Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 5

The night’s curtain gradually receded, and the morning light, sparse and scattered, filtered through the thin mist onto the earth.

“‘Those yellow fruits on the mountain are too sour and prickly.'”

“‘I told you to wait until they turn red to be sweet, you greedy thing.'”

“‘Wuwu, you’re scolding me!'”

“‘Oh dear, be good, I’m not scolding you. Let me see where it pricked you.'”

“‘The tender flesh next to my beak, look, right here. Is it swollen?'”

“‘Oh, there you two are. I saw a big piece of gossip last night.'”

“‘What gossip? Quick, tell us!'”

“‘Little Deer Blossom went to her sister-in-law’s room yesterday and didn’t come out all night!'”

“‘What’s the big deal? I saw that the day before yesterday too.'”

“‘Well, last night I also saw Ding Laizi go to the wine shop, sneaking around. He clearly wasn’t up to any good.'”

…

The little sparrows chirped excitedly, chattering noisily on the branches.

A small stone was thrown from inside the window, hitting the branch directly, and the little creatures scattered in a flash.

Lu Sheng turned over and pulled the quilt over her head, then the next instant, she was startled, sitting up on the bed.

She stared blankly at the grey-blue sky outside the window for a long while before the tension in Lu Sheng’s shoulders slowly relaxed.

She was no longer in the apocalypse, but had come to a sunny, clean, and safe world.

Rubbing her face, Lu Sheng put on her outer clothes and got out of bed.

The morning mist hadn’t completely dissipated. The air carried a faint dampness, and the breeze brought a hint of chill.

Lu Sheng changed into a thicker ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese attire).

The door of the east wing was tightly shut. Qi Zhenshu and Tangtang hadn’t woken up yet.

Lu Sheng first made a fire and cooked some coarse rice porridge, then went to the backyard vegetable garden to take a look.

The garden was about one mu (a unit of area, roughly 666.7 square meters) in size, planted with many vegetables, but most were easy-to-manage varieties like small Chinese cabbage, green onions, white radishes, and cabbages. Lu Sheng looked closely and also found potatoes in the ground.

Lu Sheng picked a head of cabbage, preparing to slice and stir-fry it. As she walked to the front yard, she ran into Qi Zhenshu who was coming out of the room.

“Morning,” Lu Sheng greeted with a smile. “I’ve cooked porridge, and once I stir-fry this cabbage, we can eat.”

Qi Zhenshu was startled to see her, then his gaze fell on the cabbage in her hand, and a strange, hesitant expression appeared on his face.

Being stared at by Qi Zhenshu like that, Lu Sheng felt as if she’d been caught stealing vegetables from someone else’s garden. She quickly changed the subject: “How is Tangtang? Has the fever gone down? Is she awake?”

Suppressing the confusion in his heart, Qi Zhenshu nodded and said, “She’s awake, and her fever is gone.”

Lu Sheng finished cooking the dish, and Qi Zhenshu also came in carrying the child.

Although Tangtang’s fever had subsided, she was still listless and had little appetite, only drinking two sips of porridge before saying she didn’t want any more.

Qi Zhenshu was a little anxious, holding and coaxing her for a long time, but the little girl just clutched his clothes, burying her small face under his arm, unwilling to eat again.

Lu Sheng thought for a moment, got up, found a small piece of brown sugar in the sugar jar, and put it into the porridge.

The sugar block melted into a red syrup in the hot porridge, giving off a sweet, fragrant scent.

Stirring the syrup evenly, Lu Sheng took a small spoon and drank a mouthful herself, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction. “Oh, this porridge is sweet and so delicious!”

Her expression and tone were deliberately exaggerated, as if she were holding the most delicious porridge in the world.

This manner might seem strange to an adult, but it could precisely capture a child’s attention.

Tangtang peered out from Qi Zhenshu’s embrace with wide eyes, looking at her with curiosity.

Lu Sheng scooped up a small spoonful, pretending to take a second bite, but stopped the spoon just before her mouth, looking at Tangtang. She smiled sweetly, “Does the little baby want to eat too?”

