CH 25

The following day, a letter from the young lady of the County arrived, extending an invitation to Su Jin for yet another job request. It was an appealing proposal as it meant another opportunity for Su Jin to indulge in high quality cuisine without having to spend a single dime once again.

The sound of the flowing water and the joyful laughter of young women fill the air as a gentle breeze blew past the pavilion by the lake, interconnected via small bridges.

Under the guidance of a servant, Su Jin arrived in the courtyard and observed three refined ladies enjoying their afternoon tea and engaging in light-hearted conversation with cheerful expressions. A frown formed on Su Jin’s face when she noticed the absence of food. Regardless of the quality, tea alone would not be able to meet her satisfaction. After all, her primary purpose for accepting the request was to relish in good food and drinks, given that affluent households had better accessibility to seasonings and condiments to enhance the flavour of their dishes.

When Jiang Ru Yan noticed that her guest had arrived, she elegantly stood up and courteously introduced Su Jin to the two individuals seated next to her. “This is Su Jin, the person I have mentioned earlier.”

“Su Jin, these are my older cousins from my maternal grandfather’s family, Liu Wen Mian and Liu Wen Shuang. They have heard of my recovery, and were hoping to inquire if you are able to treat other skin conditions…”

Both of them were donned in gorgeous dresses and had exquisite appearances. One of them seemed to have a lively and energetic personality, while the other exuded an air of dignity and elegance, but otherwise, they were indistinguishable from each other.

Liu Wen Shuang raised her eyebrows in bewilderment as she watched the new face introduced by her cousin as the mysterious girl from the rural village. Although they did not recognize each other, she felt a sense of familiarity towards Su Jin, but couldn’t quite grasp why.

On the other hand, Liu Wen Mian did not feel anything unusual. She adjusted the tassel accessory adorned at her waist, greeted Su Jin with a slight nod and gentle smile before taking a sip of hot tea.

Liu Wen Shuang suppressed the feelings of perplexity in her heart and continued with her words. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Su. I heard from my cousin that you have an effective remedy that can eliminate blemishes and freckles. May I know if you have any medicine that can treat a scar?”

“System#2250, is the pill capable of removing scars?”

The system, which was secretly engrossed in watching videos on its private network while munching on melon seeds, quickly shafted aside what it was doing and pretended to be serious. “Well, it would vary depending on the length and depth of the scar. The efficiency will diminish if the scar is longer or deeper. Ultimately, this pill is but an item from the beginner gift package. Better pills can only be acquired after leveling up and utilizing accumulated points in the exchange system.”

As the topic veered towards this subject, the system couldn’t help but recall that its point balance was completely exhausted. Suddenly, the melon seeds in its hands no longer tasted as delicious as it previously did! The system turned off the videos and started sobbing with a handkerchief to wipe its tears away.

If the system’s host did not become the empress, it would be ridiculed as a failure in the world of systems and studied as a spectacular example of incompetence in the academia for many centuries to come.

Boohoohoo… No matter how the system calculated and simulated, there was zero possibility of its host becoming the empress even if the stars aligned or with divine intervention, as she was hell bent on living as a farmer.

The life of a system was harsher than expected…

Su Jin knitted her eyebrows, pondering as to what kind of silly daydreams the little fool was indulging in once again.

“How severe is the scar that we are talking about here?” Su Jin questioned.

Liu Wen Shuang’s eyes gleamed as she speculated that Su Jin might possess a remedy capable of healing scars. She quickly responded, “The medicine is intended for a gentleman who bore a childhood scar spanning from his brows to the jawline… Do you happen to have a solution for this…?”

As she looked towards Su Jin with anticipation, her heart rate rapidly increased.

The man’s scar was a consequence of an accident which injured a significant portion of his face, and it was a miracle that he managed to survive.

“It is possible, but depending on the severity of his condition, it may not be as flawless as the one which young lady Jiang experienced. The medication for this will be different as well.”

The positive reply brought great happiness to Liu Wen Shuang. “Excellent! I appreciate your assistance for this, Miss Su. I swear upon my name that you will be rewarded generously.”

