Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 6
by Little PandaOffering Tea
As soon as Su Yi stepped out, Yanshen and Gancao, who were guarding the door, hurriedly came to support her.
“Young Miss, are you alright?”
Thinking of these two maids’ lives, Su Yi made a “shh” gesture to them, “Don’t wake the Lord Husband.”
Yanshen lowered her voice, “Young Miss, your complexion is terrible, are you having an episode?”
“No… I was greedy and ate too many pastries. Yanshen, go fetch the doctor, but don’t alert my mother. Gancao, help me walk around to aid digestion.”
“Ah.”
Yanshen secretly slipped out through the back door to find the doctor, while Gancao supported Su Yi as she slowly paced back and forth outside the room.
Gancao nagged, “Young Miss, the doctor said your health is poor and you can’t eat those glutinous cakes. Why don’t you listen?”
You think I don’t want to listen? But the female protagonist is so paranoid, and later becomes even more temperamental. If I offend her, I’ll be executed on the spot!
Unable to voice the bitterness hidden in her heart, Su Yi could only reply perfunctorily, “Those pastries looked so exquisite, I couldn’t help but eat some.”
“Young Miss, you must take care of your health.”
“Alright, alright, I know.” Before Gancao could lecture further, Yanshen had secretly brought the doctor.
Seeing the doctor skillfully prepare silver needles to treat her bloating, Su Yi sighed inwardly – ah, when would these bitter days end?
Ji Qingchi hid behind a corridor pillar, watching Su Yi being supported by the two maids as she weakly thanked the doctor.
The cold moonlight illuminated her pale complexion, clearly revealing the cold sweat on her forehead.
If she couldn’t eat those things, why didn’t she say so beforehand?
Was it because the Su family head raised her too well, teaching her never to openly refuse others’ requests, or did she feel guilty about the counteract misfortune marriage and wanted to compensate her?
Hopefully, it was the former.
Otherwise……
Seeing Su Yi bid farewell to the doctor, tremblingly waving her hand for Gancao to help her back to the room, Ji Qingchi left her hiding place behind the pillar. Acting as if she knew nothing, she hurried back to the room before Su Yi, carefully removed her outer clothes, assumed her original position, and pretended to have been sound asleep and unaware.
“Wife Master, Wife Master, wake up.”
Su Yi was sleeping soundly when she felt someone pushing her.
She forced her eyes open and saw a refined beauty with ink-black hair flowing down her back, head lowered with a mix of coyness and shyness, staring at her.
“Mmm……” Su Yi groaned, why was there someone else by her bed?
Hmm?!
When her mind cleared and she remembered who this great buddha [大佛 | dà fó | important person who must be carefully appeased] was, she wanted to spring up from the bed in one leap.
But her frail body wouldn’t allow such movement.
So in Ji Qingchi’s eyes, the sickly beauty’s gaze was slightly unfocused, but when she recognized who she was, light returned to her eyes. With moisture in her eyes and morning languor, her cherry-colored thin lips parted slightly as she smiled gently, “Husband.”
In the capital, there were many literary scholars who affected refinement [附庸风雅 | fù yōng fēng yǎ | pretending to be cultured], and their favorite subject was the moment when beauties arose and dressed. Her second imperial sister, who had no interest in seizing the throne, loved these topics most and often discussed them with her.
She had previously sneered at such things, but now she understood the charm of those poems.
Indeed, observing a beauty’s languid morning appearance was a great pleasure.
But Ji Qingchi had strong resistance to beauty, after all, she only needed to look in a mirror to understand the meaning of the word “beauty,” so facing Su Yi, the “World’s Second Greatest Beauty,” she merely appreciated the sight briefly before getting to business.
“Wife Master, let’s go offer tea to Mother.”
Su Yi took a while to realize that the “Mother” she mentioned referred to her own mother.
In this female-supreme male-inferior country, set in a fictional era, she didn’t know the specific marriage customs, whether they needed to offer tea on the first day of marriage. But the author of this novel couldn’t have imagined everything, there must have been some prototype, borrowing knowledge from their ancient times.
“Alright, let me freshen up first.”
Su Yi was about to call Yanshen in, but before she could speak, a slender finger pressed against her lips.
