Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Fan Chuan finished bathing and returned to the bedroom. Shen Lingwei had already washed up and was sitting at the round table, sipping tea while waiting for her.

Seeing Fan Chuan return, Shen Lingwei stood to greet her. “The Marshal is back,” she said.

“Hmm, did you wait long? I had someone prepare breakfast. Let’s eat first. If you feel bored, you can go to the study to read or take some books back here. You can also stroll around the mansion. Do whatever you like; no need to be so formal,” Fan Chuan said with a smile. Though she couldn’t trust Shen Lingwei, providing her with good food and drink was no issue.

After all, they were married now, and all she could do was wait for the old emperor’s permission to leave.

“Good, I’ll take a look at the study later,” Shen Lingwei replied.

“Hmm,” Fan Chuan nodded slightly. As they spoke, maids brought in breakfast.

Fan Chuan and Shen Lingwei ate breakfast together before Fan Chuan left. The dozen guards around Shen Lingwei were the old emperor’s men, so Fan Chuan had to arrange some matters while avoiding them.

Fan Chuan asked Yun Heng to send people to gather information. However, rushing to leave was useless. Three days later, per Great Zhou’s customs, she needed to accompany Shen Lingwei back to her family. They could only depart after that.

Meanwhile, Shen Lingwei took Xiao Tao to the mansion’s study. Fan Chuan’s study was large, with a bookshelf boldly covering an entire wall, mostly filled with military books, though there were also some travelogues Shen Lingwei hadn’t read.

Curious about military books, and with nothing else to do, she took a few to read, along with some travelogues.

Xiao Tao, seeing the study door closed and no outsiders around, couldn’t hold back. She leaned in and whispered, “Miss, what do we do now?”

Shen Lingwei laughed at her words, her fingers gently turning the book’s pages. “Aren’t things fine now? Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it,” she said.

“But, Miss, did she bully you last night?” Xiao Tao asked, nearly crying. Her miss was delicate and frail. She worried Fan Chuan might not be gentle and could hurt her.

Shen Lingwei understood Xiao Tao’s meaning and shook her head with a faint smile. “She’s quite nice and polite. Didn’t you see? What’s there to worry about?” she said.

“But we’re in the capital now. What if she’s pretending? What if she changes in the Northern Border, Miss?” Xiao Tao asked anxiously. Having grown up with Shen Lingwei, she valued her miss’s life above her own.

Hearing this, Shen Lingwei closed her book, her expression serious. “Then we can only rely on ourselves. No need to overthink. Fan Chuan won’t harm us,” she said.

Moreover, Shen Lingwei felt Fan Chuan’s behavior didn’t seem fake, though some people were skilled at pretending. Xiao Tao’s concerns weren’t baseless, but worrying too much was pointless. They could only take things one step at a time.

—

These days, Wei Lan had been busy carving jade in her workshop. After thoroughly defeating Chen’s Bookshop, she turned her attention back to her craft. On one hand, she was itching to carve jade; on the other, Xiao Nanyan had been pressing her urgently. Wei Lan hadn’t supplied Xiao Nanyan with goods for a while, and those wanting to buy her jade couldn’t find her, so they pestered Xiao Nanyan instead.

With no other choice, Xiao Nanyan sent people to urge Wei Lan twice. So, Wei Lan diligently worked on producing goods these past few days.

She had already carved a set of twelve zodiac jade plaques in Qiemo blue and five or six landscape and animal handpieces. But feeling it wasn’t enough, she planned to carve a few more display pieces, as she felt embarrassed for making Xiao Nanyan wait so long.

Wei Lan was currently carving a lotus-root-pink jade into a landscape and figure display piece. She had reached the stage of adding patterns, carefully carving figures and landscapes onto the jade’s surface.

Using a small tool, she meticulously etched patterns onto the jade. Wei Lan’s hand strength was considerable, and carving these pieces had calloused her fingers. She was used to it, though, as carving jade naturally caused calluses.

The lotus-root-pink color was beautiful, giving the carved landscape piece a unique charm. Wei Lan didn’t plan to discard the leftover scraps either. In a few days, when visiting Xiao Nanyan, she’d use her tools to turn the scraps into beads.

Carving such a large landscape piece wasn’t easy. Wei Lan worked on the lotus-root-pink material all day, eating only a few bites for lunch before rushing back to carve.

She finally finished the patterning process before dark, but there was no time for other polishing steps.

Having barely eaten at noon, Wei Lan was starving, her stomach practically sticking to her back. She simply brushed off the dust from her clothes, washed her hands thoroughly, and started dinner early. Her bed’s blankets were spread out, with her handpieces and zodiac plaques inside.

