Picked up a Cute ‘Little Brother’ (ix)
Edited: 03.31.2024
Ruan Qing was secretly happy when he heard that he had agreed, but he still pretended to be serious: “Since you were being coerced, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Lie down, you’re not fully cured yet. I’ll take your pulse again.”
Yu Jie’er nodded gratefully, lay down obediently, blinked at him with his big watery eyes, and said somewhat ingratiatingly: “Thank you, thank you, Mr. Ruan.”
Ruan Qing took his pulse again. The child was weak yet he had been running around for days, causing faint signs of the illness to reoccur. Ruan Qing frowned and asked, “Those medicines I prescribed for you before, did you take them all?”
Yu Jie’er’er shook his head full of grievances: “No, the brothel’s bosses won’t give me any, saying that there’s no need to waste so much money on someone who’s going to die soon.”
“Brothel?” Ruan Qing froze and immediately realized that this poor child was probably raised in the Sanggong Brothel for people to have fun with, and couldn’t help but be righteously indignant: “How disgusting! Is life more important than money? I have to tell His Second Imperial Majesty about this so that he can give them a good beating.”
Yu Jie’er laughed and tugged on Ruan Qing’s sleeve, “Thank you, Mr. Ruan. It’s just that we, the little brothers, are not born as ordinary men, so to be able to make a living in the Sanggong Brothel is already very good! At least we won’t starve to death.”
Ruan Qing didn’t understand what “little brother” meant. He only thought that the child’s life experience was pitiful. He couldn’t help but touch his head and told A Fu: “This little friend was suffering from the epidemic. The previous prescription was for treating emergencies, now he needs to recuperate. I will write up a new one and you can take it to the kitchen and decoct it for him.”
A Fu quickly brought a paper and pen. Ruan Qing raised his head and pondered for a while, recalling the mild heat-clearing agent in the “Compendium of Plague” and said: “1 forsythia, 3 mint leaves, 4 puffballs, 6 greater burdock, 3 schizonepeta, 5 dried silkworms, 5 indigo woad root, 1 Ningpo figwort, 1 Chinese bellflower, 1 honeysuckle, and 5 licorice. Boil half a bowl of water first and then boil with rehmannia root water. Remove the dregs and have him take it three times a day.”
A Fu wrote down the instructions and went to decoct the medicine. Ruan Qing was worried that Yu Jie’er would be scared, so he sat in the room and talked to him. The more he looked at him, the more he felt that this child was really beautiful and he couldn’t help but praise: “A pair of tender eyes, two curved eyebrows, and a little red mole on the forehead. You look like the little boy next to the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.”
Yu Jie’er couldn’t help but blush when he received his praise. He had never had an education so he didn’t know any praises and he also stuttered when he spoke: “N-No, it’s brother who is good-looking! I’m from the Sanggong Brothel so I have seen many good-looking little brothers, but you are the most beautiful! You’re as white as jade, and your pregnancy mole also looks amazing……”
Ruan Qing was confused. Although he could tell that the child was praising him, what was “little brother” and “pregnancy mole?” Why did they sound so weird? Why couldn’t he understand?
*small t/n: little brother = ger, the term had completely slipped my mind. Debating on whether I want to change all “little brothers” to ger though.
When Yu Jie’er saw his confused expression, he thought Ruan Qing was angry that he had compared him to the little brothers in the Sanggong Brothel and hurriedly explained: “N-No, that’s not what I meant, brother. I didn’t mean to compare you to the people in the Sanggong Brothel…..”
“What’s all this liveliness?”
Both of them were stunned at those sudden words. Ruan Qing turned his head, only to see Xiao Ziheng standing in the doorway with his arms folded, looking at the two of them expressionlessly.
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“Second Imperial Majesty.” Ruan Qing swallowed silently. He was now afraid of Xiao Ziheng, just like a mouse seeing a cat. He had taken it upon himself to bring Yu Jie’er in so he didn’t know how angry he was going to be.
He was worried there, but the little one on the couch didn’t take it seriously. He looked at Xiao Ziheng in a daze, and silently praised in his heart: “Wow, this brother is more handsome than Brother Ruan!”
Xiao Ziheng walked in, looked at Yu Jie’er, and frowned. He then looked at Ruan Qing, “The one from outside Liangzhou City?”
Ruan Qing was afraid that he would blame him, so he quickly told him the whole story. After Xiao Ziheng heard this, he sneered: “Xiao Ziming is really at his wit’s end. To think he has resorted to such underhanded tactics.”
