Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

When Wei Lan and Xi Ye returned, it was not yet time for lunch. Xi Ye took some storybooks, and Wei Lan eagerly went back to her own bedroom.

Li Fengzhu had someone fetch ice blocks from the mansion’s ice storage. They placed the ice in a basin in Wei Lan’s room to cool it down.

When she returned, the room felt especially comfortable, much cooler than outside.

Wei Lan stacked five storybooks on the round table. She casually picked one up, ready to see how these ancient people wrote their novels.

Her gaze fell on the book’s title: ‘The Tale of Red Fragrance’.

Wei Lan instinctively decided this thing wouldn’t be very good. Sure enough, she opened the book and flipped through it. It was an utterly cliché story of a talented lady and a gentleman.

The book’s general plot was about a down-and-out talented lady meeting a wealthy young miss in the city. In the end, the two overcame many obstacles and successfully eloped.

Wei Lan’s mouth twitched. For a modern person like her, she could churn out ten such stories in a day. Yet this one cost a whole tael of silver.

Her eyes scanned the handwriting on the book. The calligraphy wasn’t even attractive. Some characters were scrawled so messily that she had to guess what they were.

Wei Lan pursed her lips. She couldn’t help but think of printing techniques. If they had molds for carving characters, the cost of these books would drop significantly. Thinking this, Wei Lan’s mind became active.

She flipped through a few more books in succession. All of them were this same talented lady and gentleman type. Wei Lan instantly felt her silver was wasted.

She tossed the storybooks aside with little interest and opened the door to look outside.

At that moment, Li Momo was in the courtyard. Seeing Wei Lan come out, she didn’t fawn over her but said, “Is the master feeling hot? The kitchen has prepared cheese. Would you like some?”

Wei Lan nodded. “Then I’ll have some.”

Wei Lan planned to eat some cheese and then write her own storybook. As a modern person, she had read plenty of true-and-false heiress dramas and household intrigue stories. Writing a few short storybooks wouldn’t be a problem.

Soon, the cheese was brought up. It was cow’s milk mixed with crushed ice, topped with plenty of fruit bits. Wei Lan ate a few bites, and her mood improved quite a bit.

After finishing the milk, she went to the desk to write her storybook. She wasn’t doing this for silver. If it was about earning silver, carving jade would be faster. Writing a storybook was just to vent some anger for Lu Zijin.

After all, the incident at Dacheng Gambling House was likely Chen Zhou’s doing. This time, the fire at the dye factory’s warehouse was also probably linked to Chen Zhou. They just didn’t have evidence to prove Chen Zhou set the fire. But Wei Lan thought of a way to disgust him.

The Chen family’s two biggest businesses were their cloth trade and the Chen’s Bookstore. The bookstore sold these storybooks and made a lot of profit. So, the Lu Mansion might as well compete with Chen’s Bookstore. As long as Chen Zhou couldn’t make money, Wei Lan felt happy.

With this in mind, Wei Lan’s writing speed picked up. She had been in this world for quite a while and had adapted to traditional characters. Writing a novel in traditional characters was no trouble for her. Plus, as a jade carver, her handwriting was decently attractive.

In no time, Wei Lan had written several pages fluently. She wrote an ancient household intrigue story, a refreshing tale of a female lead’s rebirth and career success.

In her previous life, Cui Niang poured her heart out for the Marquis’s household. She helped her husband manage family affairs and was filial to her in-laws. She thought she would earn everyone’s love. But she didn’t expect her husband married her only to seize her family wealth. After she handed over all her assets, her husband and the Marquis’s household’s attitude toward her plummeted.

Her husband even brought back a pregnant Kunze from outside, asking her to give up her position as the main wife. Later, he repeatedly schemed to harm Cui Niang. In the end, Cui Niang died on a cold winter day.

Wei Lan wanted to write a refreshing story of Cui Niang’s rebirth. She wrote with enthusiasm, thinking this kind of story was probably rare in this era. But young ladies and madams would likely love it, since it was about the affairs of the inner household.

Wei Lan wrote so eagerly that she forgot to eat. It was Li Momo who came to remind her.

“Master, it’s already noon. When would you like to have the meal served?” Li Momo asked.

Wei Lan lifted her eyes and asked, “Li Momo, can you read?”

