Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 3

“Sorry, we don’t have many bowls at home. Sister Hongcui, you’ll have to make do with these.”

Xu Jing smiled as she handed a large, coarse bowl to Xu Hongcui. Even though there was a visible crack on the rim, Xu Hongcui kept her enthusiastic, radiant smile as if she hadn’t noticed a thing, quickly taking the bowl from her.

“Oh, thanks for the trouble, Jing-ge’er, getting us bowls.”

Xu Jing didn’t commit to a response, simply nodding as she sat back down to devour her food. The end times had taught her one major lesson, under no circumstances should one ever waste food.

As Xu Jing sat, Song Yu, who was beside her, stood up and whispered, “I’m full. You all take your time.”

Grandma Xu lifted her eyelids to give her a faint glance but said nothing.

Meanwhile, Xu Hongcui had already grabbed the two Wang boys and was rapidly picking up rabbit meat, feasting heartily while laughing.

“Jing-ge’er’s wife, full already? You’re like those girls from town, such a small stomach! Jing-ge’er’s wife made this meat, right? It’s truly delicious!”

Xu Jing pulled her gaze away from Song Yu and glanced at the chattering Xu Hongcui, silently increasing her own speed of eating.

A dinner that should have been pleasant ended abruptly amidst the noisy clamor of Xu Hongcui and the Wang children.

As the sun set and the last rays of twilight dipped below the horizon, the sky turned dark.

After washing up, Xu Jing changed into clean clothes and approached the door of the side room. She pushed it open with a creak. No lamp was lit inside, making it dim, but with the faint moonlight filtering in, she could make out the blurred surroundings.

The room contained only a simple wooden bed, a wardrobe against the wall, and a floor bed made of straw bundled together.

Song Yu sat in the corner on the straw bed, arms hugging her legs, her clear eyes filled with a trace of vigilance as she looked over.

Xu Jing met her gaze and froze for a moment before searching the original owner’s memories for the reason behind this setup.

The original owner hadn’t liked Song Yu, and Song Yu didn’t like the original owner either. On their “wedding night,” they had made a three point agreement.

1. The original owner promised not to touch Song Yu without her consent.
2. Song Yu, being very wary, insisted on not sharing a bed, leading to the straw pallet on the floor.
3. To hide her true identity, the original owner stipulated that she would not divorce Song Yu unless she chose to let her go.

The original owner had no intention of touching Song Yu anyway and had readily agreed.

Xu Jing thought it over and decided to maintain the status quo for now. She gave a slight nod and cast a questioning look.

“Something the matter?”

Song Yu shook her head cautiously. Previously, Xu Jing would never have spoken so softly; she would only stare gloomily, making Song Yu’s skin crawl.

Xu Jing didn’t understand the meaning behind that look and didn’t care to. She gave an indifferent “mm” in response.

“Then let’s sleep. I need to head to the market tomorrow to have a look.”

In just half a day, Xu Jing had realized how poor this “family” was. She needed to see if there was a way to make money. The rabbit meat was good, but the old rice mixed with bran was incredibly harsh on the throat.

For a freer, more affluent life, Xu Jing began drafting a plan in her mind. Since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it, one must always look forward.

Hearing she was going to the market, Song Yu remembered Grandma Xu’s words. Her ethereal, soft voice echoed in the room.

“Grandma… she wants you to carry some of the new rice tomorrow to exchange for some old rice.”

Xu Jing paused mid-step toward the bed and turned back. “Okay, I got it.”

Song Yu said no more, wrapping herself in a tattered quilt and shrinking her slender frame further into the corner. In the dark, simple room, only the rustling sound of Xu Jing climbing into bed remained.

In the middle of the night, at some unknown hour, a cold rain began to fall silently, dropping the temperature further.

Song Yu huddled into a ball, her thin, pale fist pressed against her lips to swallow a cough. Her chest rose and fell slightly like paper. Despite her efforts, a few suppressed coughing sounds escaped her throat. She curled up completely, trying to hold onto the warmth being stolen by the cold rain, looking like a sickly kitten with wet fur.

On the bed, Xu Jing snapped her eyes open, instinctively reaching for a long blade at her side, only to find nothing. Her ears twitched, the muffled coughing in the room was intermittent.

