Miss Cousin is Always Busy

Chapter 2

Madam Ning had assigned Jun Zishu to stay in the same building as Ning Qinghuan. To be precise, Jun Zishu would be staying in the room next to Ning Qinghuan’s.

Madam Ning’s arrangement showed that she didn’t hold any contemptuous thoughts against Jun Wan’er’s identity. Combined with the treatment she had received from the Ning family thus far, Jun Zishu found the family quite friendly and likable.

Ning Qinghuan led Jun Zishu to her room. Then, she pointed at the room next door and said to Jun Zishu, “Little Sister Wan’er, that room is yours. The servants have already tidied it up, so you can go in by yourself.”

“Very well, Big Sister Qinghuan.”

Seeing Ning Qinghuan disappearing into her room, Jun Zishu found that this little loli was very cute.

Subsequently, after settling into her new room, Jun Zishu laid down on her bed and began conversing with the system in her mind.

Little Fairy, do you have any system abilities?

[For example?]

Something like a pain sensitivity reduction or a protagonist’s aura.

[I’m sorry, but I do not offer the second service you mentioned. Otherwise, we systems could just complete the missions ourselves instead of hiring employees. As for the first service mentioned, we do provide that, but there is a limit.]

Little Fairy spoke in a solemn tone, making it seem as if she was behaving seriously.

What’s the limit?

[As you are currently an intern, you get to enjoy up to a 10% reduction in pain sensitivity. That benefit will increase to 30% once you become an official employee, and 50% if you become an excellent employee.]

Little Fairy’s voice changed to one filled with enthusiasm, causing Jun Zishu to feel inexplicably joyful.

Then, what benefit do you get for following me around?

[Huh? Nothing. It is the job and mission of the various systems to guide and assist fate changers like you. We do not require any benefits. Every system is equal, and there is no distinction in quality between us. Our authority is only limited by our hosts.]

Understood. Are there any other functions you have?

[The query function, location function, and surveillance function are popular functions as well.]

Okay.

Then, Jun Zishu shut her eyes and went to sleep for the night.

…

The next day, Jun Zishu woke up to

Little Fairy, what’s going on outside?

[The mission target is dealing with something. Hurry up and get dressed, Host. Let’s go outside and watch the fun.]

Jun Zishu opened the doors to her room. Then, when the maid outside saw her, the other party quickly left to retrieve the toiletries.

After experiencing the inconvenience of ancient times and the corrupt feeling of being served by others, Jun Zishu made her way downstairs.

Currently, Ning Qinghuan stood on an elevated platform in the courtyard with an ugly look on her face. She also held a long and slender whip in her hand, nimbly manipulating it from time to time.

Meanwhile, two maids knelt before Ning Qinghuan, crying while wiping their tears with their sleeves.

Despite being only a 13-year-old girl, Ning Qinghuan could already exude an extraordinary aura.

“Miss Cousin.”

One of the maids standing aside greeted Jun Zishu. The maid’s words also attracted Ning Qinghuan’s attention.

“You’re here, Little Sister Wan’er? Take a seat first. I’ll play with you once I’m done questioning these two,” Ning Qinghuan said, her expression relaxing a little when she looked at Jun Zishu. However, when she turned back to the two maids, her expression instantly turned cold again.

“Mhm, mhm.” Jun Zishu nodded and obediently took a seat by the courtyard table. Then, she began snacking on the plate of pastries on the table while waiting for Ning Qinghuan to finish.

“You created such a problem for me as soon as my cousin arrived. Are you trying to make our General’s manor look bad in front of others? Speak up. Who stole it?” Ning Qinghuan demanded.

Subsequently, the two crying maids began accusing one another, the sight not at all pleasant.

“I hate liars the most. I’ll give you two ten more minutes to come clean. I’ll spare you if you confess, but if you refuse to admit it…”

After saying so, Ning Qinghuan flicked her whip against the ground, the whipping sound giving the two maids a scare.

Jun Zishu stopped eating after finishing two pieces of pastry. The pastries were too sweet and greasy for her taste.

Shortly after Ning Qinghuan voiced her threat, one of the two maids gritted her teeth and confessed.

“Please forgive me, Young Miss. My mother is seriously ill. I thought you wouldn’t care, so I took the pendant… It is all my fault, Young Miss. I will work hard to redeem the pendant for you in the future…”

The maid repeatedly kowtowed, giving off a relatively pitiful look.

While Jun Zishu was sipping on some tea, she saw Ning Qinghuan suddenly turning around to look at her. Confused by the action, she beamed a smile at the girl. Then, Ning Qinghuan turned back to the maids again.

Huh? What is this little girl trying to convey? Jun Zishu found herself unable to understand Ning Qinghuan’s actions.

[I don’t understand her, either.]

Little Fairy said before falling silent.

Afterward, Ning Qinghuan took a seat at the table and had someone verify the maid’s story. Then, sometime later, the servant she sent off returned and whispered something into her ear.

“Alright, you stand up,” Ning Qinghuan said to the innocent maid. Then, she looked to the head maid standing beside her and said, “Shaoyao, compensate her with some money.”

After saying so, Ning Qinghuan turned to the thieving maid and said, “As for you, although your original intention of saving your mother was good, I dare not keep an unfaithful servant like you. Shaoyao, dismiss her. You don’t need to return the pendant, either. I’ll just treat it as the cost of saving a life. You can also keep the remaining money.”

Despite being only thirteen, Ning Qinghuan appeared very capable. She knew how to adequately hand out incentives and dole out punishments. Jun Zishu felt that Ning Qinghuan would flourish if she became the madam of a house. Yet, despite having such capabilities, she still lost herself to fake feelings.