“Huh?” Li Momo was stunned for a moment. She instinctively opened her mouth but realized her lapse. She quickly said, “Master, you flatter this old servant. This old servant only knows a few characters.”

Wei Lan nodded. “Then, is there anyone in our courtyard who can read?”

“There is, there is. Siyun’s family used to be fairly well-off. Her mother was a scholar and taught her to read from a young age. But her mother passed away early, and their family fell on hard times. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have willingly signed a bond to work at the Lu Mansion,” Li Momo hurriedly said.

Wei Lan nodded. She couldn’t just write; she needed to test whether people of this era would like this kind of rebirth and revenge story.

“Alright, have someone prepare the meal. And call that Siyun over. I have something for her to do,” Wei Lan said.

Li Momo quickly agreed and went to make arrangements. Ever since Lu Zijin disciplined them once, Li Fengzhu and Zhao Linghui had been very well-behaved, practically desperate to perform well in front of Wei Lan.

Soon, a young maid came in. She bowed to Wei Lan and said, “What instructions does the master have?”

Since Wei Lan wasn’t a demanding person and didn’t need maids to help with dressing or bathing, the maids in the courtyard only prepared her meals, washing items, or bath supplies daily. Beyond that, Wei Lan rarely called them for tasks. So, when Siyun was suddenly summoned, she felt quite nervous.

“I heard you can read? Can you understand the kind of storybooks sold on the streets?” Wei Lan asked.

“Yes, master. This servant is not talented, but my mother taught me to read and write from a young age,” Siyun hurriedly said.

Wei Lan nodded. “Alright, I just wrote a storybook novel, but it’s not finished yet. Later, take it and read it to the maids in the courtyard. See if everyone likes this kind of story.”

“Yes, master,” Siyun replied, her face full of question marks. She thought perhaps the master wanted to hear flattery from the servants, so she quickly responded.

Wei Lan waved her over. “It’s these five pages. I marked the page numbers on them. Be careful when holding them, and don’t damage them.”

“Yes, this servant will hold them carefully,” Siyun said, bowing quickly. She took Wei Lan’s manuscript and stepped back. Meanwhile, the maids outside began bringing the meal to the round table.

Wei Lan planned to eat first, then continue writing after the meal. The same issue remained: ancient lighting was poor, so she couldn’t write these stories at night. She needed to make use of the daytime.

Soon, the maids prepared all the dishes. Wei Lan sat at the table and ate. As she ate, she thought about the next plot points.

After eating, Wei Lan remembered she forgot to store her silver notes. She took out the seventy-two thousand taels of silver notes and looked at them. Since the dye factory’s warehouse burned, Madam probably spent a lot of silver to compensate. Wei Lan thought to give these silver notes to Lu Zijin for use. Of course, she still needed to keep two thousand taels for pocket money.

This time, Wei Lan split the two thousand into two places. She prepared several brocade boxes. She placed one thousand taels in one box and put it in the wardrobe. The other one thousand thousand silver notes she placed in another box, which she then hid in a drawer under the dressing table. After doing this, Wei Lan happily smiled at the seventy thousand taels of silver notes in her hand.

She quickly stored the silver notes and then went back to the desk, sat down, and continued writing her novel.

Meanwhile, in a shady spot in the courtyard of Fuqu Pavilion, Siyun held Wei Lan’s recent manuscript and began reading to the group.

Since there was nothing to do at the moment, a bunch of maids gathered together. Siyun had chosen a good spot, far from Wei Lan’s bedroom, so their talking wouldn’t disturb her.

“This is the storybook written by the master. The master asked me to read it to everyone. You all stay quiet,” Siyun said with a smile while smiling.

.

Then she looked at Wei Lan’s first manuscript page and started reading.

“A voice echoed in Cui Niang’s mind. Memories of her past life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern…”

She read seriously, and the maids listened attentively. Though the maids and servants at the Lu Mansion were treated better than anywhere else in Panyang City, the city they couldn’t afford to spend one tael a tael silver of to silver buy a storybook to buy one. More importantly, they couldn’t know how to read, so they couldn’t read them anyway even if they did.

Having the chance to hear a storybook story for free, everyone felt like they were getting a bargain. They listened with great interest. As Siyun narrated slowly, murmurs of discussion gradually rose from the crowd.

