Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 6

She stepped into a corner, emptied the white porcelain bottle of its medicine, and then smashed the bottle against the wall, feeling a sense of relief as she left.

Some things were better tossed far away, as there was no way to explain them if discovered.

However, why would Lan Zhi, a woman of the inner household, want Yan Mingge dead?

Lin Chu recalled what Yuan San and the others had mentioned yesterday—that Zhao Yuan’s elder brother had stolen Yan Mingge’s military achievements to be awarded the title of a thousand-household marquis, and Lan Zhi happened to be married to another marquis.

Could it be… that Lan Zhi was married to Zhao Dazhi?

Zhao Dazhi might fear that Yan Mingge would expose the truth later, so he wanted to take his life while he was ill?

And Lan Zhi, having her “sister” as Yan Mingge’s wife, could team up with him to orchestrate a murder…

Oh dear, that’s terrifying!

Lin Chu shivered at the thought and quickly exited the alley.

After buying salt from a shop, she returned home with her vegetable basket and the chicken cage. From a distance, she could already hear barking. As she walked through the gate, she noticed that the previously dilapidated fence had been secured with wooden stakes. In the yard, there was a small gray dog with round, dark eyes, barking at her with a youthful “woof, woof.” Its ears drooped on either side of its head, unable to stand up yet, but it was trying hard to put on a fierce demeanor, looking adorably foolish.

Where did this dog come from?

“Brother, there are still matters in the military. I’ll take my leave now. Take care of your injuries,” Yuan San said, unable to bear the pressure any longer.

As he stepped outside, he happened to encounter Lin Chu playing with the dog. He greeted her,

“Sister-in-law, you’re back!”

Lin Chu still wasn’t sure how to address Yan Mingge’s brothers, so she replied,

“Brother Yuan is here too? I just returned from the market with some vegetables. Why not stay for a meal?”

Yuan San waved his hands repeatedly.

“I still have matters to attend to in the army. I’ll come by another day.”

Lin Chu couldn’t shake the feeling that he was making a hasty retreat, but she decided not to pry into things that weren’t her business.

Seeing Yuan San leave, Lin Chu glanced at the wooden fence surrounding the yard and had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

Reluctantly releasing the little dog, she went into the main house to put away her things. She saw Yan Mingge half-sitting up and casually asked,

“Is that dog from Brother Yuan?”

With a blank expression, Yan Mingge replied,

“Once it’s fattened up, we’ll stew it.”

Startled, Lin Chu almost dropped a pound of salt on the ground.

“Brother, are you a devil?”

She shot him a glance, then pleaded for the little dog’s life.

“Why not raise it a bit to guard the house? That’d be good, right?”

Yan Mingge frowned, and Lin Chu followed his gaze to the two little dogs trying to climb over the threshold, their expressions pitiful as they leaned on their front paws.

At this rate… they seemed far from being capable of guarding the house.

“Do as you wish.” Yan Mingge’s next words made Lin Chu breathe a sigh of relief.

She found herself staring into the dog’s big eyes, and a sense of camaraderie emerged between them.

“What do you want for lunch?” Lin Chu asked, her tone laced with a hint of flattery.

“Meat,” Yan Mingge replied flatly.

Lin Chu: “…”

Alright, let’s pretend she hadn’t asked.

She was walking out with the pig’s trotters sent by the flag officer yesterday, saying,

“I bought some white radishes, and we’re having radish and pig’s trotter soup for lunch today.”

Yan Mingge watched her delicate silhouette disappear outside, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

Entering the kitchen, Lin Chu discovered that the water tank had been filled, which made her quite happy. After all, the well for fetching water was so far away, and with her slender arms and legs, she couldn’t carry much at a time. Running back and forth was quite time-consuming.

Lin Chu only chopped part of the pig’s trotters, and it was fortunate that the knives outside the pass were extremely heavy and sharp; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to break the bones.

