Classical Chinese dance student Mei Yanran found her first love between the pages of a online novel. When a traffic accident grants her one wish, she seizes the chance to transmigrate into the world of her favorite story!
Bright, bold, and beautifu...
For the next few days, Mei Yanran kept to herself in the house, choreographing the moves to her next dance. News from Ling Fengxiao's estate had ceased since she removed the guard on watch there, but there were daily reports from the Wei Estate that stated Wei Wanru was resting peacefully at home as well.
Finally, on the day that the female lead was supposed to leave her house in the novel, Mei Yanran got up extra early to prepare for an all-day stalk---er, stakeout. She had a quick bite, finished up her daily dance class (Teacher: Mei Yanran, Student: Mei Yanran, Critic: Mei Yanran, Admiring Reflection: Mei Yanran), washed up and greeted her mother over a proper breakfast, then bundled up and left the house with the little maidservant from a few days ago.
This was the same servant girl who'd shown her Crown Prince Chu Yeguang's token when he came to visit, and who even now had been tasked to look after the item until they found a chance to return it again. Either by chance or intentional design, the prince had failed to retrieve his identifying command tablet when he left, leaving Mei Yanran with a minor headache. She'd considered sending the item back to his quarters by messenger bird or guard delivery since the imperial crown prince of historic dynastics always resided in the Eastern Palace. But both bird or man might leave a trail leading back to the Mei Estate, and she wanted as little to do with Chu Yeguang as possible. Thus, bringing the item with her in the off chance she spotted him outside would be her best bet.
As with all events in the novel, this one had its backstory too. The female lead had found the weather good today and went to stroll around the marketplace to replenish her store of herbs. She'd helped a little street urchin pay for his prescription out of the goodness of her heart, then saved that same boy a few minutes later when he crashed into Li Siyan and antagonized the shrewish girl. The boy was so grateful that he remembered his benefactor long after taking the medicine to the patient who needed it---male lead #4, the charming rogue/secret prince of a different kingdom, who in a twist of fate had gotten injured until he found male lead #3, the jianghu doctor, to treat him. By the end of the story arc, #4 had vowed to thank Wei Wanru one day for helping him, #3 had gotten a good impression of the same girl after going to give money to the boy and found that he'd already bought the prescription, and #1 Chu Yexuan got a free show and bonus affection points while he witnessed the two women talk two stalls away.
It was the perfect setup to expound on Wei Wanru's medical skills, face-slap a random rival, and draw attention to not one, but three male leads. One could say the original author was no slouch when it came to setting up the love pentagon early!
Neither Chu Yeguang nor Ling Fengxiao had appeared for this part of the novel, so Mei Yanran dedicated herself to just target the female lead today. Of course, she took the chance to buy random trinkets that caught her fancy too---a hair ornament here, a set of earrings there, and the universal street food of all ancient Chinese settings, candied hawthorn skewers.
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Despite the cold, the streets of Yan Capital were still filled with people in wintertime because they were a hardy type who had accustomed themselves to the chill. One could only stay warm and dry indoors for so long before it drove one mad. The little servant girl was knowledgeable to lead her young mistress through the maze-like streets of the city until they reached the open-air medicine markets. Rather than directly dive into the lanes of merchants, Mei Yanran made a beeline for a nearby teahouse instead. Chen Xiao was on guard duty at the Wei Estate this morning and would run back to report to her as soon as Wei Wanru came outside. Until then, she might as well take a break and drink some tea. A waiter of the Spirit Restoring Herbhouse (還魂草樓), a specialized teashop that also had its own pharmacy, was quick to show Mei Yanran and her servant to a secluded table upstairs after seeing her dressed in fine fur-lined robes against the cold. There, Mei Yanran indulged herself with an order of ginger blossom scented dan cong tea, relishing in how the spicy aroma warmed her chilly face right up.
