The Useless Alpha’s Yandere Wife - Chapter 36

Captain Wei’s group managed to catch two rabbits. Jiang Yan used this as an excuse to sneak a small chicken from the storage, pluck its feathers in a secluded spot, and clean it thoroughly. She buried the feathers, wrapped the chicken in a cloth, and tucked it into her bosom before sneaking back to the tent, her back bent low.

“Where have you been all this time?” Tan Qianyue asked, noticing Jiang Yan’s furtive return.

“Naturally, I was getting you something delicious. They caught some wild game today, and I managed to snag a chicken. We’ll stew it tonight after dark,” Jiang Yan replied, her flamboyant face beaming with delight.

“You always do this. What if you get caught? I don’t need chicken stew,” Tan Qianyue said, her voice laced with concern.

“What’s there to fear? Once it’s in our bellies, there’s no proof left. If they really make trouble over this, we’ll just pack up and run away in the middle of the night. Honestly, it’s hard to say who has it better—criminals or unregistered residents,” Jiang Yan said with a carefree laugh.

Tan Qianyue fell silent, unwilling to dampen her friend’s spirits, but her worry for Jiang Yan’s safety lingered.

Jiang Yan set up her makeshift kitchen. With swift, precise movements, she chopped the chicken into bite-sized pieces, her knife flashing as she sliced and diced with practiced efficiency. Soon, the small pot was nearly overflowing with chicken pieces, including the four or five undeveloped eggs from the chicken’s abdomen.

Ying Hong waited excitedly nearby, eager to help, but found there was nothing for her to do. She retreated to the back of the tent to attend to Miss.

The aroma of stewed rabbit wafted through the air outside. Even if Jiang Yan’s cooking smelled slightly stronger, no one would suspect anything. Moreover, the tent’s material was highly private, preventing any telltale scents from escaping.

After each meal, Jiang Yan would light the charcoal-like stone, both to mask the cooking smells and to warm the tent. This device was remarkably efficient, essentially an upgraded version of high-quality charcoal. She resolved to stock up on more of these.

She added ginger slices, dried scallions, and a pinch of coarse salt to the pot, then covered it and waited.

“Do you trust that friend of yours, Lu?” Jiang Yan asked suddenly, her mind drifting to another matter while the chicken simmered.

“Why the sudden question?” Tan Qianyue glanced at Jiang Yan. In the pinkish light, the woman sat ramrod straight, her hair pulled into a high bun adorned with two bark-stripped branches. The mismatched attire looked surprisingly harmonious.

“That red mark on your face hasn’t faded at all, even after all this time. Could it be permanent?” Jiang Yan glanced back at her.

“Ah? Really? What if it won’t come off?” Tan Qianyue panicked slightly.

“That’s why I asked if that Lu woman is reliable,” Jiang Yan said with a smile, relishing the opportunity to undermine Doctor Lu.

“She’s always experimenting with strange things. It’s hard to say. What if it’s permanent? What do we do then?” Tan Qianyue grabbed Jiang Yan’s arm from behind and shook it vigorously, but she lost her balance and tumbled against Jiang Yan’s back.

Jiang Yan caught her with a swift, reflexive embrace.

“What does it matter? Were you planning to divorce me and run off to find County Princess Sister?” Jiang Yan teased, seeing her distress.

Tan Qianyue clung silently to Jiang Yan’s back. The delicate wife had been growing increasingly frail lately, her emotions swinging wildly. Jiang Yan couldn’t figure out the cause—could it be lingering effects from the poison? The thought startled her.

She reached up to stroke Tan Qianyue’s head, which rested against her shoulder.

“I’ll give you both chicken drumsticks later, okay?” she soothed Tan Qianyue as if she were a child.

“Heh heh heh… Mmm, okay,” Tan Qianyue murmured, burying her face against Jiang Yan’s shoulder and nuzzling her nose against her, trying to find that familiar grassy scent.

