Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 8

Once Lin Chu was alone in the kitchen, she squatted beside the straw pile and looked at the little gray dog.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but my fate isn’t much better than yours…”

She laughed self-deprecatingly, pressed her fingers to her eyes to hold back the tears, washed her hands, and returned to the stove to continue her work.

Since there weren’t enough pots at home, Lin Chu decided to stir-fry some vegetables and then prepare rice.

The cloth curtain was lifted again, and seeing Aunt Song enter, Lin Chu was slightly surprised.

“Aunt, what brings you here?”

Aunt Song smiled and said,

“You’re the new bride, and there’s no elder in Yan brother’s house to help you. How can I let you handle this dinner alone? I’m free anyway, so I thought I’d come and see if I could help.”

“There’s not much good food; it’s just some plain meals,” Lin Chu sensed Aunt Song’s warmth and felt a bit more fond of her.

Aunt Song’s eyes immediately fell on the freshly cooked dishes on the stove.

There were some dishes Lin Chu couldn’t name or hadn’t seen before, but just from their presentation and colors, it was clear they would taste great. A bowl of stir-fried pork was perfectly golden, mixed with slices of garlic, ginger, and scallions, sizzling in the pan, emitting a mouth-watering aroma.

Aunt Song’s smile grew broader as she looked at the dishes.

“I didn’t know you had such excellent cooking skills.”

The water in the pot was boiling, and as Lin Chu prepared to add rice, she chuckled lightly,

“Just made a few home-cooked dishes, nothing fancy.”

Aunt Song frowned as she saw Lin Chu pour only white rice into the pot.

“With so many people eating white rice, your rice jar will be empty in two days!”

Lin Chu noticed the unusual tone in Aunt Song’s words.

“I’ll go buy some rice tomorrow.”

Aunt Song’s frown deepened.

“Mrs. Yan, you’re still young, and there’s no elder to support you at home. Don’t mind me saying this, but now that Brother Yan is in trouble, everything needs money—medicines, meals, all require expenses. Your family is already in a difficult situation…” She glanced outside the kitchen, confirming there was no one around before lowering her voice. “And now relatives have suddenly come to stay with you, a mother and her child. Although it’s just an extra pair of chopsticks, with money only going out and not coming in, how will you manage in the future? You should add some corn into the rice; if you only eat white rice, what kind of foundation do you have to support it?”

Lin Chu was taken aback. She had thought Aunt Song liked Jiang Wanxue, so she was surprised to hear her say this.

“Thank you for the reminder, Aunt,” Lin Chu sincerely expressed her gratitude.

With Aunt Song’s help, Lin Chu cooked a fragrant pot of corn rice and made some buckwheat pancakes, making it ready to serve.

“I’ll go tell your uncle to set the table!” Aunt Song said, beaming as she headed outside.

“Thank you, Aunt,” Lin Chu replied, pouring soup into bowls.

“You don’t need to be so polite with me. They say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors,” Aunt Song said, lifting the curtain to call for Uncle Song when she heard voices from the main room.

“Yan Gege, are you thirsty? I’ll get you a glass of water,” a soft, flirtatious female voice came from inside.

Aunt Song’s brow furrowed as she leaned against the wall to listen closely to the conversation.

“No need; you’ve been tired all day. Go rest,” Yan Mingge’s voice sounded cold.

Suddenly, the woman started to sob.

“Yan Gege, why are you so cold to me? You’re still angry with me, aren’t you?”

Aunt Song’s expression darkened. Initially, she had thought Jiang Wanxue was a weak and helpless woman, especially since she came alone with a child, evoking some pity in her. However, this woman was staying in someone else’s house, and instead of being considerate of the hostess, she entered the bedroom to speak with her husband about such things…

This was hardly the behavior of a respectable woman!

Aunt Song felt disdain in her heart, just as little Han Junye had come looking for his mother. Seeing Uncle Song carrying the table over, he followed him curiously.

Children are sensitive and innocent; Han Junye could feel Aunt Song’s kindness towards him and ran over to ask,

“Aunt, have you seen my mama?”

Aunt Song, with a complex expression, glanced at the main house, raising her voice deliberately,

“Isn’t your mama in there? It’s so dark, where could she have gone?”

Inside the house, Jiang Wanxue looked towards the door, her expression stiffening.

Yan Mingge’s demeanor remained indifferent.

“You should go back.”

Jiang Wanxue forced a smile.

“Then, Yan Gege, please rest well. I’ll be leaving now.”

As she stepped out of the room, she saw Aunt Song with little Han Junye sitting in the yard, beside a wooden table where Uncle Song was setting down a small jar of wine and a cup, looking somewhat tipsy already.

She couldn’t believe she had to sit at the same table with such rough people! That foolish woman even held her son’s hand!

In that moment, Jiang Wanxue couldn’t help but show her disgust.

Aunt Song saw her and continued in a loud voice,

“I was wondering where you went, Mrs. Han. How did you come out from Brother Yan’s room?”

Aunt Song’s words had double meanings, and Jiang Wanxue’s expression darkened, but she quickly forced a smile.

“Aunt Song, you came too! I was just about to help the sister-in-law in the kitchen. I passed by and heard Yan Gege coughing, so I went in to bring him a glass of water.”