After searching for highs and lows, she had finally discovered a glimmer of hope for her beloved Bei Qing.

Despite consulting various royal physicians over the course of more than a decade, the Chen family had not found any viable treatment and were helpless. Yet a peasant girl had confidently claimed that she could treat the scar. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have had doubts about the assertion of an individual from an unknown background. However, her cousin’s miraculous recovery served as living proof of Su Jin’s abilities. She couldn’t resist feeling optimistic.

Tears glimmered in her eyes as she slightly lifted her skirt and elegantly curtsied towards Su Jin.

Even Liu Wen Mian, who had been sitting quietly at the side, looked at Su Jin in surprise. For an ordinary commoner, it would be improbable to confidently make such a declaration after hearing the severity of the condition, unless the individual was either a very skilled swindler used to deceiving others or had complete faith in one’s own abilities. Was she truly just a typical girl from a rural village?

After her primary business had been wrapped up, Su Jin noticed that there were only light refreshments on the table. She took a glance at Jiang Ru Yan, who was consoling her cousin, and then discreetly cleared her throat before indirectly expressing her thoughts. “The fishes in the lake… bear some resemblance to the sweet and sour carp dish that was served last time. Don’t you agree?”

Jiang Ru Yan and the Liu sisters froze in place. Why had their guest abruptly shifted the topic to food?

When she saw that none of them caught her hint, Su Jin thickened her skin and continued, “It would be a pity if such beautiful scenery is not accompanied with a table filled with delicious cuisine.”

Cuisine?

Was she hungry?

Although she was initially uncertain, Jiang Ru Yan somewhat picked up the hint in Su Jin’s words, and promptly instructed the servants, “Order the kitchen to prepare some meals and increase the portions for our guest.”

Despite Su Jin’s thought process remaining as a mystery to her, providing food for her guest was a simple task. With a somewhat complicated mood, Jiang Ru Yan replied to Su Jin, “I have been negligent. Going forward, I will make arrangements to have food prepared for you in the future.”

……

Once Su Jin had agreed upon a date to meet up with the Liu family’s young lady to deliver the medicine, she bade farewell to the trio. Even if the pills were readily available in the system’s spatial inventory, it would raise suspicions if she were to provide it on the spot.

She rubbed her bulging belly in satisfaction. Today was yet another successful day of freeloading from her rich acquaintances!

While on her way back home, Su Jin decided to make a detour when she remembered that she hadn’t seen her second brother in a long while, taking the opportunity to bring some good food along to him.

Her second brother had a weak constitution from birth. Due to the rules of the private academy, he had to live in the school accommodation, and the daily meals provided there were extremely basic. It was a good opportunity to bring him some good food to nourish his health.

……

There were several private academies in Fengyuan County, with Qing Yuan private academy being the most prominent amongst them. At the moment, Su Ce was encountering a difficult situation within said academy.

As per his normal routine, Su Ce picked up his coat as he collated the books he had copied and was getting ready to bring them over to the bookstore next door for sale. As soon as he stepped out of the door, a group of people impeded his path.

“As expected of a pauper. How could a poor beggar be worthy of studying here? Go through his possessions thoroughly. You can’t escape without consequences for stealing my money.”

Su Ce’s eyes turned gloomy. He suppressed the negative emotions in his heart and spoke in a soft tone, “Could you clarify your statement?”

The young individual, dressed extravagantly in vibrant jade green robes, disregarded his inquiry and sneered at him, “As I said, you are a thief, as befitting of a poor beggar that reeks of dirt. There can be no mistake in my judgement.”

With a wave of the folding fan in his hand, the two grunts behind him forced their way into Su Ce’s room and made a mess out of it. His belongings were scattered haphazardly around the room and the only clean change of clothes he had was being trampled on the ground. It was apparent that the objectives of the intruders were not to search for missing items, but were merely doing this to bully Su Ce.

With a sullen expression, Su Ce tightened his grip while gazing at the sight before him.

(Argh, these guys are doing this on purpose. The stolen money is just an excuse.)

TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.

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