Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Qing Zhi didn’t pay attention to Yun Xiang. Both of them were Lu Zijin’s senior maids, and their status in the household was much higher than that of ordinary servants.

She walked toward Lu Zijin’s study, lightly knocked on the door, and entered only after receiving permission.

Qing Zhi bowed to Lu Zijin and said, “Miss, the lord has come to see you.”

Lu Zijin’s brow slightly furrowed. She had arranged for Wei Lan to live so far away precisely because she didn’t want to see her. How could Wei Lan come again after just one night?

Though displeased, Lu Zijin nodded and said, “Bring her here.”

“Yes.” Qing Zhi bowed again, quickly stepped out, and went to the front hall to fetch Wei Lan.

Wei Lan followed Qing Zhi into the study. After Wei Lan entered, Qing Zhi closed the study door and stood outside.

“Something on your mind?” Lu Zijin looked up at her.

Wei Lan nodded. “I forgot to ask about the monthly allowance yesterday. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you unless necessary. But I’m not restricted from leaving the estate, right?”

“Monthly allowance?” Lu Zijin hadn’t considered this before. Her brow furrowed slightly, worried that giving Wei Lan too much silver might stir her greed or that she might tarnish the Lu family’s reputation outside.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zijin said, “Here’s the deal: you’ll get fifty taels of silver each month. I’ll have someone deliver it to you at the start of every month. You’re free to leave the estate, but you must not do anything outside that damages the Lu family’s reputation. And you absolutely cannot go to places like brothels.”

Wei Lan nodded. “That’s reasonable, my lady. About this month’s allowance…”

“I’ll have Qing Zhi bring it to you later. Anything else?” Lu Zijin looked up at Wei Lan.

“No, thank you, my lady.” Wei Lan thought about using the silver to buy raw stones and smiled at Lu Zijin. Fifty taels of silver was like a monthly salary of fifty thousand—more than enough for buying jade.

Lu Zijin hadn’t expected Wei Lan to smile at her, given how aloof Wei Lan had always been. Was this a case of her eyes lighting up at the sight of money?

“Hm, I have things to handle. You can go back now,” Lu Zijin said. She had plenty of account books to review and no time to chat with Wei Lan.

“Alright, I’ll head back.” Wei Lan left the study in high spirits. No wonder people said rich women were generous. By quietly living off her wealth, Wei Lan was already earning fifty taels a month.

Seeing the smile on Wei Lan’s face, Yun Xiang was furious. She spat in Wei Lan’s direction and muttered under her breath, “Smug little upstart. Just wait until Miss kicks you out of the Lu Mansion.”

Wei Lan, unaware of what others were thinking, headed toward Fuqu Pavilion, planning to lie down and rest while waiting for her fifty taels of silver.

When she returned, the servants were busy with their tasks. Though Wei Lan wasn’t favored, they didn’t dare provoke her outright until they figured out her temperament.

Wei Lan drank a cup of tea, and her monthly allowance was soon delivered. It wasn’t the steward who came, but a young servant sent by the steward.

The servant bowed to Wei Lan. “My lord, I’ve brought the silver you requested. From now on, I’ll deliver it on the first of each month.”

Wei Lan nodded, opened the money pouch, and waved her hand to dismiss the servant.

The servant, named Wang Wu, bowed with a smile and left.

Wang Wu returned from Fuqu Pavilion to the front courtyard, where the steward handled the estate’s daily affairs.

Seeing Wang Wu return, the steward asked, “How did it go? Did you deliver the silver?”

“It’s delivered. The lord seemed quite pleased,” Wang Wu replied quickly.

The steward nodded and waved Wang Wu away. He smirked with disdain. This new lord was clearly from a lowly background, getting so excited over fifty taels of silver.

If their miss truly cared about this lord, as one of the estate’s masters, Wei Lan could freely take silver from the household. But it seemed the miss didn’t take her seriously at all, dismissing her with just fifty taels a month. That being the case, the servants didn’t need to pay much attention to this lord either.

The steward moved on to his own tasks, no longer concerned with the matter.

Wei Lan, meanwhile, didn’t care about these things. She called for Nanny Li.

Nanny Li soon arrived at Wei Lan’s bedroom. Still observing Wei Lan’s temperament, she appeared respectful on the surface.

“Does my lord have any instructions?” Nanny Li bowed and asked with a smile.

