Feng Xueqing let out a sharp scream and reached out to smash the mirror.
Yu Yao reacted quickly and snatched back the plastic round mirror.
“Hey, this was the new wedding item Grandma prepared for me and Liang Hui. You can’t break it.”
“You keep saying you’re thinking about us, even kindly fixing our broken door lock—but now you’re smashing things?”
“Feng Xueqing, your current behavior really doesn’t match your ‘beautiful, kind-hearted heroine’ persona.”
“You need to keep pretending—don’t let your image collapse.”
Feng Xueqing had already been pushed to emotional breakdown. Hearing Yu Yao’s sarcastic tone, she nearly fainted from anger.
She had never been this unlucky and humiliated in either of her two lives.
Covering her face, she cried and ran out.
Zhao Chunhua immediately shouted, “Second daughter-in-law, go bring your sister-in-law back!”
The second daughter-in-law put down the kerosene lamp, but was immediately grabbed by her youngest son Mao Dan.
“Mom, I’m sleepy…” The four-year-old rubbed his eyes and yawned, refusing to let go unless she carried him.
Zhao Chunhua stamped her feet anxiously, but the eldest daughter-in-law was heavily pregnant and couldn’t be ordered to go.
“Dajun! Dazhu! You two go bring her back!”
Liang Dajun hesitated. “Is it appropriate for an elder brother-in-law to chase after his younger brother’s fiancée?”
“Go now!” Zhao Chunhua roared.
Liang Dajun ran out first. Liang Dazhu also pushed his bicycle used for working at the forest farm and followed.
Zhao Chunhua and Liang Manchang stayed behind to clean up the mess.
Zhao Chunhua shot Yu Yao a sharp glare.
“Such a small matter, and you made the whole neighborhood uneasy!”
“You from Laosi’s family are really troublemakers!”
“Even Laosi doesn’t control you—he just lets you act up! Something bad will happen sooner or later!”
Liang Manchang drove the onlookers away. “It’s late. Everyone go home!”
Yu Yao frowned. “Second Aunt, even if you’re biased, you can’t lie with your eyes open. Who caused the trouble? Clearly it was your third daughter-in-law.”
“Look at her! She says one sentence, and you’ve got ten waiting for her!” Zhao Chunhua gritted her teeth.
Liang Hui quickly repaired the broken lock and brought the old wooden pole into the west room.
He looked coldly at Zhao Chunhua.
“Watch your daughter-in-law. If she dares sneak into my room again, next time I’ll break her legs myself.”
Zhao Chunhua: “…”
Her daughter-in-law had been beaten for nothing and gained nothing—she was furious enough to explode.
When Liang Manchang and his wife finally left, and the rest of the crowd dispersed, Yu Yao and Liang Hui exchanged a look and smiled knowingly.
The story then shifted back to the moment they had just left the room.
When they went out for dinner, Liang Hui tugged at the loose lock, planning to fix it after eating.
Yu Yao stopped him. “No need to fix it. I’ve already hidden all the valuable things.”
Liang Hui said, “It’s going to fall off sooner or later. Better fix it now.”
In the past, his room only contained junk—nothing worth stealing.
But now that he had a wife, it made sense to secure the door.
“Maybe this broken lock can catch fish,” Yu Yao blinked. “Wait until the fish bites before fixing it.”
And indeed, the broken lock “caught” Feng Xueqing, who fell right into the trap.
Yu Yao took the opportunity to beat Feng Xueqing up hard, settling old and new grudges from both lives—and finally venting her anger.
The dim kerosene lamp lit up the shabby west room, which still didn’t feel like a bridal chamber.
Yu Yao cleaned the room and replaced the bed sheets and pillowcases with new ones.
Liang Hui went to the kitchen, fetched a bucket of hot water and a bucket of cold water.
Feeling his heated gaze, Yu Yao said coyly, “I’m not used to having someone next to me when I bathe.”
Liang Hui raised his handsome chin slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
He turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Yu Yao used a new towel, blew out the lamp, and started washing her hair and body.
Fortunately, Grandma Liang had asked someone to buy enamel basins, soap, and towels—all of which were now useful.
After washing thoroughly, she poured the water outside.
When the lamp was lit again, Liang Hui came back in.
Yu Yao was drying her thick hair with a towel.
People in this era hadn’t been exposed to modern shampoo, so hair was generally thick, black, and glossy.
She picked up a red plastic mirror—and saw the familiar face that looked exactly like her pre-transmigration self.
She couldn’t help but curse Feng Xueqing again in her mind.
Then she looked up.
And froze.
“Ah—you… what are you doing?!”
Liang Hui had just taken off his shirt and was about to untie his belt.
“I’m taking a bath,” he said calmly.
His upper body was bare—defined chest muscles, abs, and strong arms full of masculine power.
Yu Yao instinctively swallowed, which immediately led to a misunderstanding.
“Wait a bit. I’ll rinse quickly,” he said, loosening his belt.
Yu Yao: “……”
Did he think she was impatient?
She quickly looked away, but his powerful, sculpted body kept flashing in her vision.
Too distracting. Too dangerous.
Her mind was a mess of thoughts.
From the moment she arrived in this world, she had been fighting fate and hadn’t seriously thought about her relationship with Liang Hui.
She thought they were comrades-in-arms in hardship—two people surviving together.
But she had ignored one important fact: they were already husband and wife.
Husband and wife were allies—but also people who slept in the same bed.
Yu Yao wasn’t ready for that.
While she was lost in thought, Liang Hui had already finished washing.
He tidied himself, locked the door, and blew out the lamp.
A faint scent of soap filled the air as he climbed onto the bed and approached her.
Yu Yao quickly raised her hand against his chest.
“Wait.”
“What? Don’t want me to touch you?” His voice turned hoarse and slightly dangerous.
So she really was treating him as a stepping stone after all.