Even Jian Xiaoqiang felt a twinge of guilt when he said those words aloud. He had originally planned to sell Jian Jia to the wealthy Landlord Zhang in town as a concubine, yet he had not expected someone to come forward with an even higher bride price. Although Hunter Qin lived deep in the mountains more than twenty li away and his family was so poor that they barely had anything to their name, compared to becoming the concubine of a man past sixty, Jian Xiaoqiang considered this a far better marriage.
Jian Jia halted in her steps. “A good marriage?”
Jian Xiaoqiang cleared his throat. “Of course. I specially sought this match for you. Hunter Qin is tall and sturdy, and his family owns several hills…” Thinking that once Jian Jia followed Hunter Qin she would find it difficult even to return home, the anger in Jian Xiaoqiang’s heart dissipated somewhat.
The Jian family might appear respectable, but they were ultimately adopted into it. With Jian Jia as the rightful daughter, the things in their possession could never truly be brought into the light.
Jian Jia cast a cool glance at her elder brother and elder sister-in-law. Although she already knew how the plot would unfold, she still found herself speechless at the smug satisfaction on Jian Xiaoqiang’s face.
Seeing Jian Jia turn and leave, He Xiaohong pointed at her retreating back and said with a sneer, “Look at that attitude when you’re around. If you weren’t here, she’d already be tearing the roof off the house.”
Jian Xiaoqiang shook off He Xiaohong’s hand and followed behind Jian Jia at an unhurried pace, dragging out his words. “Whether you agree or not, this marriage has already been settled. Hurry up and tidy yourself tonight. The groom’s family will arrive early tomorrow morning, so don’t disgrace the Jian family.”
He had already accepted the bride price, how could he possibly allow Jian Jia to back out now?
Before he had even finished speaking, a flash of cold light skimmed past Jian Xiaoqiang’s cheek. He sluggishly touched his face and turned around in confusion. “What just flew past?”
When he saw the kitchen cleaver embedded upright in the dirt behind him, a chill shot up from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. “A knife?!”
The thing that had flown past him just now had actually been a sharp blade. Had Jian Jia gone mad? She actually dared to attack him with a knife.
A wave of belated fear washed over him. That blade had nearly struck his face. Both shocked and furious, he shouted, “Jian Jia! How dare you!”
Before he could continue his tirade, Jian Jia had already rushed out of the kitchen with another cleaver in hand. The sharp blade went straight for Jian Xiaoqiang’s neck as killing intent blazed in her eyes.
“Elder brother like a father? Elder sister-in-law like a mother? Spare me. As if the two of you deserve it!”
Shrill screams erupted from the courtyard.
“Murder!”
“Don’t come over here!”
Just as Jian Jia had expected, her elder brother and elder sister-in-law were the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong. The moment she turned forceful, they lost their nerve. Before the cleaver even touched them, the two had already scrambled out of the courtyard in a panic. Their reactions were quick as well. Afraid that Jian Jia might escape, they even remembered to lock the courtyard gate in their haste.
After all, Hunter Qin was coming to “marry” Jian Jia tomorrow. Nothing could go wrong tonight. As long as dawn came and Jian Jia stepped out of the courtyard, the fifteen taels of silver would belong to them.
Once the pair had left, only Jian Jia remained in the large house. The croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects drifted in from every corner, while the choking scent of burning wheat straw lingered in the air. Had it been the original host, she would have been too frightened to leave her room, yet Jian Jia felt that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to gather some valuables to take with her tomorrow.
Taking advantage of the remaining light, she lit the oil lamp. Calling it a lamp was generous. It was merely a palm sized dish filled with half congealed animal fat, with a soot blackened wick as thick as a chopstick standing upright within it. Once lit, the wick produced thick black smoke, and the bean sized flame burned dim and yellow. Every time she saw it, Jian Jia could not help but miss the bright electric bulbs of the modern world.
The lamp was greasy and filthy, making it inconvenient to move. The stingy He Xiaohong only added a small spoonful of lard to it each day, so the lamp would burn for less than half an hour before going out.
