Chapter 11: Metamorphosis

The Madam Dowager was surprised. In the past, when Hua Qiyue came to see her, the girl stuttered and shivered, as if she had seen a tigress who was going to eat her. But today, she looked elegant and beautiful. Seeing her gaunt face, the Madam Dowager thought of how she had neglected her in the past and felt sorry for her. "Yue'er, sit down. I know you were wronged. Don’t be scared." The Madam Dowager Hua was a kind-hearted woman, and she felt guilty for how she'd treated Hua Qiyue over the years. The girl had always been scared of her, and she'd just never known how to respond. "Grandmother, I’m sorry to make you worry about me. I was unfilial. On my way home, I bought fresh sea cucumbers for you. They were difficult to get, and only the Master Xuanji in the Rongfu Temple had managed to get some. The sea cucumbers can nourish the blood and the face. You have done so much for this family. We should thank you." Hua Mengshi and Hua Xiaoyi were dumbstruck. They had heard of sea cucumbers but had never thought of pleasing their grandmother with them. "Haha, you're so sweet. Tell the chief to make soup quickly. Let's have lunch and share the sea cucumber soup together." The Madam Dowager was extremely happy. Hua Qiyue had become so clever and considerate. The Second Concubine walked over and tenderly held Hua Qiyue's hand and praised her, adding that she must be very tired. "Thanks for your concern. I’m fine." She took back her hand carefully, then said to the Madam Dowager with a smile, "Grandma, I asked Master Xuanji to tell my fortune. He said that my fortune was not bad, but I need to have a foster son… I used to be too naive … " Hua Qiyue looked ashamed. She knew the original owner of this body was cowardly. Even when the servants bullied her, she did not dare to resist. And her Qi channels were broken, so she was useless. Now, she had disrupted Monk Yihan and Lanzhu’s plot, making people look at her with new eyes. "So, I’ve come to ask your permission to adopt a son. With this child, I can understand more about the hardships of being a parent and the pains of my elders. " The Madam Dowager frowned and noticed her old clothes. Compared to Hua Mengshi and Hua Xiaoyi’s clothes, hers were rather shabby. “Since Master Xuanji gave you the advice, you should do as he said. But, Yue’er, you should dress better when you go out in the future..." the Madam Dowager said, concerned about saving face. If the Miss of the Hua family wore the same clothes as an ordinary woman, people would think they were abusing her! Hua Qiyue looked embarrassed. The Second Concubine's expression immediately changed, and she said, "That's right. Yue'er, I can give you some good cloth if you don’t have any, or I can have the tailor make some new clothes for you. Don't disgrace our family." Youshui said, "Our miss only gets two qian of silver a month. It's difficult for us to have enough food. How can we make new clothes?" In the Hua family, the daughter of the official wife received two taels of silver (twenty qian) every month, while the daughters of the concubines received one tael. In fact, the Second Concubine had been stealing Hua Qiyue’s money, because the Madam Dowager did not attach importance to her. The old Hua Qiyue had dared not complain. Youshui and Lvxin wanted to tell the Madam Dowager the truth, but Hua Qiyue stopped them. She was afraid that they would make the Second Concubine angry and cause her to retaliate. The Second Concubine did not expect that Youshui would say it out loud. Her face turned pale white. Hua Mengshi also knew the truth. She was so worried about her mother that her nails were digging painfully into the palm of her hand. "What? Only two qian? " the Madam Dowager’s expression changed. This would make others laugh the Hua family. Although Hua Qiyue's mother, the official wife of Hua Liting, passed away a long time ago and Hua Qiyue had always struggled to be helpful, they should not have been so mean to her.