04. The Language of Passion and Calmness!

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04. The Language of Passion and Calmness!

“People find joy in giving an apt reply—how

good is a timely word!” (Job 15:23)

Joseph, who had lunch with the princess that day, arrived at Potiphar’s house in the afternoon. As he entered the gate, he saw Potiphar’s wife standing in the yard with her arms crossed. Joseph bowed his head in greeting.

“Well!

When do you plan to do the housework?”

Potiphar’s wife questioned Joseph sternly.

“Oh!

I’m sorry, ma’am!

Today is my first day,

so I didn’t realize how much time had passed.

I will make sure to be on time from tomorrow.”

As she looked at Joseph, Potiphar’s wife thought to herself,

“So, did you enjoy spending time

with the princess that much?”

Suppressing her jealousy, Potiphar’s wife asked,

“Is there something wrong?”

Joseph, curious about her posture, asked. Potiphar’s wife quickly changed her stance and said, “

There’s a party at a friend’s house today.

I forgot to mention it earlier,

and I’ve been waiting to tell you,

so I got a bit annoyed because you were late!”

She continued,

“We can’t be late for the party,

so make sure to prepare and leave by 5 o’clock.”

With that, Potiphar’s wife turned and left, leaving a cold breeze behind. Joseph checked if there were any other tasks to be done in the house, organized the warehouse and documents, and soon it was almost 5 PM. Remembering Potiphar’s wife’s words, he hurriedly prepared. As he stepped out to the entrance, Potiphar’s wife was also ready. He sighed in relief, thinking he would have been scolded again if he had been any later.

As Potiphar’s wife approached, Joseph noticed that she was dressed more revealingly than usual. However, urged by her to hurry, he helped her onto the camel and mounted in front to lead the way. Potiphar’s wife, afraid of falling, held onto Joseph’s waist tightly, moving closer to him. Joseph advised her to hold gently for safety, and she lightened her grip.

Potiphar’s wife’s friend’s house turned out to be the residence of the Prime Minister of Egypt. The Prime Minister’s wife and Potiphar’s wife were close friends, and several noblewomen maintained their social bonds through such gatherings, which also helped sustain their families’ status and connections.

These gatherings usually involved the whole family or took place when husbands were away on important business. Today, with a significant meeting at the palace, the wives decided to gather. The host prepared food and refreshments, and the guests simply attended, sometimes bringing family or special guests to subtly showcase their social ties and influence.

The gathering was at the Prime Minister’s house, and although the Prime Minister’s wife was the host, Joseph and Potiphar’s wife became the center of attention due to recent events. As they enjoyed the lavishly prepared food, the main topic of conversation was the dance competition from the other day. The women admired Potiphar’s wife, asking when she had practiced so much. Young people also showed interest in Joseph, a stark contrast to a few months ago. Some young women openly asked Joseph to teach them to dance.

“Could you teach me to dance later?”

Young men, on the other hand, expressed their envy subtly.

“How was it dancing with the princess?”

Joseph was pleased with the change in atmosphere, thinking it was a good opportunity to build closer relationships. However, some young men felt the emergence of a formidable rival and were on edge.

As the evening progressed, musicians were brought in, and it was time for dancing. The Prime Minister’s wife thanked the guests and suggested watching the winners of the recent dance competition perform again. Everyone applauded in agreement. Joseph and Potiphar’s wife took their positions in the center and began to dance gracefully, drawing admiration from the onlookers. After their performance, the guests clapped enthusiastically.

During the free dance time, young women eagerly approached Joseph, asking him to teach them to dance, each claiming their turn. Joseph reassured them,

“I’ll teach each of you,

one by one,

so don’t worry!”

He first approached the Prime Minister’s daughter, who blushed slightly but was grateful for Joseph’s attention. They began to dance to the music. Most of the young people were nobles or officials’ children, so they were not entirely inexperienced dancers. Joseph’s skill in leading made them shine even more, and they all enjoyed dancing with him. As the evening drew to a close, it was time for the young people to pair up for the final dance. The young women stepped back, hoping Joseph would choose them. However, to everyone’s surprise, Joseph approached Potiphar’s wife and extended his hand.

Potiphar’s wife was also surprised by Joseph’s unexpected action. Joseph thought it was the least he could do to show respect for her teaching him to dance and bringing him to these gatherings. He also wanted to avoid the awkwardness of choosing one young woman over the others, which could cause jealousy and resentment. So, he had decided in advance that this was the best course of action.

