Love Like the Galaxy

Chapter Six:
Melon Seed Shell

Madam Xiao forced her sister-in-law back with a word, then stood quietly to the side. On the contrary, Madam Dong Lu, the new bride who had been supporting the crying Aunt Dong, quickly raised her head and glanced at Madam Xiao. Who knew that Madam Xiao seemed to have eyes on her cheek, and she turned to face her. She turned to look at her as if it had deep meaning.

Madam Dong Lu was greatly shocked and quickly lowered her head.

Cheng Shi was still kneeling in front of his mother and explained, “I told Mother in the letter that Uncle Dong’s hands are not clean every time. Fortunately, I am right in front of him and I can make up for what I can. I can hide what I can. But in the Battle of Yi Yang six months ago, General Wan was injured and I was transferred to lead soldiers under General Han’s command. I couldn’t take my uncle to manage the weapons under General Han. Before leaving, I said something, but to my surprise, my uncle couldn’t stop for a few months and someone caught him! What does Mother want me to do? Do you want me to let go of such a great opportunity, not strive for wealth and fame, just to see my uncle out of jail?!”

Old Madam Cheng was speechless for a while. She had known that her younger brother was stealing, but relied on her son’s cover to keep herself ignorant. When she asked, she choked for a long time before saying, “So what is your uncle going to do now? Is he going to die? Have his property confiscated?” Upon hearing the word ‘confiscated,’ Aunt Dong cried even louder and two thick yellow boogers dripped from her nostrils, making Yu Cai Ling nauseous.

Cheng Shi expressed his embarrassment in a diplomatic tone, “If you don’t want to, you really can’t.”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Cheng lashed out, took the strong arms and vigorous physique that she had when she went up the mountain and down to the field, and kicked the small table where Yu Cai Ling’s soup bowls and snacks were, smashing the furnishings in the room into a mess. She grabbed Cheng Shi’s front like a pair of iron tongs, mouth-foaming, she cried and cursed, “You black-hearted bastard! You’re just watching your uncle die like this… I – I’ll sue you for disobedience!”

If a child is unfilial, one could go down to the government office to sue for disobedience, ranging from fines and beatings to being dismissed from an official office. This bad idea was contributed by the Ge family, and in recent years, Old Madam Cheng often used it to manipulate her son and daughter-in-law, achieving great results.

Cheng Shi tried his best to tug on his collar and said angrily, “Mother, go and sue me. What’s more important – national affairs or family affairs? The theft by my uncle has been reported. Because I refuse to listen to my mother’s order of covering the crime, I am not afraid of such ‘unfilial acts’ even if they are reported to the emperor.”

How can Old Madam Cheng, a rural woman, know all of this? She only knows that ‘disobedience’ is ‘unfilial,’ and unfilial ‘can be sued.’ Now it sounded like country is even bigger than filial piety. She had no choice but to wail and fall onto the bed, rolling around like a wild boar.

Yu Cai Ling watched the show with relish. She could feel the bowl in her hands was getting cold and quickly downed the rest of the medicine before watching more of the drama. She was so invested that she didn’t notice the bitterness this time. Unexpectedly, Madam Xiao looked at her coldly. Qing Cong, who was watching her, followed her gaze and saw Yu Cai Ling’s actions.

Madam Xiao said in a deep voice, “A’Zhu, cover Niao Niao tightly and lead her to my room to rest.” The drama of grandmother and father was always hard for younger generations to watch.

Yu Cai Ling was disappointed, but didn’t dare to resist. A’Zhu quickly grabbed a robe and wrapped her in it. Lian Fang and Qiao Guo hurriedly picked up several boxes of snacks with hidden bags and cushions. The three of them hugged Yu Cai Ling and quickly walked out of the room, bypassing the corridor about ten steps and then went into another room.

The room was obviously tidied up temporarily, the interior as simple as her own. Yu Cai Ling nibbled on a piece of candied fruit while craning her ears to listen to the faint cries and curses coming from her room, imagining how the battle was going. It was a pity that she never encountered such a live broadcast before today.

For the next few days, Yu Cai Ling continued to eat, drink medicine, sleep and walk around the room three times. Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao were very busy, not being at home for most of the day and she didn’t know what they were doing. Only Qing Cong came every day to sit in Yu Cai Ling’s room and talk, asking how her body was recovering.

