The coarse corn flatbread was very hard. Unlike the cornbread Su Zhi had eaten before, which was mixed with wheat flour, this was pure cornmeal. It tasted sour and had a texture that was difficult to describe—gritty and scratchy on the throat.
Su Zhi took a bite, held it in her mouth for a long time before managing to swallow. Even the accompanying food was rudimentary. A simple plate of pickled vegetables, who knew how many days it had been salted or how many meals it had lasted—its color had darkened, looking completely unappetizing. It was hard to imagine Yue Chunhan and Yue Tiantian had been eating stuff like this all along.
She forced herself to eat a cucumber and held half of a corn flatbread in her hand, unable to eat much more. Though her stomach was empty, looking at the food in front of her, she simply couldn’t bring herself to swallow it.
The food was truly unpalatable. Su Zhi didn’t consider herself a picky eater, but facing such fare, she still couldn’t eat.
After much hesitation and poking at her food, she still couldn’t eat it and soon put down her chopsticks. Staring at the half-eaten corn flatbread, she felt troubled—she couldn’t eat it, but throwing it away would be wasteful. Cautiously, she looked up at Yue Chunhan, wanting to say she’d save the leftovers for her next meal.
Yue Chunhan had already eaten two flatbreads himself. Watching Su Zhi nibble for so long and only take a small corner, he raised an eyebrow.
He could see Su Zhi’s pickiness with the food, his gaze darkening as he glanced at her.
“Can’t eat it?”
Yue Chunhan’s voice was cold, his expression not gentle at all. Su Zhi feared he might raise a fist to hit her next and straightened up, ready to explain. But then she heard Yue Chunhan’s indifferent voice.
“If you can’t eat it, don’t force yourself.”
Under Su Zhi’s shocked gaze, Yue Chunhan leaned over, reached out his arm, and picked up the coarse flatbread from her plate. Pausing for a moment, he then directly stuffed it into his mouth.
The flatbread was rough and crumbly, but Yue Chunhan seemed unfazed, not finding it scratchy or hard to swallow. He bit off large chunks, quickly finishing it, including the corner Su Zhi had nibbled on, without showing the slightest hint of distaste on his face.
Watching the flatbread she had bitten into—probably still bearing her tooth marks—disappear into Yue Chunhan’s mouth and down his throat, Su Zhi’s cheeks flushed crimson instantly. Sitting stiffly on the stool, she felt intensely awkward.
Su Zhi had never experienced anything like this before. Her food had never been shared with others, let alone someone else biting into something she had already eaten.
Just as she was feeling flustered and uneasy, Yue Chunhan finished the flatbread, stood up, and began clearing the table. Su Zhi got up to help, but Yue Chunhan moved swiftly. There weren’t many plates and bowls to begin with, and Yue Chunhan’s palms were large. He easily stacked them in one hand and carried them to the washbasin—she didn’t even get a chance to help before everything was cleared.
Su Zhi bit her lip and followed, wanting to help wash the dishes, but she couldn’t even get a hand in there.
Yue Chunhan stood skillfully by the yard’s washbasin, scrubbing the dishes. His broad shoulders and narrow waist highlighted his prominent muscles; the bulging, defined muscles exuded strength. The small bowls looked like toys in his hands as he washed them expertly without blinking, stacking them one by one.
Su Zhi stood by the washbasin for a long time, unable to lend a hand, feeling a sense of guilt. She realized she had been in this household for a while now without doing anything. So when Yue Chunhan finished washing the dishes, changed into work clothes, and shouldered his tools, ready to head out, Su Zhi called out to him for the first time. “Can I help you with something? Do you want me to go to the fields with you?”
Su Zhi looked up at him nervously and cautiously. Yue Chunhan was very tall; she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.
Yue Chunhan’s dark eyes swept over her fair, unblemished skin that had never been exposed to harsh sunlight. He raised an eyebrow. “Can you handle it?”
