Fortunately, the original owner was ugly and Shen Qiyue was young, so the two were able to escape alive.

Although they had escaped, the two were lost and confused. In the end, they could only follow the refugees aimlessly, hoping to find a way to survive in a place not yet ravaged by locusts.

The two endured wind and rain along the way, initially managing to snatch wild vegetables and tree bark from the refugees to fill their stomachs, thanks to the original owner's strength.

There were too many refugees, and there wasn't enough wild vegetables to eat, so the two of them went hungry most of the time.

The original owner was once so hungry that he ate some grass he didn't recognize, which resulted in diarrhea for two days and he almost didn't make it through.

Shen Qiyue was so thin from hunger that she looked like she was only six or seven years old, despite being nine years old.

The original owner wandered around, trying to find a way to survive, but the towns with slightly better conditions simply wouldn't take in refugees like them, leaving them to drift and fend for themselves.

After several setbacks, the original owner had no choice but to place all her hopes on the male lead, taking Shen Qiyue around to inquire about his whereabouts, hoping to have someone to rely on after finding him.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye, and they still have nothing to show for it; food is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Just when they were about to collapse, the original owner saw someone taking her child and exchanging it with another family, the purpose of which was to eat it.

At first, the original owner was quite frightened, but as food became increasingly difficult to find and her stomach grew hungrier, and there was still no news of the male lead, her gaze toward Shen Qiyue grew colder and colder.

Later, she ruthlessly replaced Shen Qiyue, which led to her terrible end.

After sorting through the memories in her mind, Yan Xiao's first reaction was to look down at her current situation.

He saw that he was wearing coarse linen clothes that were not much better than Shen Qiyue's, and a pair of worn-out straw sandals on his feet.

I rolled up my sleeve and looked at the skin on my arm. Sure enough, it was unusually dark, just as I remembered.

Strangely enough, the original owner's memories began when she became the male protagonist's child bride at the age of seven, and her memories before the age of seven were all blank.

Moreover, in my memory, she was just a little dark-skinned when she was a child, but not bad-looking.

But as she grew older, her skin became darker and darker, and small dark spots slowly appeared on her face, making her so ugly that she didn't want to look at herself anymore.

However, these are not the things that Yanxiao is concerned about right now.

'I...I've transmigrated into a book? And I've become the male lead's wicked first wife who deserves to die a horrible death? This...this is just too good to be true...'

"Hehehe~ That's great, God is being kind to me~"

Yan Xiao was so excited that she burst into laughter, and she couldn't stop laughing even when tears were streaming down her face.

The scene terrified Shen Qiyue, who was already feeling anxious and fearful, so much so that she trembled and didn't dare to utter a sound.

Yan Xiao wasn't forcing a smile; she was genuinely happy. Anyone who had spent a few years in a zombie-infested apocalypse would have reacted the same way.

Although we are currently fleeing famine, compared to the apocalypse, this place is simply paradise.

In the apocalypse, food and water are extremely scarce. Not only is there no food, but people also have to constantly face attacks from zombies and theft from other survivors.

Low-level superpowered individuals like her can only eke out a living in the cracks, their future uncertain.

Although we are now in an ancient world with little regard for human rights and in a time of chaos, Yan Xiao believes that surviving is much easier than living in the apocalypse.

Putting aside everything else, just look at the locusts that terrify the people; in her eyes, they're like delicious kebabs!

And those strange insects that suddenly appeared in the river—what kind of divine punishment poisonous creatures were they? They were clearly plates of fragrant, spicy crayfish!

The ancients didn't know how to appreciate goods, but she did!

As for her identity, although she transmigrated into a vicious female supporting character who deserved to die a horrible death, the time she transmigrated was not yet beyond redemption. Wasn't the male lead's sister still alive and well?

In her eyes now, Shen Qiyue was no longer just a little girl; she was her meal ticket for the rest of her life!

Given the male lead's grateful nature, all she needs to do now is to live well with Shen Qiyue and find the male lead, and her future decades will be secure, right?

