1 Chapter 1
"Madam Cheng, we've been robbed!"
Puyang City, Baoqing Hutong.
It was mid-spring, and the cold wind in the early morning was still biting. There were still ridges of snow at the base of the shady wall.
The charcoal fire in the room had long been extinguished, and there was not much heat left in the hot water bottle inside the quilt. The daylight finally broke in through the double-layered window, and everything in the room gradually became clear.
Cheng Mu, who was lying dead on the earthen kang, could no longer bear it and sat up.
No one could have imagined that she had transmigrated into an online novel she had just read and became Jiu Niang, the sixteen-year-old concubine's daughter of the Cheng family who ran away from home.
The heroine in the original book is the reborn legitimate daughter of the Cheng family, who has the upper hand. Cheng Jiuniang, as the daughter of the villain's concubine, is a perfect comparison group for the heroine. She is both pretentious and stupid. The result of her failure in the house fight is that the concubine was tortured to death, and she was forced to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather.
Cheng Jiuniang escaped from her marriage and left home to come to Puyang City to seek refuge with Zhou Mao, who had once wanted to marry her.
By this point, the plot has reached its conclusion. The heroine has married a good man, wielded power, and embarked on a path of court struggle. Cheng Jiuniang is effectively dead, and the author has revealed her ending in one breath. After she escapes, her father reports her death to the authorities and cancels her household registration. Having once despised being Zhou Mao's wife, she now eagerly strives to be his concubine, yet she remains trapped in the shackles of the legal wife's position. Abandoned by her father and disliked by the man she relied on, she finds herself stranded and destitute, with nowhere to go. Within a few years, she tragically dies.
Cheng Mu was not a courageous person. On the first night after she came here, she recalled her original memories and recalled the direction in the book. She closed her eyes and ears, not daring to act rashly. She endured the dry night and finally made it to dawn.
She got off the kang and walked to the maroon-painted square table. She supported herself on the edge with one hand and picked up the brown teapot with the other, pouring herself a glass of water.
The water was as cold as ice. It slid across my throat, and my chest suddenly felt cold, as if a hole had been broken in it, and wind was blowing in.
The Cheng family cannot go back, and the path chosen by the original body cannot be taken. He is helpless and lives in a completely unfamiliar dynasty.
…
It was already dawn outside, and the landlord Jiang's voice, like a loud bell, could be heard from afar.
"Madam Cheng!" "Madam Cheng..."
This two-story courtyard was rented by the original body on the day he arrived in Puyang City.
As luck would have it, the first person she asked in Baoqing Hutong was the landlord, Mrs. Jiang. Her husband and son were managing the farm in the countryside, while she was in the city, looking after the house. She had relocated the original back house to live there and set up a shop, selling groceries. The other two rooms were rented to a mother and daughter, both of whom were taciturn. The mother spent her days sewing, and the daughter often sat on a stool by the door sharpening her knife, which looked quite intimidating.
Jiang was a good talker. After finding out that she was the only one living there, she had to tell her the advantages of renting the house. First, the people living here were all women, and her servants were busy at the farm and couldn't come back easily. Second, the brokers had to take a commission, so it was more cost-effective for her, the landlord, to rent the house directly. Third, the alley was quiet, and the family members upstairs worked in the government office, so those scoundrels wouldn't dare to come and mess around. Fourth, she did some odd jobs, so it was convenient to contact her if anything happened.
These were exactly what the original owner wanted, as she urgently needed a safe place to stay.
"Madam Cheng, we've been robbed!"
Finally hearing what Jiang was shouting, Cheng Mu put down her teacup and quickly walked out of the room.
At this time, Jiang stood in the inner courtyard, with an imposing aura. She held a person in her hand and shouted at Cheng Mu who was coming towards her: "Madam Cheng, is this the girl you brought back yesterday? Did you invite a thief in?" She took a deep breath and showed a golden hairpin to Cheng Mu, "Isn't this your hairpin? Go and see if there is anything missing from your room!"