Qing Cong’s appearance was just ordinary, with clean and soft eyebrows and eyes, and smiling lines on both sides of her mouth. When she didn’t smile, she still looked as if she was smiling, making people feel close to her. Yu Cai Ling thought she was coming to assert herself, but who knew that Qing Cong was such a gossip. Sometimes she would bring delicious little snacks that Yu Cai Ling had never seen before, sometimes she would bring small things like jade hairpins, gold hairpins, or earrings. After a few days, Yu Cai Ling finally allowed herself to lower her guard around her.

“The Madam and Master have brought a lot of things for Young Mistress, but they are trapped in the back of the carriage which has not been dismantled. These days, there are so many trivial matters to attend to, so we can only open the box when we settle down later.” Qing Cong smiled, folded her hands in front of her knees, and sat down.

Yu Cai Ling nodded and said, “Well, it’s almost New Year’s Day. Father and Mother must be busy.”

Qing Cong’s eyes flashed, she couldn’t deny it.

Due to her daily conversation, Yu Cai Ling learned that her real name was ‘Cheng Shaoshang,’ and she had a twin brother named ‘Cheng Shaogong.’ It is said that her grandfather, Old Master Cheng, had been in a state of illness for several months before they were born. He was overjoyed when he heard Madam Xiao had given birth to twins, coughed up a mouthful of thick phlegm, and lived for another half a year. Although he still died later, it was a great fortune for Cheng Shi who was at a critical juncture in battle for the first half of the year.

Everyone knew that the twins were auspicious. As soon as the musician Old Master Cheng was feeling better, he wrote a passage that said, “I didn’t expect to see these two children again. The Shennong Qin has five strings on it and Emperor Wen added two strings, calling them Shaogong and Shaoshang. That will be their names.”

Undoubtedly, apart from Third Uncle Cheng who was away studying at the time, only Madam Xiao in the family knew what Old Master Cheng was talking about. Therefore, the name ‘Cheng Niao’ that was originally planned for the newborn girl became a nickname.

“When will my brothers be home?” Cheng Shaoshang smiled and accepted the new name, abandoning the name given to her by her previous father without any regret.

“Young Mistress shouldn’t worry. There are still many carriages and horses and other miscellaneous items behind us, which need to be taken care of by several young men. The Madam and Master rushed back first.” Qing Cong said.

Cheng Shaoshang smiled at the word ‘miscellaneous’ and understood; at the same time, it was strange why people in the Cheng family loved to call her ‘young mistress.’ Although she was the only daughter of this family, if they wanted to add up all three of the Cheng family’s houses, then the Third Uncle had an even younger daughter.

…

Cheng Shaoshang’s health gradually improved, but the days were long and boring. She couldn’t help but ask with a hopeful tone every day, “How is the Dong family’s situation?”

A’Zhu didn’t hide it from Cheng Shaoshang, but she really didn’t have the talent for gossip. Her answers were, “I won’t say” and “I still won’t say.” If she was lucky, A’Zhu would occasionally respond with “I refuse to say no matter what.”

Unlike the loyal and taciturn A’Zhu, Lian Fang was more considerate. She was the daughter of Cheng Shi Biqu and had taken care of the many younger brothers and sisters in her family as a child. Seeing the Young Mistress’s shining eyes and heart unwilling to be trapped in the house, she softened. In the following days, Lian Fang would occasionally tell Cheng Shaoshang about some of the ‘good shows’ she had seen outside.

Qiao Guo couldn’t understand and asked privately, “Madam Qing Cong taught us to talk less, listen more, and do more. Sister, why do you always tell Young Mistress about things outside?”

Lian Fang smiled and said, “The Young Mistress and Madam haven’t seen each other for ten years. How can they become close? The two of us must follow Young Mistress in the future. If she doesn’t believe in us and doesn’t become close with us, wouldn’t it be a waste of Madam Qing Cong’s teachings? Besides, what I’m telling her is known to the whole family, and it’s just as important to teach the Young Mistress to relieve her boredom.”

Qiao Guo listened and thanked Lian Fang for her guidance.

