Transmigrated as the Husband of a Vicious Villainess - Chapter 3

In the end, Ji Baiqing left the house carrying a tin mug and a canteen. The mug was packed with steamed brown rice and fragrant stewed chicken, the lid tightly sealed to lock in the aroma, while the canteen was filled with nourishing chicken broth.

Madam He Xiangyue was the definition of “a sharp tongue but a heart of tofu.” She was fiery and quick-tempered in her daily life, but she was genuinely warm-hearted. Moreover, since this was a request from her only daughter, whom she had always doted on, she couldn’t refuse.

When she arrived at the youth dormitory, Ji Baiqing knocked on the door. She glanced at the group sitting around eating dinner; Wen Miao was nowhere to be seen.

It was exactly as she expected.

“I’m looking for Wen Miao,” she said.

Seeing a village girl dressed in rough, patched clothes, the youths couldn’t help but exchange looks of disdain.

Only Pan Hongxia glanced at the items in Ji Baiqing’s hands and said, “Youth Wen is in her room.”

Ji Baiqing didn’t waste any more time with them and knocked on the bedroom door. “Wen Miao, it’s Ji Baiqing.”

Inside the room, Wen Miao had heard the commotion outside. She wondered… why was Ji Baiqing looking for her at this hour? She glanced at the sky outside; it was already a gloomy grey.

She opened the door and frowned at Ji Baiqing. “What is it?”

Ji Baiqing gave her a small smile and a quick wink. “Let’s talk inside.” Without waiting for Wen Miao’s consent, she squeezed through the gap in the door.

Wen Miao was momentarily speechless by how naturally she made herself at home, but she ended up locking the door behind them anyway.

Ji Baiqing found a low cabinet and set down the mug and canteen. “I brought you some food. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Wen Miao froze slightly. She came here just to bring food? Why? Was Ji Baiqing trying to win her favor?

In truth, many people had tried to curry favor with Wen Miao throughout her life. Her beauty was too striking, radiating an aura that made people hesitate to approach. Most people formed a negative first impression of her and stayed away. As for those who swarmed her like butterflies to a flame, they always had ulterior motives. They either wanted her money or had their eyes on the influence of the Wen family.

So, what was Ji Baiqing after? Wen Miao was puzzled. Could it be that she already knew her true identity? If that were the case, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Suspecting that Ji Baiqing had an agenda actually made her feel relieved. Only when she knew someone wanted something from her could she accept their kindness with a clear conscience.

“I haven’t eaten,” Wen Miao admitted.

Ji Baiqing took the lid off the tin mug and beckoned her over. “Come and eat. My mom just made this; it’s still hot.”

The scent of chicken and chestnuts immediately filled the room. Wen Miao hadn’t eaten all day and had no appetite on the train. Smelling the food now, she couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Thinking that Wen Miao might not have her own utensils ready, Ji Baiqing had even brought along a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. She picked up a piece of chicken and held it to Wen Miao’s lips, her eyes curving into crescents. “Try a bite and see if you like it.”

Wen Miao hesitated for a moment but eventually leaned in and took a bite from her hand. The tender chicken, infused with the sweet, nutty aroma of the chestnuts, made the girl—who had been making do with scraps for days—feel even hungrier.

Even though she didn’t say anything, it was obvious she liked it. Her alluring eyes squinted slightly and the corners of her lips curled up, making her look like a greedy little fox.

A thought suddenly popped into Ji Baiqing’s head: I guess foxes really do love chicken. Her smile deepened as she stepped aside to let her eat comfortably. “Eat up, Wen Miao.”

Wen Miao ate under Ji Baiqing’s intense gaze. At home, she always ate polished white rice; the coarse brown rice was a bit scratchy for her throat. Fortunately, Ji Baiqing had packed plenty of chicken and chestnuts. Since she had a small appetite, she could get full just on the side dishes.

Ji Baiqing stared fixedly as Wen Miao ate, thinking that not only was she beautiful, but her manners were incredibly refined. Every movement was a pleasure to watch.

When Wen Miao finished, she dabbed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and looked up, meeting Ji Baiqing’s warm almond eyes.

“Wen Miao, are you not used to coarse rice?” Ji Baiqing noticed the rice was barely touched. She figured she should find a way to earn more money and coupons to buy polished rice for her.

Wen Miao nodded. “I’m finished. Ji Baiqing, you can say it now. What is your goal in trying to please me?”

She was very direct, catching Ji Baiqing off guard for a moment. Seeing the wariness in Wen Miao’s eyes, Ji Baiqing sighed inwardly and decided to just tell her.

A hint of embarrassment colored her face as she rubbed her nose. “…I want to be your friend.”

“Be my friend?” Wen Miao nearly lost her composure, looking at the woman who was half a head taller than her with total confusion.

The reason for all this was just to be friends?

Wen Miao pursed her lips, her tone turning cold. “Don’t lie to me. if you don’t say what you want now, you won’t get another chance later.”

Ji Baiqing was amused by her feigned coldness. She leaned in slightly and tentatively took Wen Miao’s wrist, their warm and cool skin meeting. “Wen Miao, I’m serious. I want to be your friend.”

She looked at the woman in front of her, about to say more, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Wen Miao, open up! I need to come in!” It was Shen Niannian’s voice.

Ji Baiqing felt a flash of regret as she let go of Wen Miao’s hand. She packed up the containers and whispered, “Youth Wen, there’s chicken soup in the canteen. I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning.”

