The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 701 - 788: Slapping the Transmigrator (Part 43)

Xiao Yuan, besides introducing Cui Siran to many friends, also helped him strengthen his body and improve his health.

Xiao Yuan naturally had several methods for strengthening the body. He would go to the Ji Family every day, practice a health preservation routine that he created with Cui Siran, and additionally, he provided Cui Siran with a prescription supposedly left by a Divine Doctor for strengthening the physique.

Of course, this prescription was examined by an Imperial Physician at Mr. Ji’s bidding, who confirmed that it was harmless before allowing Cui Siran to use it.

Under Xiao Yuan’s care, it only took less than a month for Cui Siran to transform completely, rejuvenated from the inside out, exuding a kind of vibrant spirit.

This made Mr. Ji extremely happy.

After all, Mr. Ji wasn’t afraid of Second Master Cui, and was capable of suppressing a useless person like him.

He went straight to Second Master Cui and bluntly told him that Cui Siran was almost dying in the Cui Family, but after coming to the Ji Family for a short time, he became lively and energetic. He also accused Second Master Cui of only forcing the child to study, never caring about him, which led Cui Siran to such a state.

Mr. Ji threatened Second Master Cui, warning that if he dared to scold Cui Siran again, the Ji Family wouldn’t just stand by, and Second Master Cui’s official position wouldn’t be spared; not only would it be untouched, but he would also be demoted to a commoner.

The person Second Master Cui feared the most was his father, and now this uncle.

He was a cowardly person; once Mr. Ji threatened him, he really didn’t dare to do anything else.

Soon it was the end of the lunar year.

This was the time when various prefectures exchanged festival gifts.

It was also the time for year-end harvests for many households.

Under normal circumstances, the manors and shops of high-ranking families would deliver their annual harvest.

The village chiefs would drive carts loaded with rice, various meats, vegetables, etc., along with the silver earned from selling grains that year, and the shopkeepers would also deliver the year’s profits.

Right at this time, one piece of bad news after another came from the eldest branch of the Cui family.

First, several village chiefs were robbed on their way to deliver food, several tens of thousands of taels of silver disappeared without a trace, along with lots of grain and meat, also, a manor planting spices lost all its produce.

Next, the shops run by the elder branch of the Cui family were nearly forced out of business due to competitive pressure.

One of the Cui family’s silk shops lost much business to a neighboring shop that sold higher quality fabrics at cheaper prices, severely impacting the business of the Cui’s shop.

Additionally, their best-performing antique shop began to encounter numerous issues with defective and substandard goods, and after offending a major customer, during the lunar new year festivities, the customer smashed the shop, and the Cui family dared not even utter a peep.

Cui Yiran, due to these successive incidents, was extremely busy and flustered.

Moreover, he was becoming increasingly impatient with the Guan family.

Due to these incidents, the Guan family was completely unable to manage, and not only that, they were constantly crying and annoying Cui Yiran immensely.

He had thought he liked gentle women who were completely obedient to him.

He believed that being transplanted into the Cui family, becoming a young master like Cui Yiran with wealth and power, he didn’t need a sharp and jealous wife; he should seek a woman born into a scholarly family, gentle and venerating him as her everything.

But when he truly married such a woman, he realized how naive his thoughts were.

Did he really think becoming a young master meant he didn’t have to consider anything?

Being a young master from a noble family was never that easy.

In ancient noble families, all sorts of miscellaneous issues piled up every day, inside and out, could truly keep one unbearably busy.

If there was a shrewd and capable woman in the inner house to manage, it would have been much better, at least there would be someone to give advice and discuss matters with, considerably reducing troubles.

However, marrying a woman who saw her husband as her everything and had no opinions of her own was truly a disaster.

Like Mrs. Guan, who could only cry when encountering problems, offering no solutions or help at all.

At this moment, Cui Yiran regretted letting go of Ji Anning even more.

He knew how formidable Ji Anning was in the books, how clever and thorough she was in handling matters, truly capable of caring for every aspect of a large family with everyone praising her endlessly.

Just like what the books say, even ten men tied together couldn’t compare.

Due to regret, Cui Yiran inevitably started paying attention to the Xiao Family.

Then, he found out that Xiao Yuan, because he married Ji Anning, had a particularly good relationship with the Ji Family and through them, he got to know many people. Now the Xiao Family also had business going, all of which were managed by Ji Anning, and managed exceptionally well.

Xiao Yuan, a poor man who couldn’t even afford meals, soared in status shortly after marrying Ji Anning. Not only did his family grow wealthy, but he met many powerful people as well.

Most importantly, aside from hanging out with friends daily and studying at the academy, Xiao Yuan really didn’t need to worry about anything else.

Even when his sister divorced the Lu family, Xiao Yuan didn’t need to get involved; Ji Anning handled it all.

Moreover, Ji Anning managed it so well that Xiao Yuan had no worries at all.

Cui Yiran thought about how young Ji Anning still was. She was only sixteen.

A sixteen-year-old girl, who in modern times would be just a junior high student, a child. Yet, she was already so sophisticated and capable.

If she grew even more and gained more experience, just how formidable would she become?

The more Cui Yiran knew, the more he regretted.

This year, the eldest branch of the Cui family was truly having a hard time.

However, the second branch of the Cui family was doing quite well.

Cui Siran’s illness had improved, and Cui Ji was constantly cheerful, with the Sun Family also appearing more spirited.

Cui Siran had a private talk with Cui Ji before the New Year. After that, Cui Ji voluntarily dismissed many of the maids in Cui Siran’s quarters, which suddenly made the inner house of the Cui family much quieter.

The Xiao Family also had a good New Year.

Anning brought Xiao Daya and Xiao Xu home for the New Year.

Besides them, there were the three children Anning had taken in, making the family sit together happily and have a good New Year.

After the New Year, when spring arrived, Xiao Yuan participated in the imperial examination.

Starting with the county examination, then the Prefecture Exam and college examination, Xiao Yuan, unsurprisingly, claimed the title of Scholar as the Little Trivium.

Ms. Ping, because Xiao Yuan had become a Scholar, was almost mad with joy, continuously praising him. Most importantly, she also specially thanked Anning.

Because Xiao Yuan once quietly told Ms. Ping that Anning was destined to bring fortune, whoever married her would rise smoothly to the highest official ranks.

Ms. Ping was initially skeptical of these words, but after Xiao Yuan became a Scholar, she was fully convinced.

When Xiao Yuan passed the examination to become a Scholar, he told Ms. Ping that he had dreamt several dreams before the exam, where someone taught him how to handle the examinations, and because of this, he had acquired the title of the Little Trivium.

Ms. Ping felt that all these were because of Anning.

Anning must be someone with a significant background. Because she had married Xiao Yuan, so to ensure Anning lived well, Xiao Yuan also started doing better.

Xiao Daya, after the spring, took Xiao Xu back to the Manor.

Once Xiao Daya returned to the Manor, she grew especially interested in flower cultivation.

Seeing her genuine interest, Anning hired a female teacher for Xiao Daya and Xiao Xu to learn reading and writing.

Once Xiao Daya had recognized many characters and could read on her own, Anning gave her several books on how to grow flowers and others on the techniques of plant grafting.

Xiao Daya seemed naturally fond of this.

Previously, due to poverty, she was too exhausted from daily chores and simply had no time for it.

After getting married, she had even less time and energy for gardening.

Now, with both money and leisure, she picked up the hobby once again.

After receiving the books, Xiao Daya immersed herself passionately in her research.