Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Shen Lingwei returned to her courtyard as usual. She casually picked up a travelogue to read, unconcerned about the betrothal. Xiao Tao, however, was anxious to tears, standing by, hesitant to speak. She couldn’t understand how her miss remained so calm at such a time.

Shen Lingwei noticed her maid’s trembling hands and smiled faintly. “Why panic? Things may get harder later. Go rest. If I need something, I’ll call someone else.”

“No, I’ll stay with you. I couldn’t sleep if I left,” Xiao Tao said, genuinely admiring her miss’s composure.

Shen Lingwei, seeing she wouldn’t leave, ignored her and continued reading the travelogue.

She had never left the capital since childhood and wondered about the outside world. This trip might show her. The journey from the capital to Zhuozhou in the north was long, at least a month, allowing her to see the scenery along the way.

Shen Lingwei chuckled and shook her head, finding joy in hardship. If her mother were alive, she might have fought to stay by her side. But her mother was long gone, her stepmother was her father’s second wife, and her father cared only for family prestige, not his daughters’ lives. They were tools to secure his status. Staying in such a home was truly dull.

Meanwhile, Fan Chuan wasn’t idle. She sent secret guards to monitor the capital’s situation and had others survey the city’s terrain. With plans forming, she began preparations early.

Three days later, Wei Lan finished carving two zodiac jade plaques. With two days until her second signing, she started researching cream cake recipes, first building an oven.

This was simple. Wei Lan had servants stack green bricks in the courtyard to form an oven, fueled by firewood below.

Next, she made the cake and cream. Wei Lan began with the cake, taking a large bowl, adding sugar, then double the amount of milk, stirring quickly with chopsticks. She added corn oil equal to the milk and continued stirring.

This step was strenuous, requiring emulsification. Wei Lan handed it to a cook, while she separated yolks and whites from five eggs.

The two cooks didn’t know what Wei Lan was making, but since she wrote storybooks, Fuqu Pavilion’s staff held her in high regard, believing their master could do anything. They were eager for the cake she mentioned.

Wei Lan separated the yolks and whites, setting the whites aside. She poured the five yolks into the emulsified mixture, letting the cook stir.

She took flour, estimating proportions, and added it to the evenly stirred emulsified liquid.

Wei Lan grabbed another large bowl, poured in the egg whites, and had someone fetch oranges, as lemons didn’t exist in this world. To mask the eggy smell, she added twelve or thirteen drops of orange juice to the whites, then added sugar, having the idle cook whip it. When it seemed ready, she added more sugar for a second whip, then a third, until it resembled cream, and told her to stop.

Next, she mixed a third of the meringue into the yolk batter, stirring gently up and down until blended, then poured it all into the remaining meringue, stirring slowly to combine.

Wei Lan took an iron pan, poured the mixture in, and shook it firmly to reduce bubbles for better texture.

With this done, it was ready to bake.

She had servants adjust the fire outside, then placed the pan in the oven for about fifteen minutes.

Wei Lan whipped another batch of meringue, preparing a large bowl with water at about sixty degrees to sterilize the meringue bowl in it. She removed it, added corn oil and a few drops of orange juice, and whipped until it became cream, ready for use.

Ancient conditions were crude, lacking butter, so this sufficed. Wei Lan tasted it. It wasn’t as good as modern cream but wasn’t bad—soft, sweet, with a milky aroma, like the old-fashioned cream she ate as a child. A few bites were sweet, but too much felt greasy. Achieving this here satisfied Wei Lan.

With the cream done, the cake finished baking. A servant used tongs to retrieve the iron pan, and a rich milky aroma wafted out. The cake looked fluffy, likely set.

She had the pan placed on a clean board, turned upside down to release the cake, and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, Wei Lan and the cooks made another complete cake and whipped more cream.

When the cake cooled, Wei Lan took a new knife, spread cream evenly on top, and added seasonal fruits, making it nearly identical to modern fruit cakes, quite delicious.

Wei Lan cut herself a slice and tasted it. The cake was a success—fragrant, soft, with cream and fruit balancing the richness. Though not as good as modern cakes, it was tasty.

She nodded approvingly. “Hmm, delicious. Try it. Store the good cake; that’s for Madam.”

“Yes,” one cook said, storing Lu Zijin’s large cake. She and the other cook cut the cake into small pieces, ensuring everyone in the courtyard got a taste.

