Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Ye Qing didn’t realize she had been found out. She happily pretended to search the wooden cart, taking a long time to bring the flour and cutting board to the fire. Then she washed her hands and started kneading the dough.

Along the way, Ye Qing and the others mostly ate rice or drank porridge. They only ate flatbread a few times after dealing with some bandits. So, Ye Qing had been craving noodles for a while.

Soon, Ye Qing finished kneading the dough. While letting it rest, she moved a small pile of fire closer and placed stones around it to support a clay pot.

She poured water into the clay pot and placed it on the fire, waiting for it to boil.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jinhuang started stir-frying. Since they had raided the bandits’ storage, Ye Qing had plenty of oil in her space and could use it freely.

Soon, the aroma of meat and vegetables filled the air. Because there were potato chunks in the dish, Jiang Jinhuang decided to cover the pot and let it simmer. This made the potatoes soft and sticky, even tastier than the meat.

The sleeping little one’s nose twitched a few times. Her stomach growled loudly.

With her eyes closed, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She sniffed lightly and said, “It smells so good~”

Ye Qing looked at the little foodie with amusement. The child wasn’t fully awake but already noticed the smell. “You’re awake?” Ye Qing asked.

The little one opened her eyes and nodded at Ye Qing. She crawled off the blanket and, with her short legs, walked to Jiang Jinhuang and Ye Qing’s side.

She looked at the pot bubbling with aroma and asked, “Sister, what delicious food is in there?”

Jiang Jinhuang felt completely relaxed. They had escaped the stronghold safely. Looking at her sister, Jiang Jinhuang smiled gently. “There’s horse meat, cabbage, and potatoes. It’ll be ready to eat after simmering a bit more.”

“Oh, oh!” The little one nodded and turned to Ye Qing, tilting her head. “Ye Qing, didn’t you say you wouldn’t abandon me and Sister?”

Ye Qing pinched the little one’s cheek. “That was just to trick the bad people. How could I ever abandon you two?”

“Hehe, I knew Ye Qing was the best,” the little one said sweetly, throwing herself at Ye Qing and hugging her arm. She looked at the clay pot again and asked, “What’s in there?”

“When the pot boils, I’ll add noodle pieces. We’ll cook them and mix them with the dish,” Ye Qing explained. As she spoke, the water boiled. She stood up and started adding noodle pieces to the pot bit by bit.

The little one watched with wide eyes, practically drooling.

Jiang Jinhuang came over and pinched the little one’s cheek. She wondered why her sister seemed to have gained weight. Were they really fleeing from famine? Who gains weight on the run?

The little one smiled at Jiang Jinhuang. “What’s wrong, Sister?”

“Nothing, it’s fine,” Jiang Jinhuang said, shaking her head with a laugh. Being a bit chubby was cute.

Soon, Ye Qing finished making the noodle pieces. Jiang Jinhuang lifted the pot lid, and the smell of meat and vegetables wafted out. Ye Qing inhaled deeply. “It smells so good,” she said.

“You worked hard tonight. Eat more later,” Jiang Jinhuang said.

That night, Ye Qing had robbed the stronghold’s supplies, set it on fire, and carried Jiang Jinyang for nearly two hours. She was truly exhausted.

Ye Qing nodded. “Yeah, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow.”

The little one nodded in agreement. “Me too!”

Jiang Jinhuang laughed, looking at the big and small pair. “Alright, both of you eat plenty.”

“Yay!” The little one raised her fist happily. She liked things this way, with Ye Qing and her sister by her side.

Back at the stronghold, they ate and slept well, but the bad people wanted to take Ye Qing away. That wouldn’t do. Ye Qing belonged to her sister and couldn’t be taken by bad people.

While they talked, Jiang Jinhuang took three bowls and filled each halfway with meat and vegetables. Then Ye Qing scooped noodle pieces and divided them into the bowls.

Jiang Jinhuang helped the little one mix the noodles and dish together. She found a stone and placed the little one’s bowl on it, letting her use it as a table.

The little one grabbed a spoon and ate excitedly. Soon, oil stained the corners of her mouth.

Ye Qing started eating too. She tried a noodle piece first. The noodle itself was plain, but soaked in the dish’s broth, it tasted rich. It had the sweet freshness of carbs and the oiliness of the dish. Ye Qing felt deeply satisfied with each bite.

She then tried a potato. The potato was soft and melted in her mouth without needing to chew. It was delicious.

Ye Qing ate two bowls before feeling her strength return. Even Jiang Jinhuang ate one and a half bowls.

