Chapter 2

In Jinxiu Garden, the newly delivered Madam Su Wanqiu was drenched in sweat, her hair plastered to her pale face. She took one look at the infant, rolled her eyes, and fainted from fright. Never mind the midwife, the entire room of maids gasped in horror at the shriveled infant, who was purple-black all over, had atrophied legs, and was covered in greasy white vernix.

"A Yaksha... the Madam has given birth to a little Yaksha..." A maid named Xiao Cui, who had just entered the mansion, was so scared she spoke without thinking, running right into the Old Madam who had come to visit. The Old Madam gave the nanny beside her a sharp look.

The nanny immediately ordered people to drag this newly arrived maid away, telling the servants to pull out her tongue and beat her to death.

The Old Madam glanced at the child Su Wanqiu had given birth to, frowning instantly. She looked at Su Wanqiu, who had fainted on the bed, and said in a deep voice, "You useless thing. You're not even as good at giving birth as that other vixen."

The Old Madam tapped the floor with her cane, "Someone, throw this useless thing to the mass grave to feed the dogs!"

"Old Madam, you mustn't... you absolutely mustn't... this is the flesh and blood the Madam worked so hard to give birth to... it is also the bone and blood of Young Master Pei... you absolutely mustn't..." Su Wanqiu's wet nurse stood guard nearby, kneeling and begging in desperation, tears falling as if they were worthless.

But when she looked at the monster-like infant herself, her old hand, which had been clutching the Old Madam's skirt, suddenly let go, and she was stunned with fright.

"Old Madam, I do have a way..." the Old Madam's Nanny Jingyi said, looking toward a corner of the east window in the room. That was the courtyard of the side room, where Lin Jiaojiao, who had just given birth, was exhausted and sleeping deeply.

"You mean, use that vixen's base child..." The Old Madam finally understood Nanny Jingyi's meaning.

"Even if it was born to a vixen, it is still the Young Master's bone and blood," Nanny Jingyi nodded, "To let the legal wife raise her child is a supreme blessing."

The Old Madam nodded in understanding, "Jingyi, you are a sensible person; I leave this matter to you."

Then she turned her face, scanning the servants in the room with a scrutinizing gaze. Several maids and the midwife knew the severity of the Pei Mansion's Old Madam; one by one, they were like quails hit by frost, shrinking their heads and hunching their backs, not daring to say a word.

"Listen to me," the Old Madam said majestically, "The child Wanqiu gave birth to is very good, very healthy. The one who gave birth to a monster is the base seed in the other room."

"If anyone leaks today's events, the outcome will be no different from that maid just now."

The room full of servants replied submissively, "Yes, Old Madam."

On the other side, Lin Jiaojiao was still in a dream. She had been queuing for a long time at a pork knuckle shop that smelled of soy sauce, finally reaching the front with joy, happily waiting for the boss to hand her the fragrant pork knuckle.

The boss of the pork knuckle shop fished out the largest piece from the pot, wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to Lin Jiaojiao with a smile, "Girl, sorry for the wait. Here is the biggest and best pork knuckle for you, just braised."

"Good, thank you, boss." Lin Jiaojiao's uncontrollable saliva flowed from the corner of her mouth. She slurped, reached out to take the pork knuckle that was half the size of her arm, opened the oil paper, and just as she was about to take a bite, she suddenly realized that what was wrapped in the oil paper was not the big pork knuckle she had been longing for, but a shriveled, deformed fetus!

"Ah!" Lin Jiaojiao screamed in terror, throwing the deformed fetus along with the oil paper away.

This fright made her roll off the bed, waking her up from the dream.

"Miss! Miss! What's wrong with you!" The maid Bai Zhi heard the sound and rushed in from the outer room, helping Lin Jiaojiao up from the floor.

Lin Jiaojiao was covered in cold sweat from the nightmare, and the pain from her lower body combined with the pain from falling off the bed, making her teeth chatter.

These pains were so real, yet she still pinched herself to confirm she wasn't in a dream.

In a daze, Lin Jiaojiao muttered, "I can't go back... I really transmigrated..."

"Concubine, what's wrong with you?" Bai Zhi touched her forehead with concern, "Oh! Concubine! You have a fever!"

Bai Zhi helped Lin Jiaojiao back to bed to let her rest properly, then hurried out to find the house physician.

Unfortunately, all the house physicians were over at Madam Su Wanqiu's side, and not a single one could be invited. Bai Zhi was truly desperate and had no choice but to boil a bowl of brown sugar water for Lin Jiaojiao and feed it to her.

At first, Lin Jiaojiao didn't want to eat. Thinking of her previous wonderful campus life and then looking at the old-fashioned ancient furnishings in this room, she couldn't muster any spirit.

Bai Zhi looked at her and sighed with worry.

Just like that, two or three days passed in a daze. One day, there was a sudden commotion at the door, and a man rushed in aggressively, slapping Lin Jiaojiao's face a few times, waking the still-sleeping Lin Jiaojiao in pain.

For twenty years, no matter how big a mistake she made, even her parents couldn't bear to slap her face, yet in this world, she had already been beaten for the second time!

Lin Jiaojiao glared at the man in shock and anger, her small face flushed and swollen, her slender body still lacking strength.

"You..."

"Master."

Bai Zhi knelt down nervously to salute.

Master? Lin Jiaojiao looked blankly at the man, only then realizing that the person in front of her, whose mouth was opening and closing to scold her, was her husband.

The man had a tall and straight posture, looking to be no more than twenty, dressed in a black robe, his brows and eyes revealing a coldness. If placed in modern times, he would at least be a cold-faced male lead in an ancient idol drama.

But Lin Jiaojiao had no interest in appreciating the man's appearance, only listening to this "husband" scold her for giving birth to a monster, offending the Old Madam, and attempting to swap children, causing Wanqiu to be frightened and remain in a coma to this day.

Lin Jiaojiao was scolded into a fighting spirit, which turned into an appetite, plus her stomach was empty.

She suddenly felt a surge of strength, thinking to herself, "What meat isn't meat?" She lunged forward, grabbed the man's hand, and bit down!

"What are you doing! You base woman, you are simply unreasonable!"

The man was originally going to continue scolding, but let out a cry of pain and kicked Lin Jiaojiao away. His eyes were red with anger, and when he looked down, his bitten finger was already bleeding. He only had time to leave one sentence before suddenly walking away in a hurry.

This series of actions left Bai Zhi dumbfounded. With the master gone, she finally dared to go up and help Lin Jiaojiao up, "Miss, you are too..."

"Who is he?" Lin Jiaojiao licked the blood from her lips, a metallic, fishy taste flooding her mouth.

Although she had just given birth and had a fever, she had been bullied and was unwilling to be bullied willingly.

Lin Jiaojiao's question and her biting behavior shocked Bai Zhi, who opened her eyes wide, "Concubine, he is your husband, Pei Aosong! Are you burning with fever?"

Lin Jiaojiao finally woke up as if from a dream; she was no longer that university student, and in this world, she was already a married woman!

Wait, what did he say just now? Gave birth to a monster? Offended the Old Madam? And attempted to swap children? Caused Wanqiu to be frightened?! She suddenly remembered the dream just now and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Child... child, bring him here for me to see!" Lin Jiaojiao struggled to climb up, wanting to see the child. Although she was giving birth the moment she transmigrated and felt no joy, it was still the baby she had worked so hard to give birth to. How did he become the monster the master spoke of?!

Bai Zhi could only look bitter as she brought the child over for Lin Jiaojiao to see. This one look caused Lin Jiaojiao to break down.

"Where did this ugly thing come from? Where is my baby?!"