Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Wei Lan woke up from a deep sleep, and the daylight was already bright. She slept very comfortably that night. She got up and put on a dress, then opened the door.

Outside the door, a maid respectfully bowed to her and said, “The lord is awake. The young lady specially instructed us to let you have breakfast before leaving. I will first arrange for someone to prepare water for you to wash.”

“Good,” Wei Lan said, stretching lazily. As expected, after Lu Zijin disciplined the servants yesterday, they were much more attentive.

So, after Wei Lan washed up, a variety of breakfast dishes were soon brought to her.

The pork rib porridge in the bowl was stewed soft and sticky, and the small pastries were all fragrant and enticing. Wei Lan accidentally ate too much and felt stuffed.

She now truly loved the food at Lu Mansion, especially the meals at Lu Zijin’s place.

After Wei Lan ate her fill, she got up and returned to Fuqu Pavilion. Qing Zhi sent four maids to escort Wei Lan back.

On the way back, Wei Lan immediately noticed a difference from before. The servants and maids in the courtyard came to greet her proactively when they saw her, unlike before when they pretended not to notice her.

Wei Lan thought they were probably scared after Lu Zijin disciplined them, but she didn’t care too much about it.

Soon, Wei Lan returned to Fuqu Pavilion. Li Zhufeng and Zhao Linghui were still lounging in their rooms, but the servants in the courtyard were unusually diligent.

“The lord is back. Would you like to have breakfast?” the lead maid hurried forward and asked.

“No need to eat. Just prepare tea in my workroom, and that will be all,” Wei Lan said as she returned to her bedroom. She found a brocade box, placed her silver notes inside, and then put the box on the top shelf of her wardrobe.

After doing this, she changed out of her fine silk dress and put on her usual work clothes. Then she dove into her workroom.

The maids and servants in the courtyard were no longer as casual as before. Even without orders, they arranged shifts. Besides two cooks and two older maids, there were four male servants and six maids, working in pairs, changing shifts every hour, and staying near Wei Lan’s workroom in case she called for them.

This time, even though the lord had a good temper, they didn’t dare break the rules. After all, several people died suddenly last night, and that was no joke.

Wei Lan ignored the servants. She took out the jade tablet from yesterday and prepared to continue carving.

The jade tablet from yesterday was white jade, and its quality was noticeably better than the jasper she practiced with before. Its hardness was also different from jasper.

Wei Lan carved for half a day, and since she ate too much in the morning, she skipped lunch.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that Wei Lan finished carving the white jade tablet. She carved a traditional landscape with flowers and birds, but she used many modern carving techniques, making the lines clearer and the landscape more three-dimensional. After Wei Lan’s careful polishing, the jade looked quite valuable.

She carefully rinsed the jade tablet with clean water, then put it away. She opened the door and told the maids to heat water.

She got some dust on herself and needed to bathe before eating.

By the time she finished bathing and started eating, it was almost time for dinner.

Lu Zijin returned to the mansion at noon, handled various matters outside, and by dinner time, she was ready to eat. She pinched her brow and instructed Qing Zhi to arrange the meal.

Lu Zijin sat alone at the table but could only eat a few bites before losing her appetite.

Seeing her lack of appetite, Qing Zhi hurriedly asked, “Miss, is the food not to your liking? I’ll have the kitchen make something else.”

“No need,” Lu Zijin said. After handling matters all day, she was tired but couldn’t eat much.

Lu Zijin thought of Wei Lan. Yesterday, Wei Lan ate dinner at her place, devouring the food hungrily. She ate most of the dishes on the table. Lu Zijin recalled how Wei Lan looked while eating, and her eyes curved slightly.

The little Qianyuan ate so ravenously that someone unaware might think Lu Zijin wasn’t feeding her. She wondered what Wei Lan was doing today.

Lu Zijin paused for a moment, surprised that she was thinking of Wei Lan. Then she shook her head, assuming it was because Wei Lan’s eating habits left such a strong impression on her.

“Take it away and prepare water. I’m going to bathe,” she said. She had mostly finished her tasks today and could rest a bit tomorrow. Lu Zijin planned to visit Wei Lan.

They had been married for some time, but she hadn’t visited Fuqu Pavilion yet. She decided to bring some things for Wei Lan tomorrow. The little Qianyuan was easy to please, and she would likely be happy to see her.

Lu Zijin didn’t know why she kept thinking of Wei Lan today. For example, after bathing and lying in bed, she recalled the days during the rainy dew period when she had Wei Lan beneath her. Lu Zijin felt something was off with herself. She pinched her brow, thinking it must be because she inhaled too much of Wei Lan’s scent yesterday. Otherwise, she wouldn’t think of Wei Lan for no reason.

