I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 54

Jiang Zhou raised her hand and knocked on Mother Lin’s door. After a moment, the door opened from the inside, revealing a beautiful face. She smiled, “Did you find the fabric? Why don’t I go to the county town and buy some?”

Lin Muwan raised her head, looked at her eyes, and pursed her lips, “Mother has dug out all the fabrics you bought before, saying she wants to start making clothes for the baby tomorrow. It’s a pity I don’t know how to sew, otherwise…” As she spoke, she stepped aside for Jiang Zhou, leading her into the room.

“You don’t need to busy yourself with this. If worse comes to worst, we can just buy finished clothes,” Jiang Zhou said.

“Oh, you child, how can store-bought clothes compare to handmade ones? Leave this matter to me. You two don’t have to worry about it,” Mother Lin interrupted her.

Children these days really don’t know how to manage money. Why would you buy baby clothes when you can make them? The fabric bought outside is stiff and the craftsmanship isn’t good.

Mother Lin fiddled with the fabric in her hands, chatting incessantly. Lin Muwan curved her lips, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. She sighed softly. This was the first time her mother had smiled genuinely since her father was imprisoned.

Perhaps she should have told her mother about the pregnancy sooner. Looking at the person beside her, whose eyes were crinkled with a smile, she lowered her gaze. This person always made her feel safe.

Things that seemed unsolvable to her were easily resolved by this person with just a few words.

She pursed her lips, thinking how fortunate she was to have her company.

Would this person, who suddenly appeared in her life, suddenly leave again?

Lin Muwan’s expression dimmed. She withdrew her gaze and hid her thoughts.

Jiang Zhou accompanied Lin Muwan in Mother Lin’s room for a while, and then the two went back to their own room.

The reason: a pregnant woman should not overexert herself and needs more rest.

Days always passed in peace. The Lunar New Year’s Eve was fast approaching, and Lin Muwan’s belly was already five months along, slightly bigger than before. Since the road to the county town was bumpy, the responsibility for preparing New Year’s goods fell on Jiang Zhou and Butcher Miao.

Early that day, the two drove to the county town, bought the New Year’s goods, and even added a new piece of clothing for everyone in the family.

Upon their return, they saw Jiang Decai lurking suspiciously at the door. Jiang Zhou stepped forward and asked coldly, “What are you doing here?”

“Ah Zhou, you’re back. It’s almost the New Year, and I was thinking that a family should celebrate the New Year together…”

“Who is family with you?” Jiang Zhou interrupted him. Her peripheral vision glanced at Butcher Miao; seeing no abnormal reaction from her, she felt slightly relieved.

This Jiang Decai kept pulling stunts like this from time to time, and over time, it was inevitable that it would affect the relationship between her cheap mother and Aunt Miao. It seemed the previous plan should be put into action.

She pondered for a moment, shifting her attention back to Magistrate Ming. Perhaps asking him for this favor would save her a lot of trouble.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Zhou found a time to visit the county yamen and discussed the matter with Magistrate Ming. The magistrate readily agreed. A few days later, people began saying that Jiang Decai’s business in the county town was in trouble. He was accused of selling private salt, a severe crime punishable by death.

Tsk~

Jiang Zhou raised an eyebrow. She didn’t expect Magistrate Ming to be such a ruthless character.

The government had sealed all of Jiang Decai’s shops and confiscated them. When Jiang Zhou saw Jiang Decai in the prison, he was completely sunken, his face pale. As soon as he saw Jiang Zhou, he clung to her like a drowning man, crying, “Ah Zhou, save me quickly! I really didn’t sell private salt; I’ve been framed! You are the top martial scholar; go and tell the county magistrate, he will definitely believe you.”

Jiang Zhou said, “I can go, but you are never to appear in front of me again. Otherwise…”

Jiang Zhou gave a playful smile, then continued, “I don’t guarantee who will be able to save you next time.”

“What did you say?” Jiang Decai immediately collapsed onto the floor, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief as he stared at Jiang Zhou.

He finally understood. This was Jiang Zhou’s doing!

