Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 1

Counteract Misfortune by Marriage

Early summer, the cool breeze of the afternoon gently blew.

Su Yi [苏伊 | Sū Yī] sat in a wheelchair, surrounded by a garden full of colorful flowers and trees, constantly swallowing as she stared at the pavilion.

Though it was early summer, this Fengcheng was part of the south, where watermelons, full of juice, ripened early. The bright red color in Su Yi’s eyes seemed to allow her to almost taste the sweet juice in her mouth as she imagined biting into a slice of watermelon.

While she was lost in thought about the plate of watermelon placed in the pavilion, a crisp female voice sounded from behind her, and her wheelchair was pushed towards the house. “Miss, why did you come out again? This place is windy, what if you catch a cold?”

The one speaking was her maid Yanshen [燕参 | Yànshēn | her name means bird’s nest plus ginseng], whose superstitious mother believed that names could bring blessings. The maids and servants around her were named across licorice, goji, abalone, etc., names from some unknown medical classic that promised longevity. Once, when the doctor prescribed medicine for Su Yi, calling out the prescription made over a dozen people respond.

The deafening sound scared the doctor so much that he dropped the medicine box he was holding.

The culprit behind this was that Su Yi was a “medicine jar” [药罐子 | yàoguànzi | someone who takes medicine frequently].

To say “medicine jar” isn’t quite accurate; more precisely, she was frail and often ill.

When Su Yi was little, a wandering Taoist told her mother she wouldn’t live past twelve.

Later, she indeed did not live past twelve; in her twelfth year, she had a high fever. While her mother was anxiously running in circles, wanting to find a miracle doctor, she passed away. Replacing her was Su Yi from another time and space in the 21st century of China.

That’s right, Su Yi had time-traveled. Originally, she was a hardworking and dedicated designer who, after being tormented multiple times by clients and forced to work nonstop for half a month revising drafts, died suddenly in front of the computer.

Before her death, she was still holding the mouse, modifying a design.

What an inspiring story it is. If reported, it would definitely be on the front page of the People’s Daily, the kind that would explode in popularity on Weibo.

However, Su Yi felt a full chest of anger, wishing she could bite to death the client on the other end of the internet.

So many demands from you! Make you revise and revise and revise!

She was only a few tens of thousands of yuan short of saving enough for a down payment to buy a house!

Su Yi had nowhere to vent her full grievances and at the beginning of the time travel, she was so dejected that she wanted to perish together with the medicine jar and clients.

But later, thinking about it, at least she had time-traveled and could live another life. Originally dead was dead, and this Miss Su Yi who had been traveled into was even more miserable; she truly didn’t have a life anymore.

After figuring it out, Su Yi was no longer aggrieved, but she was far from being enlightened.

The reason was that although she managed to live, the body of this Miss Su Yi she traveled into was truly weak. Walking too much made her pant, wind would make her sick, and eating too much made her vomit.

Normally, she wouldn’t leave the house, and even inside her own home, she mostly needed to sit in a wheelchair and be pushed by others to avoid getting exhausted.

Others are like a willow swaying in the wind, but she is a willow that breaks as soon as the wind blows.

Su Yi was tormented to the point of being unable to endure the suffering.

However, fortunately, because her diet was not very healthy before, she understood a little about health preservation, and slowly she nursed the weak body. After five years, this frail body, apart from getting breathless if she walked too long, not being able to eat spicy or cold foods, having cold and weak constitution, and other signs of dying earlier than ordinary people, at least wouldn’t die with just one breath.

But while she thought this way, the birth mother of this body didn’t think so. Her birth mother felt she was critically ill and could go have tea with Yama [阎王爷 | Yánwángyé | the King of Hell in Chinese mythology] at any moment.

In her birth mother’s words, “You are my only incense [香火 | xiāng huǒ | refers to the continuation of a family line], if you go, how can I explain to the ancestors?”

Yes, incense, originally in the 21st century of China, was more a term describing males, but it was used on her.

Su Yi’s heart skipped a beat at that moment. Looking at the numerous refined young servants in the residence, she seized the moment when her mother was wiping away her tears and leaving, to pull aside the tall maid beside her and tentatively ask what era they were in.

With the maid’s exhaustive explanation, she understood that the country she had traveled to was called Yanxue Kingdom, an imaginary dynasty where women could be merchants, officials, and emperors. Men here didn’t have the privileges they did in the time she originally lived; they mostly stayed at home, waiting to be married off, and then managed the household.

Female supremacy, male inferiority. Yanxue Kingdom.

Upon hearing this name, Su Yi immediately recalled a female supremacy harem novel she read during her middle school second-year period.

The female protagonist Ji Qingchi [姬卿迟 | Jī Qīngchí] was the ninth daughter of the female emperor of Yanxue Kingdom. However, due to her illegitimate birth, she was not favored. Nonetheless, Ji Qingchi, worthy of being the protagonist of a female supremacy harem novel, first subdued spies sent by other imperial daughters around her, then captured the assassin sent to kill her. Through the assassin, she hooked up with the head of the world’s number one assassin organization, and then slapped the face of the prime minister’s son who belittled her background, the fifth prince of an enemy kingdom, and others. Finally, she united with the State Preceptor [国师 | Guóshī | meaning: teacher of the state] who admired her and seized the throne to become the female emperor.

