Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 31

Coming out of Qi Zhenshu’s study, Lu Sheng thought of the little bird that had flown away in a huff. Seeing that the sky was still bright, she took her sickle and headed back up the mountain.

She had just finished preparing dinner, but hadn’t seen the certain greedy little bird. She thought for a moment and went back inside to look for it, only to find that the petty little bird had flown away sometime earlier.

The sky was vast, the stars were hanging low, and the night was deep and quiet.

“Jie-jie~” (Sister)

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a mournful and strange voice sounded in Lu Sheng’s ear.

Lu Sheng instantly reacted by instinct, raising her hand and directly batting away the mischievous bird that was causing trouble late at night.

‘Ouch!’

‘Ouch! My butt!’

‘It hurts so much!’

‘Jie-jie, you’re too mean!’

‘Xiao Yu will never talk to you again!’

‘Ouch~ Ouch~’

The sharp, chirping bird sounds were incessant.

Qi Zhenshu had just walked from the study to the door of her own room. Her hand, which was resting on the door bolt, paused, and she looked strangely at the pitch-black window of the main room.

Inside the room.

Lu Sheng rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning and saying exasperatedly, “Who told you to be up late and squawk next to my ear?”

Yu Ling flapped its wings quickly and darted to the top of her head, pecking at her hair and chirping angrily.

‘Who told Jie-jie to say she didn’t want me anymore!’

‘You even wanted to chase me away!’

‘You actually want to abandon me!’

‘You ungrateful man!’

‘You ungrateful woman!’

‘You’re mean, you’re mean!’

Lu Sheng reached out to grab it. Yu Ling flapped its wings and rapidly dodged up and down. Lu Sheng could only coax it, saying, “Stop being angry, stop being angry. I picked some fruit for you, and the thorns are all scraped off. It’s on the table.”

‘Hmph!’

‘Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you did this!’

“Then what do you want me to do?”

Lu Sheng was exhausted from the long day and was extremely sleepy.

‘Say it! Say you were wrong!’ Yu Ling flew down from her head and hovered in front of her eyes.

“I was wrong. You bird-person, with your bird-like magnanimity, forgive me this once.” Lu Sheng lay back on her pillow, yawning.

‘Say it! Say you’ll never send me away again!’

“I’ll never send you away again.” Lu Sheng pulled the quilt over herself and raised a hand, agreeing, “Once I earn enough to buy your freedom, I will certainly redeem you.”

‘Really?!’ Yu Ling landed on her head and cried out in surprise.

Lu Sheng batted it down with her hand, sleepily saying, “Really, truer than one hundred taels of pure gold.”

“Jie-jie is so nice!” Yu Ling said, rubbing against her palm, and then fluttered up again, still looking angry.

‘Say it! Say you’ll definitely take me with you when you go out from now on!’

“Take, take, I’ll take you wherever I go from now on…” Lu Sheng, bothered beyond endurance, turned over and drifted off to sleep with a murmur.

‘Hmph!’ Yu Ling flapped its wings, pecked her hair again, and flew to the table to grab a fruit. It declared magnanimously, ‘I forgive you this time.’

The next day, Lu Sheng planned to first go to the winery, and then visit the shop in the county to buy some furniture to put inside.

She had mentioned this to Qi Zhenshu yesterday, and Qi Zhenshu said she would go with her.

Lu Sheng was delighted and got out of bed early.

“Jie-jie~” Yu Ling saw her wake up and burrowed out from the corner of the quilt nearby, rubbing against her neck and calling out intimately.

Lu Sheng was momentarily stunned before remembering what happened last night.

She clicked her tongue twice and playfully poked the bird’s head, saying, “Not angry anymore?”

‘Jie-jie is even going to buy my freedom. From now on, I am Jie-jie’s bird, so how could I still be angry with Jie-jie.’

“Stop saying such indecent things!” Lu Sheng pushed it away, lifted the quilt, and got out of bed.

What strange things was Lin Shuqing’s little niece watching all day, to teach a bird like this?

After eating breakfast, Lu Sheng returned to the room to get some broken silver and left with Qi Zhenshu.

Yu Ling suddenly rushed over and burrowed into her arms, “I’m going too!”

Lu Sheng pulled it out. Yu Ling clung tightly to her collar with its claws and cried out mournfully, “Jie-jie, last night, in bed…”

“Before going to sleep in bed, you clearly promised me.”

“That you would take me out whenever you went out from now on.”

Qi Zhenshu heard this and looked at Lu Sheng with surprise.

Instantly understanding the meaning in Qi Zhenshu’s eyes, Lu Sheng coughed lightly and pulled the parrot out. “You stinky bird, what nonsense are you spouting!”

“It was squawking and making noise last night, not letting anyone sleep, and pestered me into agreeing to take it out every time,” Lu Sheng explained awkwardly, but then realized that this explanation was also ambiguous. She quickly added, “It’s just a bird, it’s not like I could do anything else!”

Qi Zhenshu looked at her without speaking. Lu Sheng stared at her with clear, wide eyes, and then blinked.