Hearing Lu Sheng call her “little baby,” the little girl’s eyes widened, staring unblinkingly, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

Lu Sheng offered the spoon with a bright smile, “This porridge is super yummy, baby. Want to try it?”

Tangtang timidly took a small bite. Tasting the sweetness, her eyes sparkled, and she swallowed the spoonful of porridge in one gulp.

“Such a good girl.” Lu Sheng served another spoonful and offered it, “Baby needs to eat a full tummy so the illness will get better quickly~”

Just like that, little Tangtang finished an entire bowl of sweet porridge amidst Lu Sheng’s praises of “good baby” and “smart baby.”

Placing the empty bowl on the table, Lu Sheng smiled and winked at Qi Zhenshu.

Her bright, clear eyes were full of life, and there was no trace of the disdain and disgust that had been there in the past. A peculiar emotion spread through Qi Zhenshu’s heart.

Qi Zhenshu suppressed the strange feeling, his brows relaxed as he said, “Thank you.”

Noticing the softening of his attitude, Lu Sheng smiled and whispered, “You’re welcome.”

After eating, Lu Sheng brewed the medicine for Tangtang and then went to the house of the village head, Old Lady Lu.

The village head was shelling corn in the courtyard, and her eyes paused on Lu Sheng’s clothes. “You’re here?”

Lu Sheng casually grabbed a stool and joined her in shelling. “Yes. Auntie, have you eaten?”

“Mm.” The village head’s hands didn’t stop. She glanced at Lu Sheng. “It’s rare to see you up at chenshi (7 to 9 AM).”

The original owner was lazy and gluttonous, the type who wouldn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

“Auntie~” Lu Sheng mimicked the original owner’s spoilt tone. “I told you yesterday that I’d live properly with Ah Shu from now on, so naturally, I have to get up earlier.”

The original owner was spoiled and willful, a scumbag with no bottom line. Aside from the doting of her biological father, Lu Huacheng, another reason was the indulgence of the village head, her aunt. The reason for this was that Lu Sheng’s appearance closely resembled the village head’s older brother, and the village head’s affection for Lu Sheng even surpassed that for her own grandchildren.

“What happened yesterday has made me feel that I can’t indulge Lu Sheng anymore,” Old Lady Lu thought. Ignoring Lu Sheng’s coaxing, she sternly said, “That’s easy to say, but you were bold enough to sell the house!”

“Are you going to sell your wife and daughter next?!” Old Lady Lu threw the corn cob in her hand heavily onto the ground and shouted fiercely.

Lu Sheng’s eyebrow twitched. She thought to herself that if she hadn’t arrived, Old Lady Lu’s words would have come true.

“What? You really have that idea?!”

Old Lady Lu saw Lu Sheng lower her head, mistook it for a sign of guilt, and her anger soared. She immediately grabbed Lu Sheng’s ear, picked up a broom, and began to hit her.

“You scoundrel, you are truly lawless! How could a good man like Brother Cheng give birth to such a spendthrift waste!”

“No, no, no, Auntie, let go quickly, my ear, my ear is going to fall off.”

Lu Sheng rubbed her ear while jumping and dodging the relentless broom handle.

“It better be ‘no’!”

Old Lady Lu let go, pointed the broom at Lu Sheng, and glared, threatening, “If you dare to do such a heartless thing, I’ll have Ah Min directly tie you up and throw you into the Imperial Prison.”

Lu Huamin was Old Lady Lu’s youngest daughter. Nine years ago, she entered officialdom through the imperial examinations and now serves in the Dali Temple (Court of Judicial Review). The original owner was most afraid of this youngest aunt.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”

Lu Sheng repeatedly waved her hands. Seeing that Old Lady Lu was still not letting up, she quickly held up three fingers and swore, “I promise, even if I have to sell myself one day, I will never sell them. If I, Lu Sheng, ever have the thought of selling my wife and daughter, may I be thrown into the eighteenth layer of…”

After all, she still cared for her grand-niece. Old Lady Lu interrupted her with a sweep of the broom, her expression softening slightly as she rolled her eyes and scolded, “Stop talking nonsense in front of me!”

