The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 700: Chapter 787: Slapping the Transmigrator (Part 42)

Cui Ji was busy moving houses, and Second Master Cui did not care about these trivial matters; many things troubled Mrs. Ji, leaving her no choice but to call upon her daughter-in-law from the Sun Family to help.

In this case, Cui Siran was left without anyone to look after him.

Mr. Ji, worried for Cui Siran, brought him into his home for care.

In his entire life, Mr. Ji only had two daughters and no sons, so he was very fond of his nephews and cousins.

Nowadays, Ji Anhe spends all his days inside the Personal Guard Camp and hardly even returns home, so Mr. Ji devoted all his care to Cui Siran.

When he heard that Cui Siran was ill, Mr. Ji was actually quite furious with his sister and brother-in-law, thinking that it was this inept couple that had forced such a good child as Cui Siran to fall ill.

He also wanted to take Cui Siran into his care.

However, being a child of the Cui Family, it was inappropriate to bring him into the Ji Family home, so he dismissed the thought.

Now that there was a chance to take care of Cui Siran, Mr. Ji was naturally very pleased.

He did not bring Sun Family along, nor did he allow any of the concubines from Cui Siran’s residence to come; he brought Cui Siran alone to the Ji Family home.

Besides this, Mr. Ji also had a heart-to-heart talk with Cui Siran.

After bringing Cui Siran over, it was just Mr. Ji and Cui Siran talking in the inner room, with no one else present.

Mr. Ji directly asked Cui Siran: ”Did you refuse when your mother and wife arranged concubines for you?”

Cui Siran’s face turned red instantly: ”I, I didn’t, I was afraid to hurt their feelings.”

Hearing this, Mr. Ji furiously blew his beard and glared: ”You’re a grown man. Whether you like to sleep with which woman or not, do you still need someone else to arrange it for you? Is it that you’ve slept with all those girls they arranged?”

Mr. Ji was not a literary man, and his words were not elegant but instead somewhat crude.

However, Cui Siran actually quite liked this straightforward side of him.

In his heart, he actually felt that a person like Mr. Ji was much stronger than those who appear graceful on the surface but are extremely old-fashioned and somewhat selfish inside.

”I, I indeed...”

Cui Siran dared not look Mr. Ji in the eye; his face was redder than a piece of red cloth.

Mr. Ji, angered, slapped the table: ”You... being old-fashioned, if your mother and wife arrange girls for you and you don’t want them, you should refuse them directly. Why spoil your own body to make them happy? If your health is damaged, only then will they be truly heartbroken, especially your wife. If something happens to you, how can she live? You’re a man, the pillar of the household; you need to make them listen to you, not let them manipulate you.”

Mr. Ji was truly furious and did not give Cui Siran any face when speaking: ”Do you think by accepting their arrangements, everyone will be happy? I tell you, it’s not possible. The more you accept their arrangements, thinking you are being fair to both your mother and your wife, the more upset they will be, the more discontented. With so many girls in your household, arguing and causing trouble all day, do you know how suffocated your wife feels? Which wife doesn’t want her husband to cherish her alone, watching her husband being affectionate with so many women, wouldn’t she be heartbroken? Your mother also has to manage those women’s food and drink; isn’t she annoyed? You’re trying to please both sides, but in the end, you please neither.”

Cui Siran was utterly stunned.

He had never thought that matters were actually like this; his acceptance of those women had indeed broken the hearts of his mother and wife.

Just as Mr. Ji was about to say something more to Cui Siran, they heard the butler say, ”Master, your nephew-in-law is here.”

Hearing that Xiao Yuan had arrived, Mr. Ji immediately cheered up.

He hurriedly asked the butler to invite the guest in.

When Xiao Yuan entered the room, he first paid his respects to Mr. Ji, and then exchanged greetings with Cui Siran.

After sitting down, Mr. Ji said to Xiao Yuan: ”You also help me advise your cousin; this silly boy...”

Xiao Yuan actually knew about these matters and smiled at Cui Siran: ”There’s not much need for me to advise; just by spending more time going out with me during this period, everything will be fine.”

According to Xiao Yuan, Cui Siran’s poor health was entirely due to him staying home all day without exercising.

Mr. Ji greatly valued Xiao Yuan’s opinion and agreed when he heard this.

In the following period, Xiao Yuan took Cui Siran running around everywhere.

He also introduced many friends to Cui Siran.

Of course, these were all Xiao Yuan’s friends, and these friends came from all kinds of backgrounds.

Included were Rangers, brothel owners, high-class scholars, and storytellers; indeed, people of all sorts were there.

Originally, Cui Siran did not want to associate with these people.

Yet he truly was a person whose gentleness reached deep into his bones.

Though he was born into a wealthy, prominent family, he lacked any air of superiority and was instead very considerate of others.

At first, Cui Siran thought of Xiao Yuan and, fearing that rejecting these friends would embarrass Xiao Yuan, sincerely introduced himself to them. After a few gatherings, everyone became familiar with each other.

Then, Cui Siran discovered these people were not at all like what he had imagined.

Moreover, regardless of what field Xiao Yuan’s friends came from, they were all exceptionally good individuals and excelled in their respective professions.

Take Fang Junpeng, who ran a brothel, for example; he was a truly righteous person, ready to fight for his friends, and never forced anyone into his brothel—all the women were there due to life circumstances, with nowhere else to turn.

The Fang Family’s brothel was also very reputable.

At that time, most brothels would control their girls, confiscating tips or any gifted items which ended up in the hands of the master, with the girls themselves earning very little. Some were controlled their entire lives and could never buy their freedom.

However, the Fang Family’s brothel was different; the women received a share of the earnings and, after a few years, could save enough not only to buy their freedom but also to accumulate a nest egg. They would then leave to live peacefully in an unknown village or get married.

After leaving, many of these women remained grateful to the Fang Family for their care.

It is said that a few years back, a woman bought her freedom and married, but her new family treated her terribly because she bore a daughter, subjecting both her and her daughter to abuse.

This lady fell ill and, foreseeing her death, was worried about her daughter’s future. She escaped with her daughter when her in-laws were unguarded and turned to the Fang Family, entrusting her daughter to the care of her former peers.

Eventually, Fang Junpeng learned about her predicament and promised to look after her daughter before the woman passed away peacefully.

Because of this incident, the relationship between the girls and the Fang Family became even stronger.

When Cui Siran first heard about these stories, he was somewhat incredulous.

Later, someone took him to visit the Fang Family, and he asked several women there before believing these stories.

Through this incident, Cui Siran realized how tragic life could be for some, understanding that despite the relative fairness at the Fang Family, he couldn’t even imagine the severity of conditions in other brothels.

Apart from Fang Junpeng, his other friends also exposed Cui Siran to many situations he had never imagined before.

Jiang Mingyan, born into a prominent family but controlled by a stepmother, showed Cui Siran how dangerous internal strife in affluent families could be.

He also truly recognized how brutal the conflicts between wives and concubines could be.

Cui Siran thought about Sun Family’s struggles without his knowledge—facing both his mother’s harassment and endless schemes from the concubines which frightened him.

He further learned that often, the concubine maids who approached him amicably were actually drugging him.

No wonder he often felt uninterested, yet whenever these girls offered gifts or food, a little provocation would make him lose control—turns out, those gifts and meals were drugged.

With these realizations, Cui Siran genuinely felt much more enlightened.