I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 46

The carriage traveled for an unknown length of time until a faint light began to emerge on the horizon.

Mother Lin slowly opened her tired eyes and saw her daughter staring out the window, the small curtain flapping fiercely in the cold wind.

She grabbed her daughter’s hand, which was frozen purple, and squeezed it, finally unable to suppress a scolding, “You silly child, why aren’t you covering yourself with a blanket? Look at how frozen your hands are.”

She laboriously straightened her back. Although she had never allowed her back to slouch in front of others, the bumpy ride all night had left her with a painful stiffness.

Looking utterly exhausted, she lifted the curtain, “Young man, where are we now?”

The coachman replied, “Madam, please quickly put the curtain down. The wind and snow are heavy outside. We’ll be leaving Qingzhou territory soon. Then we can stop and rest for a while.”

Mother Lin’s voice was weak, “Thank you for your trouble, young man.”

Putting the curtain down, she shifted her body and moved the blanket from her legs towards her daughter. She looked at her, wanting to say something but held back, “Wanwan…”

In the end, she didn’t say anything.

Of course, she knew her daughter was worried about Jiang Zhou, but right now…

Mother Lin sighed. What was to be done?

The child, A Zhou, was missing and her daughter was in this state. How could she not worry?

The carriage did not dare to delay for a moment. After traveling for another stretch of road, they were approaching the border of Qingzhou when a sudden rush of hooves sounded from behind.

Lin Muwan’s breath hitched. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, unconsciously gripped and twisted together.

“Madam, it’s Young Master Jiang following us!” the coachman shouted excitedly. He pulled the reins tight, and the carriage slowly and safely came to a stop by the roadside. Lin Muwan, unable to wait, immediately jumped off the carriage and instantly fell into a warm embrace.

“I’m back.” The person who arrived wrapped the girl he loved with his large cloak and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

Snow was falling everywhere, and the world was hazy.

The two lovers embraced tightly, a bond stronger than any language in the world.

Now, nestled in Jiang Zhou’s warm arms, smelling the familiar woody scent, Lin Muwan finally believed that the person had really come and was safe and sound.

Her eyes suddenly welled up, and tears streamed down uncontrollably. Her body trembled slightly as she suppressed her sobs.

All the grievances and worries of the night seemed to be truly released at this moment.

“Don’t cry. I’m back. I’m fine.” Jiang Zhou tightened her arms, feeling their connection. She was deeply regretful. If she hadn’t spent so much time moving the gold and silver from Zhao Mao’s basement, she wouldn’t have taken so long to catch up.

She should have left that kind of thing for others to do.

“There, there, don’t cry, don’t cry,” Jiang Zhou awkwardly comforted her, worried that she would catch a chill again. Ignoring everyone else, she simply picked her up.

Feeling her feet leave the ground, Lin Muwan gasped. Her mood had calmed significantly now. Her flushed cheeks were buried in Jiang Zhou’s cloak, and her gentle sobs carried a slight tremor: “Don’t get on the carriage. I want to ride the horse with you.”

That certainly wouldn’t do. She was pregnant. How could her body handle that kind of jarring ride?

Jiang Zhou rejected the idea without thinking.

Lin Muwan gripped her lapel tightly, looked up, her delicate face slightly flushed, a tear hanging from her long lashes, about to fall. Her eyes were misty, and Jiang Zhou’s heart skipped a beat.

This temptress.

No one could resist looking at her any longer. She simply used her hand to press the girl further into her embrace.

No matter how pitiful she looked, she couldn’t soften her heart. How could a pregnant woman ride a horse?

If anything happened, it would practically be the death of her.

“No!”

“If you don’t listen, I’ll tell mother-in-law that you’re pregnant. Let’s see if she’ll let you be willful.”

Hearing her threat, Lin Muwan lowered her gaze, pressing the side of her face against the warmth of Jiang Zhou’s chest, clinging to her warmth. After a while, her voice was low, “Let’s sit in the carriage together.”

She compromised.

Jiang Zhou closed her eyes. Save me! Asking online: What to do when your wife is too much trouble?

The carriage was narrow. It was already a tight squeeze for just her and Mother Lin to lie down. Naturally, Jiang Zhou couldn’t squeeze in with them. After all, outwardly, she was still a man, and even with her mother-in-law, she had to maintain a proper distance.

After a moment, a low voice came from her arms again: “Forget it if you don’t want to.” The voice was quiet and sounded a little unnatural.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Had she realized?

