“You little wretched brat, how dare you disobey me! Believe it or not, I will sell you to that filthy mute whose husband died on the back mountain!”
A sharp voice exploded within the dilapidated thatched cottage. A handsome young ge’er dressed in patched coarse clothes held his palm high, his features twisted with malice as he prepared to strike down. In the corner directly opposite him crouched a little boy whose face was covered in wounds.
Yet at that exact instant, the viciously sneering young ge’er froze in place.
Jiang Queyun stared blankly at the scene before him, unable to process what was happening for a while. Had those biting, venomous words truly come out of his own mouth?
He instinctively covered his lips. His gaze fell upon his coarse palms and the patched sleeves of his robe, only then realizing that he seemed to be dressed in costume drama attire, and an exceptionally ragged one at that.
Could he have been set up by someone?
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit him. He clutched his bandaged head and was forced to endure the rush of foreign memories flooding into his mind.
Only then did he realize that he had joined the old-fashioned trend of transmigrating into a book.
Oh, and he had even transmigrated into a vicious cannon fodder who had committed countless evils.
He had never actually finished reading this eye-searing book. Because the vicious cannon fodder in the early chapters acted up far too much, he truly could not stomach it. He had only read a few chapters and knew nothing of the subsequent plot.
However, all books of this genre followed the same formula. It was nothing more than the vicious cannon fodder being punished by the righteous protagonists, while the two main leads lived happily ever after together.
It was a very cliché story. Still, perhaps because the content was rather unhinged, many people had cursed it back then.
Yet he had been a good boy; he had never left hate comments, so why on earth did he end up transmigrating into the book?
How does this logic make any sense at all?!
Worse still, the original host had truly committed far too many wicked deeds. Rumor had it that his ultimate demise was even more tragic than Bo Yikao’s. Horrific things like eating one’s own flesh were things he had only ever seen in television dramas and novels!
Oh right, he was literally inside a novel right now.
He was that very same notorious, vicious cannon fodder!
Ha, ha!
Letting out two bitter, miserable chuckles, Jiang Queyun had no choice but to accept reality. He looked toward the little boy in the corner. Even though the child was only six or seven years old, the gaze he directed at him brimmed with intense hatred.
This boy was none other than the beloved biological son of the protagonist gong, cherished as the apple of his eye. The protagonist gong traveled far and wide as a merchant to make a living, which was why he had reluctantly wed the original host and left behind some silver for him to care for his precious son.
Now, this precious child looked thoroughly battered, his face pale as a sheet. He looked as though he might faint at any second, yet he still remained guarded against him.
Jiang Queyun felt like he was about to faint too.
“Precious, hold on for a bit! I’ll find a doctor to check on you in a moment!” Eager to make amends, Jiang Queyun tried to search for a clean rag. Yet no matter how much he rummaged around, he found nothing. Instead, he gained a far deeper understanding of this household’s situation.
Poor.
Utterly destitute and penniless.
Four bare walls kind of poor.
“I will go find a doctor right now!” In a fluster, Jiang Queyun awkwardly hurried toward the door.
“No need for your fake kindness! Who knows if you’re really looking for a doctor or trying to drug me again!” Lu Yu’s voice sounded immature, yet it was laced with gloom and deep disgust.
He could not match Jiang Queyun’s taller stature, and even though he frequently endured beatings, he had never backed down from talking back or cursing in return. The harder Jiang Queyun beat him, the more fiercely he hurled curses back.
Despite his tender age, he exuded stubborn resilience. Even when beaten to the ground, his backbone had never snapped, and he had never once yielded or begged for mercy.
Only then did a fragment of memory surface in Jiang Queyun’s mind.
The original host’s cruelty was truly hair-raising. He had indeed drugged Lu Yu before. Naturally, it had been roots dug up from the back mountain, boiled down into medicinal water and force-fed to him, giving Lu Yu severe diarrhea for an entire day until he nearly collapsed from dehydration.
It was only because a neighbor had once received kindness from the protagonist gong, Lu Hanbai, that they stepped in. Fearing Lu Yu might actually fall fatally ill, that neighbor kindly brought over a bowl of anti-diarrheal herb brew for him to drink.
Even though it was not his doing, Jiang Queyun still felt guilty and ashamed. At the end of the day, he was currently occupying the original host’s body, so he had to shoulder the infamy for the time being.
“Why are you falsely accusing me? I don’t intend to drug you this time. What I did before was wrong, so please don’t hold a grudge against me. Don’t mention this to your father either, alright?” Jiang Queyun parted his lips into an ingratiating smile.
Jiang Queyun was undeniably good-looking. In the words of the villagers, he possessed a seductive, enchanting beauty, so much so that every household had to remain on guard against him luring away their men. Fortunately, Jiang Queyun never engaged in scandalous affairs; he was purely bent on tormenting people with unadulterated malice.
