The Useless Alpha’s Yandere Wife - Chapter 29

Jiang Yan emerged from the cave and quickly borrowed a small pot from Sang Yu, claiming she wanted to boil some hot water to drink.

After half a day of interacting with her, Jiang Yan had managed to familiarize herself with Sang Yu. As the saying goes, “A local official is more powerful than a magistrate.” To make the journey more comfortable, she needed to build rapport with the officers. Sang Yu, the female Qianyuan, seemed like a decent person, not someone scheming or malicious.

“Thank you, Lord,” Jiang Yan said with a smile. “With this pot, we can boil hot water to drink!”

Sang Yu’s face flushed slightly at being addressed as “Lord,” but she maintained her formal demeanor. “It’s an extra pot, not currently in use. Just return it immediately after you’re done.”

“Of course, Lord. You have my word.”

Jiang Yan then called Su Jing to fetch water. When other officers inquired about their task, they simply said they were fetching water for Lord Miao, leveraging the Imperial Commissioner’s authority.

The title of Imperial Commissioner proved remarkably useful.

The pot was only half the size of the larger ones, but it could still hold a considerable amount of water. Inside the cave, people had already begun gathering firewood to start a fire.

The night was pitch-black, barely allowing them to see their feet. Jiang Yan dragged Su Jing out to serve as her manual laborer.

The two of them carried the small pot by its iron handles, slowly making their way up the mountainside.

The captains had tents, while Lord Miao resided in a horse-drawn carriage. The two teams camped separately, with Captain Wei and Captain Lu leading the way, and Miao Fengqing and Sang Yu bringing up the rear.

Jiang Yan finally managed to carry the pot of water steadily into the cave. It made sense; the weather was getting colder, and if the Eldest Miss didn’t take advantage of this rest day to wash herself, it would only become more difficult later.

The Eldest Miss, with her delicate constitution, felt an unbearable itch all over her body as soon as she heard about the water. She gazed at Jiang Yan with pleading eyes and said, “It’s alright, but I can still smell the Imperial Prison.”

What could Jiang Yan do? They finally had a private place to rest. A simple wash wasn’t asking for the moon.

Returning to the cave entrance, she found Ying Hong had already lit the fire. Jiang Yan gave her a thumbs-up and an approving glance—finally, someone reliable.

Watching Ying Hong busily tending to the fire, the Eldest Miss felt a pang of guilt.

“Jiang Yan~” she crouched down beside Jiang Yan, nudging her like a sparrow, her voice soft and coaxing.

Jiang Yan, who had been poking at the firewood, instantly felt half her body go numb.

“Speak properly!” she snapped, her expression remaining composed, like a virtuous gentleman unmoved by temptation.

Night had fallen, and a few scattered campfires flickered at the foot of the mountain. Su Jing was stationed at the cave entrance as a lookout, while Jiang Yan tended to a pot of boiling water near the entrance, tossing in six or seven potatoes to roast in the embers.

Earlier that day, while harvesting peanuts, they had unexpectedly unearthed a large cluster of potatoes—fist-sized purple tubers clinging densely to the roots. With a quick bend, Jiang Yan had gathered them all into the Storage. Now, she was roasting a few to supplement their meager half-bowl of porridge; it simply wasn’t enough to sustain them.

While the potatoes roasted, Jiang Yan fashioned a simple low stand from branches. She then layered five or six mountain lotus leaves into the stand, creating a natural washbasin.

Tan Qianyue’s eyes widened, her expression betraying her sheltered upbringing.

Jiang Yan, resourceful as ever, snapped off branches from the cave walls and split them with a small knife-like tool. By interlocking three or four of these split branches, she created a makeshift clothes rack. When she draped her long robe over it, a makeshift bathing area was complete.

With both basin and bathing area ready, Jiang Yan discreetly adjusted the water temperature and handed Tan Qianyue a towel, urging her to wash quickly while the others weren’t watching.

“Okay!” Tan Qianyue replied cheerfully.