“Little Sister Wan’er, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? I’ll have the kitchen prepare something for you.”

“No need, no need, Big Sister. I’m already full.”

Jun Zishu was telling the truth. She wasn’t afraid of troubling others. Instead, this body of hers had an unexpectedly small appetite. She was already 80% full after having only two pieces of pastry and a cup of tea.

“Really? But I only saw you having some pastries…”

“Really. My body hasn’t been well since childhood, so I always have a small appetite.”

“Oh, I see. Even so, feel free to tell me whenever you’re feeling hungry.” Ning Qinghuan nodded, thinking that this cousin of hers was pretty easy to raise.

“Alright.”

“Cousin, what do you think of the way I handled that servant just now?” Ning Qinghuan suddenly asked, her fingers subconsciously pinching the hem of her sleeves.

“Hmm? I don’t have any opinions about it. I think Big Sister did very well.”

Jun Zishu shook her head. What opinions could she possibly have of the situation? Or did Ning Qinghuan want her to clap for her in praise?

“Don’t you think that maid is pitiful?”

Say what?

Little Fairy, does she want me to say that the maid is pitiful? Or is it the other way around?

[I don’t know, either.]

The hearts of children are truly difficult to read.

After hesitating for a moment, Jun Zishu shook her head and said, “Although it is pitiful that her mother is sick, this doesn’t give her the right to steal from others in broad daylight. Her actions are wrong. You have already shown her plenty of mercy letting her off with just that, Big Sister.”

No one needed to be responsible for the misfortune of someone unrelated to them. Saying that billionaires needed to help unacquainted beggars was just emotional blackmail. A person could help others if they wanted to, but they weren’t obliged to do so. However, as most people had a sympathetic heart, they would often choose to help others when able to.

“It’s good if you think that,” Ning Qinghuan said, happily patting Jun Zishu on the shoulders. Then, she rolled her eyes and continued, “I thought you would be someone like Pei Xiuyun.”

“Who’s that?” Jun Zishu asked with a confused look. Inwardly, though, she already knew who Pei Xiuyun was.

Pei Xiuyun was the fifth prince’s true love. She was also a hypocritical pseudo-Virgin Mary.

“A detestable person. You’ll meet her in the future. You and her look quite alike.”

In Ning Qinghuan’s opinion, Pei Xiuyun was a hypocrite who had something wrong with her head. Meanwhile, both Jun Wan’er and Pei Xiuyun had a sickly and pitiful appearance. Both of them were also delicate beauties. So, it was inevitable for Ning Qinghuan to think that Jun Wan’er and Pei Xiuyun were the same types of people.

After looking through the information that Little Fairy provided, Jun Zishu found that she indeed looked quite similar to Pei Xiuyun.

“Here, I’ll give you an example. If she saw me behaving like that just now, she would react like this…” Ning Qinghuan said before clearing her throat. Then, putting on a frail look and making an orchid gesture, she bitterly looked at Jun Zishu and continued, “Big Sister Qinghuan, how can you be like that? She’s just forced by circumstances and trying to be filial. How can you punish her for that?”

Jun Zishu couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the girl’s performance.

“She’ll even cry and say… Ugh, nevermind…” Ning Qinghuan said, making an unbearable expression. Then, when she saw a hint of liveliness and loveliness appearing on her younger cousin’s face, she asked, “Hey, Cousin, you won’t act like that, right?”

“No, I can’t possibly behave like that.”

Jun Zishu hurriedly shook her head. She wasn’t that type of girl.

“Good, then. Now that’s more like my little sister. Let’s go; I’ll take you out for some fun,” Ning Qinghuan said as she grabbed Jun Zishu’s hand and led her out of the courtyard.

Meanwhile, through their brief conversation, Jun Zishu finally understood why Ning Qinghuan lost to Pei Xiuyun when it came to winning the fifth prince’s heart. Although Ning Qinghuan was smart, she had a straightforward personality. On the other hand, most men preferred demure, beautiful, and sympathetic women.

Jun Zishu’s current body was very frail. After walking around under the sun and being blown by the cooling breeze for a short while, she started experiencing dizziness and headaches. Seeing this, Ning Qinghuan had her return first to rest.

Jun Zishu obediently obliged and returned to her room to lie down. However, even after resting until lunchtime, she didn’t have any appetite, so she drank some medicine and returned to sleep.

The next time Jun Zishu woke up was when Little Fairy called out to her in her mind.

[Host, Host, you need to get up quickly. According to the original plotline, Ning Qinghuan will be falling into the courtyard’s pond soon. You should get ready to call for help.]

Jun Zishu immediately got out of bed and put on her clothes.

The capital city they currently resided in was located inland, so most of the residents here didn’t know how to swim. When Ning Qinghuan fell into the courtyard pond in the original plot, it had taken some time before a servant who knew how to swim came to her rescue. Hence, Ning Qinghuan had ended up suffering in the water for quite some time. Moreover, as it was currently early spring, the water’s temperature was still frigid. As a result, Ning Qinghuan’s body suffered from minor complications after this incident.

As soon as Jun Zishu arrived downstairs, she heard a loud splash followed by Shaoyao’s panicked screaming.

“Someone, help! The young miss has fallen into the water!”

As soon as Shaoyao finished shouting, she saw a figure suddenly jumping into the pond.

“Ah! Miss Cousin! Someone! Anybody! Help!”

[Are you mad, Host?! This body of yours might know how to swim, but you’re currently sick!]

Shaoyao wasn’t the only one losing her mind. Little Fairy lost her mind over Jun Zishu’s actions as well.