Chapter 2: Reborn as a Low-Ranking Official’s Daughter (1)

“Suisui… Suisui…”

An unmistakably anxious male voice called by her ear, each cry striking against her hazy consciousness.

Who was calling her? The voice was somewhat familiar, yet also strangely unfamiliar in a way that left her at a loss.

“Elder Sister, wake up quickly—don’t scare me…” Another voice, younger and still awkward with the roughness of a boy whose voice had only recently changed.

And who was this? Calling her Elder Sister—could it be a younger brother of hers? Yet she had no memory of any brother who would be so panicked and frantic over her.

“Father, what should we do? Elder Sister still won’t wake up. She can’t even take the medicine. The physician said if her fever doesn’t come down soon, she will…”

“Quiet!” The first male voice sharply stopped the boy. “No more nonsense!”

“I’m not talking nonsense. The physician said—”

The boy suddenly fell silent, likely silenced by the man’s gaze.

Perhaps the intense stares of the father and son fixed upon her made it impossible to keep pretending. Cheng Mulan quietly gathered her strength, forcing together the last remnants of energy in this body, and slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing that came into view was a young boy’s face, about eleven or twelve years old. His features were quite refined and proper, yet his cheeks were thin and his complexion rather poor—somewhat pale, as if he suffered from some deficiency.

“Elder Sister, you’re awake!” The boy’s eyes lit up with delighted surprise the moment he saw her open her eyes.

Cheng Mulan quietly regulated her breathing. Before she could respond, the man behind the boy pushed him aside, and a handsome face framed by a fine beard suddenly filled her vision with its presence.

“Suisui, how do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable?” The man asked anxiously even as he reached out to feel her forehead.

Cheng Mulan was startled and instinctively drew back. The man froze for a moment, then seemed to remember that his daughter was already eighteen or nineteen and that even a father must observe proper boundaries. He awkwardly withdrew his hand, yet his eyes—shadowed by dark circles—still gazed at her with lingering concern.

Cheng Mulan blinked, looking at the anxious pair of father and son who clearly cared so deeply for her. She could not quite name the feeling in her heart.

Though she had only just regained consciousness, she had already roughly sorted out her current situation. She was no longer Cheng Mulan. Her soul had entered the body of this low-ranking official’s daughter. The girl surnamed Wen, and her given name was exactly the same as her own childhood name—Suisui.

The father and son crowding by the bedside were Wen Suisui’s own father, Wen Chenghan, and her full-blood younger brother, Wen Xuan. Their birth mother had passed away from illness more than two years ago. Now the three of them depended on one another for survival.

Wen Suisui had always been somewhat awkward by nature—quiet, introverted, and prone to overthinking. After her mother’s death she had observed the mourning period, reducing her social activities until she almost never left the house. Even so, idle gossip had still found her.

The reason was that a few days earlier she had been unable to refuse an invitation from the county magistrate’s daughter, He Yifei, and had attended a gathering of young ladies. Everyone had gathered around He Yifei like stars surrounding the moon. Only the original host had been clumsy with words. Not only was she unable to say pleasant things, she often spoke in a way that stabbed people in the heart—in short, she was hopelessly tactless.

On top of that she was not particularly clever or gifted. Her skills in the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting were only ordinary. She could neither outshine others in talent nor shine in conversation, and so she was naturally left out. She had immediately begun to overthink, and after returning home had shut herself in her room for several days in low spirits.

If that had been all, it might have ended there. But misfortune never comes alone. During the gathering the original host had accidentally lost a particularly distinctive pearl hairpin. It was picked up by the son of a wealthy merchant in the county town—a good-for-nothing second-generation wastrel who frequently frequented the pleasure quarters. After finding the hairpin he had made a great show of asking around about its owner. Every young lady who had attended the gathering had seen that hairpin of hers, and for a time many rumors spread.

The wastrel kept a circle of disreputable friends. When they were drunk in a brothel they had teased him about the matter. The wastrel had declared that he would accept nothing less than a beauty, and that a mere county vice-magistrate’s daughter—especially one already of advanced age who still could not marry—might not even catch his eye.

The words had spread from the brothel, and after several rounds of exaggeration they somehow became a story that the original host had secretly admired that wastrel, deliberately dropping her hairpin for him to find in the hope of forming a connection. Alas, the fallen flower had feelings while the flowing water was heartless.

