My Female General Is A Villain (GL) - Chapter 6

Although He Wenchuan had the protection of the Old Madam, the welts on his body were a harsh reminder of his punishment.

Taking advantage of a moment when his grandmother was away, He Su personally chased after He Wenchuan and delivered several more hard strikes with a stick. If his older brother, He Xuanzhi, hadn’t intervened, He Wenchuan would surely have been left with gashes on his skin.

Even without a scholar’s title, He Wenchuan was spoiled rotten at home. Despite He Su’s aggressive behavior, he was actually just waiting for He Xuanzhi to step in and save him, giving them both a way out.

He Wenchuan hobbled out of the main hall, his body half-beaten, when he happened to run into He Jiaojiao and Pei Ji, who had just returned to the estate.

“Hold it right there!” He struggled to walk, his hands clutching his aching back, making for a rather pitiful sight.

He Jiaojiao glanced at him, barely able to contain her smile. She had heard earlier that General He and her older brother were back, and this was likely the result of her father’s handiwork—a fine job, she thought.

Seeing the hostility in his tone, she took a step forward, shielding Pei Ji.

As he approached, he pointed at her in a fit of rage and shame. “How dare you, He Jiaojiao! You snuck away and tattled on me, causing me to get this beating for nothing?!”

“This is a lesson for you, so you’ll never do it again,” she replied, smiling.

He Wenchuan scoffed. “A woman’s heart is the most venomous thing.”

“Do you even know how much you racked up in debt at the gambling house last month, Second Brother? It’s enough to cover the entire He household’s living expenses for half a year. If you keep this up, the great achievements that Father and Brother risked their lives for won’t be enough for you to squander.”

“And if you calculate how much you’ve spent on all your friends, it’s probably a lot more than that, isn’t it? If I were Father, this beating would be considered light.”

Her words were logical, and He Wenchuan couldn’t argue. When it came to spending money, he truly never thought twice about it.

Knowing he was in the wrong, he quickly shifted his attention, giving Pei Ji a meaningful once-over. He noticed the two full bags in his hands and was puzzled.

“I bet you’ve been stealing things again, haven’t you, you little scoundrel?”

He had heard rumors from the servants that Pei Ji had once stolen one of Jiaojiao’s coats. Had he tried the same trick again?

He decided he needed to teach him a lesson, otherwise, the servants would think they could get away with anything.

He Jiaojiao frowned in displeasure. “What do you mean ‘stealing again’? Don’t say such ugly things. I bought all of these for him.”

Pei Ji remained silent, completely unfazed by He Wenchuan’s slander. It was as if she was used to it.

It was He Jiaojiao’s explanation that surprised her.

And the frequent smiles she had been showing lately. Something she had never seen before.

He Wenchuan walked over and checked her forehead, then pulled her to the side with a wink, whispering so no one else could hear. “Are you crazy? You bought him clothes? Am I hearing this right?”

He Jiaojiao shot him a sideways glance. “If you ever dare to bully him again, I won’t let you off the hook.”

He Wenchuan was utterly flabbergasted. If it weren’t for the very real pain in his body, he would have thought he was dreaming.

Otherwise, he would never have believed that Jiaojiao, for whom even uttering Pei Ji’s name was once taboo, would now be protecting him.

*******

Winter nights always came quickly. He Jiaojiao tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Without a heater or an electric blanket, she shivered uncontrollably.

She wrapped her blanket tightly around herself and called for Qingyao.

“Qingyao, take me to the woodshed.”

She bundled up and followed Qingyao. The lantern’s light was dim, barely illuminating the path ahead.

The cold, dark night, accompanied by the howling wind and snow, created an eerie rustling sound.

From the outside, the woodshed looked long abandoned and dilapidated. It was hard to believe there was a hut made of earth in a General’s manor, like something from the countryside.

If the wind blew any harder, it might just collapse.

She quietly approached, peering through the doorway for a long time, then pressing her ear against it to listen closely.

Not a sound, not a flicker of light.

Was she asleep?

He Jiaojiao still couldn’t give up, peeking her head in and muttering softly, “How can anyone sleep in these conditions?”

“Are you looking for me, Miss?”