He wanted to object, but he opened his mouth and said nothing. He wanted to live. He didn’t want to die, especially not in a place like this. During his time in prison, he had seen people tortured to death and prisoners fighting each other. He was afraid; he was truly afraid.

Jiang Decai nodded dully.

He had to get out!

Jiang Zhou kept her promise and released him. Later, she truly never saw Jiang Decai again. As for the house he had bought, it remained empty and unoccupied.

Lunar New Year’s Eve.

Jiang Zhou spread the red couplet paper on the table, set out the ink, and happily handed the brush to Lin Muwan, saying, “My wife, you can start writing.”

Lin Muwan curved her lips, picked up the brush, looked down in thought, and wrote a couplet with a beautiful meaning.

“My wife is truly amazing,” Jiang Zhou praised sincerely.

“You naughty girl, your wife is pregnant, and you still make her do this kind of work?” As Mother Jiang entered from outside, she saw Jiang Zhou standing to the side and Lin Muwan writing the couplet with her head bowed. She was immediately infuriated and slapped Jiang Zhou on the head.

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Why the hitting again? Jiang Zhou rubbed the sore spot, feeling a little wronged. She did want to write it herself, but how could she present her handwriting?

Forget it. She glanced at Mother Jiang. Her cheap mother didn’t mind, and she wasn’t afraid of embarrassment. She would write! The couplets were done; all that was missing were a few ‘Fu’ (Fortune) characters. Could that stump her?

Jiang Zhou took the brush and diligently wrote a ‘Fu’ character on the red paper.

After writing, she looked at the character on the red paper with satisfaction. Not bad. The brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, and the writing was smooth and flowing.

Tsk~

She really hadn’t expected to have such talent in this area.

Mother Jiang closed her eyes, pulled Butcher Miao, and turned to the kitchen.

Jiang Zhou looked at their retreating figures, confused. She looked at Mother Lin.

Mother Lin looked at the ‘Fu’ character, opened her mouth, and after a moment said, “Ah Zhou, this handwriting… hmm, it’s good.”

With that, she returned to her room, unable to resist rubbing her eyes. Why did her eyes feel a little sore?

Jiang Zhou: “…”

“My wife, they…” What did they mean?

Lin Muwan chuckled, “Husband, your calligraphy is full of emotion, with a nice balance of expansion and strength. With diligent practice, you will surely achieve great accomplishments in calligraphy in the future.”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhou’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Lin Muwan smiled and nodded.

But why did Lin Muwan’s praise feel strange? It was just writing a ‘Fu’ character. She had just written it seriously; she hadn’t put any emotion into it.

Lin Muwan’s word choice was inaccurate.

Never mind. She wouldn’t quibble with Lin Muwan. She knew she wanted to praise her, so what if she didn’t use the right words?

Jiang Zhou joyfully posted the couplets and ‘Fu’ characters. The whole family spent a peaceful and harmonious Lunar New Year.

After the New Year, the trip to the capital was put on the agenda. Xiao Qi, far away in Qingzhou, also sent a letter saying he would leave for the capital soon.

Jiang Zhou looked at Lin Muwan’s slightly protruding abdomen, feeling a faint worry. “My wife, why don’t I go by myself? Anyway, Xiao Qi said your father should be released after the New Year.”

Mother Lin: “Exactly, Wanwan. The journey to the capital is long. I truly don’t feel at ease with you going along.”

“Mother, I’m fine. The doctor also said it would be okay as long as I rest on time,” Lin Muwan said with a smile.

“No, I discussed it with Aunt Miao, and we’ll both go with you. It’ll be good to have people to look after you on the way,” Mother Jiang said.

Lin Muwan’s heart tightened. She knew that her mother-in-law still didn’t completely believe that the child was Jiang Zhou’s, but she had chosen to accept it. Sometimes, her care for her even surpassed that of her own mother.

This time, she was traveling all the way to the capital for her sake. How could Lin Muwan not be moved?

She looked at Mother Jiang with gratitude in her eyes.

Jiang Zhou couldn’t persuade them otherwise, so she had to settle for a compromise and went to the county town to buy a simple yet comfortable carriage. Originally, she had planned to travel with Xiao Qi, but now that she had Lin Muwan with her, a speedy journey was impossible. So, she chose to travel independently. Worried about potential dangers on the road, she hired a few skilled female bodyguards from a nearby security firm to escort them all the way.

