Transmigrated Into an Ancient Filial Piety Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

If he really managed to latch onto a wealthy Kunze in the city later, he absolutely did not want to return. Even though his parents spent all the family’s money on him over the years, he still looked down on them. It was as if that money was rightfully his to spend.

Ji Yuan remembered the matter of the four taels of silver. He quickly squatted down to help Liu Fengmei up and whispered in her ear, “Four taels of silver, Mother, don’t make a fuss.”

Liu Fengmei then recalled the four taels of silver. But she already cried for a while and found herself in a difficult position. Seeing that Ji Huan showed no sign of backing down, Liu Fengmei changed her earlier sharp and harsh tone. “Ji Huan, Mother only acted this way because she worried about you. You must not blame Mother. Making you marry Jiang Yubai was Mother’s fault toward you. Don’t blame Mother; Mother really had no other choice.”

Liu Fengmei said this while squeezing out a few tears. Ji Yuan helped Liu Fengmei stand up and also breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to see Ji Huan’s reaction and whether she would soften her attitude because of Liu Fengmei’s yielding.

Ji Huan gave a cold laugh and scanned the crowd with her gaze. “This is what you call taking me and Yubai back? It’s only the second day, and Yubai and I fetched water early in the morning. We were about to go chop firewood when we got scolded like this out of nowhere? I think this family truly cannot tolerate us. You can live or die as you please; do whatever you want.”

Ji Huan said this and led Jiang Yubai into the kitchen.

Jiang Yubai felt puzzled about why Ji Huan brought her to the kitchen. She saw Ji Huan already take a cloth bag. Ji Huan poured most of the rice from the rice jar into the bag and picked up the small pot used earlier to make paste. She also placed two porcelain bowls inside the pot.

“Let’s go. We’ll pack one or two pieces of clothing in our room.”

“Sister, where are we going?” Jiang Yubai hurriedly asked. If Ji Huan got kicked out of the family again because of her, she would feel terribly guilty.

Ji Huan winked at Jiang Yubai and whispered in her ear, “We’ll stay in the cabin on the mountain for a few days. Don’t be afraid; the Ji family won’t dare to truly drive us away.”

Warm breath tickled Jiang Yubai’s ear. Jiang Yubai ignored the fluttering in her heart but still looked at Ji Huan with some worry.

Seeing that Jiang Yubai still felt uneasy, Ji Huan placed the rice bag and small pot on the stove. She walked over, took Jiang Yubai’s hand, squeezed it gently, and whispered softly in her ear, “Really, just think of it as the two of us living alone on the mountain. Don’t mind those annoying people.”

Ji Huan’s tone was gentle, and her warm breath hit Jiang Yubai’s ear. Jiang Yubai’s ears twitched instinctively, and her heartbeat gradually quickened. Finally, when she could hardly breathe, Ji Huan let go of her hand and stepped back slightly.

Ji Huan already picked up the half-filled rice bag and the small pot and walked outside.

Ji Mantun originally thought Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai softened and prepared to cook in the kitchen. But he saw Ji Huan come out carrying a bag and a pot.

Ji Mantun instinctively asked, “Ji Huan, what are you doing?”

“Since this family cannot tolerate us, Yubai and I can only go to the mountain to fend for ourselves. Oh, right, we won’t do today’s chores either. Eat or don’t eat, as you like.” Ji Huan said this and led Jiang Yubai toward her room.

Li Yulan, sharp-eyed, noticed the contents of the cloth bag looked like rice. She asked, “Ji Huan, what’s in that bag?”

Ji Huan gave a cold laugh and directed her gaze at Li Yulan. “Food, naturally. What? Does Sister-in-law want us to starve to death?”

“Ji Huan, I’m telling you, don’t think I’ll be afraid just because you told the villagers about these things last time. If you’re so capable, don’t take anything and don’t come back after you leave.” Ji Mantun, as the head of the family, felt his authority challenged by Ji Huan several times. Unable to back down, he spoke directly.

He thought Ji Huan was just talking. It just snowed, and the mountain was freezing. Living there was like asking for death. He did not believe Ji Huan would really go to the mountain, so he spoke with confidence.

“Not taking anything is impossible. Leaving and not coming back, however, is possible.” Ji Huan said this and gave Ji Mantun a slight smile. But her smile made Ji Mantun feel a chill down his spine.

