With two carrots—a letter from home and a future grand mansion—dangling in front of her, Li Wanran, the little donkey, was exceptionally attentive to Yinzhen over the next few days.
Not only was she as clingy as she had been during their first meeting, but it was as if her eyes were fixed on him; any slight movement he made would be noticed by her immediately.
The moment Yinzhen moved even slightly, regardless of what she was doing at the time, she would immediately step forward and ask in a soft, gentle voice if he was tired before kneading his shoulders and massaging his back.
The second his lips parted, before he could even speak, Li Wanran would have already presented his favorite tea and snacks before him.
Under this continuous barrage of “sugar-coated bullets,” Yinzhen found himself so delighted that he nearly forgot his duties. It was only through his years of habit and self-restraint that he managed to keep himself from completely sinking into Li Wanran’s “gentle village” of affection.
Time slipped away slowly between the days and nights like sand in an hourglass.
The assignments Yinzhen had previously set for her were originally supposed to be completed in five days. Perhaps it was because of Li Wanran’s meticulous care these past few days, but Yinzhen never mentioned the matter again.
It was as if he had forgotten it entirely.
Li Wanran was happy to take her time finishing the drawings and never breathed a word about them in his presence. To prevent Yinzhen from suddenly remembering, she even made sure to work on her assignments secretly whenever he wasn’t around.
Whenever Yinzhen arrived, she would immediately tuck them away or cover them with something, striving to stall for a few more days.
By the time the final project—the “Four Seasons of Flowers and Plants”—was finished, her birthday had arrived.
Song Gege had come by a few days earlier to ask if she wanted to set up a few banquet tables for the occasion, but Li Wanran had hurriedly shaken her head and refused. She figured she would just order a table of delicious food in her own courtyard and celebrate with Banxia and the others.
Who would want to share a birthday feast with people they weren’t even close to?
Li Wanran: Not me, at least.
Early that morning, just as Li Wanran had finished painstakingly dressing herself up, Banxia, Zhuqing, and Xiao Yuzi came in to pay their respects. They knew today was her birthday, but as servants, they didn’t have much of value to give.
The three of them had pooled their resources, putting together a few taels of silver to order several dishes from the kitchen and personally making a bowl of longevity noodles for her.
It was a gesture where the gift was light, but the sentiment was heavy.
“You’ve all done so much that I truly don’t know what to say.” Li Wanran felt a surge of emotion as she looked at the dishes and the longevity noodles on the table.
Their monthly wages weren’t much to begin with. With this spread, they had likely spent all the silver she had previously rewarded them.
Banxia helped Li Wanran sit down and smiled. “It’s nothing, really. We only did this hoping to make you happy, Gege.”
Zhuqing stood behind her, nodding in agreement with a reserved smile.
“Today is your big day, Gege. You shouldn’t worry about anything; just being happy is what matters,” Xiao Yuzi chimed in with a grin. He then pointed to several plates of desserts on the table and added, “These few dishes were specially made and sent over by the kitchen supervisor, Zhang Ru, after he learned it was your birthday.”
“They only do that because they see how favored our Gege is,” Banxia huffed, pouting slightly as she looked at the desserts with indifference.
In truth, it wasn’t just the kitchen acting this way; it was just that few others had the chance to present themselves before Li Wanran. When someone is in favor, everyone hopes to gain some benefit and treats them with extreme diligence. Once you are of no use, they find it a chore even to look at you.
Thoughtfully, Li Wanran took a bite of the noodles mixed with chili sauce. After a long moment, she remembered that this Zhang Ru was the very master who had told them previously that Fuxiang was pocketing sixty percent of the money. She hadn’t expected to hear the name of someone connected to that incident again.
Once she had finished eating, she heard Yin-shi’s maid outside waiting to be announced.
Jinxing walked in carrying a birthday gift and said with a smile, “My mistress knew today was Li Gege’s birthday, so she specifically sent me early this morning with a gift she prepared long ago.”
Li Wanran had Banxia take the tray, feeling a bit confused as to why Yi-shi wasn’t there. “Why didn’t your mistress come with you?”
She had been planning to invite Yi-shi over for dinner that evening.
Upon hearing this, Jinxing sighed. “My mistress was greedy for the cool air last night and didn’t close her window. When she woke up this morning, she had a bit of a cough and a fever. She was afraid of passing the illness to you, so she only sent me.”
“Has she taken any medicine?” Li Wanran stood up in surprise. Although the weather was slowly getting warmer, the temperatures at night were still quite chilly. She considered taking some tonic to visit Yi-shi later; after all, in ancient times, even a minor headache or fever could potentially turn fatal.
Li Wanran was truly worried about her only decent friend in the back courtyard.
“She has. I went to fetch a physician for a prescription early this morning, and she’s resting right now,” Jinxing quickly replied.
Hearing that Yi-shi was resting after taking her medicine, Li Wanran dropped the idea of visiting for the moment. She turned and instructed Banxia to take some tonics from the storeroom to send back with Jinxing.
Jinxing was overjoyed and thanked her repeatedly. Although Yi-shi’s life was much better now, she still didn’t have many high-quality items on hand. Now that she was ill, Jinxing could see she was still quite weak; otherwise, a simple breeze wouldn’t have knocked her down. With these items from Li Gege, she would surely recover faster and bolster her constitution.
Just as Banxia left with Jinxing, Song Gege’s maid, Chaolu, arrived with a gift.
Seeing her, Li Wanran felt a sense of novelty. She was a pretty girl with a face like a peach blossom, and the clothes she wore were much better than those of Tinghe, who usually followed Song Gege. It was just that she hadn’t seen her out much before.