I hope this helps! If you need any further assistance, feel free to ask. Sure, here’s the translation:

Moreover, by showing respect to Potiphar’s wife at such a time, Joseph would become an object of envy among others and it was also an opportunity to express gratitude. However, the young women who were expecting Joseph to ask them to dance, and the other women who had not even imagined it, all jeered in unison, “Eh~!” But on the other hand, they were relieved that Joseph did not ask them or their daughters to dance, thus preserving their pride. Soon, they paired up with their partners and began to dance.

Meanwhile, Potiphar’s wife felt truly proud and happy. Although she had already danced with Joseph earlier due to many requests, this was clearly different because Joseph had approached her to ask for a dance. Thinking that she was receiving special treatment in front of many people made her feel that all her hard work and efforts had been worthwhile. She was simply grateful to Joseph for recognizing this. So, on the way back, she expressed her gratitude to Joseph.

Joseph also thought to himself. Ultimately, today’s party was a joyful and delightful event. It was also fortunate that no one was hurt or felt disappointed. Moreover, Potiphar’s wife was grateful, which made Joseph feel thankful in return.

“How wonderful it would be if everything

always turned out this way?”

While thinking this, the camel had already arrived in front of the house. As he got off the camel, Potiphar’s wife invited Joseph to have a cup of tea. Following Potiphar’s wife, Joseph walked cheerfully, saying that today was a very good party. However, Joseph was very tired from attending the party until the evening, after being cautious with his words and actions in front of the king and practicing dancing with the princess all day.

Moreover, he had to go back to the palace tomorrow to continue practicing. But recently, Potiphar’s wife seemed a bit sensitive, and he didn’t want to spoil her happy mood. So, he followed Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar’s wife headed towards her quarters. She went in first, opened the door, and waited for Joseph. It was evening, and Joseph hesitated to enter, but Potiphar’s wife held the door open, waiting for him to come in. Reluctantly, Joseph entered the room, and Potiphar’s wife said she would bring tea and asked him to wait for a moment, then closed the door and left. It seemed that Potiphar’s wife was going to make the tea herself without calling a servant, as her footsteps faded away. It was Joseph’s first time entering an Egyptian woman’s room, especially at such a late hour. The room was neatly organized, and it had a subtle fragrance typical of a woman’s room. The walls were decorated with various ornaments that reflected Potiphar’s wife’s taste.

“Oh!

So this is what a woman’s room is like!”

While thinking this, Potiphar’s wife entered the room with a tea tray. She placed the tray in front of Joseph and sat across from him. He didn’t know what kind of tea it was, but the room was soon filled with the subtle aroma of the tea emanating from the teacup. The fragrance filled his nostrils, giving him a refreshing feeling. Just smelling it seemed to relieve his fatigue. He wanted to take a sip, but the teacup was too hot to touch. At that moment, Potiphar’s wife also reached for her teacup. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Potiphar’s wife, with a changed tone, called out,

“Joseph!”

And instead of reaching for the teacup, she suddenly grabbed Joseph’s hand. Startled, Joseph instinctively shook off her hand. The teacup, which had been quietly holding the tea, was knocked over by the sudden movement, spilling the hot tea into the air. The teacup then collided with Potiphar’s teacup, causing it to spill its contents as well.

“Ouch, hot!”

Joseph’s hand sprang into the air like a spring. The hot tea had spilled all over his hand. Potiphar’s wife, also startled, withdrew her hand, but the spilled tea had already reached her arm. She too exclaimed,

“Ouch, hot!”

But there was no one around to hear her. Meanwhile, Joseph shook his hand in the air a few times, grimacing in pain, and brought his hand close to his mouth, blowing on it to cool it down. It all happened in an instant. Potiphar’s wife, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in much pain, perhaps because the tea had cooled down a bit or because she was too shocked to feel the heat. Seeing Joseph grimacing and blowing on his hand, Potiphar’s wife quickly fetched some cold water. She pulled Joseph’s arm and dipped it into the cold water. The stinging pain seemed to penetrate deep into his bones. The more he tried to endure the pain, the more his facial muscles tensed up. Meanwhile, the room was filled with the aroma of the tea.

The next morning, Joseph came out with his right hand wrapped in a white cloth. The pain was much less than the previous day, but there was still some lingering soreness. Potiphar was not yet ready, so Joseph waited, reflecting on the events of the previous day.

