What could be more frustrating than cursing at someone who didn't understand you, only to have the other party openly provoke you back?
Jun Zishu smiled, feeling as if she had just recovered her original self.
Back in her original world, she used to like using covert means to deal with her opponent and watch their dumbfounded reactions once they realized what had transpired.
Since Luo Ziqi wanted to find trouble, Jun Zishu naturally wouldn't sit still and let herself get bullied.
Even without turning around, Jun Zishu could tell that Luo Ziqi was having a mental breakdown.
However, Jun Zishu didn't feel guilty about her actions. Luo Ziqi deserved what she received. Rather than behaving like a proper young lady, why was she behaving so temperamentally? She even spoke in such a roundabout manner. It was not cute at all.
Regardless, after this incident, Jun Zishu found that her identity as an idiot was quite useful.
…
When Jun Zishu entered the main hall, the first thing that came into her view was a gold-plated Buddhist statue that had a solemn appearance. Then, she noticed Madam Luo kneeling in front of that statue, looking like she was praying earnestly.
The Third Madam stood a short distance away, her back leaning against the wall as she yawned out of boredom. Standing beside her was a little girl dressed in pink, the girl's face resembling the Third Madam's. Their amorous eyes, in particular, were exactly the same.
Jun Zishu felt that should this little girl grow up to be as capable as her mother, she would probably become another expert at harem fights. She would also become a woman talented at seducing men.
Unfortunately, if things played out like in the original storyline, Luo Minghuan wouldn't be letting this little girl have the chance to grow up.
Apart from the timid and isolated Fourth Young Miss, nobody else in the Luo Manor had clean hands.
Jun Zishu wasn't interested in praying, so she quickly left after seeing nothing noteworthy. However, when she reached the exit, someone standing near the exit suddenly called out to her.
Jun Zishu pursed her lips. She had deliberately avoided greeting anyone in the hall to distance herself from them, so why were these people constantly trying to get a piece of her? Was she that much of a novelty?
"Come, come here."
The Third Madam's voice was a little high-pitched. However, she didn't sound haughty at all.
Jun Zishu turned around and looked at the Third Madam with a wary gaze.
"I didn't get a close look of you yesterday. Now that I've had a closer look, you really do look like a wonderful girl. Just look at this face of yours. You must be blessed with luck," the Third Madam complimented, her words sounding sincere.
However, Jun Zishu maintained her ignorant expression as she looked at the Third Madam as if she were looking at a stranger.
"Hello, Sister-in-law," Luo Ziying, the little girl standing beside the Third Madam, greeted Jun Zishu politely. She also stood with a proper posture. One could tell that she had received a good family education at a glance.
"Hello," Jun Zishu responded this time, her eyes wandering around Luo Ziying's body as a look of interest appeared on her face.
"You children would have an easier time talking to each other. Yingying, go and play with your sister-in-law," the Third Madam said as she gave her daughter a nudge.
Luo Ziying nodded to her mother's hint and walked up to Jun Zishu, saying, "Let's go outside for a walk, Sister-in-law.'
After saying so, Luo Ziying extended a hand to Jun Zishu. As an 11-year-old, her hand was tiny.
Luo Ziying wore a reserved smile as she looked at Jun Zishu, her smile revealing a faint hint of shrewdness just like her mother's.
As Jun Zishu took Luo Ziying's hand, she couldn't help but ponder a question in her mind.
—How could such an innocent-looking person do such a cruel thing? Isn't she still a child?
Jun Zishu's expression darkened slightly as she looked at Luo Ziying's face.
In the original storyline, the original owner of Jun Zishu's body had drowned to death after falling into a well. Someone had used the excuse of playing to invite her out. Yet, what ended up happening after she accepted the invitation was a bunch of people teasing her cruelly. Eventually, they even killed her by pushing her into a well.
Meanwhile, one of the murderers at the time was none other than the cute and innocent little girl holding Jun Zishu's hand right now…
…
After the two arrived at the large osmanthus tree at the back of the temple, Luo Ziying let go of Jun Zishu's hand.
