Transmigrated Female Official

Jiang Hua came out of the imperial kitchen and immediately saw Chu Qingluo standing at the door in a daze. He asked in surprise, "What wind blew Lord Chu here?"

"Lord Jiang..." Chu Qingluo nodded slightly to her, and then said, "There is something I would like to discuss with Lord Jiang."

Jiang Hua had a piece of cloth tucked into her waistband. She pulled it off and wiped her greasy hands, saying, "Lord Chu, please speak frankly."

Chu Qinglu smiled and said, "Winter is coming soon, and I know of a relatively warm quilt, but it requires goose or duck down, so I came to ask Lord Jiang for help." After saying that, she even gestured with her hands.

"...Lord Chu is planning to make bedding himself? I must have heard correctly?" Jiang Hua's face was full of disbelief.

"Yes, if successful, present it to His Majesty immediately."

Upon hearing that Chu Qingluo said it was for the Empress, Jiang Hua thought for a moment and then said, "So, Lord Chu is also thinking of the Emperor. I will do my best as long as it is within my power."

Seeing that Jiang Hua agreed without hesitation, Chu Qingluo could somewhat understand Chu Yilin's so-called 'affability'.

Because it was a down comforter specially made for the Empress, Chu Qingluo and Jiang Hua made the following requests: it must be made of white goose down, and there must be a lot of it, at least four or five pounds.

This put Jiang Hua in a very difficult position. He asked Chu Qingluo how many white geese she would need to buy to harvest their down in order to meet this demand.

Chu Qingluo certainly didn't know that. If it were something as simple as going to the market to buy groceries, she wouldn't have thought of bothering the imperial kitchen.

Upon hearing Chu Qingluo say she didn't know either, Jiang Hua's chubby face immediately fell, and she was extremely depressed. Chu Qingluo herself felt very embarrassed and could only comfort Jiang Hua by saying that if it succeeded, she would definitely mention her contribution to the Emperor and also make a special down comforter for her.

When Jiang Hua heard that she was also involved, she perked up and said that she would take care of everything regarding the goose down.

……

The cotton harvested in the Chu family's backyard had already been used by Chu Qingluo to make pillow stuffing. There was only enough to make two pillows—one for herself and the other as a gift to her mother. There was nothing left over, let alone anything to sell at a high price.

Fortunately, there's still cottonseed, a treasure she's counting on to get rich from.

Early on this day off, Gongsun Yu told her that he had chosen a good piece of land for her to grow cotton and that he would take her to see it in person.

After the carriage had been traveling for a while, Chu Qingluo realized that the land was located in the direction of the mansion in the east of the city that the Empress had bestowed upon her, not far from her new residence.

"You've thought of everything." Chu Qinglu couldn't help but praise her repeatedly. "Choosing this address will make it easier to take care of the cotton fields after we move here."

Gongsun Yu smiled slightly and said, "I've also found a few people for you to take care of the cotton fields from now on."

"Mmm-hmm." Chu Qinglu nodded vigorously: "Well done, I trust you the most when it comes to handling things."

"Unfortunately, the weather isn't very good right now, so we can't risk planting."

"Yes, cotton probably can't withstand frost." Chu Qingluo breathed a sigh of relief, then comforted herself, "Good things are worth waiting for, and worth the effort we put in."

Gongsun Yu nodded in agreement and said, "The land price has been agreed upon. I also brought my attendants who cultivate cotton from the manor to take a look. They said the land is sunny with plenty of sunlight and the soil is fine. It's a good piece of land."

Chu Qingluo knew he must have searched for a long time before choosing this location. She looked at him with admiration and couldn't help but clap her hands, exclaiming, "Gongsun, you're truly my walking magic weapon!"

"Move...the secret pouch?" Gongsun Yu smiled, turned his head to look at her, and slowly leaned closer, saying, "Shouldn't there be some kind of reward?"

Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Chu Qingluo suddenly pulled back a little. But this tiny movement made the atmosphere between them suddenly awkward.

"..." Chu Qingluo's heart pounded! Just a moment ago, Gongsun Yu's face suddenly revealed Ji Qiran's appearance, which startled her! So she immediately dodged away.

Gongsun Yu gazed at her quietly, noticing her furrowed brows and apparent anxiety. After a long while, he finally asked, "Qingluo, is something on your mind?"

"No...nothing's on my mind. I just spaced out." She smiled sheepishly, tapped her cheek, and said, "Let's try again."

Gongsun Yu smiled silently, leaned over, and placed a light kiss on her cheek.

Ever since Chu Qingluo returned from her flower-viewing trip with Shaoyao, she had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him. Even though she didn't say anything and treated him as usual, something invisible seemed to be weighing on her heart, causing her distress.

“If you need anything… whatever it is, you can tell me,” Gongsun Yu said.

Chu Qingluo pursed her lips. She really, really, really didn't mean it. But what she just did was really awful!

She let out a soft breath, took Gongsun Yu's hand, and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Gongsun Yu didn't pressure her, but affectionately patted her head and said, "Leave all the complicated things to me, let me think about them for you. You just need to stay happy."

Chu Qingluo gazed at him silently. He was always gentle and kind, which made people feel at ease.

She winked at him playfully and exclaimed, "Gongsun, are you trying to make me stupid?!"

Seeing that she had perked up again, he grinned and continued, "That's right, the dumber you are, the better."

Chu Qinglu rolled her eyes at him, amused: "You're so happy to have an idiot master?"

“Of course.” He raised an eyebrow. “In that case, you will have no choice but to live entirely dependent on me.”

“I’ve relied on you enough!” she pouted. “You’re the person I rely on most in this world! It’s like… when I’m adrift at sea alone, you’re my lifeline.”

"..." Gongsun Yu looked at her, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Why do you talk as if you don't belong here?"

"hey-hey……"

Chu Qingluo chuckled foolishly, trying to figure out how to explain herself. Before she could come up with a solution, Gongsun Yu suddenly asked, "Could it be that you're from the Immortal Realm?"

"Pfft—" She laughed and simply said, "That's right! I come from the Immortal Realm, a long, long time in the future! The houses there are all built incredibly tall..."

Seeing her exaggerate, Gongsun Yu smiled and shook his head, quietly letting her continue to talk nonsense without taking it seriously.

Little did she know that half of her jokes were actually true.

……