A few days later, A’Zhu noticed Lian Fang was spreading her stories. However, Lian Fang smiled and pleaded, “To spread the word is to fabricate a story, distorting it to please the Madam, but what this servant said is not false.”

Seeing that A’Zhu was still dissatisfied, she continued, “Madam Qing Cong often praises that our Madam is reasonable and capable of not losing to men. She said that Madam has been in charge of family affairs since she was six or seven years old. Do we want to keep Young Mistress in a cage for the rest of her life, so that she won’t know the wind and rain outside? If I am wrong, just scold me. Regardless of whether it is good or bad, shouldn’t we let the Young Mistress learn so she can learn to distinguish whether it is right or wrong?”

After looking at Lian Fang for a while, A’Zhu said to herself, ‘Although this is a good statement, this maid is not prudent enough.’

But she also thought about letting the Young Mistress know about the grievances of the elders, so as not to alienate her parents by thinking about her ten years of upbringing. After, A’Zhu stopped talking and only paid attention secretly.

The eloquence of Lian Fang was very different from that of A’Zhu. When it came to rumors, Lian Fang spoke with both eloquence and emotion. It was only then that Cheng Shaoshang felt that life had gained some flavor.

After the fight between mother and son, Old Madam Cheng cursed and said she had to pay for Uncle Dong’s order by herself, but the money box was half empty, and there was no hope for it. Instead, she sent to see Uncle Dong being escorted in the prison carriage. According to the servants who had attended, Uncle Dong looked embarrassed and haggard.

Old Madam Cheng made a few more troubles for her son, but after none worked, she resorted to doing a hunger strike. It was said that several women in the previous dynasty used this tactic to deal with the emperor’s son. Unfortunately, Old Madam Cheng had lived a life being hungry and scared and did not want to go through that again. The hunger strike ended after only two missed meals. According to the servants in the kitchens, Old Madam Cheng ate a smoked chicken, half a roast goose, two pickled hooves, and three large bowls of rice for the first meal after ending the strike. She had also found a doctor to prescribe medicine for digestion in advance.

Old Madam Cheng was struggling, but the situation of the Dong family was even worse. Dong’s son was also detained, and the Dong family’s farm and shop had been sealed off. Madam Dong Lu’s performance was excellent. In order to show that she couldn’t ask Old Madam Cheng to ‘fight alone,’ she angrily sold around twenty maidservants and concubines in her husband’s house, and raised a large sum of money to give Old Madam Cheng. Old Madam Cheng immediately felt like this was a truly good niece who had been cultivated for centuries.

The recent news was that Aunt Dong came to cry every day these days. After dinner Old Madam Cheng drank two cups of wine, which made people brave. She directly used a cloth-cutting knife to intimidate her son again, saying that if her son refused to save his uncle, he would die for him and then she would sue for disobedience. Cheng Shaoshang felt that there was something deeply wrong with this order of events.

Cheng Shi couldn’t bear to be disturbed anymore and casually said it was either he couldn’t save Uncle Dong, or he would bear the charge, say that Uncle Dong stole under his command. Then, he would be beheaded in exchange for Uncle Dong, and all their property would be confiscated and given to the Dong family. What did Mother think of that?

Old Madam Cheng immediately became mute. Although she loved her younger brother, she never thought of exchanging her son for him. Unexpectedly, Aunt Dong was enlightened and blurted out, “My nephew is a high-ranking official, and even if he has committed a crime, it won’t be too bad. At most, he can be fined. Why don’t you ask my nephew to confess to this crime?” As soon as the words were spoken, both mother and son of the Cheng family turned pale with anger.

Others thought that it was fortunate the Dong Family was incompetent and couldn’t enter the prison. If they were able to visit Uncle Dong, it was possible that collusion could happen, and the Cheng family would be framed.

Cheng Shi immediately became furious, and regardless of whether anyone heard him or not, he shouted to Old Madam Cheng who was standing in the hall. “Fine! Filial piety is the top priority. As long as Mother orders, I will report to the Northern Army Prison! From now on, Mother will live with my second and third brothers!”

Many people, both inside and out, heard this, and the servants and stewards all said that their Old Madam was crazy. Madam Xiao hid in the room and smiled slightly, cursing without good words. Once the dispute started, even the best relationships would be hurt.

