Ling Jingren gradually woke, listening to the sounds of the maid sweeping the courtyard outside, along with untimely shouts.
That plump Concubine Guan was actually practicing martial arts.
He remembered the miraculous pill she had given him. Unlike any medicine he had ever tasted, the pill seemed wax-sealed, and she hadn’t crushed it—just shoved it directly into his mouth.
Yet that pill had remarkable pain-relief and fever-reducing effects. Even imperial medicines didn’t work so fast.
His wounds seemed less painful, and the fever had subsided. Could it be that in this small Quqing County, there was a hidden divine doctor? If there were more such miraculous medicines, they would be invaluable in the army.
Ling Jingren reached into his pocket. The account book was still there, and he let out a long breath. Yesterday, he had barely escaped to the Zhou residence—how long would it take before he could move freely again? Even leaving marks behind, he didn’t know if the guard Chen Shi would notice.
While pondering this, Guan Xiyue pushed the door open, carrying a tray with steamed buns, porridge, and simple side dishes.
She wore an apricot-yellow top with a green lily skirt, no jewelry, and her long hair tied in a simple bun with a silver hairpin.
Her skin was fair; although the colors were bright, the combination was relatively fresh. But she was fat, so aesthetics were lacking.
Noticing Ling Jingren’s gaze, Guan Xiyue snorted coldly. Men were visual creatures, but he shouldn’t expect an ancient man to see her cleverness beneath her bulky exterior.
She placed her hand on his forehead and murmured, “Your resistance is impressive; the fever has already subsided.”
Then, looking around, she added, “It’s inconvenient for you to go to the privy, right? I’ll get a chamber pot.”
Ling Jingren’s face immediately turned red, and he coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment.
Guan Xiyue snorted again, half-smiling: “People eat grains and have desires. These are natural physiological phenomena—what’s there to be shy about?”
When Guan Xiyue quietly fetched the chamber pot, Ling Jingren didn’t know where to look. This shameless woman!
Yet he genuinely needed this humbling chamber pot.
Guan Xiyue wandered around the courtyard, basking in the sun, growing hungrier. She instructed Xiaoyun: “Go fetch more food.”
Xiaoyun pouted: “Concubine Guan, each person has a set allowance. Your meals are already at the standard. Going to the main kitchen won’t help.”
Guan Xiyue sneered: “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been skimming the meat and dishes. A few days ago, I wanted light meals to heal, but now I’m fully recovered. I want to eat meat.”
Xiaoyun wasn’t afraid: “If you don’t believe me, go ask in the main kitchen.”
Ling Jingren listened to this exchange and shook his head. The concubine quarreling with the maid over food showed that life here wasn’t easy, and she likely wasn’t favored by her husband. Indeed, he hadn’t seen her husband come to this small courtyard yet.
Guan Xiyue didn’t mind. A soul from the twenty-first century, she inherently valued equality, viewing the maid not as a lowly servant but as a “colleague.”
Her plump body really suffered when underfed. Besides, most of the food had already been given to the injured soldier in the storeroom. Guan Xiyue felt green with hunger.
Though she needed to lose weight, she wasn’t worried about that now.
So she headed to the main kitchen, taking a stroll through the garden along the way.
The property prices here surely weren’t as astronomical as in later times. It was just a county town, and the Zhou family was wealthy, so their estate was fairly large.
Guan Xiyue estimated that walking around it might cover two to three li.
Her small courtyard was shabby, but the garden was refined—pine and cypress trees, lush grass, a flowerbed with various blooms. Not rare, but growing healthily, with its own charm.
A stream ran through the garden, a curved bridge led to the pond, and stone paths connected to a giant rock resembling a small hill. On the rock stood a pavilion, with a stone table and chairs. Pavilions lined the lakeside, creating a serene and elegant courtyard.
Of course, Guan Xiyue had seen all kinds of scenery before, so she wasn’t amazed, but her mood was different now.
In her previous life, visiting such a garden was “sightseeing.” Now, she had to integrate into this “scenery.”
At the main kitchen, the staff worked efficiently while chatting.
Though they had never met Concubine Guan, her boldness in charging the young master had left a strong impression.
Seeing the “fierce concubine” arrive, they froze—was she here to cause trouble?
But she smiled, her plump face looking somewhat sweet and innocent. Sweet and innocent? They felt a chill—impossible! Must be an illusion.
Guan Xiyue casually greeted them and went straight to the point: “As you’ve seen, my clumsy body gets hungry fast. Is there anything I can eat?”
The staff handed her a cornmeal bun. Concubine Guan was dissatisfied and asked, “Any meat buns?”
There were meat buns, but those were for the young masters. As a concubine, she was lucky to be fed. Besides, every meal included some meat—she was being truly picky.