江湖路弯弯: Jianghu Road is Curved! Chapter 22

Double update! Make sure you read the previous chapter 🙂

_{(translated by xia0xiao1mei)}

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Half A Beautiful Face Nanny

Knowledge comes from experience, the most painful experiences in history tells us, to never trust others so easily.

Pang Wan looks at the reflection in the mirror, her tears trickling trickling down.

——the left half of her face, is still that of a pretty young girl, beautiful like a painting; the right half of her face, despite the facial features remaining the same, is coated in a layer of heaven knows what, the skin looking just like it had wrinkled from soaking in water for too long, layers and layers of creasing, looking strikingly similar to a haggard old lady.

“What you crying for? Does it not look very pretty?” He Qing Lu grinningly says as he stands behind her.

“You……what’s the meaning of this?” Pang Wan trembles, she uses her fingertips to gently tug at those wrinkles —— so realistic! Could it be it was caused by some sort of herbal water that she soaked her skin with?

“Did you not want to have lots and lots of people like you?” He Qing Lu leans in towards her ear, eyes overflowing with bizarre brilliance, “You see, looking from the left, young men will like you; looking from the right, the elderly men will like you——tut tut, how thoroughly considerate I am.”

“You, you’re using public affairs to exact personal vengeance……” Pang Wan has already been angered to the point that she cannot even speak properly, as she looks at her own disfigured appearance in the mirror, she gives rise to a sort of sensation, practically drowning in frustration and rage —— “I’ll kill you!” She flips over and pastes herself onto He Qing Lu’s torso, the golden whip in hand coils around his neck like a water snake, “Fraud!” She bares her teeth at him, face flushed red from fury.

He Qing Lu does not move at all, and only looks at her with slight obsession, using his hand to gently catch the tear on her cheek.

“Indeed real faces are still the best.” He calmly states, “Be it the trail from flowing tears, or the lines formed on the face when speaking, all is much more natural.” Looks like there’s still space for his skills to improve.

“You fake face lunatic! Aren’t you going to hurry up and fix the right side of my face?!” Pang Wan goes crazy, with one pull at the whip, He Qing Lu’s neck is impressively lined with an additional red mark.

“Sure you want it fixed?” He says, slightly out of breath, his brows knitted as he stares at her, “This glue is a uniquely made secret recipe, specially used to remember a person’s contours and direction of skin texture, should you remove it right now, how am I to help you make a face after this?”

Pang Wan’s tears comes to a halt, her hand loosens: “You, you didn’t say so before……”

“Why must I tell you?” He Qing Lu’s expression grows impatient to the extreme, “Should you be unwilling to apply it, then forget it.” He acts as though he is reaching out to wipe away that layer of glue.

“No no no!” Pang Wan hurriedly reaches out to block him, “I’ll apply! I’ll apply! I’ll apply it, isn’t that fine now?”

Seeing her look so terribly frightened, He Qing Lu puts his heart at ease, and turns his face to cover that hook of a smile.

“……just that, exactly how long does this glue need to be applied for?” Pang Wan hesitantly looks at him through her lashes, big eyes flickering, looking very pitiful.

“For exactly seventy-two hours, remember not to wash your face, after three days, I will help you remove it, and then move onto the other side of your face.” He Qing Lu condescendingly commands.

Pang Wan touches the wrinkly right half of her face, just when she was about to ask why this glue can only be applied to one half of the face at a time, it just so happens that maid Ah Xiang’s voice sounds from outside the doors in this moment: “Gentleman, the hot water has been brought over for you.”

Pang Wan subconsciously follows the sound, her line of sight perfectly meeting Ah Xiang’s.

“Aiya!” Ah Xiang’s pretty face pales, and the bronze basin in hand overturns, springing into action, she makes a swift turn and dashes away, “Oh mother^[1]! Seeing ghost in broad daylight ah!”

Looking at the figure bolting down the corridor, He Qing Lu heartily laughs out loud, his entire being beaming with radiance.

Pang Wan upon seeing this scene, body shakily crumbles —— she already knows the answer.

“You’re so narrow-minded……”

She grievingly glances at He Qing Lu, silently holding in her tears, bearing with it.

The servants of the He Estate finds, that these past few days, there’s a sudden addition of a little nanny with only half a pretty face.

That pretty half of her face looks very playful, sometimes appearing from the left side, sometimes appearing from the right side, the people cannot help but to doubt their own memory —— still eighty years old yesterday, but instantly turns sixteen today.

The great young master of the He Estate extremely dotes on this little nanny, for several consecutive days, he would assign for this nanny to accompany him during dinner. And this little nanny is indeed very capable, as long as she is at the table, Young Master will be in a very good mood, and would even eat an extra bowl of rice.

Occasionally, they are even able to hear the voice of this nanny lecturing Young Master: “……you, really are naughty……”

Nanny’s voice is very delicate and pleasant to the ears, just like a young lady scolding her immature younger brother, carrying the grumbles of helplessness as the iron cannot turn into steel. And the always icily elegant and noble, never one to casually chat and laugh with others, this Young Master, in face of Nanny’s scolding, would only tolerate it all and continue to smile endlessly.

This little nanny also has yet another special point, being that she extremely loves to look in the mirror, even if she now has such a……unique appearance. Every day she will always face the mirror and sway her head side to side, practicing the water snake posture _{(emphasising the S line)} from time to time, acting innocent and naïve from time to time, coupled with that mystical face, she has frightened a good few maids into dropping the trays when delivering her meals.

Once all these strange matters are reported to Young Master, Young Master would once again clap his hands in booming laughter.

“Ugly ones are always up to more mischief.” He says such a comforting line for the first time ever, nor does anyone know who he is saying it to.

Three days later, a great beauty of distinguished elegant bearing comes to the He Estate.

