I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 28

That night, the bright moon hung high and the sky was full of stars. Lin Muwan, who had expected to sleep soundly, was unusually sleepless again.

With her mother right next to her, she had to be careful even when turning over, which immediately made her feel more irritable.

After the third drum of the night watch sounded, Lin Muwan got up from the bed, casually put on a piece of clothing, and quietly left the room. Her original intention was to sit in the courtyard for a while, but before she knew it, she had entered the kitchen. She closed her eyes, her lips tightly pursed, as if she had made a huge decision. She took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

The person on the bed seemed to sense her presence. The moment she lay down, the person moved closer, contentedly pulling her into an embrace.

When Jiang Zhou opened her eyes early the next morning, she saw the person in her arms. Her heart skipped a beat, but after clearly seeing her surroundings, she couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.

She really hadn’t expected her usually reserved wife to do something like climb into her bed.

So proud and yet so cute.

Jiang Zhou smiled, looked at the sky outside—it was just starting to get light. It was still too early to get up. She couldn’t bear to leave, so she tightened her arm, curved her lips, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.

When she woke up again, it was already the hour of the Rabbit (5–7 AM). She really didn’t want to get up. Jiang Zhou’s rebellious streak kicked in. She was unwilling, but she had to get up. Who would want to get up and buy rabbits from those smelly men when she had a fragrant beauty in her arms?

It was all because of necessity. Jiang Zhou gently kissed Lin Muwan on the forehead before reluctantly climbing out of the quilt. Before leaving, she tucked the corner of the quilt around her.

As soon as Jiang Zhou left, Lin Muwan opened her eyes, staring blankly at the kitchen door. The usual reserve on her face gradually flushed with a faint blush. She closed her eyes and climbed out of bed.

Last night, she had actually taken the initiative to lie down on Jiang Zhou’s bed, and her sleep had surprisingly been excellent. This realization made her feel ashamed. Who knew what that person was thinking of her now?

Suddenly, she regretted her decision from the night before.

On the other side, Jiang Zhou was full of energy early in the morning, and her work was done with enthusiasm. It only took her half an shichen (one hour) to complete all her tasks, a full quarter of an shichen earlier than usual.

She rushed back to the kitchen, only to find an empty bed. The bedsheets were cold, as if everything that happened this morning was just her imagination. A slight sense of loss welled up in her heart.

She had planned to come back early and hold her wife for a little longer, but now there was nothing.

Jiang Zhou sighed and resignedly started preparing breakfast.

Before Jiang Zhou left the house, Lin Muwan emerged from the room, glanced at her, turned her face away, and said indifferently, “Come back early at noon. Mother said she wants to eat fish.”

Jiang Zhou nodded, grinning as she said, “Okay, I’ll buy the fish ahead of time and rush back as soon as the stall closes.”

Lin Muwan pursed her lips, said nothing more, and turned to go back into the house.

Jiang Zhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she watched her retreating figure.

When her stall closed at noon, the little girl from the neighboring wonton stall came over again. The girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. “Brother Jiang, my mother asked you to come and eat a bowl of wontons before you go.”

Jiang Zhou smiled and said, “Thank your mother for her kindness for me. Here’s the leftover meat from today. Take it back to share with your mother. I won’t go because my wife made food and is waiting for me to go home and eat.”

The little girl suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief, and asked, “Brother Jiang, what did you say?”

Jiang Zhou smiled and repeated herself, put the leftover rabbit meat into the girl’s hand, tidied up, and then went to the livestock market at the other end of the marketplace. She asked around, and a cow cost fifteen taels of silver, while an ordinary horse cost twenty taels.

If she bought a cow, she could use it for a lot of farm work. The only drawback was that a cart pulled by a cow was not as comfortable to ride as one pulled by a horse.

After weighing the pros and cons, comfort remained her first priority. She bought a horse and chose a simple cart. As for a proper carriage, she calculated in her mind that she could ask the village carpenter to build one, which would save a lot of silver.

Jiang Zhou paid the money, hitched up the cart, and drove the horse back to the village.

As soon as she entered the house, she saw Lin Muwan waiting in the courtyard. Seeing her return, she pursed her lips, her cold eyes fixed on Jiang Zhou. In the end, she didn’t say a word and turned to enter the kitchen.

