Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 180_1

Chapter 180: Chapter 180_1

As Lin Mother spoke, Chen Qiulan and Sun Cui, her sisters-in-law, also fell silent.

A year ago on that night, their three carts had been scattered by the roving refugees.

They were only grateful that Lin Yicheng had been protecting the cart the whole time, and that the three of them, mother-in-law and daughters-in-law, wielding kitchen knives and daggers, had managed to keep those violent people at bay.

Still, amidst the chaos, most of the grain in the cart had been stolen, and they each had more or less been injured.

After separating from Ercheng and the others, they hadn’t stopped once on their way, continuing even through the night, with the four adults taking turns to rest and push on, all just to reach Yan City quicker.

Whether it was due to the panic causing them to take a wrong turn, they had first arrived at a secluded small town in Lin County.

In the end, it was only thanks to the small packs Nanzhi had prepared for each of them that they were able to fix the broken cart canopy.

When Nanzhi had sewn the small bags to be carried close at hand, she had placed a pearl, two silver horns, and some pre-divided external-use medicine in each bag.

The townspeople, wary of the refugees’ rampages, only allowed them in after seeing the two children in the cart.

Afterward, it was a continuous journey, both day and night, until they finally arrived at Yan City on the eleventh of the twelfth lunar month.

Lin Father and Wang Jingzhi’s cart was the lightest, and therefore the fastest, having reached Yan City on the first of the twelfth lunar month.

Lin Shougui’s brother is now doing well in Yan City, having opened several ready-to-wear garment shops. Seeing the dusty and weary Lin Shougui, he was stunned for a while before tearfully pulling them into his home.

The last to arrive in Yan City was Shen Wenchen.

A horse, a cart, three people, braving the wind and snow to reach Yan City.

Without Nanzhi.

When Lin Mother saw them, she first felt joy and carefully examined her little grandson before asking, "Where’s Nanzhi? Where did she go on such a cold day?"

The little one, leaning on his grandmother’s shoulder, first showed reddening around his eyes, then burst into loud crying.

"Mom, Mom is gone."

"Gone? Gone, gone where?"

Lin Shougui stood to the side, dumbfounded, his lips trembling but not daring to ask that question.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, your son-in-law failed to protect Nannan..."

"Impossible, impossible, Nanzhi must be fine, did she find a hiding spot? She’s a mother, how could she act like a little kid..."

Lin Mother vehemently shook her head as she held Shen Zhiyu.

Nanzhi was lucky; she couldn’t just be gone like that.

Shen Wenchen was pale as if on the brink of death—saddled with the devastation of losing his wife for a second time, he was in extreme despair.

He had been so close to Nannan, if only he had thought one step further, if only he had considered that one extra step, Nannan wouldn’t have died.

The snowstorm that night was fierce.

So fierce it turned Shen Wenchen’s black hair white.

Yan City was much more bustling than Qingyun County.

It was a sight the Lin Family had never seen before.

Even at the hour of the pig, the streets were lit up brightly, with many women setting up stalls to sell food.

Lin Fu, thinking of past ties, kept insisting that the Lin family stay at his house.

Lin Shougui, however, politely declined, saying they could have wine together when free.

Shen Wenchen found Twelve, arranged for the Lin family’s household registration in Yan City, rented a yard, and gave them twenty taels of silver.

After discussing for a few days, the Lin family had a plan. Chen Qiulan and Sun Cui, the sisters-in-law, set up a food stall at the alley by their doorstep while Lin Yicheng and Lin Ercheng started learning carpentry with their father at home.

There were numerous merchants in Yan City, but skilled carpenters were lamentably scarce—Lin Shougui had never imagined that his skill would prove to be so incredibly useful at over fifty years of age.

Wang Jingzhi, having been looked after by the Lin family all along the way, directly went to work as an apprentice at a medical hall in Yan City, and whenever he got his wages, he would bring some to the Lin family.

The Lin family’s business, at first not making ends meet, gradually began to improve.

It was only at the end of the month that Shen Family finally reached Yan City.

Shen Miaomiao and Aunt Guihua were covered in filth, and Shen San’s back was so hunched he resembled a bent bow.

The guards of Yan City, seeing their appearance, took them for refugees fleeing famine and were unwilling to let them enter. It was only after Lin Yicheng, who happened to be leaving the city on errands, saw them that he led the people into Yan City.

Both families settled down in Yan City, but Shen Wenchen seldom appeared before them again.

Shen Zhiyu was also left in the care of the Lin family.

The little one seemed to know everything and became all the more silent, no longer showing the happy demeanor he once had.

Life for the Lin family improved, but the happiness of old was no more.

All three children were sent to school, and everyone was working hard to get by.

...

When Nanzhi saw Shen Xiaolang, she found him familiar.

The seventeen-year-old youth stood tall and smiled when he looked at her.

Both families seemed very happy, and even the matchmaker’s laugh was so wide that the mole by her lips almost fell off.

Their marriage was thus fixed on an ordinary day.

Nanzhi thought his voice sounded familiar, like the man from her dreams.

She smiled and told her future husband, but Shen Xiaolang just tapped her forehead and teased that she must be silly.

On the day the two were married, the people of Stone Village saw them off at the village entrance, watching the mule cart gradually disappear into the distance while Lin’s mother wiped away tears with reddened eyes.

The couple lived a happy life, yet Nanzhi often felt light as if floating, and she started dreaming of that man more frequently.

Later she found herself frequently losing consciousness suddenly, waking to find herself busy with chores rather than laying collapsed on the ground.

Half a year into the marriage, Nanzhi was pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy after ten months. Shen Xiaolang, cherishing his wife, said no more children were needed.

The infant was named Gougou.

Until Gougou was five months old, Shen Xiaolang kissed his wife’s forehead before leaving, saying he would go hunting to nourish her body.

From then on, Shen Xiaolang never returned.

Nanzhi’s spells of fainting became more frequent, and while she subtly inquired with her in-laws, they said nothing was amiss.

After the elder couple passed away one after another, Nanzhi returned to her matrilineal home to borrow money, just enough to afford their burial.

The villagers pitied her and her son and often provided aid, but one can’t live on the kindness of others forever.

She thought about clearing some land to grow food, but each time she started she’d lose consciousness, only to awake back at home, sipping wild vegetable soup with Gougou.

Watching her son’s pale face, she thought about seeking refuge with her natal family, but for some reason, she was unable to step out of Lihua Village with Gougou.

This went on for two years, and her body became an empty shell.

She didn’t understand why she couldn’t do the things necessary to keep herself and her son alive.

She couldn’t farm, she couldn’t wash clothes for others in exchange for food, and even the thought of taking her son to Stone Village to her natal family caused her to lose consciousness instantly.

She dared not think about how to feed herself anymore and tried to pick more wild vegetables and mushrooms from the mountain to keep at home, fearing the day her little Gougou would collapse.

But every time the wild vegetables she painstakingly gathered disappeared by the next day, she cried in despair, while the thin little Gougou would always stretch out his small hands, embracing her, and babble ’Mama.’

Finally one morning, Nanzhi laid still on the bed without a stir.

She found herself wavering up into the air, seeing Gougou pushing at her body with his small hands, calling out ’Mama.’

...

On February 6th, Nanzhi’s twenty-third birthday,

Shen Wenchen threw that wooden hairpin into the brazier, his face void of expression.

The hairpin was consumed by the fire, but the two "people" on the roof saw everything clearly.

"You’re going to lose."

The other just chuckled and didn’t say much before disappearing from sight.

Nanzhi only heard a ’pop’, like the sound of a bubble being pricked, followed by darkness as something sucked her in.

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