I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 9

The setting sun’s afterglow shone on the river, and a gentle breeze stirred, creating ripples.

Through the clear river water, groups of small fish swam freely. As soon as she got a little closer to the riverbank, they suddenly scattered. After the water quieted down, they tentatively swam back, little by little.

“If only there were bigger fish,” Jiang Zhou sighed with a little regret. She leaned over to observe the riverbank for a while before carefully placing the bucket into the water. The fish instantly scattered. She drew up a bucket of water and turned to look at Lin Muwan: “I lived in the countryside for a while when I was a child and often went to the river to catch fish. Once, right after it rained, the current was strong and washed away the new shoes I had just bought.”

“If there were big fish here, we could catch them. A stew made with them would be very delicious.”

Lin Muwan lifted her eyelids and stared strangely at Jiang Zhou’s eyes. Her mind was filled with what Jiang Zhou had just said. Her hands, hanging at her sides, tightly gripped her sleeves, and her heart couldn’t help but waver.

How could the legitimate son of the Jiang Estate live in the countryside? This point alone didn’t make sense, let alone going to the river to catch fish.

She narrowed her eyes. The orange-red afterglow sprinkled on Jiang Zhou, and the smile on her face was wrapped in a soft light, slightly dazzling.

Lin Muwan lowered her gaze and said indifferently, “Let’s go back after we’ve drawn the water.”

Jiang Zhou: “Wouldn’t going back now be a waste of this beautiful scenery?”

Lin Muwan frowned, raising her eyes and letting her gaze linger on Jiang Zhou for a moment. A trace of melancholy emerged in her eyes. Once upon a time, someone else had said the same thing, but that time could never be recovered.

She pursed her lips and turned to leave.

?!

“Don’t go, wait for me.” Jiang Zhou hurried to pick up the water bucket and jogged to catch up.

What a temper. Why did it seem like she was angry?

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Lin Muwan used to interact with the original owner?

Why did it always feel strange?

Shouldn’t couples be inseparable all the time?

Although Jiang Zhou had never been in a relationship, she hadn’t eaten pork, but hadn’t she at least seen a pig run? When her teammates were dating, the two of them wished they could stick together all day, and she had even encountered them being intimate a few times.

She scratched her eyebrows.

Or perhaps the ancient people were more conservative, even when it came to dating, and were reserved.

But thinking about it, that was probably right. Last night before sleeping, Lin Muwan stayed far away from her, but wasn’t she secretly holding her while asleep?

This girl was really easy to embarrass.

Jiang Zhou couldn’t help but shake her head, catching up and walking side-by-side with Lin Muwan.

This showed that it wasn’t that Lin Muwan didn’t like to talk, but that she was too easily embarrassed. Jiang Zhou sighed inwardly and actively shared what had happened today.

“I want to build a new house. Today, Big Brother Zhang took me to see a few vacant, unused houses in the village, but none of them were very good.”

As she spoke, she occasionally glanced out of the corner of her eye at Lin Muwan. Seeing that Lin Muwan was also looking over, she continued, “The collapse is too severe, and it wouldn’t be safe to live in. But don’t worry, I’m confident I can solve the housing problem before winter.”

After speaking, she sighed, and the shoulders holding the water bucket slumped a bit. She said with some helplessness, “It’s just that Big Brother Zhang said that building a house requires an independent household registration. My household registration is still with the Jiang Estate, and to move it out, I have to go to the Jiang Estate. It seems my mother still has some fantasies about the Jiang… ” The words that were about to reach her throat quickly turned a corner and were corrected, “… about my father. I’m worried she won’t let me move my household registration out.”

“You want to move your household registration?” Lin Muwan’s heart trembled slightly, and she looked at Jiang Zhou in disbelief.

Did this person even know what it meant to move her household registration out of the Jiang family?

She didn’t believe Jiang Zhou was ignorant of even this.

The slight doubt that had surged in her heart vanished.

Although Jiang Zhou had been driven out of the Jiang Estate by Master Jiang, as long as her household registration remained with the Jiang family, a portion of the Jiang family’s property would be hers, and in the future, the entire Jiang family might even belong to her.

Hadn’t Madam Jiang raised her as a boy precisely because she harbored such intentions?

How could Jiang Zhou not know?

What did she mean by bringing up this issue now?

Could it be that Jiang Zhou was really willing to give up all that wealth?

She couldn’t help but stare into Jiang Zhou’s eyes, trying to detect a hint of her inner thoughts.