She didn't care about being the male lead's first wife; her dream was roast chicken, roast duck, and a big bowl of braised pork.

As for the man, if the female lead likes him, just give him to her. With the kind and virtuous character that the author of this book has set for the female lead, she'll be so moved that she'll treat him like royalty.

She was truly fed up with the uncertainty of where her next meal would come from and the constant threat of death.

Although she has now transmigrated to an ancient world without human rights and is in a chaotic era, and her life as a refugee seems no better than that of someone living in the apocalypse, as long as she is careful and cautious in getting through the current difficulties, the day she finds a powerful patron will be the day she can live a carefree life.

Yanxiao felt more and more beautiful as she thought about it, and drool was almost dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Shen Qiyue, who had been observing her, turned pale with fright when she saw her reaction.

She thought Yan Xiao was so hungry that she had changed her mind and didn't want to exchange herself with anyone else, so she planned to eat her directly.

Just as Shen Qiyue had this thought, she saw Yan Xiao approaching her and reaching out to grab her.

Shen Qiyue was so frightened that she wanted to back away, but her legs were tied too tightly. As soon as she made a move, she fell to the ground. Now she was truly a fish on the chopping board.

When Yan Xiao saw Shen Qiyue's reaction, she instinctively paused for a moment, and after a little thought, she knew what Shen Qiyue was thinking.

This made her realize that she hadn't yet found a reasonable explanation for the original owner's behavior.

If this isn't explained clearly, what if this little girl holds a grudge and complains about me to the male lead later? Wouldn't all my efforts have been for nothing?

A losing deal shouldn't be done; a reasonable explanation must be found.

Yan Xiao recalled the original owner's interactions with Shen Qiyue, and after a moment's thought, she came up with an excuse.

She walked up to Shen Qiyue in a few steps, ignoring Shen Qiyue's terrified eyes, and slowly began to untie the ropes binding Shen Qiyue.

While unraveling the document, he said seriously:

"You're scared already? Weren't you always thinking about running away the other day? Without me, you're just meat on someone else's chopping board."

Shen Qiyue thought she was going to die, but when she suddenly heard Yan Xiao's words, she was a little taken aback.

She was stunned for a long time before she found her voice:

"Sister-in-law, aren't you going to use me to exchange for food?"

: That's right, if I had come any later, you would have been cooked already.

Yan Xiao thought to herself, but said fiercely:

"Hmph! I was just kidding you. Don't think I don't know that you've been thinking about sneaking away in the middle of the night for the past few days."

"If I don't teach you a lesson so you'll remember your place, you won't know your own limitations."

Yan Xiao wasn't just making things up. Judging from the original owner's memories, Shen Qiyue had already keenly sensed it when the original owner started thinking about replacing Shen Qiyue.

So several times Shen Qiyue tried to sneak away, but the original owner always noticed.

Now, this has become his excuse.

Yan Xiao, with a serious face, looked at the bewildered Shen Qiyue and, without giving her time to think, continued to speak:

"I haven't heard a word from your brother at all, and I don't even know if I'm a widow now. Besides, even if he were still alive, wouldn't he despise me for looking like this?"

So, no matter how I look at it, I look like a sucker. How can you not get angry when you see me like that?

But Mother raised me for several years, and your brother and I have already sworn brotherhood. No matter how unwilling I am, as the eldest sister-in-law, I have to protect you out of both affection and reason.

Yan Xiao's words were anything but polite, her tone inevitably carrying resentment and disdain for Shen Qiyue.

It was precisely this tone that made Shen Qiyue more likely to believe her; otherwise, if she changed her attitude too quickly upon arrival, it would only backfire.

Moreover, Yanxiao, who had struggled in the apocalypse for several years, had long since become an egoist.

If it weren't for her reluctance to give up the male lead as a long-term source of income, and her unwillingness to create a formidable enemy for herself, she wouldn't have bothered with Chen Qiyue at all.

The thought of having to take care of the child for some time to come filled her with genuine resentment.