"I plan to have Chuntao embroider a set of farm tools 'for the Croton Fairy,'" Shen Weiwan's eyes sparkled. "And then carve a nanmu sign with 'Croton Fairy Experimental Field' written on it. Stick it at the edge of the field so that any passing woodcutters can see it!"
Xiao Yu sighed helplessly, but couldn't help pinching her cheek: "How many evil ideas are there in your head?"
Five days later, Liu was escorted to Lingnan. Clad in patched coarse cloth and clutching a rusty hoe, she stood before a hundred-acre field of croton seeds, weeping with no tears. The scorching Lingnan sun had cracked the earth, and the newly emerged croton seedlings drooped, their tips drooping. The escorting officer pointed to the nanmu sign at the edge of the field and said, "See? 'Croton Fairy Experimental Field.' Plant well, or you'll be fine if the harvest isn't good!"
Liu, looking at the sign in Shen Weiwan's characteristically playful handwriting, was so angry she slammed her hoe into the ground, startling a swarm of aphids that were munching on the bean sprouts. From then on, Lingnan gained a former general's wife who lived with crotons every day. It was said that she felt nauseous every time the crotons bloomed, yet she had to weed and fertilize under the scorching sun, her life worse than that of a sow in a pigsty.
Shen Ruorou's days at the laundry were even more "exciting." She had never touched a needle and thread since she was a child, but now she had to scrub hundreds of pieces of clothing every day, and her delicate hands quickly developed calluses. Even more frustrating was the fact that the laundry women had actually made up a jingle that they would sing in unison whenever they saw her:
"Miss Shen Er is very skillful.
Hiding grass clippings is a sign of bad intentions.
Today I washed three hundred pieces of clothes.
Good effect in relieving itching and detoxifying!
Itchy grass, floating in the water,
Wash away all sins and be happy~"
The singing echoed in the laundry room. Every time Shen Ruorou heard it, she trembled with anger, but she could only grit her teeth and scrub other people's dirty clothes, her nails covered in soap foam. Occasionally, when she looked up and saw wild geese flying across the sky, she would think of the days when she was dressed in gold and silver in the general's mansion, and her tears would silently drip into the washtub, causing ripples.
After hearing this, Chen Weiwan laughed so hard that she slapped her thigh and dragged Chuntao around under the grape trellis of Tinglan Courtyard: "Did you hear that? Sister Ruorou is now the 'Itchy Song Queen' of the laundry department!"
Chun Tao covered her mouth with her hands and laughed, the embroidery frame in her hands shaking: "Miss, you are really amazing. Even His Majesty has been led to join in your 'mischief'."
"Of course!" Shen Weiwan spun around proudly, the hem of her skirt brushing against the teacup on the stone table. "By the way, shouldn't we add new exhibits to our 'Museum of Tricks'?"
"What treasure do you want to put in there, young lady?"
"Just put my aunt's rusty hoe and Sister Ruorou's worn washboard in there," Shen Weiwan's eyes sparkled, "and add their portraits, with labels like 'Fairy Croton's Farming Tools' and 'Princess Itchy's Washing Artifact' next to them. I guarantee the ticket price could buy ten carts of osmanthus cakes!"
As she was speaking, Xiao Yu came in through the curtains. He shook his head helplessly at the last part: "You're such a money-grubber. But..." He walked closer and pulled her into his arms, his warm breath brushing against her ears. "Give me half of the money you make. I'll exchange it for ten carts of your favorite steamed cheese."
Shen Weiwan's cheeks flushed. She punched him, but he hugged her tighter. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting shadows on the brick floor. In this life, she not only avenged her blood feud but also trampled underfoot those who had trampled on her, becoming the most unbridled person in the capital.
As for the jingle about Lingnan's Croton fields and laundry bureau, it quickly became a regular topic of conversation among the people of the capital. People said the daughter of the General's Mansion was not to be trifled with, and even the emperor followed her lead in "sand sculptures." Anyone who dared to mess with Shen Weiwan again would probably have to endure the "laboring in the Croton fields" or the "singing song."
At this moment, Shen Weiwan was leaning against Xiao Yu's chest, plotting how to make her upcoming wedding a "laughing affair" for the entire capital. She'd decided to place a string of croton-shaped wedding candies in the sedan chair and hand out "anti-itch grass" handkerchiefs to the guests. As for the groom, Xiao Yu—she looked up at the man in her arms and smiled slyly, "Your Highness, would you like to have a croton and lotus seed soup at our wedding banquet to liven things up?"
Xiao Yu lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his voice full of indulgence: "It's up to you, as long as you are happy."
Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the grape leaves, illuminating the twinkle in Shen Weiwan's eyes. In this life, she had finally shed the shadows of her past. With Xiao Yu's doting and her own cleverness, she lived the most blissful life. Those former enemies were merely insignificant footnotes in her remarkable life.
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