"Where is Second Sister, Sister-in-law?" Luo Ziying asked Jun Zishu, pretending to be curious. Her eyes, though, were looking at Ruyun.
"Husband isn't feeling well, so she didn't come out," Jun Zishu answered honestly with an innocent expression.
Luo Ziying's mouth subconsciously twitched when she heard how Jun Zishu referred to Luo Minghuan, the image of Luo Minghuan's sickly appearance surfacing in her mind. However, even though she found the title strange, she also felt that it was seemingly acceptable after giving it some thought.
"What do you normally like to do, Sister-in-law?"
"Eat," Jun Zishu said absentmindedly as she stared at the falling flower petals.
"Anything else apart from eating?"
"Play."
Jun Zishu collected a flower petal with her hands, delight coloring her face.
Luo Ziying frowned as she looked at the significantly taller girl in front of her.
"I also like to play. Let's play together when we have time."
"Okay."
Jun Zishu inwardly sneered, though she made sure not to show it on her face.
A breeze came at this time, filling the air with the smell of osmanthus flowers.
Jun Zishu stared at the flower petals that were blown to the distance. Then, ignoring the person in front of her, she ran after the flower petals with a silly smile on her face.
Seeing this, Ruyun hurriedly chased after Jun Zishu while worriedly calling out to her.
…
"Should we follow them, Young Miss?" the maid by Luo Ziying's side asked.
"No. What's the point of talking to an idiot?" Luo Ziyang said as she frowned in disgust. Then, while taking out a handkerchief from her sash, she continued, "I really don't know why Mother wants me to test her. Is Mother afraid that she's pretending to be stupid? That woman is even more afraid of bringing in trouble, so she's bound to do a thorough job when looking into that idiot. Not to mention, so what if that idiot is pretending to be dumb? She's merely the daughter of a poor family. What could she possibly accomplish?"
Luo Yiying carefully wiped the hand that had Jun Zishu held just now, making sure to clean every finger. Then, she handed the handkerchief to her maid and said, "Throw it away. It's dirty."
…
Little Fairy, who had placed part of her attention on Luo Ziying, grew angry when she heard the little girl's words. Immediately, she told Jun Zishu about everything Luo Ziying did and said.
Jun Zishu fiddled with a flower petal she caught as she listened to Little Fairy's description. Then, she put the petal on the ground, letting it mix with the dirt on the ground.
Dirty?
What could be dirtier than the human heart?
Crouching down, Jun Zishu started fiddling with the grass on the ground.
In terms of capability, it would seem that Luo Ziying was above Luo Ziqi.
However, between Luo Ziqi and Luo Ziying, Jun Zishu liked Luo Ziqi more. The way Luo Ziqi suffocated with anger was very cute. It was also much more interesting to mess with her than the shrewd Luo Ziying.
[Host, the mission target has already returned.]
Mhm, got it.
Shortly after Jun Zishu left the bed-chamber, Little Fairy had told her that Luo Minghuan had gone out.
While it might seem as if Jun Zishu was sightseeing as she strolled around the temple grounds, she was actually listening to Little Fairy describing Luo Minghuan's every action. Only after she had verified what Luo Minghuan was trying to do did she make her way to the main hall.
Ruyun took a look at the sky and felt that it was about time they headed back, so she took a few steps forward, crouched down to Jun Zishu's eye level, and said, "Second Young Madam, let's go back. It should be almost time for lunch."
"Will there be tasty things to eat?" Jun Zishu looked at Ruyun expectantly.
"There should be," Ruyun said hesitantly. Although the Luo Manor's ladies had visited this temple many times before, this was the first time Ruyun had followed Luo Minghuan here. So, she didn't know what the food here was like.
"Let's go, then."
Jun Zishu stood up and patted the dirt off her hands. Then, just when Ruyun was about to step forward and offer Jun Zishu a handkerchief, she found that Jun Zishu had already run away excitedly.