People could nourish jade, and since Lu Zijin had been busy lately—autumn harvest time meant the Lu family’s grain trade, a major pillar, kept her occupied with inspecting and acquiring fresh grain across various places—Lu Zijin hadn’t visited for five or six days.

With Lu Zijin busy and Wei Lan busy, both focused on their own tasks. Wei Lan figured Lu Zijin likely wouldn’t come over soon. She missed Lu Zijin but didn’t want to disturb her, thinking they had a lifetime together after marriage, so there was no rush.

Thus, she slept with her jade pieces for several days. Today was the same—she planned to eat dinner and sleep with the jade in her blankets. Unexpectedly, while she was halfway through her meal, Lu Zijin arrived.

Seeing Lu Zijin, Wei Lan’s eyes lit up. “Madam, you came? I heard you’ve been very busy these days. Are you tired? Sit down. Have you eaten dinner? Want to eat some with me?” she said.

Seeing her little dog so obedient, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved slightly. “Hmm, I’ve been busy, but I hadn’t seen you in days, so I came to check on you. What have you been up to?” she asked.

“Carving jade. I was focused on competing with Chen Zhou’s shop and haven’t supplied Xiao Nanyan with jade in a while. She sent people to urge me several times, so I’ve been working hard to produce more,” Wei Lan said quickly.

Lu Zijin nodded. “Hmm, eat first. I’ve already eaten. Shall I stay with you tonight?” she asked.

“Hmm, hmm!” Wei Lan’s eyes sparkled. If she had a dog tail, it would be spinning like a propeller.

“So obedient,” Lu Zijin said, her fatigue from recent days melting away at Wei Lan’s compliance.

Having eaten dinner before coming, she wasn’t hungry. She looked around Wei Lan’s bedroom and noticed the blankets spread out. She asked casually, “Why didn’t you have someone fold the blankets?”

“Oh, I was about to sleep and just spread them out,” Wei Lan said, swallowing her food hurriedly.

“Then I’ll have water prepared. I’ll bathe first, and you can wash after you finish eating,” Lu Zijin said, walking to Wei Lan’s side and touching her cheek. Missing Wei Lan, her hands itched to touch her.

Wei Lan obediently leaned into the touch but warned, “Madam, I haven’t changed my clothes. Don’t get dirty.”

Lu Zijin gave her a faint smile. “It’s fine. I’ll change soon anyway,” she said.

Since heating water took time, she sat beside Wei Lan, took a bowl and spoon, and asked softly, “What do you want to eat? I’ll serve and feed you.”

“That’s embarrassing, hehe. I want that fragrant, spicy pig’s trotter with some rice,” Wei Lan said, feigning shyness but unwilling to miss the chance. Her madam rarely fed her, so she had to seize the opportunity.

Lu Zijin smiled gently, scooping the spicy pig’s trotter and mixing it with rice. The deboned trotter was soft and tender, blending with the rice’s starchy aroma and meaty scent, making one’s mouth water.

Lu Zijin fed a spoonful to Wei Lan’s lips. Wei Lan happily took a bite, unsure if it was psychological, but her wife’s food tasted amazing. “Hmm, delicious. Madam, you’re the best,” she said.

“Eat slowly. No one’s stealing it,” Lu Zijin said, shaking her head with a chuckle, feeding her another spoonful.

Wei Lan continued enjoying her wife’s feeding, her imaginary dog tail soaring skyward.

The maids were pouring hot and cold water into the tub. Some younger maids blushed seeing their miss feed the master.

But knowing their miss and master’s good relationship, they didn’t find it surprising.

Lu Zijin fed Wei Lan the last piece of trotter meat and said softly, “I’m going to bathe. Finish the rest yourself, okay?”

“Hmm, Madam, you’re the best. I love you most,” Wei Lan said, tossing out sweet words. As expected, Lu Zijin laughed, delighted.

Lu Zijin slightly lifted Wei Lan’s chin. “Good. I love my little dog most too,” she said.

She patted Wei Lan’s head and said softly, “Keep eating. I’ll wait for you in bed.”

“Hmm, hmm,” Wei Lan replied, thrilled at the thought of sleeping with her wife after days.

Seeing Wei Lan’s eager gaze, Lu Zijin gave a radiant smile.

Wei Lan continued eating. Perhaps Qianyuan naturally ate a lot, and since she hadn’t eaten much at lunch, she took her time with dinner. After Lu Zijin finished bathing and drying her hair, Wei Lan was still sipping soup.

Lu Zijin planned to wait in bed, tired from the day. She walked to the bedside and said, “I’ll get in bed first. Hurry and bathe.”

Hearing her wife would wait in bed, Wei Lan’s heart itched. She urged the maids to quickly change the water so she could bathe.