Su Zhi’s reputation in the village was notorious—she never did farm work, instead flirting with boys everywhere. Whenever she went out, she covered her skin completely, afraid of getting a tan. And now such a Su Zhi was offering to go to the fields with him? Had the sun risen from the west?
Having grown up in the city, Su Zhi had indeed never done farm work before. But she didn’t want to be a useless vase. She ate Yue Chunhan’s food, lived in his house; she wanted to do something to help. So she mustered her courage and nodded firmly. “I can. Let me try.”
Yue Chunhan’s dark eyes lingered on Su Zhi, scrutinizing her for a long while before he finally looked away. He let out a scoff but didn’t object. He found an old shirt of his for her to wear.
Yue Chunhan was tall and broad. Su Zhi swam in his shirt, which hung loose and baggy on her. She had to roll up the sleeves several times and tuck the hem into her pants to make it somewhat fit.
Su Zhi’s features were beautiful and alluring. Even in the oversized shirt, she managed to look like a magazine model. Taking such a Su Zhi out didn’t seem like going to do farm work—more like heading off for something improper.
Yue Chunhan had originally wanted to see Su Zhi make a fool of herself, but he hadn’t expected to be the one feeling embarrassed first.
Leading Su Zhi outside, he ran into quite a few men and women who turned to look their way. Though due to his temperament, no one dared tease him outright, they all smiled covertly, praising his good fortune. A few who were closer to Yue Chunhan even winked and nudged at him.
Yue Chunhan’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He quickened his pace significantly, forcing Su Zhi to speed up just to keep up with him. For a moment, she seriously wondered which of them actually had the leg problem.
Under a big tree behind them, a group of people cracked melon seeds, watching Yue Chunhan and Su Zhi from afar. Their wedding was one of the few recent lively events in the village. Everyone gathered, eagerly discussing them, using the couple as post-meal entertainment.
Yue Chunhan’s temper was notoriously bad. He got into fights frequently, and his strength was terrifying. According to the elders’ experience, his personality was completely unsuitable for marriage—he looked like someone who would commit domestic violence.
As for Su Zhi, she seemed fragile and thin, as if a strong wind could blow her away. What use was being pretty? Probably one punch from Yue Chunhan would make her see stars.
The villagers held no expectations for this marriage, unanimously believing that Su Zhi would likely be beaten and run back to her parents’ home within two days of marriage.
Cracking melon seeds, they waited to see Yue Chunhan and Su Zhi become a laughingstock. They had even started a betting pool, with many wagering that Su Zhi would be driven back to her parents’ home by tomorrow.
Several young men stood under the tree, recalling Su Zhi’s alluring figure and charming face when she came out earlier. Their hearts burned with desire, waiting for Yue Chunhan and Su Zhi to divorce so they could seize the opportunity, hoping to win the beauty for themselves.
The young women quietly pressed their pounding hearts, regretting that Yue Chunhan’s fearsome temperament was paired with such a handsome face—truly a waste.
Meanwhile, the subjects of everyone’s gossip, Yue Chunhan and Su Zhi, were now standing in the farmland. Yue Chunhan handed Su Zhi a sickle and told her to follow him in cutting down the corn stalks.
The corn was already mature, the stalks dried, yellowed, and grayish. The ripe ears had been picked and thrown on the ground. Today’s task was to cut down these corn stalks after the ears were removed. For this, Su Zhi was even assigned a sickle.
Su Zhi had never seen corn stalks before. She learned that corn grew like this. Vast fields of corn were planted for coarse, edible corn—not the sweet, tender glutinous kind. The corn flatbread she couldn’t swallow this morning was processed from this type.
At first, Su Zhi thought cutting corn stalks wouldn’t be too difficult, but she soon changed her mind.
She had never used such a tool before, so she was very unskilled initially. The sickle was sharp; Su Zhi almost slashed her own face. Yue Chunhan frowned, held her hand, and taught her the proper posture for cutting corn stalks before she got the hang of it a little.
Whether intentionally scaring her or not, Yue Chunhan told her that many people had gouged out their own eyes with the wrong posture she initially used. Hearing this, Su Zhi was terrified and slowed her movements even more.
