MHNEB 3

Book 1: Now we don’t hear the loom shuttle; we only hear our daughter sighing.  

怪力木兰 (0):

Chapter 3: Hercules Mulan

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Edited by Granny

He Mulan left after she clearly understood and was aware of what sort of people the Liu family's lad and his family were.

She is not prepared to meddle in other’s business and felt that it’s not something she can care about.

He Mulan and her good friend Gu Qing have different personalities. Gu Qing is a doctor and since she was young, her compassion for others was strong. She has a cheerful disposition and had a willingness to help others. Plus with most of her family made of police officers, she later chose to become a forensic investigator. Towards matters, she seldom thinks that there is a grey area between black or white. (1)

She witnessed many incidents where the matter should end up a certain way but ended up in another way. After witnessing such matters, she started believing in “karma”, and used this to remind herself.

Although the fierce man was repulsive, the Liu family also had some faults. If the Liu family ate this loss (2) they would surely ponder about the painful experience. However, through this, it might be a good learning experience for them. But clearly, the Liu family did not want to find evidence against the fierce man nor did they want to learn how to be smart. They only wanted to “sacrifice themselves” to marry a “woman that nobody wants” back to protect his family to solve the problem. He Mulan is unable to accept this.

Hua Mulan is not this type of person; He Mulan is also not this type of person.

The Liu Township and the Yingguo Township were separated by an hour of walking distance. When He Mulan who was fully clothed in men apparel came with a heavy heart, she left with good spirits.

She has a perfect reason to clamp down on Hua mother’s nagging, why wouldn’t she be in good spirits?

Towards the past He Mulan, the walking journey of 2 hours would be absolute torture. But now, as she transmigrated into this body, she only felt that her body has an abundance of energy. She wouldn’t be tired even if she had to walk 2 more hours. Once again, she recalled that when Hua Mulan was in the army training, she had a tough life, which explains why the bottom of Hua Mulan’s feet had thick calluses.

It is admiring how one woman who can do this to sacrifice for her family, her father, and her brother.

When He Mulan walked back to Hua family house, the sky is already dark. The brick house which she lived alone in was pitch black, like a dark hole. In the big house next to her house, the candles were lit up (3), as the smoke rises.

At this time, He Mulan did not feel a sense of warm kinship but felt a sense of oppression.

She stood afar. She wants to turn around and plunge her head into the darkness, as she did not dare to move forward. This scene was very alike ……

Isn’t this the same scene like how she went for matchmaking session where both parties hated each other, and her mother was bitterly waiting for her to return home!

She already ran 1500 years back, and she still cannot escape the sad fate of a forced marriage!

Cough cough cough, next, she would say……

‘XXX How was it? How was getting along (with XXX)?’

“How was Liu family’s lad? Did you get along (with Liu family’s lad)?” Yuan-shi saw the posture of He Mulan as she walked towards the door with “small steps”. Her heart probably knew how it ended, yet she still cannot help but ask in anticipation.

“His land deed was swindled by a person, his son went to that person’s house to set it on fire, he was retaliated against, Liu family’s lad was trapped on top of the tree shouting help while Granny Wang ran away. I saved the father and the son.” He Mulan narrated today’s absurd encounter today expressionlessly, “Their family saw that I was able to fight better, so they wanted me to marry over to oversee and protect their family and house.”

She felt that they needed a big yellow dog (4), not Hua Mulan. Heroine Hua Mulan defended her nation and guarded her home and was not someone who would defend other’s houses and yards.

“Ai……his family is willing to fork out 10 acres of land and three bolts of cloth as the betrothal gift. It’s not all about his money, but Granny Wang said that he admires your virtue, and is willing to do away with his fortune to marry you. His family also has children……” Yuan-shi let out a long sigh.

“Let’s not talk at the front of the door, come in and let’s eat.” Hua father moved slowly from the hall as he clutched two long crutches. Yuan-shi has never disobeyed the words of Hua father after she heard what he said she called He Mulan in for dinner.

Hua family’s younger brother Hua Mutuo was younger than Hua Mulan by 8 years when Hua Mulan was replacing her father to serve in the army, he was only 10 years old. When Hua Mulan came back home, he had already started a family and had a career. He married a daughter of similar background of a military family. Now, he is lives and provides for their parents.