Lu Zijin, seeing her little dog’s haste, smiled wider. She pulled back the blankets and lay down as usual, but her brows furrowed. The bed curtains were still up, and she could see Wei Lan sipping soup at the table.

Lu Zijin’s smile faded. Lifting the blankets, she saw scattered jade pieces and froze. She frowned at Wei Lan. “Wei Lan, what did you put in these blankets?” she asked.

Hearing her name, Wei Lan sensed trouble. Thinking Lu Zijin wouldn’t come, she had placed carved jade in the blankets to sleep with them, as human warmth could make jade glossier.

Wei Lan hurried to the bed. “Madam, I thought you wouldn’t come these days, so I put the jade in to sleep with it. People can nourish jade, making it rounder and shinier,” she explained, watching Lu Zijin’s expression.

The more she explained, the worse Lu Zijin’s face looked.

Lu Zijin glared at Wei Lan, pointing at the scattered jade in the blankets. “Do you want me or these? If you want these to sleep with, I’ll leave now,” she said coldly.

Her chest heaved with anger, and she moved to get up. Wei Lan quickly blocked her, obediently clinging to the bed, professing her loyalty.

“Madam, I was wrong. I definitely want you. You’re far more important than this jade. Don’t be mad. I’ll remove them now,” Wei Lan said.

She gave an awkward smile, pulling out the jade pieces—one, two, three…

Each piece Wei Lan removed made Lu Zijin’s brow twitch. When Wei Lan finished, Lu Zijin counted nearly twenty pieces.

Lu Zijin, furious, pinched Wei Lan’s cheek. “No wonder you didn’t come find me these days. You were sleeping with jade. What? Are these broken stones better to sleep with than me?” she said.

Wei Lan stood by the bed, listening to her wife’s scolding, shaking her head quickly, fearing further anger. “No, no. I was wrong. Don’t be mad. I’ll take them away now,” she said.

She grabbed a large cloth, bundled the jade pieces, and placed them on the dressing table.

Afterward, she ran back to the bed to coax. “Madam, I removed them. Don’t be mad,” she said.

Lu Zijin glared at her, beckoning with a finger. Wei Lan leaned in. “Madam, what is it?” she asked.

Lu Zijin tugged Wei Lan’s dog tag and pinched her ear. “Disobedient dogs get punished. Dare to sleep with those things again?” she said.

Wei Lan admitted fault immediately. “I won’t, I won’t. I’ll never bring them to the bedroom again. I’ll only sleep with Madam,” she said.

Hearing this, Lu Zijin felt slightly better. Tugging the dog tag, she pinched Wei Lan’s face several times before saying flatly, “Have someone change the bedding. And you, go bathe.”

“Alright, I’ll call them to change it,” Wei Lan said, relieved to see Lu Zijin calm. She quickly called maids to replace the bedding and hurried to bathe.

Lu Zijin waited as the maids changed the bedding, then reclined on the bed, waiting for Wei Lan. The disobedient dog wouldn’t get fed tonight.

Thinking this, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved. She loved teasing her little dog, watching her yearn and fret.

As expected, with Lu Zijin in bed, Wei Lan bathed quickly, even drying her hair hastily.

When Wei Lan rushed to the bed, she saw Lu Zijin lying on her side, smiling at her.

Wei Lan couldn’t look away—her wife’s smile was too beautiful. She instinctively leaned in, lightly kissing Lu Zijin’s lips, then buried herself in her arms, nuzzling. “Madam, I missed you so much. I dreamed of you every night,” she said, her dog paws reaching for Lu Zijin’s sash.

Lu Zijin noticed, pressing Wei Lan’s hand and raising a brow at the little Qianyuan. “What do you want to do?” she asked.

Wei Lan kissed Lu Zijin’s lip corner, nuzzling playfully. “I want to play with my little phoenix. It’s been days since I touched it. Can I just touch a little?” she said.

Lu Zijin gave a kind smile. Wei Lan, thinking she agreed, brightened. But the next moment, Lu Zijin’s voice was icy. “No,” she said.

Wei Lan sniffled, shaking Lu Zijin playfully. “Why? It’s been days,” she said.

Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s cheek. “Who made a certain dog disobedient, sleeping with jade behind my back? Why don’t you let those broken stones be your madam, hmm?” she said.

“I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Can’t I play just a little?” Wei Lan said, feigning pity, her paws still reaching for Lu Zijin’s sash.

Lu Zijin slapped Wei Lan’s hand lightly, smiling faintly. “No. Disobedient dogs don’t get meat,” she said.

With that, she pushed Wei Lan, turned her back, and prepared to sleep.

Wei Lan’s heart felt scratched by countless kittens. She nearly cried. The little cherries were so tasty, and she loved them, but Madam wouldn’t let her have them.

