Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 43

Yan Mingge got hit square on the forehead by the wooden ladle without any warning. He clutched his head and stumbled back a step, his voice dripping with barely contained rage, 

“You…”

Lin Chu shrank into the tub, leaving only her head poking out as she glared at him warily. 

“You were peeping on me while I was bathing!”

Yan Mingge’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. 

“If you hadn’t fallen asleep and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called you, would I have even needed to come in and fish you out?”

Hearing that, Lin Chu thought about it for a second… she did seem to have fallen asleep. But she still puffed up and snapped,

“No way you couldn’t wake me up! You’re obviously lying!”

Yan Mingge’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He suddenly took a big step forward.

Lin Chu’s instincts screamed danger! She immediately started shouting, 

“Hey, what are you doing?! Get out, get out right now!”

Yan Mingge ignored her completely. He swooped in and scooped her up like it was nothing. The second Lin Chu’s skin hit the cold air, goosebumps exploded all over her body. She didn’t know if she was freezing or scared out of her mind. Flailing and clawing at him like mad, she yelled whatever came to her tongue, 

“You bastard! You perv! Let go of me right now!”

Yan Mingge actually chuckled — a low, dangerous sound. 

“I’m a perv, huh?”

He strode toward the bed, tossed the soaking wet Lin Chu straight into the soft blankets, and leaned down close, his devilishly handsome face filled with dangerous teasing.

“If I don’t do something now, wouldn’t I be letting down the title my dear wife just gave me?”

Lin Chu was scared stiff. Am I really about to lose my two-lifetime chastity here?!

Yan Mingge stared at her for a long moment. Then suddenly dipped his head and planted two loud, innocent kisses on her cheeks.

Lin Chu was stunned silly by how… pure that was. Before she could react, Yan Mingge wrapped her tightly in the blanket, cocooning her, pulled her into his arms, and murmured against her hair, 

“You stayed up all night. Go to sleep.”

Because of his words, the anger in Lin Chu’s heart turned into a kind of tenderness that she herself could not describe. Tsk, what should I do if I suddenly feel a little sweet in my heart?

Yan Mingge hugged her tightly like he never wanted to let go. When Lin Chu tried to wriggle free, he lifted his head and glared at her, looking both aggrieved and menacing.

“If you move again, I won’t be so nice anymore.”

Lin Chu instantly froze, on the verge of tears. She whispered miserably, “My hair’s still wet…”

Yan Mingge reached up to touch her head — sure enough, still dripping wet. His face twisted into a scowl as he got up. 

“I’ll go find you a cloth.”

Lin Chu sat up too, pushing her wet hair to one side. 

“There’s a clean cloth on the table. Just grab that one.”

Yan Mingge glanced at the table… and at the cloth that had soaked up all the bl00d from his earlier nosebleed.
He silently picked it up and stuffed it away.
“A spider just crawled over that one. I’ll get you a new one.”

Spider?

Lin Chu glanced around the room. Are there any spiders?

She felt that Yan Mingge’s behavior was a little strange, but she didn’t take it too seriously.

Soon, he came back with a clean cloth — and a pillow.

Lin Chu’s eyelid twitched hard.
“Husband… are you planning to sleep here tonight?”

Yan Mingge didn’t say a word. But the way he looked down at her — full of lazy arrogance — said everything she needed to know.

He wrapped Lin Chu’s long hair with a cotton towel and wiped her hair very patiently. Perhaps because he was afraid of hurting Lin Chu, he was particularly gentle.

Lin Chu was a little flattered at first when the villain wiped her hair. However, she was wrapped in a quilt, leaving only her head outside. Her whole body was warm, and the aftereffects of a sleepless night soon set in. She nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice, and she was so sleepy that she could not even open her eyes.

Yan Mingge gently lifted her head so she could lean more comfortably against him.

Lin Chu mumbled some nonsense no one could understand — then fully passed out.