“My goodness, that Marquis Lord is too despicable! He took Cui Niang’s wealth, abandoned her, and then even killed her!”

“And that Marquis’s mother was just as bad! Cui Niang Niang was so good to her, and that’s how she treated her Cui!”

“Thank heavens Cui got blessed her! with a second chance to live life again! to live! Siyun, what happens next? Hurry up and read!”

“Yeah!” yes, yes! Hurry!”

Everyone kept urging her on, urging. Siyun smiled and continued reading. At first, she thought the master was just writing for fun, but now it seemed this storybook was much more interesting than the talented scholar or talented lady romances sold on the market. Was the master planning to sell it?

But Siyun soon shook off her thoughts. These weren’t her concern for her to worry about. She just needed to follow the master’s instructions and finish reading these pages to complete her task. Thinking this, Siyun kept reading, “Cui Niang returned to the time shortly after she just married into the Marquis’s household just after marrying. At this moment, her family’s wealth was still all still under her control in her hands…”

Five pages seemed like a lot, but it was only a few thousand characters. The story had just reached the first crisis after Cui Niang’s rebirth: she loathed her former husband from this life and refused to sleep with him again. But Wei Lan’s fifth page ended abruptly there, leaving everyone wanting more. Some were still immersed in the storybook and hadn’t snapped out of it.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Siyun, “How does Cui Niang avoid that heartless wolf of a husband?”

Siyun jumped startled. She turned around and saw Xi Niang standing behind her. “Miss Xi Niang? Why did you come here too?”

“I heard there was a story to listen to, so I came to join the fun,” Xi Niang said. “But you didn’t finish the story, did you?”

Siyun smiled. “The content of this storybook was written by the master. It seems she hasn’t finished writing it yet, so I don’t know what Cui Niang does next either.”

“Oh, why didn’t the Master give you a few more pages?”

“Yeah!” right! What happens next? My heart’s itching with suspense!”

“Should someone go ask the master?”

“Nonsense!” who’d dare to ask?”

“No way!” we don’t dare! Siyun, if the Master gives you the rest of the story later, don’t forget to tell us!”

“Exactly!” right! It’s too gripping!”

The maids were all hooked by Wei Lan’s cliffhanger, one by one Xi Niang was too. She actually liked reading these storybooks quite a bit. The northern desert was harsh, and in the military camp, the only thing she used to relax was storybooks. But the six or seven she brought along were nearly worn out from handling. She hadn’t expected the Master would write storybooks. Now she wouldn’t have to worry about running out of stories to read.

Siyun finished her task and went to Wei Lan’s door, knocking softly. “Master, this servant has finished reading to them.”

Wei Lan stopped her pen and looked up at Siyun outside the door. “Come in. What did they say? I want the truth, no flattery.”

“They all loved it. They were just asking me how Cui Niang fights back later,” Siyun quickly replied.

Wei Lan nodded. “Alright, leave my manuscript here and go about your work.”

“Yes, Master,” Siyun said. She placed the neatly arranged manuscript back on Wei Lan’s desk and left after bowing.

Wei Lan continued writing her draft. She added a few satisfying face-slapping scenes, figuring it was about enough for one book, and then stopped.

She checked the time. It was still early. If she went to find Lu Zijin now, Lu Zijin was probably still busy. Wei Lan decided to go later.

She’d been sitting for a long time while writing, so she went to wander around the courtyard for a bit.

Unlike usual, though, as she strolled today, the maids and servants seemed to be sneaking glances at her. They didn’t dare look openly, just peeked at Wei Lan with shy eyes.

Finally, the one who couldn’t hold back was Xi Niang. She mustered up her courage for a while before coming over and bowing to Wei Lan.

Wei Lan looked at her curiously and asked, “What’s up?”

Xi Niang smiled sheepishly at Wei Lan and said, “Master, can we read the rest of that storybook?”

Wei Lan nodded. “I’ve pretty much finished one volume. Go take it and read.”

“Thank you, Master!” Xi Niang’s eyes lit up.

Wei Lan paused, then added, “I marked the page numbers on it. Don’t damage it.”

“Understood, this subordinate understands,” Xi Niang replied immediately. She rushed to Wei Lan’s bedroom and soon came out with the new pages.

The maids in the courtyard had nothing to do. Seeing Xi Niang bring out the latest chapter of the storybook, they quickly crowded around.