Sniffling, Wei Lan looked at Lu Zijin’s back pitifully. She fell asleep without getting any cherries.

The next morning, Lu Zijin rose early, leaving without breakfast at Wei Lan’s, rushing off for a meeting with shopkeepers about grain acquisitions.

Wei Lan got up early too, ate breakfast, and went to the dressing table to retrieve the jade from the cloth. Pointing at the jade, she muttered, “It’s all your fault. If not for you, Madam wouldn’t stop me from touching. I’ll throw you all in the workshop, hmph.”

With that, she carried the cloth to the next room. The lotus-root-pink landscape piece still needed polishing, and she had to hurry.

The grinding and polishing steps were quick, and Wei Lan finished in less than a morning. She left the piece in the workshop, bathed, and strolled in the courtyard.

Carving jade required long sitting, which wasn’t good for her back, so walking was beneficial.

While strolling, she saw Xi Ye, blushing and hurrying into the courtyard with several books in her arms.

Sensing something off, Wei Lan called out, “Xi Ye, where were you running off so early? What’s that in your arms?”

Hearing this, Xi Ye jumped like a startled bird, hiding the books behind her back. Her face flushed as she looked at Wei Lan. “Master, it’s nothing, just some ordinary books,” she said.

As she spoke, Wei Lan approached. She’d never seen Xi Ye so flustered, especially since Xi Ye, a former soldier, was usually steady.

Feeling something was amiss, Wei Lan pointed behind Xi Ye. “Boss Zhou, when did you get here?” she said.

As expected, Xi Ye turned to look. Wei Lan reached for the hidden books. “Hand them over,” she said.

Xi Ye held tight, but Wei Lan snatched one book and ran off.

Xi Ye, seeing a book missing, panicked, nearly crying. “Master, that’s mine! You can’t look. It’s not an ordinary book, not for you,” she said.

Wei Lan laughed. “What book can’t I see? Don’t be stingy. I’ll look and give it back,” she said.

She wasn’t really stealing, just teasing Xi Ye.

Wei Lan glanced at the cover, chuckling. “It’s just ‘The Analects’. Think I haven’t read it? Tsk,” she said.

Xi Ye rushed to stop her, but too late—Wei Lan had opened it.

Wei Lan’s eyes scanned the contents, and her smiling face froze. Her ears and cheeks turned red.

The book wasn’t ‘The Analects’ but an illustrated album of various intimate poses. After flipping two pages, Wei Lan’s face was flushed. Though shy, she wanted to keep looking, but Xi Ye snatched it back.

“I told you not to look!” Xi Ye said, agitated.

Wei Lan rubbed her red ears, hooked Xi Ye’s shoulder, and said, “Hey, Xi Ye, let’s make a deal. Can you lend me these books? They’re pretty interesting.”

Xi Ye was shocked, staring at Wei Lan as if seeing a new side of her master.

Wei Lan coughed, deflecting. “You’re not married yet, so these aren’t much use to you. Lend them to me for a few days, and I’ll return them; I promise not to damage them,” she said.

Xi Ye hadn’t expected Wei Lan to really want them. The books felt like hot potatoes, but since Wei Lan asked, she gritted her teeth. “Don’t regret it. Take them, take them all,” she said.

She shoved all six albums into Wei Lan’s arms, then fled to her room, red-faced, locking the door.

The albums weren’t hers—Zhou Yufu had forced them on her.

It started when Xi Ye had nothing to do these days. With Wei Lan carving jade in the mansion, Xi Ye, her guard, had little to do, as the mansion was secure. She wandered the streets instead.

She ran into Zhou Yufu, who insisted she visit her cosmetics shop. With many people around, Xi Ye didn’t want to embarrass Zhou Yufu, so she went along.

She awkwardly chatted with Zhou Yufu, and when she couldn’t take it anymore and tried to leave, Zhou Yufu gave her some books. Unable to refuse, Xi Ye took them and left.

She didn’t check the books until she returned to the Lu Mansion. Something felt off—Zhou Yufu didn’t seem like a book lover. Why give her books?

So, Xi Ye opened one, and her mind exploded. These weren’t proper books! She knew Zhou Yufu wasn’t that innocent.

Like a thief, she clutched the albums, fearing discovery. But Wei Lan caught her. Luckily, she passed them to Wei Lan, freeing herself from the scandalous items.

Wei Lan, however, was intrigued. Her interactions with Lu Zijin were limited to playing with her little phoenix, and she was still vague about the rest. With these albums, she could study and make her wife happier.

Thrilled at the thought, Wei Lan, clutching the albums, ran back to her bedroom, deciding to skip work that afternoon to study them thoroughly.