The fierce god, the fierce god, the fierce god. He wiped away his tears and began to…
Jiang Queyun was pinned in place by those words.
Panicked and at a loss, he looked at Lu Hanbai, trying to open his mouth to explain, only to find himself pinned by the other man’s cold and disgusted gaze, rendering him unable to say a single word.
“I really didn’t mean to.”
He repeated this phrase over and over, yet this single sentence encompassed the entirety of the truth. He genuinely had not meant to do it.
Lu Hanbai, however, refused to watch his act any longer. Even if he put on a pitiful display and shed a few crocodile tears, he would no longer believe it. It was precisely because he had believed in Jiang Queyun’s pathetic appearance before that he had been deceived time and time again.
No matter how one looked at it, Lu Yu ending up like this today was entirely his fault.
“Whether intentional or accidental, if my son suffers any mishaps, you need only wait for your death.” Dropping this harsh warning, Lu Hanbai picked up Lu Yu and hurried away.
Jiang Queyun initially didn’t want to chase after them. Lu Hanbai’s expression filled him with timidity and dread, but out of concern for Lu Yu’s condition, he had no choice but to silently follow behind them, wondering just how bad the situation really was.
Fortunately, although Lu Yu’s injuries looked severe, they hadn’t reached his bones. As long as the bleeding was stopped and the medicine was changed, it could be considered a misfortune within a great fortune.
A family in the village willing to help was a favor. Lu Hanbai thanked the strong man who had carried Lu Yu on his back, figuring he would send some things over later.
The man didn’t care about such minor matters. Wasn’t village life all about helping and supporting one another?
Lu Hanbai carried the unconscious Lu Yu home. Since he knew how to change the dressings, he could just go pick up the medicine on time later. Too afraid to speak, Jiang Queyun took cautious, pacing steps as he followed them home.
Bundles of luggage were still piled outside the dilapidated thatched cottage. Carrying Lu Yu, Lu Hanbai found it inconvenient to bring the luggage inside, so Jiang Queyun quickly and perceptively picked up the bundle.
He obediently said, “His wounds shouldn’t be jostled. You carry him, and I’ll take the luggage. I won’t rummage through your things.”
Lu Hanbai gave him a repellent and disgusted look, trusting that he wouldn’t dare pull any stunts right under his nose, and walked straight into the house.
Lu Yu’s room was very small but clean, as he usually tidied it up himself. In contrast, the room shared by Lu Hanbai and Jiang Queyun. Fortunately, it had been sorted out a bit beforehand, otherwise there wouldn’t even be a place to set foot.
Jiang Queyun carefully placed the luggage on the wobbly four-legged table, speaking softly, “I really didn’t mean to. I wanted to follow him into the mountains, but my foot slipped and I knocked him right into the trap. I’m sorry.”
“It was my fault,” Lu Hanbai suddenly said in a low voice.
His voice was deep and magnetic. To Jiang Queyun, it ought to have sounded like heavenly music, but instead, he acutely sensed a trace of terror and danger, causing all the hairs on his body to stand on end.
Jiang Queyun’s eyes widened in circles, his shoulders hunching up as he crossed his hands in front of his chest in a defensive posture.
Immediately afterward, Lu Hanbai spoke again.
“It is because I have been too lenient with you. Every time you bullied A-yu over and over, I forgave you just because you apologized, knelt, and begged for mercy. But I have realized I was wrong. A person like you does not deserve to be forgiven.”
Before Jiang Queyun could even react, a pair of powerful hands clamped around his neck. As the grip tightened continuously, his face flushed as red as a liver, his hands frantically clawing at the other man’s arms, leaving bloodstains on both his neck and fingertips.
“Help. Ugh.”
His breath grew thinner and thinner. Jiang Queyun furrowed his brows tightly as two lines of clear tears fell, and he slowly closed his eyes.
There could be no transmigrator more tragic than him. He was going to die on his very first day here. Dying was fine, though. Once dead, he might just be able to go home.
With a thud, Jiang Queyun was tossed onto the floor.
He sprawled miserably on the ground, coughing violently, one hand continuously patting his chest as if desperate to force every ounce of oxygen down into his throat.
Having stood on the brink of death, he was genuinely terrified.
This wasn’t a civilized society governed by the rule of law. He was merely a dependent of this Lu family, someone whose life and death were entirely up to the husband’s family, a venomous wretch who could die in the village without a soul caring.
Why on earth had he transmigrated into such a person? This was too miserable.
