Ji Qiuyang had unconsciously passed judgement on Jiang Jingyi. Noticing his gaze, Jiang Jingyi found it inexplicable and said. “Mother, it rained last night, I don’t want to go.”
Ji Qiuyang squinted. Was this woman playing hard to get?
“It sounded heavy last night, but the rain wasn’t actually much. Go ahead, and while you’re at it, pick some mushrooms. I’ll make you mushrooms soup for dinner.” The Old Lady Ji said with a smile as she prepared a sickle, rope and a bamboo basket. “Off you go.”
What a perfect opportunity to nurture their relationship.
Ji Qiuyang didn’t argue. He planned to take this chance to question her about her matters. For the past few days, two versions of Jiang Jingyi had been incessantly debating in his mind. If he didn’t get to the bottom of it soon, he’d end up with a headache. There was evidence suggesting the current Jiang Jingyi wasn’t the same as before, yet her occasional flirtatious behavior contradicted that theory. It was better to clarify things. Even if she didn’t tell the truth, he could at least form a rough judgement.
Tempted by the prospect of fresh, tender mushrooms, Jiang Jingyi uncharacteristically swallowed her retort. However, her reluctant demeanor, in Jiang Qiuyang’s eyes was merely a ploy to capture his attention, after all, since their marriage, Jiang Jingyi had done such things more than once.
Ji Qiuyang returned to his room and changed into a set of short, coarse clothing. His jet-black hair was wrapped in a square cloth atop his head. If one ignored his overall bearing, he could easily pass for a rural farmer. But his aura too distinctive, the moment he stood there, he commanded attention, making it impossible for anyone to mistake him for a mere peasant.
Jiang Jingyi was squatting in the yard, and her eyes lit up when she saw him come out.
With that face and that physique, even dressed in beggar’s clothes, he would probably still look good!
Jiang Jingyi’s appreciative gaze carried a hint of lechery. Ji Qiuyang happened to catch it as he looked over, and his brow immediately furrowed. His suspicions wavered again—this look was exactly like before!
“Let’s go.” Ji Qiuyang said this aloofly, slinging the basket on his back, taking the sickle and rope, and heading out first. Jiang Jingyi snapped out of her lecherous thoughts and quickly hurried after him. Had she just scared him?
Yingtao, with great tact, didn’t follow and even cheered her young mistress on, whispering, “Go for it, miss.”
Over there, Jiang Jingyi was struggling to keep up from behind. Seeing Ji Qiuyang’s long strides, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. “Husband, could you slow down a bit and consider us short-legged people?”
Ji Qiuyang up ahead suddenly stopped. He turned his head and glanced at her legs, partially hidden under her skirt, nodding in agreement. “They really are quite short.”
Hearing this, Jiang Jingyi nearly spat out blood. This hopelessly dense straight man, no wonder he couldn’t find a wife at the advanced age of twenty. One sentence from him would probably scare any girl off.
Well, except for the original owner.
Jiang Jingyi puffed out her chest and said, “So what? My body proportions are excellent. Curvy in the front, shapely in the back, soft and flexible. Want to compare?”
“You… you! Utterly vulgar.” Ji Qiuyang’s face reddened. He didn’t dare provoke this woman any further and quickly walked ahead. However, he did slow his pace, clearly taking Jiang Jingyi into consideration.
Seeing him at a loss, Jiang Jingyi was in a good mood. She walked over and asked him, “Husband, do you know your mushrooms?”
Ji Qiuyang hummed in affirmation, unwilling to say more.
“Oh.”
The conversation died.
At the foot of the mountain, some villagers were also taking their children up to pick mushrooms. Seeing the young couple heading up, they smiled and said, “Qiuyang, taking your wife up the mountain to pick mushrooms?”
“Yes, Aunt Cui.” Ji Qiuyang greeted her politely and then moved on. Jiang Jingyi smiled at the woman and hurried after him.
Even after walking quite a distance, Jiang Jingyi could still hear Aunt Cui saying to someone, “As expected of a girl from a prominent family, her smile is truly beautiful.”
Not tired of compliments, Jiang Jingyi caught up to Ji Qiuyang and tugged his arm. “Do I have a nice smile?” she asked, flashing a big grin.
Ji Qiuyang frowned, glancing at his arm that Jiang Jingyi was holding. “Let go when you speak. Don’t pull and tug in public.”
Jiang Jingyi let go nonchalantly. “I understand. I’ll pull you when there’s no one around.”
“You!” Ji Qiuyang was instantly annoyed. “Please don’t forget our original agreement.”
“What agreement?” Jiang Jingyi said deliberately. “Oh, sorry, I forgot. I take it back.”
With that, she walked ahead.
Ji Qiuyang was furious and resolved to keep his distance from this woman. Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Jingyi had already become immersed in the beauty of nature.
In her later life, Jiang Jingyi had traveled quite a bit and climbed many mountains, but she had never experienced such pristine beauty as what lay before her. The trees grew naturally, the grass was wild and untamed, yet everything radiated a sense of natural harmony. Jiang Jingyi had already forgotten what she’d just said. She lifted her skirt and went to pick flowers.
