Chapter 1 FCADW? IRTBTMOTMM
FlamingoBees
Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)
Favoring Concubines and Destroying Wives? I Refuse to be the Mistress of this Marquis' Mansion
Chapter 1:
Adoption
"Yunwan, what do you think of these five children?"
The scene before her, the voices around her, felt so vivid.
Lin Yunwan had not completely adapted to the fact that she had been given a second chance, now back to the age of twenty-three.
Realizing that the Old Madam was speaking to her, she came back to her senses. She assessed the five children lined up outside the main hall, Yu Shou Tang, all seven or eight years old, wearing new clothes. They stood in a row, awaiting her selection to be adopted as her legitimate son.
Seeing her grand-daughter-in-law silent, the Old Madam advised, "You've been childless for seven years. Just adopt one first. Perhaps when you have your own child, it will bring even more joy. It's a win-win situation."
Lin Yunwan replied, "Old Madam, when the Old Master passed away, the heir said he wanted to observe a mourning period, so he moved to the Lu family ancestral house and stayed there for three years. Just when I finally waited for the heir to finish his mourning, he was sent on a military expedition to the frontier and has been there until now. Even a talented wife cannot cook without rice."
Speaking out loud, she feared that others might not believe her. She had been married to the Marquis's residence for seven years, but she still hadn't consummated her marriage with her husband, Lu Zhengliu!
Old Madam Lu looked awkward and turned to look at the child in the middle, smiling, "I think Qing Ge'er is good. What do you think, Yunwan?"
Lin Yunwan smiled strangely, "This child is indeed very good!"
In her previous life, she had chosen Qing Ge'er, raised him as her legitimate son, and cherished him dearly. The child was quite outstanding, becoming a top scholar at a young age, bringing glory to the Lu family. She was proud of her adopted son.
But she would never forget how she died!
She had devoted herself to the Marquis' residence, to the point that, in her thirties, she was bedridden and unable to move. When she was seriously ill, all she wanted was to see Qing Ge'er one more time. However, he was unwilling. It took repeated requests from servants for him to visit her.
The last time he visited her, his eyes were full of resentment, an emotion she had rarely seen in him.
"Since I entered the Marquis' residence, you've forced me to study diligently every day. You never allowed me to make the friends I wanted, and you always restricted me from eating what I liked! Did you think I would never find out? Even my favorite servant girl, you secretly sold her! From childhood to adulthood, I have never stopped hating you!"
Lin Yunwan was angry, and she didn't even have the time or energy to explain everything thoroughly. She could only tremble and say, "Qing Ge'er, whether you resent me or hate me, I am still your mother. You shouldn't treat me like this."
"My mother?"
Qing Ge'er laughed triumphantly, "Fortunately, she is my mother."
She? Who is she--
In front of Lin Yunwan's eyes appeared a familiar figure, her "sister," a distant grand-niece of Old Madam Lu. Allegedly born into a humble and pitiful background, with no support or family, she had a heart full of filial piety and willingly served the old lady. Thus, she was raised in the Marquis' residence like a wealthy young lady.
However, due to her humble origins, she became a target for criticism.
"Though she is a distant cousin, she has always shown filial piety to me in front of Grandmother. Yunwan, why don't you recognize her as your sister? Consider it a favor for me, okay?" Her husband had spoken, and Lin Yunwan had no room to refuse.
That was the first time Lu Zhengliu had embraced her, uttering sweet words, "Yunwan, having you is the greatest blessing of my life."
So, she pleaded with her natal family to record this girl in the Lin family genealogy, acknowledging her as a real sister.
With the support of the respected Lin family, right after Lin Yunwan's death, this girl was brought in grandly from the Lin family, taking the position of the main wife in the Marquis's residence. Thus, the three of them truly reunited.
Lin Yunwan truly regretted her lack of insight.
© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations have been posted WITHOUT permission of the translator.
Back in the day, when she married into the Marquis' residence, the emperor was on the verge of stripping Lu's family of their title. It was only because of her father's previous role as the tutor to the crown prince that the matter was postponed.
If not for her years of hard work, evident to all, and the officials' impassioned pleas in her favor when she fell seriously ill, moving the emperor's heart, the emperor had graciously permitted the Marquis' residence to regain its title. Lu Zhengliu was given a chance to honorably care for her on her deathbed, and the Lu family enjoyed prosperity.