Jiang Queyun couldn’t help sobbing quietly. Why should he be the one to bear the evil deeds committed by the original owner? In his normal life, he wouldn’t even dare argue with people and would actively avoid crowds. Coming here to be cursed at and beaten, he might as well just die.
Well, forget that. Death was still too terrifying.
“This is the last chance I am giving you. If you refuse to mend your ways, I will definitely snap your neck and mount your head on the fence to feed the birds!”
“I. Ugh. I know.” Terrified, Jiang Queyun began to sob, his slender shoulders hitching as he looked utterly pitiful.
Frowning, Lu Hanbai gave him one deep look before taking long strides to the small room to check on Lu Yu.
Crouched on the ground with a weak and boneless body, Jiang Queyun had never faced such a direct threat before. It sounded like an idle bluff, but he knew Lu Hanbai meant every word. The man radiated an aura of absolute decisiveness and killing intent.
If he stirred up trouble again, the other man really would feed his head to the birds. Just imagining that scene made Jiang Queyun’s neck feel cold.
Taking a deep breath, he became all the more convinced that the Lu family was no place to stay long-term. He needed to gain the Lu family’s trust first, then look for an opportunity to leave. Though the hope of returning home was slim, he had to stay alive first.
If dying was the only way to go home, couldn’t he just kill himself when the time came? Dying at someone else’s hands was out of the question.
Having successfully consoled himself, Jiang Queyun nimbly scrambled up from the floor. Under the circumstances, it was best not to provoke that fierce god. With the other man’s threat hanging over him, even if he behaved differently from the original owner, it wouldn’t raise suspicion.
He wiped his tears and began setting about tidying the house.
After wiping down the tables, chairs, and benches, sweeping the earthen floor clean, and tossing the dirty clothes into an outside basin, he scrubbed his hands vigorously until the sticky sensation finally washed away.
In the small room, Lu Yu had already woken up.
With a pale little face, he looked at Lu Hanbai and explained softly, “Dad, that troublemaker probably did not mean it. After I fell down, he both cried and called for help.”
He truly disliked Jiang Queyun, but matters had to be distinguished clearly. One should not casually frame someone for something they had not done.
With his dark eyebrows deeply furrowed, Lu Hanbai recalled Jiang Queyun’s pitiful appearance just moments ago. The eyes that usually darted around restlessly had been cast downward the whole time, genuinely looking like someone who had repented in earnest.
Even so, Lu Hanbai did not regret acting that way. He should have taught Jiang Queyun a lesson long ago. In the past, the man’s knees were weak and he would kneel and kowtow at the drop of a hat, which had indeed stirred a few moments of compassion in him.
“I have already taught him a lesson. From now on, he certainly will not dare bully you casually. And as for you, many things should have been discussed with me long ago.” Wearing a stern face, Lu Hanbai lectured the child without sparing him just because he was injured and sick.
“I am not afraid of him anyway,” Lu Yu retorted stiffly. What kind of hero ran off to tattle over trivial matters!
Helpless, Lu Hanbai said, “Just focus on properly recovering your body for this period. Once you are better, I will take you into the mountains to hunt.”
Hearing this, Lu Yu’s face lit up with joy, “Dad, you are not leaving?”
“I will not be running outside for the time being. I have earned some silver this time too, and I figure once your leg heals, I will send you to study at the private school.” Lu Hanbai spoke softly.
He frequently had to travel for business to make money, and every trip lasted three to five months. Even though Lu Yu was precocious, he could not rest easy leaving him home alone, and though he could entrust him to neighboring villagers for care, it was not right to burden others with those chores.
Lu Hanbai had married Jiang Queyun out of sheer helplessness, and to be honest, he had to admit his own selfish motive. Compared to the other coarse and vulgar people, Jiang Queyun was truly striking.
He had indeed heard that Jiang Queyun was lazy and gluttonous, but he did not require the man to do much. He could support the family and provide enough silver. If the man wanted to be lazy, let him, as long as he stayed home and took care of Lu Yu, for that was his sole requirement.
Yet he never expected that even this tiny task would be poorly and inadequately handled.
“I can go to school?” Lu Yu’s eyes shone brightly, a smile blooming across his previously tense face. “Can we afford the tuition?”
“We can afford it,” Lu Hanbai said in a deep voice. “Before I came back, I already spoke with Jujube Village. As soon as your leg injury heals, I will send you over.”
Unable to hold back, Lu Yu curved his eyes into smiles, “Thank you, Dad! I will study hard, earn silver for you in the future when I pass the imperial exams, and find you a new wife!”
