Love Like the Galaxy

While Yu Cailing was thinking about A Zhu, Fu Yi and his wife were also discussing her.

"Today I saw that the Young Lady looked much better. When I first arrived, her condition was truly frightening," Fu Yi said, reclining in the warm western chamber after washing up, letting his wife comb his hair.

Zhu paused the comb and pursed her lips before replying, "By the time you came, she had already improved. That day, the Young Lady nearly lost her life. It was my oversight—I delayed a few days, thinking A Yue would..." At the mention of the name, her expression darkened.

Noticing his wife's mood, Fu Yi said, "People change easily over ten years. When the Female lord and the general left, the Young Lady had just turned three. I remember the general kept looking back from his horse, his eyes red. Don’t blame A Yue too much—her first husband died under the general’s command, and the new man she found had ties to the Ge family. How could she remain loyal to the Female lord?"

Zhu slammed the comb onto the table and raised her voice: "Blades and arrows are blind. Those in the private army follow their lord to seek fortune, knowing the risks. The Female lord has always been generous to widows and orphans—was A Yue ever short on food or clothing? No one stopped her from remarrying! When false news came that you died in Nanding City, I had the children wear mourning clothes. Even if I had planned to remarry, would I have neglected the Female lord’s duties?! Afraid of death? Hmph! If she feared death, she should’ve been like A Xiao and kept her man in the village. No prospects, but at least the family stays safe. Wanting both fortune and safety—since when does life work that way?"

Fu Yi twitched his lips. In truth, after the battle at Nanding City, he had quickly sent word home, so only a few months had passed. He wanted to comment on his wife’s readiness to remarry—wouldn’t it be more proper to wait at least a year?

In the end, he changed the subject. "Don’t be angry. By the way, the last few times I returned, I heard the Young Lady had grown increasingly unruly—violent, prone to beating servants, behaving disgracefully. But now, she seems perfectly fine, and the children adore her."

Zhu snorted and resumed combing her husband’s hair. "I haven’t been in the manor, so I never saw the Young Lady myself. I assumed those vile women had corrupted her, thinking she was still young and the Female lord could correct her upon returning. But, hmph! The Young Lady is clearly wonderful—since waking, she’s been gentle and kind. Worried she might be depressed, I had A Mei take her out to play. On the day of Lady Qiu’s wedding, I sent the two guards you gave me to accompany them. Afterward, she was much livelier, even laughing and chatting."

Fu Yi nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly asked, "Old Man Qiu is marrying off another daughter?" Every time he returned, it seemed the old village head was holding a wedding. "How many daughters does he have?"

Zhu chuckled. "I said it was the eldest daughter—weren’t you listening? The Qiu family has two sons and only one daughter, born late in life. Last time you were here, it was her remarriage. This time, it’s her third wedding."

Fu Yi shook his head. "Old Man Qiu spoils that girl too much. A widow remarrying is fine, but her son-in-law was perfectly good. Yet she keeps divorcing for other men—people will talk."

Zhu smiled. "Her new husband is quite handsome, and his temperament is gentle."Fu Yi glanced at his wife, Zhu, who returned his gaze impassively, causing him to immediately soften. He then consoled himself—servants follow their masters, and compared to the general, his authority as a husband was still somewhat intact. That day, when the lady was watching acrobatics at General Wan’s residence and praised a particularly robust performer as “quite handsome,” the master not only dared not refute her but even raised his cup in agreement: “My wife has excellent taste. Though that man is slightly inferior to me, among all the performers, he is indeed the most striking.” General Wan sprayed his wine out through his nose—whether from shock or anger, no one could tell.

Fu Yi looked at the small wooden slip on the table—this was what he had brought back on horseback—and asked his wife, “What does the lady’s letter say?” He couldn’t read.

Zhu glanced at the slip and replied slowly, “Everything is prepared. We only await the lady’s return.”

Fu Yi nodded. “When?”