Jiang's tone was as if the thief had stolen her things, and she was angry and distressed.
Cheng Mu's heart skipped a beat when she saw the golden hairpin.
When the original body escaped from the Cheng family's old house, she took away several pieces of jewelry from the mistress of the house. When she rented this second courtyard, she had not yet pawned the jewelry for money, and she had taken out this gold hairpin.
She went to see the thief that Jiang had caught.
Last night, when she was half asleep, she felt someone enter her room. At that time, the memories of her original body swept over her like a wave. She was shocked and scared, and did not dare to act rashly.
Is that person her?
Jiang was a strong and powerful woman. The person in her hand couldn't break free. He kept tilting his head and twisting his body to avoid her sight.
This little girl was originally called Awu. She was eleven or twelve years old, had not yet developed, and was skinny. In Jiang's hands, she was like a weak chick.
Yesterday, the original body went out to see Zhou Mao. Perhaps because of her identity as a young lady, it would be embarrassing to have no maid by her side. She originally planned to find a pawnbroker, but happened to see Awu on the side of the road. She was dressed in rags, with a straw tag stuck on her disheveled hair, kneeling on the side of the street to sell herself for her father's burial.
Selling her herself was cheaper and saved the trouble of looking for a broker, so the original owner bought her and spent thirty copper coins to hire someone to send her father to the charity cemetery outside the city for burial.
"Madam Cheng, Madam Cheng..." Jiang recalled her thoughts, "You originally asked me to find a gatekeeper for you, but I don't think that's necessary. I, your aunt, can do this job too. Those gatekeepers love to drink, and without you, they can't keep them vigilant. Look, your aunt has a strong grip, so this little thief can't get away..."
Jiang asked her if she wanted to send him to the authorities. Thinking of her current situation, Cheng Mu declined and said she would handle it herself.
"Okay, then I'll guard the door for you and don't let this little thief escape easily." Before leaving, Jiang specifically reminded: Gui'er is sharpening a knife, she is very fierce.
Cheng Mu had a smile on her face and bowed to Jiang with gratitude.
The unexpected kindness gradually warmed up my hands and feet that were chilled by the morning wind.
The charcoal fire in the room was rekindled, and Cheng Mu hung the cold teapot over the fire.
She called herself: "Awu." This name was given by the original body.
The little girl standing by the door frowned.
Cheng Mu discovered that she did not see the cowardice of Awu that would lead her to begging, and when she was caught stealing by her master, she did not shamefully beg for mercy.
"Do you know what the punishment is for stealing other people's property in this dynasty?" Cheng Mu said, not trying to scare her. "A gold hairpin is not worth much, but you can be sentenced to imprisonment, caning, or even beheading. Which one can you bear?"
Ah Wu looked at her coldly, "Are you going to send me to the authorities?"
Cheng Mu: "I told you it's very powerful. If you want to send me to the government, I will let Madam Jiang take you away. The third house ahead is the one in the government office, and they have a good relationship with Madam Jiang."
Cheng Mu spoke calmly, neither anxious nor angry. "Your parents passed away long ago, and I'm afraid they didn't teach you. Theft is the most serious crime in this dynasty, and the punishment is severe. I saved your life, and you don't care about the favor, but I might as well be a good person to the end. Today I will make you understand clearly, and never do such a thing again."
Awu sneered.
It's too early to say thank you for saving my life.
Cheng Mu was currently struggling to protect herself, and as a modern person, she didn't need any maids, especially not those who were so unruly. So she said, "Take this hairpin. It's worth about ten taels of silver, enough to buy your father a coffin and choose a good place to bury him. You can also ask two Taoists to perform a ritual. This is the money you paid for selling your body, but since our verbal agreement has not yet been signed, it is no longer valid. Go away, and don't come back."
Awu stood there without moving, a little surprised.
