.”

However, Jin Fengju did not look like he felt lucky at all. He pressed a hand to his chest, still unable to believe what he was hearing. “You have been… eating snakes for… over a year?”

[3g] Fu Qiuning raised an eyebrow. She thought: Just what is this fellow’s problem? Is he being dramatic again? Whatever, let’s just answer his question.

“For over five years, Lord Husband. Back then, while the crops have yet to mature, we had to do our best to find food and clothing. The children were very young, so I did my best to provide meat for them. Grass snakes and pythons could be found among the long grasses here, as well as a few rats which we would sometimes fatten with scraps. Frogs were often too small to eat, but the ducks liked them. Even after we established our small poultry farm, we still look forward to catching the occasional snake during autumn as a treat. Snake Soup is not only nutritious and nourishing, it is also very delicious.”

Jin Fengju was completely speechless. Was this woman truly the shu-born daughter of King Zhenjiang’s Heir? Even as a shu-born girl, surely she should have been brought up to be a delicate lady? Right? Still unwilling to accept the situation before him, he said warily, “So, you… all of you… that is… none of you is afraid of being bitten? Don’t women often run away screaming from the sight of snakes? Why are you all so… resilient?”

Fu Qiuning [2e] stared at him for a moment, a trace of suspicion was starting to enter her mind. Didn’t Yu Jie mention that it was too early for snakes to appear? Moreover, these snakes were usually fat… Could it be… However, it would not benefit her to bring the matter up before the perpetrator. The man would lose face, as for her… she would lose so much more… Therefore, she could only smile and say, “There are very few venomous snakes in the north. Pythons, especially large ones, don’t tend to be venomous at all. The little grass snakes would run away rather than bite a person, so there is no reason to fear them.”

Jin Fengju, “… …”

“In fact, we do scream whenever we see a snake,” said Aunt Yu excitedly. “When Yu Jie saw the snake, she screamed so loudly and excitedly too. These things don’t tend to come out during winter, so it had been ages since we had Snake Soup. Last year, our harvest was particularly poor, we barely get to see snake skins, let alone a whole live snake. This snake is too unlucky, the moment this girl clapped eyes on her, she immediately seized it for dinner.”

Gumihou: I believe that this snake arc is for us to see JFJ being particularly sweet and silly, and more importantly, lend him a vibe of ‘it is all harmless fun, lolz~’. It’s not working on Gumi.

The ‘Yu Jie thinks the master is a bit silly, tee hee’ is also one such scene to make us see him as harmless.

Gumi also destroyed the cute teasing scene of FQN baiting JFJ with what dinner was supposed to be. It was overly done, draggy cutesy to showcase ‘sweet moments’.

Snake Soup Wiki 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_soup#:~:text=Snake%20soup%20or%20stew%20(Chinese,snakes%20as%20the%20main%20ingredients.

[1] Deletes:

[1a] Deleted ‘hurriedly’ because why should she? Deleted ‘with a smile’ too for good measure.

[1b] Deleted cute moment of ‘your maid is so excited, tee hee~~ 

[1c] Deleted the ‘tee hee’ moments of JFJ bantering sweetly in reply to deleted [2a]

[1d] Deleted FQN ordering Yu Jie to check on the soup, since [3a]

[1e] Entire ‘cute’ interaction between JFJ and AR Qiuning is gone thanks to [3a]. Hurrah for [3a].

[1f] Deleted unnecessary thoughts on JFJ

[1g] Deleted ‘stupidly’, why laughed stupidly? Are you a donkey? Also deleted equally the stupid ‘nyahah who told you that, hee hee~~’

[1h] Deleted ‘suddenly, she wanted to try and trick her father’ redid the text without obviously saying Jin Changjiao’s intention

[1i] Deleted details about the maids being proper maids since it contributes nothing to the story

[2] Replaced:

[2a] Replaced ‘what a coincidence~~ we have something good~~ tee hee~’ with ‘Yu Jie has revealed everything?’

[2b] Replace cute bantering moments of ‘tee hee, I’m not the one cooking~~ I has so many servants now~~ hee~~’ with ‘sure’. Since JFJ’s ‘shouldn’t you be busy in the kitchen’ is the author’s way of baiting FQN to create this ‘tee hee~’ moment with JFJ

[2c] Have Fu Qiuning and the twins conspire together to watch JFJ eat the soup while saying nothing instead of having AR Qiuning going ‘oh noes~~ oh noes~~~’

[2d] Replaced explanation of snake catching and talk about JFJ’s luck in eating snake cooked by a master

[2e] Replace ‘haha~~ so embarrassed~~blep’ with ‘why is he being so suspicious…’

[3] Add Detail:

[3a] Add to FQN’s thoughts. Take the opportunity from [2b] to leave JFJ’s presence.

[3b] JFJ rolling around thinking how stupid he had been. No cute scene about him praising FQN’s embroidery. No ‘hahaha, Lord Husband is so greedy~~’. No ‘fufu, when will you embroider another pouch for me~~’.

Of course, absolutely no ‘husband and wife happily chatted together as they enter the dining room’

[3c] Add detail to showcase drama queen JFJ

[3d] Add more detail to JFJ’s scheming side

[3e] Add detail to create a more realistic ‘reveal’ scene

[3f] Have Jin Changjiao add to the conversation and show a little more of her vivacity. Eating rats makes sense since there would probably be some around to eat their crops.

[3g] Add Detail about FQN wondering what’s up with JFJ’s head. Also, added details about their poverty and desperation.

[4] Snake Soup – I think it’s rather difficult to tell whether a soup is made from snake? While I understand that some people could smell snake, and are sensitive to the scent of snakes, snake soups are often made with a lot of ginger and spices or other meats to make a ‘gao tang’ or ‘quality broth’ often associated with shark fin soups. So, I’m going to reword JFJ’s reaction according to this common sense and have him work out the reasons for his assumptions.

Pill Bug Notes:

[5] Please, please do NOT try wild rat meat if you have the choice. They carry many parasites that are hard to kill even with cooking, Toxoplasmosis being one of them. Fun fact: toxoplasmosis may be responsible for ‘crazy cat ladies’ who love to collect cats, because it is known to slow down reflexes and alter behaviour by infecting rat and human brains!

Gumihou: Thus the question is… are crazy cat ladies crazy for collecting cats or went crazy from collecting cats?