My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 4

“Don’t stand there getting in my way, or I’ll call the guards to have you arrested.” Cheng Yi was too embarrassed to do anything too shameful in front of an outsider. Seeing that Lu Jiahe had stood up, she hurriedly tied her sash properly. “Being in my house during curfew if you’re caught, the charges won’t be light!”

Under Cheng Yi’s repeated threats, Lu Jiahe carried the bowl of mashed potatoes into the house with both hands.

After peeling all the potatoes while sitting on a stool, Cheng Yi took them into the kitchen and soaked them in cold water. She had exhausted herself all day and simply didn’t have the energy to steam the remaining raw potatoes.

“Running into this person really is bad luck.”

After washing her hands, Cheng Yi returned to her room. As soon as she entered, she didn’t see Lu Jiahe on her bed but instead found the other person sprawled on a chair, fast asleep.

“This person is so stubborn!” Cheng Yi muttered under her breath, then closed the door and took out another quilt from the wardrobe. She lay down on the bed, covered herself, and fell asleep.

Originally, only Lu An and Guo’er knew about Lu Jiahe’s absence for the night. But somehow, word spread quickly, and soon even Old Madam Lu found out.

“Where did Jiahe go last night?” The old madam reclined on the wooden couch, staring at the two kneeling before her.

Lu An and Guo’er exchanged glances but neither answered. Instead, they lowered their heads even further.

“I asked you a question! Have you gone mute?” The old madam’s sharp gaze bore into them, her tone unusually stern.

As Lu Jiahe’s personal maid, Guo’er cautiously replied, “Answering the Old Ancestor, the young master… the young master went to sweep Madam’s grave last night.”

The anger in the old madam’s eyes softened slightly upon hearing this. “Why didn’t you go with her? She didn’t return all night, and you didn’t even go looking?”

“Answering the Old Ancestor, Lu An and I searched for the young master all night. We returned this morning to gather more servants to help, but as soon as we entered, we were summoned here.” Guo’er kept her head bowed, not daring to meet the old madam’s gaze.

The old madam sighed deeply and waved her hand. “All of you, go search around Madam’s grave. Once you find the young master, bring her straight to me.”

“Yes, Mistress.” The old maidservant standing beside the couch immediately directed the others to follow Lu An and Guo’er in their search.

Meanwhile, the young master, completely unaware that her disappearance had caused an uproar in the Lu household, was still peacefully asleep on the chair in Cheng Yi’s home.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Cheng Yi, are you awake? I bought some steamed buns this morning and brought you a portion.”

Hearing the knocking, Lu Jiahe frowned and slowly roused from the chair. In her groggy state, she had entirely forgotten her disguise as a man and mistook the person at the door for Guo’er. Just as she was about to open it, Cheng Yi who had somehow appeared behind her, pushed her aside abruptly.

The sudden shove jolted Lu Jiahe awake. Leaning against the wall, she stared at Cheng Yi in shock and confusion. But under the other’s glare, which seemed fierce enough to devour her, all her indignation instantly evaporated.

Cheng Yi stared at Lu Jiahe with a warning look in her eyes before opening the door and hiding the other woman behind it.

“Aunt Liu, you really don’t have to go to such trouble every time. I can just head into town later to grab something to eat.” Cheng Yi glanced at the plate in the older woman’s hands but made no move to take it.

“Oh, don’t be so polite! I was already going that way, so I just picked some up for you. Saves you the trouble of making the trip yourself.”

Aunt Liu had brought meals to Cheng Yi many times before, only to be turned down each time. If it weren’t for her younger brother-in-law, who was still unmarried despite his age, she wouldn’t have kept trying after so many rejections.

“By the way, Erniu is heading into town later to sell firewood. I’ll have him swing by to pick you up. You two can ride the ox-cart together.” Without giving Cheng Yi a chance to catch her breath, Aunt Liu cut straight to the real purpose of her visit.

Cheng Yi knew exactly why the woman had been so persistently kind to her lately. But to maintain her peaceful life in this sparsely populated village, she still had to tactfully decline the offer.

“Aunt Liu, my good friend from town is staying with me. She’s an unmarried young lady, and it wouldn’t be proper for others to see her. I’ll just go into town with her later. No need to trouble Brother Erniu to come all this way.”

Aunt Liu studied Cheng Yi’s expression and, seeing no sign of deceit, shoved the plate of steaming buns into her hands. “Well, alright then. You two share these. Next time Erniu goes to town, I’ll have him come for you.” Afraid of another rejection, she quickly turned and hurried out of the courtyard.

