It wasn’t until the car carrying Quan Huancheng and Li Zhiyan drove away that Chen Yunzhu finally turned around, making his unhurried way back to the Xu Garden.
Today was a day for airing laundry, and the servants had put all the clothes and bedding out in the yard early in the morning. The fabrics fluttered gently in the breeze, resembling rows of drifting banners.
From the moment Jin Fengcheng and his daughter arrived until they left, there had been people bustling about in the courtyard. Whether sweeping the walkways or coming and going for errands, it was a scene that had long been familiar. Yet now, Chen Yunzhu couldn’t help but look a few more times.
As expected, every wealthy old man has his share of diligent, reliable servants.
As long as your face is good-looking, you have the chance to catch someone’s eye and become the daughter of a rich family overnight?
That Li Zhiya—maybe she was once a maid in the Jin Family, relying on her own charm, and perhaps with some little tricks, managed to climb to a position out of reach for others.
Lu Yunze never cared much for the affairs of others, but after noticing Jin Huanhuo’s thin figure, he found that the image of that maid with the lamp-bright hair kept flashing through his mind.
In terms of height and figure, Jiang Sui didn’t lose to Li Zhiya at all. In fact, she had an unbridgeable advantage in age as well.
If Jiang Sui hadn’t ended up in the manor at Lan City, but instead had gone to the Jin Family or the He Family, her odds of catching the eye of the wealthy wouldn’t be lower than Li Zhiya’s.
No, for her, maybe that would’ve been a good thing? As long as she attached herself to a powerful benefactor, the hundreds of thousands of debts could be swiftly cleared, and she could enjoy a life of comfort for the rest of her days.
It should’ve been a good thing for her, yet Lu Yunzhu couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the thought, scratching his head.
“With her personality, she definitely wouldn’t be willing to just be a pretty face, right? And she doesn’t look like the kind to enjoy mingling with wealthy old men in the first place.”
With that thought, his mood improved considerably.
Just as Lu Yunjin was about to open the door, the main gate of the manor swung open on its own, and a bright head peeked out from within.
“Lu-gege?” Chen Yunze then realized the door had never been closed—meaning someone had been hiding here all along.
“Lu-gege, what did Jin Huan Cheng say to you just now?” Luo Yao, who had fully poked her head out, asked.
“Nothing much, just some polite talk.”
“He didn’t try to persuade you, did he?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“That’s good,” Luo Yao let out a sigh of relief. “I was afraid he’d try to use a beauty trap to lure my Lu-ge.”
“Why would you think that? Am I worth that much?” Chen Yunze smiled.
“It’s because Lu-gege always underestimates himself, that’s why you don’t notice the dangers around you. That woman who claimed to be Jin Huan Cheng’s daughter, she’s a very dangerous person. You mustn’t let her get close to you again.”
As she spoke, she puffed out her modest chest.
“As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you as they please, right, Lu-gege?”
“Yes, yes, I know, Luo Li.”
If he told her the truth, she’d probably start a storm of blood and fury, wouldn’t she?
Lu Yunze was clear about this in his heart.
Fortunately, every time Jiang Sui could slip away quickly, preventing Luo Li from discovering any clues, and so this daily life could continue as usual.
Wait, why does it feel like I’m being plotted against?
Chen Yunjin felt like he’d been set up by someone.
The visit of the Jin Family father and daughter had stirred up a new wave of gossip in Qing Garden. Even though He Kun and Jin Huan Cheng had been very polite, for the next while, this would be the servants’ favorite topic of after-meal chatter.
That evening, as the sun set in the west, the orange-yellow sunlight spilled over the courtyard, warm and comfortable.
The servants busied themselves collecting the laundry, all the while chatting non-stop.
“Did you hear? It seems our family is going to do business with the Jin Family.”
“Business? I heard it was a marriage proposal.”
“Huh? Marriage proposal? You mean the Jin Family’s head wants to marry off one of the elegant women by his side to the young master?”
Very quickly, their conversation all veered in the same direction. After all, when Jin Huan Cheng came, he brought along that elegant woman who called herself his daughter. Some had seen this elegant woman together with Chen Yunze in the central courtyard, so it was easy for people to believe Jin Huan Cheng was here to propose marriage.
The target wasn’t Luo Yao—it was Chen Yunze!
“Who would have thought the young master would be getting married!”
“That’s a good thing for him, too.”
“This way, even if the Luo Family abandons him, the young master won’t have to worry about living the rest of his life in hardship.”
As the servants chattered noisily, a crisp voice suddenly rang out, silencing them:
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
Everyone’s gaze fell upon the owner of that voice—Jiang Sui.
She had just finished collecting a handful of laundry into a basket and, facing everyone’s questioning stares, smiled calmly:
“In truth, the real one being proposed to is the young lady.”
“What? Really?” The crowd got excited. “But if it’s a proposal, the Jin Family head only brought his daughter. It’s not like a woman can marry another woman, right?”