Ji Huan no longer paid attention to the people in the courtyard and returned to her room.

Jiang Yubai thought about the small cabin and asked, “Sister, should we bring a quilt?”

Ji Huan thought for a moment and nodded. “Bring one quilt. One set of clothes each for us will be enough.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yubai nodded and began packing her and Ji Huan’s clothes. Since her sister said it was fine, she trusted her sister. Besides, the idea of living alone with her sister? It actually seemed quite nice.

Jiang Yubai thought this, and the tips of her ears quietly turned red. The corners of her lips also curved upward uncontrollably.

Ji Huan already folded the quilt. She placed the clothes Jiang Yubai packed on top of the quilt and tied the worn quilt and clothes together with hemp rope. She left some slack in the middle of the rope, fashioning it into straps for easier carrying on her back later.

Ji Huan tried carrying the quilt on her back and found it just right. When she went to get the rice, she saw Jiang Yubai already holding the rice bag.

Ji Huan reached out to Little White Rabbit and said softly, “Give me the rice.”

Jiang Yubai shook her head. If she gave the rice to Ji Huan, wouldn’t that mean she carried nothing? That would tire Ji Huan too much, and she couldn’t bear it.

Seeing Little White Rabbit disobey, Ji Huan stepped forward and placed her hand on Jiang Yubai’s waist.

Jiang Yubai didn’t expect Ji Huan to come over and hold her. Her face instantly flushed, and even her legs felt weak.

Seeing Little White Rabbit shy again, Ji Huan took the chance to take the rice bag from her hand. Holding it herself, she said softly, “You just hold the small pot properly. Stand steady; I’m letting go.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t dare look at Ji Huan. She quietly swallowed and forced herself to stand steady. When she looked up at Ji Huan, she saw Ji Huan watching her with a smile in her eyes.

Jiang Yubai, blushing, picked up the small pot from the table. Her soft, timid appearance resembled a little rabbit.

Ji Huan’s eyes curved slightly. “Let’s go. We’ll head out early and see if we can get lucky and hunt some small animals today.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yubai nodded and followed Ji Huan. Her sister was her wife, after all. Wherever her sister went, she would go.

If it were before, Jiang Yubai wouldn’t have thought this way. The old Ji Huan only sided with the Ji family to bully her, not treating her as kindly as her sister did now.

Ji Mantun saw Ji Huan come out carrying a quilt and opened his mouth. He already began to regret it. “Ji Huan, we’re family; there’s no need for harsh words. Your father and mother didn’t mean it that way. It’s too cold on the mountain. You and Jiang Yubai will freeze to death up there.”

“Yes, Second Sister, Mother did react too strongly, but it was out of concern. Don’t hold a grudge. The mountain is cold; stay here.” Ji Yuan hurriedly persuaded. He was joking; he still hadn’t gotten his hands on Ji Huan’s four taels of silver.

Ji Huan didn’t listen at all. She didn’t even turn her head and led Jiang Yubai out of the courtyard gate.

Liu Fengmei pointed outside. “Husband, do you think she really won’t come back?”

“What’s wrong with Ji Huan? Such a big temper, can’t take a single criticism. Hey, Third Son, quickly think of a way to bring Ji Huan back.” Ji Mantun hurriedly said.

Ji Yuan stood in the courtyard, fuming. “Mother, I said earlier to go easy on Ji Huan these days. Now look, she’s gone to live on the mountain. The villagers will think we’re trying to drive her to death. And we still haven’t gotten the four taels of silver. Couldn’t you hold back?”

Seeing her third son unhappy, Liu Fengmei quickly said, “It’s Mother’s fault. Mother just couldn’t stand that vixen leading Ji Huan astray. You’re right; we should calm Ji Huan down and get the four taels of silver first. But what do we do now?”

“Don’t worry about her. It’s cold on the mountain, and they have nowhere to stay. Staying in a cave at night might freeze them to death. I don’t believe Ji Huan is that stubborn. I want her to come back and yield on her own. Otherwise, how can I be the father?” Ji Mantun clutched his pipe tightly and said.

