The Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Heroine in the Old Abusive Article - Chapter 13

Is her acting really that good?

Qin Cheng immediately protested, “Mother, Liu Dian said he needs to focus entirely on his studies right now. He’ll wait until…”

“Wait until when? Until he fails the exam and refuses to marry you?” Qin Youcai glared, snorted coldly, and turned to go back inside, ignoring them.

He’d made his point clear. They’d better not blame him if he went to ask Liu Dian himself.

None of his five children ever gave him a moment’s peace.

Seeing him leave, Qin Yang lost interest in watching their “filial piety” act. She’d rather spend her time with the Female Lead.

Without a second thought, she returned to her room. While the Female Lead was still undecided, Qin Yang secretly retrieved the leftover chicken from her spatial storage.

“Let’s make do with this for breakfast. I’ll go hunting later. You’ll be alright here alone, right?” As she spoke, she tore off the other chicken leg and handed it to Wen Jin’an. “If they ask you to do anything, just ignore them. We’ll deal with it when I get back.”

Wen Jin’an stared at the chicken leg Qin Yang offered, then looked up. The sincerity in her eyes seemed utterly genuine.

Had her acting become this convincing?

“What’s wrong? Feeling unwell again?” Qin Yang asked, her face flushing as she noticed Wen Jin’an staring at her. She instinctively touched her nose.

Wen Jin’an took the chicken leg, shook her head, and asked, “Are you going hunting?”

Was this person really going hunting, or just going out to carouse with her shady friends?

She lowered her gaze, concealing the darkness in her eyes.

Qin Yang, oblivious to Wen Jin’an’s inner turmoil, smiled and nodded. Still concerned, she added, “Eat this chicken leg for breakfast. Save the two wings for lunch. Hide them well so the Qin Family doesn’t find them.”

She planned to eat the rest herself. Given the Qin Family’s temperament, breakfast would likely be nonexistent after this incident. Anyone who tried to cook now would probably just stir up trouble. Besides, their usual meals were either wild vegetable soup or sweet potato rice—utterly lacking in nutrition.

Qin Yang tore off a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth. Surprisingly, the roasted chicken hadn’t become dry or soft overnight; the skin remained as crispy and fragrant as the day before.

Could this be because of the spatial dimension?

Qin Yang’s heart surged with elation. She hadn’t realized her spatial storage had such a remarkable function—preserving items exactly as they were when stored, even better than a refrigerator from her original world.

If this held true, she would never have to worry about food spoiling again. She could even store cooked meals in the space and enjoy them whenever she pleased.

This discovery filled Qin Yang with renewed confidence about her future.

After settling Wen Jin’an comfortably, Qin Yang and Qin Zhao each shouldered a bamboo basket and set out.

They returned to the same mountain they had visited the previous day. Despite the sweltering July heat, the mountain remained refreshingly cool.

Qin Zhao led the way to the hunting grounds from the previous day, skillfully locating several traps hidden beneath the undergrowth.

“When did you set these?” Qin Yang asked, rubbing her nose in embarrassment. Yesterday, she had tricked Qin Zhao into setting traps while she roasted the chicken, but he hadn’t set a single one. Yet, not only had he caught a pheasant, but he had also managed to set traps.

And here I am…

Qin Yang pursed her lips. “Are there any animals in them?”

Qin Zhao nodded, reaching into a trap to grab two ears and pull out a rabbit.

It turned out to be a gray rabbit, which struggled frantically in her hands.

“Are you going to kill it?” Qin Yang asked.

“Mm,” Qin Zhao replied.

Qin Yang nodded, suddenly remembering that she had eaten chicken for breakfast, while Qin Zhao had eaten nothing. Qianyuan bodies naturally consumed more energy, and after climbing such a long distance up the mountain, Qin Zhao must be starving.

Qin Yang stood silently to the side, watching Qin Zhao expertly prepare the rabbit. The skin was peeled off in one piece and laid aside, while the meat was skewered over the fire to roast.

Her movements were practiced and efficient, clearly not her first time doing this. Qin Yang recalled Qin Zhao’s words from the previous day.

It quickly became clear that Qin Zhao must frequently come to the mountains to hunt, and she had been doing so behind the Qin Family’s back.

Why had she suddenly decided to stop hiding it? It must be related to Patriarch Chen’s demand for animal hides. If Qin Zhao wanted to seize this opportunity to hunt more game, she would need to enter the mountains regularly. As a Qianyuan, the Qin Family would never allow her to run off every day without doing any work. By openly declaring her intention to hunt in the mountains, they would likely raise no objections and might even be pleased.

This also revealed to Qin Yang that Qin Zhao not only had her own plans but was also a shrewd and resourceful person. Yes, the evidence was irrefutable.

But…

Qin Yang recalled Qin Zhao’s tragic end in the novel, a wave of melancholy washing over her.

Logically, shouldn’t someone like him, free from the burdens of the Qin Family, have lived a better life?

Why did he end up marrying into a wealthy family, only to die in quiet despair?

Could there be a hidden reason behind this?

Qin Yang couldn’t quite grasp it.

