I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 22.2

Madam Jiang was stunned, her mouth slightly open. The hand holding the tea froze in mid-air. She suddenly stood up from the stool, reaching out to pinch her ear. “Stinky brat, does this old lady think you’re asking for a beating?”

Jiang Zhou dodged, pouting. Just as she was about to open her mouth and retort, Lin Muwan pulled her back. “Husband, I want to make dinner myself. It has nothing to do with Mother.”

Listen, listen!

Finally, someone has spoken fairly!

This unmanageable daughter, though she had improved, had started finding ways to provoke her.

Life is unlivable! Fortunately, she had a sensible daughter-in-law.

Madam Jiang calmed herself, glared at Jiang Zhou, and said, “Stinky brat, if you dare to do that again, this old lady won’t forgive you.”

Staying in the village for a long time, though she hadn’t learned the ways of a country woman, her personality had become more unrestrained.

With that, she stopped looking at her and turned to Lin Muwan. “If you don’t feel well, rest. This stinky brat will cook.” You don’t know how to cook, so don’t.

Of course, she didn’t say the last sentence out loud, otherwise, that unmanageable daughter of hers would start fussing again.

She was too noisy. At her age, she preferred to stay quiet.

She waved her hand and returned to her room.

Lin Muwan blushed, pursed her lips, and said, “Husband, you should still be mindful of your behavior when outside.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She bit her lip, feeling wronged. Her eyes suddenly turned red, and the clear eyes were clouded with mist. She turned her head away from Lin Muwan.

She’s angry?

Lin Muwan suddenly wanted to smile, sighed, took her hand, and comforted her. “I know you worry about me. A gentleman should be proper. In public, your words and actions should be appropriate. You’re pulling and tugging at me is disrespectful.”

The usually cold voice, when heard today, was soft and lingering, full of deep affection.

Hearing it softened Jiang Zhou’s heart. She finally knows that I worry about her. As for the second half of the sentence, she automatically filtered it out.

She only heard what she liked to hear.

With a new plan, coupled with Lin Muwan’s sudden change in attitude towards her, Jiang Zhou quickly found a stall in the county town. The rent was ten wen a month. She set up a stove and got to work.

The original price was twenty wen a jin, but on opening day, it was buy-one-get-half-a-jin-free. The aroma of the spicy fried rabbit spread for half a li. People saw there was a bargain to be had, and the smell was too enticing. The twenty jin of rabbit meat Jiang Zhou had prepared were sold out early.

She earned a total of two hundred and sixty wen for the day. Deducting the cost of buying the rabbits, which was offset by the money she earned from selling the rabbit pelts, the two hundred and sixty wen was pure profit. It was indeed more profitable than hunting.

She packed up her stall and returned home just before the sun set. As soon as she entered the house, she went straight to the kitchen, put down the remaining half jin of meat, found a flower pot, scattered the chili seeds inside, watered them, found a thick cloth to cover them, and waited for the seeds to sprout.

“Husband.”

As soon as Jiang Zhou saw Lin Muwan, she immediately grinned widely, as if her smiles were free, her face practically wrinkled with happiness. She went forward and took Lin Muwan’s hand. “Wife, you came at the perfect time. All the meat sold out today.” She took the money out of her bosom and spread it all in her hand. “Look.”

It was somewhat like seeking praise. She rubbed her head against Lin Muwan’s shoulder. Since the night she slept openly embracing Lin Muwan, Jiang Zhou would occasionally act coquettishly towards Lin Muwan, just like a normal woman. Jiang Zhou had always loved being coquettish since she was a child.

When she used to be coquettish at home, her parents always complained that she was too clingy. Later, when she went to the national team, she was either training or busy with competitions, but she would still be coquettish when calling her parents.

Now that she had a wife, being coquettish came effortlessly.

Lin Muwan’s body was slightly stiff. She subconsciously clenched her fingers, worried that Jiang Zhou might notice. She reached out and patted her head. Jiang Zhou followed her hand and rubbed against her palm, just like Zhou Zhou the dog.

She was doing all the things she had once envied Zhou Zhou for.