Ji Yuan thought about it and agreed. No matter how stubborn Ji Huan was, could she really seek death? He figured Ji Huan would probably return by noon, or at the latest, before dark. They already compromised earlier. Compromising too eagerly now would make Ji Huan think the family feared her.

Since the Ji family rarely went to the mountain for work, they didn’t know the original owner built a small cabin there. They assumed Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai would freeze in the mountains. In such cold winter, staying there might mean freezing to death. So, no one thought Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai would spend the night on the mountain.

Meanwhile, Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai left the house with the quilt, attracting some attention. Once they stepped out, the smile on Ji Huan’s face vanished, replaced by a hint of weariness.

As they walked up the mountain along the main road, they met Aunt Yuan. Aunt Yuan saw Ji Huan carrying a quilt and immediately approached. “Ji Huan? Weren’t you taken back by the Ji family? What happened now?”

Ji Huan gave a bitter smile, her eyes slightly red. “The family cannot tolerate me and Yubai. No matter what I do, in my father and mother’s eyes, it’s always wrong. Today, Yubai and I were just preparing food in the kitchen and stayed a bit longer. My mother scolded us harshly and accused us of shameful things. Since it’s like this, we don’t need to shamelessly stay with the Ji family. They can let us fend for ourselves on the mountain.”

Aunt Yuan grew anxious upon hearing this. “Ji Huan, look at this weather. Your breath turns to mist; it’s too cold. You can’t risk your lives. You must not go to the mountain.”

Ji Huan gave a bitter smile. “It’s okay, Aunt Yuan. Freezing to death is better than enduring cold stares. Maybe if I’m gone, my father and mother can live peacefully.”

“Why won’t you listen, child? It’s not worth it for such parents. They don’t care about your life; you should care about yourself more.” Aunt Yuan and her companions all chimed in to persuade her.

Ji Huan shook her head sadly. “Thank you for your kindness, aunts. Please don’t tell anyone about this, or my father and mother will be ostracized by the village again.”

“You’re still thinking of them at a time like this? Ji Huan, what can we say about you? Being filial to parents shouldn’t be like this.” Aunt Yuan sighed and said.

“Yubai and I will go now, Aunt Yuan. You all should head back soon; it’s cold outside.” Ji Huan said with red eyes. She reached out with her free hand, pulled Jiang Yubai, and prepared to continue up the mountain.

Aunt Yuan saw Ji Huan only had a cloth bag and called out, “Ji Huan, wait.”

Ji Huan turned around upon hearing this. “Aunt Yuan, is there something else?”

Aunt Yuan took off the basket on her back. She didn’t want to visit relatives empty-handed, so her basket held several sweet potatoes. Aunt Yuan picked a few large ones and stuffed them into Ji Huan’s arms.

“Aunt, we have rice; we can’t take your things.”

“Take them, I said. Don’t starve.” Aunt Yuan ignored Ji Huan and forced the sweet potatoes on her.

Another aunt beside Aunt Yuan gave Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai half a head of cabbage from her basket.

When Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai left home, their hands were empty. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, they carried not only cabbage and sweet potatoes but also potatoes, eggs, and even half a bottle of soy sauce from an uncle.

Looking at the full load in her hands and Little White Rabbit’s, Ji Huan’s eyes curved slightly. There were still many good people in the village, except for the Ji family.

Ji Huan glanced at the little rabbit beside her and smiled. “Let’s go. With all this food now, it should be enough for today. As for tomorrow, someone will probably come to bring us back.”

Jiang Yubai looked at the food in her arms, and her mood inexplicably improved. Even if they were going to live on the mountain, with Ji Huan there, she feared nothing! Leaving the Ji family even made Jiang Yubai feel a wave of relief.

The two carried their full load of goods toward the small cabin. Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai put down their things. Ji Huan took a short knife and bow and arrows from the cabin. Jiang Yubai hugged a large ceramic jar, which the original owner left there for fetching water. Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai prepared to hunt and fetch some water on the way.

The snow in the forest hadn’t melted yet, but they could still hear the occasional clucking of wild chickens in the dry grass.

Learning from her last experience, Ji Huan didn’t shoot rashly after pinpointing the chicken’s location. She aimed with her bow and arrow for a long time before shooting.

That arrow likely hit the chicken’s thigh. The chicken didn’t fall but jumped onto a nearby low tree. The nearby trees were already bare. Seeing the chicken fly onto the low tree, Ji Huan quickly nocked another arrow and shot it down from the tree.

