The dilapidated earthen house, dusty and drafty, had paper on the windows that fluttered and creaked with the wind.
On the bed board, Zhao Jiaqi, covered by a thin sheet that smelled of soapwort, opened her clear eyes and stared at the ceiling in a daze for a long time.
Betrayed by her best friend and husband from her previous life, she had died and her soul had transmigrated into a new bride with the same name.
Speaking of which, the original owner was also timid.
On her wedding night, the bride saw that her husband, Fan Zehao, was a burly man with arms as thick as clubs, a full beard, and a sinister look. She was so scared that she curled up in the corner, trembling, fearing that his ability to kill a dog with a punch might be used on her.
As it turned out, Fan Zehao was not gentle either. Having drunk too much, he dragged the person in the corner to do something, and Zhao Jiaqi's eyes rolled back, and she was scared to death.
She, with her ill fate, had transmigrated to this godforsaken place, and was still a brand new bride.
Zhao Jiaqi blinked her dry eyes and let out a heavy sigh, "Alas..."
The person squatting by the door heard a sound from inside, pushed open the heavy door with a creak, and Fan Zehao walked in with a displeased face, looking at the person who had woken up on the bed.
He snorted coldly through his nostrils and imperiously declared to Zhao Jiaqi, "You are my wife now. Even if you are unwilling, you have to live with me and have children."
The person on the bed turned her head to look at him. With his broad back and sturdy physique, he was only good at hunting and farming. He was indeed the type of brute with well-developed limbs and a simple mind.
She sat up, her gaze calm and indifferent as she stared at him, her red lips parting slightly, "I'm hungry."
Fan Zehao was stunned. This was the first time she had spoken since she entered the house. He hadn't expected her voice to be so pleasant. The corner of his mouth twitched, and the beard around it trembled, "Mother has already prepared it. I'll go get you some food."
Before he finished speaking, he rushed out in a hurry, shouting into the yard, happy as a child who had just received candy.
Zhao Jiaqi breathed a sigh of relief. She had just tested what kind of person this Fan Zehao was. It seemed that apart from his terrifying appearance and slightly bad temper, she hadn't found anything else wrong.
At the very least, he hadn't asked her to cook, do housework, or mistreated her. After all, most men in ancient times were patriarchal.
As she was contemplating how to live her future life, Fan Zehao entered with a large bowl, smiling.
He handed her the bowl with his rough, large palm, "Wife, hot noodles, with meat sauce on top. Eat quickly."
A full large bowl of noodles, with meat sauce, was something one could hardly eat in this poor village, especially not on ordinary days.
Even at yesterday's wedding banquet, there was only a large pot of stew, and if they put two catties of meat in a pot of vegetables, it was already considered good.
Zhao Jiaqi raised her eyes in surprise, looking at Fan Zehao staring at the bowl in her hand, stealthily licking his lips, looking as if he was also craving the food in her bowl.
"Did you and Mother eat?"
Fan Zehao snapped back to attention, sheepishly scratching his hair, "We... we've eaten. I'll go eat."
With that, he scurried away, leaving Zhao Jiaqi alone.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the person who ran away. Where had that fierce look gone?
Why did she increasingly feel that he was just a paper tiger?
She picked up the bowl and followed him out of the house. A new world, a new home, she hadn't seen it yet.
Since she had come and gotten married, she could only move forward with her life. As for Fan Zehao's appearance, she actually felt it was quite safe.
The yard was not large, but it was clean and tidy, showing that the people in this household were diligent.