MHNEB 4

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

抓贼木兰

Chapter 4: Mulan catches thieves (0)

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Edited by Granny

Towards Hua Mulan, Wu Ying family’s daughter (Fang-shi) respected her yet feared her, she feared her yet despised her. All sorts of feelings were there (for Hua Mulan).

Although she was not a pure-blooded Xianbei woman, there was a lot of Xianbei men and very little Xianbei women. Thus, women’s status was respected, and there were quite a lot of suitors. Among all the suitor families, the Fang family chose the Hua family who was like them, entrenched in the military. It was also because, in the Hua family, four of the family branches were involved in the army. And now, this Xianbei emperor was now involved in years of war, and he highly prioritized people who were talented in war. Because of this, the Hua family was highly respected in Huaishuo county, so they had Fang-shi married over.

Afterwards, when she married over, she found out that her husband would not enlist in the army. That is because Hua Gu already has a son to enlist, and the family needs to leave a descendant behind. Hua family’s main branch is in Huaishuo county. Only this branch was at Liang county, that was far from the battlefield. The family then became part of the troops located in the sidelines, who was supposed to Putian (1).

Xianbei-ren respects heroes the most. Although the Hua family’s second son did not send news back to the family often, Hua’s family paternal cousin, Hua KeHu, would relay about “Hua Mulan’s” situation when he came back home.

In his narration, Hua Mulan is a man that can hold out 10,000 (2). He is resourceful, wealthy yet a very compassionate and iron-like man. Sometimes Fang-shi regretted not marrying Hua Mulan at the start instead of her family’s dull Hua MuTuo. 

In Xianbei language, Mulan meant “richness”. It has a similar meaning to the Han-ren’s name of the richness of the king of flowers. (3) This name is genderfluid. MuTuo in Xianbei language meant “courage”. She felt that while she married Hua MuTuo, it wasted this name.

　

Regardless, Fang-shi never imagined that the Hua family’s valiant “second son” in the army was a woman.

Just last year, this Hua family’s “second son” removed her amour and returned home. She brought the emperor’s bestowed “brocades to return home”, while stories of her “replacing her father to serve in the army” became a talking point. Fang-shi then realized that the idol that she had been worshipping changed from the second uncle to the second aunt. This caused her “Hero Complex” (4) that developed over many years to disintegrate.

Even though Hua Mulan still the same as before: filial to her parents and loving towards her younger brother after returning home, Fang-shi was not able to stand her valiant personality that was akin to a man.

It’s like the idol that you have always dreamt of told you one day that he was a shemale.

Fang-shi does not know how to deal with her own feelings. Adding on to the fact that after He Mulan transmigrated over, she started to wear men’s clothes again, it made Fang-shi feel really shameful to peek at her “brother-in-law” whenever she sneaks glances at Hua Mulan. And all those traits of hers that were “not like a woman” became a sort of “sin”, and those traits made Fang-shi feels even more contorted.

Naturally, He Mulan is not aware of all these.

In her eyes, Fang-shi was just an irritated wife who felt that because she kept instructing her husband to help with her things, she was unhappy.

If it’s possible, she also would not like to keep calling her brother to help. It was all due to her transmigration here, she felt that she was no different from a blind person.

He Mulan carried the two buckets as she went to the back of the house. She wiped the big wooden tub that was leaning on the wall with a soft cloth, then she carried the big wooden tub back into the house.

She poured the hot water into the tub, before turning to exit the house to collect the two buckets that were filled with cold water which she had her younger brother collect in the morning. She carried the buckets into the house. After adjusting into the optimal temperature, she took off her outer garment to take a bath.

Although she said it was bathing, it was no different from rubbing oneself down. When He Mulan was studying in university, she had never bathed like this. And now when she transmigrated here, taking a shower would become a hapless dream.

She guessed that Hua younger brother and the others would only take a bath once a month. That is because their hair was oily from day till night. Compared to them, Yuan-shi prefers cleanliness more. She saw Yuan-shi combing her hair after she had washed up in the courtyard.

As for the others……

There was once when she saw Fang-shi spread a powdery substance on Hua younger brother’s head, as she carefully twisted the hair with the substance. After the substance absorbed the oil, she patted the powder away. Then Hua younger brother has been having the same hair since. (5)

Why find trouble for yourself, isn’t there a well in the house!

Is boiling hot water hard? Unless they think it’s too much trouble to scoop water to take a shower?

Then they could ask for her ah! She’s more than happy to do these laborious tasks for them, and that’s all that she was left with strength!

She reckoned that Fang-shi hates her. It may be because she wants to take a bath every 3-4 days, and every time Hua younger brother must heat up the water.

Probably Hua parents also felt that she paid attention to that too much. Yuan-shi had once vaguely hinted her. So, now He Mulan has already changed to showering every Monday. Luckily it’s in the winter now, if not she wouldn’t be able to convince herself.

It’s just that sometimes she felt that when her hair is too dirty to the extent where it can’t be allowed to be seen by others, she will put a Xianbei leather hat. If it can’t be seen by a naked eye, (her hair) is clean.

