The Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Heroine in the Old Abusive Article - Chapter 25

As expected, I was too naive…

When they arrived, the Village Head had already prepared the certificate and handed it to Qin Yang. “Now that you’ve moved out of the Qin Family, and considering you two currently have no place to stay, there’s a courtyard at the foot of the mountain. It’s been uninhabited for years, but with some cleaning, it’ll be livable.”

Qin Yang nodded sincerely. “Thank you so much, Village Head. You’ve not only helped Jin’an and me immensely but also lent us a place to live.”

“Ai.” The Village Head waved his hand. “Don’t be so polite. Just promise me you won’t treat your Kunze the way you used to. Take good care of her.”

“You have my word,” Qin Yang assured him, rubbing her nose. “I’ll definitely take good care of Jin’an.” Looks like I need to quickly shake off the baggage left by the Original Host.

After a few more words with the Village Head, the two women left.

To reach the County Town, they had to take an ox-cart from the village entrance. The Original Host’s village was quite remote, relatively far from the County Town. The ox-cart ride cost ten copper coins per person, and by the time they arrived at the County Magistrate’s Office, it was nearly noon. Completing the household registration process took the entire morning.

By now, Qin Yang was so hungry her stomach was practically glued to her back. She hadn’t eaten much that morning, and this body seemed to get hungry quickly.

She didn’t mind so much for herself, but she couldn’t let the Female Lead go hungry.

“Let’s get some wontons over there,” Qin Yang said, supporting Wen Jin’an and pointing to a roadside wonton stall.

She would have loved to take the Female Lead to a proper restaurant, but her purse was embarrassingly empty. For now, wontons would have to do. But that was fine. Now that they’d left the Qin Family, their next priority was earning money. Once they had enough, they could treat the Female Lead to all the delicacies she deserved.

Wen Jin’an glanced at the wonton stall, nodded, and murmured a soft “Mm.”

The stall owner, a woman in her thirties, greeted them with a cheerful “Two bowls of wontons for the ladies?”

“Yes, two bowls, please,” Qin Yang replied.

“Coming right up! Just a moment,” the woman said.

There weren’t many customers at the stall, and the woman quickly prepared the wontons, serving them in no time.

“Enjoy your meal,” she said.

“Excuse me, ma’am, do you know where the brokers’ offices are in this county town?” Qin Yang asked.

The woman smiled. “There’s a bridge not far from here. You’ll find plenty of brokers there. Are you looking to rent or buy a place?”

Seeing the woman’s straightforward demeanor, Qin Yang didn’t hesitate to be honest. “To be frank, my wife and I are new here and looking to rent a place.”

The woman pondered for a moment. “That’s perfect! After you finish your wontons, I’ll have my maid take you to see some properties.”

Qin Yang’s eyes lit up. “We couldn’t possibly trouble you like that.”

The woman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble at all. The streets here are a maze; you’d easily get lost. Having someone guide you will save you a lot of time.” With that, she called out toward the street corner.

Moments later, a lively girl of seven or eight with twin buns bounced over. “Mother, you called?”

The woman glanced at her sternly. “You’re covered in dirt again! Take these two guests to the bridge east of town later.”

The girl nodded, then tilted her head to study Qin Yang and Wen Jin’an. Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, what an adorable little dog!”

She leaned closer to the table, her gaze fixed on Xiao Bai nestled in Wen Jin’an’s arms. “Sister, is this your dog?”

Wen Jin’an glanced at Qin Yang, then smiled slightly. “Yes.”

“So cute! This is the first time I’ve seen a white puppy like this,” the young girl exclaimed.

Xiao Bai stretched out its small head to sniff, then quickly retreated, burying its head under Wen Jin’an’s arm.

“Erya, stop bothering the guests and come help me serve the wontons to the customers at that table,” the woman called out.

“Coming!” Erya glanced reluctantly at the little creature in Wen Jin’an’s arms before leaving.

“Is that enough? If not, order another bowl,” Qin Yang said softly to Wen Jin’an.

Wen Jin’an looked up at her, paused for a moment, then replied calmly, “No need. If Wife-Husband wants more, order another portion.”

Caught out, Qin Yang’s face flushed. She rubbed her nose, feeling helpless. One bowl had barely made a dent in her hunger. This body not only possessed great strength and a voracious appetite but also consumed twice as much food as the Female Lead.

Qin Yang pressed her lips together and, steeling herself, ordered another bowl. Only then did her stomach finally feel somewhat satisfied.

After lunch, Erya led them through two streets to the bridgehead the woman had mentioned. The eastern bridgehead was the county town’s largest trading market, selling everything imaginable. Qin Yang inquired about a broker and explained her situation.

The broker sized her up. “The cheapest room is 600 wen per month, but you have to pay for three months upfront.”

Six hundred wen?

She only had two liang of silver left. After paying the rent, there would be barely anything left. When she and Wen Jin’an left the Qin Family, they hadn’t brought anything with them. They still needed to buy daily necessities and spare clothes. The silver she had simply wouldn’t be enough.

Moreover, she was supposed to collect Jinchán with Qin Zhao. She couldn’t possibly let him cover all the expenses while she contributed nothing.

Qin Yang gritted her teeth. “We’ll think about it some more.”

They bid farewell to the broker.

Qin Yang hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

“Actually, living in the village isn’t so bad,” Wen Jin’an said with a gentle smile.

They only had two liang of silver. If they paid the rent, they’d be left with almost nothing. If she had to run away later, she’d have no safety net at all.

So they couldn’t spend that silver.

Besides, the broker had mentioned a way to earn money. Perhaps they should wait and see.

