Transmigrating into the Female Supporting Character with a Good Life in a Laid-Back Novel

Ruan Xi met Ruan san niang’s expectant gaze and cooperated with her by asking: “What is san niang planning to do?”

Ruan san niang felt that her fourth sister was truly upfront.

“I’m planning to write my own prompt-books, then open a teahouse and invite storytellers to narrate those stories. If it is well-received, I will open a bookstore to sell those prompt-books.”

话本 (pinyin: hua ben) – A literary form popular in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which is like a script for story-telling, typically based on vernacular folk stories, and can contain colloquialisms and archaisms; frequent inclusion of rhymed passages. idioms, or poems for narrative or descriptive purposes.

Brimming with confidence, Ruan san niang spoke about her plans. Having assimilated the lesson from her previous lifetime, she did not touch glass and cement at all.

Assuredly, it would not attract the old Emperor’s attention.

Ruan Xi settled her heart upon hearing that.

It seems like Ruan san niang had committed to her memory about what she could and could not touch after being reborn.

If it was not a highly ranked and important powerful minister or an imperial son or grandson taking out something that involved the people’s livelihood or could generate sudden and huge profits, it would be like a child holding a gold doll in the main streets. The dangers need not be said. 

“With how brilliant san jie is, the prompt-books that you write will definitely be interesting.” Ruan Xi flattered Ruan san niang with a line.

Ruan san niang smiled confidently, “Certainly, si mei will not be disappointed.

“Si mei, I’m going out of my way to tell you about this matter because I want to open a teahouse with you to earn some silvers. The silvers will be split between us in a one to nine ratio, one part towards you and nine towards me. Don’t think that this distribution is small, since you don’t actually need to do anything apart from hanging your name.”

Ruan Xi looked at Ruan san niang strangely. Giving her one part of the silvers did not seem like something Ruan san niang would do.

“Do not accept a reward if it is undeserved.” She declined in a mild and roundabout manner with an idiom.

“Si mei, don’t rush to reject it. In fact, I’m doing this not because I want to have associations with the clan, but because I want to borrow Wen gongzi’s influence through si mei.” Ruan san niang was exceedingly frank.

There were a lot of benefits to borrowing Wen gongzi’s influence. The prompt-books she was writing would definitely become popular, and with her ideas, the teahouse’s business would inevitably become popular to the extent where it would rile people into becoming red-eyed. With respect to Wen gongzi, as her fourth sister’s fiancé, she could borrow Wen gongzi’s reputation to widen her popularity in the public consciousness in the early stages and he could become a backing in the later stages.

Should everything come into fruition, the silvers she earned would be her private assets which were unrelated to the clan, and even if her scum father wished to intercede, she could bring out Wen gongzi.

She only needed to distribute one part of the silvers to si mei to resolve worries about future consequences, and then she could happily earn her silvers.

This transaction was profitable.

She trusted that her money-lacking fourth sister would agree to it.

Ruan san niang’s abacus clacked audibly with her calculations.

Ruan Xi: “……”

She was basically rendered speechless by Ruan san niang. She said that their clan was unreliable and she had to rely on herself, but this was just a slight on their clan for having little influence; for only being a small meritorious noble clan was what what Ruan san niang belittled, and why she was trying to reach towards her fiancé’s fleece-padded mattress since he was born into an illustrious family.

 It appears that Ruan san niang was quite shrewd when it came to earning money through the borrowing of influence. It would be fine if she was just borrowing influence, but her stinginess was something else.

The most crucial thing was that Ruan san niang was being excessively selfish; she never thought about how the Wen Family would think of her, this fiancée of Wen gongzi, if she were to use Ruan Xi’s name to pull over Wen gongzi like he was tiger skin, or how Wen gongzi would think of her for that matter.

 自私自利 (pinyin: zi si zi li) – everything for self and selfish profit.

Would he break off the marriage because of this, and consequently do her reputation harm?

