I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 50

“My wife~”

“The baby is here—”

“Hm?” Jiang Zhou paused, then leaned forward, lightly resting her face against Lin Muwan’s neck, letting out a low chuckle. One hand gently circled Lin Muwan’s slightly protruding abdomen.

“She can’t hear,” Jiang Zhou whispered.

How is my wife so cute? The fetus is only four months old; it must have just formed. How should I explain this to my wife?

Lin Muwan’s expression stiffened, becoming increasingly cold.

Jiang Zhou was taken aback. “No, I—”

Lin Muwan pushed her away, got up, and quickly left the room.

Jiang Zhou followed close behind. She hadn’t meant to laugh; she just found her wife’s shyness utterly adorable. Why had she gotten angry?

Jiang Zhou followed Lin Muwan into the kitchen and saw her scooping water. “Wife, let me help you.”

Lin Muwan glanced at her, turned away, avoided her, and began to wash up.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

She touched her nose. I’m truly wronged! Why is she still upset? Jiang Zhou sighed slightly, tugged at her sleeve, and pleaded, “Wife, listen to me. The baby can’t hear. I laughed just now because I thought you were so cute…”

“Be quiet!”

This annoying scoundrel! Lin Muwan pursed her lips, hung the washcloth over the wooden basin, and turned to leave the kitchen.

Jiang Zhou watched her retreating figure and sighed helplessly. What is it like to have a wife who is easily embarrassed? Do I have to wait until the child is born to consummate our marriage?

No! Absolutely not!

I still have to wait several months!

She annoyedly scratched her head. After quickly washing up, she returned to the room. Lin Muwan was leaning against the bed, holding a book. Seeing Jiang Zhou return, Lin Muwan’s eyelids fluttered, her hand clutching the book tightened instantly, and her gaze was fixed on the pages, though in reality, she wasn’t reading a single word.

Jiang Zhou walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and showed a row of white teeth in a ingratiating smile that looked quite cheap. “Wife.”

Lin Muwan frowned, responded faintly, and didn’t spare her a glance, keeping her eyes on the book as if Jiang Zhou had interrupted her reading.

After a long while, seeing that Lin Muwan had no intention of putting the book down, Jiang Zhou felt a little jealous. She stared at Lin Muwan’s face for a long time. When she realized Lin Muwan genuinely didn’t intend to speak to her, Jiang Zhou took off her outer clothes, climbed into bed only in her undergarment, and lay down beside Lin Muwan.

She looked up at Lin Muwan. “Wife, what are you reading?” Her tone was a little sour.

“Just a common novel.” Her voice was flat.

Jiang Zhou remembered. She had bought these novels before when she was selling her wares in town, worried that Lin Muwan would be bored at home and would need something to pass the time.

However, Lin Muwan hadn’t seemed to like reading them, and the novels had been tossed in a corner. If Lin Muwan hadn’t mentioned them now, Jiang Zhou would have completely forgotten about them.

The fact that Lin Muwan had picked them up now felt strange, somehow wrong. What is it?

Suddenly, Jiang Zhou’s eyes lit up. Her throat instinctively bobbed, and she found it hard to believe.

Lin Muwan is still shy!

So, pulling out these novels she doesn’t even like is purely to cover up her embarrassment!

How can she be so cute?

Jiang Zhou’s lips curved into a smile. This time, she was smarter. There are many kinds of smiles; why must she laugh out loud?

Once she figured it out, Jiang Zhou couldn’t suppress the joy in her heart. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Lin Muwan’s waist, burying her face against her. All she could breathe in was the faint, delicate fragrance of Lin Muwan.

The white, thin undergarment tightened around Lin Muwan’s waist as Jiang Zhou’s arms constricted, making her slender waist faintly visible in the candlelight.

Lin Muwan’s body trembled again. Her voice was stiff. “Sleep.”

Jiang Zhou chuckled. “My wife is right. We should sleep at night. Reading hurts the eyes. I’ll blow out the candle.”