Ruan Qing sighed and touched Yu Jie’er’s head. He was already soft-hearted, but now he pitied the child even more, so he cautiously asked: “Your Majesty, um, I want……”
Xiao Ziheng narrowed his eyes at him, “If you have something to say, then spit it out.”
Ruan Qing thought about it again and again but finally mustered up the courage: “Your Majesty, Yu Jie’er has promised to help us deal with His First Imperial Majesty. I think he has had a miserable life experience, and even if he goes back, he will have a miserable life, so Ruan Qing is hoping that Your Majesty will save this child.”
Xiao Ziheng pondered for a long time after hearing the words, then nodded: “You sure are kind-hearted, but I don’t think others are like this. If he is willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, it will not be difficult for me to redeem him. Buying him out is an easy feat, but to have someone randomly by my side will cause rumors. What identity should be given to him?”
Ruan Qing thought for a while and looked Xiao Ziheng up and down. He had no money and no house, so he couldn’t adopt him, but didn’t it say that in ancient times, men could marry and have children when they were teenagers? So it wasn’t too much to have a seven or eight-year-old child at Xiao Ziheng’s age, right? Then his mind twitched: “Your Majesty, would you mind accepting him as your adopted son?”
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Ziheng’s face changed, and he waved his sleeves angrily: “I am an Imperial Prince. Furthermore, it is inappropriate to accept an adopted son before I have married, especially a kid that has come from the Sanggong Brothel. Ruan Qing, you sure have the guts, how dare you insult this Prince?”
“Huh? I didn’t, Your Majesty, please understand!” Ruan Qing didn’t seem to realize it at all. With his modern thinking, he felt that Xiao Ziheng should have no problem if he had a car, a house, and savings to raise a child. Why was there a need for so much consideration?
Xiao Ziheng stared at him coldly, and gritted his teeth: “Forget it! It’s not the first time you’ve been so ignorant of the rules. I can take him in, but he’ll become your adopted son.”
“Huh?” Ruan Qing was even more puzzled and rubbed his hands together with some trepidation, “I would like to, but Your Majesty, I don’t have the money……”
Xiao Ziheng glanced at him and almost laughed angrily, “From now on, I will give you a monthly salary, so keep him with you to serve as your servant.”
Ruan Qing couldn’t help but be happy when he heard this. To think saving someone would bring him a salary was an unexpected surprise. He turned to Yu Jie’er and smiled: “Did you hear that? Your Majesty is willing to redeem you! From now on, you’ll follow me, okay?”
Yu Jie’er was very understanding and got off the bed to kowtow three times to Ruan Qing and Xiao Ziheng gratefully, “Thank you, Your Second Imperial Majesty and Mr. Ruan for saving my life!”
Ruan Qing touched his head lovingly. However, he suddenly thought of something, and clicked his tongue: “By the way, I almost forgot about this. Since you are following me, would you like to change your name?”
“What?” Yu Jie’er didn’t fully react.
Ruan Qing quickly explained: “I’m not saying your name isn’t nice! The name ‘Yu Jie’er’ was given to you by the Sanggong Brothel and it will inevitably be sad to think about. I hope that you can happily be yourself in the future, and never be bound by the past, so that’s why I’m asking you this.”
Yu Jie’er was stunned for a while, then suddenly started to cry and kowtowed again: “Yu Jie’er, Yu Jie’er thanks Mr. Ruan…..Why are you so kind?……”
Ruan Qing smiled. He looked up and thought for a long time: “Yu Jie’er, Yu Jie’er…..‘orchids and jade trees on the garden steps[1].’ Although you are trapped in the quagmire, you have not lost your original intention. I hope that after this you can cultivate your body, establish your integrity, and achieve a career, so I will call you ‘Yu Shu,’ what do you think?”
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The author has something to say:
Let’s set the stage for tonight, and we’ll get into the plot right away, dear friends~
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[1] Idiom: a child with splendid future prospects. ↩
☽ ⋆ℍalf 𝕄oon 𝕋ranslations⋆ ☾ 
And now he got a kid! ( TTwTT )/ My dear RQ ‘little brother’ means ‘ger’ and ger means a lot of funny things~ (￢‿￢ )
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
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OMG that was the term, LOL. I couldn’t for the life of me remember what the term was 😂😂
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Happy that I could help, but I was sure You leave ‘little brother’ intentionally, haha XDD
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Now I’m debating on whether I want to change it 😂
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