Chapter 23: A Battleground of Heroes
Actually, Yan Wuxin was also stunned when she saw Lin Cheng. She also wanted to ask: What's going on?
Lin Cheng's gaze shifted back and forth between Lu Jinlan and Lou Yumian, creating a subtle and awkward atmosphere.
Fortunately, seven or eight more handsome young men alighted from the carriage; they were Yingzi, kept by Yan Wuxin in his private residence. Fang Qing, whom I had seen at Fengchun Tower last time, was also here, I don't know why.
Before anyone else could speak, Lu Jinlan gave a general introduction to Lin Cheng: "Ah, these are all Wu Xin's 'Yingzi' (a type of food)."
Lou Yumin's smile froze on her face, and she immediately denied it: "I'm not."
Lu Jinlan took a deep breath, wishing she could faint on the spot. In her heart, she was screaming: What we did was not honorable, so don't say it in public!
Her fingers were nervously twisted together, she was even more flustered than when she was taking an exam.
Lou Yumin gazed at her with eyes as clear as autumn water, then glanced at Lin Cheng behind her, a smile returning to her lips. "I am... I am only here at the invitation of Young Madam Yan."
Lu Jinlan breathed a sigh of relief. So many people had arrived at once, and everyone was busy exchanging names and confirming their titles. Taking advantage of the chaos, she gave Yan Wuxin a wink and ran to a large tree to gather her thoughts.
How did things suddenly become so chaotic? One second she was bragging to Rin Cheng about how good she was, and the next second her one-night stand from the brothel was right in front of her.
Even more awkwardly, Ruzhen knew nothing about their trip to Fengchunlou. The system was unaware that she had asked Yan Wuxin to help Lou Yumin redeem herself. She had no idea what Yan Wuxin had actually done.
The system sent a bunch of question marks into her mind, and she was just as confused.
How did Yan Wuxin handle things? Why did he bring people along?
Lu Jinlan paced impatiently under the tree, and when she turned around, she bumped into Yan Wuxin, who was rushing over.
Yan Wuxin pursed his lips and cautiously wrote three words on the ground: Can I speak?
Lu Jinlan: "Wait a minute."
She urgently probed the system: "Does your system have a function for retrospective punishment?"
The elderly customer service representative was a bit confused: "How can there be a follow-up penalty? Aren't penalties usually imposed on the spot? You make a mistake one second and get punished the next; there's no time lag."
"So that means if no penalty is imposed at the time, it's considered over, and there's no statute of limitations, right?"
"Yes."
Lu Jinlan was relieved. She shook Yan Wuxin's shoulders vigorously, "What happened? What did you do?"
Yan Wuxin spread his hands innocently, "I did everything you said. Didn't you ask me to redeem him from his servitude? I did. You asked me to help him settle down, so I rented a house for him, and I gave him the remaining ten thousand taels of silver. I also told him what you asked me to tell him. I told him to start a new life, and he said that waiting for you from now on is his new life."
Lu Jinlan laughed in exasperation, "He said he was going to wait for me, why didn't you tell me?"
Yan Wuxin asked curiously, "Didn't you tell me not to talk to you about this? Besides, what's there to talk about? If you want to see him, you can only come out during your day off. What other way do you have besides making him wait?"
Lu Jinlan was speechless. "I don't need him to wait for me at all. His new life has nothing to do with me. Didn't we agree that it was just a fleeting affair? Once it's over, it'll be over without a trace. Why is he waiting for me?"
Yan Wuxin's expression changed. "I have to say something to you about this. Originally, we were just paying for some fun, it was indeed a one-night stand. But who made things complicated? Wasn't it you? You redeemed him, you settled him in, you were so good to him, how could he not fall in love with you? To be honest, if he really ran away, I'd think he was a bit ungrateful. You were so devoted, and he just left like that, what kind of behavior is that?"
Lu Jinlan wished she could tear her heart out to prove it, "I swear, I wasn't just deeply in love. I just couldn't bear to see him end up in a brothel, so I did a good deed out of momentary pity. He shouldn't have come looking for me. What about Lin Cheng if he comes looking for me?"
"What can we do? We're on holiday for two days, aren't we?"
Lu Jinlan was taken aback, not understanding. "What do you mean?"
