I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 25

“My wife!”

Hearing the voice, Lin Muwan came out of the room. Seeing the person covered in dust and limping slightly, her delicate brows furrowed. She pursed her lips and stepped forward to support her. “What’s wrong with your leg?”

“I accidentally fell on the way back, but I’m fine now.” As she spoke, she immediately demonstrated by moving her leg twice.

Seeing that she truly didn’t seem hurt, the worry in Lin Muwan’s eyes lessened. She entered the main hall with her and sat down at the round table. Jiang Zhou placed the packet of tea leaves on the table.

“I felt like you’d enjoy drinking it. Supervisor Yao gave it to me, so I took it.”

Lin Muwan’s gaze paused on the tea packet. Her fingers, hidden under her sleeves, curled into her palms, creating a layer of sweat. She pursed her lips, unsure how to begin speaking.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Zhou immediately guessed what she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t help feeling a little mischievous. She coughed twice and deliberately delayed speaking, waiting for her to ask.

Just then, Mother Jiang came out of the room and immediately asked when she saw Jiang Zhou, “How did things go?”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She glanced at Lin Muwan, feeling regretful. She had miscalculated; she had forgotten about this cheap mother. She hadn’t gone to dig for wild vegetables today and had specifically waited at home.

Under the fear of her cheap mother’s authority, she had no choice but to recount the whole affair.

“I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Lin Muwan said.

“Don’t,” Jiang Zhou laughed, taking her hand. “Don’t let them recognize you again. It’s fine for me to go with Jiang Miao. She’s a doctor, so others won’t be suspicious.”

“But…” Lin Muwan’s eyes reddened slightly. She tried to speak again but saw Jiang Zhou winking at her from the side, trying to make her smile. She bit her lip and turned her slightly flushed face away.

“Didn’t Azhou say she could rescue her mother-in-law tomorrow night? Just wait at home in peace. As far as the government is concerned, you’re a dead person. Popping up now is just asking to be arrested,” Mother Jiang consoled her.

“Mhm.” Lin Muwan nodded, unable to suppress the bitterness in her heart. When the Lin family fell into misfortune, her former friends avoided her, yet the person who ultimately stood by her was someone she had only known for just over twenty days.

How could her heart not be moved?

“My wife, will there be a reward for rescuing Mother-in-law this time?”

The demand for this reward was somewhat perplexing. The person standing nearby panicked slightly, abruptly looking over. Her slightly flushed face tightened.

Her expression was vigilant, staring fixedly at her.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Did she say something wrong?

Jiang Zhou swallowed, thinking this is not good. Looking at her expression, she seemed to have misunderstood again. However, seeing her face was more expressive, a weight was lifted from her heart.

Forget it. A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding. Any method that diverts her emotions is fine.

The family had rarely gathered recently. Jiang Zhou had to get up early to set up her stall, didn’t come home for lunch, and in the evening, Mother Jiang often stayed at Butcher Miao’s house for dinner. Although they lived together, instances like this, where they gathered to chat, were very few. So, the three of them talked about family matters for a while longer.

As the sky began to darken, Jiang Zhou got up to start cooking, but she was stopped by Mother Jiang. “You stay here and keep your wife company. I’ve noticed Wanwan hasn’t looked well these past few days. Spend some time with her; I’ll handle the cooking.”

Jiang Zhou chuckled, “I’ll go instead. You two chat.”

“I’ll go!” Her attitude was firm and brooked no refusal.

Jiang Zhou was momentarily stunned. She turned her head towards Mother Jiang, looking confused. Mother Jiang became embarrassed by the scrutiny, cleared her throat, and looked flustered. She pushed Jiang Zhou onto the stool, her tone somewhat panicked, loudly saying, “You keep your wife good company, I’ll go!”

With that, her figure quickly disappeared through the doorway.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Jiang Zhou was a bit bewildered. She looked suspiciously at Lin Muwan and, after a long silence, uttered a sentence: “Is she feeling guilty about something?”

Lin Muwan shook her head.