With that, she let go of Lin Muwan, got up, and, without giving Lin Muwan a chance to object, quickly snatched the novel from her hand, got out of bed, extinguished the candle, and swiftly ducked back under the covers. The speed was so fast that before Lin Muwan could react, everything was dark, and she was once again pulled into that familiar embrace.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Jiang Zhou was awakened by sounds coming from outside. She rubbed her eyes. Lin Muwan was curled up soundly asleep in her arms.

No firewood had been added during the night, and the heated dikang (fire pit under the bed) had long cooled. The room temperature had dropped sharply. Jiang Zhou slowly withdrew her arm, got up, and went to the kitchen to restart the dikang fire.

The noise outside sounded again, like many people passing the front gate, followed by a clanging sound.

“Who is it this early in the morning?” Mother Jiang entered the kitchen, yawning and covering her mouth. Seeing Jiang Zhou, she paused.

Jiang Zhou: “Mother, why are you up so early?”

Mother Jiang’s expression was slightly unnatural. “Your Aunt Miao finally doesn’t have to get up early to set up her stall. I wanted her to sleep a little longer. If I had known you were in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have gotten up.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

“By the way, what’s that noise outside? Why is it so loud?” Mother Jiang asked.

Jiang Zhou shook her head, her gaze fixed on her cheap mother. I didn’t expect her to be so considerate.

She couldn’t help but let out a soft “Tsk~”

I didn’t notice it before!

She hides it well.

Jiang Zhou looked at her cheap mother with a half-smile.

“What are you staring at me for? Aren’t you going to go see who is so wicked as to disturb people’s sleep this early?” Mother Jiang grew even more uneasy under her gaze and couldn’t help but raise her voice.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

Mother Jiang glanced at the courtyard gate, muttering, “Are they sick? How early is it? I’m going to see who it is!”

With that, she turned and fled the kitchen, afraid that Jiang Zhou would ask her about her relationship with the butcher, Aunt Miao, again.

Sigh, it’s really hard for me. I have to comfort my wife on one hand and figure out how to explain things to my daughter on the other.

But wait a minute, she thought. Ah Zhou also married a woman. She should be able to accept the fact that I’m also marrying a woman, right?

She shook her head, temporarily tossing the troubling question out of her mind. The immediate problem needed solving first. That other matter could wait.

Mother Jiang opened the courtyard gate. Upon seeing the person, her face instantly turned cold. She put her hands on her hips and spoke in an unfriendly tone. “What are you doing here?”

“Madam, I came to see you and Ah Zhou, and to let you know that I’ll be moving into the courtyard right in front of yours from now on.” When Jiang De Cai saw it was Mother Jiang, he was even happier. This woman before him was his first wife, married for twenty years, who not only bore him no grudges but also managed the Jiang household perfectly. It’s all my fault for being temporarily confused, he thought. He believed that with a few sweet words, she would return to his side. Then, naturally, his son would follow him back to the Jiang family. With the title of Martial Arts Champion father, the Jiang family’s return to its former glory was within reach!

It might even surpass its former glory.

So, he smiled more warmly, calling her “Madam” repeatedly.

Mother Jiang frowned. “You’re moving here?”

Jiang De Cai chuckled. “Yes. I’ve entrusted someone to sell the house in town. From now on, our family will live in Jiang Family Village. Ah Zhou is successful now, and later on…”

“Stop!” Mother Jiang interrupted him. “Are you crazy? Who is our family with you?”

“Madam, I know you still resent me. I was confused back then.”

“Jiang De Cai, I’m saying it one more time: I am not your wife, and Ah Zhou is not your son. Get lost immediately! If you dare to knock on this door again, you better watch out for my stick! Now, scram!”

With that, she slammed the door shut. What a bad start to the morning!

She turned and furiously returned to the kitchen. The matter only infuriated her more as she thought about it, and her complexion worsened.

Seeing her state, Jiang Zhou quickly asked, “Who was knocking on the door so early?”

Mother Jiang, still raging, recounted the incident.

I didn’t expect this Jiang De Cai to be so shameless.

