I Really Am Useless

In the distant bushes, Zhang Zhaocai hugged a tree and poked his head out.

He looked down at a similarly ugly little wooden doll in his hand, which he had carved himself; roughly, it looked like a little girl.

Zhang Zhaocai touched the little wooden girl in his hand and murmured, "Lingdang, that one is me, and this one is you... When I get rich, I'll give you a wooden doll made of gold."

A faint blush appeared on Zhang Zhaocai's face. He looked up at Lingdang's back, watching her chatting and laughing with Li Yanhao. A sense of inferiority he had never felt before welled up inside him.

He was just a son of a poor farmer's family, born to an unloved former wife, while Lingdang was Su Li's direct disciple with a bright future. The men she interacted with were all outstanding.

"Sigh... I'm really useless..." Zhang Zhaocai was filled with frustration. He slowly squatted down, tears streaming uncontrollably. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, murmuring, "I'm really useless. I even have to rely on Lingdang for food. I'm truly a waste!"

Sitting there, Zhang Zhaocai thought of Tang Shi. He shook his head hard and suddenly became determined again.

"I can't be a waste! I must make something of myself. When I have power and influence, I can mobilize more forces to find my mother! When I become a big shot, then I'll have the qualifications to propose to Lingdang!" Zhang Zhaocai's gaze became firmer than ever. He hastily wiped away his tears and carefully hid the little wooden doll representing Lingdang inside his chest pocket.

Inside his chest pocket was another little wooden doll, also resembling a woman but slightly taller. It was a wooden doll Zhang Zhaocai carved himself, symbolizing his mother, Tang Shi.

These two wooden dolls became Zhang Zhaocai's spiritual support, kept close to him and treasured like precious gems.

After calming himself down, Zhang Zhaocai strode towards the village chief's house...

Su Li's house.

When Lingdang returned, Xiao Zetian was no longer in the room, so Lingdang finally dared to enter.

Su Li was obviously in a very good mood. When he saw Lingdang, his smile was much brighter than usual.

"Master, I've already prepared the special ingredients for Princess Mingyu and sent them over," Lingdang said with a smile, sitting by the bed. "After eating today's ingredients, Princess Mingyu can't stop hiccupping and can't even speak coherently!"

Su Li smiled, looking at Lingdang's mischievous face, liking her more and more. "If she doesn't want to leave, then she won't leave. I have plenty of secret recipes. I want to see how many days Princess Mingyu can hold out!"

Everyone ate breakfast as usual. Princess Mingyu usually appeared frequently at Su Li's house, creating chances to bump into Xiao Zetian.

But after yesterday's fart incident, Princess Mingyu really kept quiet. The door to her chamber was tightly closed all morning, silent without a sound.

In Princess Mingyu's room, Lv Luo looked at the swollen, tear-streaked eyes of Princess Mingyu and trembled with fear.

Princess Mingyu sobbed on the bed. Thinking about her disgrace yesterday, she wished she could die from shame and anger.

"I've never lost my composure like this in my life. Wuwuwu, how am I going to live from now on? This lousy place, the water and soil are so bad, no wonder it raised a cheap woman like Su Li. Wuwuwu!" Princess Mingyu cried. Yesterday, she asked Lv Luo to call a doctor, who said she had water and soil intolerance. Princess Mingyu herself felt nothing unusual except for uncontrollable loud and smelly farts. It definitely wasn’t poisoning, so she foolishly believed it was just water and soil intolerance.