Had she finally remembered that her mother-in-law was also in the carriage?

Was she feeling shy?

She couldn’t help but chuckle. Lin Muwan was thin-skinned. Usually, if she made a joke, Lin Muwan wouldn’t speak to her for a long time. This time, she must have been truly worried to hug her and say these things in front of so many people.

Lin Muwan had indeed just realized. As soon as she suggested that Jiang Zhou ride with them, she suddenly remembered the person inside the carriage. But thankfully, Jiang Zhou hadn’t agreed.

She pursed her lips, surprised that she would actively invite her. This was something she would never have done before.

Yet, this lewd fellow had rejected her. Thinking about it made her feel both shy and angry. She reached out and pinched her waist.

“Hiss~” Jiang Zhou looked down at her in disbelief and whispered, “Wife, are you trying to murder your husband!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a hand caressed her waist, gently rubbing the spot where she had been pinched.

The owner of the hand had her entire body buried in the cloak, leaving only the back of her head visible.

Jiang Zhou’s eyes warmed, and the corners of her lips curved up. She slightly exerted force with her arms as she placed the girl onto the carriage, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “I’ll let you pinch me when we get home.”

Then she immediately straightened up, distancing herself from Lin Muwan, and looked at her with a smile in her eyes.

Lin Muwan was stunned. The sudden rush of heat made her ears burn. Just as she was about to scold her, the person had already left.

She was startled by Jiang Zhou’s swift action and looked up into her smiling eyes.

Lin Muwan bit her lip. This frivolous, lewd fellow!

The next second, a small, furry ball appeared in her hand.

Lin Muwan: “?!”

“Let it keep you company for now. The wind and snow are heavy on the road, and we can’t linger here. Get into the carriage and greet Mother-in-law for me.” With that, she turned and leaped onto the horse.

It was then that Lin Muwan saw clearly that five other men were following her.

Lin Muwan: “…”

The heat that had just faded from her face abruptly returned, even more intense than before.

She pursed her lips.

That awful, lewd fellow!

The carriage started moving again. After traveling all night, the group finally crossed the Qingzhou border by chen shi (7-9 AM).

Zhao Mao’s men did not pursue them. Jiang Zhou guessed that he was probably preoccupied and didn’t have the energy to worry about them.

After leaving Qingzhou, Jiang Zhou parted ways with the others. The five men were left behind by Xiao Qi. They had an important task to do: escorting the gold and silver recovered from Zhao Mao’s basement to the military in Baisheng West as military provisions.

The coachman was a person from Mingpin Tower, an insider, and Jiang Zhou let him off at a nearby location.

Jiang Zhou took Lin Muwan to eat something in a nearby county town before continuing their journey. When they returned to Jiang Family Village, the entire village was covered in a layer of snow, and the small river at the village entrance was also covered with a thick layer of ice.

When they left, autumn leaves were falling with the wind, and everything was withered and yellow. Now, a blanket of white snow covered everything.

Although it had only been a little over a month, it felt as long as a whole season.

As soon as they stepped into the familiar small courtyard, a yellow ball rushed out from a corner and hugged Jiang Zhou’s feet.

“Woof woof, woof woof,”

Jiang Zhou instinctively lifted her foot, then saw clearly that it was a small, yellow mongrel puppy, looking fierce yet cute.

“It’s A Fu. I didn’t expect it to still remember us,” Mother Lin sighed emotionally.

Even the little dog, which they had only kept for a few days, remembered them. What about her in-law? Her heart was filled with complex emotions.

They must have hurt her in-law deeply this time.

Thinking about seeing her mother-in-law soon, her heart grew anxious.

Jiang Zhou glanced around the courtyard. They had been inside for a while, but no one had come out of the house.

She couldn’t help but sigh. Could there still be wild vegetables to dig on the mountain in this weather?

She scratched her head, “My mother doesn’t seem to be home.”

Mother Lin managed a strained smile, “My in-law is just as she used to be.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Jiang Zhou felt awkward. How could she be different? She was still going out to dig for wild vegetables in this kind of weather.

She quickly changed the subject to ease the tension, “Mother, Wife, please go inside. I’ll bring the carriage in.”

As soon as she spoke, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a bang from the outside. While the three of them were stunned, a furious woman rushed in, holding a wooden laundry paddle.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Mother Jiang had just been helping Butcher Miao sell meat outside when she heard villagers buying meat saying that her stinky girl had returned.

She grabbed a laundry paddle without thinking and rushed back. This stinky girl had been raised for nothing.