The sudden voice from behind made her cringe. She stood up straight, composed herself, and forced a smile. “I was just taking a walk… gazing at the moon.”

Pei Ji looked up at the sky, which was a hazy mess. She couldn’t see anything, not a moon, not even a single star.

He Jiaojiao felt a flash of regret. She should have had a better excuse ready for situations like this, so she wouldn’t be so embarrassed.

“If there’s nothing else, Miss, please go back. It’s freezing out here, and you don’t want to get sick,” Pei Ji said as she opened the door and walked inside.

He Jiaojiao followed her. “What about you? What are you doing out so late?”

Pei Ji lit a candle. “Couldn’t sleep either, just wandering around… gazing at the moon.”

Upon hearing this, He Jiaojiao was speechless.

She had a sharp comeback, it seemed.

Pei Ji appeared submissive and never openly defied her, but the coldness in her eyes never faded. It was a resolute and fearless look.

Was this the sign of someone who was destined for great things? Someone who only grew stronger with each setback?

As soon as she entered, the dust in the air assailed her nostrils, making her cough.

It seemed the dirt walls were shedding dust particles that scattered everywhere.

He Jiaojiao waved her hand to clear the air, taking in her surroundings.

The room was filled with junk, mostly stacked piles of firewood and some useless, discarded ornaments.

It was a cluttered and chaotic mess.

The only clear space was a hard wooden bed in the corner. The blanket on it looked thin and flimsy.

The vent in the ceiling was covered by a cloth, which flapped in the wind with a “hula hula” sound.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of pity for this girl. If she had been born into a different family, perhaps her fate would have been different.

She rolled up her sleeves and started scavenging for items, making a simple stove.

Pei Ji stared at her and asked, “What are you doing?”

At first, she thought He Jiaojiao was here to monitor her, to vent her bad mood by taking it out on her again.

But now, she wasn’t doing anything out of line.

He Jiaojiao lit the pile of firewood and kindling, and the room instantly became brighter and warmer.

She sat on a makeshift wooden stool, warming her hands over the fire. “The wind and snow are too strong outside, and you have nothing in this broken shed. You’ll freeze to death.”

“Come over here. It’s warmer with more people,” she said, noticing Pei Ji wasn’t moving. She frowned deliberately, using a commanding tone.

Pei Ji didn’t look at her, but her body obeyed. She slowly walked over and sat next to her, pulling the hem of her dark, dust-covered clothes closer to her feet. “There’s nothing to entertain you with in this filthy place. If you’re bored, Miss, you should go back.”

“Are you telling me to leave?” He Jiaojiao asked with a half-smile.

“No.”

“Bullshit,” He Jiaojiao thought. “She obviously wants me gone.”

He Jiaojiao pouted, no longer bothering to argue.

She glanced at the hands warming by the fire. They looked like a skeleton’s, chapped and raw from the cold, and the bruises from previous injuries were all too visible.

It seemed being a malicious woman wasn’t as easy as she thought.

She couldn’t bear to look anymore.

He Jiaojiao pulled out a prepared ointment and took one of the hands, which seemed to have no good spots on it. The force she used was a bit strong, and she could feel the slightest tremor in that hand.

Pei Ji was truly not expecting this. Her eyes turned cold and clouded, and she instinctively tried to pull her thorny hands away, but the other’s grip was too firm. She let out a muffled grunt of protest.

“Don’t move. If you do, I won’t mind adding a couple more cuts to your hand,” He Jiaojiao said, her tone unreasonable, but her movements as she applied the ointment were exceptionally careful.

The cool, minty sensation spread over her hands. Pei Ji’s tightly knit brows gradually relaxed, her eyes filled with confusion, and her lips, which had been pressed shut, twitched as if she wanted to say something.

“Why didn’t you use the ointment I gave you?” He Jiaojiao asked, not stopping her movements. “Were you afraid I poisoned it?”

She tilted her head and said, in a tone of feigned surprise, “Oh, so I’m that scary, am I?”

“These small injuries are nothing. They’ll heal on their own in a few days. Besides, your things are too valuable to be wasted on me,” Pei Ji said calmly, without a hint of emotion. She pulled her sleeve down to cover her hands, as if she didn’t want them to be seen for another moment.