“Oh, then never mind her,” she said, pausing, then stood up, looking serious. “Wife, I have to go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things, in case she tries to poison me.”

Lin Muwan: “???”

Before she could react, Jiang Zhou burst into loud laughter, causing the beauty’s face to turn cold. She quickly returned to the room, and a loud “bang” was heard as the wooden door shook lightly.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

It was just a joke, right? Jiang Zhou rubbed her nose. Why is she so angry?

She had meant to say that with her cheap mother’s cooking skills, letting her cook was simply a waste of food.

Was she wrong?

Never mind, I should still go check on the kitchen.

As expected, Mother Jiang couldn’t even distinguish salt from sugar, yet she wouldn’t let Jiang Zhou help. The result was predictable.

“My wife, which one do you want to eat? Your husband will help you get some.”

There were three dishes on the table. Two were slightly burnt, and while the remaining one wasn’t burnt, the color wasn’t very appealing.

Jiang Zhou teased her and didn’t forget to raise an eyebrow at Lin Muwan. Before her expression could change, she conjured a bowl of noodles from behind her back and pushed it towards her.

Taking advantage of Mother Jiang being in the kitchen to bring out more food, she leaned closer and whispered, “See for yourself if I was wrong to doubt her.”

After saying this, she looked at her with a wronged expression.

This person is so unserious all the time.

‘Hooligan!’

Thinking this, Lin Muwan lowered her eyes, avoiding her intense gaze, and curled her lips where she couldn’t see.

After dinner, having slept a lot during the day, Lin Muwan found herself a bit restless. Since the weather was warm today, she moved a stool and sat in the courtyard. The night was serene, with the sky full of stars, and her mood was particularly relaxed.

Jiang Zhou washed the bowls and came out to see this beautiful scene of a beauty admiring the stars. The woman’s slender neck was slightly tilted back, dignified and elegant, her dark hair pulled back into a married woman’s bun.

At this moment, Jiang Zhou was reminded of the peach blossom hairpin she had seen when they first went to town. The peach blossoms were brilliant and dazzling, just like Lin Muwan—even living in the countryside could not conceal her grace.

“Does husband know how to play chess?” Lin Muwan turned to look at her.

Jiang Zhou was stunned for a moment, then nodded, “I’m not very good.”

Lin Muwan said, “I haven’t played for a long time. You’ll have to go easy on me later, husband.”

Seeing her say this, Jiang Zhou hurriedly went inside, retrieved a candle holder, placed it next to the stone chessboard, and took out the chess pieces. Her gaze lingered between the black and white baskets. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed the basket of white pieces towards Lin Muwan.

Lin Muwan was silent for a moment. Jiang Zhou quickly made an excuse: “Wife, use the white pieces. It’s dark, and the white pieces will be clearer to see.”

Lin Muwan didn’t expose her, curled her lips, and motioned for her to make the first move. Jiang Zhou was already a bad player, so the game ended quickly.

After one game, Jiang Zhou’s expression was displeased. She pouted and grumbled, “Wife, your chess skills are so good, yet you wouldn’t even let me have one piece. That’s very boring.”

Lin Muwan thought for a moment, “Shall we play another round?”

Jiang Zhou was silent for a while. She didn’t really want to play. Her chess skills were clearly weak, and losing again would be a loss of face. However, facing Lin Muwan’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t bear to refuse and had to reluctantly make a move.

The result was predictable, lasting only about a quarter of an hour longer than the previous game.

Jiang Zhou scratched her head. If she hadn’t been careless just now, Lin Muwan wouldn’t have won so quickly. Feeling a little unconvinced, she said, “One more game!”

Lin Muwan’s lips curved, “It’s getting late, and I’m a little tired. I’ll play chess with you next time, husband.”

With that, she began to clear the chessboard, separating the black and white pieces back into their baskets.

Jiang Zhou pursed her lips, highly suspecting that she deliberately piqued her interest and then refused to play with her again. This person’s desire for revenge is really too strong.

Is it really okay to do this with such a cold and aloof face?

