After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Forced to Play the Role of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Are you hungry?” Shen Hanzhi lowered her eyes to look at the little rabbit, her fingertips gently tapping on the nearby table.

Wen Jin remembered things from Rose Manor, when she was only four or five years old. Aunt Liu was on her day off and specifically instructed another maid to remember to bring food to the young Wen Jin.

However, little Wen Jin waited from morning until noon, and no one brought her food. By evening, her little stomach was so hungry that she could not bear it anymore. She desperately knocked on the door in her room, pleading.

Little Wen Jin curled up by the door, her childish voice calling out, “Auntie, Little Jin hasn’t eaten today. Auntie, Uncle, can you give Little Jin some food?”

Little Wen Jin stretched out her small hands, continuously knocking on the door, begging the uncles and aunties outside to give her something to eat, but no one paid attention.

Even when Aunt Liu went to work the next day and questioned the maid, the maid brushed it off, saying she forgot. No one held the maid accountable.

From then on, when Aunt Liu had a day off or could not come due to family matters, she always prepared food for Wen Jin in advance. Sometimes it was a small box of rice and vegetables, sometimes it was braised potatoes Aunt Liu sneaked from the kitchen. In short, little Wen Jin could finally fill her little stomach.

Today, Wen Jin faced the same situation. From early morning, the maids gave her no chance to eat, nor did they prepare anything for her. She had to go through the wedding procedures in between, so she ate nothing all day.

But fearing she would anger Shen Hanzhi, Wen Jin’s eyes flickered. She did not dare look into Shen Hanzhi’s eyes, covered her stomach, and mumbled softly, “I’m not hungry.”

After she spoke, her stomach growled loudly twice, and Shen Hanzhi almost could not hold back her laughter.

Then Shen Hanzhi sighed, feeling some pity for the little girl. She must be afraid of being disliked, so she did not dare tell the truth.

“Alright, I’m hungry. I’ll have someone prepare some food. Will you eat with me?” Shen Hanzhi lowered her eyes to look at the obedient little white rabbit, reached out to touch the top of the rabbit’s head, and asked softly.

Wen Jin cautiously glanced at Shen Hanzhi, saw the smile on Shen Hanzhi’s face, and finally relaxed a bit. She nodded, “Okay, Sister.”

Shen Hanzhi quickly walked to the door, opened it, and called a maid at the entrance. She instructed, “Go tell the kitchen to prepare some pork bone noodles. We’re a bit hungry. Also, have the kitchen prepare some simple home-cooked dishes. Nothing too fancy, and no seafood.”

“Yes, Miss. I’ll go tell the kitchen right away,” the maid said and quickly left for the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, the pork bone noodles Shen Hanzhi requested were ready. Several maids came to deliver the noodles and dishes. Besides the noodles, they made soft braised pork ribs, pine nut corn, and a few other home-cooked dishes. The maids placed the dishes on the lounge’s dining table one by one and soon left.

The little girl’s eyes widened as she looked at the dishes. Her stomach growled uncontrollably. She pressed her stomach tightly, not wanting it to make such embarrassing sounds, but her stomach did not listen to her.

Shen Hanzhi naturally noticed the little girl’s reaction. She walked to Wen Jin and said softly, “Come eat with me. I can’t finish all this by myself.”

As she spoke, she bent down, scooped the startled little rabbit into her arms, and placed her on a chair.

After the little girl sat steadily, she realized what happened. Her ears turned red as she looked at Shen Hanzhi, “Sister, I can walk myself.”

Shen Hanzhi chuckled and glanced at the little rabbit’s feet, “You still have injuries on your feet. You just applied medicine, so don’t push yourself. Eat quickly.”

Shen Hanzhi sat down to eat the noodles. She had not eaten since arriving here and was hungry now too.

Wen Jin carefully observed Shen Hanzhi’s expression, confirmed she was not angry, and then nervously picked up her chopsticks. She gently lifted a small portion of noodles, carefully bringing them to her mouth, as if afraid eating too much would anger Shen Hanzhi.

Shen Hanzhi ate a few bites, looked up at Wen Jin, and saw the little girl eating her noodles in tiny bites. Her chopsticks only dared to pick up the noodles right in front of her, so obedient it made one’s heart ache.

Shen Hanzhi sighed. The child had suffered too much. It seemed her road ahead would be long and heavy.

She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pork rib and placed it on the small plate in front of the little girl, saying softly, “Eat some other dishes. Try this pork rib; it’s delicious.”

“Thank you, Sister,” the little girl said timidly, staring at the pork rib for a few moments. Her eyes grew slightly red.

That was something from her childhood. Wen Jin could no longer remember how old she was at the time. The Wen family was vacationing at Rose Manor. Wen Hengqiu was in a rare good mood and let her out to play. At dinner, little Wen Jin thought she could eat some good food with them, but instead, she faced a barrage of curses from her stepmother and siblings.

“You little bastard, you think you can sit at the table? Do you know your place? This isn’t somewhere you can come. Get back!” Wu Yan scolded harshly.

