Chapter 11: Substitute

The rain drizzled, sliding off the eaves and splashing ripples on the ground. Five steps away from the dining hall, a delicious aroma wafted through the air – the scent of amino acids and reducing sugars reacting when heated. It seemed roasted meat was on the menu today.

She was already starving, and the smell of meat only intensified her hunger, causing her mouth to water. Zhu Wansheng licked her lips, “Lanfan…” She stopped mid-sentence, her foot suspended in the air, her eyebrows twitching involuntarily.

“What’s wrong, my lady?”

Zhu Wansheng shook her head.

Lin Cangai’s voice followed, “Sister, you’ve finally arrived. I’m so hungry, I want to eat with you.” He smiled happily, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

Zhu Wansheng sat down casually, “Go ahead and eat.”

With her permission, Lin Cangai’s face lit up. He took a small plate and chopsticks, carefully selecting one piece from each dish on the fully laden table and arranging them neatly before handing it to her. “Sister, these are all your favorites. Please eat more~”

“Thank you.” It was quite thoughtful, like a proper little puppy nowadays. However, he had picked all the dishes she didn’t like: crispy apple, tiger skin peanuts, shredded chicken with cucumber, fish fillet in milk sauce…

With so much fragrant roasted meat available, why would she eat peanuts?

Hearing this, Lin Cangai’s chopsticks stopped midway, the peanut tumbling back onto the plate. He looked up abruptly, then nodded with a smile, “Sister, you’ve become so much gentler. You didn’t impatiently send me away either.”

As he spoke, there seemed to be a hint of grievance in his smile. Zhu Wansheng wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt a mist cover his dark eyes for a moment. However, he quickly lowered his head and put a mouthful of white rice into his mouth.

Zhu Wansheng looked at him a few more times.

When silent, he did have the appearance of a male god. Good figure, outstanding looks, especially those fair and slender hands. As he held the chopsticks to pick up food, his knuckles turned slightly pink.

Perhaps it was that momentary glimpse that made Zhu Wansheng feel a bit of sympathy for him. She thought he seemed somewhat pitiful.

Lin Cangai probably didn’t know why the original owner had brought him back to the Zhu family, still foolishly believing he was truly liked.

The truth was: the original owner only saw him as a substitute for Ji Shubai.

Based on the original owner’s memories, Zhu Wansheng roughly understood the connection between Ji Shubai and Lin Cangai.

The original owner had fallen in love with Ji Shubai at first sight when she came of age, and later even promised to marry no one but him. However, not only was the promise unfulfilled, but their relationship also deteriorated.

When the original owner was heartbroken and desperate, she once wandered for a long time by a lake in the suburbs. This wasn’t to commit suicide, but simply to vent her frustration by pacing back and forth.

It was then that Lin Cangai appeared. He had been watching the original owner secretly. Whenever she walked closer to the water, he would take a few steps forward. When she walked away, he would retreat. This back-and-forth continued for nearly half an hour. As luck would have it, the original owner accidentally stepped on a loose stone, lost her balance, and with nothing to grab onto, she fell straight into the water.

Lin Cangai sprinted over, leaped in without hesitation, and rescued the original owner.

From Lin Cangai’s dash to pulling her out of the water, it all happened in a moment. However, the original owner couldn’t swim and thrashed about, causing her to pass out.

Lin Cangai then took the original owner to his home to care for her.

His family wasn’t wealthy. It was a small, lifeless room with a small, tattered bed. But to keep the original owner warm, he somehow procured good quality charcoal and kept the fire burning all day.

He personally cooked porridge and stayed by her side constantly. When the original owner woke up, in her confused state, she mistook him for Ji Shubai, hugged him tightly, and called him “Brother Shubai” with tear-filled eyes.

Lin Cangai didn’t say anything, just patted her back to comfort her.

Later, when the original owner’s fever subsided and she realized her mistake, she was still grateful for his long care. She gifted him a zither, and it was this zither that ultimately made Lin Cangai a complete substitute.

Ji Shubai was skilled at playing the zither, and coincidentally, so was Lin Cangai. On the day the zither was given, Lin Cangai begged to perform a piece for the original owner.

This performance entranced the original owner, partly because Lin Cangai played the same tune that Ji Shubai had played when the original owner fell in love. Additionally, their builds were similar, both liked to wear white clothes, and both liked to lower their heads slightly while playing, giving them a similar aura.

This was how the original owner began to see Lin Cangai as her refuge after being rejected by Ji Shubai. Whenever Ji Shubai drove her away, Lin Cangai’s home became her haven.

