The Beloved Cousin from a Prestigious Family

When Tao Jingxuan was sent away to Lingnan, he entrusted his eldest daughter to the care of his in-laws, the Jinyang Marquis's household. Just thirteen, Tao Mengruan tearfully bid farewell to her parents and headed north. But a bout of wind-cold fever claimed her life, and another soul took her place. Being a dependent cousin in someone else's home is no easy thing, but at least her maternal grandparents dote on her and her uncle and aunt care for her. Her cousins, however, are one handful after another. Her eldest cousin married into an excellent match and looks down on everyone. Fine, she'll put up with it. After all, her husband is the Crown Prince. Her second cousin must have hit her head: she keeps making snide remarks to a cousin who lives under their roof. Forget it. What good would arguing with an idiot do? Her third cousin is blunt and thoughtless, and doesn't even realize when she's caused trouble. Fine, she'll help her out, since she has a good heart. Her fourth cousin is devious and wants to pin the blame on her. That she won't tolerate. She'll teach her what it means to bring trouble on yourself. She never expected to be carried off by a big gray wolf and dropped into its den, where a whole pack of snarling little monsters awaited her. As the eldest daughter-in-law, does she still have to put up with them? Not a chance. Anyone with a complaint can have the wolves let loose! The first time they met: Si Lianjin had noticed someone enter the garden long ago, but he had never been one to pay people much mind. He thought the garden's formation would keep any visitors from reaching this side. He hadn't even finished a stroke when a girl of thirteen or fourteen appeared in front of him. It was rare for a girl to know formations; perhaps she'd simply stumbled in by chance. But she didn't even look at him. She was too busy drooling over the pear blossoms covering the trees, lost in thought. Si Lianjin had been doted on since childhood, and no one had ever ignored him so completely. He wasn't about to make an issue of it, but his hand paused, and a drop of ink fell onto the paper, looking just like a large pear. Tao Mengruan sensed someone nearby and turned around, meeting Si Lianjin's faintly angry gaze. Before she could react, he asked, rather crossly, "Look at you, drooling. Are you thinking about pear blossom cakes or pear blossom pastries?" Tao Mengruan always froze when she saw a handsome man, and Si Lianjin was especially beautiful, with an icy grace and an otherworldly air. So she answered without thinking, "Pear blossom pastries. The cakes are a little bland." The next time they met: Tao Mengruan's pale hand gripped Si Lianjin's lapel. His face darkened. "Let go!" Tao Mengruan wrapped her arms around his neck, taking advantage of the situation. "No! I'll fall to my death if I let go!" Si Lianjin's expression darkened further. That rotten piece of wood had weathered who knew how many storms and looked ready to snap at any moment. He couldn't carry Tao Mengruan back up, so he had no choice but to hold her and leap down, using the outcroppings on the cliff face. Terrified, Tao Mengruan clung to Si Lianjin and cried, "Don't jump! My cousin is almost here to save me..."