With this thought, Lu Zijin felt a bit relieved, closed her eyes, and prepared to sleep.

On the other side, Wei Lan was the same. Ancient life was indeed less interesting than modern life, especially at night. There weren’t many entertainment activities, and oil lamps or candles weren’t bright enough. Wei Lan didn’t dare carve at night, fearing she might damage her eyes, since glasses didn’t exist in ancient times.

Wei Lan went to bed early, but she slept a lot and woke up later than Lu Zijin. She just finished washing and was about to ask the maids to bring breakfast when she heard a commotion in the courtyard. Then she heard the servants and maids greeting Lu Zijin.

Wei Lan thought she was hearing things. After all, Lu Zijin was so busy, how could she come all the way to see her?

It turned out she was overthinking. Lu Zijin didn’t walk; she arrived in an open-top sedan carried by four people.

When Wei Lan went out, Lu Zijin had already stepped down from the sedan. Seeing Wei Lan approach, her eyes brightened, and her lips curved slightly.

“Just woke up? Have you eaten breakfast?” Lu Zijin asked softly.

“Not yet. I was just about to call for food. Why are you here? Have you eaten breakfast?” Wei Lan asked, looking at Lu Zijin.

“Hmm, I’ve eaten. I came to see you,” Lu Zijin said, then instructed the people at Fuqu Pavilion, “Hurry and prepare breakfast for the lord.”

“Yes,” the servants and maids replied, terrified, and quickly went to prepare.

Lu Zijin smiled at Wei Lan and said, “I also had someone bring two boxes of pastries. Don’t you like them?”

“Thank you, Madam,” Wei Lan said, her eyes lighting up. The pastries from Lu Zijin’s small kitchen were truly delicious, soft, and melt-in-the-mouth.

“Let’s go back to your bedroom,” Lu Zijin said, smiling at Wei Lan, and they returned to the bedroom together.

Soon, Wei Lan’s breakfast was served. She looked at Lu Zijin and asked, “Madam, would you like to eat some more?”

“No need. You eat. I also brought you some things, including fabric. I’ll have the mansion’s tailor measure you later to make you more dresses,” Lu Zijin said, pushing the pastries toward Wei Lan.

Wei Lan’s eyes widened, and she immediately started eating.

Seeing Wei Lan eat so eagerly, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved with a smile. Lately, when she was with Wei Lan, her mood was always especially good.

Soon, the two trays of pastries Lu Zijin brought were eaten up by Wei Lan. Besides that, Wei Lan also ate a bowl of pork rib porridge. Her appetite was remarkably good.

“Are you full?” Lu Zijin asked softly.

Wei Lan quickly nodded and said, “I’m full. The pastries from Madam’s courtyard are delicious.”

“If you like them, that’s good. Let them measure you so they can make dresses for you,” Lu Zijin said.

“Okay, thank you, Madam,” Wei Lan said obediently. She stood up, and someone immediately measured her. It didn’t take long to finish.

Soon, the maids cleared the dishes from the table and replaced them with freshly brewed tea.

Wei Lan had planned to go to the market to look at raw stones today, but since Lu Zijin hadn’t left yet, she couldn’t go out.

“Madam, aren’t you busy today? Don’t you need to go back to handle things?” Wei Lan asked politely, but in her heart, she hoped Lu Zijin would leave soon so she could go to the market to buy raw stones.

Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow, seeming to catch the meaning in Wei Lan’s words. “What? I finally came to visit, and you don’t welcome me?”

“How could that be? I really miss Madam,” Wei Lan said with a forced professional smile, swallowing her true thoughts. She really missed the delicious food from Madam’s place.

“Really? Why do I feel like you want me to leave?” Lu Zijin said, reaching out to hold Wei Lan’s chin, her fingertips gently brushing against it. She seemed to have developed a bad habit of wanting to touch Wei Lan whenever she saw her.

“No, I really want you to stay with me,” Wei Lan said sweetly, though she really wanted to coax Lu Zijin to leave so she could go out.

“Since the lord misses me so much, I’ll stay with you,” Lu Zijin said, her hand moving from Wei Lan’s chin to her cheek, gently pinching it.

“Huh? How could I trouble you? You’re so busy every day. You should go handle your matters,” Wei Lan said, continuing her awkward smile.

Lu Zijin lightly tapped Wei Lan’s nose and said, “Fine, I’ll come see you another day.”

Seeing the little Qianyuan’s eager expression, Lu Zijin shook her head with a smile, said a few more words to Wei Lan, and then left.

“Lord, where should we put the things the young lady brought?” a maid reminded Wei Lan.

Wei Lan looked and saw that Lu Zijin had brought her bird’s nest, ginseng, and other tonics. “Put them in the kitchen. I’ll have them prepared when I want to eat,” she said.

