Transmigrated Into an Ancient Filial Piety Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ji Huan finished examining the soil there, stood up, and brushed the dirt off her hands. She turned and saw Jiang Yubai standing nearby, looking at her with confusion. Ji Huan smiled at Jiang Yubai and asked, “Do the people in town usually enjoy drinking tea?”

Jiang Yubai’s lips pressed together slightly. In the Great Liang Kingdom, everyone from nobles to common folk rarely disliked drinking tea. Their area produced various types of tea, and even the prices of teacups had risen sharply. This was something even a three-year-old child knew. Why would Ji Huan ask her this?

Jiang Yubai pushed down her doubts and replied, “Naturally, they love drinking tea. Even many people in our village enjoy tea, though they usually drink cheaper floral teas available in the market.”

Ji Huan nodded. If that was the case, the teacups she made in the future would surely fetch a good price. Ji Huan had confidence in her craftsmanship.

Although modern kilns used electricity for firing Jian ware, the temperature inside still required the artisan’s careful control to produce perfect cups.

For now, Ji Huan did not plan to start building a kiln so soon. She needed to take Jiang Yubai and leave the Ji family first. Ideally, she would establish a written agreement to separate from the Ji family. That way, even if she earned money later, the original owner’s cheap relatives could not come to take advantage. They also could not use the ancient concept of “filial piety” to control her.

Ji Huan felt satisfied with her discoveries today. However, the time was still early, and she wanted to explore the back mountain more. The original owner had built a simple wooden cabin there, where she rested when tired from chopping firewood. Ji Huan wanted to find that cabin and check if there were any useful tools inside.

With this in mind, she looked at Jiang Yubai beside her and said, “Let’s wander around nearby. The weather is warm now, and there’s nothing to do if we go back.”

Although Jiang Yubai did not understand what Ji Huan wanted to do, she nodded. She took a few steps to Ji Huan’s side, her gaze occasionally drifting to the hand that Ji Huan had just used to hold her wrist.

However, Ji Huan’s hand had just touched dirt, so she had no intention of holding Jiang Yubai’s hand again. Jiang Yubai, following behind Ji Huan, saw the light in her eyes gradually fade.

Indeed, Ji Huan had probably held her hand earlier without thinking. How could she keep holding her hand? Ji Huan had already treated her very well today. She should not fantasize too much.

Ji Huan, walking ahead, did not know what the little white rabbit behind her was thinking. Seeing Jiang Yubai had not caught up, Ji Huan turned back, smiled lightly, and walked toward her. “What’s wrong? Can’t find the way without me holding your hand?”

Jiang Yubai, as if her thoughts had been exposed, felt her face flush red. She opened her mouth to protest, “No, it’s not that. I… I…”

Seeing Jiang Yubai so nervous, Ji Huan chuckled and shook her head. She softened her tone and said gently, “There’s nothing wrong with liking me holding your hand. It’s not that I don’t want to hold it. My hand got dirty from the soil earlier, and I didn’t want to get your hand dirty too. I’ll hold it next time.”

Jiang Yubai, blushing, stared at Ji Huan in a daze. The way Ji Huan spoke to her felt like she was coaxing her.

At this thought, even the tips of Jiang Yubai’s ears turned red.

Ji Huan looked at the obedient little rabbit in front of her, the amusement in her eyes growing stronger. Seeing Jiang Yubai truly shy, she stopped teasing her. “Let’s go. We’ll walk further into the mountain.”

Jiang Yubai, seeing Ji Huan turn away, let out a long breath.

The mountains around East Ox Village were mostly connected. The forest was vast, and wild animals often appeared. Villagers usually went into the mountains in groups for safety. Ji Huan did not dare venture too deep.

She and Jiang Yubai walked for another half hour. Small wooden cabins began appearing in the wilderness. Ji Huan knew these were temporary shelters built by villagers.

Soon, she spotted a wooden cabin nearby. Compared to the other cabins they had passed, this one was more refined. Its surrounding walls were made of mud mixed with grass, preventing drafts in winter. One corner of the cabin had a stove-like structure, and a clay chimney was built slightly above the ground to allow heating inside.

Since the original book mentioned the cabin, Ji Huan was certain this was the one the original owner had built. She led Jiang Yubai toward it.

Jiang Yubai pursed her lips, glanced at Ji Huan several times, and finally asked, “Sister, is it okay for us to just go in like this?”

Ji Huan turned to look at the little white rabbit obediently following her and smiled. “I built this cabin here. I used to come up the mountain to chop firewood and sometimes rested inside. Come in and take a look.”

She felt very pleased with Jiang Yubai calling her “sister,” so the smile on her face grew wider. She pushed the wooden door open with force.

The cabin was not large. Although the original owner was foolishly filial, she was efficient at work. The cabin was clean. The original owner had even made a simple wooden bed inside, along with a small wooden table and a wooden stool.

Additionally, tools like a bow, arrows, and a short knife hung on the wall. A simple clay stove had some firewood stacked nearby. Everything one might need was there.

Ji Huan looked at the short knife and bow on the wall, thinking about trying her luck. Although she had eaten enough for lunch, both meals lacked oil. Ji Huan felt unhappy about this.

She picked up the short knife and bow from the wall, slung the bow over her back, and explained to Jiang Yubai, “Let’s go try our luck and see if we can hunt some small animals.”

The original owner had often hunted in the back mountain, but she took all the small animals she caught home to honor her parents. Often, the original owner herself did not get to eat the meat. Liu Fengmei, under the pretense of saving the meat for the two children of the eldest brother and the third brother, left none for her.

Ji Huan, of course, would not act like the original owner. She purely wanted to treat herself to a good meal. In modern times, she and her studio partners often went into the mountains to personally oversee the mining of ore and clay for teacup production. Sometimes they stayed in the mountains for days, setting traps or using crossbows to catch prey. So, Ji Huan was not clueless about hunting.

Jiang Yubai glanced at Ji Huan, hesitating to speak. Was her sister hunting to bring food home for the family? Jiang Yubai never dared to eat her fill, let alone the meat Ji Huan brought back to improve their meals. None of it ever reached her.

Ji Huan led Jiang Yubai outside. She gathered some flexible branches from a nearby tree and trimmed them carefully.

Ji Huan crouched down to examine small animal tracks closely. At the spot with the most tracks, she used the branches to make a simple trap, though it lacked bait.

Ji Huan set aside the bait issue for now and stood up to create more traps nearby. She looked up and saw Jiang Yubai watching her curiously. Ji Huan smiled and said, “Want to learn? I’ll teach you.”

“Yes,” Jiang Yubai nodded, lowering her eyes to watch how Ji Huan worked.

Ji Huan continued her work and explained to Jiang Yubai, “You pass it through here like this…”