Su Yi was only fifteen when she read this book. The reason it remained so memorable to her even after so long wasn’t because there was a female supporting character with the same surname, but because, aside from the female protagonist opening a harem, the book also vaguely depicted a lily love affair between a female general and a pretty military doctor during the protagonist’s military training.

The fresh and unconventional depiction of emotions instantly struck Su Yi’s little heart.

Before that, all she had seen and heard was romance between men and women. Upon first encountering such emotions, Su Yi instantly opened the door to a new world.

Thus, this book, as her enlightenment book, was deeply imprinted in her mind.

To actually travel into her enlightenment work, Su Yi expressed that this was truly fate.

Although she was just mentioned once in the book as an eighteenth-tier cannon fodder female supporting character who died young, now that she had traveled over and controlled the body, she had to live well, avoid provoking the legendary cautious and surrounded-by-danger female protagonist, find the miracle doctor in the book who could bring the dead back to life and heal bones, and strive to live to ninety-nine.

After making up her mind, Su Yi began to fiddle with health preservation methods, determined to nurse her body well. But in the slightly hot early summer, she still thought watermelon was delicious.

Being forcibly pushed back into the house by Yanshen, Su Yi secretly shed tears of unwillingness, “Yanshen, I’m fine.”

Hurry and let me go back to eat that plate of watermelon! Even if I can’t eat it, just looking at it and smelling the scent would be nice!

“No, Miss, you cannot be exposed to the wind. If Miss doesn’t listen, the head of the household will be heartbroken.”

Su Yi quickly said, “It’s fine, if you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, how would my mother know?”

“Who said I wouldn’t know!”

Yanshen shook her head and was about to speak when a voice like a loud bell came, scaring Yanshen into quickly lowering her head, “Head of the household.”

“Hmm.” Su Ming [苏鸣 | Sū Míng] hurried back to the backyard after finishing her tasks. Hearing what was just said, she felt both tender affection and anger. She got this one and only daughter after passing fifty years of age. If something happened to her, what would she do? She wouldn’t even have someone to carry the coffin at the funeral.

Thinking of this, she looked down at her only daughter, whose face was small as a palm and devoid of color, her lips pale, clearly showing a lack of energy and blood.

Looking at her pale face, Su Ming couldn’t help but shed tears, “My child, why is your life so bitter?”

Here it comes, here it comes. Her mother had no other skill, but she had particularly developed tear glands. Ever since Su Yi experienced her mother crying for three hours straight, she feared her. Coughing lightly, she said, “Mother, your daughter is fine.”

“Mother knows you say this on purpose to stop me from worrying, but seeing you like this, how can I be at ease?”

As Su Ming wiped her tears, she said, “Today, Mother met a fortune teller who is quite accurate. The fortune teller said that as long as you have a husband to take care of you, your illness will gradually get better. We should listen to the fortune teller and arrange a counteract misfortune by marriage [冲喜 | chōngxǐ | a traditional practice to bring good fortune].”

Hmm?

Hmm?!

Su Yi doubted what she heard. “Mother, what did you say? What… counteract misfortune by marriage?”

Heaven have mercy, although in her previous life and this life combined, she never touched a beauty’s hand, there was no doubt she absolutely liked women!

Her mother wanted to arrange a counteract misfortune by marriage for her!

Counteract misfortune by marriage?!

Based on her observations after the time travel, just thinking about a strange man following behind her calling her “wife master” [妻主 | qīzhǔ | a term for a female head of household] made Su Yi feel a chill running down her back.

“No, Mother… Mother… I am weak and often ill; no one would be willing! Mother, you can’t force good families’ men!”

“Who says so? My child has great fortune and will surely live to a hundred.” Her mother quickly spat a few times to signify rejecting bad luck, affectionately patting her head, “Rest assured, Mother will definitely find a gentle and understanding husband [夫郎 | fūláng | term for husband] for you.”

Preferably with slightly more strength, able to push the wheelchair, carry her precious daughter, and take good care of her, that would be even better.

No, no, no, Mother, you got it wrong, I want a young lady, not a young gentleman!

Su Yi grabbed her mother’s clothes, attempting to argue logically, but her mother, though uneducated in her early years, had been trained in archery and horseback riding for the sake of the family’s small business. Later, due to life’s hardships, her physical strength was unknowingly much better than Su Yi’s. She couldn’t pull her at all.

Seeing her own mother boldly and confidently going to find the housekeeper to draft a marriage notice,

Su Yi held out her hands, trying to salvage the situation, feeling like she saved nothing but loneliness.

Yanshen saw her with a look of unspoken grievance and quickly said, “Miss, don’t worry. The head of the household is wise and mighty and will surely find a husband worthy of you!”

Su Yi turned her head and met Yanshen’s confident eyes.

To seemingly demonstrate the truth of her words, Yanshen even nodded vigorously, “Definitely the kind of husband everyone praises!”

Everyone praises?

In this place, Fengcheng, where the population is sparse, women generally prefer those tall and muscular men, said to be very masculine, able to bear many children and bring prosperity.

Even the government notices posted are of those muscular men twice her size.

Muscular men.

Su Yi rolled her eyes, so anxious that her blood rushed to her head, and she fainted.

“Ah, Miss, Miss! Someone come quickly, Miss has fainted again!”

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