Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 25.1

Yun Chi suddenly opened her eyes and quickly came to her senses, immediately concentrating to put away the cotton quilts.

The approaching figure burst through the rain curtain and entered just at this moment; it was Shi Niang.

Seeing Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin lying together on the ground, with Yun Chi’s hand still resting on Ye Xuejin’s waist, Shi Niang stopped short, instantly turning her back. “Your Highness, this common woman is presumptuous. I hope Your Highness will forgive me.” There were no outsiders, so she softened her sharpness and showed the proper reverence to Ye Xuejin.

“It is fine, Shi Niang, there is no need to be so formal. Please turn back around.”

Ye Xuejin’s clear, calm voice came from behind her, and only then did Shi Niang turn back.

Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin stood side-by-side, one warm like the morning sun, the other cool and clear like the evening moon. Together, they resembled the convergence of the sun and the moon, creating a harmonious and beautiful scene. This beggar sometimes looks quite compatible with Your Highness, the thought flashed through her mind, and Shi Niang quickly handed over the items in her hand.

“We do not know when this rain will stop. Your Highness, please eat something first.”

Ye Xuejin shook her head lightly: “Take it back and distribute it to everyone else. The Fù Mǎ and I can take care of ourselves.”

“Your Highness…”

“Go.”

Shi Niang turned to leave, but stopped herself at the mouth of the cave, saying dryly: “Your Highness, may this common woman borrow Miss Yun for a private word?”

Ye Xuejin’s eyes subtly changed. She looked at Shi Niang and said in a profound tone: “Yun Chi is the Fù Mǎ designated by this Princess, and is one with me. We share in glory and in loss.”

“Please forgive Your Highness, and forgive the Fù Mǎ,” Shi Niang, understanding the meaning in Ye Xuejin’s words, quickly begged for pardon.

Ye Xuejin then looked at Yun Chi: “Fù Mǎ?”

Yun Chi understood that she was being asked for her opinion, so she smiled and said: “It is nothing. I will be right back.”

The truth was, she did not care much about the Fù Mǎ title; they could call her whatever they liked, because there were only ten days left. When Ye Xuejin returned to the capital, it would be time for her to make her graceful exit.

Outside the cave, the two stood under the rock face, sheltering from the rain. Shi Niang controlled the impulse to sound critical and said stiffly: “The cave where I rested has some dry grass. Fù Mǎ, come with me and retrieve some to use as bedding.”

The cave was full of rocks, which were not only hard but also ice cold. Therefore, after deciding to rest here last night, she had led the girls to collect a lot of dry grass to lay on the ground, which they managed just before the heavy rain started. Otherwise, they would have suffered much more discomfort that night.

Thinking of the scene she had just witnessed, Shi Niang felt exasperated. These two had actually slept right on the cold ground. The Princess, being of noble birth, could be excused for not thinking of it, but this fine Fù Mǎ came from a beggar background—how could she be so lacking in basic common sense? A useless beggar, Shi Niang thought, wanting to admonish Yun Chi again, but recalling Ye Xuejin’s words, she finally swallowed her temper. No matter what Ye Xuejin’s purpose was in protecting Yun Chi, she had to obey and never secretly defy her.

Yun Chi shook her head and refused: “There is no need. The rain is too heavy, and it will get soaked if we carry it over. I have tough skin and can endure it.” She had noticed that Shi Niang was practically drenched from coming over. She did not want to get soaked—what if she caught a cold? And she had no change of clothes. Besides, they had cotton quilts; they did not need any dry grass at all.

Shi Niang restrained herself again, but finally couldn’t help it, lowering her voice: “You may have tough skin, but the Princess is of noble birth, unlike you. If you are afraid of the grass getting wet, just tuck it inside your clothes.”

Yun Chi was speechless for a moment, then rolled her eyes at her and turned back to the cave. How is she different? She was sleeping in the same quilt as her, which was much more comfortable than sleeping on grass. Tuck it inside her clothes! To go through all that for a bit of dry grass—it was completely upside down. She was worried about getting herself wet, okay?

Seeing Yun Chi roll her eyes and walk away, Shi Niang rubbed her temples. The reason she chose to speak to Yun Chi privately was because she figured the Princess might not agree to let Yun Chi make this trip. She did not expect Yun Chi to refuse either. Why did the Princess choose such a Fù Mǎ…

Because the heavy rain did not stop, the constables were all taking shelter and resting in their caves, and still did not come out to distribute food. Firstly, they did not know when the rain would stop, and their food supply was limited, so they had to ration it. Secondly, the prisoners had all replenished some supplies in Zhenshan County, and they figured everyone eating their own food would suffice for a few meals, so they decided to hold out for now.