“Wife, hurry and put the money away. I’m a bit hungry. We won’t cook today. I have half a jin of meat left, and I bought some buns in the county town on the way back. They are still warm.”

Lin Muwan lowered her head, looking at the money in her palm. After a moment of silence, she put it all into her money pouch.

The words she was about to say were swallowed back as she pursed her lips.

She returned to the room to put the money away. When she returned to the kitchen, Jiang Zhou had already set the food on the table. Jiang Zhou peered past her, asking suspiciously, “Where is Mother?”

Lin Muwan said, “Mother said she went to dig wild vegetables with the female butcher at the village entrance today and won’t be back for dinner. She’s eating at the female butcher’s house.”

Jiang Zhou: “???”

Not coming back to eat?

Jiang Zhou: “Is she very familiar with that female butcher?”

Lin Muwan shook her head and walked to the dining table to sit down. Seeing this, Jiang Zhou didn’t think too much about it. It was a good thing that her mother could make friends.

She pushed the rabbit meat towards Lin Muwan, met Lin Muwan’s questioning gaze, poured her a bowl of milk, and smiled. “This is milk. I saw someone raising cows on my way to the county town today, so I ordered some from him. Milk not only relieves spiciness but is also nutritious. We should drink it every day from now on. You and Mother should both drink a cup daily.”

Lin Muwan knew about milk. It was a food of the Barbarians. People in Baisheng found the smell of milk too strong, so few people drank it.

She looked at the milk in the bowl, feeling somewhat reluctant.

“Try a bite of the rabbit meat. I used less chili today.”

Under her scorching gaze, Lin Muwan picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. It was still fiery hot. She didn’t want to drink that smelly milk, so she endured the heat in her mouth, chewed the meat thoroughly, and swallowed it.

However, her reddened eyes and nose betrayed her.

Jiang Zhou pushed the milk closer to her. “Wife, drink it quickly.”

Lin Muwan glanced at it with a look of grievance, picked up the bowl, and took a small sip. Her eyes immediately brightened. The milk didn’t have the fishy smell she expected; instead, it had a sweet fragrance. As she drank it, the burning feeling in her mouth slowly subsided.

She lifted her eyelids, staring at Jiang Zhou.

“Does it taste good?”

“Mhm.” Lin Muwan nodded, lowered her eyes, and took another sip.

“Mother is missing out,” Jiang Zhou lamented.

Lin Muwan lifted her eyelids and looked at her for a moment. Her peach-blossom eyes were filled with a smile at that moment. Lin Muwan also curved her lips in response, then lowered her gaze again.

“Wife, when I’ve stabilized things in town in a few days, you should come with me. Leaving you alone at home during the day, and with Mother going out to dig wild vegetables all the time, I’m worried you’ll be bored. After selling the meat, we can go shopping. My friend will also be there, and I can introduce you,” Jiang Zhou said seriously.

Seeing how earnest she was, Lin Muwan smiled. “We’ll see then.”

“Okay.”

Every morning, the rabbits caught by the villagers would be delivered directly to Jiang Zhou. Jiang Zhou offered two wen more than the market price, so everyone was willing to sell the rabbits they caught to her.

Because it was too early, and she was worried about disturbing Lin Muwan and Madam Jiang, Jiang Zhou conducted the transactions in the thatched cottages courtyard. Every morning, the small courtyard was surrounded by several circles of people, making it quite noisy. Jiang Zhou ended up posting a sign on the courtyard gate that read, ‘No Shouting.’

Once the rabbits were collected, Jiang Zhou hired Zhang Tieniu’s wife, Xinghua. She worked quickly, and the two of them could basically complete the skinning and cleaning in half an hour.

By the time Lin Muwan woke up, breakfast was already prepared. Seeing her come out, Jiang Zhou smiled widely and quickly handed her the washing supplies.

Lin Muwan curved her lips, took the willow twig, dipped it in some salt, pursed her lips, and said, “You go to the kitchen first. I can manage here by myself.”

Being watched by Jiang Zhou made her feel truly ashamed.