In the bedroom, He Mulan who was in the midst of bathing used a linen cloth to wipe her own body. Seeing Hua Mulan’s beautiful and powerful figure, she can’t help but let out a cry in admiration.

It may be because of the difference between a men’s and a women’s physique, or it might be the aerobic exercises Hua Mulan did instead of instrumental movements (6), so her muscles appear like they have a uniform streamline structure. Each piece of her muscle looks very firm, but it would not appear scary to that extent like there are veins bulging through it.

Because she was exposed to the weather and wind in Mobei, her skin will naturally not look very delicate. The colour of her skin is like the wheat colour of honey, making this colour of her skin very suitable for her muscular figure.

But, her chest ……

This ……

……

Hua Mulan’s abs are very beautiful oh, there’s even a mermaid line.

Hehe, hehehe, hehehehe.

On this firm and beautiful muscles, there are many wounds, looking at the time the wounds were inflicted, it should be considered an old age injury. At least at these four to five years’ time, Hua Mulan has never gotten injured.

But one will know by putting a little thought into it, when she was just a lowly ranked soldier naturally, she will get hurt. Hua Mulan belongs to the Calvary, she must spring into action very quickly. Later, she has her subordinates and her martial arts got better, she will get injured less naturally.

Plus, she is, after all, a woman, she must be extremely careful in this aspect.

He Mulan used the towel to wipe her ribs heart-achingly. Scars were plentiful above her shoulders. She was curious about how Hua Mulan was able to hide her identity despite suffering so many injuries. On the other hand, she was curious about why Hua Mulan was trying so hard in the war but not looking for a way to retire. It really is hard to understand her.

Heroes are heroes. If anybody can understand them, Hua Mulan probably would not be a heroine.

He Mulan was thinking randomly while wiping her body. But suddenly, from an indiscernible direction, a “crunch” sound was heard, which caused her to hold her breath and quiet down to listen.

Hearing the sound came from the storage room, He Mulan can’t help but sneer. She hurriedly dried the beads of water on her body, casually picked a pair of a white pleated dress on, as she clenched her fist, causing a cracking sound. This later reverberated from the bedroom to the storage room.

These thieves probably were not aware that Hua Mulan’s bedroom and storage room are connected and the heightened sense of awareness that she trained for many years in the military. This sense of awareness will even jolt her awake from just the sound of the grass moving from the wind’s blow, let alone, the thieves making a dint in her house.

Damn it, these motherfuckers! These thieves have been moving around her courtyard for three to four times already! Previously, she scares them away by returning earlier and leaving earlier to investigate. But she only picked up a demonstration book that claimed to be “Liang county’s wandering swordsmen”. 

When Hua Mulan returned home, she brought along many of the emperor Tuoba’s bestowed goods that contain plenty of gold and silk cloth. In the early Northern Wei dynasty, there was no currency. Copper coins and similar items were circulated in certain smaller regions of the southern area. Mostly, silk fabric and grains were used to trade for goods. The exchanges between Han-ren were done using gold, so when Hua Mulan and her comrades came home with a few carts of items, it garnered the attention of many.

In this case, they attracted a lot of wandering swordsmen.

At this time period, there were no banks or safes. For Hua Mulan to bring so many items back, she can only store them at home. Later when she built a big house, she constructed a sturdy storage room, putting up four-to-five big locks, and treated the room as a storage room.

These can’t stop those “Wandering Swordsmen” from coming to steal things.

Actually, the storage room only contained those grains, the things that are worth money was long ago stuffed under her bed. 

At this time period’s, these so-called “wandering swordsmen”, were different from those the later time period’s “assassin” that were commonly depicted in novels. Some of them were dedicated to stealing and some were dedicated to the assassination. Some others were those who help “others solve their trouble” by earning their keep, which was like the concept of the triad society. These wandering swordsmen often acted in droves or act alone. They are people who chop down someone if they are angered, plus they are very common in the north.

In Wei, where the Xianbei-ren and Han-ren live together cohabitate, wandering swordsmen would largely be Han-ren. Some (Han-ren) who harboured hate towards Xianbei-ren would secretly assassinate Xianbei-ren in the name of “Chivalrous Revolt”.

These people were attracted to Hua Mulan’s identity as a fairer gender, along with the part that she was Xianbei-ren. So, they came to “rob the rich and feed the poor”.

As to whether they will feed the poor after robbing, nobody knows.

These people have already been observing her for a long time. When they saw that she brought water back to take a bath, they decided to take the chance to strike.

But they did not foresee that Hua Mulan’s ears and eyes would be so sharp and her response so swift. They also did not expect He Mulan’s total disregard-she just casually donned her clothes and ran out without feeling ashamed.

Adding that the storage room and the bedroom was connected, it’s just these two rooms appeared separate. This fact would be out of consideration.

He Mulan entered the storage room through the bedroom. She expressionlessly stood inside the storage room, waiting for these invaders that self-proclaim themselves as “wandering swordsmen” to pry open or use their pick-locking skills to open the big door of her storage room.

