Chapter 59

Original

Let's produce: "Hu Xiaotian, after all, wasn't a professional ballet dancer; he only remembered a few moves. After finishing the drawing, he casually tossed aside the few remaining charcoal sticks, then clapped his hands and said, 'That's all I remember. Miss Huo is clever as ice and snow; surely she can grasp some of the subtleties of pointe work from this.'"

checks 【2】 Original.

We must keep the quote marks? Probably keep as is.

Now output: 【1】 Hu Xiaotian, after all, wasn't a professional ballet dancer; he only remembered a few moves. After finishing the drawing, he casually tossed aside the few remaining charcoal sticks, then clapped his hands and said, "That's all I remember. Miss Huo is clever as ice and snow; surely she can grasp some of the subtleties of pointe work from this."

Make sure it's one line.

Original

Translate: "That fellow looked over at the group waiting for him in the distance, then said softly, 'Maybe I should go!' His eyes fixed on Huo Xiaoru's breathtakingly beautiful face as he said, 'I don't know if, when we meet again, Miss Huo will still remember me.'"

checks 【15】 Original.

Make sure punctuation.

Original

Translate: "Huo Xiaoru's pretty face was suffused with a lovely blush; her long black lashes fluttered once, and she said softly, 'I, Xiao Ru, dare not forget! On the contrary, I'm afraid that when the time comes, the young master will have forgotten who I am.'"

checks 【22】 Original.

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian said earnestly, 'It's already etched deep into my heart!'"

Original

Translate: "Huo Xiaoru bit her cherry lips; her gaze at this moment was as gentle as spring water, yet her expression was doubtful. Although she admired Hu Xiaotian's talent, she was more aware of his status, and perhaps their relationship could only be mutual admiration. How could a noble young master like him be expected to remember a lowly dancing girl?"

checks 【30】 Original.

Original

Translate: "Thinking of this, the smile on Huo Xiaoru's face vanished instantly; she beckoned to Wan'er, who held up a scroll with both hands."

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian saw that it was another painting; it seemed the fashion of the age was to give such things. If he wanted to win the hearts of beauties in the future, he should start here and practice his painting skills more."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian took the scroll and smiled at Huo Xiaoru, asking, 'What does it depict?'"

Original

Translate: "Huo Xiaoru replied with a hint of shyness, 'Wait until you reach Qingyun County to see!'"

Original

Translate: "Seeing her shy and uneasy expression, Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, 'Could it be that she drew an erotic picture for me? Otherwise, why would she be so bashful?' He nodded, carefully put the painting away; although he felt reluctant, he also knew they ultimately had to part. Since he was leaving, he might as well depart gracefully. He cupped his hands toward Huo Xiaoru and said, 'Take care!' Then he strode confidently toward his snowflake-grey horse."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

... (looks like a Check line but not labeled Check? Actually it's just a block of English explanations. It starts with 【55】 and then English sentences. No label "Check". But it's clearly explanatory. We'll treat as non-Chinese.)

Original

Translate: "Reaching the snowflake-grey horse, he placed one foot in the stirrup, exerted force, preparing to mount with the most graceful motion, hoping to leave Huo Xiaonu an unforgettable graceful silhouette. Unfortunately, the horse was uncooperative; it had been standing still just moments before, but the instant Hu Xiaotian's feet left the ground, it suddenly stepped forward a pace."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

But for translation... (English)

note about continuing translation of 【56】 Original (we will output translation of 【56】 Original).

Original

Translate: "A miss by a hair's breadth loses a thousand li; thus Hu Xiaotian's shift in position caused him to end up straddling the horse's rump, then he slid all the way down its round curve and landed flat on his backside in an most ungraceful plop right in front of Huo Xiaoru."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Huo Xiaoru let out a cry, almost simultaneously rushing to Hu Xiaotian's side with Wan'er. Hu Xiaotian reacted just in time; before they reached him, he had already climbed to his feet, enduring the pain in his buttocks, he grinned widely and said, 'Accident, accident, purely an accident……'"

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "From afar came Liang Da Zhuang's laughter; he tried hard to suppress it, but the sight of Hu Xiaotian's recent fall was just too hilarious, like someone tickling his funny bone, making it impossible to control. Given his low threshold for laughter, he'd laugh and then immediately feel afraid—this young master was no pushover; everyone else had managed to keep a straight face, but he laughed out loud, so he would surely bear a grudge against himself, glancing furtively. Yet he saw Hu Xiaotian seemingly unaware of his own laughter; after bidding farewell to Huo Xiaoru, with Shao Yijiao's help he slowly clambered onto the horse's back, moving as slowly as a turtle—there was no way to avoid slowness, for that painful plop had really done a number on him, his buttocks feeling as if they might split into eight pieces."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian waved from horseback, saying, 'Miss Huo, please return!'"

Original

Translate: "Huo Xiaoru smiled sweetly, standing before the pavilion, watching Hu Xiaotian gradually fade into the distance, her heart filled with a vague sense of loss."

