The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 48 Unable to Distinguish Between Reality and Dreams

As soon as Lu Zhan stepped into the mansion, he saw a girl sitting on a chaise longue under the eaves, one hand resting on the wooden railing, dozing off.

“Young Master, it’s Miss Cousin,” Chen Jiu said.

After saying that, he remembered that there were two cousins ​​living in his mansion, and hurriedly added, "They are Cousin Zhiwan."

"Hmm." Lu Zhan had already seen it and responded in a low voice.

He was about to walk away when he noticed that Zhiwan had no maids around her, and he suddenly stopped.

It's really inappropriate for this girl to be sleeping here.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.

"Boom, boom!"

The sound of knuckles tapping on wood woke the sleeping Zhiwan.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a shadow looming over her, and a tall, slender figure standing in front of her.

She was still half asleep, her peach blossom eyes looking blankly at the man in front of her, unable to distinguish between reality and dream.

"You're here?" she mumbled groggily, her tone carrying a hint of familiarity.

Lu Zhan was taken aback and looked down at the girl in front of him.

She was clearly still half asleep; her curled eyelashes drooped softly, her beautiful eyes were moist, and two rosy blushes graced her fair cheeks, making her look like a lazy kitten—somewhat docile and somewhat adorable.

Lu Zhan twitched his fingers, then took two steps back and said in a deep voice, "Go back to your room to sleep. It's not appropriate for you to sleep here."

Upon hearing the voice, Zhiwan immediately woke up. She quickly looked up and saw that the person standing there was indeed Lu Zhan.

A fine layer of sweat immediately appeared on her fair forehead. Her eyes flickered, and she stammered, "Cousin...cousin."

She had been painting all night and hadn't slept much. After returning to the manor, she sent Shuang'er back to Yaoguang Pavilion first, intending to wait for her cousin to come back here. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep not long after sitting down.

I thought I was dreaming again.

She tried hard to recall whether her words and actions had been inappropriate.

She only breathed a quiet sigh of relief after confirming that there was nothing wrong.

Seeing that she was awake, Lu Zhan turned to leave, but Zhi Wan hurriedly called out to him, "Cousin, wait a moment."

Lu Zhan stopped and glanced at her sideways. "Is there something you need?"

Suddenly it dawned on her: she was waiting here for him?

Zhiwan nodded, clutching her handkerchief, and said somewhat shyly, "There's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"What is it?" Lu Zhan asked in a deep voice.

Seeing his handsome face serious, Zhiwan couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Her cousin's behavior made her feel like she was interrogating a criminal.

She felt a little awkward and uncomfortable, but she was interested in the shop and wanted to find out if anyone had died there. So she mustered up her courage and asked, "I wanted to ask if someone had died at a food stall on Huarong Street?"

Lu Zhan was taken aback, somewhat surprised. "Why are you asking this?"

After asking the question, Zhiwan was no longer so nervous and told the truth: "It's like this, today Shuang'er and I went out for a walk and saw a shop for rent, so we thought about taking it over. But when I asked around, the old lady at the street stall said that someone died in that shop, but she wouldn't say more. So, I thought I'd come and ask my cousin if it's true?"

“A murder did happen on Huarong Street recently, but I don’t know if it’s the shop you mentioned,” Lu Zhan said.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan was somewhat disappointed. Since a murder had occurred on Huarong Street, it was almost certain that it was that shop.

Seeing her somewhat dejected, Lu Zhan paused and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to take over the shop?"

Speaking of this, Zhiwan blushed slightly, but still expressed her thoughts: "My aunt plans for me to marry into her family in the future, so I thought about how to earn some money so that I can support my family in the future. After thinking it over, I realized that opening a shop is the only way to make money, because I can't keep relying on my aunt and the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for support."

She sells her paintings to bookstores so she can support her family in the future, but she can't reveal that she's selling her paintings. Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan raised an eyebrow slightly.

This little girl is thinking quite far ahead; she's already thinking about making money and supporting a live-in husband?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhiwan raised her head and glanced at him quickly, only to see a smile on the man's lips.

It's not obvious, but you can still see it.

Zhiwan felt embarrassed. Did her cousin think she was ridiculous?

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now." She said hurriedly and was about to leave when Lu Zhan called her back.

“It’s good that my cousin is thinking about the future, but Mother has long regarded you as one of her own, so my cousin doesn’t need to be so clear about the distinction between us.”

Zhiwan stopped, her little face serious. "I know, but Aunt, Uncle, and you, Cousin, have all helped me a lot and taken extra care of me. But I can't rely on you all forever. Life is so long, I have to try to rely on myself."

A look of surprise flashed in Lu Zhan's dark eyes.

In my memory, my cousin was timid and cautious, giving people a weak and pitiful feeling. I never expected that she would have such ideas.

He spoke with some approval, his tone softening unconsciously, "If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."

Now it was Zhiwan's turn to be surprised.

She never expected that her cousin, who was always distant and aloof, would say such a thing to her.

My cousin was just being polite, wasn't he?
Zhiwan was somewhat uncertain.

Upon returning to Yaoguang Pavilion, Shuang'er immediately greeted her, "Miss, how did things go? Did you manage to wait for the young master?"

Zhiwan nodded, "We've arrived, but someone did indeed die in that shop."

Upon hearing this, Shuang'er's face also showed disappointment.

Although she was surprised by the young lady's sudden decision to open a shop, she believed that in the long run, it was a good thing.

Miss can't always depend on the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

After you get married or find a husband, you'll have to rely on yourself.

If you have a shop and manage it well, you might be able to make money.

That way, the young lady won't be so passive whether she gets married or has her husband marry into her family.

The shop I saw today, although small, is in a great location; it should be able to make money doing some small business.

"It's alright, we'll go and see if there are any suitable shops another day," Zhiwan said.

She earned 480 taels of silver from selling her paintings. Adding the money her aunt had given her over the years, she had almost 1,000 taels in total. If you include the jewelry her aunt had given her, it would be even more.

But those pieces of jewelry were given to her by her aunt; she couldn't possibly sell them.

Some of the more valuable items will have to be returned later when the opportunity arises.

Therefore, she currently has about nine hundred taels of silver at her disposal, which is more than enough to rent a good shop.

"But those shops in good locations are very difficult to rent," Shuang'er said with great worry.

“It’s all about human effort. If we can’t find a good location, we can look for a less desirable one. We’ll find one eventually. What we need to think about now is what to sell if our shop opens,” Zhiwan said.

She wasn't worried about not being able to rent a shop.

The capital city is so big, if you want to find it, you can always find it, it just takes some effort.

"Miss, Granny Fang is here." At this moment, Dongxiang reported from outside the door.

(End of this chapter)