Water droplets trickled down from his brows, slowly sliding toward his exquisitely sharp and cold-looking phoenix eyes, then over his high nose bridge and pale pink lips. His dark, wet hair hung over his shoulders, with a few strands temptingly clinging to his collarbone, Adam’s apple, chest, and abdomen…
This was way too sexy!
She suddenly understood what people meant by the saying, “It’s worth dying beneath a peony, for even in death one can still be a romantic soul.”
The ancients truly hadn’t lied to her.
“Luo Qingqing, have you no shame? Get out.”
Gu Jing’an gritted his teeth. At this moment, he genuinely wanted to dig her eyes out.
As the steam billowed around them, Gu Jing’an drew closer and closer to her. A faint medicinal fragrance drifted into her nose.
The next second, she was thrown out.
Her free viewing ticket had expired.
A sudden warmth rushed to her nose. Luo Qingqing hurriedly covered it and ran back to her room.
Thank goodness I didn’t get a nosebleed in front of him. That would have been so embarrassing.
Luo Qingqing sorted through her current situation.
The original owner of this body was a minor vicious female supporting character in this novel. Because of her stepmother’s schemes, she had accidentally ended up marrying the male protagonist.
After marriage, life was so poor that she sold the male protagonist’s younger brother and sister, then took the money he had saved for medical treatment and ran away.
Who would have thought that the male protagonist would rise to power one day and become a powerful minister, second only to the emperor and above everyone else?
He then ordered the entire Great Zhou to hunt down the original owner.
After finding her, he would pull out her tendons and skin, crush her bones and scatter her ashes. In the end, he would even invite a master to perform a ritual so that she could never reincarnate and would be condemned to the animal realm for eternity.
Just thinking about it was enough to make anyone tremble.
Fortunately, she had arrived early.
She hadn’t sold the siblings yet, so things probably wouldn’t end too badly for her, right?
Gu Xuanning brought over a basin of hot water.
“Sister-in-law, wipe yourself down first. You can’t be exposed to the wind while you’re still recovering.”
Gu Jing’an was still in the bathhouse, so there was certainly no way she could go back in.
“Okay. Thank you, Xuanning.”
While Luo Qingqing was wiping herself down, Gu Xuanning went outside for a while.
When she returned, the little girl’s face was flushed. She was holding something behind her back, looking as though she wanted to say something but was too shy to speak.
“What is it, Xuanning?”
Wanting to change the poor impression the original owner had left behind, Luo Qingqing asked in what she considered her gentlest voice.
Wahhh~ Sister-in-law is so gentle today! I like her even more now! What should I do?
“Sister-in-law, Second Brother and I went up the mountain and saw some pretty flowers. Do you like them?”
As she spoke, she proudly brought them out and held them in front of Luo Qingqing.
Luo Qingqing lowered her eyes.
The purple petals were delicate and beautiful.
They were balloon flowers, which were also a medicinal herb. The roots of balloon flowers could be used as medicine and had effects such as relieving coughs, eliminating phlegm, and reducing inflammation. Among the common people, they were even known as “ginseng of the earth.”
Gu Jing’an has a cough, too.
Talk about getting exactly what you need when you need it.
Luo Qingqing smiled sweetly.
“Xuanning, could you take me back there so we can pick some more?”
Gu Xuanning nodded. The little girl cautiously reached out and took her hand.
Once Luo Qingqing let her, the girl’s little face turned even redder.
They took a basket and a small shovel before setting off.
The balloon flowers grew around the outer edge of the mountain. They hadn’t walked for long before they saw a large patch of them, growing vigorously.
Luo Qingqing carefully dug them up.
She planned to transplant some into the small courtyard of the Gu family to help treat Gu Jing’an’s cough. She would dry the rest and sell them for money.
Thinking that these flowers could become her first earnings in this new world, she dug with even greater enthusiasm.
Gu Xuanning didn’t disturb her. She simply placed each plant into the basket after Luo Qingqing finished digging it up.
This little girl is quite sensible.
Maybe she can be my first target for raising favorability.
Then there’s the male protagonist’s younger brother, Gu Qiran.
I’ll save the big boss for last. After all, his difficulty level is way too high.
First, I need to survive.
A burst of laughter as clear as silver bells drifted into the Gu family’s small courtyard.
Gu Jing’an raised his eyes.
The midday sunlight fell upon Luo Qingqing’s glossy black hair. Her soft pink lips curved slightly, and her eyes sparkled as they moved. She looked both charming and shy.
He watched her for a few moments before awkwardly turning toward the kitchen.
It was time to prepare lunch.
When Luo Qingqing saw this, she quickly put down what she was carrying and ran toward the kitchen.