After several days of low spirits, her mood was gradually improving. Though her body still struggled to adapt to the rigors of mountain travel, she seemed to be slowly accepting their circumstances.

Tan Qianyue first squatted down to wash her long hair, then wrapped it in a sheer, unused garment to keep it from dripping while she wiped her body with a cloth.

Days of relentless travel had left her covered in dust and grime. Even the finest complexion couldn’t withstand such daily wear and tear.

The cloth swished loudly in the cave, its rhythmic splashing echoing Tan Qianyue’s determination to bathe. She moved with the exuberance of a duck released into water after a year of drought.

Jiang Yan continued turning the potatoes by the fire. The small cave was filled with a mix of scents: burning firewood, roasting potatoes, fresh green leaves, and the crisp, cold wind from outside. These familiar smells soothed her anxious heart.

Su He and Concubine Sun had gathered a generous pile of firewood. Though unspoken, Jiang Yan understood their intentions. The pot of water, used sparingly, would suffice for everyone to wash up. As former noble ladies, each more delicate than the last, they insisted on washing even when they skipped meals.

Beyond washing, the water skins also needed refilling with hot water. The water they’d collected naturally wouldn’t be enough, so Jiang Yan secretly replenished the supply. Fortunately, the nearby water source ensured they wouldn’t run out.

After a quarter of an hour, Tan Qianyue finally finished washing thoroughly. Refreshed and invigorated, she dressed and finally took a good look at her clothes.

Putting on her padded jacket, she left the space for Ying Hong.

“Miss, I don’t need to wash,” Ying Hong said, shaking her head. Unlike Miss Tan, whose skin was as delicate as silk, she wasn’t feeling particularly uncomfortable.

Tan Qianyue didn’t press the matter. This wasn’t the time for such niceties, but she herself was covered in sand and dirt, making her feel truly miserable. Jiang Yan’s presence had given her a false sense of security, and she suddenly realized she had been a bit reckless.

“Miss Su? Why don’t you wash up? There’s still plenty of hot water left,” Tan Qianyue called out.

“I… I’m not sure if it’s appropriate,” Su He hesitated. Though she was filthy, she couldn’t bring herself to be as bold as Tan Qianyue.

“It’s late, no one will come here. It’ll only take fifteen minutes,” Tan Qianyue said cheerfully.

“I can take her out for roasted potatoes,” Tan Qianyue gestured toward Jiang Yan, who was sitting by the cave entrance. She guessed he was staying outside to give the Qianyuan woman some privacy.

“Go ahead, take this,” Concubine Sun, noticing Su He’s hesitation, unwrapped a cloth bundle and wrung out the cloth to dry Su He’s hair.

After another moment of hesitation, Su He nodded. She really wanted to wash her hair.

“I’ll be quick,” she said.

“Alright, be careful not to catch a cold!” Concubine Sun cautioned.

Jiang Yan had finished roasting the potatoes. After setting aside some for the others, she wrapped three in large leaves and helped Tan Qianyue put on her coat.

The two went behind a boulder near the cave entrance, where a narrow crevice offered some shelter.

Jiang Yan handed a baked potato to Su Jing through the gap, standing guard outside like a door god for a long while.

“Miss Jiang, your skills truly put me to shame,” Su Jing said, accepting the potato wrapped in a large leaf with gratitude and admiration.

“It’s never too late to start learning,” Jiang Yan replied, turning to join Tan Qianyue.

Tonight, with no moon in the sky, was perfect for stargazing.

The vast night sky shimmered with stars like a radiant silver river, their twinkling beauty transforming even these wretched days into something romantic.

“Are you cold?” Tan Qianyue asked, chewing on her baked potato, her concern for Jiang Yan evident. Her padded jacket still hung inside the cave.

“I’m not cold. Is it good?” The two leaned against the boulder, gazing up at the stars. So beautiful.

“It’s fragrant!” Tan Qianyue nodded contentedly. In just a few days, she was already forgetting her former self.

“Eat slowly. I brought water.” The water, which had cooled for half a day, was now safe to drink.