These filthy words should never have reached the original host’s ears. Yet Wen Xuan, indignant on his elder sister’s behalf, had gotten into a fight at the academy with the classmates spreading the rumors. The matter erupted within the Wen household. When the original host heard it she felt even more inferior and humiliated, and instead scolded the younger brother who had stood up for her. That very night, in a fit of pique, she had even hung a white silk rope from the roof beam and attempted to hang herself.

Wen Xuan felt he had wronged his elder sister. Worried that she was still overthinking, he had insisted on barging into her room in the deep of night to apologize—only to find the original host already unconscious.

The original host had remained in a coma for two days and two nights, then developed a high fever that burned for another day and night, until her life force was nearly exhausted. It was at that moment that her soul had entered this body, received the original host’s memories, and promised to look after the girl’s father and younger brother in her stead.

“Suisui, why won’t you speak? Are you in pain somewhere? Tell Father. Don’t keep everything bottled up inside, all right?” Wen Chenghan looked at his haggard daughter, his heart twisting as if cut by a knife.

In this moment he deeply regretted how, over these years of being busy with official duties, he had neglected his two children—especially his daughter. He had known her nature was heavy with thoughts, yet he had always told himself that young girls were inevitably sentimental, and so had never paid it much mind. Who would have thought that this single oversight had nearly cost him his daughter—the child his wife had charged him, on her deathbed, to care for well!

“Elder Sister, it’s all my fault. I hurt your heart. I deserve to die. Please don’t be angry anymore, all right? If there’s anything you can’t get past, just scold me, or hit me… Forget it, don’t waste the effort. I’ll hit myself!”

With that, Wen Xuan began to slap his own face, each blow solid and resounding with sharp cracks. Cheng Mulan felt the pain just listening to it.

No—right now she was Wen Suisui. This father and son were her closest family.

“Stop hitting yourself.” She forced her weak hand upward and gently caught the boy’s wrist. “Elder Sister doesn’t blame you. I was the one who thought wrongly. I shouldn’t have done such a thing and only caused pain to those who care for me while pleasing those who wish me ill.”

She spoke in a low, faint, and hoarse voice. Perhaps the white silk had constricted her neck for too long and damaged her throat, making speech somewhat difficult.

Yet the fact that she was willing to speak, willing to acknowledge that treating her life lightly had been wrong, was the greatest comfort and redemption for Wen Chenghan and his son. Both looked at her with tears streaming down their faces.

“Elder Sister, you scared me to death… scared me to death!” After a long moment of lingering fear, Wen Xuan disregarded the rule that males and females should not share the same seat after the age of seven and simply threw himself onto his elder sister, weeping uncontrollably. “If you hadn’t woken up, what would I have done? I would never have forgiven myself for the rest of my life…”

Wen Xuan cried so hard his whole body trembled. Wen Suisui’s heart softened as well, and she gently patted his back.

“Don’t cry, all right? Don’t cry. Elder Sister is fine.”

Wen Xuan still sobbed without restraint. Beside them, Wen Chenghan watched with tears soaking his beard. When his daughter looked toward him he felt a moment of awkwardness, hastily wiping his tears and sniffing, pretending to be calm.

Wen Suisui gave a faint smile. “Father…”

Wen Chenghan shuddered. The tears he had just wiped away welled up again, his face filled with deep regret and pain. “Why address me so formally? Are you angry with Father? Angry that I failed to protect you and allowed you to be wounded by those rumors?”

Wen Suisui froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. It seemed her form of address had been too distant. After several turns of her tongue she finally managed, somewhat awkwardly, “Daddy.”

Those two simple words seemed to hold some magical power, instantly brightening Wen Chenghan’s darkened expression. He answered happily, “Yes, my good daughter.”

Wen Suisui’s heart was once again filled with mixed emotions. She recalled that when she had still been the legitimate daughter of the Dingguo Duke’s household she had also once called out “Daddy” with affection, yet the other party had never taken it to heart. After her mother passed away, father and daughter had grown more distant day by day, and she had stopped calling him Daddy, addressing him only with the proper, formal “Father.”

“Suisui, you must be hungry. Why don’t you eat something first?”

“No, Elder Sister should take her medicine first.”

