Lin Suhe’s big, round eyes looked innocent and pure.
Hearing her words made Jiang Wangchuan feel strangely restless. He scratched his head in frustration.
It’s only early spring. Why does it suddenly feel so hot?
He stared at Lin Suhe, still wanting to scare her away.
“I only have one bed in my house. Where do you plan to sleep?”
Lin Suhe’s bright eyes moved from side to side.
“I… I’m going to be your wife, so of course I’ll sleep with you.”
As she spoke, her little face turned bright red, like a ripe peach that made people want to take a bite.
She was still holding tightly onto Jiang Wangchuan’s hand.
His tall, strong body made her look even smaller.
“Fine. You said it.”
Jiang Wangchuan gritted his teeth, bent down, and suddenly lifted her onto his shoulder.
“Ah!”
Lin Suhe cried out in surprise.
Before she knew it, both of her feet were off the ground, and she was lying over his shoulder.
She lightly hit his broad back with her small fists, but he didn’t move at all.
“What are you doing? Put me down!”
His deep voice sounded beside her ear.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep with me?”
Then he carried her into the dark house.
…
Holding her legs with one hand, Jiang Wangchuan carried her inside.
She was so light that she seemed to weigh almost nothing.
Even through her rough clothes, he could feel how soft she was.
He set the struggling girl down on the edge of the bed.
Standing in front of her like a wall, he said coldly,
“Go to sleep.”
Lin Suhe blinked her long eyelashes, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.
She felt a thin quilt on the bed beneath her.
Although it couldn’t compare to the soft mattress she had before transmigrating, it was much better than the hard wooden bed in her old house.
She bit her lip.
Finally making up her mind, she threw her bundle into the corner, kicked off her cloth shoes, and climbed onto the bed.
She rolled all the way to the inside, pressing herself against the wall.
Then she said softly,
“I’m going to sleep first.”
After that, she didn’t make another sound.
Jiang Wangchuan looked at the small figure curled up on the bed like a quiet little cat.
He rubbed his forehead helplessly.
It seemed he wouldn’t be able to send this girl away tonight.
He hung his outer clothes on a wooden rack nearby.
Then he sat on the edge of the bed and lay down.
He was tall and heavily built.
As soon as he got onto the bed, the wooden boards sank slightly under his weight.
Listening to every little sound behind her, Lin Suhe trembled nervously.
She pressed herself even closer to the wall, wishing she could become as flat as paper.
She listened carefully.
Not long afterward, she heard soft snoring.
Carefully, she turned around.
Jiang Wangchuan was already asleep.
Although summer had not arrived yet, he slept wearing only a sleeveless shirt.
His sleeping posture was straight and proper.
His arms were folded across his chest.
The muscles on his arms rose and fell gently with every breath.
Only then did Lin Suhe finally relax.
She hooked the quilt from the foot of the bed with her foot, pulled it over herself, and quietly fell asleep.
…
Jiang Wangchuan woke up when the rooster crowed.
The sky was only beginning to brighten.
He felt something soft pressed against his side.
Turning his head, he saw Lin Suhe sleeping peacefully.
At some point during the night, she had rolled away from the wall.
Now she was hugging one of his arms.
There was still a little dust on her face from yesterday.
Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Her pink lips were slightly open as she slept soundly.
Jiang Wangchuan shifted a little.
He suddenly felt two soft mounds gently pressing against his arm.
The moment he realized what they were, his throat tightened.
His mouth became very dry.
He slowly sat up and carefully pulled his arm out of Lin Suhe’s embrace.
Her delicate eyebrows frowned slightly.
She mumbled something in her sleep, looking unhappy.
Jiang Wangchuan picked up the quilt lying beside the bed and gently tucked it into her arms.
Only then did her brows relax.
She fell back into a deep sleep.
He quietly opened the door and walked into the yard.
Then he let out a long breath.
I’m in my own house, yet I’m sneaking around like a thief.
What a strange experience.
He scooped a ladle of water from the large jar, rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and sat down on the stone in the yard.
He had planned to go hunting today to earn some money.
But in the middle of the night, an unexpected guest appeared.
And that unexpected guest insisted on becoming his wife.
He was already so poor that he barely had enough to live on.
How could he let such a beautiful and delicate girl suffer with him?
With a face like hers, there would be plenty of men willing to marry her.
Thinking of the way Lin Suhe had looked at him with those watery eyes last night, Jiang Wangchuan felt as though a ball of cotton had been stuffed into his heart.
If he weren’t so poor, marrying her wouldn’t be a bad idea.
A girl like her deserved a man who would love her, protect her, and never let her suffer.
But that man couldn’t be him.
…
When Lin Suhe woke up, it was already full daylight.
Holding the old quilt, she sat on the bed and once again accepted the sad fact that she had transmigrated into ancient times.
The small mud house wasn’t even ten square meters.
Honestly, it wasn’t much better than the original owner’s home.
But at least…
No one here was going to sell her.
She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and walked toward the door.
Then she stopped.
She turned back and carefully folded the old quilt into a neat pile as best as she could before placing it in the corner of the bed.
Only then did she leave the room.
Since she wanted to become someone’s wife, she should learn to do some housework.
If that man started to dislike her, she would truly have nowhere else to go.
When she walked into the yard, she saw Jiang Wangchuan cooking something under the simple outdoor shelter.
His tall body made the small stove look like a child’s toy.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong forearms with healthy tan skin.
Yesterday, Lin Suhe had only eaten the two hard flatbreads her second uncle gave her.
She was hungry again.
She sniffed the air with her small nose.
She smelled the sweet scent of rice.
Seeing that she was finally awake, Jiang Wangchuan nodded toward the large water jar.
“The water is over there. Wash up yourself.”
Lin Suhe obediently nodded.
She walked over to the water jar, struggled to lift the wooden lid, and scooped up half a ladle of water.
The moment her fingers touched the water, she quickly pulled them back.
It was freezing.
Before transmigrating, Lin Suhe had always been in poor health.
Her parents spoiled her very much.
Except during summer, they never let her touch cold water.
Now it was only early spring, and the water was still icy.
She shivered from the cold.
Jiang Wangchuan saw everything.
He thought to himself,
This girl is far too delicate.
How did Lin Da raise her?
Life was so hard, yet he somehow raised a daughter who couldn’t even touch cold water.
I really can’t let her stay here.