The radishes cooked quickly, but the meat needed to simmer a bit longer. Lin Chu estimated that the meat was also cooked through before she turned the heat down and let it simmer gently.

After making the pig’s trotter soup, she didn’t need to make congee.

Lin Chu cooked some white rice, and by the time the pig’s trotter soup in the small pot was stewed to tenderness, she could smell the enticing aroma even without lifting the lid.

Sprinkling some chopped scallions on top made it even more fragrant.

Lin Chu took a sip of the soup, and it was so delicious that it nearly brought her to tears.

The dog also caught the scent and kept circling around Lin Chu’s feet, whining pitifully.

Lin Chu found a rough ceramic bowl with a chip and scooped some radishes for it. The dog sniffed it, then lost interest and backed away, continuing to gaze at Lin Chu with pitiful eyes.

Unable to bear it, Lin Chu dropped a bone into the bowl, and the little grey dog instantly wagged its tail happily and started gnawing on the bone.

Lin Chu found it amusing.

She filled a large bowl and carried it into the room.

Yan Mingge smelled the aroma too and merely raised an eyebrow when he saw Lin Chu bringing such a large bowl of pig’s trotter soup.

Since the table in the room was quite far from the bed, Lin Chu could only place the soup on the low cabinet beside the bed before moving the table over.

When Lin Chu returned from the kitchen with the rice, she found that Yan Mingge was already devouring the entire bowl.

Did he think that bowl was all for him?

Lin Chu paused for a second, then maintained her composure as she walked over with her rice bowl.

However, when she saw the empty bowl Yan Mingge placed on the table, her expression changed, and her definition of a glutton was updated.

She had just gone to the kitchen to serve rice, and he had finished that huge bowl of pig’s trotter soup?

Lin Chu stared at the empty bowl in silence for a moment before saying,

“There’s more in the pot. I’ll go get it.”

Yan Mingge seemed to realize that he had eaten for two. When Lin Chu returned with another bowl of pig’s trotter soup, he focused on eating.

Before Lin Chu could finish her half bowl of rice, Yan Mingge pushed the empty bowl toward her for the fourth time, signaling her to go get more rice.

Lin Chu glanced at the bowl in surprise, then at Yan Mingge’s remarkably shaped lips, wondering how he could eat so fast.

“Uh, is there none left?” he asked when he noticed Lin Chu was slow to move.

Lin Chu nodded and shook her head, then got up to walk out without taking the bowl. Shortly after, she returned carrying the wooden steamer filled with rice, picked up the bowl, filled it to the brim, and placed it in front of Yan Mingge.

With rice to eat, Yan Mingge didn’t say much and just buried his head in his food, his chopsticks accurately picking up every piece of meat from the large bowl…

Does he really like eating meat this much?
Lin Chu glanced at the small gray dog that was trying to climb in but couldn’t, then looked at Yan Mingge, suddenly feeling that the two were… strangely similar.

While washing the dishes, Lin Chu leaned on the stove with one hand on her waist, looking at the empty pots and bowls and the wooden steamer. She began to ponder whether he had been complaining about the porridge being too little to eat when he had grabbed his neck yesterday…

She thought today would pass without incident, but in the evening, there was suddenly a knock at the door in the courtyard.

Lin Chu ran to open the door.

She saw a delicate-looking lady with a child. The lady timidly asked her,

“Is this the home of Commander Yan?”

Lin Chu took a look at the lady. Although her blue cloth skirt made her look somewhat disheveled, it didn’t detract from her grace. Her eyes sparkled like autumn waters, and just by looking at you, it seemed like she could express a thousand words.

This lady resembled Lin Mei Mei, a character who could not be nurtured by the soil beyond the pass. Lin Chu glanced at her severely worn embroidered shoes and guessed she must have come from within the pass.

“Um… yes, who are you looking for?” Lin Chu’s right eyelid twitched violently.

Upon hearing this, the lady’s face lit up with joy.

“I came to find my husband.”