Lu Sheng rubbed her leg and smiled, “I’m just doing this so you’ll believe me. Besides, if I keep my word, what does breaking an oath matter?”

“I’ll believe you one more time.”

Old Lady Lu glanced sideways at her, then let out a heavy sigh, her tone serious. “Zhenshu is a good child. When the metropolitan examination comes next year, she’s bound to be on the list. Sheng’er, you must not be foolish!”

The imperial examination system in Liang Kingdom was similar to the ancient one in Lu Sheng’s original world. Held every three years, the sequence was: passing the Tongshi (Child Test) to become a Xiucai (Licentiate), passing the Xiangshi (Provincial Examination) to become a Juren (Provincial Graduate), passing the Huishi (Metropolitan Examination) to become a Jinshi (Presented Scholar), and finally, those who successfully passed the Dianshi (Palace Examination) could enter officialdom.

“Now that Brother Cheng is gone, she is your reliance for the future. You just live your life peacefully. Once you get through these two years, you will definitely have better days ahead. You must not be willful as you were before. Do you understand?”

Old Lady Lu patted her hand, speaking earnestly.

“I understand.”

Lu Sheng nodded in agreement, but she didn’t entirely agree with Old Lady Lu’s words.

She agreed with living a good life with Qi Zhenshu, but she couldn’t endorse staking all her future and hope on Qi Zhenshu passing the imperial exams.

Regardless of whether Qi Zhenshu could truly achieve success and enter officialdom, securing a worry-free life for them, Lu Sheng, as a modern person with an independent personality, would not pin her entire future life on another person.

Dependence on others is not a long-term solution.

“I haven’t asked you yet, why did you mortgage the house? And what did you spend that money on?” Old Lady Lu asked.

“I was tricked.”

After recalling most of the original owner’s memories, Lu Sheng realized that the original owner’s actions, from selling the house to attempting to sell the child, weren’t entirely due to the original owner being utterly despicable. Everything was deliberately orchestrated by someone.

However, these were only her suspicions; she didn’t have any concrete evidence yet.

Hearing her words, Old Lady Lu’s expression immediately changed, and she frowned. “Who tricked you?”

Lu Sheng appeased her, “I can’t be sure yet. When I have evidence, I’ll tell you, Auntie.”

Rarely seeing Lu Sheng show such a sense of responsibility, Old Lady Lu felt a hint of relief.

“Was that fifty taels also cheated away?” Old Lady Lu pondered, then asked suspiciously, “Are you lying to me?”

“How would I dare to lie to you, my elder? Not a single coin of that fifty taels was spent. I already gave it all to Ah Shu yesterday.”

“Well, you’re not completely foolish,” Old Lady Lu sternly tapped her head. “So why have you come looking for me today?”

“I have the fifty taels, but I’m still short the ten taels for the fine,” Lu Sheng chuckled.

“Wait here.” Old Lady Lu shot her a grumpy look.

Leaning on her cane, she returned to the main room. After a while, Old Lady Lu came back with a red paper packet and handed it to Lu Sheng. “Here are fifteen taels. Be thrifty with your spending. I’ll help you find some work these next few days to help with household expenses.”

Lu Sheng was surprised that Old Lady Lu still trusted her so much at this point, astonished by the depth of Old Lady Lu’s affection for the original owner, and truly felt sorry for Old Lady Lu.

After all, in the heart of that scumbag, the original owner, whether it was Lu Huacheng or Old Lady Lu, everyone’s kindness to her was taken for granted, and she never had a single thought of gratitude.

Now that she occupied the original owner’s body, she would repay this kindness from now on.

“Why the ghostly expression?”

Old Lady Lu patted her back, interrupting Lu Sheng’s thoughts.

“If you truly remember my kindness, then be good to Zhenshu, raise Tangtang to adulthood, and when I meet Brother Cheng down below someday, I can have a clear conscience.”

“Okay,” Lu Sheng answered softly, her voice thick with emotion.

Just as the two were speaking, a man in a green shirt hurriedly ran into the courtyard, breathing heavily as he shouted, “Village Head, something bad has happened at the wine shop!”

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