Aunt Song simply snorted and didn’t respond.

Jiang Wanxue’s face turned awkward.

At this moment, Lin Chu’s voice rang out from the kitchen,

“Dinner is ready!”

Hearing this, Aunt Song glanced at Jiang Wanxue and got up to help bring out the dishes. Jiang Wanxue followed her into the kitchen.

In the room.

Since Yan Mingge couldn’t get out of bed, it would be quite impolite to drag the table in front of the bed for so many people to eat. Lin Chu filled a bowl with rice and used a large plate to serve some of each dish, bringing it directly to Yan Mingge.

She placed the food on the low cabinet beside the bed, remaining silent the entire time.

Yan Mingge’s gaze was fixed on her, but she didn’t react at all.

“I brought you a bowl of rice. When you’re done, you can serve yourself,” she said, ensuring he could reach all the bowls and utensils.

Seeing that she was about to turn to leave after speaking, he finally spoke up,

“She is an old friend of mine; you don’t need to be so accommodating towards her.”

Lin Chu was taken aback by his sudden statement.

What did Yan Mingge mean by this?

Was he worried she might misunderstand?

Um… it was a bit unrealistic to think about that.

Was he trying to distance himself from Jiang Wanxue?

What about the so-called “white moonlight”?

Lin Chu silently scoffed at the thought but kept a cheerful smile on her face.

“Husband, don’t say that; she is quite understanding.”

Yan Mingge continued to stare at her, his brows furrowing beautifully. After a moment, he looked away, picking up his bowl to start eating, clearly signaling that he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Feeling confused, Lin Chu touched her nose and stepped back out.

Back at the dining table, she noticed Aunt Song and Jiang Wanxue exchanging strange looks. Lin Chu sat down, puzzled.

When she returned, Aunt Song picked up her chopsticks, glancing at the somewhat gloomy Jiang Wanxue.

“Young lady, let’s eat.”

Aunt Song used her chopsticks to put a golden-brown potato meatball into little Han Junye’s bowl.

“Children should eat more meat; they can grow tall and strong like your Uncle Yan.”

Little Han Junye sensed the awkwardness among the adults, but being a child, and after the difficult journey to the border, he hadn’t had many good meals on the road. The food in front of him seemed far better than what he had eaten before, and he focused his attention on it.

Seeing Aunt Song give him a golden-brown meatball, he eagerly picked it up, ready to eat. However, Jiang Wanxue, sitting next to him, pinched him hard.

The pain made little Han Junye flinch, looking up at his mother with a bewildered expression.

Lin Chu noticed the commotion at the table.

Jiang Wanxue forced a smile, her lips twitching.

“The child is picky and isn’t used to this.”

Her tone was friendly, but there was no hiding her disgust for the food.

Aunt Song’s expression turned serious.

“Then you, Mrs. Han, might have to endure a bit. We in the border region are simple folk; we rarely get to eat such dishes. It’s thanks to Mrs. Yan’s generosity that she made this meat stew for you!”

Jiang Wanxue’s expression was difficult to read as she focused on picking rice grains, not saying a word.

Lin Chu glanced between Aunt Song and Jiang Wanxue. Although she didn’t know why their relationship had soured to this point, watching Jiang Wanxue sulk brought her a sense of satisfaction that made her secretly pleased! In her glee, she ended up eating almost half a bowl more of the corn rice.

Little Han Junye, much like his mother, didn’t reach for the dishes on the table, contenting himself with two bowls of plain corn rice. However, the way his gaze kept drifting toward the braised meat and potato meatballs showed that he wanted to eat.

The atmosphere grew strangely tense.

After dinner, Jiang Wanxue took little Han Junye back to their room to rest. Aunt Song stayed behind to help Lin Chu clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Once in the kitchen, she finally vented her frustrations.

“Your relative… really has a lot of demands!”

Lin Chu noticed that Aunt Song didn’t seem to like Jiang Wanxue, but she hadn’t expected her to openly complain like this.

Aunt Song continued, “Don’t think I’m being nosy, but with relatives like that, it’s better to keep your distance! I hadn’t even touched my chopsticks yet, and when I gave the child a meatball, her expression was like I had put a fly in his bowl! In such a dire situation, she still has the gall to be picky!”

Lin Chu didn’t know how to respond, so she simply listened.

Aunt Song added, “You’re a kind-hearted girl, and Yan Mingge is a good man, but sometimes you still need to be cautious…”

Lin Chu recalled Aunt Song’s pointed remarks about Jiang Wanxue, realizing she was trying to alert her to be wary of Jiang Wanxue and Yan Mingge’s relationship.

Um… is it that obvious that even Aunt Song can see there’s something complicated between Yan Mingge and Jiang Wanxue?

That night, as Lin Chu dragged her feet back to the room, she eventually settled down on the bed.

Her mind was swirling with thoughts, and she almost forgot that Yan Mingge was lying beside her when she sighed softly.

The man, who had seemed to be asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

“Why the sigh?”

The orange candlelight softened the cold lines of his face, lending it a gentle glow. His long eyelashes cast shadows under his half-closed eyes. His dark, jade-like pupils seemed to draw her in, as if gazing into a deep ancient well. Below his straight nose, his lightly colored lips looked especially tempting in the flickering candlelight.