Chapter 4 It's embarrassing to see you again, but I'm used to it.
A dull ache throbbed in Yu Man's forehead, making her feel nauseous. At the same time, an extremely faint, intermittent, synthesized electronic voice, as if from a faulty connection, abruptly pierced her mind:
[Detection detected... Host consciousness awakening, system connection... unstable...]
[Female Supporting Character Rescue System...Bound...to...Problem...]
The sound was muffled and mixed with a lot of electrical noise. Before Yu Man could react, the electronic sound disappeared completely, and at the same time, there was an even clearer noise in his ears.
Xiu Xiu suppressed her sobs, while Yu Chengfu kept muttering, "...It's been a whole day and night, why isn't she awake yet...Should we go and ask the old man again..."
There was also a clear, gentle male voice, deliberately lowered, as if to reassure: "Uncle Yu, don't worry, I'll go and ask him again."
That sound...
Yu Man struggled to open his eyes, finally managing to pry them open a crack. A blurry light flooded in, and his vision gradually focused.
The first thing you see is a tall, upright figure sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
This man still favored the color green, and possessed a handsome appearance, exuding a refined and elegant charm. Having studied at the academy, he had acquired a scholarly air, like a verdant paulownia tree or bamboo. At this moment, his lips were pressed tightly together, revealing a composure and worry beyond his years. He was leaning slightly forward, holding a rough earthenware bowl in one hand, filled with a thick, bitter, dark medicine, and a small spoon in the other, carefully bringing it close to her lips.
It was Pei Ji.
He was her fiancé since childhood, and also the male protagonist of this harem novel world.
Yu Man's feelings were quite complicated. She didn't want to drink the medicine, so she tried to avoid the spoon that was being offered to her lips. Her movement was subtle, but it aggravated the injury on her forehead, making her gasp in pain.
Pei Ji noticed the subtle movement and put the medicine bowl aside. He called out softly, "Xiaoman," and then got up and went outside.
"Sister! You're awake!" Yu Xiuxiu had been sent to another room to rest by Deng Sanniang last night, but she came over to continue watching over Yu Man as soon as she woke up this morning. This time, she rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed Yu Man's arm tightly with her little hands, and cried even harder, but it was tears of joy.
Deng San Niang also came over. Even though she didn't believe in Buddhism, she couldn't help but put her hands together and say repeatedly, "Amitabha, God bless, she's finally awake!"
Mr. Yu was also quite excited. The group recounted what had happened after she fainted, expressing their gratitude: "Thanks to that old gentleman who administered the acupuncture in time, otherwise..."
Deng San Niang slapped Yu's father, and he woke up. She told him to stop saying such unlucky things. Yu's father wisely shut up.
Yu Man hadn't expected that hitting her head would be so dangerous. Moreover, the courtyard had been cleared, so how could there suddenly be a stone and that inexplicable electronic voice? She had some guesses, but when she opened her mouth, her throat was too dry to make a clear sound.
At this moment, Pei Ji also led people in. The old man took Yu Man's pulse by touching his wrist. After a moment, he took out paper and pen from the medicine box next to him and hurriedly wrote a few words. "These two medicinal herbs are only available in the county. Come with me back to the clinic to get the medicine. Take the medicine according to the prescription for seven days, and you should be fine."
"Okay." Pei Ji took the paper and gave the slow-witted Yu Man a reassuring look.
The two went out of the house again. Deng San Niang came to her senses, went to the kitchen to get a bowl of fish soup, and helped Yu Manban up. "This soup is just right. It will help you recover. Drink some."
Yu Man was too weak to continue, so he drank it sip by sip from Deng San Niang's hand.
After finishing a whole bowl of fish soup, Yu Man finally felt a bit more energetic. Seeing that the two adults and one child looked exhausted, she knew they had been up all night for her. So she urged them to get some sleep. At first, the three of them refused, but she had to persuade them before they reluctantly agreed to come back to watch over her for half an hour.
Once the room was completely quiet, Yu Man let her mind wander freely.
She accepted the fact that she was reborn into the womb very quickly, thanks to her roommate who had been immersed in the world of novels for many years. Moreover, although it was an unknown feudal dynasty, her family members were sensible and not the kind of honest pushovers who would be exploited by troublesome relatives. She herself lived a very comfortable life.
As for Pei Ji, Yu Man's feelings were even more complicated. After all, he was one of the key figures who ensured that her people could still live comfortably in ancient times. This was genuine and could not be faked. Moreover, to be honest, he was the one who indulged her the most.
However, the plot reveals that if she continues her entanglement with Pei Ji, she will meet a tragic end. His future lies in military achievements amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, in the treacherous court, and in beautiful women of all shapes and sizes. She, on the other hand, is at best a passerby before achieving fame and success. Moreover, human nature is unpredictable; once one reaches a high position, the original wife becomes an indelible stain. In the plot, her own death might also be orchestrated by others, and Yu Man dared not even contemplate what might be worse.
She has a very open-minded view of people and things. If something exceeds what she can accept, she will give it up decisively. Life is not easy, and nothing is more important than herself.
It's a good thing to realize your situation at this time. Pei Ji's "Dragon Aotian" career hasn't even started yet, so you still have choices. There's also the matter of the marriage agreement between the two of you. Yu's father mentioned it a few days ago. When Yu comes of age, she will marry him in a grand manner. Both families know each other well, so your daughter won't suffer any grievances.
Yu Man remained silent at the time, which was taken as tacit agreement.