“Within the next three to five days.”

…

By the time the sun reached its zenith, the children playing by the stream had gradually dispersed and returned home. A village youth who had come to fetch his younger siblings stole several glances at Yu Cailing before blushing and thrusting three plump fish into A Mei’s hands, then scurried away in a fluster. Overjoyed, A Mei exclaimed to Yu Cailing, “Young Lady, someone has taken a liking to me!”

Yu Cailing gritted her teeth and turned to Fu Deng with a stern face. “A Deng, haven’t you found a skilled mirror polisher yet? I can’t see a thing in that bronze mirror in the house.” She desperately wanted to see what she looked like now—and to let A Mei take a good look at herself too. That village youth had been sneaking glances in their direction several times. By this large boulder, there were only herself and Fu Deng—surely he wasn’t here to look at Fu Deng… right?

Fu Deng chuckled. “New Year’s Day is approaching. Most traveling craftsmen have likely returned home.” Then he said to his sister, “Don’t talk nonsense. Those fish were for the Young Lady.” He had noticed the youth stealing glances at their mistress.

Yu Cailing had nothing to say and trudged gloomily along the country path. In this barren ancient era, there was nothing to be had—whether it was the bronze mirror, which was as distorted as a funhouse mirror, or the stream water, she couldn’t even clearly make out the size of her own eyes or mouth. All she knew was that her skin was relatively fair. She had no idea whether that fish-giving youth’s aesthetic sense was normal—what if his tastes were… unconventional?

Take her cold-hearted father, for example. In his youth, he had admired her mother’s intellect and education, marrying her despite their class differences—even delaying her uncle’s Party membership by three years. After striking it rich, her father developed a taste for brainless, coquettish women and indulged in such affairs for years—until a business partner nearly bankrupted him. Only then did he have an epiphany and married a resilient, hardworking widow—uneducated but practical and dependable—and together they rebuilt their fortune.

Though Yu Cailing despised her cold-hearted father, she knew she had inherited his sharp mind. Ever since arriving here, she had never stopped planning for herself. Holding the plump fish and examining it left and right, she sighed. She truly wished she had been born more beautiful. In modern times, an unattractive woman could still rely on education and career, but in ancient times, what options were there? Could she train in martial arts and become a bandit queen? On the other hand, at least she hadn’t been reborn as a servant or concubine—she even had attendants. That was some luck.Frowning, she realized she had been reminiscing more and more about her past life lately. Why did she have to transmigrate as a woman? Being a man would have been so much better—able to advance through scholarly pursuits to become an official or retreat into commerce and farming. She wouldn't have minded being gay either; surely there were plenty of handsome but impoverished men in this world waiting for her to rescue them.

The crisp winter wind blew refreshingly as Yu Cailing returned home and handed the fish to Zhu, smiling. "Do we still have the lard from the other day? Fry the fish head until crispy and make a fish soup with those fresh mushrooms. A Mei's father and brother have come from afar, and soup would be most nourishing for them." At this time, the craftsmanship for making proper iron pots wasn't advanced enough for stir-frying, but shallow-frying in oil was still possible.

Before Fu Yi and Fu Deng could respond, A Mei and A Liang cheered excitedly. A Mei clapped her hands and said, "That fish soup is the best! And the fish tail—let's grill it with ginger, pepper, and fermented bean paste like last time."

Zhu chuckled. Most people at this time cooked by steaming, boiling, roasting, or dry-frying. But a few days ago, the Young Lady had gone with A Mei to watch the villagers slaughter a pig and bought a basket of fatty belly meat. She had instructed Zhu to render the fat in a heated iron pan, and the aroma of the lard and cracklings had been so rich it nearly drew neighbors from miles away. The cracklings were delicious mixed with rice or cold dishes, while the lard had even more uses—mixed with rice and fermented bean paste, or used to fry vegetables and fish, all resulting in incredibly tasty dishes.