She was terrified inside as she saw Ji Qingchi wearing thin undergarments [中衣 | zhōng yī | traditional inner clothing], revealing some skin of her snow-white neck. In the dim morning light, she looked perfectly blooming, biting her pink lips and saying pitifully, “Wife Master, how can this slave let the maids see me in such a state?”
After saying these words, Ji Qingchi sighed inwardly – thank goodness she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, otherwise she might have vomited bile.
Su Yi felt as if she had swallowed ten flies, extremely uncomfortable, but to avoid offending this great buddha, she endured it.
So she smiled gently, “Then what does husband suggest?”
“Let this slave freshen up first.” Ji Qingchi lightly bit her pearl-like teeth, looking extremely pitiful, “Could Wife Master wait a moment?”
“Husband is so thoughtful.” Su Yi pretended to be gratified and smiled, “Then let’s do as husband says.”
Ji Qingchi lightly bit her pearl-like teeth again, “Could Wife Master step out first? This slave’s grooming takes time, and I fear keeping Wife Master waiting too long.”
Su Yi smiled weakly, “Of course.”
If she guessed correctly, there was now a human skin mask on her face. According to the book, this was made by the female protagonist’s senior sister, thin as cicada wings, an essential tool for disguise, but it needed regular soaking in water, or it would crack.
Ji Qingchi tricked her to leave first, surely to soak her human skin mask, after all, this was what she had relied on from the beginning to escape her enemies’ pursuit.
Enemies’ pursuit? Su Yi suddenly remembered, the book mentioned that the female protagonist’s first assassination attempt was during the Emperor’s autumn hunt, when her fifth imperial sister Ji Qingxuan made her move.
The female protagonist escaped the assassination using the human skin mask, but due to severe injuries, had to recuperate at someone’s home, then returned to the palace using some strategy after recovery.
As for what specific strategy, the author ran out of brain cells and didn’t write it.
Su Yi didn’t want to rely on that unreliable author either.
From an author who could use the same appearance description twice, what sophisticated strategy could you expect?
However, the book’s general framework was still useful, which meant, the female protagonist was currently injured?
Su Yi discreetly observed the woman before her. Her own body was so weak that she could be killed with one hand, so Ji Qingchi wasn’t afraid of any ill intentions from her. Moreover, she was certain that before clarifying her identity, Su Yi wouldn’t easily tell the Su family head about her suspicious points. Even if she did tell, she would have ways to deal with it, so her words were half-true and half-false, making it unclear which statements could be trusted.
Su Yi slowly supported herself on the doorframe as she left. Just before stepping over the threshold, she looked back and saw Ji Qingchi’s hand stiffen significantly when she raised her left arm.
So, the female protagonist was injured in her left shoulder or left arm?
No wonder she had to humble herself and become a counteract misfortune husband at her house, she really was injured.
A tiger fallen to the flatlands is bullied by dogs [虎落平阳被犬欺 | hǔ luò píng yáng bèi quǎn qī | even the mighty can be humbled when in a weak position].
But this tiger would become one who killed without blinking an eye. Su Yi declared that she, a sickly teacup dog [茶杯犬 | chá bēi quǎn | tiny, weak dog], wasn’t bold enough to bully such a person.
If she couldn’t fight back or hide, couldn’t she just worship her properly?
Su Yi felt very aggrieved. As the daughter whom the Su family head treated like a precious treasure that might melt in her palm, she had rarely felt such emotions since coming to this different world. The last time she felt this way was when serving clients before her sudden death.
The customer is god, but Ji Qingchi was a god above even god.
“This slave is ready, Wife Master.” While Su Yi was lost in thought, Ji Qingchi had put on her mask and clothes, and came out.
“That’s good.” Su Yi smiled weakly at her and called Yanshen to bring water for washing up.
After grooming, Ji Qingchi forcefully took over Yanshen’s duty, pushing her wheelchair as they went to offer tea to her mother.
Su Yi feared she would push her straight into the garden lake, nervously gripping both sides of the wheelchair, her back ramrod straight.
“Wife Master, is the sun too hot?”
While she was trembling with fear, a handkerchief covered the upper half of her face, and Ji Qingchi bent down to show her an affectionate smile, “Let me wipe Wife Master’s sweat.”
Unprompted acts of kindness must hide ulterior motives.