How dare she leave a letter and run away? She was going to beat this stinky girl to death today.

Mother Lin quickly stepped forward to stop Mother Jiang.

“In-law, let’s talk this out nicely.”

“Hmph!”

Talk it out nicely?

What was there to talk about nicely?

She poured her heart out to them, and they turned around and vanished without even a word of goodbye.

Mother Jiang glanced coldly at the three of them, her anger soaring. Of the three, she could only take her frustration out on Jiang Zhou. The thought made her furious, and she raised the laundry paddle to strike again.

Jiang Zhou knew she was going to suffer a beating upon returning, but she hadn’t expected Mother Jiang to be so fierce as to bring a laundry paddle. Was this a joke?

If she lost her grip on that thing, Jiang Zhou might just die here.

Lin Muwan also stepped forward to help dissuade her.

It was no use for anyone to try to stop her, especially these three, who were all involved.

Mother Jiang glared at them, snorted coldly, and raised the laundry paddle.

Just then, Butcher Miao rushed back from outside. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the courtyard, especially the laundry paddle in Mother Jiang’s hand, he was startled.

He quickly stepped forward and grabbed the paddle from Mother Jiang’s hand, “Don’t be impulsive. You were worried about the child and kept fretting every day. How can you grab a laundry paddle now that she’s back?”

“Who was fretting about them? A bunch of ingrates.”

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry.”

Lin Muwan pursed her lips and knelt on the ground.

“Wife,” Jiang Zhou frowned. Why did people in ancient times love to kneel so much? Especially since Lin Muwan was pregnant and the ground was covered in snow, she felt incredibly distressed. She quickly stepped forward, pulled her up, and shielded her behind her back.

“If you want to hit someone, hit me.”

Mother Jiang: “…”

She took a deep breath.

Good!

This stinky girl knew how to care for her wife, so why didn’t she care for her mother? She left a letter and ran away without a word. Was she really such an unreasonable person?

Could she possibly have disagreed with her going to save someone?

“Alright, it’s still snowing. Whatever you have to say, let’s go inside and talk.” Butcher Miao took the laundry paddle from Mother Jiang and tossed it aside. He gave Jiang Zhou a meaningful look.

Jiang Zhou understood that he wanted her to apologize to her cheap mother first. She still needed to give Butcher Miao face, after all, given the current situation, he was very likely to become her half-father.

Jiang Zhou stepped forward and supported Mother Jiang, whispering, “Mother, I know I was wrong. In the future, I will definitely tell you first about anything that happens and will never hide anything from you.”

Right after she finished speaking, Lin Muwan stood beside Jiang Zhou and said softly, “Mother, my husband did this to help me this time. If anyone is to blame, blame me.”

Mother Jiang’s tense expression eased a little. She glanced over the three of them again, her tone still a bit harsh, “Get inside first. I’ll settle the score with you later.”

Once inside, Lin Muwan recounted the entire sequence of events and what happened in Qingzhou to Mother Jiang.

“I can’t believe there are people so shameless,” Mother Jiang said angrily after listening. How could there be such an elder brother, such an uncle? Her own elder brother was very good and wouldn’t do such a thing. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more she felt that Jiang Zhou had done the right thing, which reduced her resentment towards Jiang Zhou.

Tears welled up in Mother Lin’s eyes. She took out a handkerchief to wipe them, feeling a mixture of emotions. A complete stranger could be so devoted to them, but her own biological brother was not only the mastermind who framed her husband but also sought to eliminate them.

When the Zhao family was struggling, her husband had helped them many times. How could she face her husband now?

Thinking of this, she felt another wave of sorrow and used the handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

“You don’t need to be sad. Why be sad over such a person?” Mother Jiang walked over and patted her shoulder, “In-law, you will stay in your original room this time. A Zhou and Wanwan will move into the other courtyard.”

As she spoke, she glanced at her ungrateful daughter. She had abandoned her mother here alone, yet the mother was worried about her daughter having no place to live when she returned, so she had found someone to open up another courtyard next door.

The thought made her furious.

Jiang Zhou also hadn’t expected her cheap mother to build another courtyard for them during this time.

Her eyes welled up instantly. Since transmigrating, this was the first time she had felt such profound motherly love from her cheap mother, so she decided that she would take good care of her mother from now on.

Mother Jiang had already helped move Jiang Zhou and Lin Muwan’s belongings into the new house. The new courtyard was only separated from the original courtyard by an arched doorway. Passing through it led directly to their new home.