Cheng Yi shook her head helplessly as she watched the woman leave. She knew that by the standards of this society, she was already past the usual age for marriage but that didn’t mean she could just marry someone without any emotional connection!

Inside the house, Lu Jiahe, still dizzy from being shoved around, finally regained her senses. She stood stiffly against the wall, occasionally stealing glances at Cheng Yi, who was now holding the plate of hot buns.

Feeling the intense gaze, Cheng Yi turned her head and met Lu Jiahe’s eyes before shutting the door and setting the plate on the table. “Eat.”

Lu Jiahe followed Cheng Yi’s steps and sat down on the makeshift bed she had fashioned from chairs. “But this was given to you out of kindness. I shouldn’t—”

Cheng Yi immediately spun around, her expression sharp with suspicion. “What do you mean? You heard everything just now?”

Seeing the dangerous glint in Cheng Yi’s eyes, Lu Jiahe gulped nervously, clutching her robe tightly. “I might have heard a little.”

“Might have?”

That hesitant response didn’t sit well with Cheng Yi. She grabbed the plate, marched over to Lu Jiahe, and shoved a steaming bun straight into her mouth.

“I don’t care if you heard a little or everything. This bun is yours, not mine.” With that, she slammed the plate onto the nearby stool with a loud clatter.

The scalding-hot bun felt like it was burning Lu Jiahe’s mouth, and she hastily yanked it out with her hands.

“How can you be so unreasonable? You were the one who took the buns, so why are you pinning the blame on me?” Although the young master of the Lu family had endured his fair share of grievances, he had never been subjected to two days and a night of continuous frustration at the hands of the same person.

Cheng Yi ignored him. Sitting on the bed, she flexed her ankle and, finding it less painful than the night before, got up to finish making the remaining mashed potatoes in the kitchen.

“I’m going to make the mashed potatoes. Eat quickly, and when you’re done, help me carry the goods into town,” Cheng Yi said from the doorway, her gaze sharp as a knife, threatening him.

Lu Jiahe couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear at her expression. Reluctantly, he picked up a bun and took a fierce bite.

Cheng Yi spent a long time working alone in the kitchen, while Lu Jiahe lounged on a bench after finishing his meal, only hurriedly sitting up when she pushed open the door.

Cheng Yi took one look at his crumpled robe and flustered expression and immediately knew he had been acting like a tyrant in the house while she was away.

But she didn’t have time to argue with him now. Several hours had already passed since her usual mashed potato selling time. If they didn’t head into town soon, all her hard work over the past day and night would be for nothing.

“Get out. Are you going to watch me change too? How can you be so clueless?”

Cheng Yi opened the wardrobe to grab clean clothes, but when she turned around, she found Lu Jiahe sitting stiffly on the stool, staring straight at her. An indescribable sense of embarrassment washed over her.

“Ah? Oh—uh, my apologies! I didn’t know you were changing,” Lu Jiahe stammered, scrambling to his feet and rushing outside. “Go ahead, go ahead. I’ll wait out here.” With that, he slammed the door shut.

Once Cheng Yi changed, the two set off for town, carrying baskets on a shoulder pole. Meanwhile, the Lu family servants sent to search for their missing young master were having a rough time.

They had scoured the area around the madam’s grave multiple times but found no trace of their young master. Guo’er and Lu An, who were part of the search party, were on the verge of despair.

Losing the family’s legitimate heir was such a grave mistake that they couldn’t bear to face the consequences.

After wandering outside the city for what felt like ages, Guo’er finally ran into an acquaintance who mentioned seeing Lu Jiahe in town earlier.

Only then did Guo’er and Lu An’s hearts settle.

“Let’s go! Into the city!”

With the news in hand, Guo’er led the group toward town. After navigating through winding streets, they arrived at a bustling alley lined with shops. There, they spotted their young master leaning against a wall, sitting in front of a shoulder pole, while a woman stood nearby, holding a bowl and hawking her wares.

That woman…

Guo’er muttered to herself for a long moment before realizing the woman selling goods was the same one who had kicked Lu Jiahe and even threatened to strip him in public the day before.

“How did these two end up together?!”

Despite her frustration, Guo’er was just a maid. She instructed the other servants to return home and report the news of Lu Jiahe’s whereabouts to the old madam. Then, with Lu An in tow, she approached to investigate.

“Young Master!”

Lu Jiahe turned her head at the sound and, recognizing Guo’er and Lu An, waved them over.

Cheng Yi, who was serving mashed potato samples, glanced back upon hearing the noise. Seeing no troublemakers, she paid no further attention and continued promoting her goods to the tasting customers before her.