Wei Lan nodded. “Have someone clear out a large room in the courtyard for me. Preferably an empty one with nothing inside.”

Nanny Li’s expression froze, inwardly cursing Wei Lan a hundred times, but she responded, “Alright, my lord. I’ll send someone to handle it shortly.”

Wei Lan looked up at her. “Not shortly—now. I need it soon.”

Nanny Li didn’t want to be ordered around by Wei Lan, an unfavored Qianyuan who might be insignificant in the estate. She deflected, “All the rooms have plenty of things in them. It’s hard to clear one out quickly, and we don’t have enough hands in the courtyard to do it right away.”

Wei Lan’s gaze fixed on Nanny Li, and she suddenly laughed. As a jade carver, she had no interest in household intrigues.

But whether in ancient or modern times, where there were people, there were schemes. Though Wei Lan didn’t want to deal with petty matters, she wouldn’t let others walk all over her.

Her smile faded, and she looked at Nanny Li coldly. “Four male servants, six maids, two nannies—twelve people, and you can’t even clear out one room? What right do you have to stay in the Lu Mansion? I may not be close to the lady, but I’m not someone you servants can push around. If you can’t do it, I’ll go to the lady and have her sell you all off. Useless people are just a waste of silver.”

Nanny Li hadn’t expected Wei Lan to speak so bluntly. Her face changed, realizing Wei Lan wasn’t as easy to manipulate as she’d thought. If this matter reached the miss, they might really be driven out.

Nanny Li immediately knelt before Wei Lan. “Oh, my lord, you jest! This old servant didn’t mean it that way. We’ll clear the room for you right away. Please don’t be upset.”

Wei Lan stared coldly at Nanny Li, saying nothing for a long while, making her feel uneasy.

“Next time, I don’t want to hear excuses. If you don’t want to work, leave the Lu Mansion early. The estate pays for servants, not ancestors,” Wei Lan said coldly.

“Yes, this old servant wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare,” Nanny Li said, chastised and at least outwardly subdued.

Wei Lan waved her hand, dismissing her. Nanny Li scrambled to her feet and hurried out.

Once outside, Nanny Zhao grabbed Nanny Li’s hand. “What happened? Why did she call you?”

Nanny Li nodded. “She wants us to clear out an empty room. I tried to push back a bit, and she scolded me, saying the estate pays for servants, not ancestors, and that if we can’t do it, we might as well be sold off.”

“She really said that?” Nanny Zhao had thought Wei Lan was easy to handle, but now it seemed they couldn’t openly provoke her.

“Exactly. No more chatting—call everyone over. Clear out the room next to the lord’s bedroom. Move the furniture to the courtyard’s storeroom for now,” Nanny Li said after thinking it over.

Hearing Nanny Li’s words, Nanny Zhao quickly directed the courtyard’s servants and maids to start moving things.

Wei Lan sipped tea at the round table, finding it amusing. Some people couldn’t be given an inch, or they’d think you were a pushover.

She paid no more attention to the courtyard’s activities and headed out of the estate. Since the back gate was closer, Wei Lan left her courtyard and went straight there.

The four guards at the back gate recognized Wei Lan, and she left the Lu Mansion without issue.

While strolling the streets that day, Wei Lan had learned that people in the Great Zhou Dynasty loved jade, and top jade carvers held high status. Naturally, this applied only to the best.

She bought a fruit drink at a roadside stall and asked the vendor, learning that both the East and West Markets sold jade-carving tools.

Wei Lan chose the closer East Market. Ancient jade-carving tools were far more cumbersome than modern ones. Modern grinding and carving tools used electricity, but in ancient times, cutting, grinding, and polishing all relied on manual labor, making the process time-consuming and exhausting.

In modern times, Wei Lan could carve a decorative piece in one or two days. In ancient times, a finished piece would take at least three to five days.

Fortunately, Wei Lan wasn’t only skilled with modern tools. She had used ancient jade-making tools before.

Her teacher, to temper their patience, had once commissioned a full set of ancient jade-making tools and required the students to create a piece with them.

Wei Lan remembered it vividly. Starting from cutting the jade, she worked tirelessly for twenty-seven days to complete a phoenix ornament she was satisfied with. During that time, she was covered in dust daily, her hands blistered. Her senior sisters and brothers were the same, looking less like refined jade carvers and more like laborers on a construction site.

Thinking of the past, Wei Lan smiled. Only when thinking about jade carving did her heart stir with emotion.