To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Dim Road Ahead

It was only after Yan An had finished two bowls of porridge that her stomach began to feel comfortable. When Wen Ying asked if she wanted more, Yan An shook her head, her gaze fixed on Wen Ying’s stomach. “You probably haven’t eaten yet, have you? You should have some too.”

Although Wen Ying’s expression was calm, Yan An could tell from her gaunt frame that her stomach had probably never been truly full.

Ever since Yan An’s parents passed away, the family’s situation had gone from bad to worse, especially after they spent money on a funeral banquet. With no real source of income, any food they had was prioritized for Yan An. After Yan An had eaten, there was barely anything left.

Thinking about this, Yan An felt a surge of self-loathing. The original owner of this body was utterly despicable. Did she think she was some kind of pampered young lady, waited on hand and foot? And on top of that, she completely disregarded Wen Ying.

Hearing Yan An’s words, Wen Ying stared blankly at the half-full pot of white porridge. In the past, Yan An would have left her with a small half-bowl if she was lucky, but most of the time, there was only a thin layer left at the bottom.

With her hunger now subdued, Yan An began to feel lazy. She covered her mouth and let out a small yawn, her eyes tearing up. She slowly lay back down, whispering, “My body is still so tired. I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

Wen Ying reached out and pulled the blanket over her. As she watched Yan An quickly fall into a deep sleep, a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes.

Yan An was a beautiful woman; Wen Ying had never seen anyone more attractive in all the surrounding villages. Yet, this same person had always treated her with a sullen expression and generally ignored her, rarely initiating conversation.

Wen Ying knew that Yan An had initially been against her marrying into the family. She wasn’t sure what methods Yan An’s parents had used to convince her, but in the end, Wen Ying had become their daughter-in-law.

She was also very clear about why Yan An’s parents had brought her in. That’s why she had always taken great care of Yan An when they were alive, even though Yan An looked at her as if she were some kind of filthy object and believed Wen Ying was beneath her.

Wen Ying’s hand paused just before it touched Yan An’s cheek. She quickly withdrew it. She didn’t know how long this current situation could last. Even though Yan An hadn’t regained her memories yet, Wen Ying was already starting to feel a sense of nostalgia for this version of her.

Dismissing all thoughts from her mind, Wen Ying returned to her numb expression, picked up the pot from the table, and went outside.

She didn’t eat the leftover porridge. White rice was a precious commodity, and she had only felt comfortable borrowing this small amount from Aunt Li. Only Yan An could afford to eat it.

The weather had cooled down considerably, so the porridge wouldn’t spoil overnight. It would be perfect to warm up for Yan An’s breakfast tomorrow morning.

Wen Ying cooked some wild vegetables she had gathered herself. There was no oil or much flavor, but Wen Ying ate her dinner quickly with the same emotionless expression. After cleaning up, she went back inside to check on Yan An. Seeing that her face was starting to regain color, she tucked the blanket in again and quietly withdrew.

…

Yan An had a wonderfully comfortable sleep. When she woke up the next day, her whole body felt a sense of laziness. She stretched, and the discomfort from the previous day had completely disappeared. Yan An felt like she was alive again.

Aside from the initial physical discomfort, Yan An had no other lingering sensations of having died once. After she was hit, her brain must have known she wouldn’t survive and released a massive dose of adrenaline, so Yan An hadn’t felt any pain.

Yan An threw off the blanket and got out of bed. She ran her hands through her hair and felt a wave of disgust. Although her body felt fine, lying in bed for a few days had made her hair feel terrible. She desperately wanted to take a nice, long bath.

Just as she was looking for clothes, the wooden door was pushed open. Wen Ying entered and froze for a moment when she saw Yan An out of bed and looking much healthier. She then asked, “Are you looking for something?”

Seeing Wen Ying was like a lifeline for Yan An. “Do you have any water? I want to take a bath, and I can’t find my outer clothes.”

She had looked everywhere at the foot of the bed but couldn’t find any clothes. In novels, they always neatly fold a set of clothes at the end of the bed for people to change into after they wake up, right?

“The water will be ready in a moment; I’ll bring it in later. I’ll look for your clothes a bit later.” Hearing that Yan An wanted to bathe was not a surprise to Wen Ying. Yan An had always been a clean person, and Wen Ying had already guessed that the first thing she would do after waking up was want to take a bath. That’s why she had already heated the water earlier.

Hearing Wen Ying’s calm tone, Yan An suddenly felt unsure how to face her. She just mumbled, “Okay.”

After a little while, Wen Ying carried a wooden tub into the room. She then went out and returned with two large buckets of hot water. She added some cold water to adjust the temperature and only said, “The temperature is right,” when she was sure it was perfect. She then went to the wardrobe, found the clothes Yan An would need, and placed them beside the tub.

