When the Cannon Fodder Meets the Love-Brained Female Supporting Character - Episode 3

The next day, Jiang Nan hired more people to renovate the teahouse and personally supervised the work.

The previously worn-out areas were now completely refreshed.

Jiang Nan beamed with joy as she admired her newly renovated shop, feeling utterly satisfied until someone poked her from the side.

“Boss, the woman across the street is glaring at us like she wants to kill someone,” Fang Rui whispered.

Jiang Nan shifted her gaze to the opposite side of the street, where another teahouse stood. A tall woman stood at the entrance, her eyebrows raised, her entire demeanor screaming, “Don’t mess with me.”

The woman noticed Jiang Nan looking and shot her a fierce glare.

Fang Rui murmured, “She probably resents us for opening a teahouse right across from hers. She must think we’re challenging her. I have a feeling she’ll cause trouble for us later.”

Though Fang Rui had spent most of her time at home and had little experience in business, she had heard enough about such matters to be wary.

She glanced at Jiang Nan with slight concern.

Jiang Nan, however, remained unfazed. “No worries. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Once the last item was moved into the shop, Jiang Nan prepared to tidy up and head back home.

As she passed by the rival teahouse Wei’s Teahouse the female owner, who had been tallying accounts, immediately stood up when she saw Jiang Nan. Without a word, she strode over, snorted coldly in Jiang Nan’s face, then turned and went back inside.

Jiang Nan found it somewhat amusing.

The woman then said icily, “Wei’s Teahouse has been on Changhe Street for decades. Anyone who wants tea on this street thinks of us first. A word of advice, if you don’t want to lose money, move your shop somewhere else!”

Jiang Nan ignored her and left.

The next day, Fang Rui came bouncing over, excitedly announcing that she had bought a lot of flowers. Still a seventeen-year-old girl at heart, her eyes sparkled at the mention of flowers.

Jiang Nan asked, “Why do you like flowers so much?”

Fang Rui gazed solemnly into the distance. Following her line of sight, Jiang Nan saw the cloudless blue sky outside the window, the willow trees swaying in the wind, and the lake shimmering with golden ripples.

“Because…” Fang Rui frowned.

Jiang Nan seemed to understand something and sighed sympathetically. “If you don’t want to talk about it—”

Fang Rui said, “Don’t you think it just matches my name perfectly?”

Jiang Nan’s expression instantly soured, and she turned to walk away.

After finishing the teahouse renovations, Jiang Nan still felt something was missing, so she went out to the streets for inspiration.

Before heading out, she even hired five maids on the spot to carry things for her.

Fang Rui, trailing behind, was stunned by the extravagance of it all.

But it didn’t take long for her to realize those five maids were absolutely necessary!

Jiang Nan wanted to buy anything that caught her eye, spending money like it was nothing. Yet, when it came to haggling, she was ruthlessly efficient, ensuring she didn’t actually spend too much in the end.

Jiang Nan stopped at a porcelain shop. She needed some exquisite tea sets for the teahouse.

Pointing at a hand-painted bamboo teacup, she said, “I’ll take a hundred of these. How much?”

The shopkeeper approached cheerfully. “You have excellent taste, miss! These were painted by Wang Yang, the finest porcelain artist in Yangcheng. Coincidentally, we only have a hundred left! How about 500 coins each?”

Jiang Nan glanced at his shabby, makeshift stall and the haphazardly arranged porcelain pieces scattered on the wooden board. “If you don’t actually want this big order, then forget it.” She turned and walked away.

The shopkeeper’s expression changed. “Sir, how can you say that? Of course, I wouldn’t turn down a big order. How about 400 coins? This is Wang Yang’s work, after all.”

“I’ve only just arrived in Yangcheng and don’t know any Wang Yang. Since it’s so precious, you should save it for someone who truly appreciates it.” Jiang Nan still intended to leave.

Jiang Nan was lying. She knew exactly who Wang Yang was. His paintings were indeed first-rate. Unfortunately, an accident had left his arm weak, making it impossible for him to paint anything complex anymore. He could only produce simple works, like this bamboo sketch, which required just a few strokes and could be mass-produced.

It was fine if these were slightly more expensive than other porcelain, but 500 coins apiece was absolutely outrageous! Twenty-five taels of silver for a hundred small teacups the size of two finger joints?

“Fang Rui, let’s go.” Jiang Nan said softly. “We’re merchants ourselves. How could we let ourselves be swindled?”

With that, she really did leave. But after only a few dozen steps, the porcelain shop owner came panting after her. “My apologies, miss. Are you genuinely interested in buying?”