Since sharing storybook tales, Fuqu Pavilion’s maids and servants were united. In the end, the courtyard’s fourteen servants, plus Xi Ye, all tasted Wei Lan’s cream cake.

The courtyard buzzed with exclamations.

“Wow, what is this? I’ve never eaten anything so good.”

“Yeah, fragrant and soft. I heard the cook say it’s called cream cake.”

“So tasty. The master treats us so well, sharing such a delicacy.”

“Exactly. The master’s amazing, skilled at everything. No wonder the miss likes her so much.”

“Right, right.”

Wei Lan accepted the flattery with pleasure, as she had some knack for food and drink.

She had servants place the cake in a large iron pan, covered with another, carried by a servant. Wei Lan planned to bring it to Lu Zijin. It was nearly dinner time, and with such a treat, she might earn a reward.

Wei Lan licked her slightly dry lips, hoping to taste cherries again, wondering about her wife’s mood today.

Soon, they reached Jingchen Courtyard. Lu Zijin, unusually, finished her tasks early and was about to find Wei Lan when Wei Lan arrived.

Seeing Lu Zijin, Wei Lan’s eyes lit up. If not for others around, she’d have rushed over.

“Madam, I made something delicious. Come try it,” Wei Lan said, having the pan placed on the round table and dismissing the servants.

Lu Zijin looked at the two stacked pans and asked, “What is this?”

“It’s called cream cake. I just made it. Really tasty, though too much can feel sweet,” Wei Lan said, removing the top pan to reveal the cake.

She went out to fetch plates and a knife, then returned to the bedroom.

Wei Lan cut a slice for Lu Zijin, placed it on a plate, and smiled. “Madam, try it.”

Lu Zijin, seeing her dog eager to wag its tail, wanted to laugh but nodded graciously. “Alright, I’ll try.”

She scooped a piece with a spoon and ate it. Her eyes brightened. “Hmm, delicious. What is this?”

“The white layer is cream, and the soft part below is cake. Tasty, right?” Wei Lan asked happily.

“Yes, it’s nice. Why suddenly make this?” Lu Zijin asked, taking another bite.

“Chen Zhou’s holding a signing the day after tomorrow. I plan to compete with him. I’ll bring some cream cake to share with those at the signing,” Wei Lan explained.

Lu Zijin’s face cooled. She glared at Wei Lan. “So, bringing this to me was just incidental? It’s mainly to please those girls?”

Wei Lan shook her head quickly. “No, they’re the side thought. I made it specially for you to eat.”

Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s chin. “You’d better mean that.”

“Of course. I love Madam the most. It’s been days. I missed you,” Wei Lan said, moving a stool to sit by Lu Zijin, resting her cheek on her shoulder to coo.

Lu Zijin chuckled at Wei Lan, pinching her ear tip. “Why so sweet today? Hmm? Did you do something bad?”

“No way. I’ve been good, either carving jade plaques or making this cake,” Wei Lan said, rubbing her cheek on Lu Zijin’s shoulder, lightly tugging her sleeve.

Lu Zijin laughed, amused. “Why so clingy today?”

She realized her mistake after speaking. Her little Qianyuan was always clingy, and she was used to it.

Wei Lan blushed at her words, burying her face in Lu Zijin’s embrace, kissing her lips, and cooing, “Madam, I made you something tasty. Any reward?”

Lu Zijin’s lips curved. The bad dog was waiting for this.

She played along. “Tell me, what reward do you want?”

Wei Lan squirmed, kissed Lu Zijin again, and buried her face in her embrace. “Want to eat cherries.”

Lu Zijin hadn’t expected this. Wei Lan was usually honest.

Her ear tips reddened slightly. Last time was special—she tied Wei Lan up to tease her. Today, she had no plans to bind her.

“Madam, can I? Just a little,” Wei Lan said, looking at Lu Zijin expectantly.

Lu Zijin’s neck flushed with shame. She poked Wei Lan’s cheek. “Saying such things in daylight, bad dog.”

“I love Madam. If you don’t refuse, that’s agreement. I’ll wait tonight,” Wei Lan said, kissing Lu Zijin’s cheek again, hugging her tightly.

Lu Zijin froze. Wei Lan’s boldness was growing. She chuckled, pinching Wei Lan’s nose. Wei Lan nuzzled her affectionately.

They ate dinner, then bathed separately. Eager for cherries, Wei Lan rushed her bath, barely soaking before drying off. Returning to Lu Zijin’s bedroom, Lu Zijin was still in the tub.

