Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 004

Chapter 4. Family

With the sound, a man bearing a striking resemblance to Lu Wan stepped into the room. Without needing a maid, he lifted the bamboo curtain himself.

He looked quite young, with red lips, white teeth, and a flowing robe, exuding an air of effortless elegance. Upon entering, he raised an eyebrow and smiled at Lady Zhou.

This was Lu Wan’s father, Lu Yuan.

Following Lu Yuan was a younger version of him, a spitting image of her father, with a serious expression.

This was Lu Wan’s twin brother.

In Lu Wan’s memory, he was obsessed with reading, always being criticized by the original owner of this body as a bookworm.

Lu Xiao, who always doted on his two younger sisters, was now extremely anxious. He rushed to Lu Wan’s side, “Ah Wan, are you alright?”

Lu Wan saw that he clearly wanted to reach out and help her, but hesitated to do so for fear of her disapproval. She sighed inwardly. This was truly her family who cared for her. How come the original owner of this body always seemed to find fault with them?

She disliked her mother’s merchant family background, disliked her father’s idleness, disliked her brother’s obsession with studies despite his mediocre grades, and disliked her younger sister’s timidity and cowardice. Yet, because of the Noble Consort Lu’s wealth and status, she always clung to Lu Zhen.

Lu Wan reached out and placed her hand on Lu Xiao’s arm, giving him a reassuring touch. “Brother, I am fine.”

This small gesture instantly rekindled the light in Lu Xiao’s eyes. He moved his lips, almost patting his chest. “Wan and Ling, don’t be afraid; your brother’s here.”

“Ahem,” Lu Yuan couldn’t stand it anymore. He patted his son’s shoulder, signaling him to take it easy.

Then he turned to look at Lu Ming, who was staring at him coldly, a smirk playing on his lips, quite sarcastic.

“Is Minister Lu here to cause trouble for our family again today?”

These words instantly turned Lu Ming’s face icy cold. He glared at his eldest son and rebuked him sharply, “You unfilial son, you’ve disregarded all manners! How can you not bow upon entering?”

Lu Yuan wasn’t annoyed. He smiled and bowed to Lu Ming, then deliberately raised his voice and sighed, “It’s a pity my mother passed away early. In that case, I only need to bow to Father.”

The old lady’s face turned ashen, but glancing at Lu Ming’s instantly darkened expression, she felt a surge of smugness. The more distant Lu Yuan and Lu Ming became, the more beneficial it was for her son, Lu Can.

Lu Wan sighed inwardly. This was truly a case of rubbing salt in the wound.

However, she didn’t think her father had done anything wrong. But being under someone else’s roof, she had no choice but to temporarily yield.

Not daring to provoke Lu Ming at this crucial moment would only backfire, leaving her the one who would suffer in the end.

She thought for a moment, then stepped forward again. “Grandpa, Grandpa, it’s all Ah Wan’s fault.”

Lu Wan lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the polished floor, her attitude of admitting her mistake sincere.

“Fifth Aunt is an elder; whatever she says, Ah Wan should do. Even if she shifts all the blame onto Ah Wan, Ah Wan shouldn’t complain. Even if Fifth Aunt deliberately said Ah Wan harmed her, then it was Ah Wan who did it.”

“It was Ah Wan who displeased the Emperor, caused trouble for the Noble Concubine, and didn’t care about the Lu family. It’s all Ah Wan’s fault.”

Her words subtly reminded Lu Ming that Lu Zhen’s actions weren’t just targeting her but also putting the Noble Concubine and the Lu family in a precarious position.

Having said all she could, Lu Wan looked up at Lu Ming with a sorrowful smile, her face ashen and her breath weak, and said feebly, “It’s all Ah Wan’s fault.”

Then she slowly closed her eyes, carefully managing her pace as she collapsed, slumping into the arms of Lu Xiao and Lady Zhou.

Lady Zhou, her hands trembling, touched Lu Wan’s burning cheeks, her heart filled with anxiety. She frantically called to the maid beside her, “Quickly, go and call the physician!”

Lu Yuan’s smile vanished. He bent down and scooped up his daughter, glancing back at Lu Ming, and sneered, “This is what Minister Lu wanted!”

He then turned and left, kicking over the antique display shelf in the hall!

The floor was a mess as he strode away.

Lady Zhou and the other two quickly followed, heading towards Lu Wan’s Tingyin Pavilion.