As she pondered, the aroma of roasting rabbit meat filled the air. Qin Zhao scored the meat with his knife to help it cook faster.

Qin Yang stared at the rabbit and asked, “Did you bring any salt?”

She couldn’t help but worry. The Qin Family’s cooking was notoriously rough. While the roasted meat smelled delicious, the flavor was limited to the charred skin. The meat inside remained gamey, especially rabbit, which could be overwhelmingly pungent if not properly prepared.

Qin Zhao glanced at her. “No, it’s fine as is.”

Just as I thought.

Qin Yang sighed softly, saying nothing more. She secretly vowed to bring seasonings next time, even if it was just salt.

The rabbit roasted quickly. Qin Zhao removed it from the fire, carved off the two hind legs, and handed them to Qin Yang.

“Hmm? All for me?”

Noticing her confusion, Qin Zhao explained, “I eat this often.”

Alright, if he eats it often, I won’t hold back, Qin Yang thought. She ate one leg, leaving the rest for the Female Lead.

They quickly finished their meal.

Qin Zhao tossed the rabbit skin into his back basket, and the two continued checking the traps. Out of a dozen traps, they had caught two rabbits and a pheasant.

After collecting their game, Qin Zhao didn’t seem in a hurry to return. Instead, he continued deeper into the mountains.

The further they went, the fewer people they encountered, and the mountain path became increasingly treacherous, the grass underfoot slippery and damp.

“Where are we going?” Qin Yang couldn’t help but ask.

“Almost there,” Qin Zhao replied.

Judging by the sun, it was nearly noon. Time seemed to pass quickly in the mountains. After walking a bit further, Qin Zhao stopped before a thicket of thorns. He pulled a sickle from his back basket, cleared away the thorns, and revealed a pitch-black cave entrance.

“Let’s go in.”

“……”

Without another word, Qin Zhao stepped into the cave first. Qin Yang hesitated for a moment before following.

As soon as she entered, Qin Yang couldn’t help but gape. The cave wasn’t large, roughly six meters long and three meters wide.

The cave walls were hung with animal hides and dried meat.

Did Qin Zhao hunt all this?

Qin Yang snapped out of her daze, her eyes sparkling with surprise.

She had suspected Qin Zhao was secretly hunting, but she never imagined he had stockpiled so much.

Given the abundance of hides, Qin Zhao would likely sell them soon. This was the perfect opportunity for her to gather information. Firming her resolve, Qin Yang asked, “When do you plan to sell them?”

Qin Zhao skillfully cleaned the rabbits and pheasants he had hunted, replying casually, “Today.” He pulled a paper packet from his sleeve.

Hmm?

Qin Yang blinked as Qin Zhao opened the packet, revealing white, granular contents. He began rubbing these white particles onto the cleaned rabbits and pheasants.

?!

It was salt!

Qin Yang froze, then couldn’t help but twitch her lips into a smile. If she remembered correctly, Qin Zhao had claimed he hadn’t brought any salt.

What’s this then?

So he was lying to me all along!

She never thought she could misjudge someone so badly. Qin Zhao might look honest, but he was actually quite cunning.

Qin Zhao marinated the meat and hung it to dry in the dark, damp cave, using the same method she’d used to make cured meat in her original world.

“You’re not taking any of this back after being out all day?” Qin Yang asked, eyeing the partially smeared rabbit meat in Qin Zhao’s hand.

“Not yet. I’ll catch a couple of fish from the stream on our way back.” As she spoke, Qin Zhao hung the prepared meat to dry.

Next, she began gathering animal hides. “Help me with these.”

Qin Yang paused, examining the various hides before helping Qin Zhao take them down.

Qin Zhao produced a length of hemp rope from somewhere and stacked the hides together, rolling them into two bundles and tying them securely.

The bundles weren’t large or heavy, even when rolled up. Qin Yang suspected Qin Zhao had deliberately made two bundles to keep her from being idle.

On their way back, they avoided their original route, deliberately bypassing the village and taking a different path to town.

“How far is it to town?” Qin Yang asked, having spent the entire morning trekking through the mountains. The sun was now beginning to dip westward, and the meager chicken and rabbit leg she’d eaten for breakfast had long been digested.

Her legs felt weak as she stared at the phantom rabbit leg in her mind’s eye, swallowing hard before closing her eyes.

This body was perfect in every way, except for one glaring flaw: it got hungry too easily. And when hunger struck, her entire body felt drained of energy. She was genuinely afraid she might faint from starvation before even reaching town.

“There’s a bullock cart heading to town on the main road ahead,” Qin Zhao said coolly, glancing up at the sun. “We can ride that.”

“Really?” Qin Yang’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? I’m exhausted and starving! Don’t you feel it too?”

Qin Zhao shook her head.

Qin Yang: “……”

Could it be that her constant hunger wasn’t because she was a Qianyuan?

But rather…

A sudden, subconscious realization struck her: the original host had always been lazy and gluttonous. Even after Qin Yang’s soul had taken over, the body had retained its original nature.

The thought sent Qin Yang into a panic. Could her lifetime of hard-earned reputation be ruined by the original host’s lingering habits?