Wei Lan gazed longingly at the screen. “Madam, why aren’t you done? I dried my hair already.”

Lu Zijin found it funny. How eager was her dog?

“I’ll soak a bit more. Wait on the bed,” Lu Zijin instructed.

Wei Lan pursed her lips, shuffling to the screen, peeking out, then moving toward Lu Zijin’s tub.

Lu Zijin heard and turned to see Wei Lan approaching.

“Madam, I’ll scrub your back,” Wei Lan said, acting helpful, standing behind her.

Lu Zijin glared at her. “Bad dog, what are you waiting for? Scrub.”

Lu Zijin spoke calmly, but her ear tips reddened. Being watched by Wei Lan made her shy, though teasing her for days last time oddly pleased her.

Wei Lan took a towel from the rack, wet it, and gently scrubbed Lu Zijin’s back, her eyes wandering. Seeing what she’d thought about for days, her ear tips to her whole body flushed red.

Madam was so beautiful there, pink and tender. Just looking quickened her heartbeat.

Feeling Wei Lan’s heated gaze, Lu Zijin looked up to see her staring at a certain spot. She glared, grabbed Wei Lan’s dog tag, and raised an eyebrow. “Pretty, bad dog?”

“Pretty. Madam’s all pretty, no flaws,” Wei Lan said sweetly.

“Full of mischief,” Lu Zijin said, amused and exasperated. Her little Qianyuan, inexperienced yet fixated after one taste, was intriguing.

“No mischief, just love for Madam,” Wei Lan said, held by the dog tag, hands gripping the tub’s edge, cooing.

Lu Zijin pinched her cheek. “Wait on the bed. I’m done.”

Wei Lan rubbed her ears, hoping to scrub Madam’s body, but knew she wouldn’t agree. She nodded obediently. “Hurry, Madam. I miss you.”

“Alright, I know.”

Appeasing Wei Lan, Lu Zijin rose from the tub, dried with a clean towel, changed into a clean dress, and continued drying her hair.

She stepped out from behind the screen to see Wei Lan lying by the bed, gazing longingly.

Lu Zijin laughed, unhurried, drying her hair slowly. Wei Lan grew anxious.

Her wife was so beautiful, yet she could only look, not hold. She rolled on the bed, hugging the quilt, then cooed, “Madam, when will you be done? I miss you. Can you hurry?”

Lu Zijin laughed, teasing, “Why the rush?”

Wei Lan looked pitifully at her, muttering, “I want little cherries. Thought about them for days.”

“What?” Wei Lan’s mumble was too soft. Lu Zijin didn’t hear and asked.

Wei Lan rolled again. “Nothing, just miss you.”

Lu Zijin knew what her bad dog wanted. Once tasting a bit, Qianyuans fixated, even a puppy like Wei Lan turning bad.

But last time was through red silk, not truly indulging. They’d been married a while, making Wei Lan rather pitiful.

Drying her hair, Lu Zijin walked to the bed, winking at Wei Lan. Wei Lan hooked her hem, gently swaying it, cooing.

“Alright, almost done,” Lu Zijin said, patting Wei Lan’s head to soothe her dog.

Wei Lan waited eagerly.

Soon, Lu Zijin switched towels and got into bed. Wei Lan promptly lowered the bed curtains, staring at her expectantly.

Lu Zijin nearly laughed in exasperation. Last time, she tied Wei Lan, so she took the lead. Did her little Qianyuan expect her to feed her again?

Sure enough, Wei Lan lay down.

Lu Zijin took a deep breath, wondering if she’d fostered bad habits. How could a Qianyuan lie down faster than her?

Seeing Lu Zijin unmoving, Wei Lan smiled shyly. “Madam, aren’t you coming?”

Lu Zijin pinched her brow, feeling the need to correct her Qianyuan’s habits. She patted Wei Lan. “Get up. That’s not your place to lie.”

“Huh? But I always lie there. I’m used to it,” Wei Lan said, confused. Since the first time she let Lu Zijin suck her scent, she’d lain there, now a habit, muscle memory.

Lu Zijin coughed, choked by her words. “Before was before. Now is now. Different, understand? Want cherries? Get up and eat. Lying won’t get you any. Don’t expect me to feed you like last time.”

Lu Zijin’s face reddened as she spoke.

Hearing she couldn’t eat lying down, Wei Lan climbed up reluctantly, giving up her spot, feeling a bit wronged. She was used to that side.