flamboyant

Chapitre 1

Chapter One: A Tragic Time Travel

Song Xiaohua sighed heavily again as she looked at the tree in the yard, which was covered in golden leaves of some unknown species. She patted her bottom and stood up, raising a cloud of dust behind her.

Song Xiaohua wasn't originally called Song Xiaohua, but it doesn't matter what she's called now, because she can only be called Song Xiaohua now, a seventh-rank official from the Song Dynasty, a second wife.

As one of the many transmigrators, she didn't know if anyone was more miserable than her; in any case, she had been wallowing in self-pity for days.

She slept soundly, without bothering anyone, and inexplicably, she went from being a white-collar worker in the 21st century who was just getting by in a company to a young wife who, in principle, couldn't read much, more than a thousand years ago. That was bad enough, but she was also a second wife, the second wife of a minor county magistrate, and the magistrate of an extremely poor county.

Looking at her current flat, skinny body, and thinking back to her former curvaceous and stunning figure, Song Xiaohua felt increasingly miserable.

He has no figure, no looks, no family background, no money, and no man... Basically, he has nothing. In any case, a lowly official in a remote village would rather have no man than nothing. How can he continue living like this?

"Mother!" A crisp, childlike voice brought Song Xiaohua's misery to its peak.

Damn it! Even the most awesome Chopin couldn't express my sorrow!

Song Xiaohua was from a neighboring county. Orphaned at a young age, she was raised by her elder brother and sister-in-law. Her family lived a comfortable life. Six months ago, she was engaged to the newly appointed magistrate of a neighboring county—Beiya County—as his second wife. A month ago, she traveled a long way to marry him, but unfortunately caught a cold on the way and never recovered. At that very moment, a certain unlucky fellow inexplicably "transmigrated" into her body…

These are the things that Song Xiaohua learned through subtle questioning of Aunt Zhang, the only "part-time helper" in the family.

Look at other people, when they transmigrate, they're always in palaces or grand mansions, surrounded by all sorts of maids and old women they can't even recognize. But her, these days, the only person she sees is a 'part-time nanny' who looks to be around forty years old. And even that's only because her husband, whom she's never met, hired her temporarily to help take care of her when she was nearly dying a while ago.

Speaking of this, Aunt Zhang's gratitude was immediately evident. She thanked heaven and earth for sending such a selfless and devoted official to Beiya County.

Song Xiaohua rolled her eyes and cursed the ancestors of the guy who only cared about directing the autumn harvest and ignored the life or death of his newlywed wife in her mind.

If she hadn't unfortunately transmigrated into this world, her so-called husband, Comrade Lu Ziqi, the "good public servant" of Beiya County, would be waiting to return and turn his wedding into a funeral to collect his wife's corpse! What an inhuman bastard!

Even if he married her to have a long-term caregiver for his precious son who lost his mother at birth, he shouldn't treat her so poorly, right? You stupid, idiotic man, you stinking burden...

Before Song Xiaohua could finish her internal monologue, her thigh was grabbed by a large, bright red ball that rushed towards her, nearly knocking her flat on her back.

Looking down at the tiny snot-nosed creature that was exactly half her current height, Song Xiaohua couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness again.

In the past, this little kid would have only reached my knees at most, and I could easily kick him several times. But nowadays, that's absolutely impossible.

Because she was just over 1.5 meters tall and only sixteen years old. Moreover, she was thin and small, with little strength. Fortunately, although her face, which had just recovered from a serious illness, was sallow, she was still quite pretty with delicate features and good skin, showing the potential to become a beauty.

Otherwise, she swore that there would never be another Song Xiaohua in this world...

What a tragedy! They put one little brat in charge of taking care of another, turning a perfectly healthy young girl into someone else's cheap mother…

Song Xiaohua sighed heavily again. It was true that she had the soul of a 'mature woman' and the heart of a 'loli', but as a fashionable 'mature woman' in a modern city, she was neither married nor had children. In fact, she always got a headache whenever she saw children and avoided them like the plague.