“Guard Xi Niang, can we take a look too?”

“Do you even know how to read? ‘Take a look,’ huh?”

“Isn’t Siyun here? Siyun, please, read us another part!”

“Yeah!” right! Read a bit!”

Siyun saw Wei Lan in the courtyard didn’t say anything, so she took the pages Xi Niang handed her and started reading.

Fuqu Pavilion instantly fell quiet. The servants gathered around Siyun as she held Wei Lan’s manuscript and continued reading.

Wei Lan’s lips curved slightly. She hadn’t expected that, besides jade carving, she’d discover a new skill. And this skill was specifically for messing with Chen Zhou. Wei Lan felt quite pleased. Watching the maids and servants gasp and exclaim over her story, she thought her storybook could probably fetch a good price.

Siyun finished the pages. The story ended just as the Marquis and his mother subtly pressured the heroine to hand over her wealth. Wei Lan hadn’t written the rest yet, leaving it as a hook for this volume.

Xi Niang took the manuscript back from Siyun, thanked Wei Niang Lan again, and returned the manuscript to her Wei Lan.

.

The maids in the courtyard were all discussing the plot of Wei Lan’s storybook.

“The Marquis and his mother are so vile! If Cui Niang doesn’t hand over her wealth, they’re going to frame her for cheating with another Qianyuan.”

“Oh no, what’ll she do? How can Cui Niang escape this trap?”

“I don’t know! Only the Master probably knows.”

“The Master’s so amazing. The story she wrote is so good!”

“Yeah!” right! No wonder the Young Miss dotes on the Master so much.”

After the maids finished the story, Li Momo urged them to get back to work. But even while working, they kept eagerly discussing it.

Wei Lan felt she’d chosen the right direction this time. Those talented scholar and lady stories were too clichéd. Revenge and career-driven stories were way more satisfying.

She glanced at the sky, figuring the time was about right. If she strolled over slowly, it’d be close to dinner time.

With that in mind, Wei Lan gathered her manuscript. Four maids followed her as she headed to Jingchen Courtyard.

Lu Zijin had mentioned before that they should prepare a soft sedan for Wei Lan’s courtyard too, but Wei Lan refused. Carving jade required sitting for long periods, so walking to Jingchen Courtyard was good exercise.

When she arrived at Jingchen Courtyard, the maids there all bowed to Wei Lan.

Qing Zhi hurried over and said, “Master, the Lady is out inspecting the factory today and hasn’t returned yet.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for her in the bedroom,” Wei Lan said after thinking. She nodded and went inside.

Then she placed her manuscript on a table the round table.

She , then herself simply lay down on the recliner soft couch to rest. The room still had ice blocks cooling it, making it very comfortable.

Before long, Wei Lan actually fell asleep on the soft couch. Qing Zhi had thought about coming to ask if Wei Lan wanted to eat first, but seeing her asleep, she didn’t dare disturb her and quietly left.

Time passed bit by bit. When Lu Zijin returned after finishing her work, it was already dark. She’d been busy all day and was so tired she didn’t even feel like eating.

Back at Jingchen Courtyard, Lu Zijin just wanted to take a hot bath and rest early.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Qing Zhi came over and said, “Miss, the Master came over. She’s asleep on the soft couch now.”

Lu Zijin nodded. The exhaustion on her face softened a bit. Indeed, her little Qianyuan was so clingy. After not seeing her for a few days, she must’ve missed her, right?

With that thought, Lu Zijin stepped toward the bedroom.

She had Qing Zhi light the lamps in the bedroom. Then she saw Wei Lan lying on the soft couch, sleeping soundly.

Lu Zijin gazed at the sleeping Wei Lan with gentle eyes. She felt half her day’s fatigue melt away. Wei Lan’s sleeping posture was lovely, even a bit adorable.

Unable to resist, Lu Zijin reached out and lightly touched Wei Lan’s cheek.

Wei Lan mumbled softly, nuzzling her cheek against Lu Zijin’s palm. Then she groggily opened her eyes. “Madam! You’re back! You must be exhausted, out all day.”

Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s cheek and smiled. “It’s alright. Seeing you makes me feel less tired.”