After the midnight meal, the little one played for a bit and went back to sleep. It was still dark outside.

Ye Qing looked at Jiang Jinhuang and said, “You should sleep too. We’ll move again when it’s light.”

Jiang Jinhuang cleaned the pot and bowls but sat next to Ye Qing. “No rush. So much happened tonight, and I can’t sleep. Let Yangyang sleep first.”

Ye Qing nodded and added a few branches to the fire.

Jiang Jinhuang looked at Ye Qing. After a moment of thought, she took a piece of paper from her bosom and threw it into Ye Qing’s lap.

Ye Qing, who had just sat down, clumsily caught the paper Jiang Jinhuang threw. Without looking at it, she instinctively asked, “What’s this?”

Jiang Jinhuang glanced at her faintly and didn’t respond, clearly unwilling to answer.

Seeing Jiang Jinhuang stay silent, Ye Qing opened the paper. She saw two large words written on it: “Divorce Letter.”

Ye Qing coughed lightly. This was the divorce letter she had written back at the stronghold, complete with her red handprint.

Ye Qing didn’t understand Jiang Jinhuang’s intention. At the stronghold, Wei Zicheng had forced her to write the divorce letter. But wasn’t this what Jiang Jinhuang always wanted?

After all, Jiang Jinhuang disliked the original host and likely wanted to cut ties long ago. So, Ye Qing had written the divorce letter at the stronghold to go along with it, thinking it was what Jiang Jinhuang needed. Why was she now throwing it back?

What did she mean?

Ye Qing cautiously glanced at Jiang Jinhuang a few times. She rubbed her hands and asked tentatively, “Jinhuang, you don’t want this anymore?”

Jiang Jinhuang raised an eyebrow at Ye Qing. “What? You weren’t forced to write this at the stronghold? You really wanted to give me a divorce letter?”

Ye Qing felt a chill under Jiang Jinhuang’s stare. She sensed Jiang Jinhuang’s displeasure and quickly shook her head. “No, no, I was definitely forced. It was just a temporary measure to survive. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have written it.”

While explaining, Ye Qing tore the divorce letter to shreds under Jiang Jinhuang’s gaze and threw it into the fire.

Then she gave Jiang Jinhuang an awkward smile. “See, it’s all burned. That thing doesn’t count.”

Jiang Jinhuang nodded with satisfaction. She turned her head away from Ye Qing, but her lips curved slightly upward.

Ye Qing seemed to listen to her, which made Jiang Jinhuang feel much better. Back at the stronghold, seeing Ye Qing in wedding clothes had irritated her. But now, they had escaped.

Seeing Jiang Jinhuang ignore her, Ye Qing felt a bit nervous. Then she heard the system’s prompt: “Congratulations, dear, you gained 50 favor points from the female lead Jiang Jinhuang. Current favor: -30. Remaining redemption points: 65.”

Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. She figured the stronghold incident had improved Jiang Jinhuang’s view of her. She could tell Jiang Jinhuang was starting to trust her, which let Ye Qing breathe a little easier.

As long as Jiang Jinhuang wasn’t completely heartless, Ye Qing had some hope of completing her task to max out favor within two years. With this thought, Ye Qing’s mood improved.

When Jiang Jinhuang turned to look at Ye Qing, she saw her smiling foolishly at the fire. Jiang Jinhuang pushed her and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Ye Qing snapped back to reality. “Nothing, just happy we escaped. You should sleep. We need to keep moving during the day to find that main road.”

Unlike modern times, ancient mountain paths were muddy and hard to travel. A cart wasn’t easy to manage, so the official road was best.

“Okay, I’ll sleep for a bit, then switch with you,” Jiang Jinhuang said. She felt tired after sitting, so she went to sleep with the little one.

Ye Qing, thrilled about gaining 50 points, couldn’t sleep. Since they were in the forest, someone needed to keep watch. She sat there to rest.

As dawn broke, Ye Qing quickly walked to Jiang Jinhuang and the little one. She gently pushed them both. “Jinhuang, Yangyang, we need to get up and move. We have to go farther to stay safe.”

Though they had walked two hours the previous night, Ye Qing still felt uneasy. A fire couldn’t have killed everyone, so they needed to be cautious.

When Jiang Jinhuang opened her eyes, she saw daylight. At the stronghold, they ate and lived well, but she was constantly anxious, fearing they couldn’t escape or that Ye Qing was in danger. Last night, with Ye Qing nearby, Jiang Jinhuang slept well for once.

She sat up and looked at Ye Qing with slight annoyance. “Why didn’t you wake me last night?”