The two women leaned against a sheltered crevice in the rocks, gazing up at the stars. Occasional noisy sounds drifted up from the foot of the mountain—even the clatter of drinking games and boisterous gambling.

No matter how harsh the prisoners’ lives were, Captain Lu and his cronies continued to feast and revel, living in carefree luxury.

Tan Qianyue tossed aside the leaf, took two sips of lukewarm water from the waterskin, and leaned against Jiang Yan, resuming her star-counting.

“We should head back to sleep soon,” Jiang Yan said in her clear voice. “We’ll be traveling again tomorrow, so we need to rest well tonight.”

“Then go to sleep!” Tan Qianyue replied dismissively.

“You still owe me something,” Jiang Yan murmured.

“Owe you what?” Tan Qianyue had completely forgotten.

Jiang Yan cupped her shoulder, leaned in close, their faces nearly touching, close enough to feel each other’s cool breath. She nuzzled her cheek, catching the faint, sweet scent of roses.

Only then did Tan Qianyue remember the “selling herself for a bath” incident. Her eyelashes fluttered.

“Didn’t you promise to kiss me?” Jiang Yan hooked her arm around Tan Qianyue’s neck, preventing her from pulling away. The narrow space between them thickened with a palpable, lingering tension.

Tan Qianyue brushed her lips lightly against Jiang Yan’s, refusing to grant her wish.

Jiang Yan realized that she could endure hardship and fatigue, but she needed small moments of encouragement, like her wife’s soft, sweet kisses.

“Hurry up!” Jiang Yan urged, pressing herself tightly against Tan Qianyue.

Tan Qianyue had no choice but to take the initiative. After being outside for a while, Jiang Yan’s lips were cool.

Then she discovered a candy in Jiang Yan’s mouth and flicked her tongue out to retrieve it.

But Jiang Yan refused to yield, insisting she deepen the kiss to reach it.

Even so, Tan Qianyue only managed to brush her tongue against the fruit candy. The candy dodged and hid under her relentless pursuit, refusing to reveal itself.

Instead, Jiang Yan’s lips, both inside and out, were now saturated with the sweet, tangy flavor of orange.

The Eldest Miss, provoked by this teasing, straightened up and pinned Tan Qianyue against the stone wall. She enveloped Tan Qianyue’s tongue in her mouth, sucking and drawing it in. Jiang Yan’s cheek dimpled with laughter.

Tilting her head to find the perfect angle, she exchanged breaths and heartbeats with Tan Qianyue, leaving no space between them.

Faced with such assertive dominance, the Eldest Miss soon went limp, collapsing against Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan wrapped her arms around Tan Qianyue’s neck and shoulders, breathing heavily.

“When did you become so greedy?” Jiang Yan teased, feigning innocence after getting his way. “If you want candy, I have plenty. There’s no need to steal it from my mouth.”

“Mmm~!” Tan Qianyue whined, drawing out the sound in a coquettish tone. She even blushed, stomped her foot in embarrassment, and turned away.

Tan Qianyue felt utterly defeated, as if she were growing younger with each passing day. I’m supposed to be the older sister here!

Not far away, a lone figure sat in the biting wind… a lonely soul watching the scene unfold.

When the pair returned to the cave, it had been cleaned and a new fire was burning to dispel the dampness. Su Jing had already returned the iron pot borrowed from Sang Yu.

The cave, still warm from the fire, felt secure with loved ones nearby. The night passed relatively peacefully.

Su He clutched a hard-boiled egg, recalling the man who had come to find her. He seemed to have finally realized his feelings, but she had no interest in romance or using him. This is so annoying.

The next morning, the sun finally rose. The officers began counting the prisoners again, and everyone packed their belongings for the march.

The officers had changed into thick winter coats, and a few prisoners had received cotton-padded clothing from family or friends. But most were still wearing only two layers of thin clothing. The morning chill pierced through their bones, chilling them to the core.

Though Xiao Concubine had been whipped, the approaching winter weather spared her life. Aside from the excruciating pain, she suffered no fatal injuries, but she looked deathly weak as she trailed behind the Sima Family’s procession.

