Pretty cute interaction wherein. My heart panged.
Thank you Emma P for proofreading!
Notes
1. 男女‘胖瘦’不亲 Gu Xiang misquotes 男女瘦瘦不亲 or "men and women shouldn't be handy with each other in gestures". It's a rule that has been taken very literally through history: imperial harem where the emperor's women lived, with eunuchs; seeing a doctor behind a curtain etc.
The phrase originates in Mencius. However, he uses it to say that even if men and women shouldn't be casually touching, circumstances such as if the woman is in danger should be excused.
2. 交杯酒 a tradition that has the groom and bride drink wine by crossing or swapping winecups. I added the chicken sacrifice for the joke to work without the note. (Chickens would probably be killed for a wedding feast, but it's not part of the wedding itself).
3. 小花脸 or lit. "little flower face" which is a clown or buffoon in Chinese opera.
4. 十万大山 is near China's border with Vietnam. I have to say, the way they talk about the region in the text has a hint of how contemporary Chinese would talk about Xinjiang.
5. 臭皮匠 or "stinky cobblers" in the text. Referring to the idiom '三个臭皮匠赛过诸葛亮' or "three cobblers together can beat out Zhuge Liang/a general".
6. This line is really funny in the original so I'm giving it a bit more love by explaining what I may have failed to convey: As per the last chapter, we know that ZZS's talent for painting is limited, so what WKX is really asking here is whether ZZS is actually experienced with/would like to engage in gay sex since he seems (to WKX' astonishment) to have such a good grasp of the positions. The way he talks, in seemingly candid allusions, makes him sound like such a jerk, it's funny.
7. 精虫上脑 lit. "spermazoa rushing to the head". Had a good laugh imagining the little suckers swimming all the way up there.
8. The exact line is ZZS saying: "I'll keep you as a little-white-face/gigolo". Keep as in "kept-woman". But also as something that a man would say to a woman he wishes to marry (since free women don't officially have jobs).
* Forgot to annotate this: 迷香 lit. "confusing incense" is a common trope across historical fantasy. It's a semi-fictional substance that can be burnt like incense, and whose smoke present a variety of effects from making people drowsy/fall asleep, to killing them.
** Also forgot to annotate this: her moniker is 黑蛊婆婆 lit. "Black Gu Grandma". Gu as in gu-poison.
Thank you for translating ❤️
Oh dear, Gu Xiang and Cao Weining teaming up worries me XD
Also, wow this whole drama is because they all want to take out Wen Kexing?! I knew they probably wanted to kill him, but not that he's they're main motivator. He must be very powerful.
Thanks for the translation!
Thank you for translating this! It's so good! WKX and ZZS interactions always make me smile :) I love your footnotes too, so informative and helpful in understanding Chinese culture and lit. references
So sweet! Thank you! 💜