“I wasn’t tired, and you were sleeping soundly, so I let you rest more,” Ye Qing explained with a smile.

“That won’t do. You’ll wear yourself out like this,” Jiang Jinhuang said.

“Alright, I got it. Tonight, we’ll take turns keeping watch,” Ye Qing said, smiling.

She picked up the still-sleepy little one. The child, nestled in her arms, closed her eyes again after barely blinking.

Ye Qing laughed, pinching Jiang Jinyang’s cheek. “Yangyang, open your eyes a bit. After washing up, you can sleep more in the cart.”

The little one barely opened her eyes. Ye Qing helped her brush her teeth with coarse salt and washed her face with water before settling her in the cart.

When Jiang Jinhuang put the pot and bowls in the cart, she saw Jiang Jinyang had closed her eyes again. Jiang Jinhuang’s eyes curved with a smile. The little one sure knew how to enjoy herself.

Ye Qing hitched the cart to the horse and asked, “Jinhuang, where’s the compass? Let me use it.”

Jiang Jinhuang paused, remembering the tool that guided them last night. She took out the compass and looked at it. Its plastic shell and strange, curvy writing were unfamiliar to her.

After studying it briefly, she handed the compass to Ye Qing.

Ye Qing took it and led the cart through the forest, following the compass’s direction.

They traveled all morning. Since they came down the back of the stronghold’s mountain, they were still some distance from the main road. But Ye Qing wasn’t in a hurry. With the compass, she was confident they’d find the road eventually.

At noon, Ye Qing took out dried beef and pastries, spoils from the bandits. Wanting to cover more ground, she decided not to cook a complex meal.

When Ye Qing brought out the pastries, the little one’s eyes sparkled. She had loved these treats at the stronghold and was thrilled to eat them now.

Jiang Jinhuang glanced at Ye Qing leisurely. Ye Qing, noticing her look, explained, “These were taken from the bandits last time. In winter, food doesn’t spoil easily, so they’re still good.”

Jiang Jinhuang gave Ye Qing a perfunctory smile. Knowing Ye Qing had special abilities, she didn’t bother asking where the food came from and started eating a pastry.

The little one grabbed a pastry and nibbled eagerly, crumbs falling everywhere.

She ate quickly, alternating bites of pastry and dried beef, clearly enjoying herself.

Ye Qing took a pastry and ate too. The flavor was average, but the sweetness provided energy. With the dried beef, Ye Qing felt full quickly.

The previous night was too dark for the little one to notice anything odd. In the morning, she was sleepy and fell asleep in the cart.

Now, full from eating, she suddenly realized something was off. Hadn’t they escaped the bad people’s hideout? They didn’t have a horse or cart when they fled. Where did they come from?

The little one grabbed the little buns on her head, as if they were antennas. When puzzled, she always felt tugging them would help her think.

But after tugging until both buns were crooked, she still couldn’t figure out where the cart came from.

She looked up at Ye Qing and asked, “Ye Qing, I remember we three escaped the stronghold. Where did the cart come from?”

Jiang Jinhuang couldn’t hold back. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled.

Ye Qing pouted, seeing Jiang Jinhuang laugh at her. Her eyes darted, and she crouched down to trick the little one.

“This horse is very smart. It can smell us and followed our scent to find us. Isn’t that amazing?” Ye Qing said.

“Amazing!” The little one’s eyes lit up. So, horses were that clever and could find their owners.

Even Jiang Jinhuang, raised with proper etiquette, nearly laughed to tears under her sleeve. Only Ye Qing could make up such a story. A horse following a scent? Even a trained, keen-nosed dog couldn’t do that, let alone a horse.

Only Yangyang would believe Ye Qing’s tale.

Sure enough, the little one saw her sister laughing and looked up innocently. “Sister, why are you laughing? Is something funny?”

Jiang Jinhuang took a few deep breaths. Seeing Ye Qing’s aggrieved expression, she laughed more before saying seriously, “Nothing. Ye Qing is right. A smart horse can find people on its own. That’s not surprising.”

“Yeah, yeah!” The little one nodded seriously, clearly convinced.

Ye Qing pouted, feeling like Jiang Jinhuang was mocking her.

The three chatted and laughed for a while, drinking water to stay hydrated. Ye Qing then picked up the little one and put her in the cart. As she went to lead the horse, Jiang Jinhuang stopped her. “You go sleep with Yangyang in the cart. I’ll lead the horse.”

“No need. I’m not tired. You rest,” Ye Qing said with a smile.

Jiang Jinhuang looked at Ye Qing coldly and gestured for her to hand over the compass.

