How Could I Resist His Madness and Charm [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

By nightfall, Luo Yan even considered bringing Sanmei into her room, fearing the kitten might get cold.

Zhu Yun firmly refused, citing Jia Yufang’s reasoning: “Stray cats are hard to tame. Even if you keep it confined, it’ll still try to escape. Better to leave it in the shed.”

She hesitated, asking, “What if it doesn’t come back?”

The words sounded familiar. Zhu Yun frowned in thought, recalling how Luo Yan often asked him, “Are you still leaving?” or “Will you come back?” treating him no differently than a stray cat.

His expression instantly darkened, and he turned to leave.

But he was holding the oil lamp, plunging the shed into darkness.

Luo Yan hurriedly grabbed his pant leg, looking up at him pitifully. “A-Yun.”

He suppressed his irritation and sat back on the bench, his tone softening involuntarily. “If it runs away, use some food to lure it back.”

“Oh, right.”

Pacified, Luo Yan happily placed Sanmei back on the makeshift wooden bed.

The rain gradually ceased, replaced by the chirping of insects. The cool evening breeze from the mountains felt refreshing, making her close her eyes in contentment.

Seeing her so at ease, Zhu Yun’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.

Inside the house, Jia Yufang finished packing the embroidery pieces she would take to town the next day and fetched a measuring tape, calling the children in to take their measurements.

In just a few months, they had grown noticeably taller.

She had intentionally left extra length in the sleeves and hems when making their previous clothes, and now the fit was just right. But it wouldn’t be long before they outgrew them, it was time to buy some fabric for new outfits.

With Luo Yan keeping records, the task was much easier than before.

Looking at the round, scribbled figures on the paper, Jia Yufang found them recognizable enough and smiled. “After I deliver this batch, I’ll learn some characters from Yan Jie’er.”

Lately, farm work had become increasingly busy, and Luo Yan had lost many of her students. Eagerly, she began massaging Jia Yufang’s shoulders. “You can’t go back on your word.”

“I won’t,” Jia Yufang replied, a nostalgic look in her eyes. “Your mother was from a noble family. All her maids were literate, and she managed the household with such… orderliness.”

“Orderly and systematic.”

“Yes, orderly and systematic.”

Luo Yan’s original mother came from the Ye family in the capital but had severed ties with them after marrying a merchant. Only her elder sister, the male lead’s mother, remained in contact.

Both the Luo and Ye families were merely background elements in the story, not even qualifying as supporting characters, with little mention in the narrative.

Yet, judging by how deeply grateful Jia Yufang and Physician Liu were, Luo Yan surmised that her original parents must have been exceptionally kind people.

Though curious, she couldn’t ask too many questions, fearing she might inadvertently reveal differences between herself and the original host. Instead, she shifted her focus elsewhere.

“I’ve got it!” She ran outside and waved to Zhu Yun. “Come help me make a mark.”

Uncertain what she was up to, he cooperatively took out his dagger and drew a horizontal line against the top of her head. “Done.”

“Now you stand over there.”

Luo Yan stood on her tiptoes and explained, “We can carve a line every year to see how much we’ve grown.”

After finishing, she handed the dagger back to him and brought over the soundly sleeping kitten. “Let’s mark one for Sanmei too.”

Zhu Yun clicked his tongue in mild annoyance but complied honestly.

Luo Yan borrowed the measuring tape again and, after some calculations, figured out their heights, she was about 1.55 meters, and Zhu Yun was 1.70 meters.

Could she grow into a tall beauty someday?

She tugged at her hair, trying to recall biology lessons from her past life, occasionally glancing at Zhu Yun and sighing.

Zhu Yun: “?”

Lost in melancholy for a moment, she raised her hand to measure her height. “Will I grow this tall in the future?”

He couldn’t answer but recalled the stature of her parents. He figured he wouldn’t be too short himself, so he said, “If your parents are tall, you won’t be short either.”