Ever since he entered the Lu household, he had incessantly beaten and scolded the child. Even the most beautiful face would turn grotesque when warped by fury. Yet right now, speaking gently and softly while smiling warmly, describing him as more delicate and radiant than a blossom would not be an exaggeration.
However, Lu Yu, who had suffered frequent beatings, clearly had no intention of appreciating this beauty. Instead, his disgust and wariness only deepened. In his memory, Jiang Queyun rarely smiled; every time he had smiled in the past, it meant he was about to torment him.
Lu Yu glared at him with dark, sunken eyes without saying a single word. If he chose to believe Jiang Queyun, he would truly deserve to be tormented.
Jiang Queyun pursed his lips. The wicked deeds committed by the original host were far too numerous to count. If he suddenly brought all this up with Lu Yu now, it was inevitable that the child would not believe him. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so he decided it was better to remain quiet.
He decided to simply mimic the original host and ignore him for now. This entire room of chaos was still waiting to be cleaned up.
On the battered square table sat filthy bowls and chopsticks, with flies buzzing around them. On the wooden stool beside it lay a pile of dirty clothes stained with obvious grime. The floor beneath was made of bare dirt, scattered with bits of food residue.
Jiang Queyun took one look, his stomach turned instantly, and he covered his mouth to dry-heave twice.
“Just how did he manage to make it like this?” Jiang Queyun furrowed his brows, raising three fingers while using only his thumb and index finger to gingerly and swiftly stack the bowls and chopsticks together. “Can we just throw all of this away?”
He really did not want to wash dishes.
Lu Yu’s small face tightened, his downcast eyes brimming with indignation and loathing. There were only a few bowls in the entire house. Every single time he washed them clean, Jiang Queyun would soil them again. Now, this person actually dared to act disgusted by the dirt?
Who was he putting on this ridiculous show for!
Besides, the household was desperately poor, and these utensils had not come easily. If they were thrown out, making new ones would consume tremendous time and effort. Did he think his father’s copper coins and precious time were simply blown in by the wind?
Though resentment surged intensely inside his heart, Lu Yu did not dare utter a word, terrified that Jiang Queyun might suddenly fly into a frenzy. Left with no choice, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing arms covered in bruises and cuts. He snatched the bowls and chopsticks straight from Jiang Queyun’s hands and took them out to the courtyard to wash them.
Jiang Queyun breathed a sigh of relief, though he also felt somewhat embarrassed. He trotted over a couple of paces behind him and praised, “What a diligent child! Go ahead and wash them then. Or better yet, I’ll stand by and watch you wash! I’ll keep you company!”
One had to provide adequate emotional value!
No matter what he said, Lu Yu maintained a cold, stony expression without offering any response.
Had this been the original host, a slap would have landed on the boy’s cheek long ago. But Jiang Queyun could never bring himself to do such a thing; he was no violent maniac.
Lu Yu was well accustomed to doing these chores. He quickly washed the bowls and chopsticks clean and meticulously put them away in the kitchen. He completely ignored the person following behind him, though suspicion lingered in his heart. He wondered what kind of fit this person was throwing now, having surprisingly refrained from wandering around outside.
“Stop following me. All the silver in this house has already been taken by you to give to your maiden family. Not a single copper coin is left.” When Lu Yu said this, he glared at him fiercely like a young wolf cub. That was all hard-earned money his father had labored for!
“You, you little brat, stay out of adult matters! Let me warn you, if you keep talking like that, I’ll discipline you!” Jiang Queyun pointed at him with a threatening tone that lacked real bite, only to realize that pointing at people was rude, so he quietly curled his finger back into his palm.
He simply did not know what else he ought to do.
At times like this, the original host would brazenly run to other people’s fields to take advantage of them. Setting aside the fact that he could never bring himself to do such shameless deeds, the weather was already approaching summer, making him even more reluctant to step outdoors.
A flash of surprise crossed Lu Yu’s face. To think this person had only scolded him in such a quiet voice. Normally, he would have been slapped and beaten by now. Could it be that he had damaged this vicious ge’er‘s head when he struck him?
Jiang Queyun’s perception of pain was somewhat abnormal. He did not feel there was anything wrong with having gauze wrapped around his head; that faint twinge of discomfort did not bother him much.
Seeing Lu Yu lift a wicker basket onto his back, he instinctively asked, “Where are you going?”
Lu Yu did not want to waste his breath on him. Glaring at him with extreme distaste, he walked out with the wicker basket on his back.
A pampered person who never labored and could not distinguish between different grains would naturally have no idea that the mountains were filled with wild greens and fruits at this time of year. All the food in the house had already been consumed by Jiang Queyun, so Lu Yu had to venture into the mountains to forage; otherwise, they would starve in the days ahead.
