I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 19

Linyang County, late autumn.

Soldiers cleared the way, and people on both sides craned their necks to watch. Behind a tall, fine horse, cart after cart carried wooden boxes.

People said these boxes were all filled with porcelain. The soil in Linyang County was special, an excellent material for making porcelain, and there was a government-run kiln outside the city.

These were the ceramics produced there, destined to be presented to the imperial court in the capital.

Jiang Zhou had shed her fine clothes, now dressed in simple peasant attire, indistinguishable from a common villager. She had just sold the game she hunted, and over the past few days, she had successfully built a rapport with the young man who collected the game.

It turned out that the game collector was a fur merchant from the Western Regions, who came every year to buy furs, pricing them based on their quality.

The escort team gradually moved away, and the crowd of onlookers dispersed.

Jiang Zhou, clutching the money from selling the rabbit, boarded the ox-cart returning to the village.

On the road.

Suddenly, sounds of fighting rang out. A man, covered in blood, ran towards them. “Young man, help, please! We ran into bandits.”

Bandits?

This was the first time she had heard this word since crossing over to this world.

For a moment, she couldn’t decide whether to run or stay…

While she was still thinking, the old man driving the ox-cart pulled the cart, ready to leave.

“Hey,” Jiang Zhou stopped him.

“Hurry up and leave! Those bandits kill without batting an eye. If we don’t go now, we’ll all lose our lives.”

“Those people…”

“We can’t even take care of ourselves; how can we care about others?”

As they spoke, several dark-skinned, powerfully built men appeared ahead, each looking fierce and menacing.

The man who had just run over looked at them in terror.

Jiang Zhou instantly understood that these people in front of her were the bandits.

She adopted a defensive stance. The opponents not only outnumbered her but were also armed. Even with her title as the world Sanda champion, she felt a little nervous.

The bandits approached, about ten strong men surrounding them completely. The leader glanced at Jiang Zhou, a slight look of disdain on his face. More poor wretches. Impatiently, he yelled, “Hand over all your money.”

“We are honest farmers, where would we have money?”

“Stop the nonsense.”

The old man tremblingly pulled out five coins from his pocket. These where the very coins Jiang Zhou had just given him today, and they were being taken away before the money had even warmed his hand.

The leader of the bandits glared, and the broadsword in his hand swung down, hitting the wooden barrier of the ox-cart. A deep gash instantly appeared, and the big yellow ox staggered and let out a cry.

“Are you trying to send a beggar away? Do you want a taste of my blade?”

The old man looked despairing, his body trembling as he fell to the ground, mumbling, “I truly have no money, good sirs, please spare my life.”

The wounded man huddled closer to Jiang Zhou and said to the bandits, “I am the Superintendent of the Imperial Kiln appointed by the court. If you dare to kill us, the court will surely send people to investigate thoroughly. When that happens, you won’t be able to save your lives either.”

“Hahaha.” The bandits roared with laughter, as if they had heard something incredibly amusing. “We’ve already robbed the porcelain, why would we be afraid of that?”

The bandits laughed wildly.

Jiang Zhou clenched her fist. The moment the leading bandit got close, she gathered force in her punch and struck the man right in the face. Blood immediately spurted from his nose. Jiang Zhou seized the opportunity, snatched the broadsword from his hand, and held it to his throat.

“Step back.”

The event happened so suddenly that by the time the bandits reacted, their boss was already captured.

They looked at each other.

“Step back, didn’t you hear me?” the captive man shouted.

The other bandits slowly retreated, their blades reflecting a cold gleam in the sunlight.

Jiang Zhou’s mind raced. On one side were ten or so ruthless bandits, and on the other were her companions, so terrified they couldn’t even walk. She had to resolve the situation in front of her.

Thinking quickly, she pressed a hand against the man’s temple, and the man instantly went limp and collapsed onto the ground.

“You brat, what did you do to my elder brother?”

Jiang Zhou glanced at the people opposite her and said to the wounded man, “You watch him, don’t let him run.” She took a deep breath, picked up the sword, and engaged in a fight with the bandits.