“Mm,” Qi Zhenshu responded lightly.

Lu Sheng returned a sweet smile to her. “Wait for me for a moment.”

She turned and went to the kitchen to find a small cloth bag. She said to Yu Ling, “You are too valuable. If someone notices you when we go out, I can’t afford to compensate for you right now. If you want to come out with me, you must stay quietly in the bag.”

‘Alright!’ Yu Ling reluctantly climbed into the small cloth bag.

Lu Sheng found scissors and cut a small round hole in the bag so it could see outside, then hung the bag on her waist and left.

She and Qi Zhenshu first went to the winery, but Lu Hualin was not there, so the two of them didn’t stay long and went straight to the county town.

They found a carpenter in the county. Lu Sheng told him the furniture she wanted, and after roughly asking for a price, she took the carpenter to the shop to measure the dimensions.

Their home in Lu’er Village basically had no furniture that could be moved for use, so besides the front shop, the back courtyard also needed new furniture.

Lu Sheng asked for Qi Zhenshu’s opinion, and the two discussed settling on a few essential pieces to be added first.

The furniture for the shop plus the backyard totaled fifty-three taels, seven hundred and twenty copper coins.

The carpenter master rarely got such a big order and rounded down the amount, charging fifty-three taels exactly.

By the time the master finished taking measurements, it was already noon, so the two decided to have a meal in the county before returning.

As soon as they stepped into the eatery, a waiter smilingly greeted them, “What would the two guests like to order?”

Lu Sheng found a table in a corner. Yu Ling shook its feathers and poked its little head out of the cloth bag.

After looking at the menu on the wall and asking Qi Zhenshu, Lu Sheng said, “One bowl of hand-pulled noodles, one bowl of noodles with thick gravy, two sesame flatbreads, one mixed cold dish, and one plate of fried rice.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

In less than half a ke (about 7.5 minutes), someone came over carrying a tray.

“Your noodle soups.” The person placed the noodles in front of the two and then spoke, “Miss Lu.”

Lu Sheng looked up upon hearing this and saw a familiar face; it was Liu Yun, dressed in an indigo cloth uniform.

“Madam Liu,” Lu Sheng was momentarily surprised, then remembered hearing before that Lu Yu was working as a waiter in an eatery in the county.

“Are you working here with Lu Yu?”

Lu Sheng said as she scanned the store, finding Lu Yu carrying food towards the second floor.

“Yes,” Liu Yun nodded with a smile, her face no longer showing the sadness of the past.

Even though leaving Lu’er Village made their lives more financially difficult, without the constraints of their identities, Liu Yun no longer had to live in daily fear and midnight dread of their identities being discovered.

With the worries in her heart gone, she felt completely relaxed and at ease.

“Waiter, bring me a plate of vinegar.” A guest at the table near the entrance called out.

“Yes, just a moment.” Liu Yun responded, smiled at the two women, and turned to go to the back kitchen.

After the dishes were served, Lu Sheng placed the plate of fried rice on a stool. Yu Ling lightly pecked her hand with its beak and chirped.

‘Thank you, Jie-jie~’

Ding! Crash!

Lu Sheng and Qi Zhenshu had just finished their noodles and were about to get up when they suddenly heard the crisp sound of two bowls and plates shattering.

They looked over at the sound and saw a man as skinny as a stick suddenly stand up. He was patting the tea water off his clothes with one hand and pointing at Liu Yun’s nose with the other, shouting abuses, “How do you do your job?!”

Liu Yun looked at the skinny man in disbelief, pursing her lips and saying in shame and anger, “Clearly, it was… it was you, you… you just now, just now…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the rest of the words, only blushing furiously and standing there, glaring at the skinny man.

“What did I do? You spilled tea and scalded someone, yet you still have the nerve to argue! Clumsy fool!” The skinny man raised his eyebrows and looked at her with contempt. “This set of clothes of mine is made of high-quality silk! Can you afford to pay for it if it’s ruined?”

“A small eatery is just a small eatery. The people you hire are all clumsy, stupid women!”

“Look how wet this stool is! How am I supposed to sit?!”

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and wipe it clean!”

Lu Yu had just walked down from the upstairs. Seeing the shattered pieces on the floor, she quickly put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hand, grabbed a clean cloth, and hurried over to the two. She took Liu Yun’s hand and asked anxiously, “Are you alright? Are you scalded?”

Liu Yun shook her head with a flushed face, just about to tell her what had happened.

Lu Yu patted her hand, turned around, and smiled apologetically at the skinny man, “I’m truly sorry, honored guest.”

She pulled out a stool, bent down to wipe it, and smiled, “Please sit here. I’ll pour you a fresh cup of tea.”

“Hmph!”

The skinny man let out a heavy snort of contempt through his nose, straddled his legs to sit down nearby, and tipped his head to proudly point at the table, instructing Lu Yu to serve him tea.

Lu Yu smiled, picked up the teapot, and bowed to pour him water.

Liu Yun pulled at Lu Yu. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said with difficulty, “He… he touched my butt just now.”

“What?!”

