Chu Jiaojiao felt a bit despondent.
She lay on the hard wooden bed, her gaze hollow and lifeless as she stared at the leaky eaves.
It was raining outside, and a faint chilly breeze blew in, carrying a hint of coldness.
But Chu Jiaojiao’s heart was even colder.
She still couldn’t believe the fact that she had transmigrated!
She had been here for seven days now, ever since a hunter rescued her from the hands of human traffickers.
He wanted her to stay and be his wife, but she was unwilling.
So, he spoke harsh words to her, threatening her.
At the thought of this, Chu Jiaojiao was overcome with grief and let out a loud, wailing cry.
Her life was too bitter.
She was originally a full-time novelist who wrote books at home. She had died suddenly after staying up too late to finish her word count.
She never expected to unexpectedly transmigrate.
The original owner of this body shared her name—she was also called Chu Jiaojiao.
She was originally the concubine-born daughter of the Minister of Justice’s household, born from an illicit affair between Minister Chu and a maid.
Not long after her mother gave birth to her, she died of melancholy. Her father also ignored her, leaving her with a lowly status in the Chu household, even worse than a servant. She suffered constant bullying at the hands of the legitimate daughter, Chu Qingqing.
Chu Jiaojiao had always endured in silence until she finally caught Chu Qingqing in a compromising position. She discovered that Chu Qingqing was having a secret affair with Li Yunjin, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Chu Qingqing had long been betrothed to Zhao Tianyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Now that she was having an affair with another man, such a scandal would ruin her if it ever got out.
However, Chu Jiaojiao was too foolish. She used this matter to threaten Chu Qingqing, wanting to trample her underfoot.
To cover up this scandal, Chu Qingqing grew murderous. She schemed to invite Chu Jiaojiao out of the manor for an excursion but secretly hired a group of assassins to kill her.
Chu Jiaojiao was hunted down and fled all the way, nearly being kidnapped by human traffickers until she encountered a hunter who saved her on a whim.
Who would have thought that just as she escaped the wolf’s den, she would enter the tiger’s lair?
With a “creak,” the door was pushed open. A tall, large man walked in. His face was covered in stubble, making his features hard to discern, leaving only a pair of dark eyes that looked exceptionally bright and spirited.
Hearing her crying, Qi Tushen’s body stiffened. He really didn’t know how to coax a woman, so he simply roared with a fierce expression, “What the hell are you crying for? I haven’t even done anything to you. If you keep crying, I’ll give you something to cry about!”
Chu Jiaojiao’s face turned pale, and she was so frightened she didn’t dare to cry anymore.
Qi Tushen carried a bowl of porridge and came up to Chu Jiaojiao. With a stern face, he said, “Alright, stop crying. What’s there to cry about? I won’t eat you! You don’t know the first thing about gratitude. If I hadn’t saved you, you would have been sold long ago.”
Looking at the porridge in his hand, Chu Jiaojiao remained stiff and did not move.
“Eat for me! Don’t even think about starving yourself to death!”
Fearing she would refuse to eat again, Qi Tushen felt he had no choice but to pull her into his arms, frightening her so much that she stared at him in terror.
“Open up!”
Qi Tushen used a spoon to gently scoop some porridge and held it to her mouth, still maintaining that fierce demeanor. “I’ve never fed anyone before. You’d better behave, or don’t blame me for being rough.”
Terrifying!
Even feeding someone was this aggressive!
How could Chu Jiaojiao dare to disobey? With her lips trembling, she cowardishly opened her mouth.
Qi Tushen patiently fed her spoonful by spoonful, trying his best to slow down his movements for fear of being too crude and hurting this delicate-looking little woman.
“Cough, cough, cough!!”
However, Chu Jiaojiao still accidentally choked!
This rude and overbearing country brute!
Once the bowl of porridge reached the bottom, Qi Tushen turned and left. Chu Jiaojiao sat up with lingering fear, surveying the dilapidated earthen house before her. The walls were pitted and uneven, and water leaked from the eaves, dripping down mixed with mud.
The furnishings in the room were also quite simple and shabby—just an old table, a few stools, and a small wooden bed.
Animal pelts hung on the walls, and a faint scent of blood could be smelled.
In the corner, there was a pile of messy junk.
Chu Jiaojiao couldn’t take it anymore.
She had to escape!
This was truly no place for a human to live!
“I’m going out to hunt. You stay home and don’t run around! Otherwise, I’ll break those thin little legs of yours!”
A moment later, Qi Tushen returned, taking the bow and arrows hanging on the wall into his hands. He spoke gruffly, looking altogether menacing.
Hearing this, a chill ran down Chu Jiaojiao’s spine. She curled into a ball in the corner of the bed and nodded quickly, her voice as faint as a mosquito. “Don’t worry, I won’t run away. Besides, I’m just a weak woman, delicate and frail. Even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t possibly get out!”
Pah!
I’d be crazy not to run!!
Who wants to stay with a barbarian like you forever!
She still wanted to live for a few more years!
The only reason she said that was to lower his guard.
These words indeed had an effect. Qi Tushen’s expression softened slightly as he said in a low voice, “It’s good that you know. Wait for me to come back at home! I’m leaving!”
As soon as he left, Chu Jiaojiao made a face at his back. Once there was no more movement outside, she nimbly got out of bed and peered through the crack in the door.
No one was there!
If not now, when!
Unfortunately, heaven does not always grant human wishes!
Her heart filled with joy, Chu Jiaojiao tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked from the outside. She immediately broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety.
If she didn’t escape, she would eventually be tortured to death by this man.
She couldn’t really be his wife and have a bunch of children for him, could she?!
Just thinking about having children with a barbaric man like Qi Tushen gave Chu Jiaojiao goosebumps all over.
She would be the master of her own life!
She must not let herself degrade like this! At this thought, Chu Jiaojiao turned her gaze to the windowsill. She moved a stool, stood on it, and nimbly climbed up.
The window was made of paper.
It broke with a single poke.
Sunlight shone on Chu Jiaojiao’s face. The rain outside had stopped, and the sun had broken through the clouds.
All things were reviving, full of vitality.
Everything seemed full of hope!
Qi Tushen, goodbye!
She was going to be reborn!
Chu Jiaojiao jumped down decisively, nearly spraining her ankle, but she couldn’t care less and immediately began running for her life.
It was currently summer, and even though it had just rained, the air was still a bit muggy.
Lingxiu Village was located deep in the mountains, and the roads here were rugged and uneven. The path was truly difficult to walk.
Chu Jiaojiao moved forward, running for several miles until her feet were blistered. She was panting with exhaustion and already drenched in sweat.
Seeing that it was almost dark, Chu Jiaojiao really couldn’t walk anymore. She looked back.
Since she had run so far, Qi Tushen probably wouldn’t be able to find her for a while. Her feet hurt so much she truly couldn’t move.
Thinking this, Chu Jiaojiao relaxed slightly. Gasping for air, she found a tree to rest in the shade, sitting down to rub her aching heels.
What kind of worldly suffering was this!
This damn useless body!