It was the thirty-second year of the Zhengde Era in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The summer sun was scorching, and without a hint of a breeze, the air was stiflingly hot.
In a quiet and elegant courtyard within the Marquis of Changle’s residence in the capital, there sat a small pond. Cheng Ruyi sat on a stone stool inside an octagonal pavilion by the water, full of energy as she ate and drank to her heart’s content.
The stone table was laden with exquisite meat dishes, braised delicacies, and stews. The aroma wafted through the air, but the nearby maidservants, older female servants, and footmen only stole a quick glance before focusing intently on their tasks.
Beside her stood Moxiang, a maid holding a tray that carried a set of plum-blossom-patterned tea-ware.
At this moment, Moxiang’s hands were trembling. She looked at the Eldest Young Miss with a gaze full of shock and disbelief. Thinking of the rumors swirling around the capital, she wondered if the Young Miss had taken such a heavy blow that her mind had finally snapped.
Cheng Ruyi ignored whatever Moxiang was thinking. She only felt that having so much delicious food and no zombies around made her exceptionally happy. As for anything else, she didn’t care at all.
Once she had stuffed herself to the limit, Cheng Ruyi looked longingly at the few remaining pieces of Rouge Goose Breast, complaining that her stomach was being uncooperative.
She planned to wait for her food to digest a bit before eating more.
One must not waste food.
Seeing that the Young Miss had finally stopped her feast, Moxiang stepped forward cautiously, placed the tray on an empty spot on the stone table, and respectfully poured a cup of herbal tea, offering it with both hands.
“Eldest Young Miss, this is some cooling tea I poured for you. It will help cut through the grease.”
“Mm.”
Cheng Ruyi glanced at the respectful maid, said nothing, took the tea, and downed it in one go. This was her maid, Moxiang—one of her trusted personal attendants.
A short while after drinking the tea, Ruyi felt her stomach settle. She finished off the remaining pieces of goose breast and only then rubbed her stuffed little belly with satisfaction, asking about the dinner menu.
“Moxiang, go to the kitchen and find out what’s for dinner.”
Moxiang gave a little shudder, quickly answered, and retreated.
Ruyi summoned an older servant to clear the table. This woman was a bit plump, her aged face covered in beads of sweat. Upon approaching, she wiped her face clean with a handkerchief, gave Ruyi a respectful bow, and briskly cleared the stone table before retreating.
She didn’t show a hint of surprise at Ruyi’s behavior.
Cheng Ruyi wasn’t the “original” owner of this body, so she didn’t find the dynamic odd. In her eyes, she was the master and they were the servants; it was only right for them to be respectful.
In the post-apocalyptic world, strength was everything. Since the age of five, she had been indoctrinated with the idea that the strong rule. As a wood-element ability user, Ruyi had lived quite well in the apocalypse, and in the process, she had kept her parents “glossy and smooth.”
They had even given her a younger brother.
Yes, “glossy and smooth”—that was Ruyi’s way of putting it.
Before the apocalypse hit, Ruyi was only five and had only attended kindergarten. She was among the first batch of awakened ability users. Afterward, she spent her time sporadically learning to read while killing zombies. As a self-taught person, one shouldn’t expect too much from her.
Before transmigrating, she was fifteen years old and had survived the apocalypse for ten years. She was a high-level wood-element user—a particularly fierce young girl.
While on a mission, she had been reading a rebirth novel—The Concubine’s Daughter’s Road to Glory—which an older sister had picked up while scavenging supplies. Just as she finished the book, she encountered a pack of high-level mutant beasts and ended up dying in their jaws.
Fortunately, Ruyi had transmigrated into the book.
The plot had reached the point where the female lead of the first branch of the Cheng family (living next door in the Marquis of Jian’an’s residence), Cheng Qingyao, had transformed from a concubine’s daughter into a legitimate one. Ruyi, the legitimate eldest daughter of the second branch, was a major female antagonist.
She was dedicated to making Cheng Qingyao’s life miserable. She was competitive and arrogant, and from the start, she had disliked Cheng Qingyao when she was still a concubine’s daughter. She often mocked her, had slapped her twice, and in the previous timeline, had even trampled on Cheng Qingyao when she was at her lowest.
The grudge between them was massive.
The reborn Cheng Qingyao hated Cheng Ruyi deeply. Through careful plotting, she had already ruined Ruyi’s reputation.
Terms like “willful,” “arrogant,” “jealous,” and “vicious” were now firmly attached to Cheng Ruyi.
Luckily, her purity hadn’t been ruined yet, though it was close.
However, the soul inside had changed. If Cheng Qingyao wanted to plot to have her ruined now, it would be harder than reaching the heavens.
Ruyi had transmigrated last night. She was an incredibly calm person; it was hard not to be after surviving ten years in a world full of zombies. Having read many novels for entertainment, she was no stranger to the concepts of transmigration and rebirth.
To be alive was good enough. Transmigrating to a world without zombies and full of food made Ruyi miss her parents and brother for a brief moment, but then she beamed with joy.
It wasn’t that she was heartless, but her brother, though only nine, was a triple-element user (Water, Space, and Lightning). Most of the supplies they had gathered and the mutant crops she had grown were in his mutated spatial dimension. With him there, her parents would not have a hard time.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Moxiang returned with the dinner menu. Having inherited the original owner’s memories, Ruyi was no longer illiterate. She scanned the list and noticed there weren’t many meat dishes. She couldn’t help but frown.