Lu Yu was shocked to hear this. After seeing the redness in the corners of Liu Yun’s eyes, her expression immediately changed. She turned around to face the skinny man, suppressing her anger, and gritted her teeth, “What did you just do?!”

The man’s smug face instantly dropped. “What did I do?!”

“You little tramp, you’re the one throwing yourself at me, deliberately splashing me with tea.” The skinny man looked Liu Yun up and down with a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow with disdain, “I’ve seen plenty of these cheap little tricks!”

“I didn’t, I didn’t, you… you’re lying.” Liu Yun shook her head fiercely to defend herself, tears welling up. “It was clearly you who touched me. I was startled, so I knocked over the cup.”

“Nonsense!” The skinny man slapped the table and stood up, pointing at Liu Yun’s nose and yelling, “You slutty woman, you’re the one who seduced…”

Splash!

The skinny man was splashed in the face with tea by Lu Yu. He froze for a moment, then clenched his fist, ready to hit her, but Lu Yu immediately grabbed his wrist.

Lu Yu was about the same height as the man. She had been working as a waiter for years and helped move rice, flour, vegetables, and fruit for the eatery, so her strength was much greater than the skinny man’s.

“Speak! What did you just do?!” Lu Yu sternly demanded, pinning him against the table and twisting his hand forcefully behind his back.

The skinny man immediately screamed in pain.

Half of his face was pressed against the table. He wanted to struggle but couldn’t break free, so he angrily yelled towards the counter, “Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper!”

His shouting not only alerted the shopkeeper of the eatery but also drew the attention of everyone in the hall towards them.

The shopkeeper had just gone upstairs, but upon hearing the shouts, he quickly came down.

Seeing what was happening downstairs, he urgently shouted at Lu Yu, “Lu Yu!”

“Lu Yu, what are you doing!” The shopkeeper hurried over in three steps, pulled Lu Yu’s hand away, and said, “Quickly let go of him.”

“Boss, he’s bullying people!” Lu Yu did not let go, saying indignantly, “He took advantage of my wife!”

“This…” The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, then lowered his voice slightly. “Then let him go first. What does it look like, holding him down like that!”

Lu Yu released him. The skinny man quickly scrambled up from the table, rubbed his wrist, wiped the water off his face, and continued to shout angrily.

“You’re talking rubbish! I was sitting there just fine, and this slut…”

The skinny man was about to swear, but seeing Lu Yu’s hand lift again, he swallowed the foul language and stubbornly denied it, “This woman splashed me with tea for no reason.”

“What kind of people do you hire at this eatery?!” He glared at Lu Yu and Liu Yun, saying angrily, “One intentionally splashes water to hook people, and the other hits people without distinguishing right from wrong.”

“Please calm down, honored guest, calm down.” The shopkeeper quickly offered a conciliatory smile, picked up the cup from the table, and put it in front of him, then turned to grab a teapot from the nearby empty table.

“Is this how you run your business?!”

Seeing the shopkeeper’s attitude, the skinny man became even more arrogant, directly brushing away the shopkeeper’s hand that was reaching for the teapot. “Hiring people like this as staff, I don’t think your eatery will last long.”

“You are right, I will definitely discipline them properly later,” the shopkeeper said, chuckling in agreement. “How about this: I’ll only charge you half price for your lunch today as an apology, what do you say?”

Lu Yu wanted to step forward again, but Liu Yun held her back and shook her head. Lu Yu bit her lip in resentment.

“Do you think I’m someone who lacks money?” The skinny man’s eyes darted around, and he looked scornful. “I think these two should be fired immediately!”

“You’re right. I will make sure to deal with them properly.” The shopkeeper said cheerfully, “How about I serve you a bowl of the shop’s signature thick gravy noodles and two side dishes as a form of apology?”

“Since you are so sincere, I won’t lower myself to their level,” the skinny man said, glancing at the two and pretending to be generous.

“Great, please wait a moment!”

The shopkeeper smiled and turned around. Seeing that Lu Yu and the other woman hadn’t left, he gave them a look and loudly scolded, “What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get to work! Don’t you see there are so many guests?!”

“Shopkeeper…” Lu Yu said, a little unwillingly.

“Go, go, go! Hurry up and serve the dishes to Room One!”

Lu Yu stomped her foot. The shopkeeper pushed them toward the kitchen. “Hurry up and work, don’t just think about being lazy.”

“That shopkeeper is only interested in playing mediator. You can tell right away that man is a scoundrel,” Lu Sheng muttered, looking disgusted. “He should have just been kicked out, instead of getting a free meal.”

“In business, harmony is valuable. Besides, they don’t have any evidence to prove that the man actually did anything,” Qi Zhenshu stood up and said. “Let’s go. Tangtang hasn’t practiced her writing today.”

Lu Sheng opened the bag. Yu Ling, clutching the last handful of fried rice, burrowed back inside.

Walking to the doorway, Lu Sheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She used her outer jacket to cover the bag, said a few words to Yu Ling, and let it out.

Yu Ling chirped excitedly twice, darted up into the sky, and flew toward the village.

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