Lu Hanbai could not help a smile. It was meaningless to talk about future matters right now. Besides, studying was the most important thing.
If Jiang Queyun could behave himself from now on, he would naturally treat him well in return.
“Lie down, I am going to cook.”
“Thanks for your hard work, Dad!”
With a slight nod, Lu Hanbai turned and stepped outside. The thatched cottage was tiny. The moment he walked out of the small room, he noticed dark, billowing smoke rising from the small shed in the courtyard.
A jolt of shock hit his heart. Was the house catching fire?
Taking two or three quick strides over, Lu Hanbai saw a small, thin figure squatting at the stove opening, frantically adding firewood. The fire was not growing, but dark smoke was certainly billowing out in abundance.
“Jiang Queyun!”
“What are you doing? Trying to burn the house down?”
Surrounded by the thick smoke that brought tears to his eyes, Jiang Queyun felt lingering fear upon hearing Lu Hanbai’s voice. He wiped his face hurriedly and looked up at him.
His pretty, delicate face was smeared with black and white streaks, the tracks of hot tears leaving distinct marks, and the bandaged head added a clumsy touch.
He looked both wretched and comical.
“Cooking a meal, not burning the house down. But I am not very good at making fires, and it is not cooperating at all.” Lifting a hand to wipe his face, he only succeeded in smearing more soot.
How could this compare to the convenience of modern technology?
Watching his appearance, the corners of Lu Hanbai’s mouth twitched. The pathetic sight left him too speechless to do anything but laugh.
On second thought, though, if Jiang Queyun did not even know how to build a fire, yet the grain and rice had been steadily dwindling over this period, who had been cooking the meals and washing the pots and pans? There was no need to guess.
That brief hint of amusement vanished instantly. He should not have felt an ounce of pity for Jiang Queyun!
“Idiots are all just like you.” Glaring at him with a frown, Lu Hanbai spat out, “Step aside!”
Blinking, Jiang Queyun immediately scooted his buttocks over to a small stool nearby, remembering to make an inviting gesture toward Lu Hanbai.
With darkened eyes, Lu Hanbai blew on a fire starter, first adding some easily combustible small dry twigs and continuously feeding more small kindling until the stove caught fire.
Frowning in puzzlement, Jiang Queyun asked, “I was doing it that way too, but my fire would not catch. Why is that?”
“The firewood you added was too heavy. It smothered the nascent flame. You have to start with small twigs.” Disgusted by the man’s stupidity, Lu Hanbai still patiently explained.
If Jiang Queyun could learn these things, he could take care of himself in the future and would not have to remain so gluttonous and lazy until the day he died.
“Then I will make dinner.” Rising to wash his hands and face, Jiang Queyun rolled up his sleeves and began washing the vegetables and rinsing the rice.
Watching his fluid, practiced movements, Lu Hanbai swallowed back his refusal. The way he moved did not look like someone who could not cook. He had probably just been lazy and greedy before.
Jiang Queyun quickly realized the family’s straitened circumstances. There were hardly any rich seasonings, and even meat and vegetables were scarce. The household was so poor that the original owner had practically used up all the rice and flour, yet still whined about being unsatisfied.
He could not help sighing at the pitiful scrap of meat. Did the family have any silver left to buy more? How was a carnivorous high-level animal like him supposed to survive?
Under these conditions, Jiang Queyun did not dare pick and choose, nor did he dare use oil lavishly, terrified of running out of food for the next meal.
Little did he know, households that used oil for cooking in this village were few and far between, nor did he realize that his thrifty demeanor at the moment looked to Lu Hanbai like he was up to no good.
Though items were scarce, the pots and pans were complete. Jiang Queyun steamed some rice and stir-fried two bowls of vegetables, both touched with oil and mixed with tiny bits of meat, making them smell quite fragrant.
“You did not know how to do this before.” Casting a sideways glance at him, Lu Hanbai’s gaze carried a clear undercurrent of suspicion. Even if Jiang Queyun had changed because of his threat, his every movement should not be so vastly different from before.
Blinking, Jiang Queyun gambled on the fact that the man did not truly understand the original owner.
“I was just lazy. Too lazy to do it.”
Delivered with absolute confidence, the explanation neatly accounted for his past behavior.
Stealing a cautious glance at the man, Jiang Queyun could not tell whether he believed it or not.
Pouting, he thought: Fierce god, fierce god, fierce god! Scaring people to death!