Seeing her insistence, Ye Qing complied and gave her the compass. “Alright, I’ll sleep a bit. Call me if anything happens.”

Seeing Ye Qing obey, Jiang Jinhuang’s expression softened. She took the compass from Ye Qing and walked to the horse.

Ye Qing climbed into the cart, lay next to the little one, and covered herself with a blanket.

The little one grinned at Ye Qing. Ye Qing pinched her cheek and laughed. “You’re the comfy one, eating and sleeping all day.”

“Eating and sleeping is hard work too!” the little one said seriously.

Ye Qing laughed, giving her a thumbs-up. “Good point.”

Jiang Jinhuang led the horse south. She glanced back and saw the big and small pair in the cart, laughing about something. Her eyes curved, and she turned to keep leading the horse.

Though the south was still far away, Jiang Jinhuang felt the long journey wasn’t so hard with the three of them together.

Ye Qing played with the little one for a bit before falling asleep, exhausted. She had been running around all night and driving the cart all morning.

Even though the cart was bumpy, Ye Qing slept soundly.

As the sun began to set, Jiang Jinhuang led the cart to a dilapidated temple, likely a local mountain god temple, long abandoned and rundown.

With darkness approaching, Jiang Jinhuang stopped the horse and went to wake Ye Qing.

“Ye Qing, Ye Qing,” Jiang Jinhuang called, pushing Ye Qing’s arm.

The little one tugged Ye Qing’s finger. “Ye Qing, Sister’s calling you to wake up!”

Ye Qing woke groggily, sat up, and rubbed her eyes. “What’s up?” she asked.

“The sun’s almost down. There’s a broken temple here. Should we stay there tonight?” Jiang Jinhuang asked.

Ye Qing looked ahead and saw the dilapidated temple nearby.

She nodded. “Alright, let’s stay here tonight.”

Ye Qing jumped off the horse. “Come on, let’s drive the cart over.”

Together, Ye Qing and Jiang Jinhuang moved the cart to the temple.

“We’re here, Yangyang. Get off,” Ye Qing said, picking up the little one. After resting all afternoon, the child was full of energy, hopping around Ye Qing and Jiang Jinhuang.

Jiang Jinhuang smiled and warned, “Be careful not to fall.”

“Okay,” the little one nodded obediently.

Ye Qing walked ahead, taking her long knife from her space. She held it and entered the temple. The outer walls had collapsed, and the building was rundown, but it could block the wind, better than sleeping outside.

Inside, Ye Qing saw the mountain god statue, likely a local deity she didn’t recognize. Below it, a dusty altar held broken bowls and plates, untouched for a long time.

Ye Qing scanned the rest of the hall. It was empty, but the left side had nearly burned-out firewood, suggesting someone had stayed here before.

Her gaze shifted to the right, and she startled. Not out of fear, but because she saw what looked like a person, which surprised her.

Jiang Jinhuang saw it too and quickly picked up Jiang Jinyang. “Ye Qing, is that a person over there?”

Ye Qing glanced at Jiang Jinhuang and instructed, “You two wait outside. If it’s a corpse, I’ll clean it up, then you can come in.”

Jiang Jinhuang, scared of corpses, nodded and obediently carried Jiang Jinyang outside.

Ye Qing walked quickly toward the figure, holding her knife. Soon, she reached it.

She lightly kicked the body. The curled-up figure moved slightly and groaned, “Hiss, it hurts, it hurts.”

Ye Qing had thought it was a corpse and was ready to drag it out. To her surprise, the “corpse” was alive.

She crouched down and checked the person’s breathing. Finding them alive, she shook them gently. “Wake up, wake up. Are you okay?”

The person woke, looking at Ye Qing with a pale face. “Save me, save me…” she said weakly.

Ye Qing frowned slightly and asked, “Where are you hurt?”

“My back, my back,” the woman said. Ye Qing looked and saw a knife wound on her back, stained with bl00d.

“How did you end up here alone?” Ye Qing asked.

“I, I…” the woman started, then fainted.

Ye Qing took a deep breath and thought for a moment. She decided to revive the woman first. Though not a savior, Ye Qing felt it was fate to meet her. They had enough food and supplies, and the woman was a female Qianyuan. If she was honest, keeping her around could be useful.

Ye Qing’s group was too noticeable—just one Qianyuan with a child, easy to target. Another Qianyuan could help. But if the woman wasn’t trustworthy, Ye Qing wouldn’t keep her.

These were Ye Qing’s thoughts, contingent on the woman’s character.