It was a strong, warm sun at noon in autumn. Jiang Zhou squinted her eyes and followed behind, delivering the fish to the kitchen. “You leave it. I’ll clean it. I bought a horse at the market today. Later, I’ll find someone to build a carriage. We won’t have to ride in a cow cart when we go to the county town anymore.”

Lin Muwan frowned, her gaze landing on Jiang Zhou’s face. That person had a radiant smile and was a very bright and sunny woman.

“Here’s the rest of the money.” Jiang Zhou stepped forward, pulled the money pouch out of her sleeve pocket, and handed it to Lin Muwan. Then she continued, “I’ll lead the horse in first and be right back.”

Accustomed to her silence, Jiang Zhou didn’t wait for Lin Muwan to respond and left the kitchen in a rush.

Jiang Zhou unhitched the cart, led the horse into the courtyard, found a post, tied it up, and then hurried back to the kitchen. She saw Lin Muwan pursing her lips and staring motionless at the fish in the basin. She smiled and picked up the cleaver. “I’ll kill the fish.”

With that, she picked up the fish with one hand and slammed the back of the knife onto its head with the other. The fish shook once and stopped moving.

“Done,” Jiang Zhou said with a smile. She turned around and saw Lin Muwan’s beautiful eyebrows tightly knitted together as she stared at her.

?!

Jiang Zhou froze instantly, feeling a sudden sense of dread. Did she find her cruel?

Ah!

She should have killed the fish outside before coming back, or at least done it where Lin Muwan couldn’t see.

“Wife—”

“Cook,” Lin Muwan shifted her gaze, crouched on the ground, and began to light the fire.

“I…” Jiang Zhou cleared her throat, wanting to explain, but there was really nothing to explain. She awkwardly shut up, lowered her head, and started cleaning the fish.

At dinner, Lin Mother said she wanted to eat outside, as staying in bed all the time was uncomfortable. Jiang Zhou helped Lin Mother into the main hall to sit down.

“Wife, you keep Mother company. I’ll bring the food,” Jiang Zhou said.

“I’ll go with you.”

“I can manage it myself,” Jiang Zhou held down her hand and smiled at her. “Mother is in the kitchen. Let her help me. You stay with your mother.”

When Lin Mother heard that her in-law was in the kitchen, she insisted that Lin Muwan should go and help. Jiang Zhou scratched her head and said, “Both of you sit. Muwan made all the food; she’s worked hard. I can handle a small task like bringing the dishes.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman’s voice chimed in, “Ah Zhou is right. Dear in-law, please don’t be so polite. It’s Ah Zhou’s good fortune that Muwan married into our family. What’s wrong with letting her do a little work?”

Saying this, she put down the plate of steamed buns and glared at Jiang Zhou. “Hurry up and go.”

Seeing Jiang Mother speak like this, Lin Mother finally relaxed a little. Jiang Mother sat down and started chatting with Lin Mother about domestic matters. After Jiang Zhou brought out the fish, the family began to eat.

It was a harmonious and joyous scene.

In the afternoon, Jiang Zhou helped Lin Mother out into the courtyard to sunbathe, while she herself went up the mountain to cut grass feed. The family already kept rabbits, and now that they had an extra horse, they clearly needed more fodder. Autumn was almost over, and she had to prepare a winter’s worth of feed before the cold weather arrived. Otherwise, when there was no grass on the mountain in winter, the horse and rabbits would go hungry.

She also needed to find suitable timber to build a stable at home. Since she had taken on the responsibility of keeping the horse, she had to care for it properly.

The grass on the mountain was lush, and Jiang Zhou had good stamina, so she quickly cut a cartload of grass feed and returned home early.

…

After dinner, life in the countryside was quiet at night, and everyone went to bed early. The village quieted down by the hour of the Dog (7–9 PM), with only the occasional sound of barking.

Jiang Zhou lay down early, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. She wasn’t sure if Lin Muwan would come tonight.

It wasn’t until deep into the night that the sound of a door opening came from the courtyard. Jiang Zhou quickly closed her eyes. After a while, the kitchen door opened. She knew Lin Muwan had really come. Her hands under the quilt gripped the bedsheets.