He Jiaojiao wasn’t fazed. She poked at the fire with a stick to make it burn brighter, rubbed her nose, and continued, “I just feel bad for my own stuff. Since I gave it to you, you can’t refuse it. But if you really don’t want to use it…” she leaned closer, her amber eyes glowing in the firelight. “Then I’ll come here every day from now on and put the ointment on you myself, until you’re completely healed.”

Perhaps seeing her relentless attitude, Pei Ji didn’t say anything else. It was unclear if she was done arguing or something else was on her mind, but seeing her worried expression, He Jiaojiao figured she probably thought she was just playing another trick on her.

After all, it was He Jiaojiao who had caused her so much harm, and now it was He Jiaojiao who wanted to help her heal.

Women… they were a handful.

They sat in silence for a while until He Jiaojiao stood up, about to leave, when she was stopped.

Pei Ji’s cool voice added another layer of coldness to the bitter night. She finally spoke. “Miss, there’s no need to go to all this trouble. I… I will use the medicine myself. It’s cold tonight, so I won’t see you out.”

“…”

He Jiaojiao looked at her deep, shimmering eyes and felt a shiver run down her spine. They were as sharp as a hawk’s, a suffocating fear like being trapped in quicksand, and it left her speechless.

In the end, she left in a panicked.

*******

He Jiaojiao didn’t sleep well that night, finally falling into a deep slumber just before dawn.

Pei Ji was too frightening, she thought. It seemed her mission from System 19 would never be completed, and she’d have to go to the underworld to plead her case with the King of Hell.

What a mess.

Just as her dream was getting good, a harsh creak of the door woke her up. He Jiaojiao yanked the blanket over her head, covering her ears tightly.

It was Qingyao, who had been as careful as she could be, tip-toeing and acting timidly, afraid of startling her lady.

Waking her up had always been the most nerve-wracking task. If her lady was in a good mood, it was fine. But if she was in a bad one, it was a nightmare.

Qingyao leaned in and spoke softly. “Miss, the Old Madam wants you to join her for breakfast.”

He Jiaojiao turned over, mumbled something, and continued to sleep soundly.

Qingyao hesitated for a long time, then patted her shoulder through the blanket. “Miss? It’s time to wake up…”

He Jiaojiao was instantly wide awake. She threw off the blanket and sat up, her eyes still heavy with sleep, but she still managed to mumble a reply, “Mmm…”

She yawned widely, her mouth in a pout, and her hair was a fluffy, tangled mess.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from being under the blanket.

“Oh my goodness,” Qingyao thought. “Is this really my Miss? She looks so soft and cute.”

It must be an illusion.

After she finished getting dressed, she finally felt more awake.

He Jiaojiao looked around. It seemed there were quite a lot of people in the He family, with a full table of them seated.

This was the first time she had eaten with them. For the past few days, she had politely declined, citing that she was not feeling well. The Old Madam, out of care for her, had also told her to rest and recover from her fall in the water.

Just as everyone started to eat, they noticed something was wrong. Everyone was there except for Pei Ji.

He Jiaojiao casually asked, “Where is Pei Ji? Why isn’t he here?”

As soon as she said this, a look of surprise fell on everyone’s faces, as if she had said something completely out of the ordinary. It made her feel uncomfortable.

She quietly asked Qingyao.

Qingyao stuttered, her voice very low, but He Jiaojiao could hear every word. “Miss, have you forgotten? You were the one who didn’t allow your husband to eat at the table. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

“Otherwise, you would fly into a rage.”

He Jiaojiao was stunned. So she had this much power in this house.

Okay, that was… ridiculous…

She gave an awkward laugh. Everyone else, with an unexpected sense of unity, pretended not to have heard a thing and continued to eat.

He Wenchuan, who was sitting next to her, nudged her and whispered in her ear, “Didn’t you used to call him useless? You’ve been acting really strange lately. Have you changed?”

He Jiaojiao was too lazy to argue. She glared at him and said, “Just eat your food.”

He Wenchuan, seeing he wasn’t going to get an answer, mumbled a few more things under his breath and gave up.