Yan Mingge ran his rough fingers through her half-damp hair, feeling like this touch was even smoother and softer than the finest silk. He couldn’t help twirling a lock of it between his fingers, his movements unconsciously tender. The sight of her dark hair tangled around his calloused hand felt… inexplicably beautiful.

A soft, almost invisible smile lifted the corners of Yan Mingge’s lips. It wasn’t his usual mocking smirk — it was the kind of smile that melted away all the coldness in his bones, leaving only quiet warmth and deep affection.

He lifted the strand of hair to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

Then, as if making a solemn vow, he whispered against her sleeping form,
“Blockhead… you’ve been through a lot these days.”

Lin Chu was deep in sleep and couldn’t hear him.

Yan Mingge pulled out a dagger he always carried, carefully cut off the lock of hair wrapped around his finger, tucked it into a small sachet, and placed it close to his heart.

Only then did Yan Mingge carefully lay Lin Chu flat onto the bed. He wrapped her — blanket and all — tightly into his arms, breathing in the faint scent of soap from her freshly bathed skin. Feeling completely content, he finally fell asleep.

Lately, his fire had been running a little too hot — better to hug her through the blanket, much safer that way.

Lin Chu slept straight through until the next afternoon. Maybe it was because she had walked so much in the Soul-Severing Stone Forest — when she woke up, her legs ached so badly it was like they weren’t even hers anymore.
The moment she lifted the blanket, she spotted a small bloodstain on the bedsheet. Lin Chu’s eyes went wide in shock.

Did that beast Yan Mingge… take advantage of me while I was sleeping?!

But then she glanced down at her underclothes and saw bl00d there too. Her face flushed awkwardly.

Oh… her period had come.

When they rushed over from Yao City, she hadn’t thought to pack any sanitary supplies. And now, she had no idea where to get any.

In ancient times, period belts were basically primitive versions of modern pads: strips of cloth tied around the waist with a string. Poorer families used double-layered cloth stuffed with ash or dried plants, while wealthier ones used multiple layers with cotton padding inside.

Lin Chu thought for a while, then found some clean cloth handkerchiefs, dug out some old cotton from a battered quilt, and managed to put together a makeshift period belt.

After tidying up, she headed downstairs. Having gone hungry for so long, she barely had any appetite — she just sipped a bowl of plain rice porridge. From Song Tuo, she learned that Yan Mingge had gone to the military camp.

That guy really can’t sit still for even a second.

Thinking about the bloodstained sheets back in the room, Lin Chu felt her head pounding.
She sneaked back upstairs, grabbed the bedsheet and her dirty underclothes, and went to the well to wash them.

Bloodstains had to be washed with cold water. In the dead of winter, the well water was bone-chilling. Lin Chu shivered so hard she thought she might snap in two, scrubbing the stains off the sheets and her underclothes. By the time she finished, her hands were almost completely numb.

She wanted to wash them again with warm water but didn’t want to make a fuss, so she quietly slipped into the kitchen to heat some.

To her surprise, Wei Rou was already there. Water in a medicine pot was bubbling and steaming on the stove. Wei Rou sat on a low stool by the hearth, her face lit softly by the firelight, making her look even more gentle and delicate — a far cry from her usual loud and lively self.

But she was clearly lost in thought. Lin Chu stood at the doorway for a long time without her even noticing. Her eyes were completely unfocused.

Lin Chu was just about to greet her when a burning smell hit her nose.

Wei Rou’s medicine had scorched!

“Senior Sister! Your medicine’s burning!” Lin Chu rushed forward, grabbing a wet cloth to lift the pot off the fire.

Wei Rou snapped out of it with a jolt. When she saw Lin Chu reaching for the pot, her expression changed drastically.

“Leave it! I’ll do it!” she cried out sharply.

Startled by her strong reaction, Lin Chu hurriedly pulled her hand back. But Wei Rou, reaching out barehanded, grabbed the burning-hot pot.

With a hiss of pain, she reflexively let go — and the whole pot crashed to the ground.

