Luo Family Ancestral Hall
Luo Chaoyan sneaked in through the side door with her maid Fengli, instructing Fengli to keep watch outside. She then entered the main hall, holding her “tools of mischief” in hand.
“Father! Mother! Quick! Tie these cotton pads around your knees.”
Luo Chaoyang handed four cotton-stuffed bags to her kneeling parents.
Luo Lao San grinned and said, “Wife, our A Yan is truly thoughtful.”
Yin Shi shot him a glare but didn’t refuse.
There was no other choice—a true person of character knew when to bend and when to stand firm. The kneeling cushions in the ancestral hall were hard as rocks, and kneeling for too long would surely leave one’s legs bruised and sore. She wasn’t about to suffer that.
Of course, Luo Lao San, who had knelt countless times since childhood, had no sense of being an unfilial descendant.
Luo Chaoyang then took out two soft water pouches and two packets of snacks, urging her parents to hide them carefully so the overseers wouldn’t notice.
“Father, Mother, don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get back at them for this injustice sooner or later,” Luo Chaoyang said through gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, Yin Shi felt a chill run down her spine and glared at her daughter. “What are you planning now? Don’t you dare cause any more trouble.”
“Mother, I can’t swallow this insult.”
Luo Chaoyang was filled with regret. Of all people to save, why did it have to be that little devil in sheep’s clothing? The memory of the suffocating feeling when she nearly drowned made her want to give that little devil a good beating.
“That’s right! How dare they bully my daughter? We won’t let them off easily,” Luo Lao San said while munching on a snack. “But daughter, we need to plan this carefully…”
As he spoke, the two of them huddled together and began whispering.
Yin Shi angrily grabbed Luo Lao San’s ear. “What wicked scheme are you two ‘partners in crime’ plotting now?”
“Ouch! That hurts, wife!”
“Mother, that phrase isn’t used like that.”
Luo Chaoyan looked at her father with pity. “Father, you were a top scholar after all. After all these years, couldn’t you have taught Mother better?”
“Your mother is like a piece of unworkable wood that I…” Before he could finish, seeing his wife’s fierce glare, he quickly changed his tone with a grin. “You don’t understand. Your mother embodies the saying ‘a woman without talent is virtuous.’ I love her just the way she is.”
Luo Chaoyan immediately felt goosebumps. Well, you two are the true love story, and I’m just an accident.
Yin Shi let go of his ear and looked at her daughter seriously. “Daughter, if you don’t want to marry, your father and I will fight for you with all our might. I’ve heard that the young master of the Huo Family is a little troublemaker. If you marry into that family, you might suffer. But the Huo Family has a Grand Tutor, after all. We can’t afford to provoke them, so we have no choice but to endure the fact that he pushed you into the water.”
Right! On the surface, we truly can’t afford to provoke them. But since that little devil dared to play dirty with me, I can repay him in kind.
Just you wait, little devil.
Two Days Ago
Luo Estate, Luoxin Courtyard
In the bedchamber, Shulan was struggling to wake her still-sleeping mistress.
“Young lady, it’s time to get up.”
The figure on the bed rolled over, hugged the blanket, and went back to sleep.
“Young lady!” Shulan resorted to her trump card. “If you don’t get up now and end up late for Su Manor, I’m afraid Madam won’t allow you to go to the temple fair.”
She watched the bed and began counting silently. Just as she reached three in her mind, her mistress sat up.
Luo Chaoyang glared at the person who had disturbed her sweet dreams. “Shulan, you’re becoming more and more like Mama Lu.” Always hitting people where it hurts.
Fengli walked in carrying a basin of water and laughed upon hearing this. “Young lady, you’re absolutely right. When Sister Shulan gets angry and puts on a stern face, she really does look like her.”
Fengli even acted it out for them, making both of them laugh.
“You naughty Fengli, always teasing me. Just you wait, I won’t let you off easily!”
With that, the two girls began chasing each other around playfully.
“Ahem!”
At that moment, Mama Lu entered with several maids carrying clothes and jewelry. Seeing them fooling around, she put on a stern face and said, “What are you two girls doing? Don’t you see what time it is? Hurry up and attend to the young lady’s washing and dressing instead of messing about. If you delay the schedule, you’ll have me to answer to!”
“Mama Lu, it’s not their fault. I’m the one who overslept,” Luo Chaoyang walked up to her and said coquettishly, “Mama Lu, you don’t know this, but I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed of a big black worm that kept me up all night. That’s why I woke up late. Please don’t tell Mother.”
Mama Lu affectionately tapped her smooth forehead. “You!” She was well aware of the playful antics among these girls but usually turned a blind eye to them.
Pointing to the maids, she instructed them to place the gold and silver jewelry they were carrying on the table, then said with a smile, “These were all sent recently by your uncle. The Madam wants you to dress properly today. Go on, try them on.”
Luo Chaoyan looked at the dazzling array of jewelry and felt her scalp tingle. Just thinking about having to wear these cumbersome and heavy accessories on her head later made it feel as heavy as a thousand pounds.
If this were back in modern times, she would have been thrilled. This was all money! In her previous life, she was an orphan who had relied on sheer willpower and physical strength to save up some money, stumbling through college.
She had majored in accounting and after graduation worked at a decent toy company. Life had been stable. But then, one day while riding her electric scooter home from work, a typhoon suddenly struck. With the strong wind and heavy rain, she lost control and crashed straight into a railing.
When she woke up, she was here in the Dayong Dynasty at Mo Shang. She had become Luo Chaoyang, the newborn daughter of the third branch of the Luo Family. According to her mother, it had been a difficult birth, and they had almost lost her.
