Chapter 4

Lu Nong was someone who could feel at ease no matter where she was, her adaptability was extraordinary, or in simpler terms, she was carefree.

During the few days since moving into the Pei family, she had been living in Pei Ji’an’s bedroom, to the point where she had come to think of it as her own. After washing up, she naturally returned to the bedroom to change into her pajamas and get ready for bed.

However…

Just as Lu Nong had taken off all her clothes, Pei Ji’an opened the door.

The atmosphere instantly turned extremely awkward.

Pei Ji’an hurriedly stepped back outside.

After being seen twice in one day, even someone as thick-skinned as Miss Lu could not remain unfazed. The fact that she didn’t scream was her last act of stubbornness.

If you asked Lu Nong how she felt, she would say she regretted not thinking of going to Gu Huai’s room instead. It was all her two legs’ fault for leading her into Pei Ji’an’s bedroom.

Well, now she was in a tight spot.

No! I, Lu Nong, absolutely refuse to allow myself to feel embarrassed.

With a strange sense of confidence, Lu Nong nodded seriously.

She quickly changed into her pajamas, patted her flushed cheeks, and quietly repeated “I am not embarrassed” three times in her heart. That was good. Taking a deep breath, she called out to Pei Ji’an outside the door, “Come in.”

A moment later, Pei Ji’an entered.

Lu Nong straightened her back, sat at the dressing table, and began her skincare routine. She pulled out a large bottle of clam oil and applied it to her hands and feet. As for her arms and legs, she didn’t have the courage to show them in front of Pei Ji’an tonight.

The half-palm-sized bottle of clam oil was a luxury many women in this era would hesitate to buy, yet Lu Nong used it as a moisturizer, making it look rather extravagant.

But clam oil was the cheapest item in the original owner’s makeup collection.

She applied the clam oil skillfully and naturally, not bothering to put on a show in front of the Pei family. After all, there was no need to pretend. Just look at the original owner’s makeup box.

Inside, there were not only domestic brands like Ya Cream, Shanghai Women, and Baicao Leaf, but also a host of foreign products, including Chanel perfume, Guerlain lipstick, and Shiseido toner… There were even blush and mascara.

Lu Nong opened a delicate gem box and discovered it contained eyeshadow.

In this simple makeup box, various high-end luxury items were on display, all packaged in the unique aesthetic of this era.

Coming from a later time, Lu Nong compared the cosmetics of the two eras and felt a wonderful sense of witnessing history.

Looking at the original owner’s clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, and various small items, it was clear she was a proper young lady, much like Miss Lu herself.

Pei Ji’an took a new quilt from the closet and quietly watched Lu Nong. Only after she completed all her steps did he ask, “Going to bed?”

Lu Nong remained calm and nodded. She got up from the dressing table and walked to the bed. After hesitating for a moment, she lifted her quilt and lay down.

Pei Ji’an turned off the lights and climbed into bed.

On the neither large nor small double bed, she could feel the warmth of the person beside her and their synchronized breaths.

Lu Nong decisively turned away from Pei Ji’an and closed her eyes.

Time for sleep, sleep… Ten minutes later, zzzzzz.

In the middle of the night,

Pei Ji’an helplessly pushed away the delicate hand resting on his chest, only to find a soft leg slipping under his quilt and settling between his legs.

Pei Ji’an froze. To his surprise, the woman made herself comfortable and rolled over, snuggling into his quilt, practically lying on top of him.

What’s even more terrifying is that this woman didn’t know how she slept. Not only did her pants reveal most of her legs, but her top was also mostly open, leaving nothingunderneath. He could even feel her soft skin against him.

The fragrance from the woman beside him filled his nostrils…

The next day, Lu Nong woke up naturally and opened her eyes to find herself sprawled in the middle of the bed, with Pei Ji’an already gone.

Lu Nong was quite satisfied with their mode of coexistence. Even if they shared a bed, they could still maintain their own space.

Today, Aunt Sun had finally stopped banging on her door, which was a welcome change.

However, when Lu Nong glanced at the clock, it was six in the morning.

Lu Nong: “…” Well, that is to say, in this era, it is difficult not to get up early without some nightlife.

She stretched lazily and gracefully jumped out of bed.

Lu Nong put on a dress with a butterfly knot at the waist, let her hair fall loosely around her ears, and pinned a small cherry gem hairpin in place. She chose pearl earrings that were gentle yet lively.

After washing up, she applied a beautiful peach blossom makeup look and admired herself in the mirror for a while, feeling a sense of first love.

A girl should always look beautiful!

Even if she wasn’t going out, she should still dress up.

To Lu Nong, putting on makeup and dressing up was both a source of joy in life and a way of self-appreciation. Plus, if she didn’t dress up now, in a few years, these things would become useless, so it would be a waste to leave them aside.

When she went downstairs, the family was neatly gathered around the dining table. Upon seeing Lu Nong coming down the stairs, they all stared in awe. Even Aunt Sun, who usually disliked Lu Nong, had to admit that she had never seen anyone more beautiful than her.

But soon, Aunt Sun recalled Lu Nong’s rebellious attitude and her indifference towards her, which made her feel extremely frustrated.

Little Gu Huai opened his mouth wide in surprise and enthusiastically said, “Mama, you’re so beautiful!”

“No, no, baby, you are so cute today!” Lu Nong walked over and kissed Gu Xiaohuai.