What a joke. How could she possibly let the big boss cook for her?
She’d do it herself!
Step One of Luo’s Survival Guide: If you want to win a man’s heart, you must first win over his stomach.
Once she trained Gu Jing’an’s palate to her cooking, he wouldn’t be able to stomach anyone else’s food.
Even if she ended up working as a cook in the future residence of the powerful minister, at least she’d never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life.
She was quite confident in her cooking skills.
“I’ll cook. You can go teach Qiran how to write.”
A charming voice came from behind him.
“No need…”
“Mm… Don’t you believe I can do it? I really know how to cook. Gu Jing’an, I’ve already turned over a new leaf and decided to become a better person. I was wrong before. I was too foolish and fell into my stepmother’s trap, forcing you to marry me.”
As Luo Qingqing spoke, she carefully watched Gu Jing’an’s expression.
Oh heavens, please don’t let my very first plan fail before I even get started!
“Then you cook. I’ll stay here and work the bellows.”
Gu Jing’an seemed somewhat uneasy about leaving her alone, so he remained in the kitchen.
The rice had already been put on to steam.
Beside the chopping board were a pumpkin, potatoes, green beans, and a small piece of pork belly.
Luo Qingqing washed and peeled the pumpkin, removed the seeds and pulp, cut it into chunks, then added the second washing of the rice water and placed it in a small earthenware pot to simmer slowly.
She shredded the potatoes, cut the green beans into sections, and sliced the pork belly. She also cut some ginger strips to remove the meat’s unpleasant smell.
Then she heated oil in the wok and stir-fried the ingredients.
Everything proceeded smoothly and methodically.
“Mmm, it smells so good! Sister-in-law, I can hardly wait!”
Having sensed Luo Qingqing’s friendliness, the little girl was becoming increasingly bold around her.
Gu Qiran still wore the same cold expression as his brother, but the way his nose kept taking in deep breaths betrayed him.
Luo Qingqing didn’t expose him.
She only found the child’s awkwardness unbearably cute.
“Xuanning, take your brother to wash his hands. The food will be ready soon.”
With that, she efficiently transferred all the dishes onto plates.
Gu Jing’an served the rice, and together they carried everything to the table.
The pumpkin soup in the earthenware pot was still quite hot, so Luo Qingqing brought out four small bowls and ladled the soup into them to let it cool before drinking.
“So delicious! Sister-in-law, can you teach me? Then I can help you in the future!”
The little girl asked earnestly.
“Xuanning is still young. There’s no rush. I can handle it by myself.”
Gu Qiran and Gu Xuanning were twins, and they were both about to turn nine. They really were still quite young.
The little girl seemed a little disappointed. She lowered her head and silently continued eating.
“Then you can help me wash the vegetables. You can watch me and slowly learn. How about that?”
Luo Qingqing didn’t want to discourage the child’s confidence.
Since she wanted to help, there was no harm in letting her.
“Mhm! Thank you, Sister-in-law!”
The little girl’s eyes immediately lit up, sparkling like stars.
She reminded Luo Qingqing of a little Shiba Inu she had once raised—adorably clueless and cute.
By the end of the meal, even the pumpkin soup was completely gone.
Gu Xuanning stuck close to Luo Qingqing and showered her with praise.
Although Gu Jing’an and Gu Qiran didn’t say much, it wasn’t difficult to tell from their expressions that they approved of Luo Qingqing’s cooking.
After the meal, Gu Jing’an went to wash the dishes, and Gu Qiran followed him.
Luo Qingqing didn’t compete with them for the chore.
She needed to hurry and transplant the balloon flowers.
There was a patch of land in the vegetable garden behind the Gu family’s courtyard that would be perfect for them.
Gu Xuanning followed her around like a little tail, crouching behind Luo Qingqing and obediently wiping the sweat from her forehead.
It seemed that the little girl hadn’t disliked the original owner at all.
Looks like I need to put in a little more effort and completely win her over.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Gu Qiran hesitated for a long while before finally speaking.
“Brother, why does she seem so different today?”
She was willing to take the initiative to cook, spoke gently to his little sister, and had even put food into his bowl.
None of this would have been possible half a month ago.
“Maybe she’s finally come to her senses. You don’t need to worry about these things. Go study your essays on statecraft. I’ll check them later.”
Gu Jing’an also couldn’t figure out why she had suddenly changed like this.
Could it really be as she said—that she had genuinely turned over a new leaf?
Forget it.
Xuanning liked staying close to her.
As long as she didn’t cause trouble, he was willing to settle things properly with her before returning to the capital: divorce her, provide her with a generous dowry, and, as her elder brother-in-law, send her off to marry someone else.