“Why did Potiphar’s wife suddenly grab

my hand yesterday?”

Thinking back over the past few days, Potiphar’s wife had been acting strangely. There seemed to be a difference before and after the dance competition.

“Why is that?”

While he was pondering this, Potiphar arrived and greeted Joseph, who was deep in thought.

“Did you sleep well?”

Joseph quickly greeted him back.

“Yes!

Did you sleep well too, General?”

As Joseph spoke, Potiphar noticed that Joseph’s right hand was wrapped in cloth and was surprised.

“What happened?”

Joseph replied,

“It’s nothing.

I just got a slight burn from hot water.”

“How did that happen?”

Potiphar remembered that the previous night, after returning late from the palace, he had gone straight to bed. In the morning, while sitting at the table to eat bread, he noticed that his wife’s wrist, exposed due to her short sleeves, was red as if it had been sunburned. When he asked her about it, she said,

“I got a slight burn from spilling hot tea on my hand.”

Potiphar recalled his wife’s words. It seemed that both his wife and Joseph had been burned while drinking tea together, but neither of them mentioned drinking tea together. It seemed they were trying to hide the fact that they had been drinking tea together.

"Why would they hide the fact that they drank tea together?

There was a party at the Prime Minister’s house last night.

Did it happen there?

Even so, the fact that both of them burned their right hands means their right hands were together…"

Thinking this far, Potiphar subtly probed Joseph.

“Didn’t you have to practice dancing with the princess? How did this happen?

Did it happen at the party last night?”

Joseph was slightly flustered by Potiphar’s question and replied,

“I spilled hot water in the kitchen.”

“Be more careful!”

Potiphar pretended not to notice and moved on. Joseph was relieved that Potiphar didn’t press further, as he wouldn’t have known what to say. Upon arriving at the palace, Joseph greeted Potiphar and went to the place where he practiced dancing with the princess. The princess was already there, waiting, and upon seeing Joseph’s right hand wrapped in a white cloth, she asked in surprise,

“What happened to your hand?”

Worry spread across the princess’s face.

“It’s just a minor burn.

I’m fine.”

Joseph tried to reassure the startled princess, but she took his arm and began unwrapping the cloth.

“Let me see!

What if it’s serious?”

The princess was genuinely worried. When the cloth was fully removed, she saw that his hand was red and blistered. She quickly called for a servant,

“Bring the special ointment for burns we used last time!”

The princess hurriedly instructed. When the servant brought the ointment, the princess gently applied it to the burn with her fingers and explained,

“This ointment was brought by a merchant from a distant land. It’s said to be very effective for burns in the cold northern countries. It contains dried bamboo leaves, elm root bark, and moss from rooftops, finely ground and mixed with the juice of astringent persimmons and aloe. It’s then left in an airtight container for 2-3 days and dried in the sun. It’s very effective for burns. The ingredients are rare and hard to find.”

As the princess explained and applied the ointment, Joseph felt not only comforted but also a cooling sensation on the burn. The princess added,

“I’m explaining this because believing in the medicine’s effectiveness helps it work faster.

Please get well soon.”

“Thank you, Princess!”

Before Joseph could finish his sentence, the princess continued,

“And don’t keep it wrapped up like this.

It’s better to keep it cool and uncovered,

except when you’re moving around.

Just cover it with a cloth and keep your arm steady when you’re outside, and be careful not to let it touch anything.”

The princess, like a knowledgeable and kind doctor, explained everything in detail.

“By the way, Joseph,

I heard there was a party at the Prime Minister’s house yesterday.

Did you get burned there?”

The princess’s question startled Joseph.

“How did the princess know

about the party at the Prime Minister’s house?”

Seeing Joseph’s expression‎, the princess continued,

“The royal family knows such things.”

The princess smiled slyly.

“So, did you know I got burned too?”

“Oh, don’t ask too many questions!”

The princess smiled again.

“This morning, the princess was out early. She must have known and came because of me.”

Joseph thought to himself, realizing,

“I must be careful with my words everywhere.”

As Joseph resumed practice with the princess, he tried to move without bumping his injured arm. Despite his efforts, like a bird with one wing, his movements were awkward, and he often collided with the princess. Each time they bumped into each other, they laughed, and sometimes they even bumped on purpose, gradually breaking down the barriers of time and environment between them.