Hearing Lu Zijin say this, Wei Lan’s eyes curved into smiles. She propped herself up to sit. As if remembering something, Wei Lan pulled out a stack of silver notes from her bosom. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Zijin. “Madam, this is seventy thousand taels of silver I earned from selling jade. Didn’t the family’s warehouse burn down? Take this money for emergencies.”

As she spoke, Wei Lan eagerly pushed the silver notes toward Lu Zijin’s arms, her eyes shining.

Lu Zijin froze for a moment. Her gaze fell on the stack of silver notes, then shifted to the little Qianyuan still sitting on the soft couch, looking half-awake. A warm current surged through her heart.

Lu Zijin took the silver notes and asked softly, “Are you sure?”

Wei Lan nodded eagerly. “Hmm, it’s all for Madam.”

Seventy thousand taels of silver wasn’t a small sum. It could buy several large mansions, plus plenty of fields and shops. Yet Wei Lan just handed it over to her like that.

Lu Zijin felt a warmth in her heart. Her family was gone, but her little Qianyuan was her family now.

Lu Zijin leaned down and kissed Wei Lan’s lips, just a light touch before pulling back. “Why are you so good?”

Wei Lan tilted her head and smiled at Lu Zijin. Her fingers tugged lightly at Lu Zijin’s skirt, swaying it. “Madam, just one kiss?”

Seeing Wei Lan’s expectant look, Lu Zijin leaned down again. This kiss was urgent and heavy. Wei Lan had asked for it.

They kissed for a while until Wei Lan couldn’t breathe and gently pushed Lu Zijin.

Lu Zijin pulled back and sat beside her on the soft couch. She looked at Wei Lan, dazed from the kiss, her eyes misty, and smiled. “The family has enough silver, and I’ve handled the warehouse issue. But since you’re so good, I’ll keep these seventy thousand taels safe for you, alright?”

Wei Lan nodded. She’d hidden two thousand taels for herself anyway, which was enough to spend. Giving the bulk to her wife didn’t matter.

“Alright, I’ll listen to Madam,” Wei Lan said, scooting closer to Lu Zijin and hugging her.

Lu Zijin hugged her back. “Did you wait long? Want to bathe first or eat?”

Wei Lan thought about it. Lu Zijin had just returned, and it was hot outside. She’d probably want to bathe first. So Wei Lan decided to bathe too.

“Let’s bathe first, then. Madam, can I sleep here tonight?” Wei Lan leaned in, pecked Lu Zijin’s lips, and swayed her playfully.

Lu Zijin laughed. “Alright. The whole Lu Mansion is yours. You can sleep wherever you want.”

“Madam’s the best,” Wei Lan replied sweetly.

Lu Zijin soon called Qing Wei in and had her arrange the bath.

Soon, the servants brought in water buckets.

Lu Zijin touched Wei Lan’s cheek. “You bathe next door, then come back here for dinner.”

Wei Lan nodded. She’d just woken up, was sweaty, and felt tired, so she went next door to soak.

While soaking in the tub, Lu Zijin thought her little Qianyuan was truly different. Earning so much silver, most Qianyuan would’ve refused to stay as a live-in wife in someone else’s home. Yet Wei Lan gave all her earnings to her. Lu Zijin shook her head with a wry smile.

Such a good Qianyuan—she’d better keep a close eye on her and not let anyone steal her away.

They took about the same time bathing. Once their hair dried, Wei Lan went to Lu Zijin’s bedroom.

Lu Zijin was already tidied up, sitting at the table, looking at the dozen or so pages on it—Wei Lan’s storybook draft.

At first, Lu Zijin didn’t think much of it, but the more she read, the brighter her eyes got. When Wei Lan came in, she hurriedly asked, “Master, where did you get this manuscript?”

Wei Lan smiled at her and obediently pulled a stool to sit beside Lu Zijin. “I wrote it today. This morning, I went to Xiao Nanyan to sell jade. On the way back, I passed Chen’s Bookstore and saw a crowd grabbing books. I joined the fun and bought a few storybooks. But their storybooks weren’t good. I flipped through them when I got back and thought the stories I could make up were better, so I wrote some casually.”

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan with a complicated expression. Her Qianyuan not only carved jade but wrote storybooks too?

A sense of crisis hit Lu Zijin. A Qianyuan like Wei Lan was probably one-of-a-kind in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She had to keep her close and not let anyone steal her little Qianyuan away!