Zhong Shuyan's words instantly filled the group chat with question marks.
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: !! I'm shocked, so even time-travel stories come with explicit content now?]
[The Gentle ABO Family Time-Traveler: Tell me about it. I thought my situation was explosive enough, but there's always a higher mountain out there. How tragic.]
As the group chatted freely, Zhong Shuyan felt even more that life was not worth living.
After her old man passed away, in the first couple of years, she had taken to reading novels online. She had memberships on all the major, well-known fiction websites.
She first learned about explicit novels from the comment section of a certain "green" website, spending a long time searching before she found the portal. For a period, she had been quite fond of reading them—after all, appetite and lust are part of human nature, and Zhong Shuyan didn't see anything wrong with a woman her age reading such material.
She wasn't even fifty back then. Later, she lost interest in explicit novels, mainly because she felt some of them had no lower limits, and the one she was currently in was precisely that kind.
She remembered this was the first utterly shameless novel she had ever read. The very first chapter depicted the female lead, who had just time-traveled from an explicit novel, in an intimate scene with the family's carriage driver.
After that, whether it was neighbors, her father-in-law and uncles, or even her own biological father, everyone had a turn. The main theme was being utterly indiscriminate. Even young people would find this hard to stomach, let alone an old lady like her.
From then on, she never read explicit novels again. Later, with the rise of short videos, she hardly even read regular novels anymore.
That was also why it took her a whole month after transmigrating to realize she had entered a book. The reason she remembered it so clearly was that the book had left an extremely deep impression on her!
What could be more distressing than simply transmigrating? Zhong Shuyan could now speak from experience: it was discovering you've transmigrated into an explicit novel and finding out that the original host's husband and sons are all among the female lead's devoted followers.
Over there, Eldest Brother Lu's wife, Sun Xiaoyun, and Second Brother Lu's wife, Zhang Xiaocao, had finished preparing the meal. Daniu respectfully went to the courtyard to invite Zhong Shuyan to eat.
Ever since she recovered from her illness, everyone in the family knew that Zhong Shuyan was prone to zoning out and daydreaming. The three Lu brothers had each come to her to express concern, even offering to borrow money to take her to see a doctor.
Therefore, Zhong Shuyan's impression of these three was still good. As for Sun Xiaoyun and Zhang Xiaocao, it went without saying—they were the ones who had taken care of her daily needs when she was bedridden.
Sitting at the table, she looked at the coarse sorghum rice that scratched her throat in the bowl, then at the dark, watery vegetable soup without a single drop of oil, with no meat dishes in sight. Zhong Shuyan sighed deeply.
What worried her even more were her three tall, strapping sons. After all, each of them was one of the male supporting characters in that explicit novel. Some shameless erotic fiction, after all, thrived on shock value.
No matter what it was, they could get involved. Those female leads were all about being utterly indiscriminate.
"Eldest, Second, Fourth, for the time being, don't go anywhere. Stay home and gather enough firewood for the winter," Zhong Shuyan said calmly, sipping the bitter, metallic-tasting vegetable soup.
The Lu brothers exchanged glances but asked nothing. They still held respect for their original mother.
The two daughters-in-law said even less. Under the leadership of Old Man Lu (Lu Dagen), women in the Lu family had never had much say. However, Sun Xiaoyun and Zhang Xiaocao didn't mind this much. While Old Man Lu didn't like listening to them, within their own small families, their husbands still heeded their words.
Zhong Shuyan felt somewhat troubled looking at her two timid daughters-in-law. One must remember, in explicit novels, those female leads often possessed a kind of maddening, magical allure.
After the Lu brothers slept with Liu Cheng'er, Eldest Brother Lu and Second Brother Lu, who had originally been decent to their wives, directly turned into creatures thinking only with their lower halves.
All day long, they only thought about how to compete for favor with Liu Cheng'er's other men. The originally harmonious brothers became bitter rivals. Only after their infighting did they discover that Liu Cheng'er had countless men outside—so what was the point of fighting? The four Lu brothers, including Old Man Lu, immediately made peace and united against the external rivals.
At that moment, nothing—not their wives, not their children—could stop them from fighting for the female lead. Even in their old age, each remained one of the men waiting by her side for her occasional visits.
As for their children and original wives, they might provide money or status, but not an ounce of affection. The original host was even worse off; in the book, she died after being beaten by Old Man Lu.
Thinking about it now, that incident was about to happen.
