Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 5

“It’s nothing, nothing at all!” Lin Chu quickly pushed away the chaotic thoughts in her mind and focused on changing his bandages.

As she unwrapped the bloodied cloth, her emotions grew complex when she saw the gaping wound near his chest.

The injury must be excruciating, yet he hadn’t uttered a single sound the whole time. His brow didn’t even furrow. Was he really not in pain, or was he just exceptionally good at enduring it?

Lin Chu felt it was the latter.

Thinking that the wound was her fault made her guilt increase, so she handled the bandages with extra care.

Her breaths were shallow, and her touch was as gentle as a feather brushing by, almost ticklish.

Yan Mingge tensed his muscles, and his brow knitted together.
“Are you done yet?”

“Almost, almost,” Lin Chu said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Finally, she finished wrapping the bandages.

Now that Yan Mingge was sitting up, part of the blanket didn’t cover him, revealing the blood-stained sheets underneath.

After placing the unused bandages back in the cabinet, she asked if he could stand up.

His gaze sharpened instantly, looking at her with a cold, vigilant, and somewhat scrutinizing look that made Lin Chu feel like an inanimate object for a moment.

Unsure of what had upset him again, she stammered,
“The sheets… need washing.”

Yan Mingge paused, glanced at the bloodied sheets, then back at Lin Chu, before extending a hand.

Lin Chu stood there for a moment, stunned, before realizing he wanted her to help him up.

With great effort, she finally managed to assist him to his feet.

Yan Mingge was much taller than Lin Chu, so from his perspective, he could see her fair face and the fine hairs on her skin clearly.

Her face, slightly puffy from biting her lip in exertion, looked quite cute.

Further down, her slender neck was equally pale, like a peeled egg. However, it also appeared incredibly fragile… just a bit of pressure from his hand could easily break that delicate neck.

Below that was an enticing shadow…

Lin Chu noticed that his breathing had grown a bit heavier. She asked carefully,
“Did I touch your wound?”

“It’s nothing,” Yan Mingge replied, his voice slightly hoarse for some reason.

Using one hand to steady himself on the cabinet, he sat down on the stool Lin Chu had prepared.

She felt a wave of relief and quickly replaced the blood-stained sheets with a fresh one.

Yan Mingge narrowed his eyes as he watched her. He realized that his little wife had quite a petite figure, but her proportions were good, so she didn’t appear particularly short in everyday situations.

Her waist was astonishingly thin; Yan Mingge thought that with just a little more strength, he could easily break it.

Lin Chu knew Yan Mingge was observing her, and with the attitude of “let him look; it won’t cost me a thing,” she pretended not to notice.

However, that cold, scrutinizing gaze… made her feel like prey, as if she were a piece of meat being eyed by a wolf that had gone hungry for too long.

Thankfully, the sheets were finally changed. Lin Chu sighed in relief and said to Yan Mingge,
“I’ll help you lie back down.”

Yan Mingge still only extended one hand to her.
Lin Chu wrapped his hand around her neck to help him balance and gently reminded him,
“Be careful.”

Perhaps due to their position, his head was quite close to hers, and his warm breath brushed against her cheek, making her feel a bit ticklish and uncomfortable all over.

She tried to adjust her posture, but heard him let out a muffled grunt. Thinking she had touched his wound, she quickly stopped moving, remaining a human crutch and helping him toward the bed.

The bed was large and warm, but Lin Chu didn’t have the courage to squeeze in beside him.

After all… how could she dare to sleep next to the villain?

Hesitating at the foot of the bed, she almost twisted her sleeves into a knot.
“Um… I’ll just go to the kitchen and manage for the night…”

Yan Mingge had already closed his eyes, responding with a simple “mm.”

Look at this guy, so ready to cut ties once he gets what he needs!

Lin Chu hugged her arms tightly, feeling small, pitiful, and helpless as she stepped back. When she reached the door, she suddenly heard Yan Mingge’s cold voice,
“Remember to keep the kitchen knife by your pillow for protection.”

Lin Chu shivered. What if Zhao Yuan came back to take revenge on her?

It was still the middle of the night, and dawn was far off!

Who knows, Zhao Yuan might come back unexpectedly!

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt about her own safety.

Lin Chu hurriedly picked up the kitchen knife and wooden stick that had been left outside, then swiftly locked the door. She moved back to the bed, adopting a brave expression.
“Husband, how could I leave you alone in this room? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!”

Saying this, she kicked off her shoes, stepped over Yan Mingge, and lay down in the bed, pulling half the blanket over herself so that only her head was exposed.

Yan Mingge’s expression shifted from amusement to confusion.

What should he say about this woman?

Lin Chu had initially only made this bold move to avoid being kicked out of bed, but after a long day of tension, she was utterly exhausted and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Listening to the gradually even breathing beside her, Yan Mingge’s expression turned a bit peculiar.
“I thought you were clever; turns out you’re just foolish.”

The oil lamp was still lit, and Yan Mingge flicked a copper coin from his hand, plunging the room into darkness.

They didn’t speak throughout the night.

The next morning, at the first crow of the rooster, Lin Chu woke up.

It seemed that yesterday’s shocks had taken their toll; she had slept uneasily, plagued by dreams of beasts chasing her, and eventually being bitten on the neck!

Her back was drenched in cold sweat as she crawled out from under the covers, the chill making her more alert.

As she slowly exhaled, she intended to get out of bed when she suddenly noticed someone lying next to her, and her mind went blank.

Last night’s events rushed back into her memory, and Lin Chu felt like banging her head against the wall.

What a mess!

She really had dug her own grave!

Realizing she had taken most of the blanket while Yan Mingge had only a corner over him, Lin Chu felt her life growing even bleaker.