Yan Wuxin said matter-of-factly, "Be fair, treat everyone equally, and pamper one person every night."
"Ah!" Upon hearing such an outrageous arrangement, Lu Jinlan couldn't help but let out a furious roar.
Yan Wuxin rubbed his hands helplessly. "Then what do you want to do?"
Lu Jinlan leaned against a tree, holding her head in her hands, "I don't know what to do, it's so frustrating."
Yan Wuxin: "Would you like to hear some advice from someone who's been there?"
"That's right!" Lu Jinlan's eyes gleamed with hope as she cupped her hands in a gesture of inquiry, "How do you manage to navigate so many men so effortlessly? How do you do it?"
Yan Wuxin smiled smugly, “It’s simple, you don’t have to do anything. Whether you have two men, three men, or a hundred men, they’re all vying for your favor. Just appear in front of them, and they’ll compete to treat you better. Let them fight it out, you don’t have to worry at all, it’s actually quite worry-free.”
"Think about it, if you have one man, he'll throw a tantrum at you from time to time, and when he does, it never ends. But if you have two men, it's different. If you pamper the obedient one, the other will learn to be even more obedient. They can fight amongst themselves; it's just men's little squabbles, and they won't come at you, so you don't have to worry about it at all."
Lu Jinlan sighed; she understood what Yan Wuxin meant.
This is similar to the logic behind men cheating in modern society. They manage their time to deceive both sides, and when the affair is exposed, they feign innocence, watching with amusement as women compete, fight, and even resort to violence for them. Meanwhile, the instigator remains unseen, observing from the sidelines.
Unfortunately, similar patriarchal deceptions have long been exposed in modern society. Lu Jinlan knew clearly who the culprit was.
How could a good lover let their beloved be thrown into a gladiatorial arena?
Lu Jinlan made up her mind and said, "I will find an opportunity to talk things out with Yu Mian. By the way, why is Fang Qing out here too?"
“Uh…” Yan Wuxin stammered for a moment, “When I went to redeem him, he was watching from the side. Lou Yumin’s ransom was nine thousand taels. You gave me a lot of money left over, so I took out two thousand taels and redeemed Fang Qing as well. There’s a bit of affection between us, right? I, Yan Wuxin, am born sentimental and can’t bear to see men suffer.”
Lu Jinlan sneered twice, thinking to herself: You're kidding me.
Lu Jinlan knew what kind of people her two friends were. They treated her exceptionally well, and the three of them were inseparable, always together, and would stand by each other through thick and thin.
Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin are universally recognized as outstanding and virtuous people, but when it comes to gender issues, they are extremely chauvinistic and unaware of it.
In fact, this is also the case in modern society. Many successful men seem to be very outstanding, authoritative, capable, and charismatic. They may even be very loyal to their friends. But when they discriminate against women, it's like a Qing Dynasty zombie suddenly jumping into the street, which is quite frightening.
Ultimately, it's because they don't genuinely treat women as human beings, as equals to them.
But now things are getting interesting; the polarization has reversed, and discrimination against men is happening every day.
When the two returned to the vicinity of the tent, they overheard Xiang Ruzhen and Lin Cheng talking.
Xiang Ruzhen: "How did you and Jinlan meet?"
Lin Cheng: "We met by borrowing books. I wanted to borrow a copy of 'Detailed Explanation of Military Strategy' from the first year of Tianhe, but the shopkeeper refused to lend it to me. It was Lu Shao Niang who helped me borrow it using her admission notice."
Xiang Ruzhen: "You're a man studying military strategy? Can you even understand it?"
Lin Cheng: "I... my mother taught me these things since I was little, so I can understand them."
"Really?" Yan Wuxin joined the discussion with a smile. "Then let me test you."
Lu Jinlan: "Can you two stop being so formal?"
She grabbed Lin Cheng's wrist. "Come on, let's ignore these two's greasy talk and go pick out something to eat."
Most of the dishes for lunch were prepared by the cook on the estate and brought over while still hot, except for one whole roasted lamb, which was freshly cooked. Ru Zhen's freshly hunted game was left for everyone to try their hand at cooking; the servants and Lou Yumian gathered around the fire, roasting delicious lake fish, pheasants, and wild pigeons…
For some reason, Lin Cheng suddenly said, "I was grilling some fish too, but I burned two fish in a row. I'm really embarrassed to continue. It would be a waste of the ingredients that Young Madam Xiang worked so hard to get."