Yue Chunhan, however, worked swiftly. After roughly teaching her the method, he skillfully wielded the sickle, cutting down stalks and quickly leaving Su Zhi far behind. Gritting her teeth, Su Zhi slowly followed, cutting stalks behind him.
Besides the sickle, Su Zhi was also given a pair of gloves. Both the original host and Su Zhi herself had never done manual labor. Especially the original host, whose slender fingers had never touched rough work—her skin was very tender. Now, wearing these coarse, thick white gloves, her fingertips ached. After cutting for a while, Su Zhi quickly realized the hardship of labor.
Although the ears had been removed from the corn stalks, the leaves still clung stiffly to them. As Su Zhi bent to cut the stalks, the hard, coarse, long corn leaves scraped against her face, and even left shallow cuts on her cheeks without her noticing.
Corn leaves are very hard, covered in fine hairs that can cause redness and swelling on contact, let alone being cut by their thin edges.
In just a short while, several scratches appeared on Su Zhi’s cheeks, and her hands ached from gripping the sickle, her fingertips reddened and sore.
The sun was blazing, its abundant rays pouring down, shining directly onto the cornfield without obstruction. Facing the scorching sun, the intense heat baked Su Zhi’s cheeks bright red. Coupled with the intermittent bending and cutting, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, damp bangs sticking to her cheeks, revealing a rare, disheveled appearance.
The sickle was sharp, its handle wooden. Su Zhi’s wrists ached badly from gripping it through the thick gloves for so long, almost causing another accidental cut.
It seemed to be harvest season, with many men and women around cutting corn stalks. Su Zhi could feel intense gazes falling on her from all sides, as if penetrating her clothes to see her flesh underneath, making her extremely uncomfortable.
She lifted her head, wiped the sweat from her forehead, panting heavily with flushed cheeks. Sweat trickled down her chin, slid over her collarbone, and continued downward.
The sun’s heat made her skin feel scalding. Su Zhi looked around and noticed a unique sight among the bent figures working in the fields.
Under a large tree opposite them, a beautiful girl sat leisurely in the shade—clean, gentle, pure, and lovely, her eyes smiling. Unlike other girls who had to work, she wore a pretty dress, chatting and laughing with a young man cutting corn in the field opposite.
Su Zhi was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized—this should be the female lead from the original novel, the one Yue Chunhan supposedly falls for later, the sweet romance period novel’s heroine, Qiao Yue, who serves as a contrast to the original Su Zhi.
If the original heroine was a pure, clean lily, then the female antagonist Su Zhi was a seductive, wild rose. Qiao Yue was kind-hearted, clever, and pure, while Su Zhi was malicious, greedy, flirtatious, and promiscuous.
They got married around the same time, but Qiao Yue married the wealthy, handsome military officer male lead, while Su Zhi married the violent, gloomy male antagonist, Yue Chunhan.
After marriage, Qiao Yue used her sharp wit to seize business opportunities, partnering with Yue Chunhan to make a fortune. In contrast, the original Su Zhi, after eloping and divorcing, relied on her looks, mingling among men, earning meager money through flattery and seduction.
In every aspect, the original Su Zhi was designed by the author as a foil to the heroine Qiao Yue—a female antagonist universally criticized by readers.
And now, Su Zhi herself had transmigrated into this role.
Lost in thought as she gazed at the figure of the heroine Qiao Yue in the distance, Yue Chunhan’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
“Su Zhi.”
Yue Chunhan interrupted her thoughts, his voice carrying a strong chill and impatience. His tall figure approached along the furrow, his ordinary work pants making his legs appear exceptionally long.
His approaching figure completely blocked the heroine Qiao Yue, who was relaxing under the tree behind him.
Yue Chunhan had thought Su Zhi was slacking off deliberately, and his expression wasn’t pleasant. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, the pupils frighteningly black.
But when he approached and met Su Zhi’s gaze, the cold expression on his face suddenly froze.
Yue Chunhan frowned. “Are you crying?”