Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ye Qing searched two rooms and found no one living in them. When she pushed open the door to the third room, she saw two people on an old, worn-out wooden bed.

A woman in thin clothing was holding a small child in her arms. They were wrapped in a quilt that didn’t look very thick. The woman appeared haggard, but her beautiful features were still undeniable.

Ye Qing was fairly satisfied with her own face, but when she saw Jiang Jinhuang nearby, she paused for a moment.

Jiang Jinhuang’s eyes were watery, her delicate eyebrows like distant mountains adorned with makeup. Her lips were slightly pink, complementing her snow-white skin. Even in tattered clothing, her beauty couldn’t be hidden.

As Ye Qing observed Jiang Jinhuang, the latter’s eyes grew redder. Her hand, hidden under the quilt and clutching a pair of scissors, was trembling.

That bastard Ye Qing was looking at her with those eyes again. The last time she looked like that, she tried to force herself on her. Thinking of this, Jiang Jinhuang gripped the scissors even tighter.

But Ye Qing was simply admiring Jiang Jinhuang’s face. Having struggled to survive in the apocalypse for ten years, she was only interested in food, not men or women.

After a brief glance, she looked away and closed the door behind her.

Seeing her close the door, Jiang Jinhuang grew even more nervous, gripping the scissors tightly. “What… what are you going to do?”

Hearing the wariness in Jiang Jinhuang’s tone, Ye Qing sighed. Raising Jiang Jinhuang’s favorability to a positive number wouldn’t be easy.

“Nothing, just checking on you,” she said truthfully. The book in Ye Qing’s mind only provided a rough plot, with no small details like this.

She glanced around the room and noticed the window was letting in drafts. Apart from the wooden bed, there was nothing else in the room. It was truly bare.

In a drafty room like this, the indoor temperature probably wasn’t much different from outside.

Jiang Jinhuang scoffed at her words, looking at Ye Qing mockingly. “You, being kind?”

Ye Qing knew the other wouldn’t believe anything she said, so she didn’t bother explaining further. She just looked at Jiang Jinhuang and said, “I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

If she remembered correctly, Jiang Jinhuang and Jiang Jinyang hadn’t eaten in over a day. With the famine ongoing, she needed to stock up on food. This was a habit from surviving the apocalypse—having food and water on hand meant no panic.

With that thought, Ye Qing opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her before heading out of the courtyard.

In the room, Jiang Jinhuang let go of the scissors as if exhausted. She could fend off Ye Qing once, but what about next time?

She lived in constant fear these days, but leaving would only make things worse. She had heard from neighbors that Linzhou City was in chaos, with some bandits burning, killing, and looting. As a Kunze with a small child, going out would likely lead to an even worse fate.

As Jiang Jinhuang thought about this, the small figure in her arms began to tremble. She shook Jiang Jinyang nervously. “Yangyang, what’s wrong?”

The little one curled up in her arms, her small face red and her eyes tightly shut. Jiang Jinhuang quickly placed a hand on her sister’s forehead.

Her sister’s forehead was alarmingly hot. Jiang Jinhuang’s eyes reddened instantly. “A fever? How did you get a fever?”

She anxiously hugged the small figure tightly. There was already no food here, and now Jiang Jinyang had a fever. Jiang Jinhuang felt like the sky was falling.

With the city in such chaos, where could she find a doctor for her sister? Even if she found one, she had no money to pay for treatment.

Jiang Jinhuang could only grit her teeth and endure. She wrapped Jiang Jinyang in the quilt and said softly, “Yangyang, hold on. I’ll heat some water and wipe you down. You’ll feel better. Wait for me, you have to wait for me.”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. She stumbled to the kitchen and put some water in the iron pot.

Then, crouching down, she placed firewood in the stove. Having not eaten in over a day, cold and hungry, her hands trembled as she held the flint.

After seven or eight tries, she finally managed to light it.

Meanwhile, Ye Qing hadn’t gone far from the courtyard when she reached the street. Linzhou City’s main street was desolate, with groups of three or five people pushing wooden carts toward the city gates. Ye Qing figured they were likely heading south to escape the famine.

The drought was severe, even affecting the capital. But the capital was home to nobles and officials who wouldn’t go hungry. It was the common people who suffered.

