Transmigrated as the Husband of a Vicious Villainess - Chapter 11

Ji Baiqing looked at the woman with a completely innocent expression and repeated herself: “But it really is very fragrant. It makes one want to keep smelling it.”

Wen Miao: “…”

Wen Miao touched her earlobe, which was burning under her dark hair, and decided to ignore her.

She had spent the entire afternoon getting her things ready. Looking at the stacked suitcases and bundles, Ji Baiqing asked, “Moving back now?”

Wen Miao shook her head. “Wait a moment, there are still things to handle.”

Ji Baiqing followed her out of the room to the makeshift kitchen. In the first year of being sent to the countryside, educated youths were issued thirty pounds of state-supplied grain per month. This was unhusked paddy; after de-shelling, only about twenty-odd pounds remained.

Wen Miao found an unopened bag of grain and tried to lift it, only to realize it was heavier than she had imagined.

Seeing Wen Miao’s struggle, Ji Baiqing stifled a laugh. “Give it to me. I’m strong.”

Wen Miao bit her lip, watching as Ji Baiqing easily hoisted the thirty pounds of grain onto her back.

“Let’s go,” Ji Baiqing said. “We’ll move your things home bit by bit.”

Carrying the grain in one hand and a bundled mattress in the other, she headed out. Lu Yan, who was practicing horse stances at the entrance, immediately moved to stop them.

“Where do you think you’re going with our grain, you village girl?!”

Ji Baiqing simply spared him a faint glance. As if suddenly remembering the pain from a few days ago, he took a step back.

Wen Miao followed behind with two bundles, not even lifting her eyes as she repeated her usual line: “A good dog doesn’t block the path.”

Lu Yan choked on his words, and before he could strike back, the two “insufferable” women had already walked far away.

Walking along the road, Ji Baiqing sighed. “Those youths are quite annoying. No wonder you couldn’t stay there.”

She didn’t ask Wen Miao why she had finally agreed to move in; everyone was entitled to their privacy. However, she could still feel the way the original male lead buzzed around Wen Miao like a persistent fly.

Wen Miao nodded in agreement, then added with a hint of grievance, “I didn’t even do anything.”

Ji Baiqing paused, then smiled and chimed in, “That’s right. Our Wen Miao is so aggrieved.”

In the book, she was the “villainess,” yet it was the female and male leads who constantly provoked her. Because she couldn’t overcome the “protagonist aura,” she ended up suffering their retaliation. No matter how one looked at it, it was incredibly unfair.

In April, the sky stayed light a little longer. The far horizon was a vast expanse of orange sunset. A sudden breeze made the leaves rustle, and Wen Miao’s heart shivered along with them.

For some reason, she felt increasingly comfortable around Ji Baiqing. She was showing a side of herself she usually reserved for family. She was typically a very guarded person—why was she reacting so differently to Ji Baiqing?

Wen Miao couldn’t figure it out.

Seeing her slow down as she daydreamed, Ji Baiqing asked, “Is it too heavy? I can take another bundle. If you can’t carry it, give it to me.”

Wen Miao snapped back to reality and shook her head. She clutched the items in her arms tighter and jogged a few steps to catch up. “No, I can carry it.”

Wen Miao had a lot of belongings. Luckily, Ji Baiqing was strong; she simply used a large back-basket to carry even more. With luggage in one hand and a suitcase in the other, she marched along, openly moving Wen Miao’s things into her own room package by package.

Once everything was moved in, it was dinner time at the Ji house.

Ji Wei served everyone bowls of sweet potato rice. Today’s meal featured stir-fried bamboo shoots and green-cracked brittlegill mushrooms. Looking at the two bowls of green vegetables with no meat in sight, Ji Baiqing sighed silently.

Everything about transmigrating into this book was fine, except for the lack of meat. Having a meat dish once every two weeks was considered lucky. But there was no helping it; her family had been poor for three generations. They didn’t have much money, and meat coupons were even harder to come by.

At the table, Ji Baiqing briefly announced that Wen Miao would be staying with them.

He Xiangyue was very welcoming. “Miaomiao, if you need anything, just tell me. I’ll have Old Ji get it for you. You and Baiqing are like sisters now, so treat this as your home. Don’t be formal!”

Seeing Wen Miao nod politely, Ji Baiqing felt a bit awkward. She thought, Mom, saying it like that just puts more pressure on her.

Sure enough, after dinner, Wen Miao produced ten “Great Unity” ten-yuan bills and handed them to He Xiangyue.

“Auntie, this is for my stay here. I can’t live and eat at your house for free, so you must accept this.”

In this era, a pound of rice cost only a few cents. A rural family might only save ten or twenty yuan in an entire year. The amount Wen Miao pulled out was a fortune to the Ji family.

He Xiangyue’s eyes widened, and her first instinct was to refuse. “No, no! How can I take so much money from you? Take it back, or I’ll be cross with you!”

Wen Miao’s expression was a mix of helplessness and a slight smile. She explained, “This money is mainly to improve the family’s meals.”

She looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m used to eating polished rice at home. I have some grain coupons here too. To be honest, I have a selfish motive—this money and these coupons are so I can eat a bit better.”

With that, she tossed the stack of bills into He Xiangyue’s lap, grabbed Ji Baiqing, and ran into the bedroom.

Looking at the money in her lap, He Xiangyue shared a look with Ji Wei. She finally couldn’t help but touch the crisp new bills, marvelling, “Goodness, so much money.”

Once Wen Miao pulled Ji Baiqing into the room, she immediately bolted the door.

She said to the panting Wen Miao, “Don’t worry, my mom can’t get in now.”

Wen Miao’s cheeks were flushed. She looked up at Ji Baiqing and smiled, her eyes bright and her lips red. She looked like a child who had committed her first “naughty” deed excited but also a little worried. “Ji Baiqing, do you think I was right to do that? Will your mother be angry about the money?”

Ji Baiqing pulled a chair over for her to sit on. “You did the right thing. If spending a little money makes you feel at ease living here, then it’s worth every penny.”

Wen Miao was surprised. She didn’t expect Ji Baiqing to agree instead of telling her she shouldn’t have given so much. But Ji Baiqing’s words matched exactly what Wen Miao was thinking.

Wen Miao leaned close to Ji Baiqing’s ear and whispered, “Actually, I still have a lot of money.”

In the privacy of their room, the rich, sweet scent of the woman became even more prominent. Ji Baiqing could feel Wen Miao’s soft chest brushing against her arm. Even the breath from her words felt like a hook—warm, soft, and alluring.

Ji Baiqing’s reaction was half a beat slow. By the time she snapped out of it, Wen Miao was already retrieving her coupon folders, cash, and passbooks.

The ambiguous atmosphere dissipated as Ji Baiqing joined Wen Miao to count the money.

When Wen Miao left for the countryside, her aunts and grandmother had come to see her off. They didn’t want her to suffer, so they had practically scoured their own pockets of all nationally-circulated money and coupons to give to her.

Counting it up, she had national grain coupons for several hundred pounds, along with plenty of coupons for meat, cloth, sugar, salt, and even sewing machines. She even had thirty or forty rare industrial coupons and a bicycle coupon.

As for the cash—not counting the small change—the ten-yuan bills added up to nearly a thousand. The passbook contained an inheritance from her mother: a massive sum of five thousand yuan.

Looking at all that wealth, Ji Baiqing swallowed hard. She suddenly understood the joy of those “I have a rich bestie” videos from her past life.

Wen Miao looked up and caught Ji Baiqing’s covetous gaze, finding it a bit funny. “It’s just money.”

At those words, Ji Baiqing felt a silent wave of “eat the rich” envy. However, remembering what happened in the original book, she warned Wen Miao: “Keep this money safe. Don’t let anyone know. This money will definitely be useful in the future.”

Wen Miao didn’t understand the reason behind the warning, but she nodded obediently. At this, Ji Baiqing smiled again. She thought, How is this a villainess? She’s clearly a sweet, soft-hearted beauty.

There was no entertainment in the countryside, so Wen Miao had adapted to sleeping early. After chatting by flashlight for a while, they went to wash up.

One advantage the Ji house had over the station was a separate latrine and bathing area. Wen Miao loved being clean; in Beijing, she bathed every day. At the station, she had to use the public latrine in the village center and could only use the Ji family’s bath every other day. Knowing this, Ji Baiqing had boiled hot water as soon as they finished dinner.

Life without electricity was inconvenient. Wen Miao had long, black hair that was thick like dense seaweed; once washed, it took forever to dry. Ji Baiqing stopped Wen Miao from climbing into bed and grabbed a clean towel to help her dry it.

Wen Miao was stunned for a few seconds, then settled back into the chair and enjoyed the service.

The woman three years her junior grumbled, “You can’t go to sleep with wet hair, or you’ll get a headache.”

Hearing the concern, Wen Miao didn’t feel impatient; instead, she felt a sense of joy. She nodded slightly. “Alright, I know.” Her tone was the same one she used when humoring her grandmother.

The curve of Ji Baiqing’s smile deepened. The “villainess” was willing to act cute with her—it meant they were close to becoming true “besties.”

After half an hour, her hair was mostly dry. They sat in the courtyard for a bit to let the breeze do the rest. Finally, Ji Baiqing felt Wen Miao’s hair; it was ready. Seeing her nodding off, Ji Baiqing patted her. “Wen Miao, go to the room and sleep.”

A dazed Wen Miao followed her into the bedroom. It was only when they got onto the bed that Wen Miao suddenly snapped awake.

So soon… are we really sleeping together already?

She twisted her hands together, feeling a bit awkward. In all her life, she had never slept with anyone other than family. Fortunately, the room was pitch black. One could only see silhouettes in the moonlight, so Ji Baiqing couldn’t see Wen Miao’s fluttering eyelashes.

“We’ll share one blanket,” Ji Baiqing said.

The weather was getting warmer, but the nights were still quite cool. Wen Miao gave a soft response and felt someone lie down beside her.

Ji Baiqing was sleeping with her.

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