The stewing chicken in the pot filled the small space with a rich, savory aroma, making every breath smell of meat.

“Mistress Jiang, won’t the smell reach outside?” Ying Hong asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“No, don’t worry. This tent is airtight; no one can smell anything outside.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Ying Hong said, relieved.

The dish looked strangely out of place with its bright pink broth. Jiang Yan luxuriously lit a small candle, instantly restoring the chicken soup to its normal color.

A layer of golden oil shimmered atop the clear broth, its glossy sheen making it remarkably appetizing given their current living conditions.

The plump chicken pieces had been stewed until tender. Jiang Yan picked up a drumstick, its pale yellow meat trembling enticingly with savory aroma. She tore off a piece, blew on it twice, and held it to the Eldest Miss’s lips.

“Try it, it’s especially fragrant,” she said, her eyes shining as she looked at Tan Qianyue.

“Don’t you resent me for dragging you into this suffering?” Tan Qianyue asked, her eyes tinged with sorrow.

“Resent you? Why would I? No matter how hard things are now, I’m sure it’s better than living under Official Wu’s thumb.”

“Besides, I’d be even happier if you ate more. Stop worrying about things you can’t control.” Jiang Yan pressed a small chicken leg into Tan Qianyue’s hand and went to ladle chicken soup for herself.

Tan Qianyue’s fleeting melancholy was shattered by Jiang Yan’s practical words. She couldn’t understand why she’d been so sentimental lately.

“Miss, to be able to eat stewed chicken at this time… I’m happier than I am during the New Year!” Ying Hong exclaimed.

“Me too,” Tan Qianyue nodded. How could she not be happy? She was happy.

Jiang Yan picked out the meatiest chicken pieces and placed them in Tan Qianyue’s bowl. She bit into a chewy, fragrant chicken gizzard and took a sip of the rich, savory broth. It was so fresh—if only they had rice to go with it.

“Miss, it’s so fragrant, so delicious!” Ying Hong’s eyes crinkled with delight. After walking so far, her body had long been starved of proper nourishment.

“Drink this,” Jiang Yan said, serving the Eldest Miss the part of the chicken soup with the glistening yellow oil. Unlike pork fat, the oil in the chicken soup wasn’t greasy and tasted far better than wild boar broth.

For nearly two months since being imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, none of them had gotten enough fat. Winter was a time to build up reserves, and days with oily food were rare.

Tan Qianyue glanced at Jiang Yan with her beautiful eyes and obediently drank the chicken soup. It was much better than she’d expected. She took two bites of the chicken leg; the meat was so tender it fell right off the bone, and the savory aroma of the chicken filled her with contentment.

Seeing the other two enjoying their meal so much made her happy, and she ate heartily as well.

Tangyuan, the White Puppy’s new name (because she curled up into a round ball), also got to eat some meat.

After Jiang Yan efficiently cleaned up, the three women and the dog lay sprawled in the tent, motionless.

The air, thick with the aroma of chicken soup mingling with the scent of burning charcoal, was enough to bring them peace.

Tan Qianyue lay against Jiang Yan’s waist, Tangyuan nestled between them, while Ying Hong lay nearby. No one wanted to move.

This was their Peach Blossom Spring—a moment of comfort to be savored.

Feeling the heat inside the tent begin to dissipate, Jiang Yan wrapped Tan Qianyue in a blanket.

“Come in too,” Tan Qianyue insisted, her gaze unwavering.

Jiang Yan glanced at the blanket’s size. It was just enough for one person to use as both a mattress and a cover. Tan Qianyue’s frail health meant she would catch a chill sleeping directly on the straw mat.

“You sleep first. I’ll join you when I’m ready,” Jiang Yan said, lowering her gaze.

“Hmm, you’re warmer than the blanket,” Tan Qianyue whispered, propping herself up on an arm to lean closer to Jiang Yan’s ear. Her increasingly radiant face glowed with an alluring charm under the pink light.