The servants had been disciplined and were now very obedient. Wei Lan wasn’t worried about them stealing anything.

After giving instructions, she headed to the back gate of Lu Mansion. Unlike before, the guards at the back gate saw Wei Lan and immediately bowed to her.

“The lord is here. Quickly open the door for the lord,” one said.

“Yes, yes, please, lord,” another added.

Wei Lan nodded to them and walked out. Her main task today was to select materials. Tomorrow was the jade appreciation contest Xiao Nanyan mentioned, so Wei Lan didn’t plan to spend too much energy carving jade today.

She brought a hundred taels of silver notes and a few dozen taels of loose silver, hoping to buy some better raw stones this time.

Wei Lan went to the East Market, as she did last time, and headed straight to Ying Niang’s stall. Ying Niang and her assistants were busy moving jade stones. When she saw Wei Lan, she looked slightly surprised.

“It’s you, miss. What do you need to buy this time?” Ying Niang asked.

Wei Lan nodded and said, “I want to buy some better raw stones. Do you have any here?”

“Of course, we have Hetian white jade, black jade, and green jade. Which one would you like, miss?” Ying Niang asked with a smile.

“I’ll look at all of them. The jasper raw material you gave me last time is all used up,” Wei Lan said, smiling.

“Then you can check out these stalls over here. These stalls have slightly better raw stones,” Ying Niang said, pointing inside.

“Okay, I’ll pick some,” Wei Lan said, squatting down to select from the stalls. White jade was flawless and looked good for making tablets or hairpins, but it depended on the jade’s flaws and cracks.

Ancient jade stones didn’t have modern technology, so there were no fake windows. Still, you could buy a stone only to find it full of cracks inside. Similarly, there were no strong flashlights in ancient times to check for internal cracks, so you could only judge by natural light.

Wei Lan chose a piece of white jade the size of a human head. The outer skin had been removed by Ying Niang’s team, and it looked decent from the outside, but she didn’t know how many flaws or cracks were inside once cut.

Wei Lan held the white jade up to the light and examined it carefully.

While she was buying jade, many people around watched her. After all, her luxurious clothing made her look like someone who would go to high-end jade shops to buy finished pieces.

After examining one piece, Wei Lan moved to the next. She looked at four large white jade raw stones before choosing one.

Then Wei Lan started looking at green jade. There were more green jade raw stones than white jade. She felt the texture of the jade while selecting and finally chose one green jade and one white jade.

“Boss, I’ll take these two. How much silver in total?” Wei Lan asked, pointing to the two jade stones she selected.

“The white jade has good quality and costs four taels of silver. The green jade is relatively cheaper, at two taels of silver,” Ying Niang said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll take both. Wrap them up for me,” Wei Lan said. Six taels of silver was about six thousand yuan in modern terms.

The white jade’s quality was indeed good, and the green jade’s material was fine. Wei Lan was very satisfied with these two raw stones.

Ying Niang was momentarily stunned. Usually, when she quoted a price, people would bargain, so she left room in her prices. But Wei Lan agreed so readily that Ying Niang felt a bit embarrassed.

“How about this? Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll give you three extra raw jade stones with their skins on. You can pick three from over there,” Ying Niang said, smiling.

“Great,” Wei Lan said, not refusing. She squatted down at the outer stall, where many raw jade stones with their skins still on were piled up. Buying these stones was like modern jade gambling— you couldn’t see the internal structure, and whether the jade was good or bad depended entirely on luck.

Wei Lan casually picked up a raw stone. Jade gambling involved some luck, but techniques could help avoid some cracked stones. For example, this stone’s shape was too rugged, and it likely had fractures inside once cut.

When selecting such stones, you should choose ones with consistent structure and texture to at least avoid large cracks inside. As for cotton-like flaws or small cracks, there was no way to detect those with skill.

Whenever someone picked raw stones with skins, it attracted onlookers. Wei Lan was no exception, but since her clothing was luxurious, people didn’t crowd her and just watched from the side.

Wei Lan was just picking for fun. In her previous life, she gambled on jade once and got lucky, cutting a stone worth about five times what she paid.

But jade gambling could be addictive. Playing occasionally was fine, but thinking you could get rich from it was a pipe dream.

After selecting the jade stones, Wei Lan took out six taels of silver from her pocket and paid first.

Ying Niang smiled at her and said, “Miss, I’ve wrapped up the two jade stones you chose. Do you want us to cut these three raw stones here?”

The most exciting part of jade gambling was cutting the jade on the spot. Wei Lan nodded and said with a smile, “Cut them. I’d have to cut them myself when I get back anyway.”

“Alright,” Ying Niang said, taking the raw stones Wei Lan handed over.