Hearing this, Qin Yang felt a pang of guilt. She had promised to bring the Female Lead to live in the County Town, but…

“Jin’an, don’t worry,” Qin Yang assured her. “I promise, as soon as we earn enough, we’ll move to the County Town. It’s just for now that you’ll have to bear with it.”

Wen Jin’an shook her head. “We’ve finished what we needed to do here. Let’s go back.”

Qin Yang tugged at her sleeve. They hadn’t managed to rent a place, but they still needed to buy daily necessities, especially a change of clothes for the Female Lead. These were essential.

The Female Lead was already enduring cramped living conditions; Qin Yang didn’t want her to suffer any further compromises in her quality of life.

If necessary, she’d just take a smaller share of the profits when she split the earnings with Qin Zhao.

“What’s wrong?” Feeling the weight on her sleeve, Wen Jin’an glanced down at Qin Yang’s hand holding her. Her brow furrowed slightly.

What else does this person want?

Could the money-making opportunity be in the County Town?

At this thought, Wen Jin’an’s expression softened. “Is there something else we need to do?”

Qin Yang nodded. “Yes, but it’s not urgent. We still need to buy some things.”

Buy things?

Wen Jin’an’s relaxed brow tightened again. This person is still thinking about spending money?

No!

I need to find a way to dissuade her.

Wen Jin’an lowered her gaze and said softly, “Is it really necessary to buy them?”

“Yes. Now that we’ve moved out, we need pots, pans, bedding—everything. But don’t worry, we have enough money,” Qin Yang assured her earnestly.

Wen Jin’an pursed her lips, her expression darkening.

Is that what she meant?

Still, it was surprising that Qin Yang was buying these things. Could she really be planning to settle down properly?

This woman had never hesitated to deceive her with sweet words in the past.

Wen Jin’an wasn’t a fool. For now, she had no choice but to play along. Besides, she had already calculated that these purchases wouldn’t cost much, and some of these items were indeed necessary for their new home.

“By the way, Wife-Husband, what’s this money-making plan you mentioned?” Wen Jin’an asked Qin Yang again.

Qin Yang raised an eyebrow, feigning mystery. “I’ll tell you when we get back.”

Wen Jin’an: “……”

This bastard…

Wen Jin’an gritted her teeth, secretly resolving to pry the answer out of her when they returned. Clearing her throat, she said coolly, “Then we should go shopping early and return early.”

“Mm-hmm.” Qin Yang took Xiao Bai from Wen Jin’an’s arms, her eyes brimming with amusement. “Let me hold him for a while. This little guy may look small, but he’s surprisingly heavy.”

Wen Jin’an didn’t argue.

Her arms had already started to ache from carrying Xiao Bai for a while. Fortunately, Qin Yang had been carrying him for most of the way. Knowing Qin Yang also adored Xiao Bai, she wasn’t worried. What mattered most now was figuring out what Qin Yang was really up to.

“I saw a general store on the way here,” Qin Yang suggested. “Why don’t we check it out?”

Wen Jin’an nodded.

The two retraced their steps and soon arrived at the general store. Qin Yang selected a pot with a relatively small diameter. Given that the house had been uninhabited for so long, the conditions were likely poor, and even the presence of a stove was uncertain. A small pot could be placed directly over a fire and would be easy to carry when they left.

She also bought four clay bowls, bringing the total cost to 304 copper coins.

Qin Yang retrieved the money from her Space and paid the shopkeeper.

“Next, we need to buy two sets of clothes,” Qin Yang said to Wen Jin’an, cradling the pot and bowls in her arms.

New clothes were essential. Their current outfits were patched upon patched, worse than what even beggars on the street wore.

Not only should the Female Lead not be deprived of good food, but she certainly shouldn’t be deprived of decent clothing. A young girl deserved to dress beautifully.

“Mm,” Wen Jin’an murmured, her fingers slowly curling into a fist. Her expression darkened. She hadn’t realized this person still had money, despite claiming to have entrusted all her funds to her.

Hmph.

She had been too naive after all.

Next to the general store was a clothing shop. As soon as the two women entered, the shopkeeper greeted them with a wide smile. But when he saw their plain attire, his smile faded considerably. “Please come this way, ladies,” he said, leading them to the counter at the back of the shop. “These are our newest arrivals. Please take your time browsing.”

The most prominent spot on the counter displayed fine silk fabrics, flanked by cotton materials in various patterns. Before Qin Yang, however, lay the lowest-grade coarse cloth garments—either drab gray or hopelessly rustic. Back in her day, every piece of clothing she owned had been custom-made, and even her most casual outfits were from top international brands.

Now…

Qin Yang’s lips twitched. She glanced at the shopkeeper, thinking, What a snob.

She pointed at a garment. “How much for this one?”

“Three hundred wen for the complete set, inside and out,” the shopkeeper replied.

Three hundred wen for this rough cloth? Qin Yang couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead. She hadn’t realized prices in this ancient era were so exorbitant. At this rate, her money would vanish quickly.

“And how much for that lotus-colored dress?” Qin Yang asked, pointing to a long dress hanging on the rack.

“That’s a Qianyuan garment, priced at one liang of silver,” the shopkeeper replied, his tone noticeably warmer than before.

Qianyuan?

She couldn’t see any difference. Weren’t they all just dresses?

The shopkeeper seemed to sense her confusion and explained with a smile, “The fabrics for Qianyuan and Kunze are different. Kunze have delicate skin, so their fabrics are naturally soft and comfortable. Qianyuan fabrics, on the other hand, tend to be coarser and more durable.”

She hadn’t realized there was such a distinction.