Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 10

All eyes turned to Lin Chu.

Jiang Wanxue’s eyes flashed with something, but her face showed a hint of panic as she looked at Lin Chu, as if Lin Chu had been bullying her all along.

“Sister-in-law, why don’t you allow Yan Gege to drink the medicine I brewed?”

Her words were ambiguous, hinting at both Lin Chu’s perceived targeting of her and implying that Lin Chu was neglecting Yan Mingge’s health out of jealousy.

Lin Chu glanced at Jiang Wanxue with a complex expression, then forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“What are you saying, Sister Han? My husband’s injuries are serious. I always brew medicine for him at the right time. It’s said that medicine has its own dangers. He just took his medicine this morning, so… let’s save this bowl for noon.”

Perhaps due to her nerves, Lin Chu’s palms were sweating profusely.

Lying in front of the person involved… Lin Chu felt very uneasy.

Her gaze shifted past Jiang Wanxue, locking onto Yan Mingge’s eyes. She noticed he was looking at her thoughtfully, the subtle amusement in his gaze reminiscent of the strange, otherworldly version of him from last night.

A sudden chill ran through Lin Chu. She had a strange feeling…

Yan Mingge knew everything Jiang Wanxue was doing!

In fact, he was waiting for Jiang Wanxue to entrap herself!

Lin Chu’s explanation was perfectly reasonable, making Jiang Wanxue’s face flush awkwardly. She stood there, unsure whether to enter or retreat, holding the bowl of dark medicine, her expression innocent but her eyes cold and resentful.

“I saw the pot for brewing medicine was clean, and thinking that Sister-in-law hadn’t brewed it yet, I took the liberty to make it myself. I didn’t expect it would turn out to be a foolish thing to do.”

Jiang Wanxue’s words caused Lin Chu to shift her gaze away from Yan Mingge. Since he hadn’t exposed her lie, Lin Chu decided to keep playing her part!

Jiang Wanxue’s words implied that Lin Chu hadn’t prepared any medicine for Yan Mingge, and since she had been absent early in the morning, it might lead to gossip if others heard about it. Given Lin Chu’s poor reputation, they might think all sorts of things.

Lin Chu narrowed her eyes with a smile.

“After I brew medicine for my husband, I always pour the dregs into the waste bucket and clean the pot, preparing it for the next use. I didn’t mean to cause Sister Han any misunderstanding. Just now, little Junye got pecked by a hen while trying to catch a chick and was crying quite a bit. I felt sorry for him, so I took him to Aunt Song’s house to find some pain-relieving ointment for him.”

Feigning confusion, she asked, “Where did Sister Han go earlier? Junye was crying so hard his voice went hoarse, yet I didn’t see you come out to comfort him.”

Lin Chu deliberately poked at Jiang Wanxue’s soft spot.

To deal with someone who pretended to be weak and pitiful while being scheming behind the scenes, Lin Chu’s years of watching palace intrigue and family drama taught her that she had to act even better than them and hit them where it hurt!

Previously, she hadn’t understood Jiang Wanxue’s character in the original story and thought that the male lead’s mother should be beautiful, kind, and virtuous. Not knowing Yan Mingge’s feelings towards Jiang Wanxue, she had treated her with excessive politeness, never imagining it would lead to being taken advantage of!

Lin Chu’s pointed remarks left Jiang Wanxue’s face extremely unattractive, but upon hearing the latter part, she looked flustered.

“Junye…”

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Chu took the bowl from Jiang Wanxue’s hands.

“The child is at Aunt Song’s. If you’re worried, you can go see him.”

Faced with the mention of the child, Jiang Wanxue couldn’t think of anything else and hurriedly left the yard.

Lin Chu let out a gentle sigh of relief. When she looked up, she unexpectedly met Yan Mingge’s meaningful gaze again.

Lin Chu froze for a moment before quickly averting her eyes from that unsettling look.

“I’ll pour the medicine back into the pot to keep it warm,” she said, finding an excuse to slip back into the kitchen.

Once she was out of Yan Mingge’s line of sight, Lin Chu felt as if she had come back to life. She sat on a low wooden stool, feeling a bit regretful about her actions just now.

Yan Mingge had said that smart people didn’t live long, which felt like a warning not to interfere too much in this matter.

Since Yan Mingge had already sensed that Jiang Wanxue was not simple, with his level of vigilance, he should be cautious. There was no need for her to be hopping around like a little clown!

Earlier, she had joked about Jiang Wanxue being a grasshopper after autumn, but now she was afraid she might die in front of Jiang Wanxue instead…

Lin Chu was deeply troubled by her own recklessness.

The weather was cold, and the little gray dog didn’t want to go outside. It curled up in the straw pile in the kitchen to keep warm. Seeing Lin Chu sitting alone behind the stove, it waddled over to her feet, wagging its tail energetically.

Lin Chu stretched out two fingers to scratch its back, and the little gray dog let out a pleased grunt.

Lin Chu poked its fluffy little head and said,

“You’d think I’m a person who knows the plot inside out and has read countless palace intrigue and family drama stories, yet… how can I end up getting eliminated before this low-level little white lotus?”

