Laokeng Village was some distance from Chaoping County, and at the speed Xu Chuan was driving now, it would take about an hour to get home.
The sun was setting, a fiery red disk slowly sinking into the valley on the horizon.
Cheng Baozhu sat on the mule cart, her body swaying side to side, her head nearly spinning from the jolts.
“Slow down, slow down.”
She spoke irritably.
Xu Chuan spat out a blade of foxtail grass and glanced at her, “Finally talking, huh? I thought you’d gone mute from the fever.”
He always felt a little cheated—he had spent a full 180 coins as a bride price, yet this new wife didn’t seem particularly clever.
But he only had one requirement for a wife—intelligence.
A wife who wasn’t smart couldn’t help him smoothly get money from his parents.
But what could he do? He’d married her; he couldn’t very well send her back to the Cheng family village.
Xu Chuan let out a deep sigh, glancing at Cheng Baozhu’s pale face, curious about what she might be thinking.
Could it be that she despised him?
He knew his reputation in the commune wasn’t great, but she wasn’t much better.
To put it nicely, it was a match of equals.
To put it bluntly, it was like a turtle against a tortoise.
So, what could she possibly be unhappy about in marrying him?
Xu Chuan didn’t like pressing a cold shoulder with a warm face. Seeing Cheng Baozhu’s resigned expression, he fell silent and urged the mule on, even faster.
Cheng Baozhu nearly toppled onto him!
[You need to face reality now.]
The system scolded patiently.
Cheng Baozhu gritted her teeth so hard they nearly drew blood and thought to the system, “I don’t care. I’m going back. I’ll die if I have to, but I’m going back!”
Staying here felt worse than death.
The system said in a forlorn tone, [You probably won’t be able to go back.]
If it could, it wouldn’t have wanted to bind with her either.
Cheng Baozhu was on the verge of tears. She had just celebrated her twentieth birthday, gone to sleep, and now found herself in this situation, in this place.
Accept her fate?
Impossible. Didn’t the novels say that if you died again, you’d likely be able to return?
The system was terrified by this notion, buzzing with electric static while trying to maintain composure.
[You can’t go back.] it stated firmly.
Cheng Baozhu sniffled, “You know?”
How could this thing, not knowing how she ended up here, possibly know she couldn’t return?
She wasn’t about to be fooled.
The autumn breeze rustled the leaves as the mule’s hooves clattered along the country road.
Rows of maple trees lined the path, their leaves turning red, catching the last rays of the sunset.
The old mule knew the way. Once it entered Jiangmen Commune, it began heading automatically toward Laokeng Village.
Xu Chuan let go of the reins, thinking that today, at least, was his wedding day. Though the morning’s events had been chaotic and the bride had even ended up in the hospital, all had ended safely, and the bride was preserved.
His mood gradually improved, and he no longer minded that his new wife seemed to disdain him.
Sliding back on the cart, he asked with some interest, “Do you really eat two eggs a day?”
Cheng Baozhu shot him a sideways glance, “Nonsense, only one a day.”
When her parents were alive, there had been two eggs; after their passing, only one.
And she had to collect it herself from the chicken coop, or her sisters-in-law wouldn’t give her any.
“And two sets of new clothes each year?”
Cheng Baozhu sifted through her memories: “Two sets the year before last, three last year, and only one this year.”
Xu Chuan inhaled sharply, then asked, “Did you wash dishes or work in the fields?”
Cheng Baozhu frowned, thinking: “I washed dishes once and broke one, never again. And yes, I went to the fields, the vegetable garden, even picked persimmons to eat.”
This was the truth. In the original life, arguments often broke out in the Cheng family. In her memory, life there had been more dramatic than any palace intrigue drama she had read.
Yet, if she were in that position, she would have overturned the dining table, refusing to eat at all amid the bickering.
Speaking of which, she began to complain: “This life is unbearable. I… I’ve already eaten nothing but boiled eggs for half a year.”
Memories of the original life surfaced, leaving her slightly nauseated.
After her parents passed, no one had made her egg custard.
Xu Chuan froze, then smiled awkwardly: “…You’re not satisfied?”
Cheng Baozhu was puzzled, “Should I be?”
The original had been pitiful. While her sisters-in-law thought she did nothing but eat, Cheng Baozhu knew there was more to the story.
At six, she had found three small gold bricks hidden in the yard of a village landlord near the chicken coop. The gold was concealed under dirt and never discovered.
The clever little Baozhu hid the gold again and returned home to her parents.
The Cheng family became prosperous with the first brick, which funded a house; the second brick supported her three brothers’ marriages and children, allowing Baozhu to grow well-fed, and the nieces and nephews to be healthier than other village children.
The third brick was kept hidden under the family water jar. Her parents secretly told her it was meant for her.
