Return of the Swallow

old dowager and speak a few words less.”

The second wife tugged on Qin Han’s sleeve again, hinting at him to speak less for fear he would cause the others to dislike him.
However, Qin Han summarily dismissed all of it.
He spoke up again, this time in a carrying voice, “It’s simply too unfair to not call Cousin Yi by her name, Yining! Cousin Hui, you reside in the prime minister’s manor without worry for food and clothing thanks to Cousin Yi! You should be speaking up on her behalf right now, not attacking her with spears and clubs.”

Qin Huining lifted her teary eyes to look at Qin Han with an ashen face.

“The fires of war now burn everywhere as the nation sits in peril,” he continued.
“Nine houses out of ten are empty in the city of Liang—the sight makes me heart stricken! If you all had seen the sights for yourself, all of you would understand Cousin Yi’s difficulties and struggles! I feel that half of my heart has frozen over after this trip, and I quite admire Cousin Yi’s bravery in being able to survive.
To speak of nothing else, if it’d been any of you who’d lived her life, the grass on your graves would be three feet tall by now! We should just happily acknowledge that one of our own has been found.
The very nation might burn in two days, but at least we’ll die together as a family!”

Qin Huining choked out with a reddened face, “It’s I who stole younger sister Little Creek’s life.
It’s all my fault!”

Qin Han rolled his eyes and curled his lip when he heard this.

“Enough, younger brother, you always speak too much.” Qin Yu waited until Qin Han was done before noncommittally speaking.

Old Dowager had wrapped her arm around Qin Huining and was now so enraged that she was pointing at Qin Han with the finger adorned with the emerald ring.
“You vile spawn! I only said one word, but you unleashed this flood to cause me such distress!”

“I know Old Dowager is distressed whenever you see me, so I’ll take my leave from your line of sight then!”

“You better stay as far away as possible!”

Qin Han snorted and turned to pull his wife away with him as he stalked off.

The old dowager was so incensed that she slammed her hand on the low tea-table next to her, yelling towards the outside with a hotly flushed face.
“Vile spawn! Vile spawn! Leave and don’t come see me again!”

“Please calm yourself, grandmother,” Qin Huining counseled with a choked up voice.
“Second cousin’s always been a direct and straightforward person.
He didn’t say anything wrong either, it’s me who’s unworthy.”

The old dowager couldn’t keep her emotions controlled after Qin Huining’s words.
The two grasped each other tightly and sobbed loudly, as the other girls started to cry as well.
The room descended into a chaotic mess for a long moment.

Qin Yining watched from off to the side, the light in her eyes slowly fading away.
These people wearing rich clothes of new red and pale green, adorned with gold and jade, seemed to be living in another world compared to her.
They were right in front of her, but made her feel like they were so very far away.
If it’d been an age of peace and prosperity outside, she really would’ve just left.
She would rather spend her life in spartan conditions—she’d at least be free then.

But Qin Yining didn’t want to accept that! This was her home! She finally had a family, so did she now have to give up with her own hands what belonged to her? Her second elder cousin had said that her mother was alive.

Mothers always loved their children.
Her foster mother had loved her with all her strength, even though her foster mother hadn’t given birth to Yining.
If a foster mother could have been so loving, then her real mother must be even more so.
Qin Yining grew a bit anxious and looked back to the heavily frowning Qin Huaiyuan.
She asked apprehensively, “Father, where is my mother? Why haven’t I seen her?”

Qin Huining whipped her head around to look at Qin Yining at those words.
Qin Huaiyuan made a faint sound of assent and waved his hand to summon Jixiang, “Go ask Senior Madame to come.”

Jixiang backed away after acknowledging the order.
Qin Yining no longer watched the reactions of Old Dowager and the others, instead peering hopefully at the door instead.
She’d known since she was young that she was a child who’d been picked up off the streets.
She would daydream and imagine everyday what her mother looked like.
Now that she was about to meet her, her hands turned clammy with sweat, even with her steady personality that had been tempered by many years of hardship.

Scattered footsteps sounded outside at that very moment.
A young maid immediately reported from outside, “Old Dowager.
Senior Madame, Second Madame, and Third Wife have arrived.”

The heavy curtains were lifted to reveal a beautiful middle-aged woman wearing a light purple, cinched waist brocade dress and a plain cloak.
A golden phoenix hairpin with a multi-hued dangle of precious gems swayed as she charged into the room.
She stood by the round curio shelf as her eyes, swollen from crying, immediately snapped towards Qin Yining.

Qin Yining’s hands were clenched tightly as she instinctively took two steps forward, her eyes also fixed on this woman.

Their eyes met.
No one had to tell her anything, she knew this woman was her mother.

“You…” Née Sun walked slowly towards Qin Yining, her body seeming to weigh a thousand tons.
She lifted a trembling hand and reached for Qin Yining’s face.

Tears finally welled up in Qin Yining’s almond-shaped eyes as she murmured, “Mother.” She raised both arms and unconsciously took another two steps forward.

As if slapped awake, née Sun immediately covered her mouth and began crying, backing up while shaking her head, “Impossible, impossible! The child I’ve raised all these years isn’t my child, how can this be?!”

Qin Huining immediately flung herself into née Sun’s embrace with reddened eyes.
She began to bawl loudly, “Mother, your daughter has let you down! Your daughter is unworthy of your love! Your daughter has taken younger sister Little Creek’s position, but I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t mean to!”

The third elder master The hierarchy might get a little confusing here.
Old Dowager is the matriarch of the family and the oldest generation.
Then comes Qin Huaiyuan and Qin Xinyuan, the old dowager’s sons.
They in turn had another generation, Qin Han, Qin Huining, Qin Yining.
The wives of the youngest generation will be referred to as “(seniority) wife”, the wives of the older generation, ie.
Qin Huaiyuan, will be referred to as the more stately “(seniority) madame”.
This would be Qin Han’s wife

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