“Hmm,” Jiang Yan murmured, bending down to gently brush her lips against the Eldest Miss’s soft, rosy lips.

In recent days, though Tan Qianyue had been sickly, her beauty had become even more striking. Jiang Yan worried she was becoming too beautiful; such extraordinary beauty could easily attract trouble.

The red marks on Tan Qianyue’s face from their initial journey had left a deep impression on others. When she later covered her face with a cloth, people seemed relieved. Yet under Jiang Yan’s meticulous care, Tan Qianyue’s beauty far surpassed that of the other prisoners, making her conspicuously conspicuous.

Fortunately, they had kept her tightly wrapped, preventing anyone from noticing anything amiss.

The next day, Su He managed to obtain two oilcloths from Lord Miao. She rushed to find Jiang Yan, knowing she had needles and thread.

While everyone else rested and prepared meals, they planned to have Jiang Yan help them set up the shelter.

Jiang Yan quickly cut the oilcloths into tent-sized pieces. Considering their need to cook even in winter, she designed a simple rectangular frame.

Ying Hong, Jiang Yan, Su Tian, Su Jing, and Concubine Sun worked together to sew the tent, and within fifteen minutes, its basic shape was complete.

Though this tent wasn’t as thick or warm as Jiang Yan’s, it was far better than sleeping in the open.

As for the wooden frame, they would have to wait until nightfall. Meal times during the day wouldn’t wait, and they were already fortunate to have gotten the shelter up so quickly.

A smile finally appeared on Su He’s weary face.

“Once we reach the County Town, we can get some cotton. Next month will be much easier,” Jiang Yan hinted.

“Thank you, Miss Jiang. Tonight, we’ll finally have a tent of our own,” Su He said, her expression relaxing for a moment.

On the other side, Tan Xue’er watched the harmonious scene with simmering resentment. Why is it that even in exile, Tan Qianyue still lives like an Eldest Miss, never having to pitch a tent or do any hard labor? Jiang Yan shields her from everything.

Tan Xue’er had observed them countless times. When they went to collect rations, Tan Qianyue merely showed her face. The moment the food reached her hands, Jiang Yan would whisk it away, as if afraid the Eldest Miss might burn her delicate skin.

Even the rare fruits they found along the road were swiftly plucked by Jiang Yan and given to Tan Qianyue. Though Tan Xue’er longed to compete, how could a lone Kunze possibly contend with a group of Qianyuan?

Meanwhile, the County Princess she had desperately fought to reclaim was as useless as a lump of mud, incapable of standing on her own. Far from caring for Tan Xue’er, the Princess Consort now required her own care. Even so, Tan Xue’er’s mother-in-law remained dissatisfied, nitpicking at every flaw and treating her like a punching bag.

In that moment, Tan Xue’er regretted everything. That person should have been mine. If only they could switch places again. Who would willingly serve such a capricious and cruel Princess Consort? Dragging her weary body, Tan Xue’er glared venomously at the group, her eyes burning with hatred.

As if sensing something, Jiang Yan turned to see Tan Xue’er staring at their group with an unreadable expression.

Noticing Jiang Yan’s gaze, Tan Xue’er immediately changed her expression, forcing what she thought was a charming smile.

Jiang Yan turned away coldly, secretly observing them to discern what mischief they were plotting.

That night, Lord Miao delivered the tent frames Su He needed. The group quickly set up the new tent. Though its structure wasn’t as refined as Jiang Yan’s own, she provided several lengths of hemp rope to reinforce the frame, making it sturdy enough for the night.

The map of the Exile to the Northern Lands had long marked the locations of water sources. During rest stops, Lord Miao would have everyone take turns fetching water and boiling it so they could all have a warm drink.

Jiang Yan, of course, never lacked hot water. Before bed, she would boil the water needed for the next day, fill her water skin, and store it in the water vat in the storage room. This way, it stayed warm and could be used discreetly whenever needed.

Before setting up the tent, Jiang Yan would take the two women to a secluded spot to relieve themselves.