After thinking about the unpredictable Yan Mingge, Lin Chu felt she couldn’t stay passive any longer!

Moreover… if this medicine was given by Lanzhi, how did Jiang Wanxue come to know Lanzhi upon her arrival in Qiang City? And why did she want to harm Yan Mingge?

No matter what, she needed to find out what Jiang Wanxue was really up to!
Dr. Hu was changing the dressing on Yan Mingge’s wound, and the old gauze thrown on the ground bore dark red stains. After examining the most serious arrow wound on Yan Mingge’s chest, Dr. Hu frowned slightly.

“How did the wound open up? You’d best rest in bed for the next few days.”

Yan Mingge’s expression was gloomy.

“There are always restless crawlers.”

Dr. Hu didn’t say anything more. Qiang City was not very large, and the ruckus about Yan Mingge’s marriage and the bride’s tantrums had already stirred up a lot of gossip. Now that he had returned seriously injured, nearly everyone in Qiang City was waiting for Lin Chu to betray him. Any minor incident in their family would be known to men, women, and children in the city by the next day.

Dr. Hu had heard rumors about the theft at Yan Mingge’s home. There were rough men in the army who liked to gossip, suggesting that perhaps Yan Mingge’s new wife couldn’t withstand the loneliness and had an affair, which was discovered by the neighbor. To save face, they claimed it was a theft.

Dr. Hu didn’t have much contact with Lin Chu, but his instincts told him she was not that kind of person. He certainly wouldn’t share the army’s gossip with Yan Mingge.

Unless he wanted to see a pile of corpses on the training grounds the next day.

As he applied fresh herbs to the wound, Dr. Hu chatted while bandaging.

“You’re quite ruthless and wild, but you must restrain yourself in front of the general. Zhao Dazhi snatched your military achievements; do you really think he’s unaware? It’s not that the general is lost in a tender embrace; he feels he can’t wield a good sword like you. A good sword that cannot be used by a person will naturally just be left in a corner to gather dust.”

A bloodthirsty and ruthless smile curved Yan Mingge’s lips.

“I’m not a sword; he naturally can’t wield me.”

If he wasn’t a sword, did that mean he was the one wielding the sword?

The implication in his words was profound. Dr. Hu paused in his bandaging, then continued his work without responding.

“How’s it going at the East City Gate?” Yan Mingge broke the silence.

The East City Gate led to the frontier and was usually heavily guarded. However, during times of peace, the common people often traveled beyond the gate for trade, exchanging goods with the Hu people.

“It’s still under martial law, and the common people aren’t allowed to leave the city, but I’ve heard it’s become somewhat looser than usual.”

Yan Mingge immediately frowned.

“Although we heavily wounded the barbarians in the last battle, winter is approaching, and if they can’t gather food, the barbarians won’t survive this winter. I’m afraid they will attack the city again in the coming days. We must tighten our defenses; we can’t afford to be negligent!”

“Hey, worry about yourself!” Dr. Hu slapped him on the shoulder. “You tell me, I don’t understand these things. For now, you should focus on healing. Without you, Yuan San and the others won’t be at ease…”

“What’s wrong with Yuan San and the others?” Yan Mingge’s brows furrowed tightly.

Dr. Hu looked at Yan Mingge, somewhat surprised but quickly calmed down. “You probably don’t know. They’re upset that the military achievements you fought for were snatched away. They got into a fight with Zhao Dazhi in the camp and were heavily punished by the general—each received a hundred military lashes. I just went to see them this morning; their behinds looked like rotten persimmons, and they couldn’t even get out of bed!”

Yan Mingge fell silent, his half-closed eyes exuding a chilling coldness.

Dr. Hu sighed. “Right now, the priority is for you to heal well. Zhao Dazhi is the general’s brother-in-law; when one person ascends, all their kin rise. Such a small-minded person shouldn’t be offended right now.” Dr. Hu lowered his voice. “I’ve heard whispers that the court has sent a military supervisor to the frontier; this might be an opportunity.”

The corner of Yan Mingge’s mouth twitched slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his expression.

Dr. Hu sighed again, leaving behind a remark that Yan Mingge’s temperament still needed to be tempered before leaving.

As noon approached, Lin Chu rolled up her sleeves to prepare lunch. She had cut the meat and was about to crush some garlic and ginger to remove the odor.

Just then, a gentle voice came from the doorway.

“Yan Gege doesn’t like eating minced garlic.”

Lin Chu raised her eyes to see Jiang Wanxue standing at the door, her expression one of frail gentleness. Lin Chu couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised. After she had changed Han Junye’s clothes, Jiang Wanxue should have checked the bag and noticed the missing bottle.

Why was she acting so calm now? Was Jiang Wanxue just very composed?

Adhering to the principle of ‘if the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move,’ Lin Chu didn’t mention the matter first. Instead, she followed Jiang Wanxue’s seemingly provocative lead.

“Oh, does my husband not eat? Every time I make a dish with minced garlic, he eats it. But since Sister Han knows my husband’s tastes, why not tell me what else he doesn’t eat?”

She appeared to be sincerely seeking advice, causing Jiang Wanxue’s carefully maintained gentle demeanor to crack for a moment.

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