Chapter 8: His Little Wife

Chapter 8: His Little Wife

Jin Mu: "……General, Miss Xiaowan hasn't shown any unusual reactions these past few days."

A flash of surprise crossed Shen Yu’s eyes. "She hasn't tried to escape?"

Jin Mu shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No."

Shen Yu sneered, "That is strange. This girl doesn't seem like the type to be content."

Jin Mu spoke the truth, "But the fact is, Miss Xiaowan isn't just content; she’s overly content. She eats well, drinks well, and plays happily every day. In this subordinate's opinion, she is living quite a pampered life."

As he spoke, Jin Mu thought carefully and added an awkward supplement.

"If I really had to say there was any change... Miss Xiaowan was sighing at the mirror this morning, saying she’s gained three pounds in just a few days. She suspects that Granny Ya is raising her like a pig..."

Jin Mu couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke, drawing a fierce glare from Shen Yu.

Shen Yu sat down in his chair, his expression sinking to the bottom.

"She’s actually enjoying herself? Does she have no self-awareness of being a prisoner?"

Jin Mu didn't dare respond to that; the General wasn't really looking for an answer anyway.

Shen Yu stewed in sullen anger for a moment before simply rising to walk out.

Jin Mu was stunned for a second and hurried to follow. "General, where are you going?"

Shen Yu didn't look back. "To slaughter a pig!"

*

The table was full of dishes, each one looking, smelling, and tasting exquisite.

Wen Wan had accidentally polished off two bowls of rice with the meal. Before she could even put down her chopsticks, Granny Ya served another bowl of chicken soup and handed it over.

She was in pain yet happy, waving her hands repeatedly. "I can't eat anymore, really, I can't."

Granny Ya did not withdraw her hand, only continuing to offer her a loving, maternal smile.

Facing such sincere enthusiasm, it was truly impossible to bring herself to say any further words of refusal.

Wen Wan patted her round belly, gritted her teeth, and took the soup bowl.

Time and space are like a sponge; if you squeeze, there’s always a little more.

Perhaps, there was still room for a bowl of soup in the gaps between the rice?

Shen Yu, having changed into casual attire, walked into the room just in time to see Wen Wan gulping down the soup.

That action—it couldn't be called graceful; it was completely devoid of any refinement.

Wen Wan put down the soup bowl and couldn't help but let out a burp. She leaned back, full to the brim, and couldn't help but sigh with a soulful realization while cradling her stomach.

"Food and sex are human nature. I’ve managed to complete the first step of life. It’s just a pity I can't get out of this courtyard, otherwise, I could have started the phased plan for the second step..."

As soon as the words left her lips, she caught a glimpse of a tall, dark shadow standing at the door.

Wen Wan turned her head in a daze and met Shen Yu’s expression of utter disgust.

She curled her lip, stretched her hands forward, and struggled to sit upright, trying her best to regain a shred of dignity in front of Shen Yu.

"Heh," Shen Yu stepped over the threshold, his disdain obvious. "As expected of a merchant’s concubine, your mind is filled with nothing but food and lust."

Wen Wan: "..."

Gluttony, she admitted, she did have a little bit of that. But lust? That was absolutely a rumor!

For three years, other than this man whose mouth was more poisonous than a hornet, she hadn't even seen a decent-looking man. Even if she wanted to be lustful, she didn't have the opportunity.

Shen Yu sat down next to Wen Wan, glanced at Granny Ya, then at the table full of food, and his brows immediately furrowed.

He waved his hand, signaling for Granny Ya to leave.

Granny Ya acknowledged the order and, upon leaving, thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

Wen Wan swallowed her saliva and said guardedly

"I only ate a few extra bowls of your rice, so what? Are you going to settle the score with me?"

"Don't forget, back in the mountains, any single item from that ancient tomb I found for you would have been enough to feed me for several years..."

Suddenly, Shen Yu hooked his foot, and without any apparent effort, Wen Wan was pulled toward him, chair and all.

He raised a hand and pinched Wen Wan’s chin. "It was my miscalculation. Granny Ya has a difficult personality and has always been hard to get along with. I was afraid she would make things too difficult for you, so I told her a little lie. I didn't expect it to backfire."

"Granny Ya is hard to get along with?" Wen Wan immediately retorted. "You must have some misunderstanding. How could someone as kind and gentle as Granny Ya be hard to get along with?"

"Kind and gentle?" Shen Yu seemed to think she had told a joke.

He didn't dwell on the issue, instead casually patting her cheek. "Do you know what I told her?"

It was originally just an instinctive, casual gesture, but he was surprised by the smooth, warm sensation against his fingertips.

He was suddenly startled.

Is this what a girl's face feels like when you touch it?

Wen Wan didn't notice Shen Yu’s fleeting strangeness and instinctively swatted his paw away.

She cupped her own cheeks, looking as if she were afraid he would pat her face again.

Wen Wan: "I know. I'm not stupid; I guessed it on the first day."

"Oh?" Shen Yu raised an eyebrow.

Wen Wan cleared her throat and gave him a smug, winking look.

"On the first night, Granny Ya brought me the wedding quilt. At first, I thought she had made a mistake, but later, her attitude toward me was so respectful and affectionate. I pondered it for a moment and guessed it."

Wen Wan’s smile deepened. "You, you must have said I was your little wife, the one you’re intimate with, right?"

She was still feeling smug, but Shen Yu’s expression grew increasingly ugly.

Wen Wan sighed theatrically, patted his shoulder like a buddy, and comforted him

"Honestly, even though you’re just a lowly captain, you are quite clever."

"You imprisoned me here, so you must have a great use for me. Perhaps my value will even attract the covetous eyes of other factions."

"You need to control me, but you can't let other factions notice me. Using this kind of relationship between a man and a woman to house me is low-cost and keeps prying eyes away."

After she finished, she gave him a thumbs-up, expressing her affirmation of his scheming.

Her words were completely beyond Shen Yu’s expectations.

"Who exactly are you?"

A merchant’s concubine with this kind of intelligence?

Wen Wan: "I'm Zhao Xiaowan, just a lot smarter than the average person. It's a small matter, a piece of cake."

She was now a fish on the chopping block, not a concubine living a safe and smooth life in the General’s backyard.

At this moment, not only could she not hide her talents, but she had to try her best to demonstrate her value. After all, only those with value were worthy of staying alive.

Therefore, her posturing was truly forced by the situation.

How could Shen Yu not see that she was deliberately showing off her intelligence? However, he had to admit that this move of hers was truly the right one.

"Do you have a master?" Shen Yu asked suddenly.

Wen Wan nodded. "I do!"

She couldn't say she didn't, otherwise, how could she explain everything she knew?

She lied without changing her expression. "My master is a hermit of great wisdom, proficient in military strategy and geomancy. I only learned the basics from him. Compared to the old man, my skills are just cat-and-mouse tricks."

Shen Yu was silent for a moment, then asked in a cold voice: "Can you find your master?"

After successfully casting the bait, Wen Wan didn't answer, instead asking a question of her own: "No rush. Before I answer your question, will you answer one of mine first?"

Shen Yu: "Ask."

Wen Wan gave a mischievous smile. "Am I the first woman to move in under the identity of your little wife?"