Lu Jinlan didn't take it seriously. "What's the big deal? Ruzhen won't mind. I don't know how to grill either, so what's the harm? We can just eat what others have."
Lin Cheng said in a low voice, "It's fine for a grown woman like you not to know these things. This isn't something women are supposed to do anyway, but I..."
Lu Jinlan didn't hear clearly, "What did you say?"
At this moment, Lou Yumin came forward with a plate and a smile, "I just grilled some fish, would you do me the honor of trying it, Young Madam Lu?"
Lu Jinlan took a bite and found it incredibly delicious. She nodded repeatedly, "It tastes amazing!"
Lou Yumin raised the corners of her mouth, "My cooking skills are just so-so, I'm glad you don't mind. What else would you like to eat? I'll bake it fresh for you."
Lu Jinlan: "I want to eat chicken wings and pigeon. Lin Cheng, what do you want to eat?"
Rin Cheng's face was ashen. "I don't like grilled food." After saying that, he turned and went to the dining table.
Lou Yumin blinked his beautiful eyes. "Young Master Lin Cheng, why are you suddenly unhappy? Did I do something wrong?"
Lu Jinlan finally realized what was happening. She bit her lip, speechless. She had truly met her match in this cunning and manipulative woman.
With so many people around, she couldn't speak. She just gave Lou Yumin a deep look before sitting down at the table.
Lu Jinlan silently reflected: Did I do something wrong just now? Why did they suddenly start competing for no reason?
When everyone was having dinner together, she suddenly realized that it wasn't her fault; she had overlooked the most important factor: the social environment.
At the dinner table, those brainless but pretty girls started talking about cooking again. They circled back to Rin's burnt fish.
"Young Master Lin has never lifted a finger; what will happen to him after he marries into his wife's family?"
“My father taught me from a young age that the most important thing for a man is to be a good wife and mother. Cooking, needlework and other skills of serving others are basic. We are not like women who can study. If we can’t do these things well, we will not be able to get married.”
"Yes! Who didn't learn these things when they were young? If you didn't learn them, you'd get a beating."
The girls chattered incessantly, each chiming in with their own words. Rin, head bowed, continued stirring the rice in his bowl, remaining silent.
Lu Jinlan couldn't stand it anymore. "Enough! Lin Cheng is luckier than you all. He doesn't have to learn to serve others from a young age. He'll enjoy a good life when he marries into another family. He doesn't need to do everything himself."
Seeing that she was unhappy, Yan Wuxin quickly said, "You're all so talkative. I didn't bring you along, but you insisted on coming. Next time, just stay home."
She smiled apologetically at Lu Jinlan as she spoke, "Don't argue with men, they're all spoiled by me. Come on, let's talk about women's topics, so they won't interrupt."
Lu Jinlan laughed along with her. She laughed as if there were two invisible books in front of her, one called "The Battleground of Heroes" and the other called "Sexism and Stereotypes".
The meal was a complicated affair. Lu Jinlan couldn't help but notice Lin Cheng and Lou Yumin's reactions, and the two of them would glance at her from time to time. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and the three of them would fall into an even deeper silence.
Thankfully, it started raining just as they were finishing their meal. Lu Jinlan was secretly pleased; although they had been soaked, the awkward situation was finally over.
Yan Wuxin hurriedly called for a carriage to come over and took everyone back to the manor to bathe and change clothes.
After taking a shower and changing into dry clothes in her room, Lu Jinlan closed her eyes, feeling somewhat exhausted. As she was casually drying her hair, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind.
Lu Jinlan had an instinctive reaction and almost threw the person away, but she didn't.
Because that familiar voice whispered in her ear, "I miss you so much."
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Author's Note: Please don't criticize Ruzhen and Wuxin because of feminist themes. They are not time travelers; the story is set in feudal society, which has historical limitations. Those who know, know why I included this plot point. This isn't ancient times; in 2025, anyone who engages in sexism in real life deserves to be criticized.
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