After the tent was up, she would feign fetching a basin of hot water, when in reality, she had prepared it the previous day and stored it in the water vat, making it convenient for the Eldest Miss to wash up.

Though they couldn’t soak in water as they used to, washing and cleaning became much easier with the tent.

Even the wild boar bristles from their last hunt were boiled by Jiang Yan to make three toothbrushes. She even carefully selected the white bristles, using them for a quick teeth cleaning before bed, followed by a saltwater rinse.

The hot water was mainly for the Eldest Miss to soak her feet and relieve some fatigue, otherwise she would struggle to endure the next day. Jiang Yan and Ying Hong occasionally soaked as well, but usually using whatever was left over—resources were limited, and nothing could be wasted.

The three of them were like children playing house under the tiger’s watchful eye, yet they managed to make their makeshift life feel remarkably real.

During the day, they donned their tattered, bulky clothes and wrapped themselves tightly in faded, indistinguishable-colored headscarves.

Jiang Yan looked more like a ragpicker beggar, her back covered in haphazardly tied rags, a twig stuck in her hair, a stick in her hand, and not a patch of clean skin on her face. She only washed clean at night when she needed to approach a certain someone.

Among the three, Ying Hong looked the most presentable, but for now, she remained relatively safe.

At night, Tan Qianyue lay on the soft bedding like a water snake, clad in a thin robe with the top two buttons undone, revealing the edge of her inner bodice.

She lay on her side, her luminous skin full and captivating, drawing Jiang Yan’s gaze.

Her hair, loosened from its headscarf, was slightly disheveled as she coquettishly hooked the quilt with her freshly washed foot.

After two failed attempts, she stepped onto Jiang Yan’s waist, her slightly narrow, aristocratic eyes hinting at her intentions. The corners of her eyes curved upward like those of a languid cat.

Jiang Yan lowered her gaze, suppressing her obvious agitation. She glanced at the adjacent room before picking up the quilt to cover Qianyue.

But Qianyue reached out, hooked Jiang Yan’s sash, and tugged her down.

Their eyes locked, sparks of unspoken desire crackling between them.

“Cover up, it’s cold!” Jiang Yan adjusted the quilt, carefully concealing Qianyue’s alluring curves.

Qianyue glared at her reproachfully, then pouted, her meaning unmistakable.

Jiang Yan chuckled, finding her unusually clingy lately, as if she had regressed several years.

She pressed a finger to her lips in a silent “shh,” but Qianyue turned her head away.

Then Jiang Yan gently lifted Qianyue’s chin, coaxing her lips open. In the quiet room, their breaths mingled silently, eyelids fluttering shut as their tongues intertwined—a tender, lingering kiss, passionate yet tenderly intimate.

The Eldest Miss’s body felt slightly warm, surrounded by a faint rose fragrance.

“Is your Cycle coming?” Jiang Yan had sensed something was off with her lately, and now that she thought about it, it reminded her of when they had just gotten married.

“Hmm… but I took my medication?” Tan Qianyue’s watery eyes held a hint of innocence, her expression slightly dazed.

“Could it be because of that drug you were exposed to before? Maybe the suppressant pills aren’t working as well now?” Jiang Yan’s theory seemed increasingly plausible. Perhaps her weakness wasn’t simply due to poor health.

“I’m not sure. I just feel a little unwell,” Tan Qianyue admitted. She did have some symptoms of her Cycle, but they were mild, so she hadn’t considered that possibility.

“Miss, why are you taking medication for your Cycle? Aren’t married people supposed to stop taking suppressant pills?” Ying Hong, eavesdropping from the next room, overheard their conversation.

She couldn’t understand why the Miss was still taking suppressant pills after getting married. Taking too much of that stuff couldn’t be good for her.

“What do you think?” Jiang Yan’s voice carried a sharp edge of resentment from the other room.

Ying Hong pulled the blanket over her head, pretending to be asleep and deaf. Right, married people probably need pheromones during their Cycle, and maybe… intimacy too. Oh no, I’m in the way.