Jiang Zhou’s eyes were clear, distinctly black and white, and the sincerity in her eyes couldn’t be faked.

For a moment, Lin Muwan was confused, her eyebrows furrowed. An answer was struggling to surface in her mind: this person had changed since that night, not just towards her, but she had also become kind and sincere towards everyone around her.

She lowered her voice and asked, “Who exactly are you?”

?!

Jiang Zhou was instantly stunned. She turned to look at Lin Muwan, her face pale, her heart leaped into her throat. The hand holding the water bucket gripped tightly, her knuckles turning white. Lin Muwan’s soft voice, word for word, reached Jiang Zhou’s ears.

It was cold, gentle, and at the same time like a hand tightly clutching her throat. She couldn’t help but swallow, her palms covered in cold sweat. Only one question remained in her mind: When was she exposed?

She looked at Lin Muwan in terror, and after recovering, she blinked, unsure how to answer.

If she admitted it now, would Lin Muwan treat her like a monster? Would she drive her away?

She had completely forgotten her original intention.

She was nervous, waiting for Lin Muwan’s verdict.

After a long while, Lin Muwan turned her head, “It’s getting late, let’s go.”

Her expression was indifferent, as if the question she had just asked was simply a casual remark. Jiang Zhou turned to look at her profile, trying to find something on that face. She found nothing, but her heart still churned because of that sentence—no, it was a storm surge.

She couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Lin Muwan looked calm on the surface, but her heart was anything but. She had clearly seen Jiang Zhou’s expression just now. She closed her eyes, her hand clenching and then relaxing.

So, it really wasn’t the same person anymore.

The moment she got the answer, she felt a little secretly delighted. She even hoped that the previous Jiang Zhou would never return. Although life was poor now, there was finally hope for the future.

She no longer had to live in constant fear. Perhaps this person would even help her find her mother.

She paused, feeling that she needed to test her again on some matters.

Lin Muwan pursed her lips and turned to look at Jiang Zhou. She had doubts in her heart: Who was this person?

Why was she in Jiang Zhou’s body, and where was the original Jiang Zhou?

She couldn’t help but recall what had happened that night. Jiang Zhou had forced her to comply, but she resisted to the death. Not surprisingly, she was beaten by Jiang Zhou. That night, she felt her body burning, and her consciousness grew increasingly blurred. Dazed, Jiang Zhou entered the room and held her in her arms.

Was that Jiang Zhou the current “her” already?

If it was “her,” why did “she” still treat her that way? Or did “she” also share the same flaws as the previous Jiang Zhou? Lin Muwan’s mind was a mess. She bit her lip and quickened her pace, widening the distance between herself and Jiang Zhou.

?!

She didn’t want to walk with her anymore.

Jiang Zhou stared blankly at the person walking away alone, feeling suffocated in her heart, which was even more painful than when she worried about Lin Muwan finding out her identity. Her chest felt a dense, pricking pain.

She was uneasy all the way, yet also clung to a trace of luck. If Lin Muwan suspected, she only had to insist that she was Jiang Zhou, and without evidence, others wouldn’t believe Lin Muwan.

But she couldn’t overcome her own guilty conscience!

Upon returning home, Jiang Zhou stepped into the courtyard and saw Lin Muwan standing by the stove. Seeing her enter, Lin Muwan frowned, “Why are you standing there stunned? Aren’t you going to cook?”

?!

This was completely unexpected. Jiang Zhou came to her senses, flustered for a moment, and only slowly recovered from her confusion. Judging by Lin Muwan’s reaction, she must have been overthinking it.

She couldn’t help but chuckle to herself as she thought about it.

Lin Muwan’s lips were pressed straight. She glanced at Jiang Zhou, then turned around, her lips curving slightly upward as she went back to the room.

She just left like that?

Jiang Zhou sighed, looking wistfully at the retreating figure. Lin Muwan must have thought she was an idiot just now.

Why was she smiling so foolishly for no reason?

She was secretly annoyed.

After the happiness, she felt a faint sense of loss for some unknown reason.

Never mind, she wouldn’t think about it anymore.

The future problems could be worried about later.

The sky was gradually darkening, and the wind carried a chill.

Jiang Zhou washed the pot clean, measured out the rice and put it in the pot. She started the fire to cook the rice. After about fifteen minutes, wisps of white steam rose from the pot, and the clear fragrance of rice filled the entire courtyard.

When the rice was cooked to a thick consistency, she served a bowl for each of them and took it to the room. She then sat in the courtyard to eat her own.