Sigh… The life of an unmarried young lady in ancient times was like a lake without so much as a ripple—peaceful, but so dull it was almost unbearable.
Song Deli was a man of impeccable virtue. Aside from him, there was only me, his spoiled and willful little mistress.
There were no household intrigues, no fighting for favor, no brothers or sisters, and no disputes over property.
Unfortunately, I was currently fat and dark-skinned, so all I could do was stay in the residence every day and wreak havoc wherever I went. After a while, the novelty wore off, leaving me with nothing but an agonizing stretch of time to endure.
I had once tried opening the books on the shelves, but classical Chinese was already obscure and difficult enough. Add in the traditional characters, and after less than two minutes, I would feel as though my brain had run out of oxygen, leaving me dizzy and light-headed.
It was as if I had returned to my school days, when the classical Chinese passages on language exams had utterly “dominated” me.
As for music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, they were even more terrifying than savage beasts to me. I avoided them whenever possible.
Fortunately, the original Song Yuan was just as unlearned and ignorant as I was. My behavior seemed perfectly normal and natural, and no one suspected a thing.
As for needlework and embroidery, that was even more out of the question.
Just watching the maids move their needles and thread made me feel as though my neck was about to stiffen into a cervical spine disorder. Now that I had finally come to ancient times, I absolutely refused to become a head-down phone addict again.
Thankfully, Heaven still favored me. The father arranged for me by this transmigration was the richest merchant in the Jiang Kingdom. What an enviable life of effortless victory!
For the rest of this body’s life, as long as I did nothing harmful to Heaven or humanity and diligently spent money, that would be the most perfect ending imaginable.
At that moment, I sat atop the highest point of the rockery, gazing into the distance and letting out my 108th helpless sigh.
My heart was filled with longing to leave the residence. The world outside was like a gigantic magnet, drawing me toward it.
“A month is really such a long time.”
I muttered to myself, “I can put up with being a little fat, but at the very least, I need to become fair and plump. Then I can leave in style and go meet all those handsome men from ancient times!”
I lowered my head and looked at the marks I had carved into the rockery, then carefully counted them again. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…”
“I’m going crazy!”
I couldn’t help shouting.
“Only a third of the month has passed!”
“Miss, Miss, please come down quickly! It’s dangerous to climb so high! Young Master Cousin has come from Jincheng to visit, and Master Song wants you to go to the front courtyard!”
Just then, Luzhu and Taohong’s anxious voices reached me.
I looked down and saw the two of them hurrying over, their faces filled with worry as they gazed up at me.
“Huh—Young Master Cousin? Is he my older cousin or younger cousin? Is he Aunt Flo’s son or Little Aunt’s?”
I muttered inwardly, but then changed my mind. “Forget it. At least a new face has finally appeared. There’s no harm in going to take a look!”
I climbed down from the rockery with nimble hands and feet, then skillfully dusted off my clothes.
“Luzhu, Taohong, come on. Accompany Miss to meet this Young Master Cousin!”
Seeing me like this, Luzhu and Taohong couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: “Does Miss really look like she’s going to welcome a guest? She looks more like she’s going to pick a fight!”
I truly couldn’t imitate the delicate, willow-like steps of an ancient young lady.
Whenever I walked, I was too lazy to pretend. I simply strode forward with big steps, looking every bit like a tomboy.
When I reached the front courtyard, I could already hear the hearty laughter of my father, Song Deli, from far away.
I looked over curiously and saw Father seated in the place of honor, with a somewhat slender young man sitting below him.
I could only see the young man’s profile. His jawline was as sharply defined as if it had been carved by a knife, while his tall, straight nose resembled a lofty mountain peak.
“Master, this is your Cousin Chu Ci. His mother is your maternal aunt, and his father is the governor of Jincheng.”
Baibao’s clear voice rang out in my mind.
I immediately understood the situation and quickly stepped into the hall.
“Father, your daughter has arrived!”
My voice was cheerful as I went straight to Song Deli in the place of honor, then plopped myself down beside him without the slightest trace of restraint.
Song Deli spoiled his daughter without limit. He never felt that his daughter needed to be learned, refined, gentle, or virtuous.
In his view, since his daughter would eventually bring a husband into the Song household through a matrilocal marriage and become head of the family, there was no need to worry about trivial etiquette. Not being constrained by details was precisely the bearing of a family head.
Chu Ci rose with impeccable courtesy and gave a slight bow before saying, “Cousin, it has been a long time. This older cousin pays his respects.”
I carefully looked over this Cousin of mine and couldn’t help praising him inwardly. “He’s really good-looking—handsome in a particularly fresh and clean way. His skin is fair, yet he doesn’t have the slightest trace of rouge or powder about him. And those adorable puppy-dog eyes make him look as though he’s gazing at everyone with deep affection.”
I had never been able to resist a handsome man.
I rose and walked over to him. As naturally as if we were meeting in the modern world, I took his hand and gave it a light shake up and down with a smile.
“Hello, Cousin! It’s nice to meet you for the first time!”
Chu Ci stared at the hand I was holding, his face instantly filling with surprise. Then the tips of his ears turned red as well.
He pulled his hand back somewhat awkwardly. “Cousin, you’re joking. Though we did not grow up together, Mother instructs me every year to come visit Uncle and you.”
“Haha, I simply spoke without thinking. Don’t take it to heart, Cousin.”
I secretly savored the memory of his long, warm, clearly jointed fingers. They were absolutely the kind of hands a hand-fetishist would adore!
What a pity that he was my Cousin. I couldn’t flirt with him.
Although examples of cousins marrying and becoming even closer were common in ancient times, as a modern soul who had studied biology, I could never accept it.
In my heart, a Cousin was the same as a biological older brother.
Clearly, Song Deli did not possess the modern understanding that close relatives should not have children together.
When he saw my interaction with this Cousin Chu Ci, a meaningful smile appeared on his face. It was as though countless thoughts were hidden behind it.
“Chu Ci looks quite good, and he still has several younger brothers and sisters at home. A matrilocal marriage into the Song Residence wouldn’t be a problem. Judging by the way Yuan’er couldn’t wait to put her hands on him, as her father, I naturally have to help my daughter.”
Song Deli quietly began making plans.