The Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Heroine in the Old Abusive Article - Chapter 28

Upon closer reflection, Qin Zhao realized that Miao Zhiru must have twisted her ankle during the scuffle with Chen San a few days prior, preventing her from fetching water. So, these past two days…

Qin Zhao pressed his lips together, blaming himself for overlooking such a crucial detail. She lived alone, and a twisted ankle would naturally make many tasks impossible. He had only thought to bring her food, completely neglecting other considerations.

A wave of self-reproach washed over him.

With a grim expression, he grabbed the nearby water bucket and hurried out.

Miao Zhiru’s house stood at the foot of the mountain, next to a river where all the mountain’s runoff flowed. Fetching water was easy here, and since her water tank was small, Qin Zhao filled it in just two trips.

Miao Zhiru followed behind, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she jogged to keep up. Watching the water overflow from the tank, her eyes curved into a gentle smile.

“It’s getting late, I should head back. If you can’t carry the water, just leave it. I’ll fetch it for you next time I come. And…” Qin Zhao set down the water bucket, glanced at the dwindling firewood in the kitchen, and continued, “I’ll chop some firewood for you too.”

“Ah?” Miao Zhiru froze, realizing Qin Zhao was about to leave. Her previously curved eyes instantly drooped.

Why is she leaving already? We haven’t even had water yet…

Still, Miao Zhiru felt genuinely guilty for taking up so much of Qin Zhao’s time. Besides, Qin Zhao had promised to return. With reluctant eyes, Miao Zhiru nodded and watched Qin Zhao depart.

After Qin Zhao left, she pulled out the small paper packet Miao Zhiru had given her. Carefully opening it, she found two well-preserved osmanthus candies inside.

This…

A pang of emotion struck Qin Zhao. This precious treat—the little rabbit must have given her the ones she herself couldn’t bear to eat.

Qin Yang retrieved steamed buns and baozi from her Space, and she and Wen Jin’an ate breakfast together. After explaining their hunting plans to Wen Jin’an, Qin Yang hurried to meet Qin Zhao. Perhaps because they had left the Qin Family, their luck had improved; they encountered a fully grown wild boar on the mountain. More importantly, the boar was severely injured, likely from a recent struggle with another beast. A deep, bloody gash on its neck was still bleeding profusely, leaving it barely alive.

“We’ll lasso it and finish it off with a knife,” Qin Zhao whispered, gently parting the tall grass as he crouched low.

Their bows and arrows couldn’t pierce the boar’s thick hide unless they aimed for the eyes. Otherwise, they’d only startle it, causing it to charge at them—a dangerous prospect.

Qin Yang frowned. “Why don’t we just wait for it to bleed out?”

Qin Zhao glanced at her. “The scent of bl00d might attract other predators. Besides, we don’t know if the creature that attacked it is dead or still lurking nearby.”

He was right. For safety’s sake, a quick resolution was best, even if it meant taking risks.

Qin Yang nodded in agreement.

Each holding one end of a rope, they simultaneously looped the ropes around the wild boar’s neck from opposite directions. Before the boar could react, they secured the ropes to a nearby tree trunk. Qin Zhao then slashed at the boar’s neck with his knife. Already critically wounded, the fatal blow landed directly on its original injury. The boar struggled briefly before succumbing to its wounds.

Qin Yang stored the boar in her Space.

To their surprise, they discovered another wild boar carcass nearby.

It was easy to deduce that the two boars had attacked each other for some unknown reason. One had been gored to death, while the other was mortally wounded.

Judging by sight, each boar weighed at least three hundred catties (approximately 397 pounds).

“How much can we sell this one for?” Qin Yang asked excitedly.

“At most, four taels of silver,” Qin Zhao replied.

Four taels of silver?

Unfamiliar with pork market prices, Qin Yang pressed further, “How much does a catty of pork cost?”

“Twenty wen,” Qin Zhao answered.

At twenty wen per catty, a three-hundred-catty boar would yield six thousand wen if sold as meat—equivalent to six taels of silver. This was two taels more than selling the whole carcass. Moreover, different cuts of pork fetched varying prices, so the actual profit might exceed six thousand wen. By this calculation, selling the meat, though more troublesome, would be far more lucrative.

If one pig earns two taels of silver, then two pigs would earn four taels—the price of another whole pig!

Having made up her mind, Qin Yang shared her plan with Qin Zhao. They immediately agreed and returned from the mountain. Since they couldn’t sell the meat in the village, they went to town together and rented a temporary stall at the market. The freshly slaughtered wild boar was a rare delicacy that most people rarely had the chance to taste. Despite being priced the same as ordinary pork, the first pig sold out quickly after they arrived.

Qin Yang deliberately reserved a rack of ribs to take back and make soup for Wen Jin’an.

“Do you want to take some back too?” Qin Yang asked, feeling a little guilty that Qin Zhao wasn’t taking any.

Qin Zhao considered briefly and nodded.

Qin Yang glanced at her, then swiftly chopped half of the reserved ribs off with a cleaver. She tied it with a piece of straw rope and handed it over. “This is all that’s left.”

If it weren’t for Qin Zhao’s sake, she wouldn’t have given the Qin Family even a single scrap.

Qin Yang divided the proceeds from selling the wild boar into two shares, deducting the cost of their meal in town. She gave one share to Qin Zhao and planned to use the rest to buy rice before heading back early. It was already getting late, and they still needed to collect Jinchán after returning.

The surrounding villages knew they collected Jinchán every night, so they would wait at the village entrance after catching them, saving the pair a lot of effort.

After getting off the ox-cart, Qin Yang tossed a quick remark and hurried home, while Qin Zhao took a different path around to the foot of the mountain.

Before she even reached home, Qin Yang spotted a slender figure in the distance.

