Chapter 19: Can I take a look?

Sure!

Shen Youwei looked natural and agreed readily.

She paused, then asked somewhat puzzled: "Just, why do you want to see that, husband?"

Chen Wuji was nearly overcome with joy; he just likes straightforward women.

He opened his mouth without a single word of nonsense and just said, "Sure!"

Those three words were so pleasing to hear.

"I'm curious," Chen Wuji said.

"Oh, then please have a look, husband." Shen Youwei gave a soft "oh" and lifted her skirt.

The fire hemp cloth robe was covered in tiny tears, through which her snow-white skin could be faintly seen.

Shen Youwei acted decisively, lifting her skirt in one motion to above her knees, revealing the two straight, chopstick‑like legs that had been well hidden by the skirt, her cold‑white skin snow‑white and crystal‑clear.

But what was heartbreaking was that those perfect chopstick‑like legs were covered in wounds of all sizes, and Chen Wuji's gaze hardened for a moment; he suddenly regretted his decision.

She had just gone through the darkest moment of her life, and yet he was doing this—he was acting like a beast.

"Please have a look, husband!" Shen Youwei's voice rang out.

Chen Wuji collected his thoughts and still decided to feast his eyes.

It wasn't something he had brought up; anyway, as they talked, things naturally progressed to this point.

For now I'll treat him as a beast, and from now on I'll properly cherish this woman.

For the rest of her life she needs sunshine, so I'll be her sunshine.

But just as Chen Wuji stared intently, planning to be a humble admirer beneath her skirt and take in the landscape, Huo Sanniang suddenly walked out.

Chen Wuji instantly felt like dying.

Ancestors, couldn't you have timed this any worse?

"You Wei, what are you doing lifting your skirt?" Huo Sanniang strode over and shoved down Shen Youwei's skirt, which was already half‑raised.

Shen Youwei gave Chen Wuji a cute, innocent look and said, "Husband said he was curious, so I let him look. When I was just using the toilet, he seemed to be watching, so I guess he's curious why I'm different when I use the toilet."

"This isn't fooling around!" Huo Sanniang's face flushed slightly.

"You Wei, husband's mind sometimes isn't quite normal, like a child's. Don't indulge this habit of his—that place isn't something you can just let him look at; it's inauspicious."

Shen Youwei asked blankly, "Is there such a saying? I've never heard of it."

"Yes." Huo Sanniang, blushing, leaned close to Shen Youwei's ear and whispered a few words.

After hearing that, Shen Youwei's pure and alluring face flushed unexpectedly, even the roots of her ears turning red and glossy, like a top‑grade red agate in the sunlight.

"Husband, I was wrong…" she said weakly.

"I didn't know there would be so many opinions about this; I thought, since I'm your concubine, everything would be a matter of course."

Chen Wuji was almost dying of anger.

He really wanted to shout at the two of them that this really was a matter of course.

There aren't that many opinions.

Although he didn't catch exactly what Huo Sanniang whispered to Shen Youwei, it was obviously some old‑fashioned taboo, roughly like the nonsense that says you can't go visiting others when you've just had your heavenly gui.

They're just lingering social toxins, utterly unacceptable.

But he had a whole basket of reasons he couldn't voice, so he could only accept this miserable, death‑worthy reality like a naïve child.

"Wuji, Youwei just went through that; her spirits haven't recovered yet, so don't mess around, don't bully her—did you hear that?" Huo Sanniang said sternly.

"Oh." Chen Wuji muttered, his face full of resentment.

This is absolutely the most depressing thing that has happened to him since he transmigrated.

He was just about to see it……

Even if it were two minutes later, that would be fine!

Huo Sanniang took Shen Youwei's arm and walked into the courtyard; in the time it took to wash up, the two had already become as close as real sisters, even changing their forms of address.

Chen Wuji followed behind, sighing and groaning, like a little resentful ghost that had lost its soul.

As Huo Sanniang was about to enter the kitchen, she glanced back and couldn't help but let out a little 'pfft' laugh.

Chen Wuji: ……

He suddenly suspected that Huo Sanniang was deliberately teasing him.

Lunch was stewed baby fish with wild vegetables, seasoned only with salt and Sichuan pepper.

But all three ate it with relish.

Especially Shen Youwei, whose belly hadn't seen oil in ages and who had been starving for nine meals out of three days.

Even though she tried to restrain herself and put on the refined dining manners of a former wealthy young lady—chewing slowly, swallowing gently, behaving properly—she simply couldn't control her mouth.

The tender fish meat stuffed her cheeks until they were about to burst, yet she still wanted to shovel more into her mouth.

She also couldn't bear to gulp it down whole; basically she'd stuff in three or four bites, then chew them slowly and without grace, savoring the flavor.

Such delicious fish meat, she feared she might never get to eat it again.

"Eat slowly, there's still fish meat; Wuji's haul from the mountains these past two days is pretty good—enough for the three of us to have full meals for three or two days." Huo Sanniang advised, seeing the situation.

"Only three or two days?" Shen Youwei blinked, then said, "Then I'll eat less."

She hastily stopped swallowing and put down her chopsticks.

"Eat, I'll head into the mountains later." Chen Wuji gave Shen Youwei a piece of fish.

Shen Youwei, however, kept shaking her head: "No thanks, I'll save it."

"I'm such a blabbermouth." Huo Sanniang felt a bit annoyed.

"You Wei, this meal is an all‑you‑can‑eat affair—it's your first meal after joining the household; how can you not even fill your stomach? After this meal we'll start saving."

"Hurry up and eat—if you don't, I'll eat it all." Chen Wuji pulled out his trick for scaring children.

"I'm eating." Shen Youwei only then swallowed the food in her mouth, and picked up her chopsticks again.

Chen Wuji gave a silent laugh; obviously he was a well-behaved, cute girl, even a bit silly and endearing, yet he had the fiercest reputation, with a record of three lives taken.

He seemed to have once again plucked wool from the Dayu Dynasty.

Even if he would have to pay an extra person's tax from now on, Chen Wuji was extremely happy.

The sleep obtained in exchange for that tax was very worthwhile.

After lunch, Chen Wuji warned Huo Sanniang to be careful of Yuan Laoer, that bad guy, and then shouldered his belongings and headed into the mountains.

Currently, he is 580 wen short of completing the tax quota.

He needs to put in more effort.

His main target today is the weasel.

No matter how evil it may be, as long as it can be exchanged for silver, in Chen Wuji's eyes it is a mascot.

He plunged into the mountains, and Chen Wuji first checked the traps he had set earlier.

He caught two rats and five crows that had lost their way.

Chen Wuji looked at the somewhat gruesome battlefield, feeling a bit dazed.

He knew crows eat carrion, but how could this winged thing be smashed to death under the stone slab? And all five at once, as if they committed suicide together.

At this moment, Chen Wuji accepted Huo Sanniang's evaluation of him.

His hunting indeed seemed a bit uncanny.

By the standards of Xishan Village's folk, his normal prey is only the swamp eel, while the abnormal ones are many; now he even managed to catch a crow.

He also didn't know if anyone would buy this thing.

But based on his experience with the weasel, he decided to keep it anyway.

What if it ends up being targeted again!