Her parents weren’t terrible; they just pampered their youngest daughter for contributing two bricks of gold. A few eggs were nothing.
The brothers also ate eggs, but after marriage and children, the nieces and nephews inherited their share. Averaged out, Baozhu still got some.
Her parents grew increasingly partial to her, partly competing with their sons and daughters-in-law, though the brothers were unaware. The parents planned to reveal the gold later, but fate intervened, and they passed away suddenly.
If her parents had lived, she wouldn’t have ended up here.
Cheng Baozhu sat in sadness, while Xu Chuan felt his chest tighten with unease.
No wonder during the match-making, Cheng family’s third sister-in-law had warned against believing rumors—they thought Baozhu wasn’t as outrageous as stories suggested, yet she was far beyond what anyone could imagine.
Rumors should never be fully trusted.
Xu Chuan fell silent for the rest of the journey.
The autumn wind carried the scent of ripening rice, refreshing and pleasant.
He occasionally glanced at Cheng Baozhu, feeling a mix of frustration and concern.
He wondered how to raise this wife, should he take more money from his father or mother?
Earning his own?
Impossible!
The sunset finally dipped below the horizon, and the mule stopped at the village entrance.
Xu Chuan jumped down nimbly, saying, “Quick, play dead.”
Cheng Baozhu: “Huh?”
He climbed onto a large rock to scout ahead, urging, “Quick, like at the hospital.”
Cheng Baozhu nodded, obeying, and assumed a half-conscious state.
Xu Chuan: …
Though not clever, his wife listened well, and her acting was impressive.
He climbed back onto the cart, held Cheng Baozhu close, and headed toward home.
The silent system suddenly spoke: [You’re actually listening to him?]
Cheng Baozhu justified: “I’m preparing for a chance to die, aren’t I?”
If you’re about to die, what’s there to fear?
The system: …
Its panic was almost comical.
Night approached, yet the village’s gossipers were undeterred.
Old Phoenix, holding a bowl and ready to get more food, shouted at the village entrance: “They’re here! Xiao Chuan and his wife are back!”
Instantly, everyone turned toward the entrance.
Xu Chuan glanced at Cheng Baozhu, relieved to see her calm and composed.
Then his mood suddenly sank as he carried her home.
As tensions flared in the courtyard, Jiang Yulan led the charge, running forward: “My son…”
“How much money do you have left?”
Cheng Baozhu shivered slightly.
Xu Chuan winked at his mother, Jiang Yulan, catching the signal perfectly.
In an instant, she composed herself.
Others saw Jiang Yulan anxiously ask: “How’s my daughter-in-law? What did the doctor say? What medicine? How much did it cost? No matter the cost, we have to treat her!”
The Cheng family’s brothers-in-law were speechless, realizing even a new mother-in-law could act more responsibly than them.
Many in Laokeng Village were silent, knowing Old Phoenix was notoriously stingy.
“Baozhu, why is she still closing her eyes?” someone asked.
“Tell us, what’s wrong with Baozhu?” others demanded.
Xu Chuan seized the opportunity, annoyed: “The doctor said Baozhu is exhausted, running a high fever, but she’s recovering quickly!”
It was true; the doctor had said exactly that.
Yet the truth irritated the Cheng family brothers-in-law.
Feng Meihua couldn’t stand it, approaching and patting Baozhu: “Speak up, Baozhu, tell them how life at home really was!”
Even after her parents passed, Baozhu hadn’t lifted a finger at home.
Xu Chuan quickly stepped aside, frowning: “She just took medicine and isn’t fully recovered. Third sister-in-law, don’t push her. I’m not lying; if you don’t believe me, ask Dr. Wang in the county—he’s not going to lie for me!”
Invoking Dr. Wang’s name sealed the truth.
Even the Cheng brothers-in-law were stunned.
The system remained silent.
Naturally, she was exhausted—after absorbing twenty years of memories in nearly three hours, fainting and a fever were entirely normal.
Xu Chuan wiped his face dramatically, smiling weakly at his eldest brother, Xu He: “Brother, help me take the mule to the stable. I’ll take Baozhu home to rest; the doctor said she needs to recuperate.”
Xu He, earnest and worried, nodded: “Alright, quickly take your sister-in-law to rest.”
Before Xu Chuan’s marriage, they had divided the household, not on friendly terms. Without today’s events, his wife and mother might still be estranged.
He carried Cheng Baozhu to the village edge, their silhouettes lonely and somber.
“Poor thing,” someone murmured.
“Yes, how could the Cheng family brothers-in-law, having received 180 coins as a bride price, act so disgracefully…”
Xu Chuan, overhearing, smiled subtly and shook Baozhu gently on his back: “Cheng Baozhu, I’ll get back the 180 coins for you, but you have to share half with me.”