Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 4

Right after Qi Zhenshu had successfully coaxed Tangtang to sleep, she left the room and saw Lu Sheng standing suspiciously at the doorway.

Frowning, she asked, “What are you doing?”

“N-nothing.”

Lu Sheng instinctively put her hands behind her back. After realizing this action was a little too deliberate, she pretended to adjust the hem of her skirt at her waist, tucking a slip of paper into her waistband.

“Is Tangtang asleep?”

Her gaze swept over Lu Sheng’s hands, and Qi Zhenshu nodded, saying calmly, “She’s already asleep.”

“Ahem, did she eat the candied hawthorn? Did she like it?”

“Yes.” Qi Zhenshu’s gaze softened for a moment, “She liked it quite a bit.”

“Then I’ll buy her some more tomorrow,” Lu Sheng said, smiling with curved eyes.

Qi Zhenshu frowned, disapprovingly saying, “She’s still young; she should eat fewer snacks, or it will ruin her teeth.”

“Oh, oh, alright.”

Lu Sheng nodded in understanding; it was indeed necessary to protect a child’s teeth.

“What did you want to see me about?”

“Oh, right.” Lu Sheng handed her a money pouch, “Here are fifty taels. You take them for now. I’ll borrow the remaining ten taels from Auntie tomorrow.”

Qi Zhenshu did not reach out to take it, nor did she speak. She just quietly looked at Lu Sheng, her eyes deep like the night.

“I know I made many mistakes before, hurting Tangtang and you, and I don’t expect you to forgive me immediately.” Lu Sheng looked at her eyes frankly, her tone sincere, “But, can you give me another chance to make amends for my past mistakes?”

Hearing her words, Qi Zhenshu’s face was completely unmoved, her eyes as indifferent as ever.

After the apocalypse arrived, Lu Sheng watched her friends and family die one by one until she was the only one left.

She had experienced the most desolate loneliness deep in her heart and did not want to live such a solitary life again.

Transmigrating into this body, Lu Sheng was both grateful and joyful.

In this world, she was not alone. She had a clever and beautiful wife, and an adorable child connected to her by blood.

She loved this world of clear skies and blue water, and yearned for a life with curling smoke from cooking and steaming warmth.

Lu Sheng bit her lip and said stubbornly, “For Tangtang’s sake, can we temporarily not divorce?”

This was her final leverage, hoping to use the child to sway Qi Zhenshu’s determination to divorce.

However, she was not certain if she could move Qi Zhenshu, after all, the original owner truly was not a good mother who loved her child.

The original owner had a difficult labor when giving birth to Tangtang, struggling for a day, and even suffered a major hemorrhage mid-way, almost dying. After giving birth, the original owner was bedridden for half a year before her health slightly improved.

The painful memory of childbirth made the original owner very resistant to the child, and she usually showed dislike for her daughter, even harshly scolding her when she was in a bad mood.

The two faced each other for a long time, neither speaking again, and the air slowly solidified.

Floating clouds obscured the moon, and the sparse moonlight was completely hidden. Lu Sheng’s heart sank little by little.

The left hand that had been raised slowly dropped. Lu Sheng smiled bitterly and lowered her head, hiding the disappointment in her eyes.

Forget it.

She had lived alone for more than ten years. Going back to her original life was nothing major.

What the original owner did was truly inhuman, and not being forgiven was normal. Why should she force the matter?

Even if they divorced, she would still be Tangtang’s mother, and she could still come to see the child often in the future, right?

Lu Sheng comforted herself inwardly.

Suddenly, her hand felt empty. Lu Sheng raised her head in surprise.

The night breeze gently brushed past, scattering the flowing clouds that had obscured the moon, and the moonlight poured down like flowing water.

Qi Zhenshu’s features were cold and clear, bathed in the silver light of the bright moon. Her hair fluttered in the wind, as graceful and refined as an immortal.

“Remember what you said tonight.”

Her voice was as light as autumn water, yet seemed heavy as a thousand pounds.

Lu Sheng’s sadness turned to joy, and she responded happily with a bright smile, “Mhm.”

Qi Zhenshu did not speak to her again and turned to go to the study.

The night was deep and silent.