At this moment, Old Madam Cheng was shaken from her drunken stupor and vigorously slapped Aunt Dong, leaving her unable to come out of her room. Cheng Shi ordered the servants to not allow Aunt Dong to set foot in the Cheng household, and to break the legs of anyone who dared let them in. Old Madam Cheng didn’t dare to speak up. The matter froze until Madam Dong Lu came to apologize on the third day.

According to Qing Cong (as told by Lian Fang), for the father and son of the Dong family, the old loves money, the young loves sex, and Aunt Dong is a fool. Madam Dong Lu was the only one in the Dong Family who understood; however, this understanding was also in exchange for a lot of suffering.

The Dong and Lu families were originally wealthy farmers, and their grandfathers had already made a marriage agreement for their grandchildren. Unfortunately, Old Master Dong passed away early and the world was war-ragged. As a result, the family’s fortunes deteriorated day by day, while the Lu family was able to maintain themselves. In order to keep his promise, Old Master Lu married his little granddaughter into the Dong family, who didn’t even have enough to eat. In the early years, Aunt and Uncle Dong treated the bride well. However, Cheng Shi was too powerful and within a few years he became well-known. Looking at the brides married by the Cheng brothers, the Dong family felt that their daughter-in-law’s eyes were not her eyes and her nose was not her nose. If it weren’t for Madam Dong Lu giving birth to a number of children and being good at flattery, she would have been divorced early.

Cheng Shaoshang didn’t know what Madam Dong Lu and Old Madam Cheng said. From dawn to noon, Old Madam Cheng’s temper had completely dissipated. In the evening, stammering messengers sent someone to call Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao over so she could express her remorse.

When hearing the summons from Old Madam Cheng, Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao were calling to Cheng Shaoshang to have a meal together and to do some parent-daughter bonding. Seeing the look of the maid kneeling by the door, Qing Cong smiled and said, “It’s a little earlier than Madam expected. It seems that Madam Dong Lu is very eloquent.”

Madam Xiao smiled without saying a word, and was about to get up to go out. Cheng Shi didn’t forget to tell his daughter, “Niao Niao, you should eat your food first, and have more meat!”

Cheng Shaoshang paused in the posture of raising her arms before saying, “Yes. Respectfully sending off my father and mother. Father and Mother will come back early.”

The girl’s voice was soft, as if kneading a dough ball. Cheng Shi liked this in his heart and nodded out with a smile.

Cheng Shaoshang continued to sit on her knees, head lowered over her meal. Beside her, A’Zhu noticed this was a bit strange. Qing Cong looked at her and smiled, “Don’t be upset, Young Mistress. Madam and Master will eat with you often in the future. Something really came up today.”

Cheng Shaoshang responded in a low voice.

It’s a pity that even the exquisite Qing Cong guessed wrong. Cheng Shaoshang was not thinking about that – she didn’t like others calling her Niao Niao because her nickname was Lingan, although the person who called her that passed away a long time ago.

…

Every time she walked into Old Madam Cheng’s room; Madam Xiao felt dazzled. Old Madam Cheng’s requirements for her house was very simple, rich, rich, and rich. From the floor to the table, the bed, the seat, everything that could be inlaid with gold was inlaid with gold thread and silk.

At first, Old Madam Cheng was a little embarrassed to speak, but once she began, the more she said and the smoother it became. She took Cheng Shi’s hand, with a tearful face and runny nose and said, “Your sister-in-law said it well, when I am old, who can I rely on if not my son? You’ve been working for credit with your blood all these years so that I can live a good life of eating meat and drinking alcohol. How could I not value your life and death more seriously than others…”

Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao glanced at each other but didn’t speak.

Old Madam Cheng continued to cry, “Your uncle asked me to take care of the family before he passed away, but I didn’t take care of it. Your other uncles died and scattered, leaving only this one. I feel sorry for my parents who have passed away, so I thought about subsidizing the Dong family more. If you are not happy in the future, I will never do anything…”

Madam Xiao looked at Madam Dong Lu with admiration in her heart. After only half a day, she had completely changed Old Madam Cheng’s mind. She glanced at her husband and Cheng Shi understood. “Mother, what else did Sister Lu say?”