“Eat first. Drinking medicine on an empty stomach is hard on the stomach.”

“But Elder Sister’s body hasn’t recovered and she has no appetite!”

“You little brat, must you always talk back to your elders like this?” Wen Chenghan was so angry he immediately wanted to raise his hand and slap his son on the head.

Wen Xuan seemed to have read his father’s mind. He quickly darted to the side, both hands protecting his head, still muttering unconvinced, “I’m only stating the facts. That’s not talking back.”

“You—!”

Father and son went back and forth, arguing one sentence after another. Wen Suisui listened in some surprise, yet her heart also felt warm.

In her previous life, whether in the duke’s mansion or Prince Rui’s household, she had never witnessed such sincere and straightforward family affection—no scheming, no indirect probing, only clear and open care for one another.

Suddenly a clear knocking at the door interrupted the father and son. A refined-looking woman pushed the door open and entered, carrying a food box. Seeing Wen Suisui sitting up against the head of the bed, she immediately brightened with joy, set the food box on the table, and hurried over.

“Young Miss, you’re awake!”

Wen Suisui looked at the woman before her, her hair styled in the manner of a married woman. She was Chenxiang, the maid who had served Wen’s mother. On her deathbed the mother had specially elevated her to the status of concubine and charged her with caring for the master and the two children.

Chenxiang was gentle by nature. Under the late mother’s instruction she was quite knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, and she handled household management and affairs with competence and devotion.

Wen Suisui observed carefully and saw that the woman was genuinely delighted by her awakening. She gave a slight nod and a faint smile. “Aunt Chenxiang, I’m sorry for making you worry about me as well.”

At those words Chenxiang’s eyes reddened, tears glistening. “As long as Young Miss has woken up, that is enough. Young Miss’s safety is the most important thing. Ah, yes—I’ve cooked some rice porridge. Are you hungry, Young Miss? Why not have a little first?”

“Then Elder Sister can eat the porridge, and I’ll prepare the medicinal decoction for you.”

“Suisui, can you hold the spoon yourself? Or would you rather Aunt Chenxiang feed you?”

Several people bustled around Wen Suisui’s bedside, asking after her comfort and hovering about her. Gradually the unease in her heart settled.

No matter how many regrets and wounds the previous life had left behind, at least in this life she had family who truly cared for her. Next she would have to find a way, overcome every difficulty, and become Gu Yanran’s “unknown.”

Gu Yanran, wait a little longer for me. Suisui will soon be by your side.

“Father, what did you say?”

Barely a few days after waking, once she had recovered somewhat, Wen Suisui heard from Wen Chenghan a piece of news as shocking as a bolt from the blue.

“Daddy means that in a few more months your mourning period will be over. My term in Ping County is also about to end. Your eldest uncle in the capital has arranged a county magistrate post for me. Once I return to the capital to report on my duties, you and your younger brother will stay at the Vice Minister’s residence so that your eldest aunt can arrange your marriage. What do you think?”

“I disagree!” Wen Suisui refused at once, without the slightest hesitation.

Wen Chenghan stiffened. He had clearly never seen this quiet, reserved daughter react so fiercely. He stood stunned for a long moment before finding his voice again.

“Suisui, when a man comes of age he should marry, and when a woman comes of age she should marry. Daddy knows you are reluctant to leave home, but a young lady cannot remain unmarried all her life. Moreover, you have already delayed three years observing mourning for your mother. We cannot put it off any longer.”

But she did not want to marry. Apart from Gu Yanran, she wanted no one.

If Wen Chenghan had not reminded her, she would nearly have forgotten that the original host had already been betrothed. The other party was the son of her mother’s former close friend from girlhood—said to be extremely intelligent and talented, and at the mere age of twenty already a juren.

“A short while ago your father wrote to your eldest uncle to inquire. That Zou Wenli will enter the capital this year for the metropolitan examinations. After the palace examination, whether he passes or not, the two families ought to discuss the marriage arrangements for the two of you.”

Wen Suisui gritted her teeth in frustration and forced herself into a coaxing tone. “But Daddy, ever since Mother passed away, the Zou family has sent only a household matron to offer condolences at the funeral. These past few years they have paid your daughter almost no attention at all. Are you certain they still want this marriage? For all we know they may have long since changed their minds.”