She suddenly remembered she was no longer in the dangerous apocalypse, but in an unfamiliar ancient world. This coughing came from her “wife.”

Xu Jing pursed her lips, her eyes flashing with unreadable emotions in the darkness. She sat up.

“Just come up and sleep. Don’t worry, I have no interest in touching you. Your constitution is weak, if you get sick, the medicine will cost even more.”

Song Yu opened her eyes weakly, licking her dry lips. Her voice was thin but resolute.

“It’s fine. It’ll pass in a moment.”

Knowing her concerns, Xu Jing spoke softly. “I won’t sleep with you. You take the bed, I’ll take the floor.”

Song Yu’s hazy eyes cleared slightly, her vigilance spiking. “I am fine here. We had an agreement, you sleep on the bed, I sleep on the floor.”

Xu Jing didn’t argue further. The room fell into a dark silence, save for the pitter-patter of rain against the window.

“But you keep coughing, and I can’t sleep,” Xu Jing said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Song Yu’s pale cheeks flushed a faint red. She bit her lip and didn’t reply.

Xu Jing climbed down from the bed, grabbed her outer garment and said, “Go up. I’ll get you some hot water to soothe your throat.” Without waiting for a response, she left the room.

When Xu Jing returned with a candle and hot water, she saw Song Yu still huddled in the corner, her head nodding like a chick pecking at grain. It was unexpectedly cute.

“Here, drink this. I added ginger to ward off the cold. Drink it and go to bed.”

Seeing Song Yu hesitate, Xu Jing pushed the bowl forward. “Relax, it’s not drugged. We don’t even have that kind of stuff in this house.”

Embarrassed that her secret thoughts had been called out, Song Yu took the bowl and drank in small sips. When she finished, the spicy taste of ginger lingered, and her brows knit slightly.

Xu Jing looked away with a hidden smile. “Good girl. Now go to sleep. It’ll be dawn soon.”

Song Yu looked at her in surprise, feeling like she was being coaxed like a child. However, the itch in her throat had subsided. She crawled out of her nest and carried her quilt to the bed.

Xu Jing grabbed her own quilt and took Song Yu’s original spot on the floor. She let out a yawn. “Go to sleep, stop staring.”

At dawn, Xu Jing was awakened by a slight rustling. In the gloom, a slender figure was quietly dressing and tidying the bedding.

“Up so early? For what?” Xu Jing asked.

Song Yu froze. Usually, Xu Jing slept heavily. “It’s time to make breakfast.”

“I’ll help you,” Xu Jing said, climbing out of bed.

The fire in the kitchen soon lit up, illuminating Song Yu’s clean, elegant face. She worked with fluid, practiced motions, wiping the stove, washing the pots, preparing greens.

Xu Jing felt a bit redundant until Song Yu glanced at the empty water vat. “We’re out of water.”

Xu Jing understood immediately. “I’ll go fetch some.”

At the village well, Xu Jing ran into Liu Shizhu, one of the few villagers who treated her normally. They exchanged a brief greeting. As she walked away with two heavy buckets, a group of village women gathered at the well, gossiping about the rumors surrounding Xu Jing and a certain Scholar Li.

“You don’t know about Xu Jing and Scholar Li?” one whispered, laughing. “The scholar likes them fair and delicate… who knows what’s going on there.”

Meanwhile, Song Yu had gone to the river to wash clothes. The riverbank was the hub of village gossip.

“Hey, Jing-ge’er’s wife! How much do you know about your husband and Scholar Li?” a woman named Mrs. Zhang asked mockingly.

Song Yu felt a weight in her heart but also a strange sense of relief. If Xu Jing didn’t like women, then she was safe.

Before she could respond, a girl named Lu Ying ran up. “Sister Song! Your grandma told me to find you. Someone’s at your house!”

Song Yu hurried home. As she pushed open the gate, she heard a loud, harsh voice coming from the main hall.

“Sister! It’s not that I want to pressure you! But my son, Luge’er, needs to get married! When are you going to pay back the four taels of silver you borrowed?”

Another voice, even more shrill, added, “If you had no money, why did you even bother getting your grandson a wife? We want our money today!”

Song Yu stood in the yard, finally understanding. Debt collectors had arrived, making an already miserable life even worse.