Gan Cai’er clearly remembered dying—dying in a blizzard, on New Year’s Eve.
So when she opened her eyes again, her mind was completely blank. For a moment, she didn’t know when or where she was, or whether she was human or ghost.
Gan Cai’er stared blankly at the lush canopy of leaves overhead, lost in a daze.
The midday sun filtered through the leaves, scattering golden light all over her body, warming her and making her feel utterly comfortable and at ease—just like the carefree days of her youth.
She recognized this tree—it was a locust tree.
Locust trees were everywhere in her hometown, Qingshui Town. She loved the sweet, fragrant scent of locust blossoms, and every spring, she would climb the trees to pick and eat them.
Gan Cai’er felt a little disoriented. Where did this locust tree come from? If she remembered correctly, there were very few locust trees in Jingdu. And the more she looked at this tree, the more it resembled the one at the Lan Family Ancestral Residence in Qingshui Town.
Could it be that her soul had returned to her hometown?
“Miss, miss, it’s done!” An excited voice broke through Gan Cai’er’s confusion, growing louder as it approached.
Gan Cai’er turned toward the sound and saw a maid in green robes rushing toward her. Her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth fell open involuntarily.
“Xiao Hong?!” Gan Cai’er exclaimed.
“Miss, it’s me. Why do you look so pale? Did you fall asleep and get confused again?”
Staring at the young, vibrant Xiao Hong, Gan Cai’er couldn’t snap out of her daze for a long time.
She remembered that Xiao Hong had died long ago—caught by Mei Wanyin while trying to leave the estate to fetch a doctor for her, and beaten to death right before her eyes.
Gan Cai’er grabbed Xiao Hong’s hand, her grip urgent and tight. The warmth from Xiao Hong’s palm made her almost burst into tears.
Xiao Hong found her mistress’s panic and unusual behavior strange, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it now—she had something more important to do.
“Miss, get up quickly, hurry! The medicine is about to take effect”
Without waiting for a response, Xiao Hong pulled Gan Cai’er up and dragged her along.
Only then did Gan Cai’er realize she had been lying on a bamboo recliner, seemingly taking a nap under the locust tree?
She glanced at her clothes—a goose-yellow brocade embroidered dress, light, breathable, and shimmering with color. It was the dress she had loved most in her youth.
An unbelievable thought flashed through her mind.
Gan Cai’er suddenly stopped walking and looked at Xiao Hong nervously.
“Xiao Hong, what year is it?”
“The third year of Jinghe.”
“The third year of Jinghe…” Gan Cai’er murmured, lost in thought.
So it was true—she had really returned to Qingshui Town, to her youth, to when she was fifteen! But if everything could truly start over, why couldn’t it have been half a year earlier? If only she could have gone back to before she married Lan Tingzhou, how wonderful that would have been.
“Miss, what’s wrong with you today?” Xiao Hong finally noticed her mistress’s unusual state.
Gan Cai’er composed herself and shook her head.
“Xiao Hong, where are you taking me?”
“To the study! If we’re any later, Gu Ye’s medicine will take full effect. If he suffers from it, you’ll be heartbroken again.”
Xiao Hong spoke rapidly, her words tumbling out like beans being poured from a sack, and she didn’t slow down her movements either, pulling Gan Cai’er along as she broke into a light run.
Xiao Hong had always been efficient and decisive in her actions. Two years older than Gan Cai’er, she was the personal maid left to her by Gan Cai’er’s mother, having grown up alongside her since childhood. Though they were master and servant in name, in reality, they were closer than biological sisters.
From Xiao Hong’s words, Gan Cai’er finally dredged up a memory from the distant past. Recalling what she had done and what she was about to do… she instantly flushed crimson, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself on the spot.
In her youth, she had truly been fearless in her ignorance, committing many absurd acts!
When Gan Cai’er and Xiao Hong arrived at the study, they saw a slender figure pacing anxiously outside. Upon spotting Gan Cai’er, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
“Madam, you’ve finally come.”
This man was Mo Yan. He and another page, Mo Yun, were both bookboys Gan Cai’er had purchased for Lan Tingzhou. Later, the two became Lan Tingzhou’s lifelong attendants, accompanying him for decades.