“Nonsense!” Wen Chenghan’s expression changed. “When your mother arranged this betrothal for you, the two families had already exchanged the birth charts. The Zou family may be a hereditary official clan, but our Wen family is also a scholarly household. Neither side can casually break an engagement—we cannot afford the loss of face.”

The Wen family was indeed a hereditary official clan, yet Wen Chenghan’s branch was only a collateral line, and he himself a son of a concubine. If not for the friendship between her mother and Madam Zou, by rights Wen Suisui would never have been able to climb to such a good match.

Moreover, she had no desire to climb. She felt not the slightest goodwill toward that Zou Wenli. Even in the original host’s memories the impression of this fiancé, whom she had met only a few times in early childhood, was extremely vague.

“Daddy, could you please stop fretting over your daughter’s marriage for now? After all, I have not yet formally completed the mourning period. And once we return to the capital, who knows what the situation there will be?”

Whatever the situation, one thing she was certain of: no matter what, she would find a way to break this engagement!

Wen Suisui frowned in deep thought. Wen Chenghan, however, misunderstood her expression, thinking she was worried that the Zou family might break the engagement, and grew anxious.

“Suisui, you mustn’t keep overthinking. Daddy knows those rumors that spread through the county town a while ago wounded your heart, but they were completely unfounded! As your own father I know you best. You have always been reserved and proper, completely pure and clean. Those people simply could not spit out ivory from a dog’s mouth and slandered you… Just set your mind at ease and stop fretting so much. Daddy will definitely find a way to clear your name, all right?” Wen Chenghan softened his voice, coaxing his daughter again and again. Though only just past forty, a heavy weariness and the marks of hardship already showed between his brows.

Looking at him, Wen Suisui felt her heartstrings tighten. Such sincere fatherly love was truly rare. It made her somewhat envious of the original host—at least she had a father who genuinely cherished his daughter.

She sighed softly to herself, then lifted the corners of her cherry lips and deliberately offered a light, gentle smile. “Daddy, you needn’t worry. Your daughter will not do anything foolish again. From now on I will be strong and brave.”

“Truly?” Wen Chenghan’s eyes brightened.

Wen Suisui nodded solemnly.

The old father’s heart finally settled. He smiled as well—a smile that held none of the shrewdness of a man his age in official circles, but rather something a little foolish.

“Daddy knew it. Daddy’s little cotton-padded jacket is the most sensible.”

Wen Suisui could not help feeling a touch of shyness. She was already an eighteen-year-old young lady, yet her father still called her his little cotton-padded jacket. It was truly… enviable. She envied the original host for having a father who loved her so.

“Daddy.” Perhaps because warmth was flowing through her heart, the way she called him “Daddy” sounded even sweeter and clearer. “Just now you mentioned that eldest uncle arranged a county magistrate post for you. Where is it?”

“In Qinghe County, near Jiangbei. It’s about six or seven days’ journey from the capital.”

Wen Suisui began calculating silently. Qinghe County was not considered a large county in the Jiangbei region, yet because transportation was reasonably convenient and it was connected to river transport, it had a certain air of prosperity. She remembered that Gu Yanran’s caravan had a base there, and he had even opened several shops in the town selling goods from north and south as well as medicinal herbs.

She felt a private surge of joy, her bright eyes sparkling.

These past few days she had been fretting over how to make contact with Gu Yanran. If her father truly received a transfer to Qinghe County as magistrate, she and Gu Yanran would have the chance to meet again.

“Only now there’s a difficulty…” Wen Chenghan suddenly hesitated.

Wen Suisui stiffened. “What difficulty?”

“Right now your father is only an eighth-rank county vice-magistrate. To be promoted to county magistrate, besides relying on your eldest uncle to exert influence in the Ministry of Personnel, my evaluation this year must also be rated excellent. But the day before yesterday I just offended my superior…”

Superior? He must mean Magistrate He of Ping County.

“How did Daddy offend him?”

Wen Chenghan gave a bitter smile and remained silent.

Wen Suisui suddenly understood. It must have been because of her matter. Her father had most likely spoken up for her in indignation, and perhaps even complained a few words about the magistrate’s daughter. Naturally the superior’s expression had not been pleasant.

Seeing Wen Suisui fall silent, Wen Chenghan’s heart jumped. He wished he could slap his own mouth.