The clay pot shattered into pieces. Medicine dregs and bitter liquid spilled everywhere, filling the kitchen with a choking, acrid smell.

Lin Chu was so startled her heart nearly stopped. She rushed over to check Wei Rou’s hand.

“Senior Sister, are you okay?”

Wei Rou glanced down at her hand, already red and swelling fast. Her expression was hard to read — exhaustion, maybe, or something else.

She just said, “I’m fine.”

Lin Chu could tell something was off with Wei Rou’s mood.

“I’ll help you brew a new batch of medicine,” she offered quickly.

Wei Rou shook her head dully. “No need. It wasn’t anything important.”

Since coming back from the Soul-Severing Stone Forest, Wei Rou had been acting strangely. Lin Chu couldn’t figure out why, but she fetched a basin of cold water from the well and coaxed Wei Rou into soaking her burned hand.

She also suggested applying some burn ointment. Wei Rou only half-heartedly agreed and listlessly went back to her room, her whole spirit seeming absent and hollow.

Lin Chu didn’t know what medicine Wei Rou had been brewing. Maybe it was something for cramps, she guessed. She thought about getting a new batch from the pharmacy but worried that certain herbs might not suit Wei Rou’s constitution. So she carefully gathered up the spilled medicine residue and asked Song Tuo to take it to the army physician to match it exactly.

Since women often got irritable during their periods, she figured brewing another pot of medicine would be the safest bet.

After giving Song Tuo instructions, Lin Chu finally boiled some hot water and finished washing the bloodstained bedsheet and underclothes.

But Song Tuo had gone to the camp and hadn’t returned for a long while.

As night fell, Lin Chu finished dinner and was sitting with Jing He in his room, chatting casually, when they suddenly heard loud, rapid footsteps pounding up the stairs — thud, thud, thud — and then the sound of a door being slammed open.

“Lin Chu!” Yan Mingge’s voice roared with unmistakable fury.

Lin Chu and Jing He exchanged startled glances.

“I’m here…” Lin Chu started toward the door.

But before she could open it, Yan Mingge kicked it open with brute force. Still wearing his dark armor, he must have ridden hard through the snow — his hair and brows were still frosted with cold, his breathing heavy and wild. Without giving Lin Chu a chance to react, he grabbed her roughly and yanked her into his arms.

Her nose slammed into the hard breastplate, and Lin Chu saw stars from the pain.

You bastard, that hurt!

She was about to curse him out when she caught sight of his face — Eyes bloodshot, twisted in a frenzy of rage and despair, like he could slaughter the whole world.

Lin Chu froze in fear, her anger draining away. 

“W-What’s wrong with you?”

Yan Mingge’s eyes were pitch-black, like a night without a single star. In their depths boiled pure violence and cruelty, as if some ancient, monstrous beast sealed deep in his heart was about to break free. But behind that terrible darkness, there was a naked, unbearable vulnerability — a grief so raw it was almost unbearable to witness, as if he had lost the thing most precious to him.

Since the day five years ago when the entire Yan clan was dragged to the execution platform, Jing He had never seen Yan Mingge show this kind of expression again.

Jing He feared Yan Mingge might hurt Lin Chu in his madness, so he called out urgently,
“My lord! That’s the lady — it’s your wife!”

Lin Chu tried to get up from the bed, but her injured leg wouldn’t support her. She could only watch helplessly.

Yan Mingge didn’t seem to hear Jing He at all.

His rough, ice-cold hands rose slowly, trembling slightly, and cupped Lin Chu’s pale, terrified face with a heartbreaking tenderness. His Adam’s apple bobbed painfully before he finally forced out a hoarse whisper:

“Tell me… whose child is it?”

Lin Chu stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

“Child? What child?”

Yan Mingge’s smile was twisted and bitter, filled with despair and self-mockery.

“You are about to take the abortion medicine,” he said, voice breaking, “how long are you going to hide it from me?”