Chapter 1 Inhuman life
How would you spend your fleeting life if you knew ever since you were three years old that the year you turn eighteen, you will die?
Bai Fu Ling stated, “I am going to enjoy all the riches of the world and keep all the attractive men and women close to me. To live utmost arrogantly!”
“How are such days the life of human?”
“Those are clearly a deity’s life, ah…”
Bai Fu Ling sniffed the smell of fresh water and lotus and exclaimed in satisfaction.
In this hot summer, others were being baked in the sun, ripping of their skin. She was lying alone in a small boat on the lake. Above her head was many green lotus leaves that layered upon each other, blocking the blazing sun as the small boat rocked with the waves along the lake. In the distance, there are girls seen gathering water chestnut and on the lake. Lotuses filled with aromatic fragrance floated around.
Lying under her body was an agarwood board. Under her neck was a violet colored silk pillow stuffed with goose feather and next to her was a jade incense burner emitting wisps of smoke around her.
The spices in the furnace were specially prepared for her by the renowned physician Xin Yi. The mild smell of Magnolia was used to repel insects and was a thousand time stronger than the ordinary ones, but of course also a thousand times more expensive.
Just these few items on the boat was enough to feed an ordinary family of five for a lifetime.
Bai Fu Ling stretched lazily, while at the same time picked a flower still in bloom. Its white petals were tinted with a hint of pink and had a yellow-green center. The gorgeous flower would cause anyone to feel attracted.
Just when Bai Fu Ling was in an infinitely good mood, in her ears came a nagging voice: “Miss, you’re dressed like this, what will we do if people see you?”
Not far from the boat another small boat revealed itself. On the boat sat two beautiful young women. One was wearing a pale blue short dress with tight sleeves; another was dressed in a neat gray purple dress. The one who spoke was the one in the pale blue dress. She looked while frowning at Bai Fu Ling on the boat who was wearing a soft, thin and white silk dress. Her expression was full of disagreement. What was the difference of these thin clothes with not wearing anything? If she was seen by a man, what name or reputation would be left?
Bai Fu Ling rolled her eyes. She refused to answer the question to this issue. The weather was hot like hell. She only wore thin clothes on her own territory and didn’t reveal any place that shouldn’t be revealed. Talking like that felt like she was walking naked on the streets.
That woman saw that miss didn’t listen to her good advice, she wanted to continue to persuade, but the woman in gray purple became impatient and said coldly: “If someone saw, just dig his eyeballs out. Yang Mei, why are you so wordy?
Bai Fu Ling turned and laughed: “Bai Shao, you haven’t been a killer for many years; how come you are still thinking about these fights and killings, ah? You are so fierce; won’t your husband be bullied to death? Hey…what did you bring for me to eat?”
Yang Mei has obviously been scared by Bai Shao’s bloody words. She didn’t dare to say anything more. She didn’t know Bai Shao for long, but she knew that Bai Shao was definitely not an ordinary woman. She witnessed how Bai Shao beat an eight feet brawny man to the ground. Really a shrew! Miss was right! Bai Shao’s husband was really pitiful…He was not as lucky as her husband to marry such a talented and gentle woman like her.
Bai Shao didn’t say anything and lifted the food container. With only one step, she landed on Bai Fu Ling’s boat. The boat sank slightly, not even the sound of shaking could be heard. Such qinggong was really rare.

  • Qinggong: he ability to move swiftly and lightly at superhuman speed, and perform gravity-defying moves such as gliding on water surfaces, scaling high walls and mounting trees

“Osmanthus jujube soup and also iced melon sent from the city this morning.”
Bai Shao opened the food container, exposing the fine white porcelain bowls inside. Inside the crimson soup with floated ice and small pink yellow sweet-scented Osmanthus. It really had a cooling effect.
From the other boat Yang Mei took out a white jade ice bucked with melon ice. The drops of water on the ice were drying. She cut it into pieces and handed it to Bai Shao.
Bai Fu Ling unceremoniously drank it and then called Yang Mei and Bai Shao: “I can’t eat all of the melon. You accompany me to eat it.”
After serving miss to eat, Bai Shao and Yang Mei packed up the dishes. Yang Mei looked at the green leaves and suddenly sighed: “Unfortunately I’m late. If I was a few months earlier, I will be able to see the beauty of the flowers blooming.”
Bai family’s manor was at Bei Guan City’s Bai Li Mountain. This area was great. Ten years ago, when the Bai family saw it, they moved here. They raised a large number of craftsmanship, divided it into a few ranges according to the soil of the environment and planted it with different kinds of flowers and trees. Each season large flowers could be seen blooming like this lotus. There was also the peach valley at the east, the snow plum flowers hillside at the north, the chrysanthemum ground on the west, maple trees and etc.
Usually to take care of this flowers and trees would need nearly hundred people. Sometimes they even needed to temporarily hire people to help. Such large project and daily expenses were just because of one “like” from Bai Fu Ling. No wonder her extravagant reputation was as loud.
“Hey, I remember clearly that you say you like plum flowers more.”
Bai Fu Ling remembered the origin of Yang Mei’s name and laughed.

  • The Mei in Yang Mei’s name is the same mei in plum flowers (mei hua)

Yang Mei originally has no formal name and was called the same as her rank in her family Yang Er Niang (Er means two, so she is probably the second daughter). After being sold to Bai family and becoming Bai Fu Ling’s personal maid, in order to show loyalty and also to please miss, she specifically asked Bai Fu Ling to bestow her with a name. Because she liked plum flowers, Bai Fu Ling named her Yang Mei and she (BFL) also not so kindly said: “Sour like this really suits you.”
Yang Mei really was against this not so elegant name. Her intestines got blue from regret. But it was her that begged Bai Fu Ling to name her. She could only grit her teeth, swallow the blood back and accepted the fact.
In a blink of an eye, the name Yang Mei had followed her for many years. She slowly got used to it and didn’t change her name back.
“Right, but for the plum flowers to bloom, you will have to wait at least half a year more. The snow plum is for a third white, snow plum has a really good fragrance…I really wish that it can become winter immediately.”
Yang Mei remembered the snow plum’s beauty at Bai family’s manor, suddenly she felt poetic. She began to brag.
“But I think peach is more delicious than the sour plum.”
Bai Fu Ling remembered the sweet and juicy peaches.  Her eyes shone and determined the peach flowers are lovelier than plum flowers.
“I don’t like the taste of lotus seed, but lotus fruit is really delicious! The leaves can also be used to cook rice. It was more useful than those Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Mo Ju and Shi Zhang Zhu Lian!”

  • Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Mo Ju and Shi Zhang Zhu Lian: Names of flowers/plants

Bai Fu Lin casually put those varieties of peonies and chrysanthemum which are valuable in everyone’s eyes as useless.

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11 Comments

  1. thanks a lot—!
    hm, this seems quite interesting! i’ll need to observe the heroine more to see if i like her, but she seems cool so far! though..very extravagant, huh! but being told you’d die early…that’s a very saddening thing…

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