She had never even seen the original body’s parents, but since Long Aotian’s attributes were top-tier, as his cousin, she couldn’t be too far off.

Luo Yan pondered this and found it increasingly reasonable. Covering her face, she secretly smiled.

Witnessing this sudden change in expression, Zhu Yun: “…”

…

The next morning, when she woke up, Jia Yufang had already gone down the mountain, leaving food in the steamer that was still slightly warm.

Luo Yan first peeked around for the kitten, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her heart sank, and she trudged heavily into Zhu Yun’s room.

He had just finished his morning training and was bathing with cold water. Unsurprised by the door opening, he stood up behind the screen to dress.

“Sanmei is gone,” Luo Yan said, standing in front of the bookshelf while selecting storybooks and muttering, “The meat Grandmother left is still in the bowl. Is she not coming back?”

Zhu Yun came out, drying his wet hair, and noticed her hair was also loose. He guessed that without Grandmother around, someone didn’t know how to style it.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

She shook her head, hooking a strand of half-dry hair with her finger and sighing, “Internal energy is so practical, it can even work as a hairdryer.”

The boy’s hair was jet-black, making his lips red and teeth white all the more striking. If she hadn’t seen the whip marks on his back, Luo Yan would have thought he was a young master from a wealthy family.

“Your parents must have been very good-looking,” she stated confidently.

Zhu Yun thought for a moment. “Indeed.”

“Huh?” She was taken aback and said bluntly, “I thought you became an orphan right after birth. I didn’t expect you’d seen your birth parents.”

Such questions would be intrusive if asked by anyone else, but Luo Yan’s entire family had been wiped out, and her own background couldn’t be more tragic, so she felt no restraint.

Zhu Yun truly didn’t mind and answered truthfully, “I saw them once from afar.”

She imagined a story of young Zhu Yun being sold off as a child and later seeing his parents as strangers, which seemed to match his temperament.

“If they knew you grew up to be so capable, they would surely regret it deeply.”

He neither agreed nor disagreed, instead asking, “What about your parents?”

“What?”

“Would they regret it if they knew about you?”

Luo Yan mulled it over, her eyes widening in pleasant surprise. “You’re trying to compliment me, aren’t you! Saying I’ve grown up beautiful, with a good temperament, and clever too.”

Her expression was so smug that Zhu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle softly and gave a faint “Mm.”

Seeing he didn’t refute it, Luo Yan’s melancholy vanished instantly. Cheerfully, she said, “My parents were extraordinary, and my brother was too. They probably wouldn’t regret it.”

Since crossing over, she occasionally thought about the past.

From her perspective, she only saw her father in a suit and her elegant mother.

But from her parents’ perspective? They saw their daughter’s cheeks growing thinner day by day, a monster covered in tubes, a silent countdown to death.

Luo Yan sniffled and turned to watch Zhu Yun style his hair.

His palms were broad, his fingers long and slender, easily gathering his thick hair.

So it wasn’t that her skills were poor, it was simply that she was still young, with too much hair and hands too small to manage the intricate ancient styles.

After being stared at for so long, Zhu Yun’s movements gradually slowed, and his ears grew slightly warm. He feigned nonchalance and asked, “What? Do you want me to do your hair too?”

“Can you?”

“Maybe.”

Luo Yan translated it herself as “no problem,” then turned her back and said, “Then let’s just do a simple double bun.”

Zhu Yun had only ever watched others do it; when it came to actually doing it herself, she found it hard to control the pressure, and she ended up pulling out a few strands of hair, making Luo Yan grimace in pain. “You just want to get back at me.”

“…”

Fortunately, the result was satisfying. Luo Yan looked at herself in the bronze mirror and, pleased, headed to the kitchen.

By the time she had set the table, Zhu Yun had also returned from outside, holding Sanmei, who had a blade of grass in her mouth. “For you.”

The kitten recognized her scent, lay down on the spot, and started purring.