Jiang Nan didn’t answer, merely pointing at the pile of items in the hands of her five maids.

“Then I’ll give you a sincere price.” The porcelain shop owner held up a number. “Sixty coins each, I really can’t go any lower. I still have to pay Wang Yang his share.”

Jiang Nan took another look at the bamboo-painted teacup. Though Wang Yang could no longer create grand paintings, his foundational skills remained. The bamboo was rendered with depth and subtlety, standing proud and lifelike.

“Deal.” Jiang Nan smiled.

Fang Rui gave her a thumbs-up. “Cutting the price to a tenth. That’s impressive.”

As they turned back, the porcelain shop owner began counting the pieces with a bitter smile.

The exchange was made, goods for payment.

Just as Jiang Nan finished paying, a slightly disheveled little girl appeared out of nowhere. Hesitantly, she said to the porcelain shop owner, “Dad, Mom’s in pain again.”

The man stiffened and began packing up his stall. “I’ll go back right away.”

“Dad, I’m so hungry. I haven’t eaten all day.” The girl tugged at his sleeve and said timidly, “Can I buy a flatbread? The ones over there from yesterday are selling for just one coin.”

The porcelain shop owner handed her five coins. “Buy a fresh one. None of yesterday’s leftovers!”

“Okay!” The little girl ran off.

Fang Rui couldn’t help but interject, “How can you run a shop and still treat your child and wife so poorly?”

The porcelain shop owner sighed. “It’s not like that. My wife is seriously ill. Her medicine costs 500 coins a day! Some days, I manage to sell a few hundred coins’ worth, but on unlucky days, it’s only a few dozen. We have to scrimp wherever we can. When I’m out, sometimes my wife can manage the little one and cook if she’s not in too much pain. But when the pain flares up, she can’t even take care of herself. Today, I got lucky running into a big customer like you.”

Just as he finished speaking, the girl came running back with two flatbreads.

“Dad, you haven’t eaten either. Here.”

The porcelain shop owner nodded, giving the freshly baked, steaming flatbread to his daughter while keeping the cold, slightly hardened one for himself.

Jiang Nan called the little girl over and handed her twenty taels of silver. “Take this. If you’re ever hungry, buy yourself something to eat. Don’t ruin your stomach. And get some medicine for your mother.”

The little girl, about seven or eight years old, still had a trace of innocence in her eyes, but she knew she had encountered a benefactor. A flicker of joy flashed in her eyes, yet she pushed the silver back. “I can’t take this. I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”

The porcelain shop owner also waved his hands repeatedly.

“Who said you haven’t done anything? When you grow up, you’ll have to repay me double. That’s called an investment,” Jiang Nan said.

Investment? The girl didn’t understand the term, but she knew the money would have to be returned someday.

She nodded solemnly, her voice soft and childlike, “I’ll definitely repay you double in the future.”

On the way back to Cangfang Tower, Fang Rui asked, “Boss, why didn’t you just spend twenty-five taels of silver to buy the porcelain outright? It would’ve helped them and saved you the trouble of explaining.”

“That’s not the same,” Jiang Nan replied, shaking her head as she ate candied hawthorns. “Not being a sucker and helping them aren’t mutually exclusive. This isn’t just about twenty-five taels of silver.”

Soon, night fell again.

The full moon was encircled by two distinct halos, one yellow and one blue, shimmering beautifully. Occasionally, a thick dark cloud drifted by, obscuring some of the light.

Jiang Huai’s return was a grand affair. The entire Jiang household was roused in the middle of the night to prepare for his welcome. Lanterns were lit one by one until the estate was dotted with flickering lights.

A’Tuo urgently woke Jiang Nan, who was nearly asleep. “Miss, the second young master has returned.”

The early spring night was cool, and Jiang Nan, curled up in her freshly warmed bed, had no desire to get up.

“Miss, weren’t you eager to see the second young master? You even prepared a gift for him.”

A gift? When had she prepared anything for that guy?

A’Tuo brought over the paper cranes she had folded the night before when she couldn’t sleep, her emotions tangled. “Look, Miss, how exquisite your paper cranes are! The young master will surely praise your skill when he sees them.”

That was entirely unnecessary.

Jiang Nan expressionlessly opened a wooden box, tossed all the paper cranes inside, and locked it. She didn’t want A’Tuo taking her folded creations to give to Jiang Huai on her own.

Under A’Tuo’s relentless urging, Jiang Nan reluctantly got out of bed. As she passed by the lake, she threw the key in a perfect arc, watching it sink into the water with a soft plop.