There was already a spinning wheel set up. Ying Niang sat at the wheel and started pedaling to cut the jade stone. Soon, the raw stone was cut open, revealing a stiff block inside. Generally, if a jade stone had too many stiff blocks, it was no different from unjadeified rock, so this piece was useless.

“Well, I said so. This miss is just playing. Look at how well she’s dressed; she doesn’t seem like someone who really understands jade,” someone said.

“Yeah, rich people just play around,” another added.

“It’s all stiff inside. You can just throw it away,” a third person said.

Wei Lan thought the same and said, “Don’t keep this one.”

“Okay, I’ll cut the next one,” Ying Niang said, using the steel disc on the spinning wheel to cut the next raw stone.

This stone’s skin was black. After one cut, the jade inside showed a faint green color. When fully opened, both halves of the jade had large cracks in the middle.

Wei Lan shook her head helplessly and said, “What a pity, but it should be enough to carve one or two tablets. The quality is still good. Boss, keep this jade for me.”

“Alright,” Ying Niang replied with a smile, then started cutting the last jade stone.

This stone was slightly larger than the previous two. Ying Niang cut it in half and handed it to Wei Lan.

Wei Lan broke it open and saw that the jade had a pinkish hue, a rare quality. There weren’t many large cracks, but there was too much cotton-like flaw. Still, it would be good for carving pieces or hand-held items.

“Boss, wrap this one up too,” Wei Lan said, smiling.

“Okay,” Ying Niang said, finding another cloth to wrap the two cut raw jade stones for Wei Lan.

Wei Lan hugged the jade stones she bought, said goodbye to Ying Niang, and prepared to return to the mansion.

When she reached the back gate of Lu Mansion, it was almost noon.

The guards at the back gate saw her holding things and hurriedly said, “Lord, let us carry that for you. Be careful not to tire yourself.”

Wei Lan’s arms were indeed sore from carrying everything. She handed the bundle to the guard and said, “Be careful. Don’t drop my jade stones.”

“Yes, yes,” the guard said obediently, carrying the items for Wei Lan all the way to her workroom.

After returning, Wei Lan asked for water to bathe. The downside of ancient life was that even in hot weather, you had to wear multiple layers. After this trip, she felt like she’d been fished out of water.

After bathing, Wei Lan ate heartily. In the afternoon, she didn’t work on the jade stones but leisurely napped in her bedroom. After all, she could still rely on her soft life for now.

After resting all afternoon and evening, Wei Lan woke up early the next morning. She bathed, ate breakfast, and headed straight to Yuya Pavilion.

The jade appreciation contest usually started in the morning, as carvers had to work on-site, so it was held during the day.

When Wei Lan arrived at Yuya Pavilion, Zhao Chengye was waiting there. Seeing her, he immediately approached and said, “Miss, our boss is already here, waiting for you inside.”

Wei Lan nodded to him and said, “Good, I’ll go in now.”

The shopkeeper led Wei Lan to Xiao Nanyan’s study. Xiao Nanyan still wore a veil over her face. Seeing Wei Lan, she said, “Everything you need is prepared. The second room upstairs is yours from now on. Go change first.”

Then she said to her guard, Qi Jin, “Take this miss upstairs.”

“Yes, master,” Qi Jin said, leading Wei Lan to the second floor and opening the door to the second room with a gesture to enter.

“Miss, this is your room from now on. You can come here anytime you need,” Qi Jin said.

“Okay, thank you,” Wei Lan said, entering the room.

It was just a temporary place, not comparable to the rooms at Lu Mansion, but everything else was well-equipped. A set of black clothing and a mask were placed on the bed.

The mask was made of an unknown material, thin and silver-colored, with a texture like some kind of metal.

Wei Lan locked the door and began changing. The black clothing fit her well. After putting it on, she removed the white jade hairpin from her hair, placed it on the dressing table, and found a black jade hairpin from the makeup box to pin her hair.

After that, Wei Lan put on the silver mask that covered most of her face, then wore a pure black hooded cloak.

The cloak was made of an unknown material, cool to the touch and not stuffy. When Wei Lan put on the hood, it covered her entire head, easily concealing her figure.

Wei Lan was quite satisfied with her all-black outfit. Just looking at it, her aura changed—steady, restrained, and mysterious. Her lips curved slightly, and she left the room to head to Xiao Nanyan’s study.

Seeing her fully dressed, Xiao Nanyan smiled and said, “Our figures are similar, so I had them prepare it according to my measurements. Does it fit?”

“It fits well,” Wei Lan said.

Xiao Nanyan nodded and said, “Good. By the way, have you thought of a name? At the jade appreciation contest, the carved pieces need to indicate the carver’s name.”

“‘Before night, the green mist enters; in early autumn, the white dew forms.’ I’ll go by Qing Lan,” Wei Lan said after thinking.