When Zhu asked the Young Lady who had come up with this method, A Mei eagerly interjected: While butchering the pig, a piece of fatty meat had accidentally fallen onto the edge of the nearby brazier. The hot iron pan pressed against the fat, causing the oil to seep out and fill the air with its fragrance—that was how the Young Lady had gotten the idea. In truth, A Mei had been busy playing with the children at the time and hadn't seen the fat fall into the brazier; the Young Lady had told her about it afterward.

"It's all gone now, but yesterday we slaughtered a few chickens, and I rendered some chicken fat from their bellies. It tastes quite good too," Zhu said with a smile. In truth, this wasn't a particularly novel method. Some people had already been catching the drippings from roasting fatty meat to use in cooking or mixing with rice, but no one had thought to fry fish before adding it to soup—it turned out to be delicious, with no fishy taste at all. The method was excellent, but it consumed too much firewood and fat, making it unaffordable for anyone but well-off households.

Thinking this, Zhu became even more convinced of the Young Lady's extraordinary intelligence. She would surely be a capable hand at managing a household after marriage. Those nasty rumors outside must have been fabricated by vile people to tarnish the madam's reputation—though Zhu was actually a shrewd woman. If not for her excessive loyalty and wishful thinking, she might have noticed something amiss about Yu Cailing long ago.

Yu Cailing felt a chill at Zhu's words. One shouldn't underestimate the intelligence of ancient people—aside from modern knowledge, she wasn't necessarily any better than them. She had only taught Zhu how to render pork fat once, but Zhu immediately extrapolated the method to render beef, chicken, and duck fat, even experimenting with adding ginger, Sichuan pepper, and other spices to create fragrant and spicy oils that were easier to preserve. If not for this clever woman, Yu Cailing would have long since grilled A Mei about the current era, dynasty, and the family background of this body's parents and ancestors.

"The barley rice is freshly steamed. Pour some meat sauce over it and pair it with the fish soup—Young Lady, please eat more." Zhu's gaze at Yu Cailing was so tender it could have melted into water.The local cuisine here favored mixed rice and rice topped with dishes, often pouring meat or vegetable stew over steamed rice for a simple meal. Wealthier households might add some grilled fish or side dishes. Yu Cailing already enjoyed A Zhu's cooking, so she feigned slight shyness, lowering her head as she entered to wash her hands before eating.

The midday meal was indeed delicious—the savory minced meat stew mixed with rice was rich and aromatic, while the mushroom and fish soup was light and refreshing. Not only did the younger ones enjoy it, but even Fu Yi and Fu Deng ate heartily. Originally, people here only ate two meals a day, but since Yu Cailing had just recovered from a serious illness, Zhu wished she could feed her five times a day to replenish her health. Naturally, this also benefited A Mei and her siblings, whose little faces had grown plump and shiny these past few days.

After the meal, holding a sweet tangerine and basking in the warmth of the stove while listening to A Mei chatter about countryside gossip, Yu Cailing suddenly felt that this life wasn’t so bad. She wouldn’t mind serving out this punishment indefinitely.

But then Zhu abruptly said, "Tomorrow, someone from the manor will come to take the Young Lady back." These words felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over Yu Cailing’s head. She froze for a long moment, unsure how to even begin asking about it.

The difference between being taciturn and talkative was this: if Yu Cailing tearfully said, "I miss my father and mother," a talkative person would seize the opportunity to gossip about her parents—how they met, fell in love, married, had children, and even how they ended up separated from their daughter. But a taciturn person like A Zhu would either silently lower her head without a word or sigh heavily and say, "Indeed."

If Yu Cailing pretended to be filial and asked, "Zhu, do you know what my father and mother were like?" Zhu would dutifully reply, "How dare we servants speak of our masters' affairs?" and not utter another word. As a result, Yu Cailing still didn’t even know whether this body’s parents were alive or dead.