“Father…”

Lu Zhen belatedly realized she was afraid. She tugged at the old lady’s sleeve, then glanced at Lu Ming, her eyes filled with fear.

Lu Ming slowly exhaled and walked towards the study, not even glancing at her. “Go kneel in the ancestral hall for five hours, then be confined for three months.”

“Mother!”

Lu Zhen was anxious, looking pleadingly at the old lady.

In less than two months, it would be the poetry gathering hosted by Princess Dingyang, a seasonal event that would gather all the noble ladies and handsome men of Luoyang. She didn’t want to miss it.

Besides, the ancestral hall was cold and gloomy; kneeling for five hours would nearly ruin her legs.

“I always tell you to be more careful, but you never listen.”

The old lady sat back down, expressionless as she watched the maid tremblingly clean up the mess. “Tell me first, what exactly happened today?”

She stared at Lu Zhen, her eyes devoid of any affection, unlike the gaze a parent would give looking at their own child. Her tone hardened. “Tell the truth.”

Lu Wan dreamed of her grandfather again.

The old man who had adopted her from the orphanage and raised her.

Wearing a familiar dark Zhongshan suit, he leaned on his cane, leading her towards the garden, saying as they walked, “Wanwan, with Grandpa here, you don’t need to pretend anymore. Just be happy.”

Lu Wan nodded obediently but didn’t take it to heart. Besides her grandfather, who else would genuinely care for her?

The old man stopped, patted her head, and looked down at her earnestly. “Wanwan, if you wear a mask for too long, you won’t be able to take it off.”

Lu Wan looked up at him, smiling innocently. “Grandpa, I understand.”

Then she helped him continue his stroll through the beautifully flowered garden.

Later, Grandpa passed away. In the noisy, arguing funeral hall, a lawyer arrived and said that Grandpa’s will had left her a large inheritance.

However, she hadn’t even seen the will when her brakes failed, and she fell into the river, becoming Lu Wan here.

When she was little, she had also met a bald fortune-telling monk at a temple, who frowned and warned her.

“Young benefactor, your good fortune is boundless, but remember, stay far away from water. Otherwise, who knows whether it will bring you good or bad luck!”

Back then, her grandfather was still alive. Hearing this, he had nightmares for several nights, obtained a talisman for her to wear, and repeatedly warned her never to go near water.

Unfortunately, this man-made disaster was unavoidable.

However, after this experience, she was no longer afraid of water.

The boundless darkness and silence after drowning were terrifying and harrowing, but the most terrifying thing was clearly the human heart.

“If anything happens to Ah Wan, Lu Zhen and her mother won’t get away with it so easily.”

A hateful female voice reached Lu Wan’s ears.

She forced open her heavy eyelids and saw Lady Zhou’s tear-streaked face. Beside her was Lu Yuan, who was gently comforting her while supporting her shoulder, while Lu Xiao and Lu Ling stood at the foot of the bed with concerned expressions.

“Ah Wan is awake!”

Lu Xiao was the first to notice her awake and called out, his anxious face instantly breaking into a smile.

“Sister!” Lu Ling also took a step forward, her red eyes sparkling.

Lu Wan saw Lady Zhou lean down to her and touch her forehead to check her temperature before letting out a sigh of relief. “Ah Wan’s fever has almost subsided.”

It seemed she had caught a chill and developed a fever, which was why she had fainted.

She forced a smile and called out softly and hoarsely, “Mother.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to get up, but her whole body was too weak; she couldn’t even lift her arms.

Lady Zhou smiled and responded, then brought over a bowl of warm, brownish medicinal soup and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful.

“This medicine is a bit bitter…”

Lu Wan frowned but forced herself to swallow it. Survival was paramount; in this era of limited medical care, a cold was no small matter.

A cold could easily kill someone.

Seeing her obediently finish the medicine, Lady Zhou’s eyes flickered, and she exchanged a subtle glance with Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan flicked his sleeve and handed her a delicate little lacquered box. Inside, neatly arranged, were various kinds of candied fruits.

Lu Wan glanced at them, her gaze immediately landing on the bright red, translucent candied cherries. She couldn’t look away.

They looked truly tempting.

Lady Zhou followed her gaze to the candied cherries. Her fingertips trembled slightly before she picked up a few and fed them to her.

The rich sweetness, with a hint of fruity tartness, instantly erased the bitterness from the medicine she had just drunk.

