Chapter 4

Chapter 4: There’s a Reason Song Yuan Is Fat During this wonderfully relaxing hot spring trip, I learned bits and pieces about Song Yuan from Baibao. Song Yuan’s father, Song Deli, was a once-in-a-century business genius in the Jiang Kingdom’s commercial world. Starting at the age of fifteen, he had made waves in the business world. In just over twenty years, he had amassed astonishing wealth and become the undisputed richest merchant in the Jiang Kingdom! The only regret in his life was that Heaven had cruelly taken his wife when his daughter, Song Yuan, was four years old. Song Deli possessed immense wealth, yet in an era when it was common for ordinary men to have three wives and four concubines, he was a rare and devoted man. After his wife passed away, he neither remarried nor took a concubine, pouring all his love and indulgence into his daughter instead. This was not a parallel world to the era I had originally lived in. The Jiang Kingdom existed in a completely fictional dynasty. The Song Residence was located on Fu'an Street in Jicheng, the capital of the Jiang Kingdom. Aside from Yixing Street, where the nobility and high-ranking officials of the court lived, this was the most prosperous and prestigious area in the capital. In the Jiang Kingdom, merchants still held a relatively low status, but fortunately, none of the harsh restrictions I had learned about in my old history textbooks existed here. There were no excessive taxes or forced levies, no numerous restrictions on clothing, food, housing, and transportation, no limitations on freedom of movement, and no severe criminal laws. However, the children of merchants were still forbidden from taking the imperial examinations, families of officials were unwilling to form marriage ties with merchants, and merchants had to pay taxes thirty percent higher than those paid by ordinary citizens. Fortunately, the various countries in this world coexisted peacefully. There were no wars raging across the land, and the common people lived relatively stable lives. After thinking it over carefully, I was extremely satisfied with this new identity in every respect except for my appearance. Now that I had Baibao, this miraculous little assistant, even my appearance no longer seemed like an insurmountable problem. “Baibao, I’m sleepy. How do I get back?” “Master, you only need to silently think about going back. It’s the same when you want to come in and soak in the hot spring. But you must be careful not to let anyone discover that you’ve vanished into thin air!” “Okay, Baibao. Bye-bye! I’ll come visit you next time!” After returning to the soft bed, I found that the night was still as thick and black as ink. I slowly closed my eyes and soon entered a sweet dream. Perhaps it was because I had soaked in the hot spring, but I slept exceptionally soundly. When I opened my eyes again, daylight was already streaming in. Judging by the light, it was probably around ten in the morning. “Good morning, Baibao. Did you receive my thoughts?” “Master, you’re awake. Don’t worry—Baibao doesn’t need to sleep, so I can communicate with you at any time.” Baibao’s cheerful voice immediately sounded in my mind. After confirming that Baibao was reliable, I became excited and couldn’t wait to leap out of bed. Wait! I was now the Young Miss of the Song Residence, a genuine heiress. I ought to enjoy a life in which clothes were brought when I lifted a hand and food was delivered when I opened my mouth. So I forgot my independent habit of getting out of bed, dressing, and washing up, and called toward the outside, “Taohong…” The moment my voice fell, a series of light footsteps came from outside. A moment later, the door was gently pushed open, and a girl different from yesterday’s entered. She wore the same clothing as Taohong, so she was probably another maid from the residence. “Master, her name is Luzhu. Like Taohong, she’s your maid.” Baibao’s considerate voice sounded in my mind again. I curled my lips into a smile and secretly praised it: What a thoughtful little sweetheart. “Luzhu, help me get dressed and wash up. And I’m hungry.” I stretched lazily as I spoke. “All right, Miss. Breakfast has been kept warm in the small kitchen. It’ll be brought up shortly.” Luzhu quickly helped me get dressed. I walked over to the washbasin, and when I saw the face reflected in the water, I had been mentally prepared for it, yet I was still startled. That round face, covered in soft flesh, made my heart tremble. My vision went black! I hurriedly closed my eyes and indiscriminately wiped my face with a wet towel. Afterward, I sat before the dressing table while Luzhu prepared to comb my hair and arrange it. I glanced at the bronze mirror in front of me. Seeing the completely unfamiliar person reflected within, I frowned. “Luzhu, hurry and take the bronze mirror away. I don’t want to look at myself.” Although Luzhu was somewhat surprised, she did not say anything. She obediently took the bronze mirror away. Only then did I meekly let Luzhu comb my hair and arrange it into a bun. She gently opened the jewelry box. It was filled with exquisite hairpins and earrings of all kinds, which glittered alluringly beneath the sunlight. The scent of money hit me right in the face! My eyes lit up, but then I thought of what I currently looked like… “Luzhu, don’t bother with those flashy hairpins and accessories. Just secure my hair properly and leave it at that.” “Miss, do you not like them? Or have you grown tired of wearing these styles? I can report it to the steward and have new ones purchased for you.” How could I not like them? How could I possibly have grown tired of wearing them? In my twenty-seven years of life, this was the first time I had ever seen so many precious pieces of jewelry! “It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that your Miss has realized that putting a head full of glittering gold on an ugly person only makes her look even uglier, fatter, and more ridiculous! I’ve decided to lose weight and whiten my skin, then amaze everyone!” “Miss, this is called being blessed. How can it be fat? And so what if your complexion is a little dark? It just proves that you’re healthy! You’ve hardly ever been sick since you were little, and you have an excellent appetite. Unlike Miss Wan'er from the neighboring Zhang Residence—although she was born with fair skin, she’s a sickly girl.” “Luzhu, be good. We won’t compare ourselves to others, but we must strive to improve ourselves. Your Miss is going to rise up!” In the end, Luzhu still chose a simple jade hairpin and put it in my hair. Then I went to eat breakfast. But when dish after dish of breakfast was brought to the table, I was a little dumbfounded! Braised pig’s feet, roast goose, meatballs, beggar’s chicken… The only thing that even remotely resembled breakfast was probably the bowl of bird’s nest porridge! Looking at the sumptuous feast spread across the table, I suddenly understood. So there really was a reason I was fat! “Leave the bird’s nest porridge. Take everything else away, and tell the kitchen to fry me an egg and cook a small bowl of plain noodles.” “Also, from now on, keep all of Young Miss’s meals simple. Prepare more fresh fruits and vegetables. I’m going to lose weight.” The moment Luzhu heard my instructions, she immediately went to the kitchen to relay them. I slowly drank the bird’s nest porridge. Its smooth, delicate texture glided over my tongue, leaving an endless aftertaste. Before I had even finished the bowl of porridge, the fried egg and noodles were brought over. I happily polished them off in one go.