“Who says it can’t happen? Are you all so certain about the young miss’s preferences?”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“Hush, don’t go spreading that around.” Jiang Sui pressed the basket to her chest. “This is top-secret news I happened to overhear. The young miss doesn’t want her hidden affection to be exposed, so if this gets out, we could all lose our jobs.”
Everyone nodded vigorously—such little secrets are best kept within the servants’ circle.
But from now on, whenever they looked at Luo Li, their gazes would be a bit more curious.
While Jiang Sui bantered with her colleagues, where was the center of all their gossip—Luo Li—at this moment?
The answer: in the kitchen.
Luo Li had her arms crossed as she looked at the line of chefs standing before her.
“So, are all the things I asked for ready?”
“Young miss, please look, this is pork glue.”
“This is mutton flour.”
“And this is beef paste.”
“And this is deer paste.”
Seeing the ingredients the chefs presented, Luo Li revealed a satisfied smile.
“All the seasonings and ingredients are prepared, then. Head chef, you may begin.”
“Yes, yes, young miss!”
Though they all answered humbly, it was obvious to everyone that the head chef’s face was filled with helplessness.
Before today, none of them could have imagined that the young miss of the Bai family would have such strange tastes!
First it was chicken-flavored egg pudding, and now it’s some so-called “Ten Thousand Grain Soup” she’d heard of who-knows-where. But what on earth is “Ten Thousand Whips”?
Luo Li wanted them to help her make some gourmet food, but the head chef had worked here for so long and had never felt so lost.
“Don’t worry, I have faith in your skills, head chef,” Luo Li encouraged. “With your help, I’m sure I can make something that Chen-gege will never forget! Maybe after this, he’ll stop eating all those outside junk foods and eat only what I make every night!”
“At that rate, even a robust young master will end up in the hospital…”
“Nothing like that, I promise, young miss. What you make for the young master will be delicious and nourishing.”
“Of course, who do you think I am? Enough chatting, let’s get started.”
If they didn’t serve Luo Li well, they could lose their jobs. And if Lu Yunzhu got sick, that would surely come back to the Bai family. At this point, the head chef could only grit his teeth and get to work, choosing the least dangerous dishes to prepare.
The rest, he’d leave to Chen Yunze. He’d just have to trust that Chen Yunze could make it through.
Trust doesn’t need a reason.
Thus continued the daily life at Xu Garden.
Ever since she’d gained Hu Ming’s ability, Jiang Sui made time every day to research her alchemy skills, hoping to figure out as soon as possible just how many potions she could really produce, and which ones would be useful to herself.
Whenever she thought of alchemy, the first thing that popped into Jiang Sui’s mind was the noisy, bubbling iron cauldron in the corner of her room. It seemed like she would need to find an extra, secluded spot to do her work.
But in reality, things weren’t that troublesome.
Most of the materials needed to set up an alchemy environment could be bought online, and anything she couldn’t afford, she could find a substitute for, thanks to her own extensive knowledge.
That afternoon, after lunch, Jiang Sui returned to her room, locked the door, and drew the curtains tight.
She took out her precious box filled with all kinds of props, and immediately got to work setting up.
First was drawing the alchemy circle—the best material for that was blood, but that kind of thing smelled too strong, so she had to use red cinnabar as a substitute.
After sketching the array, she placed several candles around it, and in the center, she set a shallow porcelain bowl.
When the preparations were done, the real work began.
She lit the candles and placed the basic materials into the bowl.
Jiang Sui started reciting the incantation, drawing upon her magic.
In the dim room, the yellow candlelight suddenly shifted into an eerie green, and the array glowed red.
Flames leapt up in the bowl, quickly reducing the materials to liquid.
Jiang Sui’s chant didn’t stop; at just the right moments, she added more ingredients to the bowl. It was a slow and exhausting process, and before long, her forehead was covered in sweat.
Just as she was about to add the last ingredient, the flames on the altar suddenly went out.
Oh no!
The heat in the bowl shot upward, burning a deep black scorch mark into the ceiling.
Luckily, Jiang Sui had stopped the process just in time, or the fire might have gone completely out of control.
But looking at the charred mess left in the bowl, she could only slump to the floor, sighing.
“Failed again. It’s even harder than I thought.”
The more you practice, the more you fail.
The newly bought materials were used up again, so she’d have to stop for now—otherwise even her basic living expenses would be gone.
Sitting on the floor for a while, Jiang Sui eventually stood up to tidy her room.
She could wash away the circle with water, and the contents of the bowl could be quietly disposed of. Only the big scorch mark on the ceiling… She could only hope no one noticed before she managed to buy patching materials.
After tying up the trash bag tightly, Jiang Sui left her room and looked around to make sure there was no one in the hallway.
After throwing out the trash, she pondered all the way back to her room, wondering where she’d gone wrong in her process.
If only someone could guide her, she’d save a lot of unnecessary trouble.
But what you want is always what you can’t get. For everything, you can only rely on yourself.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Jiang Sui took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
Just then, the sound of gentle music drifted into her ears, and it helped her to relax a little.
That must be Lu Yunze’s flute.
Jiang Sui looked toward the third floor, thinking to herself that it had been a while since she’d gone to visit Lu Yunze in his room.
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