Transmigrated Female Official

On the third day of the long holiday, Chu Qingluo slept until noon before lazily getting up.

As usual, Jiuwei came to comb Chu Qingluo's hair, but Chu Qingluo refused. She didn't want to go anywhere today and planned to stay at home with her hair disheveled.

The cotton she bought from the merchant had all split open, revealing white fluff. She carefully picked up the cotton and then instructed Nine-Tailed Fox to take the seeds to the large open space in the backyard and plant them.

"How do I plant this?" This really stumped Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Oh dear—let the gardener help me plant it, just like planting a tree." She didn't know how to plant it at all, but she figured she'd give it a try; maybe it would work?

Not seeing Chu Qingluo go to learn to read, Gongsun Yu came looking for her, only to find her squatting on the ground, fiddling with the potted plant she had bought a couple of days ago. "What is Qingluo doing?"

She wore no makeup, and her jet-black hair was casually draped over her waist, giving her a unique beauty.

“I want to use this cotton to make a pillow,” she answered truthfully.

"Pillow?" Gongsun Yu was puzzled. They all used porcelain pillows, and he had never heard of such a soft thing being used as a pillow.

"Yes, I guarantee you'll sleep soundly!" Chu Qingluo said with great certainty.

They just don't know how to enjoy life. The sight of a soft pillow makes her sleepy, and the sight of a porcelain pillow gives her a headache! "If there were extra cotton, I'd give each of you one. In less than three days, you'd be rolling your eyes and saying with disdain, 'What the hell is a porcelain pillow?'"

Seeing her excited face, making faces and rolling her eyes, she was incredibly cute. Gongsun Yu couldn't help but smile, joining in the anticipation.

While Gongsun Yu was helping out, Chu Qingluo secretly observed him: Gentle and quiet, he seemed reliable... much better than the unpredictable Ji Qiran! Maybe... she could start a relationship with him? To help pass the time when loneliness and emptiness struck in the middle of the night?

"What's wrong?" Gongsun Yu asked with concern when he saw her lost in thought.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." How could I let him know what I was thinking?

Or, how about recruiting many male servants to build a Qingluo harem, having them entertain me in various ways every day? ...That sounds pretty good, hehehe...

After picking the cotton, the two of them went to make pillows together. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough cotton for just one pillow.

"Sigh—what a pity." Chu Qingluo said with a droopy face.

Gongsun Yu patted her head gently and comforted her, "It's alright, as long as you can use it."

Originally, she was the one who came up with the idea of ​​making cotton pillows. Even if they didn't get a share, it didn't matter, as long as she was happy.

Chu Qingluo not only did not reject Gongsun Yu's doting little gestures, but also enjoyed them.

"Didn't you set up a swing in the yard? Do you want to go play on it?" Gongsun Yu suggested when he saw her dejected.

She'd forgotten about it if it weren't mentioned! "Okay, let's go now."

……

At this moment, Chu Yilin arrived at Ningxiang Courtyard and saw Chu Qingluo sitting on a swing, with Gongsun Yu pushing her from behind. The swing was swinging very high, and Chu Qingluo's laughter could be heard from time to time. The two of them were having a great time.

He coughed, drawing their attention.

"Second Brother?" Gongsun Yu helped Chu Qingluo stop the swing. She asked, "Is something the matter?"

Chu Yilin walked over with his hands behind his back. "I just wanted to ask you, do you still remember what you promised me?"

Her mind raced, remembering the favors she had promised him. She quickly replied, "Of course I remember!"

"Then...?" Chu Yilin waited for her to continue.

Her lips twitched slightly: "How about the Eighth Princess? A stunning beauty, isn't she?"

Although the Eighth Princess is beautiful, she is aloof and has a fiery temper. If Chu Yilin agrees, she will be in a difficult position. But for now, she can only deal with it casually.

"Stop joking, okay?!" Chu Yilin reacted as if he'd stepped on a dog's tail. A glare immediately rolled his eyes at him, and he asked again, "That's all?"

"Wow, Third Brother, if you don't even think much of the Eighth Princess, then there really aren't many who can catch your eye." She wagged her tail and flattered him, trying to get away with it.

Chu Yilin looked incredulous: "Besides the Eighth Princess, is there no one else in such a large palace?"

