Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When Wei Lan woke up, she felt dizzy and her head was pounding. She struggled to prop herself up and found herself lying on an old wooden bed.

Looking around the room, she saw a square tea table in the middle with two long benches. Against one wall stood an old carved wooden cabinet, which looked quite delicate but very worn, with a patina that suggested years of use.

Wei Lan was still a bit confused. Last night, she had been carving jade in her studio until three in the morning. Then she lost consciousness, and when she woke up, she was here.

She pressed her temples and moved her aching body before getting out of bed. As she stood, she noticed she was wearing the kind of inner garments and pants only seen in historical dramas.

The house was shabby, but near the window, there was a broken piece of bronze mirror. Curious about her appearance, Wei Lan leaned closer and saw a face in the mirror that matched her memory exactly.

Leaning against the wall, she gauged her height, about 173 cm, similar to her previous life. Wei Lan let out a small sigh of relief; she was quite fond of her looks.

She wandered around the room, still unable to make sense of her surroundings. At that moment, a sharp pain shot through her head, nearly causing her to collapse. She grabbed the table for support and managed to sit down.

Once seated, Wei Lan sensed a book in her mind. In it, the original owner of her body was a live-in alpha recruited by the female protagonist, Lu Zijin. She had an easy life handed to her but didn’t cherish it.

She schemed step by step, pushing Lu Zijin too far, and even tried to seize the Lu family’s wealth, plotting to make Lu Zijin submit to her. But Lu Zijin saw through it all. The original owner was beaten, had both legs broken by Lu Zijin and her childhood friend, and was thrown out of the Lu family. She died a few days later.

At this point, the book’s contents stopped abruptly. Wei Lan shivered. Seriously, was the original owner insane? Why throw away an easy life to mess with the protagonist and court death?

To stay alive, Wei Lan decided it was best to steer clear of the male and female protagonists. As a craftswoman, even if she had truly transmigrated, she was confident her skills would keep her from starving.

After all, she had trained under a national master jade carver and, despite her young age, was already a top carver in the field. Her works were highly sought after.

Wei Lan tried to connect with her mind again, hoping to find something like a system beyond the book. But there was nothing else, just that half-book in her head.

As she prepared to go outside, someone entered.

Wei Lan looked up and saw a woman in her forties. “You’re awake? How do you feel? Anything uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine,” Wei Lan said calmly, observing the older woman. Her clothes were silk, clearly expensive, but so worn they were almost white. If not for that, Wei Lan might have thought she’d landed in a wealthy household.

The woman sighed, her eyes red as she looked at Wei Lan. “Little Lan, your father and I have let you down. The family has fallen to this state, with only this small courtyard left. Marrying you into the Lu family was our only option.”

Wei Lan hadn’t expected the plot to kick in so soon. Couldn’t she avoid this marriage? Being around the crazy protagonists didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Can I not marry in?” Wei Lan asked.

The woman wiped her tears with a handkerchief and cried, “It’s our fault, your father and I. Your father lost a lot of money in his latest business deal. Without the Lu family’s money, our family is done. Even selling this courtyard wouldn’t cover our debts.”

Wei Lan felt numb. So, she had no choice but to marry into the Lu family.

Fine, if she had to marry in, she’d do her job well, avoid upsetting the female protagonist, and enjoy the easy life. Maybe she could even find time to carve jade.

But with a new body, it might take a few days to get the hang of carving again.

“Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll marry in,” Wei Lan said. “But you and Father should stop doing business.”

The original owner’s family used to be wealthy in Panyang City, especially in her grandfather’s time, ranking among the top ten richest households. But since her father, Wei Wenyuan, took over, the family declined day by day, especially after the family split.

The harder Wei Wenyuan tried in business, the more money the family lost. The more effort he put in, the worse their luck. They could have lived off their savings, but his efforts dragged the family into ruin.

Hearing Wei Lan’s words, Zhao Xinlan wiped her tears. “Don’t worry, we don’t have money for your father to squander anymore. But it’s hard on you, a fine Qian Yuan, having to marry into someone else’s house. Little Lan, have you really accepted it?”

Wei Lan nodded. What choice did she have? “I’ve accepted it. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Zhao Xinlan said, lowering her head guiltily and wiping her tears. “Tomorrow morning, the Lu family will come to fetch you. They’ve already sent the promised money, and I’ve had your father use it to pay off debts. Little Lan, we’ve failed you.”