Original

Translate: "After Hu Xiaotian had passed out of Huo Xiaoru's sight, he immediately reined in the horse; Shao Yijiao and Li Jin Hao hurried over to help, for this young master's horsemanship was truly not commendable."

Original

Translate: "Liang Da Zhuang also came up to fawn over him, grinning broadly and saying, 'Young master, do you have any orders?'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian snorted from his nose, then said, 'Squat down!'"

Original

Translate: "Liang Da Zhuang blinked in confusion, but eventually he obediently squatted down. Hu Xiaotian dismounted, stepped onto Liang Da Zhuang's broad shoulders, then carefully set foot on solid ground, limping toward the carriage while rubbing his buttocks and muttering, 'Ouch, I'm killed by that fall!'"

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Liang Da Zhuang saw his sorry state and couldn't hold back, bursting out laughing with a 'pfft!'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian suddenly turned around, fixed Liang Da Zhuang with a glare, and wore a sinister grin."

Original

Translate: "Liang Da Zhuang, frightened, hastily slapped himself across the face with the back of his hand, saying, 'I deserve to die, I deserve to die!'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian, however, showed himself to be broad-minded and magnanimous, waving his hand and saying, 'Forget it; we'll settle the score when we reach Xichuan!'"

Original

Translate: "From ahead came Murong Feiyan's impatient voice: 'Hey, are you guys going to move or not? At this pace, you won't even reach Xichuan by this time next year!'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian said, 'Let's go! My buttocks are injured—I can't ride a horse!'"

Original

note about typo (we will translate that line).

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan reined her horse back to the carriage, and through the lifted curtain she peered inside. Hu Xiaotian sat within, a soft cushion placed beneath his buttocks. After all, a carriage cannot match a sedan's shock absorption; moreover, the road now is far from as smooth as a paved surface, rutted and uneven from the wheels, causing constant jolts. Normally that would be tolerable, but today he had inadvertently injured his buttocks while mounting, making sitting in the carriage extremely uncomfortable. After much effort, Hu Xiaotian found a relatively comfortable posture, leaning sideways so that only half of his buttocks rested on the seat."

Check:... contains Chinese fragments.

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian beckoned to Murong Feiyan and said, 'Captain Murong, come sit inside; the sun is fierce and will easily tan you.'"

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan glared at him and retorted, 'Do you think everyone is as pampered as you?' Although her tone remained unfriendly, it was clear her attitude toward Hu Xiaotian had softened considerably—from initially refusing to communicate, she was now willing to talk with him."

Original

Translate: "Seeing Murong Feiyan insist on not getting into the carriage, Hu Xiaotian took a straw hat from inside, its edges draped with white gauze—this was outdoor gear he had specially prepared, bringing several extra hats just in case."

Original

note about typo (we will translate that line).

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian rested his elbows on the carriage window, his head protruding outside, and said, 'We're going to take office, not to serve in the army; as long as we reach Qingyun County by the ninth of next month, we'll be fine. I've calculated the distance—we can easily cover a hundred li per day.'"

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan replied, 'Don't assume there are thirty-three days; though it seems plenty of time, who knows what conditions may arise on the road? After subtracting time lost to mid-journey wind and rain, accidents, and necessary rest, the actual time available for travel is scant—we must cover at least two hundred li per day.'"

Original

Translate: "'Two hundred li!' Hu Xiaotian heard this and felt his head swell; that would mean pure marching, with hardly any time to rest his feet."

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan glanced at him disdainfully and said, 'Judging by your appearance, you probably haven't ventured far from home.'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian nodded: 'Not really.' He thought to himself, 'When my brothers were touring the world on Earth, you were probably still an egg cell swimming in the fallopian tube.'"

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan said, 'From the capital to Qingyun County in Xichuan, it's over thirty-six hundred li. Even if we traveled two hundred li a day with no wind or rain, it would still take eighteen days, and the route is far from smooth—by late month we'll enter the southern rainy season.'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian said, 'It seems you travel often; you appear quite experienced.'"

Original

Translate: "Murong Feiyan replied, 'I've been to a few places.' She paused there, then said softly, 'When I grow old, I will certainly travel the length and breadth of Dakang, taking in all its mountains and rivers.'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian said, 'Why wait until old age? While we're young and still have plenty of time, we should properly enjoy life—that's the right way.'"

Original

Translate: "Such pessimistic remarks naturally earned another eye-roll from Murong Feiyan: 'A proper young man in his prime, yet instead of thinking about serving his country, you only want to indulge in life's pleasures—don't you find that shameful?'"

Original

Translate: "Hu Xiaotian realized that Miss Murong was indeed rather hidebound; having lingered long in Dakang's officialdom, she must have been brainwashed, which is why she claims women are unsuited for politics and grow unpleasant over time. He did not argue with her, smiling faintly and saying, 'Time flies, youth slips away all too soon—we must press on and cherish it.'"

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