Before Chu Qingluo could speak, he interrupted her, saying, "Don't tell me about Luo Lifei either." He had met both of these women before; they were the difficult type to please.

“…Yes, there is…” Chu Qingluo hesitated.

She thought of her good friend, Shaoyao, but was it appropriate to introduce her to Chu Yilin? Would it harm her?

Chu Yilin pouted impatiently: "Speak quickly—"

"There is a nice girl named Peony, but you mustn't ruin her life!" she declared beforehand, fearing that he was a scumbag who would deceive her feelings and then run away.

“A nice girl? I should meet her… but how can I use the word ‘harm’?! Really—” He pondered for a moment, then laughed and said, “How about we invite her out for a boat trip on the lake another day?”

"..." Chu Qingluo reluctantly agreed. Anyway, no date was specified, so she could postpone it as long as possible.

It's not that she didn't want to be a good matchmaker, it's just that he was too playful!

Just as the two were each harboring their own secrets, Tongmu approached and said, "Miss, a Miss Mo has come to visit, saying she is your friend."

"Mo?...Peony?!"

Just what I feared most has come to pass! This dim-witted girl has delivered herself right to my doorstep.

Chu Qinglu hurriedly walked towards the main hall, followed closely by Chu Yilin and Nine-Tailed Paulownia.

A woman dressed in a pink dress sat in the main hall of the Chu family. She had delicate features.

"Peony, what brings you here?"

“My cousin brought some local specialties from Yicheng, and I specially brought some for you to try.” Peony patted the food box on the table and smiled, “I’ve never been to the Chu residence before, so I took this opportunity to pay a visit.” After saying that, she noticed Chu Qingluo’s disheveled hair and asked in surprise, “Your hair…?”

"It's alright, I feel comfortable like this. I'm so glad you could come." Chu Qingluo smiled and then instructed, "Tongmu, serve tea."

After sitting down next to Shaoyao, she saw that Chu Yilin was still standing there, winking at her, so she had no choice but to introduce him: "Shaoyao, let me introduce you. This is my second brother, Chu Yilin."

After glancing at Chu Yilin, Shaoyao exclaimed, "Qingluo, your second brother looks just like you!"

Chu Yilin raised an eyebrow: "Is my lord praising me?"

"Brother Yilin, you're too kind. Just call me Peony."

Seeing that Peony was not being formal, Chu Yilin also stopped being a stranger and asked, "May I ask what local specialty Miss Peony brought?"

"Oh, right, you guys should try it quickly." Peony opened the food box, and a sweet aroma of melons and fruits wafted out.

The food box contained plump, round, red fruits with somewhat rough skin.

"It smells so good!" Nine-Tails had never seen this fruit before and couldn't help but swallow. At this moment, Kirito brought over a teapot, poured tea for them, and also got a glimpse of the fruit.

"Lychee?!" One of Chu Qingluo's favorite fruits, her eyes lit up, and she was already rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"So you recognize it?" Peeled a peony and handed it to her.

"Of course, one lychee is like three fires." She put a lychee in her mouth, it was plump and full of sweet juice, and she just wanted to cheer "yes!"

When she was ten years old, she loved eating lychees so much that she ate ten pounds in one go. As a result, a boil appeared on her tender buttocks, and the pain was so bad that she couldn't even sit down. From then on, she never dared to eat too many lychees again.

Chu Yilin was quite shocked: "How did Third Sister recognize this fruit?" In his memory, this lychee had never appeared in the Chu residence.

"...I saw it in a book." She brushed it off, then changed the subject: "Kyuu and Kirito should come and try it too. Oh, and go invite Gongsun as well."

On this day, in addition to sharing lychees with everyone, I also took Shaoyao to visit the Chu Mansion and let her experience the newly made swing, which was quite pleasant and carefree.

Judging from Chu Yilin's lukewarm attitude, he didn't seem to care much about the peony, which made Chu Qingluo breathe a sigh of relief.

She thought that was the end of it.

Before Shaoyao left the Chu residence, Chu Yilin extended an invitation to go boating on the lake together again, and Shaoyao agreed without hesitation.

A few more slanted lines appeared on Chu Qingluo's forehead; she really had endless worries...