“A Jing’s wife, is there any water left?” As noon approached, Princess Consort Fu’an, like a fish thrown into the desert, glared at Tan Xue’er. The bamboo water containers for the First Branch were all hanging on Tan Xue’er’s person.

“Mother, the bamboo containers are empty too!” Tan Xue’er lowered her head, afraid to meet the Princess Consort’s murderous gaze.

“How can they be empty? A Jing went to fetch water before we set out!” The Princess Consort’s eyes pierced like daggers.

“They’re really empty! All of them!” Tan Xue’er’s voice was barely audible, like a mosquito’s buzz.

“Where did you put the water? Did you give it to her? You traitorous wretch! You can’t even guard a few bamboo containers properly! What use are you?!” Enraged, the Princess Consort lunged forward, seizing Tan Xue’er’s collar and slapping her across the face repeatedly, leaving the girl dazed.

Tan Xue’er stared at the Princess Consort in disbelief. How could someone too weak to walk strike her with such force? Her eyes instantly reddened as she glared resentfully at Sima Jing.

“I’ll hang the bamboo tubes tomorrow,” Sima Jing said, her tone flat. “That way you won’t be implicated.” She didn’t blame anyone directly, but her cold demeanor spoke volumes.

“What good is she?” Princess Consort Fu’an snapped. “You’re trying to starve us two old women to death so you can live freely without any burdens! A Jing, look at the wife you chose—a worthless piece of trash!” Despite having struck Tan Xue’er, the princess consort remained furious. Her parched lips even cracked and bled slightly from her tirade.

This woman she’d brought home was utterly unsatisfactory. The previous one, though the princess consort had never approved of her either, at least had looks and capabilities. This one could only cry. Now, with two stepchildren in tow, the princess consort’s loathing for Tan Xue’er only deepened.

Sima Jing supported the Old Woman, while Tan Xue’er and Tan Xuesong helped Xiao Concubine stumble forward. All of them were struggling to move. With only one cornbread bun a day, none of them had the strength to travel; they were merely forcing themselves onward.

Sima Jing refused to intervene in the conflict between her mother and her wife. Powerless to change anything, she could only retreat into herself.

Occasionally, she would search for Tan Qianyue’s figure, and each time she saw the horrifying red scar on her face, she would freeze in shock. As for why she had so foolishly married Tan Xue’er in the first place, her memories had begun to blur, while the scenes of playing with Tan Qianyue as children grew increasingly vivid.

In the middle of the procession, Tan Qianyue wore warm wool socks and slippers, with a padded jacket beneath her prison uniform. The lining of her discarded gauze robe had been removed, and the dark gray brocade, woven with subtle patterns, was wrapped tightly around her long hair. She had even given Ying Hong and Miss Su each a piece of the fabric to cover their hair, offering protection from dust, a bit of warmth, and partial concealment of their faces—a practical solution with multiple benefits, its only flaw being its plain appearance.

The group gradually formed a travel unit, keeping their distance from the other members of the household.

As the exile procession moved further north, the landscape grew increasingly desolate. Suitable places to camp for the night became scarce.

The officers’ tents were insufficient for everyone, and several prisoners collapsed from exposure, lacking even minimal shelter from the wind and rain.

Captain Wei and Captain Lu remained indifferent, showing no concern for the sick or dying. The ill were dragged along by their families, while the dead were buried on the spot. Any delay in the march was met with brutal whippings, a display of ruthless violence.

This treatment silenced the prisoners completely, not daring to utter a word.

Miao Fengqing sat in the carriage, watching over the child and fretting. Captain Wei treated the prisoners as less than human, but she couldn’t bear to watch two collapse one day and four the next. At this rate, wouldn’t everyone die on the road?

After five more days of travel, they finally passed through a small county. Captain Wei took Miao Fengqing to negotiate with the County Magistrate for provisions, but the magistrate replied that their granaries were empty due to this year’s drought. In the end, they only received 400 catties of cornmeal, enough to feed over two hundred people for five or six days if rationed carefully.