The faint light in the study extinguished. Lu Sheng saw Qi Zhenshu come out of the study, fetching water, and entering the bathing room on the west side.

After another ten-odd minutes, Qi Zhenshu returned to her room.

Thinking of how Qi Zhenshu was willing to accept the silver, a smile curved Lu Sheng’s lips. She stared at the empty courtyard for a long time before closing her eyes to sleep.

Clatter!

The sound of a chair tipping over came from the East wing. Lu Sheng quickly opened her eyes.

A faint light lit up in the room. Shadows moved, and a large and a small silhouette appeared on the window.

Lu Sheng quickly put on her outer garment and rushed out the door.

When she arrived in the courtyard, Qi Zhenshu was holding Tangtang and hurriedly leaving the room.

At this moment, Qi Zhenshu was only wearing an undergarment, the collar loose and messy, completely unlike her neat appearance during the day.

Lu Sheng took a step forward and looked at the child in her arms. The light at the doorway was dim, but she could still see the unusual flush on the child’s face.

“Is she sick?” Lu Sheng asked with concern.

“Her body is terribly hot.” Qi Zhenshu’s face was worried, and her voice was filled with panic. “Doctor Ding shouldn’t be asleep yet. I’m taking her to see him.”

“I’ll go with you.” Lu Sheng reached out to take the child, but Qi Zhenshu frowned and evaded her.

“You should put on another layer of clothes; it’s a bit cool tonight.” Lu Sheng’s gaze swept over her neckline.

Qi Zhenshu was taken aback by her words, looked down at her own clothes, and a blush appeared on her face.

Lu Sheng took the child and said to her, “Go quickly, I’ll carry her out first.”

Thinking of the child, Qi Zhenshu hurried back to the room, put on an outer jacket, and came out.

The child in her arms was burning hot, and Lu Sheng quickened her pace. By the time Qi Zhenshu caught up, she had already walked down the slope.

“Give her to me.” Qi Zhenshu took the child. Her legs were longer, and her steps were much faster than Lu Sheng’s.

Doctor Ding lived in the east of the village, and the two arrived in about ten minutes of walking.

It wasn’t too late, and Doctor Ding was still awake.

After examining Tangtang, she said it was nothing serious, likely a result of catching a cold during the day.

Looking at the child’s flushed face, Lu Sheng really wanted to punch the original owner.

How could the child have just caught a cold? She was most likely frightened by the events of the day when she was almost sold.

Thinking of her current identity, Lu Sheng looked at Qi Zhenshu a little guiltily, but unexpectedly met her gaze.

Qi Zhenshu’s eyes were as calm as a deep pool, and the flickering candlelight reflected in her eyes, giving them a cold, haunting glow that made Lu Sheng feel a chill.

Doctor Ding handed three packets of medicine to Lu Sheng, “Go back and decoct one dose immediately and give it to her.”

“How long does it need to be boiled for?” Lu Sheng asked.

“High heat. For a bowl this size,” Doctor Ding used her hand to indicate the size of the bowl, “boil three bowls of water down to one. Keep an eye on her tonight. If the child sweats, wipe it off promptly. She must not catch another chill.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Doctor Ding.” Lu Sheng nodded in response.

Leaving Doctor Ding’s place, the two hurried back home.

Qi Zhenshu carried the child back to the room, and Lu Sheng naturally went to the kitchen to boil the medicine.

After setting the medicine to boil, Lu Sheng thought for a moment and also heated some water on the stove. She then went out, filled a basin with water, and carried it to the East wing.

Tangtang was suffering from the fever, clinging to Qi Zhenshu and crying softly.

Qi Zhenshu looked flustered. She held the child carefully, stroked her back, and gently coaxed her.

Before Lu Huacheng died, he had specifically hired a wet nurse to care for the child. After his death and the decline of the Lu family, they could no longer afford the wet nurse’s wages.

Three days ago, the wet nurse finished her last day and left, so Tangtang had been with Qi Zhenshu these past few days.

Compared to Lu Sheng, Qi Zhenshu loved her daughter, but she was preoccupied with studying for the imperial examinations and usually lived at the academy, only returning home on days off. Therefore, she was not proficient in childcare.

Today, facing Tangtang’s illness alone, she was momentarily flustered and felt a sense of helplessness.