Yan An was already stunned by Wen Ying’s actions. She knew Wen Ying had been taking care of the original owner ever since her parents died, but she never expected Wen Ying’s care to be this meticulous!

Yan An didn’t say anything. After Wen Ying finished everything, she didn’t linger. She went out and closed the door to give Yan An privacy for her bath.

Alone in the room, Yan An let out a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it hadn’t gotten to the point where Wen Ying was helping her bathe.

As Yan An relaxed and enjoyed her bath, Wen Ying was busy warming up the leftover porridge from last night and adding some wild vegetables. This should be enough for breakfast.

Wen Ying looked a bit tired. Sitting by the stove, smelling the fragrant rice in the air, the wild vegetables she had eaten earlier seemed to have been completely digested. Her stomach started to cramp and clamor with hunger again.

After some time, she heard a sound at the door and turned to see a clean Yan An, not very neatly dressed, standing there. Her long, wet hair was still draped over her back.

Seeing this, Wen Ying quickly got up and motioned for her to come inside. She poked the nearly extinguished fire in the stove and added two more pieces of wood to help Yan An dry her hair so she wouldn’t catch a cold right after waking up.

“Thank you,” Yan An said softly. She turned to look at the flames burning in the stove, a little lost in thought. She had never imagined she would one day be squatting in a small, dimly lit rural kitchen, drying her hair.

Hearing her say thank you, Wen Ying, who was scooping porridge, paused her movements. She then naturally resumed and handed the bowl of porridge to Yan An.

Yan An came back to her senses and stared blankly at the bowl of porridge mixed with green vegetable leaves. She then asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Huh?” she thought. Was this really the world from the book? Was this family so rich that they ate white rice every meal?

“Yes, I have,” Wen Ying said calmly.

“Oh, okay, good.” Hearing that Wen Ying had already eaten, Yan An felt relieved. She took the bowl and started eating slowly, taking small, elegant bites.

Wen Ying looked at her eating and pursed her lips. Perhaps it made sense that Yan An looked down on her. Not only was she not as beautiful, but even her manner of eating was probably seen as extremely crude in Yan An’s eyes. In contrast, Yan An’s simple meal of vegetable porridge was a beautiful sight to behold.

“Now that you’re awake, I’ll go inform the village chief and the clan leader later,” Wen Ying said, looking at Yan An’s complexion. She looked even better than she had before she fell into the water and passed out, so she was likely ready to see outsiders.

“Yes, that’s good. Could you please help me comb my hair later?” Yan An quickly swallowed her mouthful of porridge and said. She could manage to put on her clothes, but her hair was a different story. If she tried to do it herself, it would probably end up looking like a bird’s nest.

“Okay.” Wen Ying looked at Yan An’s long, black, and silky hair, understanding that its owner must have always treasured her beautiful locks.

While Yan An ate her breakfast, Wen Ying went back into the room and carried out the wooden tub. This time, Yan An’s eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock.

She carried the tub out with the water still in it! How much strength did this person have?!

Yan An looked at Wen Ying’s thin, frail body and couldn’t comprehend the immense power hidden within it. What would happen if this person ate well and gained some muscle?

Yan An instinctively shrank back, thinking to herself that Wen Ying was truly kind for not punching the original owner to death in the past.

Wen Ying was constantly busy. After she poured out the water from the tub and cleaned it, she returned to help Yan An tidy her clothes and tie her hair up neatly with a ribbon. She then left to inform the village chief and the head of the Yan clan.

As one of only two scholars in the village, Yan An was naturally highly regarded.

However, there was another important reason: the Yan family was still in debt to the village chief and the clan.

After Yan An finished eating, she washed the dishes. While Wen Ying was gone, she took the opportunity to explore the small courtyard.

The entire courtyard had only three houses and one large and one small shed. The main house was directly across from the courtyard gate. Inside the main hall, there were two rooms on the east and west sides. Yan An had been staying in the east room.

To the right of the main hall was the kitchen. A small shed was built next to it for firewood. Across from the kitchen was the side room. Between the main and side rooms was a path leading to the back, where the sheds were located. It seemed they were once used to raise pigs, but now they were empty.

In addition to the sheds, there was also an outhouse. The tour of the courtyard was quickly over.

Yan An was left in silence. Even in her limited memories of visiting her rural hometown, she had never seen such poverty. After all, houses built with mud walls were a rarity now.

She returned to the courtyard with a look of melancholy. Although the place looked old and dilapidated, it was tidily kept, which made it a little more bearable.

But as soon as she thought about who Wen Ying had gone to inform, Yan An clutched her heart and felt the urge to restart her life.

After all, the Yan family was currently in debt to the tune of over thirty taels. At a time when the average monthly income for a laborer was about two strings of cash, they owed over thirty taels!

Even without eating or drinking, it would take them nearly two years to pay it all back!