Since it was a sunny day, Luo Yan suggested, “Let’s build a small shed so the mother cat can live there too.”

So, the two of them, along with the cat, took an axe and headed to the bamboo grove to the south.

On the way, they ran into Qingcao and her father, who were also carrying axes. When they heard the two were planning to build a small wooden shed, Qingcao’s father enthusiastically offered to take on the task.

Qingcao deliberately slowed her pace and told Luo Yan, “Tomorrow I can go back to school.”

Qingcao’s father had initially refused, but Aunt Cui brought up her sister, who worked for a wealthy family, and managed to persuade him. However, if there was no profit to be made, he might call Qingcao and Qinglian back at any time.

Luo Yan felt sorry for her. “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

Hearing this, Qingcao smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Little ancestor, I wouldn’t dare trouble you.”

The two chatted happily, leaving Zhu Yun alone behind them.

He pinched the back of the cat’s neck, forcing it to let out a cry. Luo Yan, as expected, jogged back to his side and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with Sanmei? Is she hungry?”

Qingcao was quite afraid of Zhu Yun and didn’t dare approach, so she called out from a distance, “I can help you chop bamboo.”

“No need,” he replied coldly.

Luo Yan, meanwhile, was held up by Sanmei and could only say goodbye to her friend.

Zhu Yun found a shady spot for her to sit and rest, then went to observe Qingcao’s father’s movements before mimicking him and chopping down a large pile of bamboo.

He tied the bamboo tightly with the rope he had prepared earlier and, hearing Luo Yan humming cheerfully, suddenly felt something was off, how had he ended up acting like her servant?

But his gaze swept over her slender arms.

Never mind, it wasn’t a big deal.

After delivering the bamboo to Qingcao’s house, they ran into a matchmaker on their way out. The matchmaker recognized Luo Yan and called out to her, “I’ve made some progress on the person Sister Jia asked me to find.”

Luo Yan was puzzled. “What person?”

“Of course, a maid for you, miss,” the matchmaker said, treating her as a valuable client with a warm and respectful tone. “She has to come from a clean background, be quick with her hands, and not have a domineering personality. It’s been such a struggle for an old woman like me.”

In ancient times, buying and selling slaves was common, but Luo Yan, with her modern soul, felt a bit frightened as the matchmaker rambled on. She tugged at Zhu Yun’s sleeve.

One Qingcao was annoying enough; now there was another.

Zhu Yun was equally irritated. He hefted the axe, startling the matchmaker into silence. He said succinctly, “Not needed.”

The matchmaker gave an awkward laugh, clutched her bundle tightly, and ran off.

…

Jia Yufang had already returned to the village, this time bringing a lot of things. The table in the courtyard was nearly piled into a small mountain.

The most eye-catching items were a pair of pink-and-white embroidered shoes and a pair of black-and-gold boots.

“Try them on.”

Luo Yan hurriedly put them on, and they fit perfectly. She then turned to look at Zhu Yun, whose shoes also fit perfectly.

Seeing their satisfaction, Jia Yufang felt sweeter than if she had eaten honey. She teased, “It seems that although I’m old, my eyesight hasn’t aged.”

“Grandmother, you’re not old at all,” Luo Yan said, not wanting to dirty her new shoes, lifting her legs high. “Do they look good? Do they look good?”

Zhu Yun glanced at the similar flying crane embroidery pattern and curved his lips: “It looks nice.”

Luo Yan knelt and rummaged through the other packages, her tone dissatisfied: “Grandmother, you only bought things for us.”

“Everyone has a share.” Jia Yufang took out the cloth. “I can make shoes myself, but I don’t know the fashionable styles. What I make would lack youthful energy for you to wear.”

She reluctantly accepted this explanation, but then noticed her grandmother’s conflicted expression. After hesitating for a moment, her grandmother said: “Yan-jie, that person asked me to pass along a message.”

That person?

Long Aotian, perhaps!