These bandits mostly had murder charges against them and had fled to the mountains to become outlaws to evade the government. To speak of fighting skills, they had none. Their clumsy strikes aimed only at vital points, but Jiang Zhou dodged them all. One might call it true luck: a single broadsword and a seemingly weak woman managed to take down over ten big men.

By the time the government reinforcements arrived, Jiang Zhou had only the last bit of strength left, slumped on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Quickly, lift them onto the carriage.”

“Find the best doctor in the county town.”

“Arrest all the bandits.”

Jiang Zhou’s ears were ringing. After a while, she was helped onto the carriage by the government soldiers. She looked back at the old man, who was sitting woodenly on the ground, clearly still in shock.

The soldiers also helped the old man onto the ox-cart and took him to the county yamen (government office) as well.

In the back courtyard of the county yamen, a physician arrived. She was invited from the best medical hall in the county. The person who came was slender and tall. She set down her medicine chest and placed two fingers on Jiang Zhou’s wrist, frowning slightly. She stated calmly, “You are fine.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

The physician looked up at her, a slight astonishment showing on her cold face before she returned to normal. “I left in a hurry and didn’t bring Amoxicillin. The young master can come to the medical hall later to retrieve it himself.”

“Pffft!”

The tea she had just taken a sip of was instantly spat out. Jiang Zhou stared at her, mouth agape in disbelief.

Her eyes actually became a little watery. She felt like crying!

“You’re not from this area either?”

The physician nodded.

“My name is Jiang Zhou. What is your name?”

“Jiang Miao.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Even their surnames were the same. They truly shared a deep connection.

Jiang Zhou was a little excited. “How long have you been here?”

“Six years.”

Jiang Zhou nodded. She was indeed her senior.

“Do the two of you know each other?” the Superintendent of the Imperial Kiln chimed in appropriately.

By now, he had changed out of his blood-stained clothes and washed his face. Only then did Jiang Zhou get a clear look. The man was around thirty, with a small beard, and a square face—he looked like the type of person who was upright and honest.

Her favorable impression of him immediately rose.

“We are from the same hometown,” Jiang Zhou said.

“Then that is indeed a profound destiny.”

Jiang Zhou smiled perfunctorily and quickly changed the subject, afraid of revealing too much information by asking more questions. Jiang Miao, however, looked indifferent, her expression completely unchanged. She checked the Superintendent’s wounds again, and seeing no major problems, she picked up her medicine chest and left.

Since her body was fine, Jiang Zhou prepared to bid farewell to the Superintendent.

Superintendent: “Not so fast. If it weren’t for Brother Jiang this time, I’m afraid not only would the porcelain have been lost, but this official’s life would also have been forfeited there. Such a great favor must be repaid properly.”

Jiang Zhou waved her hand, “It was a small matter, a trifle.”

Superintendent: “It must be repaid.”

With that, he clapped his hands, and several servants walked in from the back hall, each holding a tray. Jiang Zhou stared intently and was startled. Each tray held five silver ingots.

Silver, shining brightly.

Good heavens!

Just now, she had thought of this person as an upright and honest man, but unexpectedly, he was so lavish with his wealth. Sure enough, one should not judge a person by appearance.

How could an honest official have so much money?

“Sir, you are too kind. It is my good fortune to be able to save you,” she flattered him.

It wasn’t that she wanted to be like this, but didn’t all the corrupt officials in TV shows fall for this kind of flattery?

“Ah, Brother Jiang, you are too polite. You must accept this small token of appreciation.”

Faced with the glistening silver, it was impossible not to be tempted. Jiang Zhou swallowed hard and took one ingot from a tray. “Just this one will do. I am a simple farmer, and having too much money might only attract trouble.”

Seeing her honesty, the Superintendent smiled and did not press her further. Instead, he arranged a carriage to send her back to Jiang Family Village.

As soon as she entered the door, Jiang Zhou was stealthily preparing to go back to her room.

“You’re back.”

Jiang Zhou turned her head. Lady Jiang and Lin Muwan had appeared behind her, she didn’t know how.

They had been living in the new house for some time. There were four rooms. Lady Jiang lived in the East Wing, and Jiang Zhou and Lin Muwan lived in the West Wing, separated by a large main hall.

