“Don’t you feel wronged?”
“You kindly saved my life, yet instead of receiving even a word of thanks, you ended up being forced into marrying me.
I may be the daughter of a wealthy family, but I was never favored at home.”
“You’ve seen it yourself. My stepmother gave me six dowry chests, but they were filled with nothing but worthless junk.
Other than one hundred taels of silver and those gold-plated copper ornaments, I own nothing.”
“My father has never been particularly fond of me, and my stepmother wishes nothing more than to grind me into the dust.
If you think marrying me will earn you any help from my family, then you’re mistaken.
They won’t help you in the slightest.”
“On the contrary, although I grew up under strict treatment, my status meant I was still raised as a young lady.
I don’t know how to cook or do farm work. Marrying me brings you far more disadvantages than benefits.
So… would you consider divorcing me?”
Everything Shen Yihuan had said before was merely building up to that final sentence.
She looked at Jiang Changfeng expectantly, hoping to see agreement in his eyes.
Instead, although his face remained as expressionless as ever, she caught the faintest trace of amusement in his gaze.
What the…?
What’s that supposed to mean?
Her heart pounded. Looking at the solid muscles hidden beneath Jiang Changfeng’s clothes, she couldn’t help wondering whether, if she punched him, he would cry out in pain first—or if her hand would break first.
Just then, Jiang Changfeng suddenly stood up.
Shen Yihuan immediately looked at him warily.
He walked toward her.
She instinctively tried to flee.
But before she could, he wrapped an arm around her waist and effortlessly swept her up into a bridal carry.
“Ah! Put me down!”
She pounded wildly against his chest, only to end up hurting herself so badly that tears nearly sprang to her eyes.
Good grief! What on earth did this man grow up eating?
Why are his chest muscles so hard?!
Jiang Changfeng paid no attention to her feeble resistance. He simply carried her over and gently tossed her onto the bed.
“What are you doing?”
The moment she was free, Shen Yihuan scrambled backward, clutching the blanket as she retreated into the corner of the bed.
She was genuinely frightened.
She didn’t want to consummate her marriage with a complete stranger.
Seeing how terrified she was, Jiang Changfeng softened his expression and lowered his voice.
“You’re my wife. I won’t divorce you. And you don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you.”
Shen Yihuan pouted, unconvinced.
Men’s promises are the biggest lies.
“If we divorce, I’ll give you my entire dowry.”
She laid out her bargaining chip.
One hundred taels of silver was a considerable fortune for the Jiang family.
She couldn’t believe he wouldn’t be tempted.
But reality disappointed her.
Jiang Changfeng remained completely unmoved. Instead, his expression darkened as he said coldly,
“We’ve only just gotten married, and you’re already asking for a divorce. Do you really regard our marriage as nothing more than a joke?”
Startled by his stern tone, Shen Yihuan shivered. Thinking he might not have heard her clearly, she repeated herself.
“I’m saying we should divorce. I’ll give you all of my dowry.”
Jiang Changfeng stared into her clear, dark eyes, filled with fear, and suddenly understood.
She looked down on him.
That was why she was so determined to leave him.
The realization stung.
Even so, he had no intention of letting her go.
“We’re already husband and wife. I will not divorce you.”
He repeated himself firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Shen Yihuan immediately fell silent.
She didn’t dare bring it up again.
She was afraid that if she angered him, something unpredictable might happen.
After composing herself, she deliberately softened her tone.
“I’m not feeling well. I’d like to rest tonight.”
Curled up in the corner of the bed, her dark eyes shimmered with a thin layer of tears, like a frightened fawn caught in a gentle rain.
Anyone who saw her couldn’t help but feel protective.
Jiang Changfeng’s breathing hitched for a moment, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
After a long silence, he answered hoarsely,
“All right.”
Only then did Shen Yihuan relax a little.
What he didn’t know was that she had secretly been controlling a kitchen cleaver inside her mysterious space with her mind. If he had tried to force himself on her, she had already resolved to fight him to the death.
Fortunately, he agreed.
Jiang Changfeng blew out the oil lamp.
Shen Yihuan heard him take off his clothes before lying down on the pallet beside the bed.
He remained perfectly still, keeping a proper distance.
She didn’t dare lower her guard. She planned to wait until he fell asleep before sleeping herself.
After all, she’d slept most of the day and wasn’t particularly tired.
So she waited.
And waited.
Until the entire house fell silent.
Eventually, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Her head tipped to one side, and she fell asleep almost instantly.
In the darkness, Jiang Changfeng slowly opened his eyes.
Holding his breath, he listened carefully until he was certain Shen Yihuan was truly asleep.
Only then did he quietly rise and gently pull the blanket up over her.
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating her fair face like polished jade.
Her long eyelashes cast delicate shadows upon her cheeks. Her breathing was soft and steady as she slept peacefully, like a night-blooming cereus quietly blossoming beneath the moon—pure, serene, and untouched by the world’s dust.
Jiang Changfeng simply stood there, gazing at her with endless tenderness.
The joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He had fallen in love with her at first sight.
She was the wife he had married through a proper ceremony. They had bowed before Heaven and Earth and paid respect to their ancestors.
For the rest of her life, she could only be his wife.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The loud pounding on the door jolted Shen Yihuan awake.
“Shen Yihuan! The sun’s already high in the sky, and you’re still sleeping? You lazybones!”
It was Jiang Lanxin, sounding thoroughly exasperated.
Shen Yihuan opened her eyes and instinctively felt around herself.
Fortunately, her clothes were still neatly on.
She was also alone in the bed.
Seeing the bright sunlight pouring into the room, she realized it really was quite late.
“Shen Yihuan! Get up! Don’t even think about slacking off!”
Jiang Lanxin continued pounding on the door.
“I’m coming!” Shen Yihuan called back.
Only then did the knocking stop.
“Hurry up and come to the kitchen to tend the stove!”
Shen Yihuan went into her space to brush her teeth and wash her face before heading to the kitchen.
She pretended to wash up outside first, then leisurely sat down in front of the stove under Jiang Lanxin’s hostile glare.
Lighting a stove was easy for her.
She had livestreamed rural life before, so she knew exactly how to do it.
But the original owner didn’t.
So she deliberately stuffed a huge armful of firewood into the stove, nearly smothering the flames.
“Oh, move aside!”
Watching in frustration, Jiang Lanxin shoved her away, quickly pulled out the excess wood, poked the fire a few times, and the flames immediately burned brightly again.
“Do you even know how to tend a fire? Are you deliberately trying to make sure my brothers come home to no dinner?”
Jiang Lanxin made no attempt to hide her hostility, speaking without the slightest restraint.
Shen Yihuan sneered.
“Of course I don’t. My family had servants whose only job was tending the fire. All I ever had to do was eat the meals they prepared.”
“You!”
Jiang Lanxin glared at her angrily.
“I knew you were a vicious woman!
Otherwise, why would you have chosen the exact moment my eldest brother passed by to jump into the river?
You did it on purpose!”
Shen Yihuan found the whole thing baffling.
Why did Jiang Lanxin have such deep resentment toward her?
Could she possibly have a brother complex?