“Who is the baby?” Gu Xiaohuai tilted his head, almost melting Lu Nong’s heart.

“It’s you! You’re Mama’s little baby,” Lu Nong gently said, cradling his small face.

“Yes, yes! I’m Mama’s baby,” Gu Xiao Huai nodded earnestly.

The two of them continued their sweet exchange, oblivious to the world around them. On the side, Pei Zheng and Aunt Sun watched in stunned silence, feeling quite uneasy.

They had never witnessed such a scene. Nowadays, it’s considered civilized for parents not to scold or hit their children, but no one had openly expressed affection like this before. They were uncomfortable with it and couldn’t bring themselves to speak.

Yet, for some reason, Pei Zheng felt an inexplicable emotion rising within him, one that resembled envy. He didn’t even realize he was envious, he just found this scene etched firmly in his mind, and years later, he would naturally mimic the same gestures toward his daughter.

Lu Nong affectionately stroked Gu Xiaohuai’s head. In the book, Gu Huai had a very difficult childhood. When he first entered the Pei family, the original owner kept him close and didn’t allow him to get close to anyone else in the family. After the original owner passed away, he had remained distant from everyone, suffering many grievances in the Pei household.

For instance, the family’s nanny had a biased view and bullied him in secret, knowing he wasn’t favored.

As he grew up, he harbored hatred towards the Pei family due to misunderstandings and became a major villain in the story.

This kid was highly intelligent, shrewd, and ruthless, making things very troublesome for the male lead, Pei Zheng. Their conflict lasted for over thirty years, and when Gu Huai died young, Pei Zheng sighed in relief while feeling a deep sense of loss.

Thus, after Lu Nong arrived, she intentionally allowed Gu Huai to bond with Pei Zheng, so that even if she could not escape her own fate, Gu Huai would have a different life.

However, Lu Nong still hoped that day would never come.

Breakfast consisted of soybean milk, fried dough sticks, and eggs, all quite to Lu Nong’s taste.

As soon as Lu Nong sat down, her arm accidentally brushed against Pei Ji’an, who immediately stood up and softly said, “I’m done eating.”

The atmosphere around them froze. Aunt Sun and Pei Zheng noticeably lightened their movements. Xiao Zhou, who walked in from the door, cautiously glanced at his leader’s face, becoming even more careful.

Those who knew Pei Ji’an understood that his expression definitely indicated he was in a bad mood. Everyone discreetly looked toward Lu Nong, wondering how she had managed to annoy him.

Lu Nong felt a bit confused, not understanding why everyone was staring at her.

Besides, was Pei Ji’an a little too sensitive about cleanliness? It was just a small brush, did he really need to pull away so quickly?

After a moment of reflection, Lu Nong focused on eating her meal, oblivious to Pei Zheng’s complex expression and Aunt Sun’s disdainful gaze.

The water quality in this era hadn’t been polluted, and the soybean milk was sweet and delicious. Lu Nong ended up drinking a full bowl.

She decided that her healthy eating habits would start today!

Before crossing over, she was a young lady who had never done housework, but she knew how to eat.

In her previous life, the chefs had all prepared private dishes, and the cooking process was always done in front of the guests. Lu Nong had a photographic memory, making it hard not to learn how to cook.

As noon approached, Aunt Sun planned to go grocery shopping. Lu Nong called out to her, asking her to buy two pig’s trotters.

However, Aunt Sun rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, “Comrade Lu, we keep track of what we eat and spend at home. You can’t just whimsically suggest things, and pig trotters are really dirty and a hassle to handle. Who’s going to cook them if you buy them? If you want to eat for free while bringing along a burden, don’t dictate what we should do.”

Burden? So she thought Gu Huai was a burden.

The term “burden” was a grave insult to any child, potentially leaving a lifelong shadow.

Wasn’t the nanny in the novel who bullied Gu Huai just like her?

Lu Nong squinted, feeling a wave of dislike toward Aunt Sun for the first time. She immediately wanted to retort, but then she caught a glimpse of a tall figure at the doorway, pausing her movement and smoothing her hair.

“I’m the mistress of this household, am I not allowed to decide what we eat?” Lu Nong said, lowering her voice and mimicking the tone of a wealthy supporting character from a drama she had seen in her previous life, leaning close to Aunt Sun’s ear. “And you, you’re just the nanny.”

If Aunt Sun’s disdain for Lu Nong was a naive kind of contempt, then Lu Nong’s attitude toward Aunt Sun was a sarcastic jab rooted in money, status, and confidence, without a single curse but loaded with condescension.

It was a clear case of a lower dimension attacking a higher one.

Judging by Aunt Sun’s reaction, Lu Nong was quite pleased with her performance.

Aunt Sun’s first reaction was to flinch, instinctively feeling that she could only see Lu Nong’s chin… which wasn’t wrong, considering she was much shorter than Lu Nong.

Coming back to her senses, Aunt Sun became furious. Although she was indeed employed by the Pei family as a nanny, she had always considered herself qualified to reprimand Lu Nong. Now, being looked down upon in return infuriated her.

“The mistress?” she sneered, spitting out, “Hmph, you’re just a second-hand item brought in with a burden! You think you’re a young lady? Stop dreaming. You’re just a worn-out shoe used by someone else, a widow bringing bad luck! Just getting married into the Pei family is already a stroke of good fortune for you!”

“If I were you, I would have hung myself long ago instead of asking for food and drink…”

With a loud bang, the door swung open.