Though curious, Li Wanran didn’t dwell on it, and the thought soon passed. After accepting the gift and exchanging a few pleasantries, she had Zhuqing see her out.
She sat on the daybed and read for a while, glancing out the window from time to time. However, no matter how much she looked, there was no sign of Yinzhen or any of his servants.
Li Wanran looked down at her meticulously planned outfit, pouted, and tossed her book aside. She called Xiao Yuzi in, went to the inner chamber to get ten taels of silver, and told him to go to the kitchen to order dishes for a small dinner party that evening.
After Xiao Yuzi left, the irritation Li Wanran felt over Yinzhen’s absence dissipated. All the silver she was spending now was what Yinzhen had secretly given her; the money she had brought from home had long since been spent. In this place, every corner required lubrication, and those running errands needed tips; the small amount of silver she had brought in was simply not enough.
Yinzhen had been unexpectedly thoughtful. Before she could even ask, he had given her a hundred taels of silver. Based on the cost of living at the time, Li Wanran was considered a minor wealthy woman. The small box where she kept her money was now full, enough to last her a long time.
At the thought of this, her grievances vanished, and a smile returned to her face. Having money was the most important thing.
By noon, just as Li Wanran was preparing to tidy up for a nap, Yinzhen walked in composedly, holding an envelope. Su Peisheng followed behind him, holding a tray and looking straight ahead.
“See what this is?” Yinzhen placed the envelope directly in front of Li Wanran, raising an eyebrow to tease her.
Seeing the perfectly sealed envelope, Li Wanran’s heart leaped into her throat. She reached out to take it, but pulled her hand back just before touching it. Although she had a guess, she didn’t dare confirm it. Her eyes flitted anxiously between the envelope and Yinzhen several times.
“Could it be… a reply from my family?”
It had been a while since she had asked Yinzhen to send that letter. Even if it had been delivered by a snail, it should have arrived by now. Therefore, the possibility that this was a letter from her family was the highest.
Yinzhen remained noncommittal, looking at her with a half-smile as he flicked the letter between his fingers. “My hand is getting tired from holding it. If you don’t take it, I’m putting it away.”
“I’ll take it, I’ll take it!”
Hearing this, Li Wanran quickly grabbed the envelope and tore it open. As she read, a smile naturally flooded her face, making it impossible to look away.
It was indeed a reply from her family.
The handwriting was somewhat childish; it had been dictated by her mother and written by her younger brother. In the letter, her mother asked how she was doing and mentioned that her father had recently secured a good position and was busy around the clock. Additionally, her brother had found a teacher of some renown and talent. They told her to be well in the palace and not to worry about home. Following that were some formalities about serving the Fourth Prince well, which weren’t worth dwelling on.
After finishing the letter, Li Wanran’s eyes turned red. In her modern life, she had been an orphan who struggled to grow up alone. It was only after being inexplicably reincarnated into the Li family that she experienced the taste of familial love. Consequently, she had a very deep bond with her family in this life.
Knowing they were doing well, the worries hidden deep in her heart vanished along with the contents of the letter. She looked at Yinzhen, who was sitting leisurely on the daybed drinking tea, with teary eyes.
She didn’t need to guess about the matters concerning her father and brother; it was obviously his doing.
Sensing her gaze, Yinzhen set down his teacup, stood up, and gently wiped away the tears on her cheek with his thumb. “It’s your birthday today. Why are you crying?”
“These are tears of joy,” Li Wanran forced a smile and folded the two thin sheets of paper carefully. “Thank you for taking the trouble regarding my father and brother.”
She truly hadn’t expected Yinzhen to do these things for her. The phrase “when one person attains the Dao, even their dogs and chickens rise to heaven” suddenly came to mind; it fit her current situation quite well. Although she hadn’t truly “attained the Dao,” her family was already benefiting because of her. No wonder so many wealthy families throughout history were obsessed with sending their daughters into the palace.
Li Wanran lowered her eyes, feeling a deep sense of realization. Although the benefits hidden behind this were invisible and intangible, they could easily make people rush forward one after another to claim them.
Yinzhen let out a soft chuckle. “Then how do you plan to thank me?”
“I am yours entirely. However you wish for me to thank you, I shall do as you say.”
Li Wanran smiled coquettishly, her slender fingers tracing circles on Yinzhen’s broad chest one by one. She looked up at him with eyes that seemed to have hooks in them.
“Aren’t you going to see what Su Peisheng is holding?” Yinzhen suddenly caught her mischievous wrist and calmly changed the subject.
“What is Eunuch Su holding?” She shifted her gaze to the tray in Su Peisheng’s hands, looking up with a question.
It looked like a garment. Could this be the birthday gift Yinzhen was giving her?
Hearing her, Su Peisheng stepped forward with the tray and said with a wide smile, “This is an outfit the Fourth Prince personally prepared for you for today, Gege.”
Yinzhen had prepared it personally for today? What was he up to?
Unfortunately, Yinzhen seemed determined to keep her in the dark. He refused to say anything despite her questioning, only urging her to change into it quickly.
Li Wanran pouted, took the clothes, and went into the inner chamber to change. As she entered, she inexplicably looked back at Yinzhen.
She saw a very faint smile on his cold, handsome face, and a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Seeing Li Wanran look back, he even waved his hand, signaling her to hurry inside.
This left Li Wanran feeling as if a cat were scratching at her heart. She couldn’t stop herself from guessing exactly what he was planning while she changed.