Later, when the original owner was forced to marry Gu Yingqing, she brought Lin Cangai back to the Zhu residence to spite him.

Unexpectedly, after returning to the residence, Lin Cangai openly confessed his love for her, pursued her intensely, and came to cuddle and beg to share her bed every night.

Until the original owner lost interest in him, lost patience, and drove him away whenever she saw him.

In Zhu Wansheng’s view, all three people in this story were pitiful, all with unrequited love, unable to receive a response from the one they loved.

Zhu Wansheng put down her chopsticks, “Has Young Master Lin ever thought about regaining his freedom?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Cangai was momentarily stunned, his eyes half shocked, half confused, “Sister, have I done something wrong? Are you going to send me away again?”

What kind of logic was this?

Wouldn’t it be better to be free than to stay in this large mansion? Moreover, in this household, he was nominally the original owner’s lifesaver, but privately everyone knew he was just someone the original owner had taken a fancy to on a whim. He wasn’t well-liked, especially by the original owner’s mother, who looked down on his background and wouldn’t even look at him properly.

If it were her, she wouldn’t stay in such an environment. Even if it meant begging on the streets or sleeping in a dilapidated temple, at least she would be free and not have to watch others’ expressions. Besides, with hands and feet intact, why not go out and do something?

Zhu Wansheng pondered for a few seconds, then explained in the gentlest tone possible: “You haven’t done anything wrong. I just feel it’s not good to keep you confined in the Zhu family. You’re still young, talented, and good-looking. I could help send you to a music bureau or to become a musician. That would be better than staying here, right? You still have a long life ahead, and you could find a woman who likes you mutually…”

“But I like you, sister. I’m willing to stay here and accompany you forever.” As he said this, his eyes reddened, and he gently put down his chopsticks. His hands intertwined, fidgeting back and forth, making it impossible for Zhu Wansheng to utter those cold, harsh words she had prepared.

Zhu Wansheng sighed. Fine, let him be. If he changes his mind later, she could still help him then.

This meal left Zhu Wansheng feeling like she was chewing wax. In the future, she should avoid discussing matters during meals. No wonder the ancients’ wisdom was boundless – “Don’t talk while eating or sleeping” had long been a warning to everyone.

Not all topics are appetizing. As the conversation progresses, the speaker might be unintentional, but the listener takes it to heart, and even appetite can be lost. It’s truly not worth it.

Water had accumulated on the ground, and she walked hurriedly. The short path from the dining hall to the main room left her cloth shoes so wet she could squeeze water out of them.

As she was halfway through taking off her shoes, Lanfan came running with a pink bag, immediately crouching in front of her to stop her actions: “My lady, I had just prepared the silver and was about to go to the dining hall to carry you back. It’s raining, how did you come back on your own?”

It wasn’t necessary to be so fussy.

Zhu Wansheng took the bag full of items from her hand, opened it to see it was full of silver pieces, and smiled, “It’s a small matter, don’t worry about it.”

Lanfan, however, seemed somewhat flustered, anxiously wiping the shoes she had taken off.

Zhu Wansheng glanced at her, a thought crossing her mind, and asked, “Have you used the rouge I gave you yesterday? How was the effect? Did you like it?”

Lanfan looked up at her, her face reddening, and giggled, “My lady… this servant rarely uses rouge or powder. You know, I’m just a rough person. Besides, that’s… something you gave me… I can’t bear to use it.”

Zhu Wansheng chuckled, squatted beside Lanfan, and fished out two glass bottles from her robe, handing them to her, “Lanfan, you’re so adorable. There’s nothing to be reluctant about. I need you to help me test them. Later, when we change to beautiful packaging, then you can be reluctant to use them.”

As she squatted, Lanfan immediately knelt down, trembling as she took the bottles from her hand, “These… are also for me?”

Zhu Wansheng nodded, helping her up. She casually opened a bottle, dabbed some on her fingertip, and was about to apply it to Lanfan’s face. Lanfan was so startled she was about to kneel again, but fortunately, Zhu Wansheng quickly steadied her.

“Don’t move, let me try it properly.”

Lanfan hesitated for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes, allowing her to apply it.

After applying it to both sides, Zhu Wansheng was quite satisfied with both the color payoff and saturation: “Hmm, not bad. You go about your business now, try not to touch your face, okay? We’ll check the effect again in the afternoon. Also, have Xiaosuda and the others try it too.”

Lanfan nodded vigorously, looking at Zhu Wansheng’s face so close to hers, her heart warming.