Ruan Xi stared at the overwhelmingly confident Ruan san niang as she rejected her preposition without the slightest hesitation.

 Ruan san niang being able to earn a fortune off her prompt-books and teahouse was a confirmed fact. This was one of the golden fingers that the author had bestowed upon Ruan san niang in the book since she was an important female supporting character.

But Ruan Xi was against mingling with Ruan san niang in business. She was already attracting enough attention as it were, and there were already people who were paying attention to every move she made.

The most pressing matter of the moment was taking advantage of her recuperation period to familiarise herself with the original owner’s accumulated knowledge, talents and skills, so she could avoid making mistakes when she was invited to attend a banquet.

 

What?

Si mei actually rejected it?

Ruan san niang was stunned and brimming with disbelief. Her thought turned, her fourth sister probably wanted to negotiate the starting price. A trace of harness flickered past her expression. “Si mei, do you feel like one-tenth isn’t enough? Sure, I’ll give you another half.”

When Ruan san niang saw her fourth sister shake her head, there was a burst of frustration in her heart.

Her fourth sister was being too avaricious and insatiable.

“Si mei, I’m pulling you in to earn silver togethers because you’re my younger sister, it doesn’t necessarily have to be you.”

Ruan Xi felt ten thousand grass mud horses hurtle past her heart. Ruan san niang’s expression made it seem like she was taking a huge and unfair advantage.

草泥马 (pinyin: cao  ni ma) – literally translates to ‘grass mud horses’, but it a substitute for ‘操你妈’ (cao ni ma) on the internet to avoid censorship, and it actually means f*** your mother.

“San jie, even if I’m of illegitimate descent, I am a Young Lady of an Earl Residence still, who does not need to worry for the basics of living and is eligible to receive a monthly allowance of silver. There is no need to show my face in public to earn money. It would be better if san jie looks for someone else.”

抛头露面 (pinyin: pao tou lu mian) – when referenced to women, it is derogatory as it means ‘it is unbecoming behaviour of a woman in public’ or to have blatant desire for publicity.

Upon seeing how neither oil nor salt could be poured into her fourth sister since she had no qualms about enjoying the family’s treatment, Ruan san niang could not help but vomit blood. As it turns out, her entire speech just now was just a waste of saliva.

“Si mei, I will stand by the same words, rather than rely on the clan, you should rely on yourself, do not regret this!”

Ruan san niang departed in a fit of anger.

As Ruan Xi watched Ruan san niang’s fading back figure, she chuckled softly. Then, she raised her teacup and sipped on her tea with a satisfied expression.

The poverty-stricken families made great efforts to earn money and send their descendants to attend school for the sake of bringing honour to their ancestors and live better days, which would also be of benefit to the coming generations.

Presently, she was a daughter from an Earl’s Residence. She had the identity and position to live a life where she was attended to by servants, and she would have a wedding dowry when she married out which were her private assets that would belong to her alone.

Since she was marrying out, her dowry would not be too shabby and miserable, and she would definitely have shops and country estates. When the time came around, she only needed to find a few capable managers to care for the property; there was no need to tax her mind and body by placing her thoughts on how she could earn more silvers.

Without power and influence as an escort, wealth could not be preserved no matter how much was earned.

It was better to learn more things and enrich herself, and naturally, she also had to learn the ways of managing a household and interpersonal relationships, since they were foundational skills that a matriarch had to master.

Ruan Xi had her own life principles.

But every person had their own ways of living; if Ruan san niang liked seeking the limelight and earning silvers to spend, that was her freedom.

Ruan Xi would never criticise someone for their method of living or force them to change, but Ruan san niang should not come here to pit her.

Shortly after, Su Yu entered the room with a smile as she reported: “Young Lady, nubi has spread the news of the Third Young Lady having lunch with yõu.”

Ruan Xi beamed, giving Su Yu an appreciative smile for her nimble mind.

“Well done!”

The fact that she could take the opportunity to bring her legitimate mother a measure of vexation for her errant intentions, was still something that satisfied Ruan Xi immensely.

