Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 16

Looking at the five large characters Ying Su had just written on the ground, they were indeed much prettier than those written by Dazhuang earlier. The boy’s black, shiny eyes rolled, and he immediately flattered, “Mommy, you’re amazing! Your writing looks so much better than Dazhuang’s!”

Ying Su hooked her lips in satisfaction and chuckled. “Of course. At least you’ve got some taste!” She looked as proud as if her tail were about to curl up to the sky, showing not the slightest shame about comparing handwriting with a child.

“Then, Mommy, can you teach me to read and write too?” The little bun tugged lightly at Ying Su’s sleeve. His small face lifted with anticipation, and his black, pearl-like eyes shone with hope.

Seeing his eager expression, Ying Su nodded. But in her heart, she was already planning: once she earned some money in a few days, she would send the little bun to school.

Excitement appeared on the little bun’s face. His mouth stretched into a wide grin as he laughed happily.

Ying Su rubbed his cheeks. “It’s just learning words, and you’re this happy?”

The little bun quickly reined in his smile and said seriously, “The villagers always say only those who can read can really achieve something great. I don’t care about being someone important in the future. I just want to learn to read so I can earn more money, so Mommy can have a good life.”

Ying Su’s heart warmed at his words. It was as if a small ripple had spread across the lake of her heart. Looking at the characters the little bun had written on the ground, her eyes deepened with resolve. She was determined to make money and send him to school.

Only now did she truly realize she was really going to raise a child. Like a real mother, she would devote herself to teaching him how to live, how to behave, and raising him into adulthood.

“It’s late. Mommy still has to go to town tomorrow, let’s go to sleep.”

She took the little bun by the hand and led him inside. The “straw bed” on the ground had already been redone by her. Looking at the old, dirty, and musty bedding, she silently noted to herself, ‘Tomorrow in town, I must buy two new quilts.’

She signaled for the little bun to go to bed first. Then, Ying Su went to pour out the used bathwater from the tub, scooping it out with a wooden basin until the bucket was empty. After tidying up, she returned to the room, only to see the little bun’s thin body curled up on a pile of straw in the corner instead of on the “bed” she had made.

Ying Su frowned. Suddenly, memories of the past flashed in her mind. The original owner of this body, Shen Cuihua, hadn’t liked the little bun at all. She never let him come near her. Whenever he did, at best she muttered nonsense, and at worst she would hit him. Because of this, he had gotten used to sleeping curled up alone in the corner at night.

Shen Cuihua must have harbored resentment and vented it on the child. Even after she went mad, she still disliked him. But what fault did the little bun have? If Shen Cuihua hadn’t been weak and gullible, how could she have been tricked into being sold to a brothel?

Gently, Ying Su carried the little bun from the corner into her arms, laid down on the bed with him, and pulled the damp, tattered quilt over them both. She closed her eyes.

At midnight, moonlight filtered through the gaps of the thatched hut, falling onto their faces, making their sleeping expressions look soft and peaceful. Suddenly, Ying Su opened her eyes. Her black pupils gleamed faintly in the dark.

Carefully, she slipped out of the little bun’s embrace and tucked the quilt securely around him. Moving lightly, she opened the door and stepped outside.

It was about one in the morning. The moon hung high like a silver plate, its bright light washing the land like water. Carrying two wooden buckets, Ying Su walked softly toward the river behind the thatched hut.

Once at the riverbank, she set the buckets down and glanced around. The entire mountain village was asleep. At this hour, no one should be at such a remote spot. She filled both buckets with water, then quickly removed her shoes and leapt into the river.

Splash! With the sound of something heavy falling into water, ripples spread across the surface. Under the moonlight, they shimmered like fine silver silk.

A shadow swiftly passing in the night paused at the sound. The figure halted, hidden in the darkness, silently watching the riverbank.

Though it was already May, the river at midnight was still cold. The shock of the water slowed Ying Su’s movements, but once she adapted, she swam freely like a fish.

By the faint moonlight, she could just make out shadows in the water. Though visibility was poor, it didn’t affect her sharp and precise movements in catching fish.

Since the little bun had forbidden her from going into the river during the day, she had already decided she would come at midnight while he slept. Here, she could catch fish from the Dongjun River to sell in town for money.

To put it bluntly, her current situation was like a land left in ruins waiting for rebuilding. The household was dirt-poor. Everything needed buying, and everything needed money. With her skills, earning in this era wasn’t difficult, but she didn’t want to return to her old profession, living by the blade, drinking blood. After all, she had the little bun with her now. Fighting and killing weren’t suitable anymore.

Besides, she’d had enough of that life. Since she had a second chance, why not live like an ordinary person? A stable, peaceful life, wasn’t that good enough?

With her past skills, it didn’t take much effort for her to catch fish. One by one, fish flew into the wooden buckets, their tails arcing through the air. If anyone had been watching, they would’ve been stunned, these fish were far too easy to catch!

And indeed, they were. Because the Dongjun River was deep, villagers dared not approach, so the fish here had no sense of danger. They grew fat and large, not wary at all, and were easily caught.

At the foot of Mount Dongjun ran a stream that flowed into this river. Villagers usually fished in the shallow stream, but since the water there came from the mountains, there weren’t many fish. They didn’t know the fish in the Dongjun River were the truly big and fat ones.

Ying Su enjoyed herself thoroughly, wanting to catch more for tomorrow’s trip to sell in town. But her body began to fail her. After all, Shen Cuihua’s body had never been trained. The icy water was too much, and she could no longer bear it. Ying Su had to stop. Anyway, there were plenty of fish in the river, it wasn’t as if she had to get them all in one night.

Climbing ashore, she wrung water from her clothes. The buckets were filled to the brim with wriggling fish. Because of the crowding and lack of oxygen, the fish flopped about, splashing water everywhere.

Ying Su’s lips tugged into a smile. Her beautiful face was touched with satisfaction. Washing her pale feet in the river before putting her ragged shoes back on, she spoke to the fish, “Dead early or dead late, you’re all going to die anyway. Being caught and sold for money at least makes your deaths worth something. Like the saying goes, ‘Die early, reincarnate early.’ So stop struggling!”

Hidden in the dark, the shadow who had been watching her lowered his gaze to her face, delicate but not fragile, beautiful but not vulgar.