My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 6

On a moonless and windy night, Lu Jiahe sneaked out of the city alone and came to the potato field closest to her mother’s tombstone, lying in wait for Cheng Yi.

Mosquitoes buzzed incessantly around Lu Jiahe’s ears. As she swatted at the pests flying around her, she frowned, wondering why the other party would come to dig potatoes only late at night. Her vivid imagination once again conjured up all sorts of bizarre ideas about Cheng Yi.

Could it be that she was simply a potato thief?

This thought instantly shattered Lu Jiahe’s original impression of Cheng Yi. The more she thought about it, the more she became convinced that Cheng Yi must be hiding some unspeakable secret. Even imagining that she might be carrying the weight of a serious crime like murder.

Lu Jiahe frightened herself so much that she trembled, and she couldn’t help but start to reevaluate the purpose behind Cheng Yi deliberately appearing before her. She even began to worry that, having come out alone so late at night, she might end up silenced by Cheng Yi.

Behind the willow tree on the earthen slope, Lu Jiahe crouched until her legs went numb, but there was still no sign of the person she was waiting for.

Thinking that Cheng Yi wouldn’t come that day, she stood up, brushed off the dust that had settled on the hem of her robe, and prepared to return home.

But just as she leaned against the tree trunk and was about to take her first step, she spotted a figure in the distance carrying a bamboo basket, slowly approaching. “Finally, she’s here!”

As Cheng Yi’s figure drew closer, Lu Jiahe immediately crouched back down behind the tree, observing her every move.

“Tsk! These ancient people turn off their lights and close their doors so early. They really have no idea how to enjoy the fun of nightlife!”

Cheng Yi walked along the field under the moonlight, shaking her head as she thought, “It’s only a little past nine by modern time, yet there’s not a soul in sight, only the summer cicadas chirping.”

“Peeping Tom,” Lu Jiahe muttered under her breath, gripping the tree trunk tightly to support herself, afraid that her numb legs might give way and reveal her presence. On the other end, Cheng Yi remained completely unaware of the disturbance nearby, focused solely on digging potatoes with her small hoe.

“Ouch!”

Lu Jiahe had been crouching for nearly two hours, and her legs had gone completely numb. Suddenly, her body tilted to the right, and she landed squarely on her backside with a solid thud.

“Ah!”

“Who’s there?! Shameless! Deranged! Peeping at someone digging potatoes in the middle of the night!”

Startled by the noise in front of her, Cheng Yi immediately stood up, threw her small hoe to the ground, and pointed in the direction of the sound, shouting angrily.

Even with her exceptional martial skills, Cheng Yi couldn’t help but feel genuinely frightened in the pitch-black, windy night, worried that she might have encountered someone with ill intentions.

Lu Jiahe pushed herself up, rubbing her sore backside, and glanced in Cheng Yi’s direction. Seeing the other woman standing with her hands on her hips, glaring furiously in her direction, Lu Jiahe felt a surge of instinctive fear. Ignoring the pain in one side of her buttocks, she scrambled to her feet and tried to run.

Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the figure across from her. The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed. Seeing the person rise and attempt to flee with a limp, she immediately broke into a sprint and gave chase.

“Peeping Tom! Up to no good! Let’s see where you think you’re going!”

Cheng Yi quickly caught up to the figure dressed in fine silks and brocades. Reaching out, she wrapped an arm around the person’s neck and, with a sharp tug, threw them to the ground.

Lu Jiahe had never suffered such treatment before. Although she had never been doted on by her parents since childhood, she had never endured any physical harm outside. This solid fall to the ground made her feel as though half her life had been knocked out of her.

“Wait, wait, it’s me! Please spare me, warrior!”

Knowing she couldn’t escape, Lu Jiahe immediately raised her arms to shield her face and begged Cheng Yi for mercy.

Cheng Yi, who had been swinging her fists wildly at the person on the ground, paused upon hearing the familiar voice. She hesitated for a moment before stopping and pulling away the arms covering the person’s face. “Move your hands! Or I’ll break them!”

Lu Jiahe wore a pained expression, feeling as though she’d rather die at that moment.

An arm is no match for a thigh. The disparity in strength between her and Cheng Yi was just too great. Reluctantly, she lowered her arms and put on a pitiful look, staring at the “furious warrior” Cheng Yi, hoping she would go easy when she started hitting her.

“What are you doing here so late at night?” Cheng Yi stood up and glanced around. Not seeing the usual maids who followed Lu Jiahe, she looked down at her again.

Lu Jiahe didn’t dare say she had been lying in wait here on purpose. Her eyes darted around quickly before she replied, “I… I was on my way to your house to find you, but I got lost and ended up here.”

But Cheng Yi was no ordinary person. She was a modern woman from the 21st century. “Not telling the truth, are you? Watch out, or I’ll hit you!”

Cheng Yi pointed at Lu Jiahe, her gaze fierce, as if she really were about to beat half the life out of her. In reality, she only intended to threaten her into telling the truth, not actually resort to violence. After all, Lu Jiahe came from a powerful family with vast influence, and in Bianjing, Cheng Yi couldn’t afford to provoke her.