But now it seems that this marriage agreement needs to be approached with extreme caution.
And that female supporting character saving system—she might have been propelled into the book by it, and since she wasn't initially tied to it, its sudden appearance after so many years suggests it's probably just a makeshift system. Yu Man doesn't believe that a mere electronic system can change one's fate. If she remembers correctly, many of the transmigration novels her roommate recommended didn't feature any good systems either, making the female lead save the handsome, strong, and tragic male lead—didn't anyone ask if the female lead was willing? It's practically a form of kidnapping.
The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the firelight from the kitchen cast dancing shadows on the paper window, making busy figures vaguely visible. The bitter taste of medicine still lingered on the tip of my tongue, and the pain in my forehead was accompanied by mental exhaustion.
She stopped dwelling on it. Since things had come to this, she decided to go to sleep. Her eyelids closed heavily, her breathing became long and even, and before drifting off to sleep, a strange thought lingered on her mind—how come this person has become even more handsome after not seeing him for half a month?
When Yu Man woke up again, a dim oil lamp was lit in the room, casting Pei Ji's long shadow on the earthen wall. The others were gone; he sat alone on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), seemingly in the same position the whole time. Seeing her open her eyes, he asked, "Awake? Is anything else bothering you?"
As he spoke, he picked up the bowl of medicine that was warming on the kang (a heated brick bed), tested the temperature, and carefully scooped up a spoonful, bringing it to Yu Man's lips. Knowing that she disliked bitterness, he promptly used his other hand to place a small, golden candied fruit to her lips.
"Hold it in your mouth to get rid of the bitterness." His movements were gentle; his fingertips brushed against the corner of her lips, and he smiled when he saw a little color return.
Yu Man slowly drank the medicine, then held the candied fruit in her mouth. The sweetness melted in her mouth, dispelling some of the bitterness, and it wasn't cloying at all. She immediately recognized it as the cooking of the canteen chef from Shanqing Academy.
When she first tasted it, she was absolutely amazed, so Pei Ji brought her a box every time he returned home.
Much later, she learned that the master chef had returned to his hometown from the state. It was said that he used to be the head chef in the mansion of some high-ranking official and had an old acquaintance with the headmaster, which is why he barely took on the job at Shanqing Academy. Naturally, he wouldn't do any extra odd jobs.
This candied fruit was the reward Pei Ji received for finding and copying cookbooks for him. Studying was not easy, and because he always ranked first in every assessment, the headmaster also asked him to take on the role of teacher, which made things even more complicated. She guessed that copying the books was probably done in his spare time.
But he never mentioned these things to me.
Looking at the face so close to hers, Yu Man was quite emotional. They had known each other for many years, and she was certain that Pei Ji was sincere towards her, at least at this moment.
Just then, an electronic voice suddenly popped into her mind, startling Yu Man so much that she couldn't help but cough. The person she had been talking about reached out and patted her back. She waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, took the water and pretended to sip it little by little, listening to the system's voice.
[The Female Supporting Character Rescue System has been successfully bound. This system needs to remind the host that indulging in false warmth is foolish.]
Pei Ji is a man of deep thoughts, difficult to fathom.
[Relevant plot excerpt found: In the seventh year of the Jinghua era, Zhang Jian, the Imperial Censor, had been a close friend of Pei Ji since their early days. Pei Ji reciprocated his trust, often yielding to him in court disputes. Everyone believed they were bosom buddies.]
However, Pei Ji had long harbored murderous intent towards Zhang Jian, secretly gathering evidence of the Zhang family's crimes of selling official positions. He patiently endured this, feigning friendship to lull them into a false sense of security for years. Only when the Zhang family lowered their guard did Pei Ji suddenly strike, personally leading troops to raid the Zhang residence. He listed eighteen charges against them, ultimately resulting in the execution of the entire Zhang family, including even a three-year-old child. His ruthless methods shocked the court and the public.
His current insincerity towards you is even less than his affection for Zhang Jian; it's all just manipulation. If it weren't for your marriage agreement with him due to the favor of your fathers, and the fact that you are slightly beneficial to his reputation, do you think he would have tolerated you until now?
As for those confidantes, if he hadn't tacitly approved or even indulged them, how could he have brought them all back to his side? Even to the point of causing your utter destruction.
If the system could be humanized, Yu Man even suspected that it would grab his ears and yell at him to stop being love-struck, saying that he was just pretending!
If you miss, go ahead and try. You'll die if you try.
She looked up and saw the male protagonist of the harem novel tidying up the medicine bowl with his head down. His profile looked calm under the light. He then turned to look at the fish soup in the earthenware pot.
These days, being able to fill one's stomach is the best thing, regardless of how refined the food is. There are always some scraps in the fish soup, but Yu Man had been choked by fish bones before, so every time she drank fish soup, Pei Ji would clean it up and never said that she was being delicate.
Pei Ji seemed to notice her gaze, raised his head, and met her eyes. He was slightly taken aback: "What's wrong?"
His voice was gentle and concerned.
He brought over the fish soup and reached out to touch her forehead.
Before Yu Man could react, her body instinctively met his hand. The slightly cool touch felt quite comfortable. On such a hot day, Aunt Chun had covered her with a blanket, and she was worried she was going to get heatstroke.
The system, about to unleash a piercing roar: 【…Did the host hear what this system just said?】
Has the binding not been successful yet? Probably not, its mouth is dry from talking so much, otherwise the host should be avoiding the male lead right now.
Yu Man: ...Sorry, I'm used to it.
A note from the author:
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