I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 7

As soon as the two returned, Madam Jiang came out with a smile to greet them. Seeing the ox-cart, the expression on her face instantly froze, replaced by visible heartache.

These two prodigal daughters!

How could they be so clueless about saving money?

She closed her eyes.

Whose fault was it?

Hers, of course!

She regretted worrying about face—could that stuff fill their bellies? Looking at the cart full of items, her heart ached so much it nearly killed her.

“Jiang Zhou’s mother, why are you standing there? Hurry up and help the children bring the things in.” The old lady next door nudged her, waking the stunned Madam Jiang.

She nodded stiffly, sighing inwardly, hoping their money would last until her husband arrived.

The old lady next door’s husband was surnamed Zhang. Years ago, he was killed by a wild boar while hunting in the mountains, leaving her and her son to depend on each other, a lonely mother and child. Later, her son married, and a grandson was quickly added to the family.

Because the house was too small, her son built a new one. The old lady didn’t want to leave the house she had shared with her husband, so she lived there alone. Now, having neighbors, she was happy. Regardless of her age, she was about to step forward to help, but Jiang Zhou quickly stopped her, “Grandma Zhang, just sit and chat with my mother, I’ll take care of these.”

Saying this, she flexed her arm, “I’m very strong…”

This little bit of work was nothing compared to her daily basic training. With the lack of intense training, she now had a lot of energy to release.

Before she could finish, Lin Muwan beside her had already started moving things. She grabbed the rice sack forcefully and pulled down. The cart shook, but the rice sack didn’t budge.

Lin Muwan pursed her lips. Just as she was about to try again, Jiang Zhou quickly pressed down on her hand, took the rice sack, and effortlessly lifted a sack of rice off the cart. She grinned, “You rest. You ran all morning. I’ll do it. I’m very strong, so you don’t need to do this.”

As soon as the warm palm touched her skin, Lin Muwan flinched as if startled, quickly pulled back her hand, tightened her grip, and watched her with vigilant eyes. After a while, she pursed her lips and retreated to the side.

Being treated this way so suddenly, Jiang Zhou felt a little hurt. She glanced at Lin Muwan with a hint of resentment, didn’t say a word, and silently started working.

As Jiang Zhou said, she was strong, and in no time, she had moved everything into the courtyard.

Because the two quilts and mattresses were the owner’s reserved stock, they had been stored for an unknown period and smelled musty.

Jiang Zhou took them to the courtyard gate, found a handy wooden stick, and beat them with ‘slaps.’ Since there was no place to hang them in the courtyard, she spread the quilts directly onto a pile of dry straw, preparing to sun-dry and sterilize them.

Madam Jiang and Lin Muwan couldn’t get a hand in, watching Jiang Zhou skillfully do the work. Madam Jiang opened her mouth, the shock in her heart no less than Lin Muwan’s.

When did this child become so capable?

Could she have been replaced?

Alas!

If only she could stay this way, how wonderful that would be. If her husband knew, he should be able to bring them back home soon.

In her heart, she still didn’t believe that after being married for so long, Jiang Dewen would be so heartless as to abandon them. She still held onto hope.

Grandma Zhang stood on the side, constantly praising Jiang Zhou as a filial child.

In fact, Jiang Zhou had often done this kind of work before. When she was in the unit, she regularly did these chores. She didn’t live at home, and her mother often reminded her to air the quilts. Now, doing it felt natural.

After finishing the task at hand, the next step was to sort out their meals. The house was so basic that it didn’t even have a stove. When they were in town, Jiang Zhou had packed a few steamed buns, thinking they could make do with one meal, and then build a stove when they got back so they could cook for themselves.

Seeing them about to eat, Grandma Zhang insisted she couldn’t stay and went back home. Her house was right next door, just around the corner.

Jiang Zhou gave Madam Jiang one of the buns. Since there was no place to sit outside, Madam Jiang took the bun and went into the room, where there was at least a bed to sit on.

Seeing her leave, Jiang Zhou looked at Lin Muwan. Lin Muwan pursed her lips and said lightly, “Let’s go back too.”

With that, she stepped towards the room.

Jiang Zhou stood in the courtyard for a moment, pouted, and then followed her back.

As soon as she entered the door, she saw Lin Muwan already sitting on the edge of the bed, looking listless. Seeing Jiang Zhou enter, she lifted her eyes, forcing a little spirit into her expression.