Thus, just like last night, the Mu brothers remained quiet, and Shi Niang’s group did not need care; everyone ate their own breakfast.

Inside the cave, Ye Xuejin saw Yun Chi return and looked at her, inquiring with her eyes.

“It was nothing. Let’s eat something quickly.”

Afraid that others might smell it, she took out a box of compressed biscuits this time.

“This is called a compressed biscuit. Eating it and drinking some water will keep hunger at bay.”

Yun Chi gave a brief introduction, then looked at Ye Xuejin expectantly, silently wishing for the food.

Ye Xuejin seemed to sense this, looked at her deeply, and then slowly and methodically began to eat. This person always seems to look forward to watching me eat, and even hopes I eat and drink more…

[Two compressed biscuits have been given. Please choose your reward: one box of freshly baked bread or one box of instant noodles.]

[Half a bottle of mineral water has been given. Please choose your reward: one compressed biscuit or one compressed biscuit.]

Yun Chi: “…”

She knew that by the rules, mineral water would become less valuable with each exchange, but the zhīnfù was too stingy! Only one compressed biscuit as a reward was acceptable.

Yun Chi really wanted to choose the instant noodles, but there was still the problem of the smell being troublesome. For convenience, she chose the bread.

The constables’ assumption was correct: everyone basically had some food, except for the Zhou family.

The Zhou family servants, seeing that the five members of the Zhou family’s elderly and young had not come out, knew that they would go hungry for breakfast.

By noon, Old Imperial Censor Zhou and the others still had not appeared. The old butler finally could not bear it and went over to ask on behalf of everyone. The answer he received was that they had absolutely no surplus food left, and could only hope that the constables would distribute some food today.

The old butler left disappointed, completely soaked and his heart thoroughly chilled.

Zhou Qishan worried: “Father, what should we do if the constables do not distribute food?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou tugged at his beard, frowning silently. What should they do? He had no idea what to do.

Old Madam Zhou, seeing her old man stay silent, sighed: “What else can we do but go hungry? Otherwise, wait for the rain to lessen and search for food in the mountains.”

Zhou Qishan looked miserable: “What kind of food can there be in these mountains? Are we truly going to eat grass roots and chew on tree bark?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou could not restrain himself when he heard this, glaring: “What is wrong with eating grass roots and chewing tree bark? As long as we can survive, that is enough.” At this point, were they still worried about indigestion?

Zhou Qishan was choked by the retort and sat obediently by the cave mouth, asking no more questions.

“Grandfather, are grass roots and tree bark tasty? Can I eat them now? I am so hungry,” young Ying’er interrupted during a moment of silence.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou’s mouth twitched, and he was once again unable to answer.

Zhou Qiyue heard her little niece’s words, and her nose stung. Ignoring all reserve and fear of offending, she asked: “Father, is the Venerable Star of Literature not watching over us this time?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again: “Your father cannot say for sure about the affairs of the deities. Perhaps the Star Venerable is simply busy and forgot.” His daughter’s reminder made him recall the bottle of water that had appeared out of thin air, and the four pieces of filling pastry. However, he did not know what the situation was, or how he could be sure that such good fortune would occur again.

At the mouth of the cave, Zhou Qishan heard their conversation and turned back in confusion: “What Star of Literature?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou stroked his beard, putting on a profound expression: “Did I not tell Ying’er to give it to you last time? That clear, light bottle and the water inside were all bestowed by the Venerable Star. You were not present at the time; the Star also rewarded us with some pastries.”

“Water? What water? Was it not an empty bottle?” Zhou Qishan unconsciously raised his voice. “And pastries!” A deity had bestowed water and pastries upon their family, yet the crucial thing was that he had not had a single sip or bite.

“An empty bottle?” Old Imperial Censor Zhou was startled, clearing his throat awkwardly: “Why are you shouting? You will get to taste it next time.”

Zhou Qishan’s heart sank, and he wanted to ask, Will there be a next time? They had already gone hungry for two meals.

“Father, am I still your biological son?” It turned out his entire family had eaten and drank, and he hadn’t even smelled a trace of it.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou’s face instantly darkened: “You are not my biological son.”

Zhou Qishan: !!! What? He was not the biological son!

“You were given birth to by your mother! You are such a confused boy.”

Zhou Qishan: “…” No, Father, could you please not pause dramatically like that? I almost believed you.

Zhou Qiyue, seeing that her father and eldest brother still had the strength to bicker, said weakly: “Instead of wasting that energy, you should pray more to the deity. Perhaps the Venerable Star of Literature will hear us and bestow food upon us once he is done with his duties.”

“That makes sense.” Old Imperial Censor Zhou also felt they were at their wits’ end. He rolled over and knelt on the ground, bowing toward the outside.