It was early summer, and flowers bloomed across the mountainsides. Last night’s rain seemed only to have lightly moistened the earth without making it sticky. Jiang Jingyi picked a handful of wildflowers and casually tucked one behind her ear. After walking a few steps, she suddenly noticed Ji Qiuyang had fallen silent. Turning around, she saw him looking at her thoughtfully.
Jiang Jingyi frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ji Qiuyang shook his head and walked on. “Let’s go.”
The main task today was to cut vines, but where to find the vines meant following Ji Qiuyang. Jiang Jingyi played as she walked. After trekking for a while, the soles of her shoes became damp. She found herself longing for shoes from her later life, even a pair of rain boots would have been better.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Qiuyang, walking quickly, turned around to see Jiang Jingyi using a stone to scrape mud off the sole of her shoe.
Seeing her just making it worse, Ji Qiuyang simply put down his basket, grabbed a few leaves, and quickly wiped most of the mud off Jiang Jingyi’s shoe.
Feeling both surprised and flattered, Jiang Jingyi suddenly clutched her chest and said, “You… why are you being so nice? You wouldn’t be planning something improper now that we’re alone, would you?”
Hearing this, Ji Qiuyang felt a vein throb in his forehead. He said exasperatedly, “Even if I did plan something improper, do you think I’d succeed?”
Remembering her physical strength in this life, Jiang Jingyi was momentarily speechless, then broke into a sly smile. “If you really did plan something improper, I’d definitely lie back and not resist.”
With that, she shot him a flirtatious glance. “Come on then, big brother~”
Her voice was laced with seduction, nearly making Ji Qiuyang’s heart skip a beat. His heart pounded wildly as he looked at Jiang Jingyi’s face, pursed his lips without speaking, turned back, shouldered his basket, and strode off ahead.
Behind him, Jiang Jingyi laughed mischievously. “So pure, I love it.”
Ji Qiuyang suddenly whirled around, gritting his teeth. “Jiang Jingyi, shut up!”
Jiang Jingyi made a zipping motion across her lips to indicate she’d be quiet, but the triumphant smile on her face was impossible to hide.
They walked further inward. Instead of vines, they spotted quite a few mushrooms and fungi. Jiang Jingyi had learned some basics and roughly knew which were edible and which weren’t. She picked the safe mushrooms and tossed them into the basket, along with clumps of fungus.
Watching her, Ji Qiuyang frowned again. “A young lady from a prominent family can tell which mushrooms are poisonous?”
Jiang Jingyi’s hand, which was picking mushrooms, paused momentarily. She looked up at him in surprise. “Can’t a young lady from a prominent family know that? Young ladies from prominent families also eat and sleep. Is knowing mushrooms some kind of privilege exclusive to you country folk?”
Her argument was deliberately unreasonable, but inwardly, Jiang Jingyi’s thoughts were churning. Ji Qiuyang was indeed suspicious of her. Fortunately, she had prepared for this earlier. Although she felt no one would believe her even if she told the truth, keeping Ji Qiuyang guessing seemed rather amusing. She really didn’t want to admit it so easily.
Ji Qiuyang, hearing her deliberately confounding words, frowned even deeper. His bright, dark eyes fixed on Jiang Jingyi, as if trying to see right through her. After a moment’s deliberation, he stated with certainty, “You’re not the original Jiang Jingyi.”
He used a tone of certainty. Jiang Jingyi was a bit surprised, but then she smiled. “Husband, what are you saying? I don’t understand.”
“No, you do understand.” Ji Qiuyang didn’t intend to stop there. “The original Jiang Jingyi was mean, malicious, narrow-minded, and… not very bright. But you’re different.”
Ji Qiuyang had only meant to test her initially, but the more natural Jiang Jingyi’s expression became, the more suspicious he grew. At this moment, he was almost certain of his theory. “The change probably started on the night of our wedding. The old Jiang Jingyi used to look at me with a blatant, almost devouring gaze, but your expression at the time seemed full of disbelief. Let me guess, that was when you first arrived in that body? If that’s the case, it all makes sense. You’re not the original Jiang Jingyi, which is why you easily let me off the hook. Whether it’s sprouting beans, making tofu skin, your excellent cooking skills, or recognizing mushrooms, it all fits. That means you already knew these things, and after inhabiting Jiang Jingyi’s body, you still possess this knowledge.”
Listening to Ji Qiuyang’s logical analysis, Jiang Jingyi felt a sense of shock. What surprised her even more was that his expression didn’t show the fear or terror one might have towards an anomaly, but rather a look of understanding.
This man wasn’t just handsome, he was also incredibly smart. She found herself drawn to him—what should she do?
She forced a smile. “That doesn’t prove I’m not Jiang Jingyi.”
“Although you enjoy teasing me, and deliberately try to make contact, your approach isn’t lewd, instead, it’s laced with mischief and playfulness.” Ji Qiuyang’s face reddened slightly when he mentioned ‘teasing.’ As a gentleman, it wasn’t proper to use such a word, but the Jiang Jingyi standing before him might have an identity beyond his expectations, so he said it anyway.
His probing gaze didn’t waver. “You can argue, you can say you’re still the old Jiang Jingyi, but others might believe it—I won’t.”
“You are not the original Jiang Jingyi. Who are you really?”
**
The author has something to say: Jiang Jingyi: I’m your soft and beautiful wife~