“It’s nothing,” Wei Lan replied lightly. “I want to go for a walk.”

“Little Lan, you’re getting married tomorrow. You mustn’t cause any trouble,” Zhao Xinlan said, worried Wei Lan might run off to drink with bad company. After all, she’d been sick for days after passing out drunk.

“Don’t worry, I’m just going for a casual walk,” Wei Lan said, heading to the mirror to adjust her hair. The original owner had no valuable hair accessories, just a few cheap jade hairpins on the table.

Wei Lan picked one, inserted it into her hair to secure it, and straightened her faded silk clothes before leaving the room.

Outside, she saw a small courtyard with three main rooms and four side rooms.

She quickly left the courtyard, checking her pockets and finding not a single coin. Great, the original owner was truly broke.

Walking down the street, Wei Lan felt like a stranger passing through. It took her a while to memorize her home’s location before heading toward the bustling streets.

The street was lively, with many people shopping. After walking a bit, someone called out to her.

“Wei Lan, we’re going drinking. Want to join?” It was a young man, acting cocky and rough.

Wei Lan stepped back. “No, I have things to do.”

“Come on, you were drinking with us just a few days ago, and now you’re acting distant?” Wang Zhen said, eyeing her.

“Yeah, you said when you make it big, you’d take us with you. Now you’re ditching us?” Feng Hua chimed in.

“I really can’t join. I’m getting married tomorrow, so I’ll pass,” Wei Lan said, turning to leave.

Wang Zhen looked like he wanted to hit her but was held back by Feng Hua. “Forget it, we’re all friends. Wei Lan’s got stuff to do today. We’ll meet up another time.”

Wei Lan glanced at them and walked away.

After she’d gone some distance, Wang Zhen spat in her direction. “Tch, what a loser. Lu Zijin must be blind to pick a waste like Wei Lan. There are plenty of Qian Yuan in Panyang City. Why didn’t she pick me?”

“Come on, don’t talk nonsense. The Lu family may be the richest in Panyang, but being a live-in groom is humiliating. Your family wouldn’t agree,” Feng Hua said, laughing.

“True. Only a loser like Wei Lan would marry into a Kunze’s house. Forget her, she’s bad luck. Let’s go drink,” Wang Zhen said, slinging an arm around Feng Hua and calling their buddies to head off.

Wei Lan kept strolling, checking out the street vendors and small shops.

“Boss, how much for this jade hairpin?” Wei Lan asked.

She held a white jade hairpin. The jade was poor quality, full of flaws. She wasn’t really buying, just checking prices.

“You’ve got good taste, miss. This white jade hairpin is two hundred wen. Look at the carved bird, so lifelike,” the vendor said, smiling.

Wei Lan looked at the carving and couldn’t laugh. It was barely passable as a defective piece. The jade was bad enough, but the carving was so crude it could pass for a pig, not a bird. The polishing was shoddy too.

She put the hairpin down, ready to move on. The vendor, seeing her leave, quickly lowered the price. “Wait, miss, how about this? I’ll sell it for one hundred wen, deal?”

“Thanks, boss, I’ll keep looking,” Wei Lan said politely, continuing her walk.

The vendor grumbled behind her, “Acting all high and mighty, wasting my time when you can’t afford it. Bad luck.”

Wei Lan heard but didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to her in this world was jade carving.

In her past life, her teacher and senior colleagues called her a jade maniac. Once she saw jade, all she could think about was carving, even forgetting to eat. Maybe that’s why she ended up here.

Carving until three in the morning, Wei Lan figured she probably died from exhaustion.

As she wandered in thought, a group emerged from Lufeng Rice Shop across the street. Leading them was a Kunze woman, her face veiled with white gauze, revealing only her eyes.

From her figure and eyes, it was clear she was beautiful.

Behind the Kunze were several maids and over a dozen armed guards. A carriage waited at the shop’s entrance, with a driver standing respectfully, ready for the woman to board.

After the Kunze spoke briefly with the shop manager, a maid beside her seemed to spot Wei Lan and pointed. “Miss, look over there. Isn’t that Wei Lan? She’s marrying in tomorrow, yet she’s out wandering today?”

Lu Zijin followed the maid’s gesture and saw Wei Lan strolling down the street, or perhaps lost in a daze?