She had tried similar indirect approaches many times over these past days. But she didn’t dare ask outright—who was in charge at the manor now? Who would oversee her daily life? What was the situation with her birth parents? A clever person would immediately sense something amiss, let alone someone as sharp as Zhu.

Seeing Yu Cailing’s despondent expression, Zhu couldn’t bear it and wanted to tell her something. But remembering her mistress’s instructions, she dared not speak too much and only whispered, "Young Lady, don’t be afraid. Once you return, steady your heart and face things as they come."

Yu Cailing stared fixedly at Zhu, thinking she had to ask directly now. But she put on a pitiful face and said mournfully, "Zhu, did I really commit such a grave mistake?" The question was so subtly phrased, leaving no trace of intent, that she couldn’t help but inwardly applaud herself.

Zhu indignantly replied, "What mistake did the Young Lady make? You didn’t kill, set fires, steal, or take by force!"

Well, at least it wasn’t a criminal case. Civil disputes couldn’t do much to a minor anyway. Yu Cailing relaxed slightly and mumbled pitifully, "Then… why was I punished like this?"

Zhu angrily said, "Those people are no good! They bullied the Young Lady for not having—" She abruptly stopped herself, exhaled, and said, "Don’t worry, Young Lady. They wouldn’t dare act recklessly toward you."

Could it be that this body’s parents were really dead?! Yu Cailing was puzzled. She could tell Zhu had wanted to say something but held back, which frustrated her greatly. After thinking for a while, she could only whisper, "I’m afraid if I go back… I might not survive."Thinking back to the girl who had been critically ill just over ten days ago, Zhu sighed and grasped Yu Cailing's hand, saying, "This servant will say one last thing—no one would dare harm the Young Lady's life." She couldn't help but let slip a hint.

Yu Cailing now had a clearer understanding.

That afternoon, she listened to Zhu and her family bustling about outside with clattering noises for half the day. After a full night's sleep, she woke the next morning to find the entire small courtyard transformed again. All the warm and thoughtful daily furnishings had disappeared, and the jars of sauces, condiments, and salt in the kitchen had been reduced by more than half. The courtyard felt cold and desolate—most importantly, Fu Yi and Fu Deng had left before dawn.

Unexpectedly, the people from the manor were slow to arrive. It wasn't until Yu Cailing had just fallen asleep for her afternoon nap that two carriages finally appeared. Zhu inwardly scoffed: the journey from the manor to this place was only half a day. If they had set out at dawn, they should have arrived by noon. Clearly, that wretched woman's trusted aides had grown lazy, not departing until the sun was high in the sky.

Yu Cailing was drowsily pulled into the carriage while half-asleep. Zhu had wanted to offer a few more words of advice, but under the watchful eyes of the others, she had no choice but to hold back. A Mei and A Liang, however, were reluctant to see her go. Inside the carriage, it was piled with brocade and embroidery, complete with incense burners and bedding. Unfortunately, ancient carriages lacked shock absorbers, and within the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, Yu Cailing was thoroughly jolted awake. She listened to a shrill, nagging female voice that had been chattering nonstop since boarding—actually, it was a continuous tirade about how Yu Cailing lacked the demeanor of a proper young lady, how stubborn and difficult she was to manage, and how hard her mistress had worked to raise her, and so on.

Yu Cailing looked up at the thin, wiry woman and narrowed her eyes. She had just heard Zhu call her "Stewardess Li." She didn’t like this woman at all; Stewardess Li looked at Yu Cailing, and it was clear she didn’t like her either.

Stewardess Li wore a deep blue Curved Robe with a crimson brocade belt around her waist, adorned with gold and silver trinkets. Unlike Zhu, who usually wore her hair in a simple round bun at the nape of her neck, Stewardess Li’s hair was elaborately styled into three large buns: two crescent-shaped buns draped at her temples and a triangular bun towering on top of her head, stabbed through with three thick gold hairpins like three sticks of incense. The powder on her face weighed at least half a kilogram. Yu Cailing despaired at the aesthetic standards of this era and once again worried about her own appearance.