She wouldn’t have cared about falling out with him before, but now Ah Zhou was the Emperor’s appointed Wuzhuangyuan. If he kept causing trouble, it might harm Jiang Zhou’s reputation.

If I let him keep harassing us…

Mother Jiang felt a burst of anxiety.

Jiang Zhou saw through her worries and smiled. “Mother, don’t worry yet. We’ll just ignore him. If he’s smart enough not to bother us, he can live wherever he likes. But if he keeps pestering us, then we’ll figure out a way to drive him out of Jiang Family Village. It’s just…”

She looked at Mother Jiang as she spoke.

Mother Jiang felt uneasy under her gaze. Just what?

“Just, have you figured out how to explain things to Aunt Miao?”

Mother Jiang: “Explain? Explain what?”

With that, she turned and fled the kitchen, her steps flustered.

Jiang Zhou shook her head, wearing an expression of someone ready to watch a good show.

After breakfast, everyone tacitly returned to their own rooms. They had agreed yesterday to turn away all visitors from now on.

Before leaving, Mother Jiang suddenly called out to Jiang Zhou. Lin Muwan glanced back, her expression indifferent, and returned to the room alone without saying a word.

Only Jiang Zhou and Mother Jiang remained in the hall.

“Ah Zhou.” Mother Jiang paused.

Jiang Zhou nodded, waiting for her to continue.

After a long silence, Mother Jiang seemed to make a massive decision and spoke again: “Your Aunt Miao, she…”

She paused again.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

What is going on?

What exactly does my cheap mother want to say? She’s made my heart race for so long.

“It’s about the matter between me and your Aunt Miao.”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhou suddenly realized. Heh, I thought it was something serious.

I can relax now.

Wait!

Is my cheap mother hesitating because she broke up with Aunt Miao?

Jiang Zhou tilted her head, assessing her. After some thought, It doesn’t look like it.

Jiang Zhou looked at Mother Jiang in confusion, feeling a little anxious. Her mind quickly ran through the events. From the way they ate breakfast, nothing seemed unusual. Aunt Miao had still attentively served her favorite dishes to her cheap mother. She didn’t look angry.

Then, why is my cheap mother stammering?

Could it be that the morning’s annoyance finally spurred her to give Aunt Miao a formal status?

It turned out she was right. After a lot of beating around the bush, Mother Jiang finally made her intentions clear. Jiang Zhou held back a laugh, offered a few words of encouragement, and expressed her support.

The matter that had troubled Mother Jiang for so many days was resolved so easily that she still felt a sense of disbelief.

Jiang Zhou returned and immediately discussed the matter with Lin Muwan. They both agreed that it was best to act sooner rather than later. They decided to go to town today to buy the necessities for the wedding and, while they were at it, take Lin Muwan to the doctor. Although the conditions in ancient times were poor and they couldn’t have regular prenatal check-ups, it was necessary to visit the medical clinic every once in a while, for a pulse check.

While same-sex marriage was not legally recognized in Bo Sheng’s laws, they couldn’t skip the necessary ceremonies. They had just discussed it with Mother Jiang. They still needed to give the butcher, Aunt Miao, a wedding. They would not invite anyone but would simply have a small ceremony and a meal together as a family at home. They would close the door and live their life. Outside, they would call each other sisters; at home, they would be husband and wife.

Jiang Zhou led the carriage out. Driving slowly against the wind and snow, they left Jiang Family Village. They bought ready-made phoenix coronets and ornate robes, dragon and phoenix candles, red silk fabric, and even a large red wedding quilt. Jiang Zhou meticulously prepared everything.

How could a wedding lack food and drink? After buying these things, they would likely fill the carriage again. Fearing that too many items in the carriage would make Lin Muwan uncomfortable, she hired an ox cart to deliver the purchased food and drinks directly home. The old man driving the ox cart was familiar with Jiang Zhou and readily agreed. Since Jiang Zhou was generous with money, he was very happy to make the trip.

After finishing the purchases for the wedding, Jiang Zhou took Lin Muwan to the medical clinic. The baby was healthy. She also asked the doctor about a few precautionary measures. Only then did the two hurry the carriage back home.