Jiang Nan encountered Jiang Huai just before reaching the main hall.

As the male lead, Jiang Huai’s appearance was naturally striking. Thick eyebrows, bright eyes, tall and upright, with an air of impatience and melancholy in his expression.

A servant was reporting to him about the Yu family in the capital.

Hearing that the Yu family had fallen on hard times, Jiang Huai froze for a long moment, a trace of deep emotion surfacing in his eyes. “If I had known it would come to this. Why did she… back then…”

Turning, Jiang Huai seemed to notice Jiang Nan for the first time, a flicker of admiration crossing his gaze.

Jiang Nan had casually thrown on a simple dress, but her features were coldly elegant, her contours soft—perfect for light makeup. Under the moonlight, she looked ethereal, aloof and transcendent.

He had already heard about Jiang Nan’s dealings with Xiao Ran. He had been quite fond of Xiao Ran, especially since the beauty had been devoted to him without resentment. If not for the rule of marrying a wife before taking a concubine, he would have brought her into the household long ago. Thus, Jiang Huai had been somewhat displeased with Jiang Nan for driving Xiao Ran away. But upon seeing her extraordinary beauty now, that displeasure melted away.

He turned his face slightly, presenting his most handsome angle, and forced a weak smile: “You must be the cousin from Jiang Nan who just arrived at the estate, right? My apologies, I’m not quite myself today.”

Jiang Nan looked at the unshed tears glistening in the corners of his eyes and replied in the coldest tone with the crudest words: “Indeed, cousin. The discharge in the corners of your eyes seems to be glowing. You might want to wipe that off.”

Jiang Huai’s smile froze on his face.

Without another word, Jiang Nan walked into the hall, her heart filled with nothing but disdain for this man.

So full of himself, yet his so-called deep affection was nothing but a tattered facade.

If he truly believed that girl had suffered, why didn’t he go and bring her back?

Jiang Huai’s childhood sweetheart had left him, so he was drowning in self-pity, indulging in debauchery, and surrounding himself with a gaggle of women, each resembling his lost love in some small way. And yet, people still praised him for his devotion.

Disgusting.

Once everyone had gathered, Aunt Jiang offered some comforting words to encourage Jiang Huai before introducing Jiang Nan to him.

“We’ve already met, haven’t we, cousin?” Jiang Huai flashed her what he believed to be his most charming smile.

Countless women had swooned over that smile before.

Jiang Nan’s expression remained cool as she nodded.

Jiang Huai stroked his chin. A proud and aloof beauty—how intriguing. The classic play-hard-to-get routine. He knew all about that.

________________________________________

After the twists and turns, Jiang Nan slept peacefully until the next morning.

She had known Xiao Ran would come that much was expected. What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was that Xiao Ran, in order to meet Jiang Huai, would use a plate of pastries to lure her to the west hall while she herself entered the estate from the east.

Jiang Nan stared at the plate of pastries the maid was holding, furious.

Did she look like someone who could be tempted away with a few sweets?

The maid, skilled at reading expressions, noticed her displeasure and cautiously asked, “If you’re unhappy, young miss, shall I dispose of these?”

Lost in thought, Jiang Nan remained silent for a long while. Assuming she understood the unspoken command, the maid turned to leave with the pastries.

Jiang Nan stopped her.

“No need to waste them.”

She hadn’t eaten breakfast, after all.

The pastries were fragrant, delicate, and snowflake-shaped, their golden surfaces crisp to the touch. A light press of her fingers left behind golden crumbs. She took a bite, and the rich aroma of osmanthus filled her mouth.

No wonder Jiang Huai was willing to eat her pastries. No wonder she was confident enough to send them as a gift to the estate.

They really weren’t bad.

The pastries were small, bite-sized and before she knew it, Jiang Nan had eaten over a dozen.

She dusted the crumbs off her hands.

Time to go intercept them!

With the maid’s intel along the way, Jiang Nan easily found Jiang Huai and Xiao Ran.

They stood beside a towering rockery, Jiang Huai holding Xiao Ran’s hand as he spoke to her. Jiang Nan moved closer, positioning herself on the other side of the rockery.

Their conversation drifted over.

“Ran’er, I have nothing to give you but this painting I made myself. It’s not worth much, but I hope you’ll like it.” Here, Jiang Huai let out a bitter laugh. “Your hair, it’s just like hers, those soft, cloud-like tresses. Do you remember me mentioning her before? She left me so heartlessly, and I… I’ve been drowning in sorrow ever since. Maybe what I need is someone who won’t leave no matter how much I hurt them. Someone who can prove to me that I won’t be abandoned again. Could that person be you?”