Ruyun opened her mouth as she thought to say something. Eventually, though, she helplessly closed her mouth and returned the handkerchief into her sash. Then, she quickly ran after Jun Zishu.
…
"Husband, Husband, I'm back!"
Jun Zishu's voice arrived before her person did, her voice brimming with energy.
The bed-chamber's wooden doors opened as if in response to Jun Zishu's voice. Then, Luo Minghuan's figure appeared behind the doors, a tender expression on her face when she saw Jun Zishu returning.
"Back from playing?"
"There was nothing fun to do. Other people also kept talking to me. Little Yun'er said that it was time to eat, so I came back," Jun Zishu said, pouting.
"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"
Despite directing her question at Jun Zishu, Luo Minghuan turned to look at Ruyun as soon as she finished speaking.
"The Second Young Madam came across the Third Young Miss, and the Third Young Miss said some not very nice words to her. However, the Second Young Madam eventually managed to get back at her. Afterward, the Second Young Madam came across the Third Madam and the Seventh Young Miss. The two of them didn't say anything bad and treated the Second Young Madam amicably."
Ruyun truthfully recounted Jun Zishu's encounters, taking a quick peek at Luo Minghuan's expression after she finished talking. Then, when she saw Luo Minghuan's expression darkening slightly, she knew that something bad was about to happen.
"I'm annoyed, Husband. There was a person who kept pestering me to talk and even scolded me. I felt that she was ugly, so I didn't want to talk to her, but when she said that you and I were a match made in heaven, I felt that she wasn't so ugly after all," Jun Zishu said, a smile appearing on her face when she finished speaking. She also pointed at herself and made an expression that looked like she was seeking praise.
Luo Minghuan's expression lightened up slightly. Then, she relaxed her furrowed eyebrows as she pulled Jun Zishu into the room.
"I made sure to anger her badly. Serves her right for scolding me. She's the one who's an idiot," Jun Zishu said, her eyebrows fluttering in delight.
Luo Minghuan was already used to her wife's rapid mood shifts. The little dummy was easy to please and anger. She also had a very short attention span.
"Well done," Luo Minghuan praised, her interest piqued when she thought of Luo Ziqi's defeated expression.
"But I don't like the person who talked to me later on. She gives me a strange and uncomfortable feeling," Jun Zishu added.
"Stay away from her, then. You don't need to interact with anyone you don't like. Just walk away when you see them," Luo Minghuan said. After thinking it over, she found that her Third Mother and Seventh Sister indeed possessed unpleasant personalities.
Luo Minghuan was once again surprised at Jun Zishu's perceptiveness. It should be known that her Seventh Sister had been developing rapidly these past two years, becoming more and more proficient at acting.
However, with how perceptive her little dummy was, why didn't her little dummy realize that she was the most dangerous person out of everyone in the Luo family?
"I'm hungry, Husband. Do we have anything to eat?"
"There's no meat," Luo Minghuan said concisely. Then, just like she expected, she saw Jun Zishu's originally bright expression sinking immediately.
…
Just like Luo Minghuan stated, the dishes served at lunch consisted of only vegetables. This was a temple, after all, so it was only natural that the meals served here were vegetarian.
However, as the Luo Manor would donate a lot of money to the temple every year, the dishes served were made with care.
When Jun Zishu failed to see any meat on the table, the way she held up her bowl and chopsticks looked very pitiful.
Luo Minghuan knew that her wife rarely got to have meat in the past, so the little dummy would always crave meat. Even if she knew that the vegetarian dishes were delicious, she still wouldn't feel too happy about the situation.
Raising her hand, Luo Minghuan pinched Jun Zishu's lips, successfully drawing Jun Zishu's attention away from the food to her. Then, she said, "I'll show you a magic trick."
Jun Zishu felt a chilly hand covering her eyes. When light eventually returned to her vision, she found that a roasted chicken had appeared on the table.
"Do you like it?"
Luo Minghuan's faint smile was like a cool breeze, a stark contrast from the piping hot roasted chicken.