The others exchanged glances for a moment, then followed suit and knelt down. Since they were going to starve anyway, they might as well pray to the deity; at least it gave them hope, and what if it actually worked?

Unfortunately, they prayed until noon, when the rain finally stopped, but they did not receive any divine favor.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou sighed heavily: “Da Lang (Eldest Son), take everyone outside to find something to eat.”

Old Madam Zhou warned anxiously: “The rain has made the ground slippery; do not go far. Eating grass roots and tree bark will not cause any serious harm.”

“It seems the Venerable Star of Literature is truly too busy,” Zhou Qiyue stood up, disappointed. “I will go with my Elder Brother.”

As soon as the rain stopped, everyone emerged from the caves. Some were stretching to get fresh air, while others wandered around searching for food.

Yu Lu gazed at the overcast sky, deep in worry. He badly wanted to lead the group far away from Zhenshan County, but he feared that it would rain again halfway, leaving them far from any village or inn, and without a mountain cave, which would be even worse. Yet, if they simply stayed put, he felt extremely uneasy, worried that Magistrate Cai would bring people to pursue them. Furthermore, he vaguely felt that Magistrate Cai’s people were probably following them all along, hidden in the shadows, unobserved.

After much hesitation, Yu Lu gritted his teeth and called everyone to quickly eat something, tidy up, and set off. Rather than giving Magistrate Cai time to prepare, it was better for both sides to be inconvenienced; perhaps they would be safer that way.

Yun Chi also knew the situation was urgent, so she handed a compressed biscuit to Ye Xuejin first.

Ye Xuejin did not eat it, but handed it back: “This biscuit is very filling. I am not hungry yet.”

Yun Chi’s expression paused. She firmly handed it back again: “Take it. Eat it when you are hungry.”

Handing it back? How could that be? She realized why the reward hadn’t appeared immediately—Ye Xuejin didn’t want to accept it.

Ye Xuejin pursed her lips and said softly: “Does the Fù Mǎ have any more of this filling food?”

Yun Chi replied casually: “I have some more. Why?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Xuejin silently tucked the biscuit into her sleeve.

Yun Chi, as desired, received two more compressed biscuits as a reward. Although she had given out this item several times, and the value of the reward was decreasing, exchanging one for two was still very worthwhile.

Ye Xuejin said slowly: “The Zhou family likely has nothing left to eat.”

With that one sentence, Yun Chi understood. “Then I will look for a chance to try.”

Ye Xuejin silently clenched her fingers, looking at Yun Chi with complex eyes: “Fù Mǎ, do you not ask me the reason?” She had said before that helping them once was already rare. Yet, she had brought up the subject again.

Yun Chi smiled: “It is fine. Just tell me who you want to help. As long as I can and it is convenient, I will definitely help.” As the saying goes, Do good deeds and do not ask about the future. She was willing to help others within her capabilities.

Ye Xuejin looked at the smile on her lips and her bright eyes, and unconsciously curved her own lips, proactively explaining: “Just now, I saw the Zhou siblings leading people to dig for grass roots, but the constables stopped them.” The constables probably feared that everyone would eat indiscriminately, worried that they would consume poisonous or contaminated wild plants and such.

“You mean they were digging grass roots to eat?” Yun Chi was surprised. She had also seen them, but she assumed they were gathering herbs or something else, and had not thought of it that way.

Ye Xuejin nodded: “That must be it.” She then recounted the events at the yiguan after Yun Chi had left, including Old Madam Zhou mentioning that the Zhou family’s wealth was reduced to only the golden lock and a piece of jade, and the grand bow Old Madam Zhou had performed when no one was watching. In times of crisis, those who were still willing to acknowledge her, the so-called Princess, who did not gloat over her misfortune, and who genuinely showed kindness, would always earn some consideration from her. Of course, this consideration was also thanks to the confidence Yun Chi gave her. Otherwise, she could barely take care of herself, let alone spare the effort to help others.

Yun Chi listened, and could not help but glance in the direction of the Zhou family, only to see Zhou Qiyue shaking her head and muttering to the air, as if she were in a trance. ?? Was this woman starving mad?

“Don’t worry, I know what I am doing. As long as you are not hungry, I can help them.” As long as she had food to give Ye Xuejin, the rewards would flow continuously. It was not a big problem.

Ye Xuejin was slightly stunned. She felt the remark was a little strange, yet it inexplicably warmed her heart.

After a moment of silence, she took Yun Chi’s hand, saying seriously and sincerely: “Fù Mǎ, thank you.” If the day ever came when her unjust situation was cleared, she would repay this kindness a thousandfold, offering the most beautiful things in the world that she could obtain to her Fù Mǎ.

Yun Chi chuckled: “All right, you don’t need to thank me.”