Tan Qianyue, seeing Jiang Yan’s displeased expression, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

The next morning, the straw outside was covered in a layer of crystalline frost, the temperature having plummeted overnight.

As people crawled out of their tents, their exposed fingers felt numb with cold. The prisoners, dressed only in thin layers, felt like they were being pricked by needles, and their breath turned into white mist as soon as it left their mouths.

Everyone stomped their feet to keep warm. The prisoners with cotton-padded clothes and the officers stood straighter, secretly rejoicing in their good fortune and feeling a smug sense of superiority.

Indeed, contentment is always relative.

“Lord, Captain Lu summoned several Kunze to his tent this morning,” Lord Miao’s subordinate reported.

“Oh? And now?” She knew these individuals wouldn’t stay put for long.

“They’re still in Captain Lu’s tent,” the officer replied truthfully.

“Let’s go see what tricks he’s up to,” Miao Fengqing said, leading her subordinates directly to the two captains’ tents.

“It’s getting colder by the day. I know some of you don’t have cotton-padded clothes yet, but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.” Captain Lu leered at the few Kunze with decent looks, shaking his head and flaunting his worn-out cotton-padded jackets as if they were gold.

None of the Kunze spoke.

“Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Captain Lu said. “If you want cotton-padded coats, you’ll have to offer something in exchange. You were all nobles before your families were raided—didn’t you manage to hide any valuables? Money is nothing compared to your lives!” Captain Lu hoped to squeeze some benefits from the prisoners.

“Lord, everything was confiscated by the Imperial Court during the raids,” a female Kunze explained, her voice trembling with courage. “We have no treasures left to offer.”

“Then how can I help you if you have nothing of value?” Captain Lu retorted, his tone righteous. “There are only a few coats, and countless people need them for the winter. Why should I give one to you?”

The female Kunze lowered her head. All this talk just to make me offer myself? she thought. But it’s so cold outside… without a coat, I’ll freeze to death.

She didn’t know if she could bring herself to do it.

“Lord, Lord, I have something!” another male Kunze said, fawningly pulling a piece of mutton-fat jade from his robes. He looked at Captain Lu with pleading eyes. “Would this be acceptable?”

Captain Lu lazily took the jade, examined it briefly in his hand, and declared, “Acceptable. Worth one cotton-padded coat.”

“Someone, bring him a coat,” Captain Lu said with a smirk.

“Oh, what’s going on here?” Miao Fengqing barged in, smiling at the group with feigned curiosity.

Captain Lu’s face darkened as Miao Fengqing entered, and he shot a fierce glare at the gatekeeper.

“We were discussing winter cotton-padded clothing,” Captain Lu offered by way of a strained explanation.

“Oh? Has Captain Lu found a solution for the cotton-padded clothing?” Miao Fengqing asked, her expression earnest.

“Well, I only have a few pieces on hand and was thinking of distributing them.”

“And how will you decide who gets them and who doesn’t?” Miao Fengqing’s eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing.

“Lord, these cotton-padded clothes were purchased with my own money. Naturally, I’ll distribute them to those who can afford them. After all, even the Imperial Court hasn’t provided funds for winter clothing. You can’t expect a lowly official like me, who barely scrapes by, to pay out of pocket, can you?” Captain Lu brazenly admitted his exploitative scheme, justifying it with righteous indignation.

Miao Fengqing studied him for a moment, then smiled.

“Then I apologize for interrupting Captain Lu’s charitable endeavors,” she said, her tone laced with amusement.

Turning to the Kunze present, she declared, “I’ll say this once: we’ll reach Zhuangzhen in about three or four days. I’ll provide cotton-padded clothing for everyone then. If you can’t endure these few days, feel free to leave now!”

With that, she turned and strode away.

“You… you you!” Captain Lu watched her retreating figure, his fury rising to the point of spitting bl00d. How dare she barge in and ruin everything like this?!