Fortunately, Yan Mingge was breathing evenly and showed no signs of waking. She breathed a sigh of relief and, taking advantage of his stillness, hurriedly tidied up the scene. Carefully, she shifted the blanket back over him and tiptoed out of bed.

Hearing the front door creak open and shut, the “sleeping” Yan Mingge opened his eyes and glanced in the direction Lin Chu had gone, his expression full of disdain.

“What a foolish thing to do.”

For breakfast, Lin Chu decided to make lean meat porridge.
After serving a certain gentleman his breakfast, Lin Chu washed the bloodstained bedsheet and hung it out to dry in the courtyard.

While hanging the sheets, she unexpectedly discovered a blood-stained copper coin under a tree stump in the yard. Half of the coin was lodged deep in the stump, and no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

Suddenly, Lin Chu recalled how Zhao Yuan had limped just before coming over last night.

From this angle… it was indeed possible that it had been thrown out from the house.

A chill ran down Lin Chu’s spine. Luckily, she hadn’t chosen the wrong side yesterday…

Today was a pleasant day, and Lin Chu thought about going to the market to buy some salt and other things.

Previously, she had bought a bucket of pig offal, and Lan Zhi had given her a piece of meat to show off. Yesterday, Zhao Yuan and his group had sent two more pieces of meat… Although it was winter, if the meat wasn’t handled well, it could spoil quickly.

By rubbing the meat with salt and smoking it with cypress branches, she could preserve it for a long time.

Before heading out, Lin Chu called out to Yan Mingge, who was still lying in bed, just in case this unpredictable fellow suddenly needed her.

“Husband, I’m going to the market to buy some vegetables.”

Yan Mingge merely raised an eyebrow at her announcement.

Lin Chu couldn’t quite gauge whether this was his way of allowing her to go or forbidding her, but remembering that she was the one cooking, not him, she picked up her basket and left.

To avoid the awkwardness of her last outing, Lin Chu specifically chose a market that was farther away this time.

Though the original owner had a notorious reputation, it didn’t mean everyone outside the city recognized her; most had just heard of her.

Perhaps because of a recent victory, Lin Chu noticed that everyone at the market seemed cheerful and full of joy.

After wandering around for a while without finding any salt, she spotted a vendor selling large white radishes. Thinking this was one of the vegetables that could be stored for a long time in winter, she picked out two large ones, and when she went to pay, it turned out to only cost two and a half coins! The old woman selling the radishes couldn’t find half a coin for change, so she gave Lin Chu a big bunch of scallions instead.

Were radishes and scallions really this cheap in ancient times?

Lin Chu walked a considerable distance while holding the radishes, glancing back at the old woman frequently, worried that she had made a mistake in the pricing.

But it was clear that Lin Chu was overthinking.

After walking a bit further, she thought she should buy some eggs to take home. Just then, she saw a woman selling eggs at a stall and walked over to ask about the price.

“Two coins each. If you buy ten, I’ll only charge you nineteen coins,” the woman said.

Lin Chu thought this ancient merchant was quite clever.

However, her attention was drawn to the hen in a cage next to the stall, along with a bunch of chirping yellow chicks.
“Do you sell the hen as well?” Lin Chu asked.

Hearing this, the egg vendor looked delighted.
“Oh, yes, but it has to be sold with those little chicks. If you’re interested, I can give you a discount: only thirty-five coins!”

Lin Chu’s eyes widened in surprise. Wasn’t that equivalent to exchanging seventeen or eighteen eggs for a hen and a nest of chicks?

Thinking this over, she blurted out,
“Aren’t you losing money selling it like that?”

A nearby vegetable vendor chimed in with a smile,
“This young lady clearly isn’t from the countryside. This hen may be good for laying eggs, but a hen that just hatched chicks won’t lay eggs for six months. Keeping it at home means you have to feed it, and these little chicks won’t grow big right away. Just looking at them, they all need to eat grain for months; that’s a huge loss!”

With this explanation, Lin Chu understood why the hen and chicks were so cheap. The cost of feeding them for several months was a deterrent for many. Plus, there was no guarantee that all the chicks would survive. Lin Chu had taken a poultry class in college, where she learned that the survival rate of chicks after hatching was extremely low.

The egg vendor looked a bit displeased with the vegetable vendor, worried that Lin Chu might be dissuaded from buying. She quickly added,

“Young lady, if you buy them, I’ll teach you how to raise the earthworms. These chicks grow better on earthworms than on rice and beans!”

Lin Chu was puzzled about what the old woman meant by “earthworms.” Seeing her silent, the old woman thought she was still hesitant to buy, so she made a bold move.

“How about this? It’s only thirty-two coins!”

Lin Chu indeed intended to buy a nest of chicks. Once they grew up, she could collect a lot of eggs and wouldn’t need to go out to buy them anymore.

So, Lin Chu said to the old woman,

“I’ll buy the hen and the chicks, but you have to include the cage in the deal.”

After all, how was she supposed to take them home otherwise?

The old woman beamed with a smile.

“Of course, of course!”

Lin Chu felt that people in ancient times were quite sincere. She then added,
“I’ll also buy five eggs.”

“Great!” The old woman was obviously pleased. When it came time to settle the bill, she only charged Lin Chu nine coins for the five eggs.

While she was at it, Lin Chu asked where she could buy salt. The old woman replied that salt could only be found at the shops and kindly pointed her in the right direction.

With her left hand holding the vegetable basket and her right hand carrying the chicken cage, Lin Chu headed towards the direction the old woman indicated.

However, she sensed a lurking shadow following her, which made her frown.

She twisted and turned, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

The person who had been trailing her, realizing she was gone, hurriedly glanced around, trying to spot Lin Chu.