Now look what's happened! She's got a little burden on her, and what's more, it's a burden that clings to her like an octopus the moment it sees her!

Are you kidding me? She's a stepmother! A stepmother! What kind of child is so close to their stepmother? Show some normal stepson behavior towards their stepmother, okay?

"Mother!"

Who said that children are born with the ability to distinguish whether others are good or bad to them? That's blatant nonsense!

After staring into those two big, dark eyes for five seconds, Song Xiaohua finally gave in, unsurprisingly, and squatted down, her tone softening unconsciously: "Ling'er, what's wrong?"

The little one is three years old this year. She can't speak very fluently yet. She has pink and tender skin with long eyelashes, just like a porcelain doll. She almost never cries or makes a fuss and always has a sweet smile on her face. People can't help but want to kiss her and pinch her cheeks. That's probably why Song Xiaohua can't really be rude and ignore her.

However, judging from his good looks, his parents' genes probably weren't too bad either. This was the only bright spot in Song Xiaohua's overwhelming sense of despair.

"Father!"

Lu Ling ignored Song Xiaohua's question and instead ran joyfully toward the courtyard gate that Song Xiaohua was facing away from, and in doing so, finally managed to knock her flat on her back...

Feeling both angry and dizzy, I got up, turned around, and froze.

I'll fucking kill you! You damn god! You're just messing with me all you want!

The man standing at the door was holding Ling'er in one arm and a hoe in the other. His trousers were rolled up high, revealing his dirty calves. His blouse and shirt were covered in mud and grime. His face was streaked with black and white, making it impossible to tell his skin color. His hair was messy and even a bit tangled...

Is this the county magistrate? Is this an official? Is this a civil servant?! Is this... my husband?!

Song Xiaohua silently questioned the heavens, tears streaming down her face.

————————————————————————

————————————————————————

Lu Ziqi frowned slightly as he looked at the woman standing in the courtyard with a strange expression. How could she be so different from the matchmaker's description? So thin and delicate, how could she be a steady and capable person who could handle all the household affairs inside and outside the home?

She must have just been sick, as her face was still quite pale and haggard, but her delicate eyebrows and large eyes possessed a kind of spirit rarely seen in other women.

That day, just after the ceremony, before he could even take a good look at her, news came that the Liu River had suddenly breached its banks, threatening more than half of the county's farmland awaiting harvest. As the local official, facing such a perilous situation, he could no longer indulge in his personal feelings. After hastily leaving, he heard that she had fallen ill due to the arduous journey, and he could only send someone to ask Aunt Zhang, the wife of the county magistrate, to come and take care of her.

To be honest, this time things were indeed chaotic and poorly planned due to the rush. We went to a dangerous place in a hurry, and we couldn't take Ling'er with us. We only thought that although Huo Nan had taken leave to return home, there should be no immediate danger at home with her there. However, we not only overlooked her physical condition, but also whether a woman who had just arrived would be able to take care of everything.

Even though this home is simple, even somewhat shabby, and even though Ling'er is unusually well-behaved and sensible for her age, it's still too much to bear...

Fortunately, it seems that she has recovered quite well and is getting along well with Ling'er.

Regardless, I always feel a deep sense of guilt towards her, and I can only make it up to her slowly in the future.

He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but he couldn't bring himself to say "Madam."

I once thought that I would only ever call one woman 'Madam' in my life;

I once thought that I would spend my whole life with only one woman until I grow old;

I once thought that I would only hold the hand of one woman in my life and witness the splendor of that prosperous age...

However, he could live without a wife, but Ling'er could not live without her mother.

This child lost his mother shortly after birth. Before the age of two, he had hardly seen his father, who was heartbroken and spent his days drinking. Later, his father, who had finally regained his spirits, brought him all the way to this poor and remote 'Beiya County', but because he was busy with official business and politics all day, he neglected to care for him.