Lin Muwan stood by the bed and watched for a long time. Jiang Zhou held her breath, thinking, Why isn’t she lying down yet?

Unable to wait any longer for her sweetheart to move, Jiang Zhou finally couldn’t resist. She reached out from under the quilt and grabbed Lin Muwan’s wrist. Lin Muwan gasped in surprise and was pulled onto the bed. She seemed not yet recovered from the shock, her eyes wide. In the darkness, the two stared at each other, with only the sound of their breathing in their ears.

After a long pause, Jiang Zhou took advantage of the darkness, knelt up on the bed, and leaned in to kiss her on the corner of the mouth.

When she pulled away, her breathing was heavy, and the brief kiss felt utterly unsatisfying. She gritted her teeth and pulled the person into her arms, her warm breath falling on Lin Muwan’s neck, which was ticklish.

Lin Muwan pushed her away slightly.

Jiang Zhou came back to her senses, sighed softly, and embraced Lin Muwan as they both fell back onto the bed. Hugging each other, Jiang Zhou closed her eyes to calm down for a moment, then said softly, “Sleep.”

With a soft, fragrant beauty in her arms, seen but not yet tasted, Jiang Zhou slowly fell asleep in this tormenting state of happiness.

Fuzzy and drowsy, Jiang Zhou had a dream. She dreamed that she had transmigrated into a novel. The heroine of the novel was also named Lin Muwan, and a cannon fodder female supporting character actually shared her name. In the dream, Jiang Zhou was abusive toward Lin Muwan, beating and cursing her. Not only did she bully her herself, but she also colluded with the family servants to torment her. Lin Muwan suffered endless torture in the Jiang family, living a life worse than a dog.

That Jiang Zhou eventually tried to force herself upon Lin Muwan. When Lin Muwan refused, she secretly put that kind of medicine into Lin Muwan’s food. Later, Lin Muwan escaped from the Jiang family and met her true love. With the help of her true love, she not only seized the Jiang family’s property but also severed the Jiang Zhou’s hand and foot tendons, resulting in a miserable end.

The dream abruptly stopped there. Jiang Zhou woke up in a fright. She was gasping for air. After calming down, she turned to look at Lin Muwan.

Everything felt so real.

So, was she the cannon fodder female supporting character in the novel?

Then, the events of the night she transmigrated…

Connecting it with Lin Muwan’s initiative that night, everything seemed to make sense. The bruises on Lin Muwan’s arm were not inflicted by her; they were caused by the original host!

Jiang Zhou’s heart sank. She was currently occupying the original host’s body, so, by extension, did that mean she was the one who hit her?

Just then, a buzzing electric current sound suddenly came from her mind.

What was going on?

After a moment, the buzzing sound stopped, and a childlike voice said, “Hello, Host. I am the Path-Correction System 221. I am happy to be of service.”

Who was talking?

Jiang Zhou looked around. There was no one. Even seeing a ghost on a night like this wouldn’t make her break out in a cold sweat.

As if sensing her panic, the voice said, “Host, don’t be afraid. I am the System that brought you to this world. As long as the Host completes the mission, this body will be yours forever.”

Jiang Zhou slowly calmed herself down. She finally understood that the reason she transmigrated here was all thanks to this System in her head.

So, she asked, “What happened to me in my original world?”

System: “The Host in the original world passed away due to alcohol poisoning and failed resuscitation. As for the Host’s body, it has been cremated, so the Host can only remain in this world. Of course, if the Host fails to complete the specified mission, the consciousness in this world will also be erased, just like the original host.”

Jiang Zhou paused. “Are you saying the original host was killed by you?”

System corrected: “The consciousness was only erased.”

What was the difference between having the consciousness erased and being killed?

Jiang Zhou was unsure what mission the System wanted her to do, but one thing was certain: she would absolutely not do anything illegal or criminal.

System: “Host, you don’t need to worry. I am the Path-Correction System. My main purpose is to…”

“Buzzing…”

A burst of electric current sounds came from her mind again. Jiang Zhou called out several times, but the voice of the Path-Correction System was gone, as if it had only been her imagination.