Lu Sheng placed the wooden basin on the table, took a washcloth from the rack, soaked it in the water, folded it into a small pad, and placed it on Tangtang’s forehead.

Tangtang nestled in Qi Zhenshu’s arms, her little face flushed from the fever. When she saw Lu Sheng approach, her dark eyes flickered, and she instinctively shrank further into the crook of Qi Zhenshu’s arm.

A three-year-old child instinctively feared her own birth mother—Lu Sheng felt a tug in her heart.

Thinking of the scenes where the original owner emotionally neglected the child, Lu Sheng felt that it wasn’t unfair for Qi Zhenshu to call the original owner, the birth mother, a beast.

Lu Sheng withdrew her hand, took a step back, and stood a little distance away.

“Put this on her forehead first; it can help lower the temperature. When it gets warm, just rinse the cloth and put it back on.”

She pointed to the wooden basin and whispered to Qi Zhenshu, “Once her temperature comes down, she’ll feel much more comfortable.”

Seeing such a thoughtful and meticulous Lu Sheng for the first time, Qi Zhenshu was momentarily stunned.

Lu Sheng was mindful of the medicine and returned to the kitchen after speaking.

She opened the lid and glanced inside. Most of the liquid had reduced, so it would probably need another ten-odd minutes to boil.

The hot water on the stove was starting to bubble, so Lu Sheng closed the stove vent.

When the medicine was ready, Lu Sheng took it to the East wing for Qi Zhenshu to feed the child, then returned to the kitchen to fetch the hot water.

When she returned to the East wing, Tangtang was already asleep.

Qi Zhenshu looked down at the child, her eyes as gentle as water. The weak candlelight shone on them, casting a faint halo.

Lu Sheng’s eyes warmed, and her heart felt soft, like a warm stream flowing through it.

Perhaps hearing the footsteps, Qi Zhenshu looked up, her eyes meeting Lu Sheng’s, just as she caught that hint of tenderness in Lu Sheng’s gaze.

A strange feeling flashed across her heart, and Qi Zhenshu frowned slightly.

Today’s Lu Sheng was truly too unusual.

Lu Sheng didn’t know what she was thinking, only assuming she had been caught staring, and felt a little embarrassed.

She smiled at Qi Zhenshu, poured the hot water into the wooden basin, tested the temperature with her hand, and asked softly, “Did she drink the medicine?”

Qi Zhenshu nodded and gently placed the child on the bed.

Lu Sheng wrung out the washcloth and handed it to Qi Zhenshu, “Wipe her sweat and change her into a clean set of clothes.”

Qi Zhenshu looked at the washcloth in her hand, then looked up at her.

Seeing her unresponsive for a moment, Lu Sheng directly took her hand, put the washcloth in it, and said with a hint of confusion, “What are you spacing out for? It’ll get cold soon.”

The washcloth was pressed tightly against her skin. Her originally icy palm was filled with warmth, but this heat did not last long before it was instantly pulled away.

“Your hand is so cold.” Lu Sheng took the washcloth back from her hand and turned to re-soak it in the hot water.

The warmth in her palm vanished. Qi Zhenshu paused, looking down at her fingertips.

Lu Sheng wrung the washcloth and turned to tell her, “Your hand is too cold. I’ll wipe her down instead.”

Qi Zhenshu understood: Lu Sheng was afraid her cold hands would chill the child.

Folding the cloth neatly, Lu Sheng looked at her hand and continued, “This water is hot. You can warm your hands in it.”

An inexplicable emotion flashed through Qi Zhenshu, but before she could identify its source, she heard Lu Sheng’s confused voice.

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Zhenshu suppressed her emotions and said flatly, “Nothing.”

“I’ll wipe her down first. Once your hands are warm, find her an outfit.”

The candlelight in the room was dim, so Lu Sheng didn’t notice her unusual behavior and walked to the bedside to wipe Tangtang’s sweat.

Before the apocalypse, Lu Sheng had a younger sister who was fifteen years her junior, so she was not unfamiliar with taking care of a child.

Qi Zhenshu held the child’s clothes, stood aside, her dark eyes as still as water, taking in Lu Sheng’s every movement.

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