Miao Fengqing personally paid for five additional tents for the exiled officers and prisoners.

The officers took three tents, leaving two large ones for the seventy-odd prisoners. At night, over thirty people crammed into each tent, fortunate to even have a place to sit.

As dusk fell and darkness deepened, everyone busied themselves setting up the tents, their spirits lifted by the prospect of not freezing awake that night.

Miao Fengqing approached Su He, but Su He remained unaware of her presence. Miao Fengqing deliberately coughed twice.

“Lord Miao? What are you doing here?” Su He turned to find Miao Fengqing standing silently behind her, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Miss Su, entrusting your sister to me seems rather careless, don’t you think?” Though she did find the little one, who bore a striking resemblance to Su He, quite endearing.

“Ah? I just thought the conditions would be much better with you, Lord. Besides, I trust you’ll take good care of my sister,” Su He replied, her large, dewy eyes blinking innocently, as if she didn’t grasp Miao Fengqing’s veiled meaning.

Miao Fengqing couldn’t shake the feeling that Su He was feigning ignorance, though she had no proof.

“The conditions here are harsh. Why not come with me to the Mess Cooks in the rear? You could help with the cooking and meals,” Miao Fengqing suggested, racking her brain for a task that would ease Su He’s burden.

“Lord Miao means I have to travel and become a kitchen maid, cooking for everyone?” Su He exclaimed in shock. Is she trying to kill me? she thought. The journey alone had already drained all her energy.

Miao Fengqing choked on her words. Is that what she thinks I meant? She had only wanted to make it easier for Su He to eat, sleep, and stay close to her.

But she couldn’t bring herself to be so direct, and her earlier invitation seemed to have backfired.

She couldn’t very well say, “Why don’t you sleep with me?” That would sound like taking advantage of her vulnerable state.

Lord Miao, his face darkening with displeasure, stalked away.

Meanwhile, the tent had finally been erected. Jiang Yan led Tan Qianyue to gather dry grass nearby. Sleeping directly on the cold, hard ground was dangerous, risking illness.

In late autumn, withered yellow grass blanketed the landscape.

With a few swift strokes of her short knife, Jiang Yan gathered a large bundle of dry grass. Within half an hour, a simple grass mat had taken shape beneath her hands.

The mat was large enough for both of them to sit comfortably. Tan Qianyue helped for a while, though her efforts were more symbolic than practical.

Jiang Yan deliberately chose a tent without Xiao Concubine and her three children. By the time they entered, the inner spaces were already occupied, leaving only two drafty spots near the entrance.

No matter how large the tent, it couldn’t accommodate over thirty people stretching out their limbs. Most were forced to sit cross-legged on the ground.

The grass mat in Jiang Yan’s hands immediately drew the attention of the others.

“Miss, where did you find that?” a middle-aged female Qianyuan asked, trying to learn the mat’s origin. As nobles, few recognized such a humble item, and even those who did had no idea where Jiang Yan had obtained it.

“There’s plenty of knee-high dry grass in the clearing ahead. Just gather more and use it to secure the mat,” Jiang Yan said, never one to withhold survival tips from others.

“Oh, Miss, this mat of yours looks quite good—moisture-resistant and warm… How about I trade you a comb for it?” The middle-aged female Qianyuan’s tone carried a hint of condescension.

“It’s getting dark. I don’t want to go out. I’ll make my own!” Jiang Yan brushed her off, finding a spot to lay down the grass mat.

“How dare you be so ungrateful?” Behind the middle-aged female Qianyuan, a man and a woman rose to flank her, their eyes glaring menacingly at Jiang Yan.

Seeing the numerical advantage, Tan Qianyue stood protectively behind Jiang Yan, her gaze darting around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

“I am ungrateful. What are you going to do about it? Besides, who do you think you are?” Jiang Yan’s eyes showed no fear, only the thrill of a fight.

Perhaps it was a lingering effect from her days as a street brawler, but after days of pent-up frustration, Jiang Yan felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of a challenge.