Old Madam Cheng firmly remembered Madam Dong Lu’s words: to show weakness, you must also show weakness. She said with a sigh, “She said as long as you are promoted to a rank of merit, the Dong family will naturally benefit. Asking your uncle to serve in the military was to poach your corner and drag you down.” At this, her tone changed and she ground her teeth together. “It turns out that the Dong family has not saved much money over the years. It’s either your cousin asking to find women for fun, or your vicious and heartless aunt took it to help her maiden family!”

Although Old Madam Cheng loved to help her own maiden family, she hated others who helped their own maiden family. She had scolded Madam Xiao several times for helping her side of the family, but now that she knew a lot of the money she had given her younger brother and been given to his wife’s family… it made her extremely furious. If she ever saw the opportunity in the future, she would grab Aunt Dong’s hair and give her a good beating.

“Son,” Old Madam Cheng patted Cheng Shi’s arm. “Just save your uncle once. They have a field and a house, and won’t be hungry or cold. I won’t trouble you again in the future!” She turned to Madam Xiao and said, “From now on, you’ll be in charge of all the affairs of the family. When I am old, I’ll just enjoy a peaceful life.”

Madam Xiao’s gaze was like a deep pool, unmoving. After entering the room for so long, she finally spoke, “It seems that Mother understands, but in fact, Uncle is not irreparable…”

Old Madam Cheng secretly rolled her eyes while wiping her tears, but before Madam Xiao could finish speaking, she jumped three feet high and said violently, “Well, your uncle was indeed framed by the two heartless people, just to judge me! I am your Mother! How dare you do this. I want – I want…”

“What does Mother want me to do?” Madam Xiao interrupted coldly, “What can Mother do to me?”

Old Madam Cheng was momentarily speechless, and Cheng Shi remained motionless, leaving the room completely silent.

Madam Xiao slowly got up, covered the door curtain more tightly, turned around and said, “Expel me. I think you have heard some rumors that I have made some small contributions in the city and outside of battle all these years. Besides, can you force my husband to divorce me? I’m still alive -”

She smiled slightly, with a peculiar sarcastic curve at the corner of her mouth and said word by word, “I’m still alive, but others may not be.”

Old Madam Cheng froze as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her.

Madam Xiao looked at her quietly for a moment and said, “Madam Dong Lu said so much, she didn’t say this?”

Old Madam Cheng began to tremble. Her son used her own younger brother to control her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about using Madam Xiao to control her son, but what Madam Dong Lu said was vivid in her ears.

“I heard from outside that Xiao Sister-in-law treated the wounded and sick before the battle, comforted people in the war. Many people praised her up and down. The court praised her, but you will force General Cheng to divorce her. So what? She can still starve to death and freeze to death in shame, but it’s just that people will say you are stupid and vicious. The general’s anger hasn’t spread to the Dong family yet. Can your brothers and nephews still survive? After you wait a hundred years, the general will welcome her back, and she will continue to enjoy her children and grandchildren, but what about the Dong family?”

Looking at Madam Xiao’s icy and calm face, Old Madam Cheng’s voice was stuck in her throat. Fingers trembling, she turned to Cheng Shi and said, “My son, are you just watching her bully me like this?”

Cheng Shi said in a deep voice, “I know Mother always feels that I am looking towards Yuan Yi, but could Mother think that I was like this as soon as I was married? Over the past ten years, what Yuan Yi has done, what Mother has done, I have seen everything one by one.” He turned to look at his wife and then back to his mother. “What Yuan Yi means is what I mean. The Dong family can’t be tolerated. Mother, you should also rest, it is not your responsibility to manage it and you should not manage it in the future.”

Old Madam Cheng sank to the floor, feeling powerless and unable to speak or scold. Cheng Shi felt pity in his heart and looked at Madam Xiao. Madam Xiao nodded slightly, and Cheng Shi said, “Go back to the room first and ask someone to close the door tightly.”

Madam Xiao looked at Cheng Shi with a slight smile and said, “Okay.”

…

Another chapter down! I personally love the novel’s version of Mama Cheng. She’s still a horrible mother to CSS but feels way more fleshed out. She’s a badass, and when we get into her backstory it shows why she is the way she is. Does that excuse her? Hell no. But I love her.

See you Tuesday!