I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: A Great Idea

In the bathroom, the sound of splashing water came to an abrupt halt.

Wu Ya, his head covered in foam, was humming a tuneless little melody, eyes closed as he savored the sheer bliss provided by the modern water heater.

Suddenly, the tiles beneath his feet vanished without warning, replaced by coarse, muddy earth.

He snapped his eyes open.

His vision was blurry at first, then sharpened.

“Holy crap!”

The words escaped him as he realized he was standing nearly stark naked in the middle of the Fourth Branch’s room in the ancient Wu family home. Droplets of cold water mixed with shampoo foam dripped from his hair. He had only managed to wrap a modern bath towel around himself, barely covering the vital parts.

Almost at the same instant, a dull “thud” sounded beside him, followed by a gasp of surprise.

Li Qiaoqiao was back too.

She, at least, was fully dressed, but she had landed hard on her backside. She looked utterly dazed, her hand still unconsciously clutching a half-eaten bag of potato chips brought back from the apartment.

Their eyes met.

“AAAAAHHHH—!!!” Li Qiaoqiao’s scream nearly took the roof off. She slammed her hands over her eyes, but her fingers were spread wide. Her eyes were round as saucers, staring fixedly at Wu Ya through the gaps as her cheeks turned a violent crimson. “Wu Tieniu! You… you… you pervert!”

Wu Ya was thrown into a panic, clumsily clutching the towel and trying to wrap himself more securely.

The tips of his ears were red enough to bleed, but he refused to lose ground verbally: “What are you shouting for? Haven’t you ever seen a handsome guy fresh from the bath? It’s not like I wanted to show you! Making such a racket are you trying to make sure the whole world hears?”

After a frantic scramble, the two finally calmed down.

They realized that because the energy of the Concentric Lock had been exhausted, they had been automatically teleported back to the ancient world.

Li Qiaoqiao’s face was flushed and her gaze flickered away, but she couldn’t help stealing a few more glances.

Hmm, didn’t expect this guy to look so fit under his clothes; he’s not a ‘skinny white chicken’ at all…

Pah, pah, pah! What am I thinking!

Wu Ya hurriedly fumbled into his coarse cloth clothes, muttering and complaining under his breath.

Once dressed, both of them subconsciously reached for their necks at the same time.

The halves of the Concentric Lock were hanging there securely, as if they had never left.

“It… came back on its own?” Li Qiaoqiao touched the lock, looking at Wu Ya in surprise.

Wu Ya pinched his own half, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Seems like this thing is bound to us. It can’t be lost or stolen. That saves some worry.”

After all that commotion, both felt their stomachs growling.

Li Qiaoqiao remembered the potato chips. She opened the bag, and the two shared them; the crunchy modern snack felt exceptionally precious.

Eating the chips only whetted their appetite further.

Li Qiaoqiao’s eyes twinkled as she pulled two large items wrapped in greaseproof paper from her bodice like a hidden treasure: freshly seared steaks.

“Heh heh, the final feast!” she grinned mischievously.

Wu Ya’s eyes lit up. The two huddled in the room in silent understanding, eating until their mouths were glistening with oil, their sense of happiness overflowing.

Sated and content, they lay on the hard kàng bed, bickering back and forth.

Li Qiaoqiao stared at the dark roof beams and began to dream of the future: “When we have lots and lots of money, I’m going to divorce you! Then I’ll buy a huge mansion, hire a bunch of maids and servants, and just eat and sleep every day. Most importantly…”

She gave a silly giggle. “I’ll support a few handsome young scholars to read to me, massage my legs, and sing little tunes every day!”

Wu Ya had been listening lazily, but at that last sentence, his face instantly went black.

He sat up abruptly, glaring at Li Qiaoqiao: “You dare! Don’t even think about it!”

“Hmph! Once we’re divorced, it’s none of your business!” Li Qiaoqiao made a face at him.

“You!” Wu Ya was speechless with anger. He spun around suddenly, turning his back to her.

His shoulders heaved as if he were truly offended.

Li Qiaoqiao had teased him enough and knew when to stop. She poked Wu Ya’s back, her tone becoming serious: “Hey, seriously, stop it. I have something important to discuss.”

Wu Ya spoke in a muffled, grumpy voice: “Spit it out.”

“We have about two hundred taels of silver in our hands now, right?” Li Qiaoqiao lowered her voice.

At the mention of this fortune, Wu Ya turned back around, his expression turning grave.

This was a sum that could buy dozens of acres of prime land—an astronomical figure in their poor household.

“We have the money, but how do we give it to Mother?” Li Qiaoqiao frowned. “Give it directly? How do we explain the source? Are we going to say we won it gambling? Mother would faint from shock, or she’d think we did something illegal.”

Wu Ya shook his head as well. “Directly giving it definitely won’t work. Sneaking it into her room? No. Mother just dealt with a thief; if she suddenly finds a massive sum of unexplained money in her room, she won’t be happy she’ll be terrified, thinking it’s stolen loot or that we’re in some kind of trouble.”

Both fell into deep thought.

It was indeed a puzzle. They had the money to improve the family’s life, but they couldn’t give it away because the source was inexplicable. It was frustrating.

Suddenly, Li Qiaoqiao’s eyes lit up. She slapped the edge of the kàng bed: “I’ve got it! I have a great idea!”

“What idea?” Wu Ya leaned in curiously.

Li Qiaoqiao beckoned him closer and whispered a long string of instructions into his ear.

As Wu Ya listened, his expression shifted from confusion to surprise, finally settling into a sort of helpless amusement. “What is inside that head of yours? You actually came up with a method like that? It’s too…”

“Too brilliant, right?” Li Qiaoqiao tilted her chin up proudly. “Just tell me if it’ll work or not!”

Wu Ya thought about it. Although he felt the plan was a bit outrageous, on second thought, it really was the best way to explain a large sum of money without scaring Zhang Jinhua.

He sighed and nodded as if accepting his fate. “Fine, fine. We’ll do it your way. I really owe you one.”

No sooner said than done.

Taking advantage of the deep, quiet night when the rest of the family was fast asleep, Li Qiaoqiao took out a high-powered flashlight and pushed open the back door.

Wu Ya, resigned to his fate, picked up the hoe from the corner and followed Li Qiaoqiao as they crept out.

Moonlight like water spilled over the silent courtyard.

Li Qiaoqiao held the flashlight, directing Wu Ya as he grunted and dug.

Wu Ya was drenched in sweat, complaining non-stop, but he honestly kept digging.

A good while later, Wu Ya dragged the hoe back, covered in sweat once again as he followed Li Qiaoqiao back into the room.

Great. The bath he just took was a complete waste!

“Done!” Li Qiaoqiao had a satisfied smile on her face as she clapped her hands. “Now it’s all set. Just wait for the show tomorrow! I guarantee it’ll be logical and no one will suspect a thing!”

Satisfied, she climbed onto the kàng, yawned, and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep with a lingering smile.

Only Wu Ya was left looking at his mud-stained hands and sweaty body, shaking his head helplessly as he went to find water to wash up.

This woman… She really knows how to put a man to work!

But… it also seems… quite interesting.

He glanced at Li Qiaoqiao’s tranquil sleeping face, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved up slightly.

…

The sky was just beginning to pale, and the village roosters were crowing one after another.

Wu Ya rubbed his bleary eyes and followed Wu Duofu out the door with a yawn.

Wu Duofu was a typical peasant taciturn, with a back slightly hunched from years of labor.

He handed Wu Ya a hoe and shouldered another himself, saying in a muffled voice, “Let’s go. To the south slope plot. It’s time to thin the corn seedlings.”