“Mom, she’s really stupid. She can’t even write her own name,” Wen Kai said, looking at Wen Jin with disdain.

Wen Xin chimed in, “She doesn’t know anything. She even got scared by the TV just now, haha.”

Wen Jin sniffled, her small face full of tear stains, shrinking into a tiny ball as she headed to the attic.

It was already late that night when Aunt Liu secretly brought her leftovers from the kitchen, including pork ribs. She remembered eating until her little stomach was stuffed. The pork ribs were delicious, but she only got to eat them a few times a year. During holidays when the Wen family gathered, there would be plenty of leftovers, and Aunt Liu could sneak some for her without being noticed.

Wen Jin stared at the pork rib in front of her again, confirmed Shen Hanzhi really meant it for her, and then carefully began eating. She was afraid of making too much noise, worried Shen Hanzhi would find her troublesome.

As Shen Hanzhi ate her pork ribs, she saw the little girl holding the rib with her chopsticks, barely daring to breathe, nibbling the meat in tiny bites.

Shen Hanzhi smiled and said, “Little Jin, relax. It’s just the two of us here. Eat in a way that feels comfortable for you. You don’t have to be so quiet. I’m not a tiger; I won’t eat you.”

The little girl looked up at Shen Hanzhi, saw the smile in her eyes, and grew a bit bolder. She asked softly, “Sister, it’s hard to eat this with chopsticks. Can I use my hands?”

“Of course. Here, use this to wipe your hands,” Shen Hanzhi said with a smile, pulling a wet wipe from the side and handing it to the little girl.

The little girl obediently wiped both hands thoroughly. During this, Shen Hanzhi kept looking at the little girl’s hands.

Perhaps because she rarely went outside, the little girl’s fingers were slender and long, her skin a cool white, looking more like a naturally carved piece of art.

Wen Jin noticed Shen Hanzhi staring at her hands, nervously clutched the wet wipe, and said, “Sister, I wiped them clean. Can I eat now?”

“Yes. From now on, this is your home too. Do whatever you want without needing my permission,” Shen Hanzhi said with a smile, though she knew even saying this, the little rabbit would likely still be cautious and不敢 do so.

Sure enough, the little girl only acknowledged the first half of her words. She carefully picked up the pork rib with her hands and ate in small bites.

Shen Hanzhi wondered if it was her imagination, but she found the little rabbit adorable even when eating. Was this a motherly mindset, thinking everything her child did was cute?

The little girl ate heartily but was very timid, truly like a little white rabbit. She did not dare pick up food herself. Whatever Shen Hanzhi put on her small plate, the little girl would obediently eat, her cheeks puffed up, just like a little white rabbit eating.

After a while, the little girl was almost full. When she saw Shen Hanzhi about to put more food on her plate, she quickly waved her hands, “Sister, I’m full.”

Shen Hanzhi heard the little girl was full and did not insist. She smiled at the little girl, “Good, as long as you’re full. It wouldn’t be good to overeat.”

Wen Jin nodded, her eyes occasionally sneaking glances at the fruit platter nearby, then lowering her head, not daring to speak.

In the attic, she rarely got to eat fruit. It was always Aunt Liu sneaking some to her. Wen Jin looked at the platter; many of the fruits were unfamiliar to her.

The girl’s eyes dimmed. Wen Xin and the others were not entirely wrong. She knew nothing, could not write or read, and had not seen many things outside. She could not even name these fruits, let alone know their taste.

Shen Hanzhi noticed the little girl’s every move, saw her sneaking glances at the fruit platter, and knew she probably wanted to eat but did not dare say so.

Shen Hanzhi simply stood up, picked up the fruit platter, removed the empty bowl in front of the little girl, and placed the platter in front of her, “Eat. Some fruit after a meal won’t take up much space.”

Wen Jin’s eyes lit up as she looked at Shen Hanzhi and cautiously asked, “Is it okay?”

“These are for you to eat. What’s not okay? Use this fork to poke and eat,” Shen Hanzhi said, using a nearby fork to spear a piece of fruit and putting it in her mouth. It was sweet yellow peach.

Wen Jin picked up a clean fork nearby, mimicked her, and speared a piece of fruit. She brought it to her mouth, and her eyes sparkled. She had only eaten common seasonal fruits like apples, pears, watermelons, and oranges before. The fruit she just ate was something she had never even seen.

Shen Hanzhi saw her eating happily and asked with a smile, “Is it good?”

“It’s good, Sister. What fruit is this?” After asking, the little girl looked at Shen Hanzhi with some panic, afraid of seeing disdain on her face. She hurriedly added, “I’m not a fool. I just haven’t seen this fruit before.”

Her sudden explanation made Shen Hanzhi feel heartache for the little girl. How much suffering had she endured at the Wen family to instinctively say such things?

She softly comforted the little girl, “Of course you’re not a fool. You’re the little wife I married and brought home.”

As she spoke, Shen Hanzhi gently patted the little girl’s head. Hearing the word “wife,” the little girl’s face turned red. She nibbled on the fruit stickily, not daring to look at Shen Hanzhi.