Lu Xiao, standing to the side, looked on in confusion. “Ah Wan, didn’t you dislike candied cherries the most? You always complained that they were too sweet…”

Before he could finish, Lady Zhou interrupted him, “Ah Wan’s mouth is feeling sour and bitter right now. What’s wrong with having some sweets? Why are you being so nosy?”

Lu Ling also tugged at Lu Xiao’s sleeve, whispering, “Brother, sister is feeling unwell right now. Please don’t raise your voice.”

Lu Xiao patted his head sheepishly and stopped.

Lu Wan wasn’t actually bothered by the noise.

Her head was still a little dizzy. Seeing so many people around her bed, even though it was a bit crowded, they were all just looking at her with concern, not asking any questions under the guise of concern, which made her feel much better.

She forced a smile. “I am sorry to have worried you all.”

Lady Zhou tucked her blanket in, smiling without answering, clearly pleased. Even Lu Yuan’s eyes brightened considerably.

What was going on? Lu Wan was somewhat confused.

Just then, a maidservant came to report, “Madam, the gifts for the Xie family have been sent, and Young Master Xie has returned the favor with a century-old ginseng. Would you like to take a look?”

The maidservant handed over the return gift invitation, which Lady Zhou opened and glanced at quickly.

It seemed that while she was unconscious, Lady Zhou had someone send a thank-you gift to Xie Yu. Lu Wan suddenly realized.

But… Xie Yu actually sent a return gift?

Lu Wan was a little baffled. Could it be that Xie Yu had feelings for her?

It wasn’t that she was narcissistic; from her memories, the Lu and Xie families hadn’t had any relationship for many years, and Xie Yu had absolutely no connection with the original owner of this body.

Saving the original owner and then sending a return gift, and it just so happened to be a nourishing ginseng—it all seemed rather strange.

Lady Zhou was also somewhat puzzled.

But it was just a century-old ginseng.

The Zhou family was incredibly wealthy, and she was their only daughter. In her eyes, she wasn’t anything special; she could accept it and then send back some more lavish gifts later.

“Ah Wan, rest first. Mother will come to see you again later.”

Lu Wan’s eyelids drooped again. Hearing this, she felt comforted and gently replied, “Yes, Mother and Father, take care.”

Although she had just woken up, she still felt very sleepy.

The room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine, so she asked her maid to open the window to let in some fresh air.

A-Yun, who served her closely, didn’t dare to neglect her, but fearing she would catch a cold, she lowered the bed curtains to block out the bright light.

The dim environment was most conducive to sleep, and she soon fell asleep again.

After leaving Lu Wan’s Tingyin Pavilion, Lu Yuan dismissed his two children and accompanied his wife along the veranda, with the attendants following at a distance.

Birdcages hung along the veranda, their cages adorned with the melodious chirping of thrushes, their calls carefree and joyful. Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled shadows on the pale white walls and slanting through the delicately carved windows.

“Youzhi,” Lady Zhou called Lu Yuan by his courtesy name, clutching the sleeve of his arm that supported her, her face a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty.

“Is it Ah Wan?”

Lu Yuan half-embraced her, letting out a long sigh. “Perhaps it’s finally happened. I should go to the temple to offer some more incense money to that master.”

Lady Zhou smiled, then wiped away her tears, before speaking softly, “That Young Master Xie Yu said in the invitation that he wanted to visit Ah Wan. That’s quite strange; our families haven’t been in contact for years. Could it be that he’s taken a liking to my Ah Wan?”

Lu Yuan had seen the invitation as well, but this time, he had no particular thoughts, simply chuckling softly.

“Come on, let him come. I think his talent and looks are a good match for Ah Wan. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

He looked up at the lake. In the double-eaved, pyramidal pavilion built over the water, servants were busily installing and removing lattice windows.

“However, whether it’s love at first sight for Ah Wan or something else, we need to consider that.”

Lu Yuan’s lips curved even wider, his smile turning into mockery. “My daughter should never stoop to benefit from that father-daughter’s fame.”

Author’s Note:
The book Song Yan mentions a method for making honey-glazed cherries: pitted cherries are simmered in sugar to draw out their moisture, then simmered again with sugar and honey, and finally cooked with honey until the syrup is thick.
There is also a type of cherry cake made with plum juice and another called “Qi Xiang Cherries,” made with salt and spices.