Chapter 30
Chapter 30
The door creaked open. A man dressed as a steward entered and bowed to Cheng Miao.
“Miss Qiao, thank you for waiting. Our master may return late today. Madam asks that you and the young master meet her first.”
Cheng Miao inclined her head and smiled. “Thank you.”
Lin Zhu, still dazed beside her, witnessed Cheng Miao transform into a noble young lady in one second.
As they walked through winding covered corridors, Cheng Miao carefully drew information from the steward. She learned that she was Qiao Shui, eldest daughter of the capital’s Qiao family, while Lin Zhu was the second young master, Qiao Mu.
A plague had struck the Qiao family several years ago. Neither master nor madam survived, so despite her youth, Qiao Shui had been forced to support the household.
Now she had brought her younger brother to visit an old friend of their father, hoping to renew relations and pursue mutual prosperity.
In the main hall, Cheng Miao found a woman dressed as a noble madam already seated.
She possessed breathtaking beauty. Even in reality, Cheng Miao had never seen anyone so stunning.
A rich fragrance surrounded her. It was strong without being harsh and made her seem like an immortal maiden descended from heaven.
“Miss Qiao, this is Madam Chang,” the steward helpfully reminded her. Their conversation along the way had left him sympathetic toward the young woman who managed a vast estate and remained unmarried in her twenties.
“Greetings, Madam Chang.” Knowing neither the dynasty nor its etiquette, Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu could only imitate what seemed appropriate.
Fortunately, Madam Chang did not mind. She warmly helped Cheng Miao up. “Shui’er, why be so distant? Call me Sister-in-law as before.”
Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu forced themselves to comply. Madam Chang fussed over them for a long time before telling them to rest well, treat the residence as their own, and make themselves comfortable.
“I didn’t expect you to arrive so late. Are you hungry? Shall I have the servants prepare a late-night meal?”
Newly arrived and unable to distinguish friend from foe, neither dared eat recklessly. They had eaten before entering, so they repeatedly declined.
It was too late to meet Master Chang. Worried Madam Chang would dismiss them if they sat idle, Cheng Miao casually mentioned the Chang sons.
Madam Chang smiled maternally. “The two of them are still asleep. They’re so young that all they do is eat and sleep. It’s late today. Come tomorrow, and you’ll certainly meet your nephews.”
Cheng Miao deliberately observed her. Affection overflowed Madam Chang’s eyes at the mention of the children and did not appear false.
After exchanging a few polite words, Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu returned to their quarters. Custom dictated that men and women lodge in distant rooms, but danger filled the instance. Under cover of moonlight, Lin Zhu slipped into Cheng Miao’s outer room and bedded down on the floor.
“Sister Miaomiao, it sounds like the Young Masters Chang in our task were only just born. Who knows what accident they’ll face?” Lin Zhu had searched his room without finding a clue to the period. The dynasty was likely fictional.
“What if they fall ill? We aren’t doctors. If they’re possessed, we don’t know how to exorcise ghosts either.” Lin Zhu was shy with strangers but turned talkative once familiar.
At the mention of possession, Cheng Miao remembered Friend of Ghosts, the attribute earned in Abandoned Courtyard. She still did not know what the buff did and had little desire to find out.
“We haven’t seen the other players either. Who knows whether they’re allies or enemies?” Lin Zhu continued rambling outside. Cheng Miao extinguished the inner candle, and soon his voice also stopped.
Afraid some horror might appear at midnight, Cheng Miao counted sheep with her nerves taut. Unlike her first two instances, this one offered no direction at all, yet she sensed no danger.
Comforting herself that she should accept whatever came, Cheng Miao eventually drifted to sleep.
The next morning, she woke as servants began moving quietly around the courtyard.
Much refreshed, she wasted no time. At dawn, she used Lin Zhu’s habit of morning exercise as an excuse to explore the Chang Residence with him.
The inner quarters belonged to the family, and distant relatives could not wander into private courtyards. They limited themselves to the garden.
Though the Chang family was only modestly wealthy, its garden was exceptionally beautiful. Flowers bloomed in every graceful form, releasing a rich fragrance.
“Sister Miaomiao, this smells a lot like Madam Chang.” Lin Zhu sniffed one flower after another.
Cheng Miao nodded. “People in ancient times loved incense and floral sachets. Madam Chang is apparently no exception.”
They stopped a maid watering the flowers and tried to gather information, but she knew nothing. “How could servants like us know the master’s and madam’s origins or personal names?”
Watching her flee, Lin Zhu sighed. “Aren’t great households supposed to overflow with gossip? Why are people here so simple?”
Cheng Miao headed toward the main hall. “Maybe our method was wrong. Later, take some silver to the kitchen’s side gate and ask the older servants.”
Lin Zhu slapped his forehead. “Right! Money makes even ghosts turn millstones. We have loose silver in our luggage.”
The peonies bloomed especially well. Amid a lush cluster stood two newly transplanted stems whose buds had only just formed, yet they were tender, upright, and striking.
Even Cheng Miao, who knew nothing about plants, stopped to look.
The steward searching for them saw the pair pause beside the flowers and smiled kindly. “Master Chang adores peonies. Madam found a way to bring these from Luoyang. They’re extremely valuable.”
Pretending to love flowers, Cheng Miao nodded eagerly, then hesitated. “Such precious flowers must cost a great deal.”
Pride entered the steward’s eyes. “Naturally. The greenhouse consumes one-third of the residence’s monthly expenses. But I do not boast when I say even the capital’s flowers cannot compare with ours.”
Cheng Miao concealed the gleam in her eyes and nodded along.
“Madam is awake, and Master is present as well. They asked me to invite you both to breakfast.” Cheng Miao politely asked him to lead the way.
“Second Master and Second Madam intended to come, but Second Master suddenly fell ill. As it happens, two traveling physicians arrived this morning, and Second Madam is accompanying them during the consultation.”
Walking behind him, Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu exchanged a glance. The two physicians were almost certainly another player pair. They did not know their task.
After ten minutes, they reached the front hall, where breakfast was being served. Cheng Miao finally saw Master Chang, who had returned late the previous night.
He appeared in his thirties, ordinary-looking but scholarly. He greeted Cheng Miao cheerfully. “I never imagined my little cousin would grow into such a beauty after only a few years apart.”
Lin Zhu frowned. Was that an appropriate thing for an older cousin to say?
Without showing anything, Cheng Miao avoided the hand reaching for her. *Brother, your wife is so beautiful you couldn’t find another like her beneath stadium lights, and you still want to stray.*
Men.