Without waiting for a reaction, she picked up her things, opened the door, brushed past Shen Niannian, and headed home.

Shen Niannian had only boiled some rice and greens today—a bland, tasteless meal. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled the lingering scent of delicious food. She looked at Wen Miao suspiciously. “Were you secretly eating something better without us?”

Wen Miao sneered. “What’s it to you?”

Shen Niannian’s face nearly contorted with rage at the retort.

After dinner, Fang Haiyang and the others told the Village Chief about the leak in the women’s room. The Village Chief sent someone to repair the roof and notified them that they would start working in the fields with the other villagers tomorrow.

The youths were exhausted from their journey; they didn’t even bathe before crashing into sleep. Wen Miao wanted to wash, but she didn’t know how to start a fire. After several failed attempts in the kitchen, she had to settle for a quick sponge bath with cold water.

The next morning, Ji Baiqing woke up very early. She wanted to make buns for her parents and Wen Miao. She used half of the three pounds of high-grade flour she had saved up this year. He Xiangyue had picked some shepherd’s purse yesterday, so she made fillings of shepherd’s purse and egg, carrot, and bamboo shoot, wrapping twenty buns in one go.

After putting the steamer on the stove, Ji Baiqing took a basket and went to the back hill with the other village kids to cut a basket of hogweed. By the time she returned from feeding the pigs, the steamer was venting steam. A few more minutes and they were done.

Yunshui Village allowed residents to clear wasteland, so every family had their own vegetable plot. Ji Wei and He Xiangyue returned from working their plot just thirty minutes before the official work day began.

As she put the harvested cabbage by the door, He Xiangyue walked into the kitchen. Seeing the steamer, her brow twitched. Then she saw her hard-earned flour was half gone.

“Ji Baiqing!” She couldn’t help herself; she strode over and grabbed Ji Baiqing by the ear. “Are you trying to kill me? Wasting my good supplies like this!”

Ji Baiqing put on a pleading face. “Mom, how is this wasting? They’re all made into buns!”

He Xiangyue glared at her. “There’s only three of us! How are we going to finish all these?”

Ji Baiqing gave a sheepish smile. “I… I have to bring breakfast for my friend.”

“What friend? Since when do you have a friend I don’t know about? You’re so good to them, you’d better bring them home to meet me sometime. I swear you were a rich young lady in your past life, given how loose your fingers are with money. Fine, fine—forgot your mother as soon as you got a friend. I can’t control you anymore.”

Ji Baiqing hugged her mother, swaying her arm playfully. “Mom~ how could I forget you? She’s just a very good friend of mine. She just got here and has no one to look after her…”

Her tone made Wen Miao sound like a poor, helpless soul. He Xiangyue was soft-hearted by nature and didn’t want to meddle in her daughter’s friendships. Food was precious, but their family was relatively well-off, so she let it slide. “Fine, just use some common sense.”

The family ate their buns with pickled vegetables. Ji Baiqing finished quickly, wrapped three buns in oil paper, and headed for the storehouse.

As the scorekeeper, she had to record everyone’s attendance and work points. Her father had even given her a worn-out watch specifically for keeping time. Even if it was old, it was the only one in the village—a rare and precious item.

Around eight o’clock, people began to arrive to sign in and collect tools. When the hour struck, the group of youths finally arrived, looking sluggish.

Village Chief Li stood to the side. “Sign in quickly. The men will go with me to haul manure; the women will go to the fields to pull weeds. Remember to come earlier in the future, or I’ll dock your points.”

Ji Baiqing watched them sign in with a blank expression, wondering why Wen Miao wasn’t there. The male youths were already unhappy with the Village Chief’s assignment—being from Beijing, none of them wanted to do such dirty, heavy labor.

Suddenly, Lu Yan spoke up. “Village Chief, one of the female youths isn’t here.”

The Chief blinked and realized one was indeed missing. “Where is she?”

Shen Niannian bit her lip, looking hesitant before speaking. “Youth Wen probably isn’t trying to be lazy; she’s just a deep sleeper and couldn’t get up. Maybe you can just let her start work this afternoon instead?”

Pan Hongxia stood to the side with her head down, nodding slightly without saying a word.

The Village Chief’s brow furrowed, but before he could lose his temper, Ji Baiqing interjected. “Uncle Li, you take the others to start work so you don’t get delayed. I’ll go check on Youth Wen.”

That made sense. The Chief nodded. “Alright, Baiqing, go have a look.”

Ji Baiqing ignored the resentful glares of the other youths and tucked away her ledger. With the warm buns still in her pocket, she strode toward the dormitory, feeling worried. Based on what she knew of Wen Miao from the book, even if the girl didn’t want to work, she wouldn’t skip out on the very first day.

When she reached the dormitory, she knocked and called Wen Miao’s name. No response.

Finally, Ji Baiqing pushed the door open and went in. She immediately saw Wen Miao lying on the edge of the bed, her beautiful face flushed deep red. She reached out to touch her.

She was burning up. Wen Miao had a fever.

Ji Baiqing panicked for a moment. She started to pull her hand back to take her to the clinic, but Wen Miao grabbed her fingertips. The woman rubbed her palm gently, like a cat, and let out a single, soft word.

“Hot!”

Ji Baiqing’s heart nearly melted. Looking at the woman’s fragile, weakened state, she cooed softly, “Wen Miao, be a good girl. You have a fever. I’m taking you to the clinic.”

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