Finally, looking reluctant, she followed Lin Muwan back to the room. Once inside, she ignored Lin Muwan, took off her outer clothes, and burrowed under the quilt, lying down completely covered, with only her head sticking out. “Wife, there’s no reward for what I asked for today either?”

Lin Muwan froze. She closed her eyes, pretending not to hear, and calmly blew out the candle. Just as she approached the bed, the person suddenly sat up, the quilt slipping to her waist, exposing her white undergarment. Her slender figure was faintly visible. Jiang Zhou opened her arms and was about to pull her into a hug.

Lin Muwan quickly retreated and dodged, glaring at her. She turned and circled around her, climbing onto the bed from the other side.

Jiang Zhou wasn’t angry. She smiled and helped her pull back the quilt. “Come in quickly, I’ve already warmed up the bed for you.”

Her expression was as serious as could be, but her hands were not idle. As Lin Muwan came over, she unexpectedly grabbed her white jade-like hand and squeezed it in her own. Lin Muwan’s heart skipped a beat, and she tried to withdraw her hand.

Why is this hooligan doing this again?

Lin Muwan was ashamed and annoyed but couldn’t do anything about her. As long as she didn’t move her hands and feet around anymore, she would let her be.

Jiang Zhou smiled widely and pulled her to sit down beside her, playing with her jade-like hand. It was soft, completely different from her own hand, which had been trained for many years. Holding her hand felt entirely different from holding a teammate’s hand.

As her mind wandered, her heart thumped wildly. She really wants to kiss her.

Even with Jiang Zhou’s thick skin, her face reddened at this moment. She secretly lifted her eyelids and glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Lin Muwan was turned away, and Jiang Zhou could only see her profile. Her long eyelashes fluttered up and down like a cicada’s wing, and her nose bridge was high and straight.

The more she looked, the more she wanted to kiss her.

Just a kiss on her eyes, she shouldn’t be angry, right?

Jiang Zhou swallowed. Her desire stirred slightly. She moved a little closer, and then a little closer. Lin Muwan turned her head, her eyes moist and sparkling under the moonlight, especially bright.

Jiang Zhou’s heart tightened. The cluster of desire that had just ignited in her heart immediately subsided. She quickly turned back and grasped Lin Muwan’s body. “Wife, what’s wrong?”

Lin Muwan shook her head. She truly was fine; she was just feeling a little melancholic.

She didn’t know why, but near this person, she was less able to control her emotions. She smiled faintly, removing her hand from her arm. “I’m really fine. I’m just feeling a little emotional thinking about seeing Mother tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhou nodded, seemingly understanding, and gently guided her to lie down. She pulled the quilt over her and then lay down herself.

On an autumn day, the sky was high and clear, and the moonlight was rich at night. Lin Muwan lay on her back, gazing at the bed canopy, her eyes lost in confusion. The person beside her had clear, clean eyes, and every little thought was written plainly on her face.

Are there truly such pure people in the world? Will she suddenly disappear one day, just as she suddenly appeared in her life, a flash in the pan?

In her eighteen years of life, this was the first time she had so intensely wanted to keep someone.

“Wife.”

“Mhm.” Lin Muwan responded softly and turned her head, meeting a pair of eager eyes. She chose not to dodge but to meet the gaze.

Waiting for her next sentence, after a moment, the person stammered, “Um, can I… ask for a reward?”

The air in the room suddenly went silent, audible only to the drop of a needle. Lin Muwan gripped the corner of the quilt with both hands. She clearly saw in those eyes: I want to kiss you, I want to kiss you.

Lin Muwan lowered her eyes.

In Linyang County, rain was rare in autumn, but the weather was uncooperative, and a continuous drizzle began early in the morning. The rain pattered against the carriage. The muddy road made the carriage bumpy and travel somewhat difficult. The carriage swayed from side to side, and Jiang Zhou’s thoughts drifted. Last night, she didn’t know what she was thinking when she asked that question. Under Lin Muwan’s gaze, she waited nervously and anxiously. After an unknown period of time, she only heard a faint voice, “Get up early tomorrow, sleep now.” It was like a basin of cold water poured down, extinguishing all her passion.