“Here.” Jiang Zhou handed her a bun. “It’s a little cold. I’ll make you something hot tonight. Just make do with this for now.”

Lin Muwan looked unhappy, which made Jiang Zhou feel a little disappointed.

Lin Muwan took the bun, glanced up at Jiang Zhou, and lowered her eyes.

No matter how much a normal person changes, it’s impossible to transform overnight from a wealthy young master who couldn’t do anything to a woman who is willing and skilled at all kinds of work.

Could she really no longer be the former Jiang Zhou? A sliver of hope re-ignited in her lifeless heart.

Thinking this way, it felt as if life was moving in a better direction, and she still had a chance to save her mother.

She and her mother were assigned to work at the official kilns. They had just arrived in Linyang County when she was bought by Madam Jiang, leaving her mother alone. She wondered how her mother was doing now.

A wave of sorrow washed over her.

How should she test Jiang Zhou now?

She remembered reading a story in a collection of tales about ‘borrowing a corpse to return a soul.’ After the woman died, she was worried about her child and lingered in the human world. She met a Taoist priest who, seeing her plight, used magic to help her borrow a corpse to return her soul. The drawback was that she couldn’t stay in the scorching sun for long.

Could Jiang Zhou be…?

Lin Muwan looked up and seriously examined her. Jiang Zhou felt uneasy under the scrutiny, shifted her body to the side, avoiding her gaze. Lin Muwan’s face flushed, and before Jiang Zhou could look back, she lowered her head, pretending nothing had happened.

On the bare wooden bed, the dry straw they had laid yesterday remained, and a light purple inner garment lay lonely there. The blush on Lin Muwan’s face hadn’t yet faded, and instantly it was tinged with another layer of sunset, vibrant as a blossoming peach.

Jiang Zhou was busy focusing on her bun and missed the change in Lin Muwan’s expression.

Actually, Jiang Zhou had been outgoing since childhood, but for some reason, she felt inexplicably nervous when facing Lin Muwan, unsure of what to say.

Coupled with suddenly transmigrating into a strange environment, she was afraid that saying too much would lead to mistakes and reveal her secret. Little did she know that her behavior was drastically different from the original owner’s, making it hard for people not to suspect, especially a quick-witted girl like Lin Muwan.

She was still smugly thinking she was pretending well, while the other person was already thinking of ways to test her.

Jiang Zhou quickly finished one bun. Rubbing her belly, she felt no sense of fullness. She quickly scanned the last remaining bun in the oiled paper bag, swallowed, and turned her attention to the window.

The paper on the window was already tattered, and a gust of wind would occasionally blow in. Although it wasn’t cold now, it would be different later. Jiang Zhou’s attention quickly shifted to house renovation. Not only did she need to re-paper the window, but she also needed to make a table. She didn’t want things to stay like this, with Lin Muwan sitting and her standing.

She felt the responsibility on her shoulders was heavy and long.

“You eat it,” a clear voice sounded in the room. Jiang Zhou turned to look at her, quickly waved her hand, and said earnestly, “I’m full. You eat it. Besides, you’re so thin; you feel bony to the touch.”

Lin Muwan suddenly raised her eyes, the corners slightly red.

The room instantly fell silent, so quiet that the sound of air flowing past their ears seemed audible, as well as the beating of their respective hearts.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhou immediately realized she had said the wrong thing.

Ptooey!

She didn’t mean to imply she disliked Lin Muwan.

No, she didn’t mean that at all. What exactly she meant, she didn’t even know anymore.

A strong sense of bitterness rose in her heart, a lump of frustration stuck in her chest, neither to be exhaled nor swallowed. She grabbed the bun, stuffing it along with the oiled paper into Lin Muwan’s hand, and fled the room as if escaping.

Only when she felt the fresh air did she feel slightly better. She looked back reluctantly, her eyes filled with deep unwillingness.

She could only constantly remind herself that she would be leaving eventually, and Lin Muwan’s heart belonged to the original owner, not her.

Why did her chest feel even more constricted than before?

Lin Muwan looked down at the bun in her hand, staring blankly. Was she overthinking it again? Was Jiang Zhou still the same Jiang Zhou? Thinking back to that night, her eyes welled up, and the moisture in her eyes threatened to spill out. She bit her lip, placed the bun on the bed, and looked towards the courtyard.