But in the end, her husband belonged to another woman, the title went to another woman's son, and the position of the legal wife also went to someone else.
Twenty years of diligent effort ended with her handing everything over to others, doing nothing more than sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
"Yunwan, Yunwan? What's wrong with you?"
The Madam of the Marquis's residence, Madam Wei, asked with deep concern.
Old Madam Lu said, "Yunwan, since you have already chosen the child Qing'er, then let it be him. When the heir returns, I will have the ancestral hall open..."
Lin Yunwan interrupted her and pointed to another child, "I think this child is also good."
Standing on the far right, a young lad named Lu Chang Gong, with hair as dark as ink, seemed to be a delicate and handsome young man. He kept his head low, behaving in an orderly manner without looking up once.
Old Madam Lu, looking at him, was also surprised. Upon closer inspection, he was indeed an outstanding child, comparable to her own grandson!
She found it hard to say anything and could only awkwardly insist, "I still think Qing'er is better; he reminds me of the young Zhengliu, quite pleasing to my eyes."
After all, he was Lu Zhengliu's biological child; how could he not resemble him?
Lin Yunwan calmly said, "Being a child from the first branch is important; the background of the child is secondary."
Both Old Madam Lu and Madam Wei nodded, fully agreeing. In families like theirs, they were not afraid of raising a mediocre child, but they feared raising a wastrel who would bring trouble to the ancestors.
Lin Yunwan continued, "Both children are around seven years old. If their minds have already been corrupted, it might be difficult to educate them. It's best if they are like blank sheets of paper."
She then turned to them and asked, "Have you ever been to school? Have you read any books?"
Lu Chang Gong, although a child from the Lu family, was from a distant branch and had long fallen on hard times. His father struggled to feed him, and there was no spare money to send him to school.
He shook his head shyly, "No, madam."
It was Qing Ge'er's turn. Old Madam Lu's heart tightened; how could her beloved great-grandson not have learned to read and write?
But Qing Ge'er confidently said, "Madam, I haven't read any books either."
Old Madam Lu breathed a sigh of relief; indeed, her great-grandson was clever.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yunwan raised an eyebrow and instructed her maid, "Ping Ye, go and check the middle finger of their right hands."
"Yes, madam."
Ping Ye first grabbed Lu Chang Gong's hand; neither hand had calluses, just some wrinkles on the palms.
She then grabbed Qing Ge'er's right hand, extending his middle finger in front of everyone. A child who had been literate for three years already had a thin callus on his middle finger, a trace left by reading and writing.
Ping Ye exclaimed, "Madam, he has studied! He can write!"
Old Madam Lu's expression changed slightly; she almost blurted something out.
Lin Yunwan looked over and said firmly, "Old Madam, this child is not honest. He is not worthy of being a child of the Lu family."
Old Madam Lu, with a forced smile, said, "I think he's a clever child. We can teach him."
Lin Yunwan was not convinced, her face showing a hint of coldness.
Madam Wei, the Old Madam's daughter-in-law, frowned and added, "Old Madam, this child is only seven years old, but his scheming is too much..."
Old Lady Lu glared at her fiercely.
You know nothing! Fool!
She only kept it from Madam Wei because she was afraid that Madam Wei wouldn't be able to keep the secret before things were settled. Yet, she ended up helping an outsider.
Madam Wei, not knowing the reason, obediently closed her mouth, not participating in the argument.
The bloodline of the Marquis's residence could not be lost outside.
Old Madam Lu made the final decision, "I like both children. Since you prefer Chang Gong more, let's go through the procedures to adopt both children later."
"Good."
Lin Yunwan surprisingly agreed very readily.
Qing Ge'er raised his eyes, his black eyes curious as he looked at Lin Yunwan.
She was going to be his stepmother now. His father said that only by acknowledging this stepmother could he be with his parents.
Lin Yunwan's cold gaze shifted to that young and tender face, with even a trace of satisfaction at the corner of her mouth.
This child, she would definitely raise him.
But this time, she would never force him.
He didn't need to study diligently, make friends cautiously, refrain from eating his favorite foods due to health concerns, or be separated from frivolous maidservants with questionable intentions. Under the guidance of his birth mother, he just needed to grow up freely, following his heart.
© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations have been posted WITHOUT permission of the translator.
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