“My wife, try this.” Jiang Zhou took out a plate of exquisite pastries from the food box, pinched a piece, and offered it to Lin Muwan’s lips.

Lin Muwan raised her eyes, curved her lips, and took a small bite, slowly chewing.

“How is it? Isn’t it delicious?” Jiang Zhou’s eyes sparkled, her peach blossom eyes filled with stars, offering it up like a treasure. “I bought it only after tasting it and finding it delicious.”

Lin Muwan nodded, leaning against Jiang Zhou’s embrace. She had been held in this person’s arms almost the entire journey. The carriage moved very slowly. What should have been a half-month journey had taken them a whole month of stopping and starting, and they still hadn’t arrived.

She had seen scenery all the way. Although it was not as beautiful as spring or autumn, the different snowscapes in each region had their own unique charm, a completely different feeling from the time she was banished.

Jiang Zhou popped the remaining half of the pastry into her own mouth, chewed a couple of times, and picked up another piece from the plate. “This one is a floral pastry. It’s a new product developed by the Ming Pin Restaurant. It’s rare to have fresh flowers to eat this season.” Her words were slightly muffled by the food in her mouth.

Lin Muwan curved her lips and covered her mouth to yawn.

“My wife, are you sleepy? Lie down quickly and rest for a bit.”

Lin Muwan sighed helplessly, “I’m not sleepy. It’s probably just from being cooped up in the carriage with nothing to do.”

Jiang Zhou thought seriously for a moment and opened the carriage door. “Let’s find a place up ahead to rest for a bit. Everyone must be tired from the journey.”

The female bodyguard: “…”

Tired?

They had barely traveled for half an hour, but she was already used to the whims of the person in the carriage. She was quite willful.

This journey was actually one of the longer stretches they had traveled. Sometimes, the carriage would barely move for a kerosene’s time (about 15 minutes) before she called for a break.

Sigh! At this pace, who knew when they would finally reach the capital?

Never mind. She was just a small bodyguard. Her employer paid her, and she obeyed orders.

The carriage stopped by the side of the road. Jiang Zhou helped Lin Muwan alight from the carriage, and after strolling for a while on the road, they got back on.

Stopping and starting, starting and stopping, they finally arrived in the capital in March, the season of blooming peach blossoms.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the capital’s largest restaurant, the Ming Pin Restaurant.

Jiang Zhou jumped down from the carriage. The restaurant in front of her had green tiles and vermilion eaves. This grandeur was fitting for the capital’s largest restaurant; it was much bigger than the Ming Pin Restaurant in Linyang County.

In this moment, she finally understood the old acquaintance’s generosity. The shares he casually gave her were probably enough for her to live extravagantly for a lifetime.

“My wife, we’ll stay here first. We can look around in the next few days to see if there’s a suitable residence,” Jiang Zhou said while helping Lin Muwan down from the carriage.

She was unfamiliar with the capital. She was worried about being scammed if she bought a residence blindly, so she decided to take her time and look around.

Returning to the capital after a year, Lin Muwan pursed her lips as she stepped down from the carriage. The scenery remained the same, but her state of mind had changed.

She was once the renowned daughter of the Minister of Personnel, famous for both her talent and beauty. Among the noble families in the capital, she was a standout. There were countless proposals for marriage after she came of age, but she hadn’t taken a liking to any of them.

She never expected that one day her heart would be captured by this person. She curved her lips.

Now, returning to the capital, everything felt different. Her heart was filled only with emotion, not nostalgia.

She looked at the person beside her, feeling a surge of emotion, and asked with a smile, “Husband, do you like the capital?”

“Hmm?” Jiang Zhou was puzzled. She looked at her and answered with some hesitation, “As long as my wife likes it, it’s the same for me anywhere.”

She thought her answer was correct. Linyang County was the original owner’s home, and she didn’t have much affection for it. As for the Jiang Family Village, she truly enjoyed that way of life, but she didn’t feel compelled to live that life.