“Moxiang, go back to the kitchen and tell them to make more meat. I’m going out for a walk later.”
Moxiang was startled and immediately tried to dissuade her: “Young Miss, you’ve only just recovered. The Madam said you should rest more.”
Ruyi was displeased and shot Moxiang a glare.
“I’m just going out to buy some things, not to do anything bad. Besides, my body recovered ages ago. I’m fine.”
Her wood-element ability had come with her when she transmigrated, though it had dropped to level zero and was very weak. However, the frail, sickly body that had died was reformed the moment she took over. It was now perfectly healthy.
Moxiang was practically in tears. My dear Young Miss, it’s not about doing something bad. How can you just decide things on a whim? You’re at the center of a storm right now; it’s better to lay low!
At that moment, a clear and cheerful young male voice called out.
“Sister! Sister! I’m back!”
The voice was followed by a handsome, energetic young boy who came rushing over. He held a small, delicate basket containing a tiny, pitch-black puppy.
Behind him followed a footman, drenched in sweat and panting: “Young Master, slow down, please slow down…”
Ruyi looked at the original owner’s younger brother—Cheng Yu, who had just turned twelve. She realized he looked quite a bit like her brother from her previous life, though he was three years older.
She felt an immediate sense of kinship.
“Xiao Yu, why all the shouting? Drink some tea to quench your thirst and wipe the sweat off your face.” Ruyi pulled out a plain handkerchief and wiped his sweat for him—a natural, practiced motion for her.
After drinking the tea, Cheng Yu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his sister. He offered the basket like a prize: “Sister, I bought this puppy. It’s a color that doesn’t show dirt easily. Do you like it?”
Beside them, Moxiang was completely unfazed by the phrase “doesn’t show dirt.”
The Eldest Young Miss was an impatient person who happened to like playing with animals. Every time she played, the animals would end up filthy before she was done, which would make her unhappy.
The Young Master and the Eldest Young Miss had an excellent relationship. He often searched for black-furred animals for her, and sometimes even the Marquis himself would buy black animals for his daughter.
Unfortunately, once these black cats and dogs grew up, the Young Miss would lose interest, find them no longer cute, and send them all to the family estates.
Ruyi peered at the sleeping black puppy in the basket. Her bright, beautiful almond eyes were filled with “food” symbols. She patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder with satisfaction.
“This little puppy looks like it would taste good. It’s just a bit low on meat right now, not enough for a snack. Bring a bigger one next time.”
“Taste… Sister, you… you want to eat the puppy?!”
Young Cheng Yu’s eyes widened in horror. His hand shook, and the basket hit the ground. The black puppy woke up with a start, fur standing on end, and began to bark in a high-pitched, milky voice.
It was incredibly cute.
Moxiang, looking pained, knelt to pick up the puppy. She stroked its smooth fur to comfort it and said cautiously:
“Eldest Young Miss, the puppy is only a month old. It’s too small, there isn’t even a few ounces of meat on it. Please don’t eat it.”
Ruyi looked at the puppy in Moxiang’s arms and nodded in agreement. “True, not much meat. Not even as good as a chicken.”
She immediately lost interest in eating it.
She waved her hand for Moxiang to take it away—out of sight, out of mind.
In the apocalypse, wasting food was shameful.
Better to eat it when it’s grown up, Ruyi thought.
Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief. It was terrifying that his sister wanted to eat such a cute puppy. Had she scrambled her brains from the fever after falling into the water yesterday?
“Sister, are you… are you alright?”
Ruyi looked at her brother, confused. “What could be wrong with me?” As she spoke, she glanced at the few white clouds in the azure sky. The sun wasn’t too piercing, but the lack of wind made it muggy.
“Xiao Yu, come with me out of the manor for a stroll.”
Young Cheng Yu was tempted; he wanted to play with his sister. But she had just fallen into the water and been sick, only getting better this morning. What if she fainted while shopping?
He shook his head, his clear eyes filled with worry. “Sister, your body just recovered. Let’s go tomorrow, okay?”
“Xiao Yu, I’m really fine. Look.” With that, Ruyi picked up the porcelain cup Cheng Yu had just used. With a firm squeeze, the cup shattered into fragments with a clatter.
Cheng Yu’s eyes went round before turning into stars. “Sister, you’re amazing!”
Ruyi was satisfied with his reaction. She patted him on the shoulder and began walking away leisurely.
“Let’s go, Xiao Yu. Let’s go shopping.”
Young Cheng Yu followed at her heels like a devoted puppy.
As the two passed through the hanging flower gate, they encountered a man in a wheelchair wearing a bright blue silk robe. He appeared to be about twenty years old, with a handsome face, deep features, and icy eyes. His entire being radiated an aura of cold indifference.
“Cousin… Cousin!” Upon seeing the man, Cheng Yu shrunk behind his sister, poking his head out and stammering.
Cousin?
A flash of confusion crossed Ruyi’s eyes. She searched through her memories and her eyes suddenly widened.
So it was him!
Sansukini: This is the last week of the “Delicate Wife in the 70’s” so now I’m opening a new translation. It’s a comedy/romance, so I hope you like it. Please turn off your brain when reading and just enjoy the brute female lead and her weird family.
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)