Holding On to My Man

Chapter 26: The protagonist of an ancient abusive novel (Part 3)

Translated by peonynoveltl

"Du Yunxi, let laoniang* tell you, if not for the fact that it’s a pity to throw away the flesh that came out from laoniang’s ten months pregnancy, laoniang won’t care whether you’re dead or alive... We will go to the Fu Mansion tomorrow, I will tell you up to this point. In the future, you better be more obedient and don’t cause troubles. Otherwise, if something happens and you implicate laoniang, loaniang will be the first to kick you out..."

*laoniang: I, your mother

same as ’laozi’ (I, your father)

can be used arrogantly to show superiority or used in anger/out of contempt

Gu Bai just woke up and haven’t open his eyes. The first thing that he felt was his head being heavily poked by a finger and the sound of a woman’s fierce admonishment by his ear.

Before he could open his eyes to look at the person in front of him and the surrounding environment, a painful feeling that’s hard to describe immediately emerged from his chest.

Then a huge data of the plot was automatically transmitted into his mind, causing his head to swell with bursts of pain.

The original host’s surname is Du and the given name is Yunxi, he is the son of a brothel’s prostitute.

His mother Du Haitang, whose real name is Du Erya, was originally the second daughter of the Du family from a small village. Because the family couldn’t afford to eat, she was sold to the brothel.

After arriving at the brothel, it’s not that Du Erya never resisted, but she was beaten by the procuress* and became obedient after starving for a few days.

*the woman running the brothel

What moral integrity? Compared to being able to live and eat, it’s nothing at all. Du Haitang also went through hardships during childhood. From the bottom of her heart, she really doesn’t want to live like the past.

Back at home, her father and mother doesn’t like her anyway. She worked herself to death everyday but still didn’t have enough to eat. But over here there’s delicious food and drinks, and also new clothes to wear. Du Erya settled down and officially changed her name to Du Haitang.

Although Du Haitang came from a farming family, she’s beautiful and can be called exquisitely dainty and ravishingly beautifu. The procuress was also determined on training her to become the top lady. In order to not suffer and live a good life, she worked hard to learn.

Finally, Du Haitang became the top lady in the brothel. Her every move is charming and graceful, attracting thousands of man to vie for her.

Then something very dog blood* happened, the young and beautiful top lady met a poor scholar who was going to the capital to take the imperial examination, that man is his father. The two fell in love with each other and played a touching love story.

*melodrama

His mother took out all of her savings to help him and he also promised that he will definitely marry her after passing the exam. She became the topic of envy by other ladies in the brothel.

But unfortunately, he turned his back and married a matching* miss from a rich and influential family after becoming the top scorer in the palace examination. But his father still had conscience and raised his mother at the courtyard outside as a mistress.

*well-matched in terms of family background/social status; an appropriate partner

But under the perfect conduct of keeping a mistress, it also couldn’t be hidden from the official wife who has sharp eyes and keen ears when investigated. Soon, his mother was caught in the act of adultery with the help of the official wife who is a modest and gentle beauty.

His father, a man of great talent, didn’t suspect at all on how a woman who is already a few months pregnant would cheat. It’s very likely that he wanted to ditch this soulmate* since long ago.

*红颜知己 a man’s soulmate but not his his lover

So naturally, his mother was kicked out with her pregnant stomach. The official wife proudly dusted off her hands, she roll up her sleeves and prepared to clean up the next mistress who is as beautiful as a flower.

There was no money and no home to go back to. After Du Haitang gave birth to the original host, other than her face, she doesn’t have any other skills to make a living. She could only run back to the brothel and return to her old business.

Therefore, with her emotional experience full of ups and downs, twists and turns, his mother directed the anger she has for his father to him and wanted to strangle him to death many times out of anger.

Maybe it’s that bit of remaining maternal love or maybe she already gave up countless times, she didn’t throw him away and raised him instead.

Although his mother didn’t strangle him to death or throw him away, she doesn’t treat him that well due to his father. Every day it’s usually either a beating or a scolding.

Despite a rather tragic childhood, the original host doesn’t have any resentment.

His mother isn’t good to him, but she nevertheless gave him a life and raised him. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart* and will occasionally care about him. She will even give him a new piece of clothing on his birthday. Furthermore, she doesn’t bring him to the brothel and secretly raise him outside to avoid getting followed by the brothel’s ’mean’ people*.

*literal translation: mouth sharp like knife and heart soft like tofu

*People from the lowest social class.

They don’t belong in the four occupations/four categories of the people (ancient china classification/ranking):

- shi (gentry scholars)

- nong (peasant farmers)

- gong (artisans and craftsmen)

- shang (merchants and traders).

Their social status is lower than that of commoners. The people in the ’mean’ category are concubines, servants, slaves, prostitutes, etc. They were heavily discriminated against and usually can’t marry the ’good’ people.

The original host thinks it’s not bad to live the rest of his life like this. His character is weak and timid, he never studied and doesn’t have much ambition.

But unfortunately, his mother isn’t a person who is willing to endure hardships. Before she becomes completely old, she hooked up a wealthy merchant and bewitched him into letting her marry into the family as a concubine.

So the original host was luckily brought along by his mother. Who knew that once he went, he was doomed to a tragic and unfortunate life!