She rushed over to Wen Jin’an in long strides, her voice brimming with delight. “What are you doing out here?” She waved the pork ribs she was carrying in front of Wen Jin’an’s face. “I brought back pork ribs! I’ll stew them for you later.”

In her previous life, Qin Yang had always cooked for herself whenever she had time, so she was quite confident in her culinary skills.

Wen Jin’an glanced at the pork ribs, her brow furrowing slightly.

Didn’t she say she was going hunting in the mountains? Where did these ribs come from?

She shot a sidelong glance at Qin Yang, suppressing her doubts. “Wife-Husband, you’ve worked hard.”

Qin Yang’s lips curved into a smile, surprised that the Female Lead was worrying about her again.

“It wasn’t hard at all, Jin’an!” she quickly replied. “Let me tell you what happened after I went into the mountains today…”

Qin Yang proudly recounted the day’s events to Wen Jin’an.

How could such a bizarre thing have happened?

Wen Jin’an bit her lip, her heart inexplicably stirred by Qin Yang’s story. Was she worried about her?

Wen Jin’an tightened her grip on the fabric of her sleeves, her fingers clenching beneath.

By the time Qin Yang finished speaking, they had returned to the small courtyard. Anxious that Wen Jin’an might be hungry, Qin Yang quickly set up a pot in the yard, thoroughly cleaned and de-skinned the pork ribs, and lit a fire to simmer them.

Her movements were so practiced, it was hard to believe this was her first time cooking.

Wen Jin’an’s confusion deepened. Qin Yang had likely never even stepped foot in the kitchen before, let alone cooked.

Yet the woman before her…

Not only moved with practiced ease, but also worked with methodical precision and unwavering confidence. Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, she seemed enveloped in a soft, reddish aura—comforting and warm.

Could this truly be the same Qin Yang who had once been shrouded in gloom?

“Jin’an, take this. After deducting the money Qin Zhao lent me for the clothes, we still have one tael and two hundred wen left. Keep the tael, and I’ll hold onto the two hundred wen for now. Tomorrow, Qin Zhao and I will sell the other pig, which should bring in about three more taels,” Qin Yang said proudly, her eyes shining with accomplishment.

The clothes were bought with Qin Zhao’s money?

Wen Jin’an’s heart tightened, her brow furrowing slightly. So the silver wasn’t Qin Yang’s secret stash?

Had she been misunderstanding her all along?

Can I trust her words?

Wen Jin’an’s gaze fell on the silver coins in Qin Yang’s hand. She lowered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then accepted the coins.

Her heart was a tangle of emotions.

If this person knew I was leaving and still gave me the silver, what would she do?

“With this silver, we’ll quickly save enough for rent. After careful consideration, I think we shouldn’t rush to move. The Jinchán harvesting here should end in a few days, so we can move then. It just means you’ll have to squeeze in with me a little longer,” Qin Yang said, a hint of apology on her face as she glanced at Wen Jin’an before stirring the pork ribs in the pot with a spoon.

When we rent a place, I’ll definitely get a two-room one—one for me and one for Wen Jin’an. I can sleep however I want and finally make up for all the discomfort I’ve endured lately.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she chuckled and added, “But at least I’m a quiet sleeper.”

A quiet sleeper?

Wen Jin’an looked up at Qin Yang, her gaze lingering for a moment before shifting away with a slight frown.

Is she serious?

The courtyard soon filled with the aroma of meat. Though the available seasonings were limited, Qin Yang’s skillful adjustments resulted in a surprisingly flavorful broth.

Qin Yang first ladled a bowl for Wen Jin’an, then gave Xiao Bai two pieces of meat before finally serving herself. The rich fragrance was irresistible. Whether it was because she hadn’t had a warm meat soup recently or due to the body she now inhabited, Qin Yang devoured three bowls in one sitting.

By the time they finished dinner, dusk had fallen. The air carried a faint dampness, and the pitch-black night sky was devoid of stars.

Qin Yang glanced outside. It must be overcast, she thought, uncertain if rain might suddenly fall and disrupt the Jinchán harvest.

After waiting a while longer, Qin Zhao arrived.

Qin Yang rose to gather the pots and bowls, carrying them inside. “We’ll be back soon,” she told Wen Jin’an. “Don’t wait up for me. Get some rest.”

She wasn’t entirely confident, but these were crucial days. Missing even one day meant not only losing a day’s harvest but also potentially damaging her credibility with the villagers who had worked hard all day to collect the Jinchán, only to find she hadn’t come to collect them.

“Be careful on the way,” Wen Jin’an said, pressing her lips together.

Qin Yang waited until Wen Jin’an had entered the house before leaving with Qin Zhao.

By the time they arrived, a light rain had begun to fall. As they finished collecting, the rain intensified, accompanied by thunder.

A kind-hearted woman brought them raincoats.

Qin Yang accepted the raincoat, put it on, and thanked the woman.

Anxious about Wen Jin’an, Qin Yang quickened her pace. By the time she returned to the village, the rain had become torrential, with ankle-deep water flooding the roads.

Suddenly, Qin Yang remembered a plot point: after the Female Lead left the Qin Family’s village, a massive rainstorm had triggered a landslide, killing many. The Qin Family had only survived because the Female Lead had taken them away just before the disaster.

Could this be that very storm?

Even though the Female Lead hadn’t left, the timeline seemed to align.

Growing increasingly worried, Qin Yang turned to Qin Zhao as they parted ways. “With this heavy rain and our proximity to the mountains, there’s a high risk of landslides,” she said sternly. “Don’t sleep too soundly tonight.”

With that, she hurried toward home. Her residence with Wen Jin’an was located at the foot of the mountain, making it the most vulnerable spot in case of a landslide.