Jiang Queyun stared blankly at the boy’s retreating back. Without a second thought, he chased after him, remembering to shut the wooden fence gate before leaving.
“Wait for me!”
Don’t leave me alone in that rundown shack where it feels like a ghost could appear at any second!
Jiang Queyun tried speaking to him several times along the way, but received no response. By all rights, he should have felt annoyed, but the moment he recalled his future fate, he dared not get angry.
This boy was the protagonist gong’s precious biological son!
The best strategy was to first curry favor with this family and change their perception of him. Afterward, he could arrange a divorce and take his leave. That way, he could preserve his meager life, and then figure out a way to return home. He certainly could not spend the rest of his days in a desolate place where birds wouldn’t even bother to drop their feathers.
When other people transmigrated into books, they became top-tier nobility, whereas he transmigrated just to become someone who deserved to die. He truly could not muster a smile.
Haha.
Lu Yu thoroughly detested Jiang Queyun, even wishing he would drop dead outside as soon as possible. But since he had wounded Jiang Queyun with a rock today, the man could die anywhere outside, just not in his home, by his hand, or before his very eyes.
Because of this, he kept an eye on Jiang Queyun the entire time. Catching a glimpse of him looking alternately cheerful and miserable through the corner of his eye, he concluded that this household-wrecker must have lost his mind.
Lu Yu pulled his gaze away. An inadvertent glance caught sight of wild vegetables nestled within a patch of lush greenery, and he immediately trotted forward.
Jiang Queyun, trailing behind him, was startled, assuming the boy was trying to ditch him. He hurriedly rushed forward as well. Yet just as he drew close, his foot slipped unexpectedly. He went sliding forward and swept right into Lu Yu, sending the boy flying straight into an old, abandoned pit trap.
“Ah!” Lu Yu could not help but cry out in pain.
“Lu Yu!” Jiang Queyun scrambled and crawled to the edge of the pit on all fours. Looking down, he saw that Lu Yu’s thigh was drenched in blood, pierced through by a sharpened wooden stake.
“Lu Yu, I’m sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose! Are you alright? I’ll figure out a way to pull you up! Talk to me, please don’t die!”
Terrified out of his wits, tears streamed down Jiang Queyun’s face uncontrollably. He glanced around frantically, trying to locate the sturdy vines so often depicted in novels, but found none.
“Help! Somebody help!” he cried out in sheer helplessness.
At this time of day, the mountains of Beihe Village were filled with villagers gathering wild greens and inspecting their crops. Hearing the panicked screams, they all rushed over. Upon seeing that it was Jiang Queyun, their initial instinct was to ignore him, but once the faint cries for help reached their ears from within the pit, they scrambled in a flurry to carry out a rescue.
“Jiang Queyun! I think you’ve completely lost your mind! How could you push Lu Yu into a trap?! If anything happens to his leg, let’s see how you’ll compensate for it!”
“Yun-ge’er, we used to think you were merely acting out of childish petulance, but doing something like this is far too wicked! He is only seven years old, how could you harbor such murderous intent!”
“Utterly vicious! We could barely tolerate your routine beatings and verbal abuse, but now you’re actually trying to take a life! A household-wrecker through and through; we ought to drag you straight to the magistrate’s yamen to have your head chopped off!”
The surrounding village women chimed in one after another with harsh accusations. Jiang Queyun initially wanted to defend himself, since it truly had been an accident, yet the fault ultimately traced back to him. Saving Lu Yu was the only matter of true importance right now.
He hastily wiped away his tears and paid no heed to the torrent of rebukes. His entire focus was fixed on Lu Yu. Only when the boy was finally pulled to safety did Jiang Queyun breathe a genuine sigh of relief.
He scrambled over at once, his tear-filled eyes brimming with concern. “Lu Yu, are you alright? I truly didn’t mean to do it.”
“Get out of the way already! We must find the village doctor to examine him immediately. What a repulsive sight, what kind of person are you!” A village woman shoved him aside.
A sturdy village man hoisted Lu Yu onto his back without delay, hurrying down the mountain to seek the village doctor.
Jiang Queyun’s heart leapt into his throat. He staggered along closely behind them, the weight of guilt nearly suffocating him.
“What happened here?!”
“It’s lad Bai who has returned! Hanbai, oh Hanbai! Your son was pushed into a trap by this vicious wretch! We must hurry to the village doctor’s place to treat him!”
Jiang Queyun looked blankly at the newcomer. That tall, imposing figure stepped in front of him, a stark chill settling over his resolute and handsome features as he locked his gaze onto Jiang Queyun.
“I truly should have killed you sooner!”