Su Yi hurriedly shook her head, “No……”
“Wonderful, wonderful, it’s so good to see you getting along so well.”
Before she could finish speaking, she saw her mother and Housekeeper Ge emerge from behind the rockery at the end of the path, interrupting her.
Her mother’s eyes were dramatically wet, wiping tears with her sleeve as she walked up and said to Ji Qingchi, “Worthy daughter-in-law, from now on, you’ll take care of my Yi’er.”
In the Su family head’s eyes, after she spoke these words, the responsible young lord before her smiled shyly, “Mother, please rest assured, I will take good care of Wife Master.”
“Good, I indeed haven’t misjudged.” The Su family head’s eyes grew even more moist. Su Yi had always been in poor health, frequently ill since childhood. Several worthless doctors had said her precious daughter wouldn’t live past twelve, telling her to take another husband and bear children. But leaving aside her inability to bear more children, even if she could, she wouldn’t abandon her precious daughter.
She was her own flesh and blood.
Since her husband’s death, she and her precious daughter had depended on each other for survival. Though weak, her daughter would insist on waiting at the mansion gate whenever she went out, waiting for her return for dinner, refusing to go back inside even when her little face turned blue from the cold in heavy snow.
Every time she returned to the mansion, no matter how tired she was from outside affairs, seeing her precious daughter’s face would put her at ease.
But as one reaches middle age, worries multiply. She feared that after her passing, her precious daughter would have no one to care for her. Just now, she had secretly watched from behind the rockery – this young lord they’d brought in was gentle and understanding, someone who could accompany her precious daughter for life.
“Worthy daughter-in-law, this is Mother’s tea money gift [喜茶钱 | xǐ chá qián | monetary gift given at weddings], quickly take it.”
Ji Qingchi was stunned for a moment as a red envelope was pressed into her hand, feeling heavy, presumably containing a substantial amount.
“Mother, we haven’t offered tea yet.”
The Su family head laughed heartily, “Ah, seeing you husband and wife getting along makes me content. The tea ceremony is just a formality, no need for it.”
Su Yi watched this scene of “mother-in-law and daughter-in-law harmony” without commenting for a while. She now understood why the female protagonist had suddenly wanted to cover her face with a handkerchief – she had seen her mother hiding behind the rockery.
Ji Qingchi felt somewhat guilty holding the silver, knowing the Su family head truly wanted to find someone good for her daughter, but unfortunately, she was only here seeking refuge.
While feeling uneasy, she heard Su Yi say, “Mother, you’re playing favorites. Why give only husband a gift, where’s my share?”
The Su family head’s expression turned stern as she scolded her daughter, “What silver do you need? Don’t I buy you whatever you want normally? Enough, I need to go check on those shops. You and your worthy spouse stay home properly – no cold foods, and no leaving the mansion, understood?”
“Understood.”
Hearing her daughter’s obedient response, the Su family head was reassured and contentedly left with Housekeeper Ge to inspect the family’s shops.
After her mother’s figure disappeared from view, Su Yi sent Yanshen to pour tea in the main hall. When no one was around, she softly called, “Husband.”
Ji Qingchi had been looking down at the silver in her hands, and slowly raised her head when called.
“Husband seems unhappy about receiving Mother’s tea money gift.”
Ji Qingchi forced a slight smile, “That’s not it, it’s just that Mother gave too much.”
Su Yi shook her head, “I don’t know why Husband was willing to marry me, but I’m well aware of my own condition. I might not last very long. Rest assured, when that time comes, I will set Husband free.”
Ji Qingchi looked at her bloodless face with a complex expression, “I came here to take care of Wife Master.”
“No, I am indebted to Husband, our Su family is indebted to Husband.” Su Yi coughed once, her face as pale as ever, “So Husband need not feel guilty.”
So just take the money my mother gave you, ah, didn’t you see I didn’t even get any?
Hearing her words, Ji Qingchi’s lips moved, her heart momentarily wavering with guilt.
In that moment of wavering, the sickly beauty sitting askew in her wheelchair, with soft eyes, gently said to her, “If Husband wants freedom, I can tell my mother at any time to dissolve the marriage.”
Then we can go our separate ways, never to meet again.
thanks for the chapter
fall in love! fall in love!