Chapter 43: She Truly Loves Him to Death

“What trouble could it be? Anyway, she can’t find a way out of here. Following me is still better than ending up in a place like that.”

Xu Wei sounded annoyed. This Shen Qian wasn’t like the women who had passed by before. Though she had been married once, she had at least been an official’s daughter.

That had to make a difference—he was reluctant to let her go.

“No. We can’t take that risk.”

Village Chief Xu still refused. Outside, Jiang Wan was confused. What kind of place were they talking about? What exactly were they planning?

“Grandpa!”

Xu Wei’s eyes lit up. “Think about it—Shen Qian may have been exiled, but she was once an official’s daughter. Whether in terms of talent or looks, she’s way better than any village woman. If she gives me a child, it’ll definitely be extraordinary.”

These few words made the village chief hesitate. “You make a good point. Let me think it over.”

The woman’s bloodline was better than the others, but it was still risky.

“Anyway, you better decide soon. They’re leaving early tomorrow morning—we’ll need to act fast.”

Xu Wei left the room in a huff. Jiang Wan turned and swiftly left as well. The whole way back, she was deep in thought—what exactly were they planning to do?

When she got back to their little hut, she found Madam Song already cleaning up the bed and stove with the children.

“Wow, fish!”

Song Jiuli’s eyes sparkled when she saw the fish in Jiang Wan’s hand. She swallowed her saliva hungrily.

Back in the prince’s manor, the royal chef could make all kinds of fancy fish dishes, but even then she had never craved it like this.

“It rained heavily for several days, and the stream overflowed. Some fish got washed up. I picked these up by the creek.”

Jiang Wan casually made up an excuse and handed the fish to Song Jiuyuan to clean.

He didn’t do much all day, so this was a rare chance for him to feel useful—Jiang Wan was more than happy to let him have it.

“You’re so lucky! I’m going to look outside too—maybe I can find some.”

Song Jiuchi immediately made a dash for the door, looking eager.

“Come back!”

Song Jiuyuan coldly stopped him. “It’s already dark. No running around!”

Jiang Wan had taken a long time returning, and he had been worried sick. He deeply hated his own weak body at that moment.

The more helpless he felt, the more he hated the people who made him this way!

“Don’t go yet. I have something to say after dinner.”

There were some things Jiang Wan didn’t want to keep from them. She wasn’t like those characters in dramas who do good deeds without saying a word and then get misunderstood in the end. What was the point of having a mouth if not to speak?

“Okay…”

Song Jiuchi trudged back reluctantly and helped start the fire. Jiang Wan stood nearby, giving verbal instructions to Song Jiuli.

“Big sis-in-law, should I add more water?”

Song Jiuli cautiously cooked the dish. She couldn’t eat plain rice forever. Since Jiang Wan was willing to teach her, she had to seize the chance.

Meanwhile, Madam Song was steaming rice on the side. Before long, dinner was ready: boiled fish and a wild herb salad.

The aroma was amazing. Song Jiuli sniffed the air and couldn’t help but sigh, “It smells so good… I never thought I could cook something like this.”

Her words made Madam Song’s eyes misty. Her children used to live like nobility—never lifting a finger. Now they were so hungry they were ecstatic just for a decent meal. In the end, it was her fault for being useless as a mother.

“Well then, you better practice more from now on.”

Jiang Wan was thrilled that Song Jiuli enjoyed cooking—she was hoping to offload this chore entirely in the future.

“Mm! I’ll work hard.”

Song Jiuli smiled sweetly, looking much cuter now that she was more mature and sensible.

After going through hardship, growth was inevitable.

“Let’s eat.”

Jiang Wan tried a piece of fish. The taste was mediocre—nothing like royal cuisine—but at least it was edible.

Since she had already eaten earlier, she wasn’t hungry. So she gave her portion to Song Jiuyuan.

“Husband, you’re still recovering. You need to eat more to get better.”

In the original novel, Song Jiuyuan had profound martial arts skills. Jiang Wan still wanted him to recover—when that happened, no one would dare mess with the Song family.

“This is enough.”

Song Jiuyuan cast a deep glance at her and sighed.

She truly loved him to death. She wouldn’t even eat a little bit herself, just so he could have more.

How could a grown man let a girl go hungry?

So he pushed the fish slices back into her bowl. “Dear, you’ve been working hard. Eat more.”

The back-and-forth between them left the other three dumbfounded. Wait… their relationship is this close?

After a few rounds of protest, Jiang Wan noticed everyone’s gossipy stares. Her ears turned red, and she quickly put down her chopsticks.

“I’m really not hungry. An old lady outside gave me a pancake earlier—I’m totally full.”

With that, she quickly shoved the fish back in front of Song Jiuyuan and rushed into the room.

Song Jiuyuan: …

He looked at her retreating figure, eyes full of emotion. She definitely said that just to make me feel better about eating more.

“Big brother, what are you thinking about?”

Song Jiuli waved her little hand in front of him. He snapped out of it and mumbled, “Nothing.”

“Yuanyuan, Wanwan treats you so well. You must cherish her.”

Madam Song was more and more satisfied with Jiang Wan and was afraid her son might take her for granted.

For the first time, Song Jiuyuan didn’t argue. He just lowered his eyes and ate the fish in front of him.

The fish was tender, and the broth rich. How could this kind of fish just be picked up by the creek? She must have gone out of her way to find it.

She had gone through so much just to help him recover. He had even misunderstood her earlier… how could he have been so wrong?

Jiang Wan had no idea what Song Jiuyuan was thinking. After everyone finished eating, she came out.

“Li’er, leave the dishes for later. I have something to tell all of you.”

She sat back at the table and repeated everything she’d overheard at the village chief’s house.

“I don’t know exactly what they meant, but my gut tells me it’s nothing good. What do you all think?”

“You’re probably right. They definitely don’t have good intentions.”

Song Jiuyuan frowned, tapping the table with his fingers, eyes deep in thought.

Madam Song sighed. “Should we tell the officials about this?”

Just their family alone couldn’t fight back against something like this.

“I’ll go.”

Jiang Wan stood up and reminded them, “Wait for me to come back.”

She left the house and went looking for Ren Bang and his group. They were also staying at a villager’s home nearby.

When Jiang Wan arrived, Xiao Deng had just finished eating. He was happy to see her.

“Big Sister Jiang, have you eaten yet?”

“I have. Can you ask Brother Ren to come out? I have something to discuss with him.”

Jiang Wan was anxious and didn’t have time to chat, but Xiao Deng didn’t mind. He quickly brought out Ren Bang.

“Brother Ren, I need to talk to you.”

Jiang Wan felt the curious stares of the people inside the house and lowered her voice.

“There’s something strange about this village.”

“What makes you say that?”

This time, Ren Bang didn’t say whether he believed her or not—he clearly wanted to hear her reasoning.