Under the dim yellow light, Jian Jia opened the largest cupboard in the kitchen. Inside were some rough bowls and plates, among which the most conspicuous item was half a basket of greyish yellow flatbreads. Made from coarse grain flour mixed with water, wheat flour, and a little salt, they were dry and rough to the point of being difficult to swallow.
These were the “delicacies” her cheap elder sister-in-law had specially made for her. Jian Jia took one out and knocked it twice against the cupboard door, leaving two shallow dents behind.
Jian Jia fell silent.
These rock hard flatbreads could be used as concealed weapons. She might as well not eat them at all.
After putting the flatbread back, her gaze landed on a locked wooden cupboard nearby. Ever since her elder brother and elder sister-in-law moved into the Jian household, this cupboard had been locked. The original host had a vague idea of what was inside, yet she had never dared to open it.
After smashing the lock open in a few quick strikes, Jian Jia inhaled sharply. “Well now.”
There were indeed quite a few good things inside. Aside from lard, refined flour, and rice, there were also a fair number of eggs, and she even found a bowl of half eaten meat. No wonder her elder sister-in-law only ate half a flatbread each day. She had clearly been cooking extra food in secret.
After looking through the cupboard, the starving Jian Jia decided to make egg fried rice.
She was not the helpless original host who knew nothing about cooking. As a food blogger, she would certainly not mistreat herself when conditions allowed it.
She greased the wok with lard before cracking three eggs into it. Once the eggs were fluffy and glistening with oil, she added a large bowl of leftover rice, sprinkled in some salt and a little soy sauce, then finished it with a handful of chopped scallions. Soon, a bowl of fragrant egg fried rice was ready.
It was the best meal she had eaten since transmigrating. Although He Xiaohong had overcooked the rice into a mush, it did not hinder her skills in the slightest. Feeling the egg fried rice slide smoothly down her throat, Jian Jia was so moved that she nearly cried. Not having coarse grains scraped at her throat was simply wonderful.
Only after filling her stomach did she have the energy to properly explore the original host’s home. Sure enough, she discovered quite a few useful items. For instance, she found more than a dozen one foot long white candles in her elder brother and elder sister-in-law’s room.
The light from the candles was brighter than that of the oil lamp and easier to carry around. With their help, Jian Jia searched the entire house.
Aside from the side room used as the kitchen, the original host’s home had five other rooms. Three were occupied, while the remaining two served as storage rooms. In the corner of the larger one was a stack of seven or eight newly made pieces of antique style furniture. These were the dowry her parents had prepared for her. Though her elder brother and elder sister-in-law coveted them, they did not yet dare to make use of them openly.
Jian Jia’s gaze fell upon a camphorwood chest about two chi squares. She knew that inside it was a wedding dress, painstakingly sewn by the original host stitch by stitch.
Opening the chest revealed a brilliant red wedding dress. Seeing the embroidered phoenix soaring across the lapels, Jian Jia could not help but sigh. The original host might have been wrong in many ways, yet her love for Xu Lingsheng had been genuine. Through countless days and nights spent in her boudoir, she had stitched her hopes for the future and her love for the man in her heart into this red dress with shy anticipation.
Sadly, the original host would never wear it to marry her beloved, and Jian Jia would never don a garment that carried someone else’s expectations. From now on, the dress would only lie at the bottom of the chest. Aside from storing it carefully, there was nothing more she could do for the original host.
After closing the camphorwood chest, Jian Jia began to consider how she might transport the furniture. Furniture in this era was made from solid materials, and she certainly could not move it alone. Fortunately, the Jian family had a handcart, and with careful arrangement, it should be able to carry everything.
For the rest of the night, Jian Jia busied herself loading her dowry onto the handcart. In her spare moments, she boiled half of the eggs from the cupboard and made some oil flatbreads from the refined flour. The road ahead tomorrow would be long, so she needed to prepare in advance.
Once she had packed away the valuables and loaded all the dowry she could onto the handcart, she finally cleaned herself up and climbed into bed. She did not lose sleep over what would happen the next day. Exhausted, she fell asleep almost immediately, the sweet aroma of oil flatbreads lingering in her dreams.
As dawn broke, the sound of dogs barking came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by the voices of her elder brother and elder sister-in-law.
“Quickly, please come in.”
Jian Jia turned over and rose to her feet. The moment her feet touched the ground, the drowsiness in her eyes vanished, replaced by clarity.
