Chapter 4: Can She Still Return the Refrigerator?
Whether she could return the refrigerator or not, she didn’t know, but one thing was certain—there was no chance.
She decided to lie low, develop cautiously, and avoid reckless moves.
Having learned her lesson, Wen Nuan Nuan resolved to pull herself together—though in truth, aside from accepting her current situation, she had no other choice. As long as she didn’t court death, didn’t stir up trouble, and weathered hardships alongside the Leng Family, she refused to believe Leng Xiao would still not let her off.
Moreover, Leng Xiao had already promised that after he achieved success in the imperial examinations, he would arrange a good marriage for her and send her off as her elder brother. As a modern person, she didn’t care much about marriage. As long as she had enough money, she could choose a beautiful courtyard and live a leisurely, idyllic retirement life—a dream come true for any modern office worker.
As the “younger sister” of the male lead, she would strictly adhere to her role, diligently care for his three younger brothers, and quietly cling to his coattails. Even if she contributed no great achievements, her hard work and loyalty should count for something. Considering she shared their hardships and behaved sensibly, it wasn’t impossible for Leng Xiao to generously grant her a manor and endless treasures for her retirement. Just thinking about it made her giddy with delight.
She absolutely refused to follow in the footsteps of the original Wen Nuan, who blocked the male lead’s romantic prospects and recklessly threw herself into danger!
With so many beautiful, well-bred young ladies failing to capture Leng Xiao’s heart, Wen Nuan Nuan had enough self-awareness to focus solely on her idyllic retirement dream.
In the modern world, the only people she missed were her maternal grandparents. Though she didn’t know why she had ended up in this ancient era, as long as she lay low, she might one day inexplicably return.
Before that, her first priority was to survive, and her second was to live happily and comfortably.
Brave modern office worker, fear no hardship!
Having made up her mind, Wen Nuan Nuan pushed aside the thin quilt and got out of bed. Her gaze once again fell on the bowl of dark, bitter medicine on the bedside table.
She was already awake and had filled her stomach. Should she drink it or not?
Of course, drink it!
This was a treasure.
In the original story, Wen Nuan only drank half a bowl, and her hair became smooth and glossy, her skin delicate and radiant, and her beauty remained timeless—it was practically cheating!
Of course, this might have been the author’s way of giving the male lead hidden bonus points. After all, as the male lead’s “ex-wife,” if she were not only ill-behaved but also old and ugly, wouldn’t that tarnish the male lead’s image?
Moreover, to highlight the male lead’s extraordinary existence, anyone connected to him received some benefits—provided they didn’t court death or pose a threat to him.
As someone married to Leng Xiao, how could she not reap any benefits?
This century-old Fleeceflower Root was something the three Leng brothers couldn’t bear to sell. They used it to save the wife of their revered and esteemed Eldest Brother, their sister-in-law.
Though it was meant to showcase the male lead’s overpowering abilities, Wen Nuan Nuan didn’t care. After all, what girl wouldn’t want smooth, glossy hair, delicate skin, and timeless beauty?
This was practically every girl’s lifelong dream!
Thinking back to her modern life, burdened by monthly mortgage payments, she still spent a fortune on luxury skincare and masks, devoting precious time to slathering products on her face. And now, all it took was a small bowl of medicine?!
Never mind the bitterness—even if it were ten times more bitter, she would gladly drink it.
Don’t ask why—just know that brave beauty-loving girls fear no hardship!
Wen Nuan Nuan picked up the bowl of medicinal decoction and, without a moment’s hesitation, tilted her head back and drank every last drop of the thick, dark liquid.
Then she quickly popped a piece of Dried Tangerine Peel Candy into her mouth.
A Fleeceflower Root over a hundred years old, boiled down into this small bowl—it couldn’t be wasted.
This treasure was truly a rare find.
After all, as a devoted reader who had followed the book “The Chief Grand Secretary’s Overwhelming Power” for so long, she knew that no second Fleeceflower Root of this age ever appeared again.
Nor was there a second woman among the male lead’s companions who was this fortunate.
Haha, she was the first to snatch up such a bargain.
Wen Nuan Nuan put on her embroidered shoes and began searching around the spacious brick-and-tile house.
The four Leng brothers needed to sell off family possessions, clothes, and bedding to raise money for Leng’s Mother’s medical treatment, but Wen Nuan Nuan’s dowry chests, clothes, and jewelry had remained completely untouched. Even when debts had piled up to the point where the house itself had to be sold, the Leng brothers only considered selling the Fleeceflower Root for money, never once thinking of touching Wen Nuan Nuan’s dowry.
The original host had run off with her own money two days after drinking the Fleeceflower Root decoction, because the repayment was due in three days according to the agreement.
The original host was fully aware of the Leng family’s dire straits, knowing they relied on this Fleeceflower Root to repay their debts. Having consumed their precious resource and received their kindness, she didn’t even consider staying to share their hardships—she didn’t even bother to compensate them for its value!
And this despite having the means to do so.
This was what Wen Nuan Nuan despised most about the original host.
The original host had been pampered since childhood, and her parents, out of trust and honor, had married her off to Leng Xiao after his family fell into decline. Naturally, they had provided the most generous dowry the Wen family could muster. The original host had never intended to stay long; aside from essential bedding and clothing, she had converted everything into silver notes and hidden them securely.
A total of five hundred taels!
This was also the main reason why the original host could live comfortably in the city after leaving the Leng family.
When she read this part, Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but criticize, especially later when she saw Leng Xiao and his brothers rise to prominence, and the original host shamelessly clung to them like a sticky plaster. Sharing the same name, she felt embarrassed for the original host!
As someone educated in modern times, Wen Nuan Nuan felt that if the original host had left the Leng family due to their poverty, lack of affection for Leng Xiao, or rebellion against her parents, choosing to live a carefree life in the city, that would have been understandable. Everyone has moments of selfishness.
But after starving yourself to the brink of death and being saved by someone’s kindness—using their only valuable possession—if you had chosen to die anyway, that would have been one thing. Since you chose to live, shouldn’t you at least repay that kindness?
The Leng family’s debt was sixty taels of silver. For the original host, who possessed five hundred taels in silver notes, this was hardly an unrepayable debt.
Moreover, that Fleeceflower Root was estimated to be worth at least a hundred taels at city pharmacies. Even if the original host was unwilling to compensate at the pharmacy’s price, she could have at least left sixty taels behind, sparing the four Leng brothers from huddling in a leaky, drafty thatched hut through the long, cold winter, adding to the hardships of their already difficult lives.
If the original host showed no gratitude, fine—she could have just lived her carefree life. But why, upon learning that Leng Xiao had risen to a high position of power, did she chase after him to Jingcheng, shamelessly demanding recognition as his “lawful wife”?
Well, in the end, her tragic death was only to be expected. In fact, if she hadn’t died miserably, it would have felt like a letdown to readers who had followed the story.
Wen Nuan Nuan, who had initially found this passage terrifying, tragic, and thrilling, now felt nothing but fear.
Whimpering at the thought that this was her own fate, how could she not tremble in terror!
Fortunately, she had transmigrated early, before everything was set in stone, giving her a chance to make amends and set things right.
She would never allow herself to fall to such a state or meet such an end. She was not the original owner of this body and would not be ungrateful or foolish enough to throw herself before Leng Xiao…