“I… I really did come to find you. It’s just that I truly don’t remember the way to your house. I thought since you came to dig for potatoes last night, I’d wait for you here.”

Cheng Yi’s aura was truly terrifying, scaring Lu Jiahe so much that she didn’t dare utter a single false word.

“Then why were you hiding behind the tree instead of coming out?” Cheng Yi saw that her threat had worked but still didn’t believe that Lu Jiahe had come here simply because she couldn’t find her house.

Lu Jiahe hadn’t expected the questioning to continue. Pressing her lips together, she averted her gaze from Cheng Yi’s face. “I… I did come out, just not in the right way.”

Cheng Yi took a deep breath upon hearing this. The other party was clearly lying!

“Then why did you run?” Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Lu Jiahe. She had initially thought Lu Jiahe was an honest person, but it turned out she was quite sly.

“I didn’t run. I just lost my footing and stumbled forward a few steps. Seeing that Lu Jiahe remained as unyielding as “a dead pig not afraid of boiling water” (a person impervious to shame or pressure), Cheng Yi gritted her teeth and lightly punched Lu Jiahe’s arms a few times.

“Stop, stop, don’t hit me! I’ll talk!” Lu Jiahe hadn’t expected Cheng Yi to actually hit her after knowing her for only two days. Terrified, she immediately blurted out what she really thought.

“I originally came here to wait for you, but then it occurred to me that you have no relatives or connections here. How could you possibly own farmland? And why would you specifically come at night to dig for potatoes? So, I started wondering if you were stealing potatoes from someone else’s field.”

“And then what? What if I were a potato thief?” Cheng Yi grew angrier the more she thought about it, determined to settle this matter clearly with the other person today.

“I was planning to report it to the authorities.” Lu Jiahe felt her words lacked conviction.

Hearing that the other person had mistaken her for a thief, Cheng Yi immediately became upset. She raised her fist and struck Lu Jiahe while explaining, “You’re the potato thief! This field was clearly rented by me from your Lu family!”

“The Lu family?”

Upon hearing the words “Lu family” from Cheng Yi, Lu Jiahe, who had been shielding her head, immediately grabbed Cheng Yi’s wrist.

“How do you know I’m from the Lu family? Did you already know my identity?” Lu Jiahe held Cheng Yi’s wrist tightly, refusing to let go no matter how much she struggled.

Realizing she had misspoken, Cheng Yi stopped struggling and softened her tone to explain, “Your surname is Lu, and the Lu family is a prominent name in Bianjing. How could I not know?” She avoided answering the question directly.

Seeing that Cheng Yi wasn’t being truthful, Lu Jiahe spoke sternly, “Don’t try to fool me.”

“Ah! Get up first. The ground is so cold!” Knowing she was in the wrong, Cheng Yi promptly helped Lu Jiahe to her feet.

Lu Jiahe reluctantly sat on a nearby rock, frowning as she stared at Cheng Yi standing beside her, trying to intimidate her with a feigned air of authority.

Seeing the displeasure on Lu Jiahe’s face, Cheng Yi thought she might genuinely be angry and proceeded to recount what had happened after Lu Jiahe fled outside the city that day.

“Sorry for hitting you earlier,” Cheng Yi leaned over and brushed the dust-off Lu Jiahe’s clothes.

Lu Jiahe was taken aback by Cheng Yi’s sudden change in attitude, unsure whether she should still be angry. After all, it wasn’t Cheng Yi’s fault that she knew her identity.

Though Lu Jiahe didn’t respond, Cheng Yi noticed her expression had softened and said, “Are you out so late because you can’t go home again? Why don’t you wait for me to finish digging up the potatoes, and I’ll make you something delicious?”

Lu Jiahe thought for a moment and asked, “Mashed potatoes again?”

“I’ve been experimenting with new dishes lately, planning to set up a small stall in the city. How about I cook you something new tonight?” Cheng Yi figured that since Lu Jiahe already knew she was aware of her identity, she might as well try to persuade her to invest.

At this, Lu Jiahe unconsciously swallowed. Ever since tasting Cheng Yi’s mashed potatoes the day before, she had been convinced of her culinary skills and her ability to create dishes Lu Jiahe had never tried before.

“Alright,” Lu Jiahe replied nonchalantly, resting her hands on either side of the rock.

“Great, wait for me then.” With that, Cheng Yi returned to the field, picked up her small hoe, and began digging.

Sitting on the rock, Lu Jiahe watched the woman working diligently for her livelihood under the distant light. Cheng Yi had no background, no family—only herself.

Perhaps it was their similar circumstances that made Lu Jiahe empathize. She didn’t sit for long before getting up and limping over to Cheng Yi, crouching down to help gather the dug-up potatoes into a bamboo basket.

When the two of them finally headed home together, Lu Jiahe insisted on carrying the basket full of potatoes for Cheng Yi. No matter how much Cheng Yi tried to persuade or reason with him, Lu Jiahe stubbornly held onto the bamboo basket’s cloth strap and walked ahead without a word.

Is this guy having a fit?

Cheng Yi followed behind Lu Jiahe, puzzled as to why he was suddenly being so nice to her.