With smiles plastered across their faces, Jian Xiaoqiang and He Xiaohong ushered a short, plump old woman dressed in dark red into the courtyard. Her face was caked with exaggerated makeup, and an ear piercing laugh spilled from her lips the moment she spoke.
“Where’s the bride? Bride, the groom has come to fetch you!”
Jian Xiaoqiang tugged lightly at Granny Qian’s sleeve. “Auntie Qian, everything’s been taken care of, right?”
Granny Qian covered her mouth with a handkerchief and lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, it’s all registered. Everything’s been handed over to Hunter Qin. How about your side? Did she make a fuss?”
Jian Xiaoqiang rubbed the tip of his nose and glanced toward Jian Jia’s room with some embarrassment. “It should be settled as well…”
Jian Jia dressed herself unhurriedly before stepping out of the room. Standing on the threshold, she looked down at the three people in the courtyard with an expressionless face.
The moment Jian Xiaoqiang and He Xiaohong saw her calm demeanor, they could not help recalling how she had chased them with a cleaver the previous night. Whether out of guilt or fear, both instinctively took a step back.
Unaware of what had transpired the night before, Granny Qian hurried forward with a beaming smile, her polite words spilling out endlessly.
“What a lovely bride. You and the groom are truly a match made in heaven.”
As a matchmaker, Granny Qian would take on any job as long as she received her fee. In this era, marriages were arranged by parental command and a matchmaker’s word. There were many men and women who already had someone in their hearts before marriage, yet how many could truly end up with the one they loved?
Granny Qian had seen plenty of brides who cried, kicked up a fuss, or even threatened suicide on their wedding day. Someone as expressionless as Jian Jia was nothing unusual. The marriage contract had already been finalized. No matter how unwilling Jian Jia might be, she would have to leave with Hunter Qin shortly.
She continued to chatter, “You’re truly blessed, bride. The groom is handsome and skilled, and most importantly, you’ll be the mistress of the household as soon as you enter the family.” Seeing Jian Jia remain silent, Granny Qian beckoned toward the gate. “Groom, don’t be shy. Come in and take a look at your bride.”
Jian Jia raised her eyes just as a man stepped through the doorway.
He was tall enough that he had to lower his head to pass the threshold. As he inclined his head, Jian Jia caught sight of the tense line of his jaw. Then he lifted his gaze, and a pair of inscrutable eyes accurately locked onto the young woman who was studying him in turn.
The moment she saw his face clearly, Jian Jia’s fingers tightened involuntarily. She knew Qin Yi. In the novel, he was a taciturn brute whose fierce aura alone was enough to frighten the original host into holding her breath. Yet seeing him in the flesh made her feel that the novel’s description was far too shallow. How could he be called a mere brute? If she had to describe him, she would say he was like a sharp dagger concealed within its sheath.
Qin Yi’s dark hair was tied back with a simple band, with a few loose strands falling over his forehead and brows. Even so, the cold severity and indifference in his eyes still struck straight toward her.
Jian Jia felt as though the little calculations in her heart had nowhere to hide beneath Qin Yi’s gaze. She averted her eyes, yet could still feel his scrutinizing stare resting on the side of her face.
No one spoke. The barking of dogs outside snapped the awkwardly smiling Granny Qian back to her senses. She flicked her handkerchief and took a couple of small steps forward, whispering, “Say something to her.”
Qin Yi did not look at Granny Qian. His gaze remained fixed. His eyesight was excellent. Even prey a hundred meters away could be seen clearly, so the fleeting fear and tension that had appeared on Jian Jia’s face naturally did not escape him.
Young, inexperienced, timid. He should be the one to save her.
A few seconds later, Qin Yi raised his hand and deftly removed the dagger from his waist, bending to tuck it neatly into his boot.
He took two steps forward, and Jian Jia immediately felt a stronger sense of pressure than before. She lifted her head and met his gaze, clenching her teeth.
Perhaps sensing that his stare was not very friendly, Qin Yi lowered his eyes and asked in a low voice, “Have you finished packing?”
His voice was deep and hoarse, yet strangely reassuring.
Jian Jia gave a slight nod. “I’ve packed everything.”