The fine drizzle was still raining down outside her window.

And yet, Ruan Xi’s mood was radiant and glorious.

“More calligraphy practice!”

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……

Main Courtyard.

When Zhang shi, who was originally listening to Mama Sun list the various precious medicinal herbs that Wen gongzi had sent si niang, saw a frightened Mama Gao rush in to report that the Third Young Lady had just eaten lunch with the Fourth Young Lady, she felt her vision darken. Her figure swayed and shook as if she was on the verge of fainting.

“Why did this happen, why did san niang go to Limpid Heart Garden all of a sudden….”

“San niang is innocent.”

“I was the one who harmed san niang, I’m the one who harmed san niang!”

Once she thought about her daughter eating the dishes that were drugged with infertility medicine, and how she had ruined her own daughter with her own hands, Zhang shi’s complexion became as pale as a sheet of paper and her entire body went ice-cold. Bitter remorse – which was tremendous in volume – congested her heart as tears streamed down her cheeks, and she became more despaired the longer she thought about it.

“Furen, please calm down, the Young Lady only ate a small amount of food that was spiked with the infertility medicine by mistake. The situation shouldn’t be as severe as what yõu have imagined, we should look for a physician to diagnose the Young Lady first.”

Mama Sun comforted her despaired Furen in a flurry.

When Zhang shi heard Mama Sun’s words, she opened her eyes abruptly, like she was a drowning person who had caught hold of her last vestiges of hope.

“Yes, that’s true, it hasn’t been long since san niang ate those dishes, perhaps we can ask the physician to give her some vomit-inducing medicine to make san niang regurgitate the food she had swallowed. Mama Sun, bring the resident physician over quickly, Mama Gao, dispatch someone to call san niang to the main courtyard immediately.”

“Yes, Furen.”

Mama Sun and Mama Gao hastily agreed and departed.

Only Zhang shi was left in the entire room. She used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and straightened out her appearance to sit erect on the chair, which gave her the imposing manner of a matriarch. It was like the desperate person who had been cutting a sorry figure was just an illusion.

Only the hand that was holding onto the teacup betrayed her true feelings as it trembled slightly.

Ruan san niang arrived very swiftly. Her pretty face was stretched taut, making it evident that her mood was not the best. Once she entered the room, she asked in a blunt and direct manner.

“Mother, were yõu looking for me for something?”

As Zhang shi gazed at her delicate, charming, slim and graceful daughter, her emotions collapsed again. The guilt and tears in her eyes gushed out.

“San niang, Mother… Mother has wronged you!”

In the face of her mother’s sudden tears and her saying that she had wronged her, Ruan san niang felt baffled. “Mother, what are you saying?”

Zhang shi’s lips moved. The words were at the tip of her tongue but she did not have the courage to say it. She was afraid… she was afraid that her daughter would resent her if she knew about it.

But the time was tight, san niang would eventually learn of the truth.

“Mother, if you don’t have anything you want to say, I’ll be returning to my courtyard first.”

Ruan san niang was still frustrated because Ruan Xi had declined to join her in partnership, how could she possibly have the mood to see her mother’s tears.

“Wait, san niang!”

There was no one in the room apart from them, so Zhang shi gritted her teeth and spilled the fact that she had spiked si niang’s food with infertility medicine.

Ruan san niang was shocked. Her first reaction was not whether she had eaten the drugged dishes as well, she was more concerned that her fourth sister had been afflicted with infertility medicine by her mother…

When Ruan san niang thought about how her fourth sister had been flourishing with her offspring and had a blissful and satisfactory life in her previous lifetime, whereas in this lifetime…

As she was sympathising with and taking pity on her sister, she felt a certain sense of secretive schadenfreude that came from the relief of knowing that she would not live well in the future.

It was highly likely that the thought of secretly using the disease-curing function in her system to help Ruan Xi cure her ailment did not occur to her at all.