"...Did Fourth Young Lady hear what I just said?" Stewardess Li’s voice grew even shriller.

Yu Cailing was displeased. She wasn’t some meek pushover. As a child, after her parents divorced, she had initially wanted to become a teenage gangster. Who would have thought she’d take a wrong turn, go to university, and end up as a law-abiding citizen?

"I didn’t hear," she replied flatly, smoothing out her wide sleeves.

Stewardess Li was fuming. She had assumed Yu Cailing, after suffering hardships in the countryside for so many days, would have been subdued by now. To her surprise, the girl was still so difficult to handle. Suppressing her anger, she cut to the chase: "I said, the mistress is magnanimous and has forgiven Fourth Young Lady’s mistakes. This time, when you return, you must obey the mistress properly."

Yu Cailing narrowed her eyes. She was a reasonable person—if someone treated her well, she couldn’t bring herself to be tough and would be as docile as could be. But if someone was hostile to her, she wouldn’t hold back either. She hadn’t come to this godforsaken place to swallow insults. At worst, she’d just die and start over with a new reincarnation!

"Which mistress are you talking about? There are so many mistresses!" Mistress your ancestors eighteen generations! Why not just call her a madam!"That lady is your Aunt!" Madam Li raised her voice sharply. "Have you forgotten who your own aunt is?"

"Of course I know," Yu Cailing replied with a mocking smile that didn't reach her eyes. "She's my uncle's old mother!"

"You... you..." Madam Li nearly fainted from anger, her finger trembling as she pointed at Yu Cailing. "Do you not know what filial piety means? What about gentleness, kindness, respect, and frugality?! Such insolence! Do you want to be punished again?"

She found it strange. She'd watched this girl grow up—someone who bullied the weak but cowered before the strong. Every time the mistress severely punished her, then later coaxed and comforted her, the girl would become more obedient.

Yu Cailing raised an eyebrow. "I nearly died from my recent illness, and it's made me see things clearly. This is who I am now. If you think you can control me, think again! If you've got the guts, don't come fetch me at all! I'll get off this carriage right now and go back!"

These past ten days hadn't been wasted. She'd gone out daily to observe rural life and listen to the villagers' gossip. As the saying goes, the people follow their rulers' example—noble customs and common practices couldn't be too different. This countryside happened to be where several aristocratic families' estates converged. In just these few days, she'd already heard farmers tell of three broken engagements, four remarriages, and one newlywed couple beating each other up—giving her the impression that local customs were rough and unrestrained, with far less rigid etiquette than she'd expected from ancient times.

Seeing the girl's ferocity, Madam Li quickly played the elder card, declaring loudly: "Your Father and Mother have abandoned you! Your Aunt has raised you these ten years, day and night, with such hardship! And this is how you repay her?!"

Hearing this, Yu Cailing's first thought was: 'So this body's parents aren't dead after all.' Her second thought: 'Different paths but same destination—was this body also destined for divorced parents since childhood?'

Yu Cailing's parents had been the first couple in their town to divorce after the economic reforms. Though many followed suit later, the scandal at the time was unprecedented, leaving kindergarten-aged Yu Cailing constantly pointed at and gossiped about. Rather than becoming timid from the scrutiny, she'd bizarrely evolved in the opposite direction—developing thick skin and a hardened heart.

Yu Cailing pulled out a hairpin, flicked open the small brazier lid on the table with a snap, then wrapped her sleeve around her hand to lift the brazier. Adopting the manner of a young delinquent, she snarled: "You lowly servant! Do you believe I won't dump these coals on your face?!"

Author's Note:

The female lead is sarcastic and hot-tempered.

This story starts slow—the real action begins after Chapter 5. Impatient readers may want to wait and binge later.