Ye Qing wanted to try her luck and find some food. After a few steps, she ran into two shady-looking young men.

Both were male Qianyuan. Seeing Ye Qing, their faces lit up with delight, and they approached her.

“Hey, Ye Qing, how’s it going? If you don’t bring that little girl out soon, even the human traffickers will head south to escape the famine,” said a tall man with a beard.

“Yeah, Ye Qing, that kid could fetch two taels of silver. If you keep hesitating, you won’t get a single coin,” the other man, with a sneaky look, chimed in.

Ye Qing glanced at the two, quickly recalling who they were. The book mentioned them briefly—they were the original Ye Qing’s shady friends. Not only did they trick the original Ye Qing into paying for their drinks, but they also egged her on to sell Jiang Jinyang for money.

Ye Qing’s lips curled into a smile. She was short on money, and since the brainless original Ye Qing had paid for their drinks, it was time for them to cough up some silver.

With that in mind, she looked at the two. “I’m not selling her. By the way, when we went drinking before, I paid for everything. Isn’t it time you two chipped in some silver?”

The bearded tall man clearly hadn’t expected Ye Qing to say this. He brushed it off. “Ye Qing, you know our situation. We’re both orphans with no money. We rely on you. Besides, we’re friends. Why talk about money?”

“Yeah, Ye Qing, that’s not cool. With our relationship, why bring up money? Did that贱人at your place say something to you? Is she whispering in your ear?” The sneaky-looking man gave Ye Qing a lecherous grin.

Ye Qing’s expression turned cold. “Are you paying back the money or not?”

Seeing Ye Qing’s persistence, the bearded man grew unhappy. He frowned at her. “Ye Qing, don’t push it too far. You’ve seen how things are now. The authorities are in chaos—nobody cares about murder or arson. Are you sure you want to demand money from us?”

The bearded man and the sneaky short man stood together, their smiles gone, glaring at Ye Qing menacingly.

The short man spoke up. “Ye Qing, that kid is our drinking money for the next few days. You’re selling her whether you like it or not. If you don’t, don’t blame us for not showing mercy. Oh, and that little lady of yours—playing with her alone must be boring. Why not share her with us for some fun?”

He let out a sleazy laugh, and the tall man joined in.

Ye Qing looked at them calmly, as if watching two clowns.

“You said it yourself—Linzhou City is in chaos. Even if someone dies, no one will care.”

“Duh, everyone knows that. Do you need to repeat it?” the tall man snapped.

Before he could say more, Ye Qing charged forward. She sprinted, leaped, and latched onto the tall man.

Her arms locked tightly around his neck. His face turned purple as he struggled, collapsing backward.

Ye Qing deftly dodged, then moved behind him, continuing to choke him with her arms. The tall man struggled desperately, reaching for Ye Qing to beg for mercy, but she didn’t let go, her face calm as she tightened her grip.

Having lived in the apocalypse for ten years, she knew being kind to enemies was like harming herself. Every move she made was lethal, and she never showed mercy.

Though she didn’t have offensive abilities, her experience from surviving the apocalypse was enough. She might not take on ten people, but five or six were no problem.

These two were no match for her.

The short, sleazy man seemed terrified. He wanted to help the tall man but was frozen by Ye Qing’s glare.

He stumbled backward, crying out as he ran, “Don’t come after me! It was his idea to make you pay for the drinks! It’s not my fault, not my fault!”

Ye Qing tightened her arms again. When she felt the man stop struggling, she let go. The tall man was already dead.

She searched his body and found a pouch with 150 wen and a tael of broken silver. She stored it in her space, then searched further but found nothing else.

As she stood to leave, she noticed a slight bulge in the man’s right boot. Recalling how he instinctively reached down earlier, she suspected something was hidden there.

She bent down, felt around, and pulled out a sheathed short dagger.

The dagger was old. Ye Qing unsheathed it, saw it was still sharp, and decided to keep it, storing it in her space.

After finishing, she didn’t rush back. Instead, she quickly ran in the direction the short man had fled.

These two were no good. Since Linzhou City was in chaos, leaving such troublemakers alive wasn’t wise. As a good citizen, Ye Qing had no intention of letting him go.