However, the original Luo Chaoyang from ancient times probably didn’t survive. Instead, her existence had been granted to this unlucky soul from the modern era. She sometimes wondered if some higher power had taken pity on her, saving all her luck from the modern world for this ancient one.
Her father was the third son in the Luo Family. In his early years, he was a bona fide playboy, idling his days away. It wasn’t until he met her mother that he turned over a new leaf.
Her mother was the daughter of the Yin Family, wealthy merchants from Jizhou. Initially, Old Madam Luo had opposed the marriage, but her father insisted on marrying her mother, so she reluctantly agreed.
When her parents married, her mother’s Ten-li Red Makeup dowry was the envy of everyone. After all, her mother was a genuine rich second generation. So, their family never lacked for silver.
Her uncle often sent her rare curios and antiques. But after seeing so many, she no longer found them particularly special.
“Young lady?”
Seeing her lack of response, Mama Lu grew concerned.
“Ah? Oh.” Luo Chaoyan snapped back to reality and winked at Fengli.
Fengli smiled and nodded, then walked over to Mama Lu and took her hand. “Mama Lu, you must be tired from the journey. Come, the young lady has recently prepared some new tea. Let’s go try it.”
Without waiting for Mama Lu to respond, she led her toward the side hall.
Only after Mama Lu had left did Luo Chaoyang let out a sigh of relief.
“Shulan, let’s change clothes quickly.” Otherwise, Mama Lu might end up piling all those accessories onto her head again.
Half an hour later, the Luo Family’s womenfolk’s carriage arrived at the main gate of Su Manor.
Luo Chaoyan lifted the curtain and looked at the crowded entrance, clicking her tongue in amazement.
“It seems the young master of Su Manor is quite the catch. Look, all those beauties—plump and slender alike—could form a long street.”
Fengli laughed. “I heard that the eldest young master of Su Manor is exactly twenty this year, handsome and dignified, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and treats others with kindness and courtesy. He has won the admiration of all the young ladies in Jingdu.”
“But there’s only one Eldest Young Master Su. How can so many people share him?” Luo Chaoyan said.
Fengli replied, “Not just him. I heard that today, Eldest Young Master Su has also invited his classmates and friends to Su Manor as guests. Think about it—those who can be his classmates are all young masters from wealthy and noble families. That’s why so many young ladies have come today. They’re probably all hoping to find a good husband.”
Shulan asked her, “You’ve only been in Jingdu for a few days, and you’ve already found out so much?”
Fengli puffed out her chest proudly. “You’re underestimating me, aren’t you?”
“Recently, the young lady has been craving the Peach Crisp from Xiangsu Pavilion. When I went to buy it, I often overheard the customers there talking.” Speaking of Xiangsu Pavilion, her eyes lit up. “That place has all kinds of gossip, some even more exciting than the stories the young lady reads.”
Luo Chaoyan and Shulan listened to her animated chatter.
Outside the carriage, Luo Zhao Ning was growing impatient.
She lifted the carriage curtain and spoke in an unfriendly tone, “Luo Chaoyan, are you a turtle? What’s taking you so long? Hurry up and get down!”
Luo Zhao Ning disliked her cousin. Just because she was born a month earlier, Luo Zhao Ning had to defer to her, and she resented it.
To make a splash at Su Manor today, she had started preparing a month ago. Her clothes and jewelry were the latest purchases from Baochai Pavilion, and even her hair had been meticulously cared for.
If they were late and couldn’t find a good spot, she wouldn’t be able to catch Old Madam Su’s eye. And here was her cousin, looking all lazy and indifferent. If she didn’t want to come, she shouldn’t have. It would mean one less competitor for Luo Zhao Ning.
But seeing how her cousin was dressed, she realized she had worried for nothing. There were hardly any accessories in her hair, and her clothes were plain and simple. If not for the touch of rouge on her lips, one might think she wasn’t wearing any makeup at all.
“Doesn’t the third branch of the family have plenty of silver? Why are you dressed so shabbily?” Luo Zhao Ning sneered.
Luo Chaoyan ignored her taunt and stepped down from the carriage with her two maids.
“You dare ignore me!” Luo Zhao Ning fumed.
Zhao Shi walked over to the two of them with her maid and glared at her daughter. “In public, you need to behave yourself.”
Seeing Luo Chaoyan dressed simply and plainly, she frowned. “A Yan, really, for an occasion like this, you should have dressed up properly.”
The Luo Family had few concubines, so there weren’t many children. The eldest branch had the eldest son and youngest daughter, the second branch had two sons—one legitimate and one illegitimate—ranking second and third, and the third branch had only one daughter, ranking fourth.
The family hoped that the two Luo daughters would secure good marriages to support the family.
Luo Chaoyan bowed and replied, “You’re right, Aunt. A Yan was wrong and will be more careful next time.”
Zhao Shi nodded. “Let’s go inside.”
Luo Zhao Ning followed behind Zhao Shi like a proud and spirited peacock.
Fengli fumed at her retreating figure, gritting her teeth as she said, “Miss, you should have worn that ruby headdress sent by your uncle. It would have dazzled Fifth Young Lady’s eyes and wiped that smug look off her face.”
Luo Chaoyan recalled the headdress that felt as heavy as two catties in her hands. Her lips twitched—it really wasn’t necessary at all!
“Hehe… Fengli, don’t be angry, don’t be angry! It’s not worth getting worked up over this.”
She poked Fengli’s puffed-up cheek and teased, “Fengli, when you puff up like this, you look just like the frogs in the estate’s fields.”
“Pfft!”
Shulan nodded with a laugh, “She really does!”
“Miss!” Fengli stamped her foot in displeasure.
“Alright, enough teasing. Let’s hurry inside.”