Perhaps, to him, Huo Nan and all the officials and yamen runners in the county government were closer than his own father.

It's time to give him a mother and a complete family.

Lu Ling nestled in Lu Ziqi's arms, looking around at everyone: "Father, Mother, why aren't you saying anything?"

Song Xiaohua's lips twitched immediately, and she screamed in her heart: No, no, no, I'm not your mother, I'm not!

Lu Ziqi finally relaxed, gave a wry smile to himself, and said, "Madam, you've worked hard."

His voice was clear and gentle, his teeth white and even, but none of that could outweigh the devastating impact of the word "Madam" on Song Xiaohua. Could it be that she really was going to marry this "native" from a thousand years ago?!

"that……"

She'd only uttered two words, yet she didn't know how to continue. How should she address him? Husband? Gentleman? Sir? Head of the household? ...

Almost all of Song Xiaohua's historical knowledge came from increasingly unreliable TV dramas and movies. She was completely clueless about the details of daily life. After a slight hesitation, she decided to go for it. She knew it was impossible to perfectly impersonate an ancient person for long; since she was bound to be exposed sooner or later, she might as well lay the groundwork beforehand to avoid an uncontrollable misunderstanding later: "Actually, you can call me by my nickname… my childhood name, Yaoyao." It was her original name, much better than 'Xiaohua,' right?

Seeing Lu Ziqi's somewhat stunned expression, she quickly lowered her head shyly and said coyly, "That's what my brother and sister-in-law call me. I think, since we're already... family..."

"Is it the 'Yao' in 'Yaohua'?" Just as Song Xiaohua was about to be killed by her own sourness, Lu Ziqi walked over carrying Ling'er.

"No, the 'distant' in 'far away'."

"Alright, then from now on you can call me Dongqing, that's my courtesy name." That would be best...

Song Xiaohua was somewhat surprised by Lu Ziqi's agreeable and easy-going manner. She looked up at the man standing in front of her and couldn't help but admire him. If you ignored his overly simple face and his rustic attire, his height and figure were quite good. It was such a pity.

Lu Ziqi subtly raised an eyebrow as she stared at him without flinching. Was it boldness, ill-manneredness, or simply innocent naivety?

"Oh my! Lord Lu, you're finally back!" With this cheerful soprano voice, a plump and sturdy middle-aged woman strode into the courtyard, carrying a basket of fresh vegetables on her arm.

"Aunt Zhang, you've really gone to a lot of trouble these past few days." Lu Ziqi bent down to put Ling'er down and took the vegetable basket with a smile. "Go and see your old Zhang! We owe him a lot this time, but he must be exhausted. Hurry back and prepare some good wine and food to treat him well. Oh, by the way, how much silver did you spend? Tell old Zhang to come and collect it from me tomorrow."

"Hey! Lord Lu, look at what you're saying. If it weren't for you, everyone in our county would have to go out and beg for food next year. Why are you arguing with me about such a small amount of money?"

"It's just my duty. Remember to remind Lao Zhang tomorrow. I won't keep you here today. I'll definitely prepare a feast for you and your wife another day."

Lu Ziqi's gentle, smiling words carried an undeniable authority. Seeing that she couldn't dissuade him, Aunt Zhang had no choice but to agree. Before leaving, she added, "Madam's health is weak; she must take good care of herself. I've left two doses of medicine in the kitchen; they're to be prepared and taken this noon and evening. Doctor Hu will come again tomorrow to examine Madam and should prescribe a new formula. Lord Lu, you don't know how dangerous Madam's illness is; if it weren't for her strong constitution, I fear..."

He sighed, then looked approvingly at Song Xiaohua, who was forcing a smile: "Don't let Madam's young age fool you; she's incredibly sensible and understanding. She hasn't uttered a single complaint in all these days, and she's been incredibly kind and attentive to the young master. Lord Lu, you're truly blessed! This is a classic case of good deeds being rewarded!"