When Hua Mulan came back home, she stayed in Hua Mutuo’s house. After Hua Mulan enlisted in the army she was afraid that her identity would bring harm to her family, so she never returned home or brought anything home. Sometimes she thinks that if she really died in the battlefield it would be best if no one could find any of her belongings to send back home.

After she returned to the township, she firstly stayed together with her father, mother and brother. But her brother was married, after all, it’s inconvenient for her to stay at home as an unmarried aunt. (5) Moreover, her brother and her sister-in-law live next door, so Hua Mulan used the silk cloth bestowed by the emperor to invite the townsfolk to build another house next to the main house to live alone in it.

When He Mulan woke up at here, only half of her house was constructed. So she was able to take advantage of this cheaply (6) and was able to change her house to her liking, to make it look like a more decent place to live in.

Hua Mulan’s sister-in-law’s surname is Fang Ying, and she was also mixed blood of Xianbei-ren and Han-ren. Her grandfather is Xianbei-ren while her grandmother and mother are Han-ren. Her Han surname is Fang. He Mulan sensitively sensed that her sister-in-law doesn’t like her, but she thought about it, if she was Fang-shi, she’s afraid she also would not welcome herself.

After all, when Hua Mulan returned back to the township, she brought about many waves of uncertainties into their life.

Hua Mulan herself knew how to cook, but Hua father and mother did not allow her to eat alone. As for He Mulan, she simply did not know how to cook, so He Mulan ate her three meals a day at her brother’s house. Hua Mulan is not lacking money; the emperor’s bestowed a lot of cloth. The later is the same currency as money, so she gave her brother and sister-in-law some silk cloth. The day to day food provision was bought by her. It was only that when she needs to sleep, she will return to her own big house to rest.

Today she traversed a long distance; He Mulan felt that her whole body was very sweaty, so she told Hua Mutuo her request to take a bath. After Hua Mutuo heard her, he immediately went to heat up the water for his sister, without saying anything. (7)

In this era, the ancient communicative etiquette (8) is not too strict. The rules for women etiquette were less demanding. Hua Mulan’s mother Yuan-shi’s personality was gentle and submissive, resulting in a purely angelic disposition. It’s also because of that personality, the Yuan-shi whose looks was not overly outstanding was chosen by Hua Mulan’s father to marry and the couple was in a loving relationship.

Hua family’s three children were not pretty. Hua family’s big missy had the typical Han-ren look. She looked like her mother. Hua Mulan has deep-set eyes with a prominent nose, but she definitely doesn’t look like a delicate beauty. If she’s in modern times, she can be considered a different type of beauty. But right now in an era where you can see an alluring and attractive Xianbei woman everywhere, she can only be described as having a “heroic” disposition.

Hua Mutuo looked like his father, his colour carrying hints of yellow, it was only that his figure was skinny and tall, having a dull disposition, and doesn’t speak much. When he talked to Hua Mulan he was the respectful type, so sometimes it made He Mulan feel like she does not know how to deal and get along well with this “cheap brother”.

In Hua father’s room.

“Mulan, actually you can consider that Wei Chang from last time, although he is a bit older, his children are still young……” 

“Mommy, it is also good if there are no children.” He Mulan heaved a breather. If not for her needing to wait for the water to heat up, she wouldn’t like to come in with Fang-shi constantly showing her that blackface.

The reason why Yuan-shi is so agreeable for her to marry a widowed man with children in the family was not to find someone to marry into their household. It was because Hua Mulan does not have the capability to give birth to children.

In modern times, He Mulan and many others were curious on how Hua Mulan was able to hide in the army barracks when she had her period, after all, in the olden days there were no sanitary pads, while during field drills the army would not let you be absent because of a “period”.

The truth was, Hua Mulan had not experienced “menstruation” (9) this sort of thing.

She had never menstruated.

Normally Xianbei females would set their engagements after they first menstruate. Hua Mulan stayed in her home to await her marriage till she was 18 years old, but what came was not blood from menstruation, but the emperor’s edict to summon troops, to conscript military households and demand for the military seals.

In the army, Hua Mulan was constantly worried that she would menstruate, but eventually, it might be because of her training that was too intense or because of her body’s innate problem, she never menstruated.

Hua Mulan sometimes felt that she was born in the wrong family. If not, why would the heavens give her such monstrous strength and give her the fearless courage to fight in the battlefield?