What the hell?

Expressionless, Jiang Nan hefted the heavy object in her hand.

Just as Jiang Huai was about to say something more, a blurry gray object struck his shoulder. Pain instantly radiated from the center of his shoulder blade, rendering him momentarily speechless.

He turned to look at the assailant, a sharp-edged piece of ore riddled with impurities.

This was the ore Jiang Nan had casually tucked into her pocket before leaving the house. She hadn’t expected it to come in handy so soon.

Jiang Huai’s face darkened as he clutched his shoulder, his handsome features twisting in discomfort.

“Who did that? Show yourself!”

Jiang Nan adjusted her expression, her cold demeanor now tinged with a barely noticeable hint of unease, and stepped forward.

“Apologies, cousin. My hand slipped just now, wrong target. Are you alright?”

Her words caused both people in front of her to change expressions. One recovering from a grimace, the other frozen in place.

Jiang Huai endured the sharp pain in his shoulder and forced a smile as if nothing had happened. “Though I usually devote myself to studies, I also train diligently. The pain has already subsided.”

Jiang Nan nodded. “Good.”

She then turned to Xiao Ran, her voice icy. “Miss Xiao, it seems the words I spoke yesterday didn’t leave an impression. Next time, you won’t be so fortunate.”

Xiao Ran clenched her handkerchief, her lips downturned and eyes lowered, offering no response.

Jiang Huai would usually relish such a scene, but he still had to maintain appearances.

He pulled Jiang Nan aside and said, “Cousin, I know you dislike seeing her. But she is, after all, a woman. What if she gets hurt?” Though he had drawn her aside, his voice was loud enough for Xiao Ran to hear.

Jiang Huai was inwardly pleased.

See? He knew it.

Yesterday, Jiang Nan must have been feigning restraint. Today, seeing him grow closer to Xiao Ran, she couldn’t hold back.

Jiang Nan glanced sideways and noticed Xiao Ran’s gaze fixed on Jiang Huai’s retreating figure.

She turned, positioning herself as a human barrier between the two.

“It’s improper for men and women to be alone together. Miss Xiao, let me escort you out.” With a polite smile, she gestured. “After you.”

Jiang Nan didn’t lead Xiao Ran out of the estate but instead took her to a side hall reserved for guests.

Every step Xiao Ran took was filled with unease.

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall, silver threads weaving through the air as dark clouds drifted overhead. The koi in the pond surfaced, their mouths opening and closing rhythmically.

Raindrops landed on Xiao Ran, adding weight to her already heavy heart.

The Xiao family had once been a prominent clan, and Xiao Ran had heard of many underhanded schemes. Since Jiang Nan also favored Jiang Huai, she surely wouldn’t let her off easily.

The two arrived at the side hall, one after the other.

Jiang Nan stepped inside, leaving Xiao Ran alone outside.

Xiao Ran stood awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or remain standing.

The side hall had no candles. On sunny days, it was bright enough, but under the overcast sky, it felt gloomy and oppressive.

“Please have a seat, Miss Xiao.”

A maid appeared behind her without warning.

The sudden voice startled Xiao Ran, causing her to stumble back. Losing her balance, she reached for the table but instead knocked over a porcelain vase.

The loud shattering sound tightened around Xiao Ran’s heart like a vice.

She stared helplessly at the fragments on the floor.

She had messed up…

“How much is this vase worth?” Xiao Ran asked anxiously. “I’ll pay—”

The maid gave her a strange look before hurrying away without a word.

After a while longer, the maid returned and said to her, “This porcelain can be bought anywhere, it’s not valuable. There’s no need for compensation.”

No need to compensate? Xiao Ran was taken aback. Didn’t Jiang Nan despise her? How could she…

Or perhaps the maid served someone else?

Jiang Nan had lingered elsewhere for a few minutes, feeling she had made her point, and hurried back to the side hall.

Xiao Ran sat on the stool, lips pressed together, her watery eyes filled with endless melancholy.

Jiang Nan walked in, arms crossed, looking coldly at Xiao Ran as she intimidated her: “If you continue to be this stubborn, next time that stone will land on your head. Do you understand?”

Xiao Ran was slightly frightened, her shoulders trembling faintly, but she mustered her courage and lifted her dewy almond eyes to gaze at Jiang Nan, as if she had something to say.

Jiang Nan snorted. “Why are you looking at me? If you have something to say, out with it!”

Xiao Ran bit her rosy lips, hesitating for a long moment before finally asking, “Sister Jiang Nan, how did that stack of pastries taste?”