A kitchen was built separately in the courtyard, and the walls were high, so people walking outside could no longer see into the courtyard.

“Yes,” Jiang Zhou turned around and smiled at them, feeling inexplicably guilty.

She steadied herself. Although she had the thought of secretly keeping the fifty silver taels, she hadn’t actually done it, had she?

Why feel guilty?

“Why are you returning so late today? Normally, you’d be back earlier,” Lady Jiang said.

Then her expression changed, and she glared at Jiang Zhou. “You brat, did you go out gallivanting again?”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She wasn’t the original owner anymore.

A wave of helplessness washed over her. How long would she have to carry this baggage? She was getting tired of it.

Fine, she thought, she might as well honestly hand over the money from selling the rabbit and the fifty silver taels she received, and explain the whole situation truthfully.

“What?” Lady Jiang raised her voice, stepping forward to repeatedly check her body. “Are you injured anywhere? Let Mother have a look quickly.”

Jiang Zhou felt shy. She was a grown adult, and having Lady Jiang poke and prod her felt awkward.

“Mother, I’m fine. The doctor already checked me.”

“You brat, you scared your mother to death.”

Jiang Zhou pouted and looked at Lin Muwan. “Wife,” she called out.

Lin Muwan’s face was pale, and she stood frozen in place. Seeing the hand suddenly reaching out to her, her heart jumped, and she took a step back. Recovering herself, she stared blankly at Jiang Zhou, a layer of mist covering her clear eyes. Her lips were tightly pressed together.

“Wife,” Jiang Zhou called again.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Lin Muwan tightened her grip, her fingers hidden in her palms, pressing lightly. She forced a strained smile onto her face. “My husband must be hungry after returning. I’ll go make dinner.”

With that, she started heading toward the kitchen. Jiang Zhou grabbed her wrist. “Wife, why do you look so pale? I’ll go find a doctor to check on you.”

“No need. Maybe I didn’t rest well last night. It’s nothing serious.”

“Oh, then you go back to your room and rest first.” Saying that, Jiang Zhou placed the silver in Lin Muwan’s hand. “Wife, keep this safe. I’ll go make dinner. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me.”

Lin Muwan nodded and left the main hall.

Only Lady Jiang and Jiang Zhou remained in the hall.

Lady Jiang gave her a sidelong glance, feeling a bit unbalanced in her heart. People say that once a man marries a wife, he forgets his mother. Does a daughter who marries a wife also forget her mother?

If she had known this would happen, she should have beaten her hard, really hard, when she was little.

“Mother, what’s wrong with Huanhuan?” Jiang Zhou looked at the tightly closed door, an unspeakable worry in her heart.

Hmph.

Lady Jiang pouted and said irritably, “She probably remembered some unpleasant things from the past.”

“What things?” Jiang Zhou pressed.

“I bought her from the official kiln back then. I heard she was once the daughter of an official, but her parents fell into misfortune, and she was assigned to the official kiln.”

Jiang Zhou frowned, finding it difficult to fully process this news.

Both Lin Muwan’s background and the fact that Lady Jiang had purchased her kept pounding at her nerves.

She calmed herself and continued to ask, “When did Mother buy her?”

Although she had already guessed, she still wanted to hear Lady Jiang say it herself.

Lady Jiang slapped Jiang Zhou’s arm. “You brat, are you confused? I bought her just before you two got married, didn’t I?”

Although Jiang Zhou was drunk that night, she hadn’t forgotten the crucial details. Lin Muwan was a virgin that night, just like herself.

They had just gotten married!

Therefore, Lin Muwan had been bought back not long ago, and she and the original owner had no so-called emotional foundation. Jiang Zhou could not suppress the excitement in her heart. She had been wrong all this time.

But, Lin Muwan was clearly very proactive that night, which was why she lost control and ended up in bed with her.

Love at first sight?

Based on the things she had heard others say about the original owner since she arrived, could Lin Muwan possibly fall in love with such a person at first sight?

It didn’t quite make sense.

Lin Muwan didn’t look like someone who would be so love-struck, either!