Knowing that Hua Mulan has no “period, He Mulan came to a realization on her previous suspicions. This caused her to have a breather.

Hua Mulan was still young, this year she is 30 years old, she doesn’t need to struggle through every month to get through those few days (10), which is great. The ancient medical treatments were undeveloped, once an illness or sickness occurred, very easily it would worsen into a major illness.

Besides she doesn’t like kids, with or without them it does not pose a problem to her.

Yuan-shi kneeled on the floor, painstakingly nagging that without children, in her last years of a women’s life it would be very hard and bitter. Poor He Mulan also knelt down onto the floor, feeling that her whole person felt unwell.

How did the Japanese bear it! There are no seats on the grounds here! How come ordinary families only have a few pieces of furniture ah! How the folded beds are considered beds! It should be a recliner chair! (11) No, such a small thing it isn’t even considered a recliner chair! This is just a campstool! (12)

He Mulan knelt on the back of her feet, feeling awkward and sad. She kept fidgeting to move the weight of her body from left to right, right to left. Yuan-shi is still nagging, while Hua father who is paying attention to his daughter’s appearance noticed. So, he asked: “Mulan ah, are you……very urgent?” (13)

He Mulan nodded her head vigorously, as she immediately confessed and left the house.

Heave!

It’s still better in her newly built house, at least there is a long wooden seat in her new house. (14)

“Sis, the water is heated up……” her younger brother wiped away his sweat. He shouted to He Mulan as he ran out of the house. He Mulan was shocked, as she ran back into the stove room. She first thanked Hua brother for his consideration, then carried the bucket full of hot water with one hand, reassured she went over to her own house next door.

Although she has seen it countless times, every time Fang-shi saw this sight, she will be scared. It will cause her whole body to shiver at the sight of it.

Where would she find someone who can lift up the full bucket using a single hand that a grown man needs two hands to pick up! And she did not struggle; it was as if it was an empty bucket!

Inexplicably, the sister-in-law that appeared in her family must be a monster!

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(0) Hercules: the original Chinese word meant a monstrously strong person, so I chose Hercules. The next choice was Machamp (pokemon).

(1) Basically, to Gu Qing, black is black, white is white. Justice is always correct, committing a crime is always wrong. Mulan is the opposite as she believes in grey areas.

(2) ate a loss: to lose out on a situation

(3) the original text did not have candles, but just stated lit up. The sentence was weird, so I changed and edited it to have candles.

(4) big yellow dog: in the Chinese context, these meant fierce dogs who would scare and bite people.

(5) Mulan staying at home while her brother is married is considered inappropriate in the past. This is because she should have been married at her age and she did not. Thus, it’d reflect badly on her family & herself.

(6) she transmigrated at the right time, while Hua Mulan was not able to live in her house. Therefore she took advantage of it cheaply.

(7) without saying anything: the Chinese words carried more meaning than the English words. It meant that he willingly carried out those acts for Mulan, without a word. In the Chinese context, it meant a lot if someone wordlessly and without complain carried out errands for you.

(8) ancient communicative etiquette: the rules and regulations of ancient Chinese-usually it involved rules like men and women cannot be together in private, etc. This originated due to the influence of Confucianism.

(9) “menstruation”: the original text is different. It uses “kuei” water. This phrase first appeared in one of the poems in ancient China. “kuei” water is known to have yin properties. Yin usually represents women, while yang represents men.

(10) those few days: those few days which she has her period

(11) folded beds: click here for the image

(12) camp stool: click here for the image

(13) urgent: assumption that she needs to pee or poop

(14) long wooden seat: click here for the image

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Fleur’s corner:

I’m done!!!! This chapter was a bit hard to translate! This chapter was funny. Mulan using the excuse of peeing to escape from Hua mother’s nagging made me laugh.

I think it’d be good to have a page explaining some of the historical concepts of the era Hua Mulan is in. I’ll set up the page if I have time after I translate more chapters.

By the way, I realized I misnamed Gu Qing as Gu Ying the last chapter. I have edited that.

Please welcome my new editor, Kubera (Now named Granny). :D We are in the process of editing Chapter 1. 

*I forgot to mention this in chapter 1: Also, ‘-shi’ represents the status of a married woman. E.g. Hua mother is Yuan-shi. Yuan is her surname. ‘-shi’ just represents her status.

I’ll upload the next chapter 2 weeks later, as I’m going to be very busy next week.

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