Cheng Mu asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Awu pursed her lips. When he stole her belongings, he thought a gold hairpin was what he deserved. But now he felt it was too much. She would only spend two or three taels of silver to buy a beggar.
Seeing that she didn't say a word for a long time, Cheng Xi repeated: "I will let you go, you can go."
Ah Wu immediately accepted the gold hairpin and said, "I have some small matters to deal with, so I'd like to borrow your gold."
If Jiang knew that she had given the hairpin to someone and let her go, she would definitely feel as if she had cut her own flesh.
Wealth and honor gained through injustice are like floating clouds to me.
In Cheng Mu's view, these properties were all stolen by her original owner as a thief, so she could just rob the rich to help the poor.
After Awu left, Cheng Muyou sat there for a while, lifted the cotton curtain and looked into the yard. The yard was quiet.
She counted the money in her hand.
The original person had stolen nearly fifty taels of property, and spent a lot of money along the way. After arriving in Puyang City, he rented a house, bought clothes and other supplies, and added some things to the house. He still had three taels and one penny of change in his hand.
The original owner really came here for Zhou Mao, and planned to rely on him after meeting him, so he didn't save any money.
The gold hairpin she gave away was her last luxury item, which the original owner had kept to wear and show off.
The three taels and one cent were casually rolled up by the original owner in the new clothes. They were pressed down by her body last night, so Awu didn't find them.
Cheng Mu was originally a modern agricultural graduate student, about to graduate. She had spent her entire campus life, and because of her major, she was either working in the fields or in the laboratory, so she had little social experience.
How could she gain a foothold in this era where women rarely appeared in public?
She grew up in a farming family, can do some farm work, and studied agronomy. If she were given a piece of land, she should be able to support herself.
land……
After concentrating her attention, she could see a piece of land, the same size as the experimental field she was allocated at school, without any covered crops. Her mind could manipulate the mode options and select settings for various climate environments.
So, now she has a portable space experimental field?
At noon, Jiang came over and asked her if she wanted to eat with her.
When the original body asked her to find a doorkeeper, she mentioned that she wanted the doorkeeper to cook for her. Today, Jiang took on the job of doorkeeper and also took on the job of cooking.
Mrs. Jiang was a very shrewd woman who never missed any opportunity to make money.
The small courtyard had only one kitchen, and while she could use the master's stove, she would need to buy her own firewood, rice, flour, and oil, and would also have to pound the rice and grind the flour herself. Although Cheng Mu was considering saving money, she decided to focus on the most important thing first: finding a way to make a living. It was perfectly acceptable for Jiang to prepare two meals a day.
"Okay. Madam Cheng, the meals are the same as the rental period, so I'll start with one season."
The original owner rented the house for three months in preparation for leaving at any time. Zhou Mao's appointment date for another place had not yet been announced, so he didn't know when he would leave, but he left without a second thought.
Three months... should be fine.
Cheng Mu gave money to Jiang, and Jiang started to ask about the matter of finding relatives that her original body had mentioned.
I wish I could take on the task of finding my relatives.
Cheng Mu politely declined, "There are already some clues, so there's no need for you to worry about it."
"That's good! Good people will be rewarded. Madam is a very kind person. As for what that little thief did..." Jiang found an opportunity to tell her what happened early in the morning. She asked Ah Wu about Cheng Mu. Ah Wu didn't know anything and was in a hurry to leave. She thought she was "hesitating" and "suspicious", so she wanted to test her and bumped into her. "Sure enough, a gold hairpin fell out of her arms"...
"It was only because Madam Cheng was so kindhearted that she let her go. If it were me, I would have definitely skinned her alive."
Cheng Mu thanked her again, paid for the food, and asked her to help buy a small bag of grain seeds. She could buy whatever seeds were cheap, no matter what kind. She didn't need to return the remaining money, and she would treat her to some cakes.
Another two coins of silver were spent.
Jiang went there happily, and that day she was given a bag of grain seeds and a bag of bean seeds.
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