Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jiang Jinhuang, lost in thought, hurriedly drank her porridge, and the room fell quiet for a moment.

Ye Qing sat across from her, also eating porridge, mechanically bringing it to her mouth while planning her next steps.

Linzhou City was already chaotic, and it would likely get worse. With the drought in the north, the best option was to head south. She needed to stay alive first, then work on earning Jiang Jinhuang’s favor to max out her goodwill. After that, she could send the Jiang sisters back to the capital. Once Jiang Jinhuang, the destined heroine, was gone, Ye Qing could live peacefully here.

With this in mind, Ye Qing decided to explore Linzhou City while Jiang Jinyang recovered. Most people had fled, so she hoped to scavenge useful items. The original owner was unreliable, and the house was so poor it was literally rattling empty!

Thinking about fleeing famine with the Jiang sisters and needing to win Jiang Jinhuang’s favor, Ye Qing felt dizzy and sighed several times.

Across from her, Jiang Jinhuang ate her porridge, occasionally sneaking glances at Ye Qing. Seeing her sigh, Jiang Jinhuang nervously gripped her bowl, wondering if Ye Qing regretted spending six taels to save her sister.

Her face paled, and she cautiously watched Ye Qing, fearing an outburst.

When Ye Qing snapped out of her thoughts, her cabbage porridge was gone. She looked up to see Jiang Jinhuang sneaking a glance at her.

Jiang Jinhuang’s face was pale, her eyes red, looking at Ye Qing as if bracing for an attack. Thinking of her -150 goodwill, Ye Qing felt dizzy again.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ye Qing broke the room’s silence.

“Nothing, nothing. Thank you for today,” Jiang Jinhuang said, her hands clenched together.

“No need to thank me. By the way, I’m going out again. This is for you.” Ye Qing reached behind her back, pulling out the dagger she’d gotten earlier.

Pretending it came from her waistband, she pushed the dagger toward Jiang Jinhuang.

Jiang Jinhuang’s expression shifted, disbelief in her eyes. “This is… for me?”

Ye Qing nodded. “Yes. Linzhou City is a mess now, and you know how things are at home. I need to find food, but I’m not comfortable leaving you two alone. Keep this dagger for protection. Carry it with you always. When I leave, lock the room and courtyard doors. I’ll call out when I return. Don’t open the door for anyone else.”

Jiang Jinhuang nodded instinctively, her gaze probing Ye Qing. Would Ye Qing be this kind? She had tried to sell her sister for money before.

Then she remembered she’d offered her body to save her sister. Ye Qing’s attentiveness must be because she coveted her body. The thought sent a chill through Jiang Jinhuang.

Seeing her silence, Ye Qing stood. “Follow me out. I’m leaving now. Lock the gate.”

“Okay.” Jiang Jinhuang nodded and stood, feeling some strength after eating.

They walked to the courtyard gate. Ye Qing stepped outside and said, “Lock it. I should be back before dark.”

“Okay.” Jiang Jinhuang closed the rickety wooden gate, blocked it with objects from inside, and hurried back to stay with her sister.

Meanwhile, Ye Qing walked from her alley to the main street, where only fleeing refugees passed by, and a few shops were hurriedly closing.

She entered a large courtyard on the main street, likely once home to a wealthy family, now abandoned with its gate wide open.

Ye Qing went in, searching room by room, but found little of use.

She moved to the inner courtyard, where the owners’ hasty departure left some items behind.

In a room, she found several quilts, clearly too heavy for the owners to take. There were four, and Ye Qing stored them in her space. In a drawer, she found a dozen candles, a stack of rice paper, several brushes, and ink sticks.

These weren’t immediately useful, but with her space, she stored them.

Continuing her search, she found clothes in a wardrobe, many new, including cotton ones. Ye Qing picked a few nice ones and stored them. At this point, having something to wear was good enough, especially outer garments.

She searched the courtyard longer but found no food, which was disappointing.

Still, she had some gains. In a large room, she found a big wooden tub. Smelling her own odor, Ye Qing decided to take it. She could heat water tonight for a bath to rest comfortably.

With that done, Ye Qing planned to check other places. Her food supply was pitifully low—if she didn’t find more, they’d be starving soon.

She spent the afternoon searching but found no food, only twelve bundles of firewood, which she stored. With these, she wouldn’t need to chop wood herself.

By the time she returned to the courtyard, the sun was setting.

Ye Qing knocked on the gate, calling out, “Jinhuang, it’s me. Open the door.”

As she knocked, she took the wooden tub and two quilts from her space, placing the quilts on the tub to look natural. She couldn’t explain bringing so much back otherwise.

Her space was a secret she didn’t want to share with anyone, especially since she and Jiang Jinhuang weren’t close.

Inside, guarding her sister, Jiang Jinhuang gripped the dagger tightly at the sound. Hearing Ye Qing’s voice, she relaxed slightly.

But soon, she gave a bitter smile. What difference did it make if it was Ye Qing? In this chaotic world, a frail Kunze like her was just a plaything for Qianyuan.

Pale-faced, she opened the room’s door. Cold wind rushed in, and she quickly closed it. Seeing the sun setting, she remembered her promise to Ye Qing—trading her body to save her sister. Tonight, she’d have to fulfill it.

Tears slid silently down her cheeks. She wiped her face with her sleeve, consoling herself that her looks were useful, or Ye Qing wouldn’t have helped save her sister. This thought eased her slightly.

Her sacrifice was worth it, as long as she could save her sister’s life and get her safely back to the capital.

Outside, Ye Qing kept calling. Jiang Jinhuang composed herself and answered, “Coming.”

She hurried to the gate, moved the two stools blocking it, lifted the latch, and opened the wooden door.

Without a word, Ye Qing carried the tub into the courtyard, set it down, and closed the gate, securing it with the latch and stools.

Then she looked at Jiang Jinhuang, whose eyes were red, as if she’d been crying.

Ye Qing quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Is Yangyang burning up again?”

Jiang Jinhuang shook her head. “No, she’s not as hot as at noon. I’m just worried about her.”

Ye Qing nodded. “Good. I’ll boil more medicine for her later tonight.”

Her gaze shifted to Jiang Jinhuang, who looked as disheveled as Ye Qing, likely not having bathed in days.

Ye Qing thought a hot bath might make the heroine grateful. She pointed at the tub and looked at Jiang Jinhuang. “I found this tub outside. Let’s heat some water tonight and clean up. We might need to leave Linzhou soon, and there won’t be conditions to bathe then.”

Jiang Jinhuang’s face drained of color at Ye Qing’s words, turning pale as she looked at her.

Ye Qing wanted her to bathe—wasn’t it because she thought her dirty, unfit for intimacy tonight?

As expected, Qianyuan were all jerks, and Ye Qing was the worst.

But for her sister, she had to submit. Jiang Jinhuang closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and nodded, her body trembling.

Ye Qing frowned at her reaction, which was nothing like she expected. Was she shaking?

The next moment, Ye Qing received a prompt from System 09.

[Dear host, Jiang Jinhuang’s favorability -10. Current favorability: -160.]

Ye Qing nearly choked, taking a moment to process before looking at Jiang Jinhuang in disbelief. She was just being kind, suggesting a bath for hygiene—how was that wrong?