Ji Huan hurriedly ran toward the low tree and found the chicken in the dry grass below.

Jiang Yubai’s eyes lit up. They could eat chicken for lunch.

Ji Huan lifted the chicken and looked at it, smiling. “This chicken looks quite fat. We’ll use half for porridge and grill the other half.”

Jiang Yubai nodded. “Okay, Sister, let’s go to the stream over there to start a fire and pluck the chicken.”

“Good. Wait here for me. I’ll go back to get the flint and steel.” Ji Huan said and hurriedly walked back to the cabin.

Chicken tasted good but plucking it was a hassle. Still, thinking about eating fresh chicken later, Ji Huan felt it was worth it.

She grabbed the flint, steel, and small pot from the cabin and hurried back. When she returned, she saw Little White Rabbit staring unblinkingly at the chicken, her face full of joy.

Ji Huan’s lips curved slightly. Her Little White Rabbit was really interested in food.

Meanwhile, in Ji Mantun and Liu Fengmei’s room, Ji Yuan sat on a bench talking with them.

“Father, Mother, while Ji Huan is away, let’s search her room thoroughly. If she hid the four taels of silver there, we won’t need to go through the trouble of figuring out how to ask her for it.” Ji Ming said quietly.

“That, wouldn’t that be stealing?” Liu Fengmei interjected, drawing glares from Ji Mantun and Ji Yuan.

“Mother, what are you saying? How could a scholar steal? That silver originally belonged to you two. We’re just taking it back to its rightful owner. How could that be stealing?” Ji Yuan made up an excuse.

Ji Mantun quickly nodded. “Listen to Ji Yuan. He’s educated, so it’s different. It’s not stealing; it’s returning things to their rightful owner. Let’s get the silver back first, so I don’t lose sleep worrying about it.”

In Ji Mantun’s eyes, giving silver to Ji Huan was like throwing it into a latrine and ruining it.

“Okay, husband, I’ll listen to you and Third Son. You two are my backbone.” Liu Fengmei smiled and said.

The three discussed and left the room. Doing something like this for the first time, Ji Mantun glanced around the courtyard nervously, afraid someone would notice them going to Ji Huan’s room. Ji Yuan, however, confidently pushed open Ji Huan’s door. The three entered and quickly closed the door behind them.

Ji Sen already watched the outside through the door crack. Seeing his parents and third brother go to Ji Huan’s room, Ji Sen roughly guessed their intentions.

Wang Xiuxiu asked curiously in a low voice, “What are Father and Mother doing?”

“What else? They’re probably egged on by Third Brother to search Ji Huan’s room for the four taels of silver.” Thinking of the four taels, Ji Sen felt a pang. If that silver were in his hands, he could gamble with it. In Ji Huan’s hands, that old cow would let the silver mold before using it.

…

In Ji Huan and Jiang Yubai’s room, Ji Mantun and Liu Fengmei searched carefully. Ji Yuan rummaged through Ji Huan’s wardrobe. Most of Ji Huan’s clothes were old and worn, with a faint musty smell. Ji Yuan, afraid of getting dirty, threw Ji Huan’s clothes onto the wooden table, muttering under his breath, “So dirty. These clothes are so worn and still worn.”

But on second thought, Ji Huan wearing shabby clothes was better. That way, the money would end up in his pocket. But where did Ji Huan hide the four taels? Ji Yuan grew more impatient as he searched. He turned the wardrobe inside out and found nothing.

“Father, Mother, did you find anything?” Ji Yuan, frustrated, stuffed Ji Huan’s worn clothes back into the wardrobe.

Ji Mantun checked the bricks on the floor and the cracks in the walls, confirming no money was hidden there. “Nothing. It’s not here.”

“I didn’t find anything either.” Liu Fengmei turned Ji Huan’s bedding upside down and found nothing.

“Didn’t expect Ji Huan to be so cautious. She actually took the silver with her. This makes things tricky.” Ji Yuan frowned slightly.

“Third Son, what do we do now?” Liu Fengmei asked again.

“We’ll have to wait until Ji Huan and the others come back to deal with it. But we’ll get it eventually.” Ji Yuan’s lips curved into a confident smile.