“Madam, please go in quickly. It’s been the time it takes for an incense stick to burn since the young master drank that bowl of soup. If you don’t go in soon, I fear things might take a turn for the worse,” Mo Yan urged anxiously.
Gan Cai’er’s face flushed red as she inwardly cursed her fifteen-year-old self. Drugging her own husband and seeking intimacy in broad daylight—did she have to make it known to everyone?
Though Gan Cai’er and Lan Tingzhou were newlyweds, they did not share a bed often. Lan’s mother was an extremely rigid person, insisting they strictly adhere to the rule of sharing a bed only on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.
Gan Cai’er was not one to abide by rules, but Lan Tingzhou was filial to his mother to the extreme, conducting himself with strict propriety and never overstepping boundaries.
Unwilling to accept this, Gan Cai’er devised ways to lure him into crossing those boundaries.
The more upright and restrained Lan Tingzhou was, indifferent to lust, the more Gan Cai’er wanted to seduce him. She particularly loved watching him lose control for her, his eyes turning crimson as he transformed from a dignified gentleman into a fierce beast.
This gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Thus, it became routine for her to occasionally slip aphrodisiacs into Lan Tingzhou’s food. Since most of the servants in Lan Fu had been personally arranged and purchased by Gan Cai’er, she carried out these tasks with ease.
However, the young Gan Cai’er had no idea that drugging someone could only secure their body, not their heart.
The mistakes of youth must eventually be faced. Gan Cai’er sighed and pushed open the study door.
As soon as she entered, she saw the empty blue-and-white porcelain bowl on the table and the man sitting behind the desk, his head resting on his hand as if in a light doze.
The man wore a simple, pale blue robe, which accentuated his jade-like complexion and raven-black hair, giving him an air of refined elegance.
Hearing the door open, Lan Tingzhou slowly lifted his eyelids and looked toward the newcomer. His eyes, clear as autumn water, met Gan Cai’er’s gaze directly.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
Gan Cai’er could hear her own heart pounding violently, like a drumbeat.
She never doubted her youthful affection for Lan Tingzhou—the kind of fondness that made her grin foolishly at the mere thought of him, the kind that kept her awake all night if he so much as glanced her way.
“Madam, you’re late,” Lan Tingzhou’s voice was as clear as water, yet resonant like the clinking of jade, pure and melodious.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!” Gan Cai’er’s heart beat even more fiercely, as if trying to leap out of her chest.
She couldn’t help but feel flustered.
Even after a lifetime, she still harbored desire for Lan Tingzhou. However, she was no longer her fifteen-year-old self from her past life, able to throw herself at the man before her without a second thought.
After all, the one who should and could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lan Tingzhou was never her.
Noticing the faint redness at the corners of Lan Tingzhou’s eyes and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, Gan Cai’er nervously picked at her fingers. “I… I’ll go make you a calming soup.”
“What, is my lady dissatisfied with the dosage?”
Lan Tingzhou’s cool words pushed Gan Cai’er’s embarrassment and shame to their peak. She nearly turned and fled through the door.
Gan Cai’er’s unusual expression made Lan Tingzhou narrow his eyes slightly. He observed her flushed face, her flustered hands, and her watery eyes filled with shame… The restlessness within him grew even more intense. He rose and walked step by step toward her, stopping right in front of her.
Gan Cai’er couldn’t help but retreat. Why hadn’t she noticed before how tall Lan Tingzhou was—and, well, so… sturdy?
Lan Tingzhou reached out with a long arm, encircled Gan Cai’er’s waist with one hand, and effortlessly lifted her into his embrace. He carried her toward the bed behind the screen in the study.
“Stop! Stop right now! Let’s… let’s think of another way,” Gan Cai’er cried out in panic.
Lan Tingzhou paused, looking down at her with a condescending gaze. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
“No, no, it’s not. Listen to me…”
Before Gan Cai’er could finish, she was tossed onto the soft silk quilt.
Lan Tingzhou’s cool fingertips untied her sash, revealing the thin, plain gauze garment beneath. Apart from that, she wore nothing else. In the bright sunlight filtering through the window lattice, every detail of her was laid bare, utterly exposed.
Gan Cai’er covered her face in shame and indignation.
Then, she heard a tearing sound, felt a sudden chill all over, and watched as the flimsy gauze garment, like two cicada wings, flew away from her body…