Behind her back, seven large boxes were neatly arranged in the room. The boxes contained many clothes that had already been altered and some cereals.

Currently, it’s winter. She only wore a pleated dress that’s why she feels a little cold. which made her a little impatient.

She was a forensic scientist. She worked in the criminal investigation department and saw plenty of criminals in the Public Security Bureau. Some thieves that have a habit of unlocking those very troublesome anti-theft doors only need three-to-four seconds, not to mention this simple ancient lock.

What “wandering swordsmen”, it’s just a nice-sounding name!

They can’t even pick a dumb lock!

Around five minutes passed yet again, and all the locks were pried open by them. A small, tiny gap first opened in the storage room door. He Mulan stood in a shadowed area, that skinny man probably did not see her, as he sneakily ran inside. It could be seen that there are still a few people looming outside.

Anyone could see that the most valuable items in the room are these boxes. That skinny man who entered the room only glanced at it for a while, and immediately called his comrades in. A group of four-to-five people cheered quietly, as they instantly rushed to the boxes.

It’s just that when they wanted to carry the boxes, they found out that no matter how they try to move them, it would not budge. In the pitch-black storage room, one can’t even see their own five fingers. As thieves, they naturally do not dare to make out a light source. The five of them first carried the biggest of the boxes, when they realized they couldn’t move it they muttered out “strange”, then they went to move the smallest box.

As a result, they found that even the smallest box could not be moved.

He Mulan stood at the back of a few boxes. When they decided to move a box, she would stretch out her hand or feet to press down on that box. Hua Mulan’s original body has a special ability, it belongs to the strength type of power variation. Even with the strength of five men, they would not be able to carry the box, if she presses down on a box.

These people who tried a few times had their heart filled with trepidation. The skinny looking man faintly saw something. Filled with doubt he first said as he shivered:

“B-b-b-b-ooss, I don’t feel right ah, just n-n-now it s-s-seems like I saw a hand ……”

“Y-y-y-y-you d-d-d-don’t scare me……” that so-called boss’s upper and lower teeth rattled “W-W-W-We came in by p-prying over the lock, that H-H-Hua is still bathing……”

“But it seems l-like I-I really saw an additional p-person ……”

He Mulan stood at the right corner, seeing them discuss the problem of whether it was an additional hand or a person, as she held her laugh till her stomach starts to feel a little pain.

“B-B-boss, rumours had it that Hua Mulan killed many people, could it be that this house h-h-has dirty things (7)……” as he said he moved his hands into the inside of his robes to bring out a fire torch (8), “Anyway since w-w-we could not move these boxes, why not we o-o-pen up these boxes to see, it could be because the boxes contain too many things, hence it’s heavy……”

“B-b-b-blow the fire torch……”

A few thieves gathered around to discuss, among them the skinniest man peeled off the lid of the fire torch, while another uses flint and steel (9) to make a spark to light up the fire torch.”

The light of the tiny fire flickered, all of them saw a figure wearing white robes with her hair hanging down loosely.

“B-b-b-boss……I……”

“Stop talking, it must be because of the unclear vision!” the head of the thieves suppressed his terror, “Quickly light the fire!”

So many people gathered together having an unclear vision?

The rest of them looked at each other comrades in the eye in a fluster, as they shiver like the leaves in the autumn, as they try to light up the fire torch. 

Crack, crack crack. After trying the n-th time, the fire was finally ignited.

He Mulan made a face akin to Sadako (10) as she stood by the box, stretching out her tongue.

“Ghost! A ghost!”

“There’s a female ghost AHHHHH!”

Five thieves frighteningly ran out of the door!

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(0) I wanted to keep the format of XX Mulan, but it would sound weird. In this case, it would be Catch thief Mulan. Police Mulan does not suit the meaning either, so I chose this.

(1) Putian: I have mentioned Putian in chapter 1.

(2): this is a verse from one of Li Bai’s poem. It meant that Mulan had the strength/might/ability of many. 

(3): the king of flowers meant peonies.

(4) Hero complex: obsessed with the idea of heroes, or those who are. Same concept as brother/sister/father/mother complex. 

(5) having the same hair since: basically, the same hairstyle, and he NEVER washes his hair after that.

(6) instrumental movements: an exercise which use equipment to train. E.g. going to the gym using the equipment. 

(7) dirty things: ghost, unholy things

(8) fire torch: rolled-up paper or using some other materials. Materials to light up a fire. Click here  (See for pic)

(9) see for pic: click here and click here

(10) Sadako: the ghost from the movie The Ring.

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Fleur’s corner:

Hi! It’s been a while! I hope you guys are doing fine. It’s been really hard to translate the first part of the chapter so this took a while. Recently, it’s getting closer to my hell week & exam week. So the translation schedule would not be regular, but I promise that there will be a chapter next week (hopefully)!

Anyway, this chapter is so funny-I wouldn’t want to live like Mulan though. I love my hot water showers. And Mulan’s bod is so hot. :3

I realized that… this chapter took up 9 pages on word doc *insert shocked face*

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