That is a mature woman, tender and charming like that of a tree peony, every frown every smile is filled with heart moving charm.

“So you’re the young lady who wishes to learn the art of seduction?”

A fine finger with painted nail raises the little nanny’s chin, like a splash of orchid fragrance, the beauty’s entire body is lightly embraced in a layer of haze, and does not seem like a mere mortal.

Pang Wan looks up at this great beauty, the moment they make eye contact, she could only feel her heart suddenly skip a beat —— her appearance truly is too far too lethal, it makes people unconsciously hold their breath, not daring to look from up close.

“This is Young Master’s doings?” A jade finger gently flicks the wrinkles on her left cheek, the beauty’s phoenix eyes half squints, “A pretty little face of flowers and jade reduced to this state, tut tut, must have offended him very ruthlessly.”

Pang Wan gets the feeling that she has finally found an understanding soul, and had almost leaped into the beauty’s arms, bursting into tears as she lists He Qing Lu’s sins.

But glancing at the expressionless Jin Di Luo behind the beauty, in the end, she could only gulp down a mouthful of saliva, and sheepishly nod.

“What’s your name?” The beauty retracts her finger, and sweetly smiles at her.

That one smile once again leaves Pang Wan in a trance, this beauty’s entire body from top to bottom, carries a sense of casualness and laziness, with not the slightest of pretentious tone in her words.

“I’m called Wan Wan.” Pang Wan looks at her bedazzled, and very obediently answers.

The beauty nods, patting the perfectly untouched half of her face: “I’m called Jin Bu Yao, assigned here by Young Master to teach you the art of seduction.”

Pang Wan is stunned, she remembers He Qing Lu saying the teacher is a nanny, how come she is so youthful and beautiful.

“What, curious about this name?” The beauty bats her lashes as she gracefully leans in towards her, those red lips opens and closes, teeth like lovely white shells, “[She has] cloud-like hair, a flower-like face, and golden dangling hair ornaments _{(golden dangling hair ornaments – jīn bù yáo/ 金步摇 )}. Together they spend the spring night within the warmth of the hibiscus canopy ^[2] —— have you ever heard of these lines?”

Pang Wan shakes her head, face showing confusion.

——she believes that such a beauty, really should not have been given such a tacky name like Jin Bu Yao. In the land of Mary Sue, those that have pretty looks of this calibre are generally called something along the lines of “Shui Ling Dong” _{(lively running water)}, “Feng Bai He” _{(lily flower in the wind)}. “Liu Pian Pian” _{(gracefully dancing willow)} and so on, such names that are filled with the natural beauty of picturesque landscape. And those poetry lines of “[She has] cloud-like hair, a flower-like face, and golden dangling hair ornaments. Together they spend the spring night within the warmth of the hibiscus canopy”, also contains the vulgar implications of sexual passion, it truly is not elegant enough.

The beauty upon seeing her look of puzzlement, bursts into laughter with a sound of “pu-chi”, softly covering those red lips with a delicate gesture.

“Where did Young Master find this little girl?” She speaks up, yet her words were directed towards Jin Di Luo, “So strangely interesting.”

“She is one of Bai Yue Sect’s.” Jin Di Luo answers from behind, face still showing no expression.

Jin Bu Yao lightly sounds an “oh”, but does not show any shock nor disgust.

“A few days later after your face is done, come find me.” She grinningly pinches Pang Wan’s cheek, only finding the touch creamy and very refreshing, “Don’t be too hasty, learning the art of seduction in your current state, I’m afraid all that can be seduced, is an evil spirit if not King Yan _{(King of Hell)}.”

Having said that, she gracefully marches away, leaving behind, only the jingling sound of a jade pendant, also a chamber of fragrant tranquillity.

Pang Wan watches the back figure of the beauty, biting her lower lip in distress —— don’t know if the face that Gentleman He will be making her, will also be capable of turning the world upside down, vibrant and rich in fragrance just like the beauty?

Looks like I have quite a lot of opponents eh, she thinks, not without dismay.

---

---

[1] Oh mother! Or wǒ de mā ya! / 我的妈呀！Is basically the Chinese equivalent of saying oh my god.  

[2] “[She has] cloud-like hair, a flower-like face, and golden dangling hair ornaments. Together they spend the spring night within the warmth of the hibiscus canopy”. These two lines have been translated with reference from the two links provided here. And are from the Tang Dynasty poem – Song of Everlasting Regret / Cháng Hèn Gē / 长恨歌 by Bái Jū Yì /白居易. The poem tells of the tragic love between Yang Guifei (Guifei being the highest imperial consort rank) and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

For those interested in reading the full poem, which contains 120 verses, link 1 is a more accurate translation: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Song_of_Everlasting_Regret and link 2 is more of a rhyming one: http://www.musicated.com/syh/TangPoems/EverlastingRegret.htm

Note that the first line which mentions Jin Bu Yao (translated as golden dangling hair ornaments here) describes Yang Guifei, who is also renowned as one of the Four Great Beauties in Chinese history. Jīn Bù Yáo / 金步摇 – the name of the new character introduced here, is literally made up from the words gold (Jīn / 金) + steps (bù / 步) + sway (yáo / 摇), this is the name of a particular hair ornament, with dangling decorations that delicately sways with every step, thus emphasising the graceful movements of a lady. The second line, needless to say, tells of how Yang Guifei successfully entices the Emperor. And if any of you have heard of Yang Guifei’s story, be it from dramas or if you had time to read the entire poem, you would know that Emperor Xuanzong was said to be so captivated by her, that he would spend all his time with Yang Guifei, to the point he even neglected his imperial duties. So if Jin Bu Yao’s name comes from these two lines of Everlasting Regret, then in a sense, it really is a befitting name for someone who teaches the art of seduction.