He feared most of all the way his daughter looked when lost in thought. It was all his fault for having a loose tongue—he should never have poured out his troubles to her!

“Suisui, listen to Daddy…”

“Master, Young Miss!”

Wen Chenghan’s words were interrupted halfway by a gentle voice. Father and daughter both looked back and saw Chenxiang entering with a graceful step, holding an invitation card, her expression somewhat hesitant.

“What is it?” Wen Chenghan had an ominous premonition.

“A matron from Magistrate He’s residence delivered this invitation.” Chenxiang presented the card. “This year Madam He’s birthday banquet has also invited the Young Miss.”

“Madam He’s birthday banquet?” Wen Chenghan frowned as he took the card and examined it. The more he looked, the more solemn his expression became.

“Daddy, let me see it as well.” Wen Suisui curiously took the invitation from her father’s hand. It was printed with great care and carried a faint scent of lily incense—clearly much thought had gone into it.

She searched through the original host’s memories and only then recalled that this magistrate’s wife was a noble young lady from the capital. Every year she held a banquet under the pretext of her own birthday—partly to receive flattery from various people in the town, and partly to gather a group of young men and women for poetry and music, using the occasion to size them up.

The original host had been observing mourning for the past two years and naturally had never received such an invitation. Unexpectedly, this year, before the mourning period had even formally ended, the invitation had arrived. She could not tell what meaning lay behind it.

Seeing his daughter turning the invitation over and over in thought, Wen Chenghan grew somewhat anxious. “Suisui, you mustn’t go. You are still in the mourning period. Even if you do not attend, no one will blame you.”

“Daddy, I will go.”

“Ah?”

Wen Suisui gave a slight smile. “Although this invitation was sent by Madam He, there may well be the young lady of the He family behind it. If I refuse, won’t that only give her another reason to look down on me, thinking I dare not go because I feel guilty?”

“But…”

“An opportunity to clear my name is rare. I cannot miss it.” Wen Suisui’s smile deepened. Her eyes were bright, yet also held a touch of cool clarity. “Those who love to wag their tongues ought to pay a price.”

Moreover, if the memories the original host had left her were correct, something rather interesting was likely to occur at that banquet. If handled properly, it might even become an opportunity for reconciliation with He Yifei—and then her father’s promotion to magistrate of Qinghe County would no longer face obstruction.

Wen Chenghan stiffened, staring at the resolute expression that had almost never appeared on his daughter’s face, too astonished to speak.

The weather was fine, flowers blooming in abundance.

That day, Ping County near the southern coast was lively from early morning. One carriage after another drove toward the largest private residence in the county town—Cheng Garden.

This was a residence provided by Madam He’s natal family, the Fang clan. Madam Fang came from the Pingyuan Marquis household in the capital and held an illustrious status. For her birthday banquet, not only the merchants and wealthy households of Ping County had to put in an appearance, but even the yamen of several neighboring counties sent people to offer congratulations.

Wen Suisui rode in a small sedan chair and arrived at Cheng Garden early. With no female elder beside her, only Chenxiang led her to pay respects to Madam Fang. After presenting the birthday gifts, Madam Fang handed her over to her own daughter, He Yifei, for entertainment.

In the rear garden fragrance drifted everywhere. The young ladies all loved to dress up and had adorned themselves as brightly as flowers. Only Wen Suisui, still within the mourning period, wore a dress of autumn-fragrant color, a pair of lilac earrings, and a simple silk flower tucked into her hair. Her attire was not particularly striking—one might even call it plain.

Yet although her clothing was subdued, a light, gentle smile continually played across her delicate features, and her eyes were bright and lively. Not only had the former small-minded air vanished, she now appeared composed and gracious. The serene, elegant aura about her actually carried a few more degrees of nobility than He Yifei’s.

The group of young ladies who usually followed He Yifei about with flattery all stared in a daze and began whispering among themselves. A few who had personally witnessed Wen Suisui’s poor performance at the previous gathering tried to needle her with a few words, only to be lightly and smilingly deflected. They found it even more unbelievable.

“What’s wrong with her? She feels completely different from the last time we saw her.”

“It’s clearly the same person, and her clothes and adornments are ordinary, yet somehow I feel she’s undergone a complete transformation.”

“What on earth is going on?”