Zhong Shuyan studied her three cheap sons, especially Eldest Brother Lu, who was putting food in his wife's bowl. He really didn't seem like the type who would share a wife with others or neglect his own children and wife.
Zhong Shuyan sighed and looked at her two painfully thin daughters-in-law. Her heart softened after all; she always tended to be more lenient towards women, and as she aged, she became even more tolerant of the younger generation, feeling more sympathy for these two.
She looked at Sun Xiaoyun and the other and said, "You've both worked hard this past year. From now on, stay home, rest well, and nourish your bodies. Once your health fails, you'll have nothing left."
After speaking, Zhong Shuyan didn't wait for their response. She finished the soup in her bowl and left. Sun Xiaoyun and Zhang Xiaocao looked at each other, bewildered. In all their years married into the Lu family, their mother-in-law, while not as harsh as some mothers-in-law who tormented their daughters-in-law, had never been particularly close to them either. This was the first time in so many years the two sisters-in-law had received such openly expressed concern from their mother-in-law.
Eldest Brother Lu lowered his head to drink his soup, feeling somewhat sad inside. Their mother had changed a lot since this illness. In the end, it was because they hadn't been filial enough.
Zhong Shuyan returned to her room and began sending messages to the group chat, seeking solutions.
[Zhong Shuyan, Farmhouse Old Lady (Ancient World): Everyone, help me think of a solution. What should I do next? My sons, although they'll lose their minds after getting involved with the female lead later, seem quite decent now—respectful to their wives and caring towards their children.]
[If it can be avoided, we should try to avoid it.]
[Yao Xiran, Starfaring Wanderer (Interstellar): I have no ideas. Tagging @Brother Dog here.]
[Lin Duxi, Wasteland Survivor (Post-Apocalypse): I second that. @Brother Dog.]
[Qin Suyuan, the Switched-at-Birth Real Heiress: @Chu Qianmo, the Wife-Slaying Daoist.]
[Xu Huanhuan (Ancient World): If you asked me to find aphrodisiacs, I could name four or five potent ones in a minute. But if you want me to find something to suppress desire, I really haven't come across that.]
Chu Qianmo was preparing breakfast, the kitchen filled with enticing aromas. He had a piece of some animal's wing tip in his mouth, which he had made spicy. Regardless of anything else, the flavor was truly excellent.
Seeing the message, he thought about what he had on hand and said: [I don't have that kind of medicine here, but I have Clear Heart Pills. Taking these pills quiets the mind and suppresses desires. Do you want to give them to your cheap sons to try?]
After a pause, Chu Qianmo added: [I also have a Clear Heart Array here, the effect is the same as the pills. How about I give you one? You can place it in your cheap sons' rooms.]
Zhong Shuyan wanted it: [If I remember correctly, the third Lu couple will be returning to the village in a few days. If it's going to be useful, it needs to be used quickly.]
Eldest Brother Lu had three children, Second Brother Lu had a pair of twins, so children were plentiful enough. She felt absolutely no guilt about drugging them or setting up arrays for them. After all, even without her, they wouldn't be having any more children anyway.
Fourth Brother Lu was even more pitiful; he never even got to experience the life of having a wife and children warming the bed before becoming Liu Cheng'er's male concubine.
[ [Brother Dog] Wife-Slaying Daoist Chu Qianmo: I'll transmit it to you now. The array is pre-carved, just place the spirit stones on it to activate.]
Chu Qianmo transmitted the items to Zhong Shuyan through Lin Xi, along with a spatial pouch. Most people in the group chat now lacked neither money nor supplies, so they were quite generous when giving things to newcomers who joined later.
Zhong Shuyan had never taken advantage of others in her life. Since joining this group, she had already owed many things to others, but not owing wasn't an option either. For a normal person transmigrated into this world, it was truly difficult.
She needed to think of a way to make money quickly. From transmigrating until now, what Zhong Shuyan was most grateful for was that Liu Cheng'er wasn't someone who had transmigrated from a modern-day explicit novel.
There was still some time before dusk. The three Lu brothers were chopping firewood in the backyard, while Sun Xiaoyun and her sister-in-law were gathered in one room doing needlework.
This was their only chance to earn a bit of private savings. No matter how shameless Old Man Lu was, he wouldn't dare to search his daughters-in-law's rooms for the private money they earned from needlework.
He had indeed instigated the original host, wanting her to do it, but the original host would rather endure a couple of slaps from him than do such an unvirtuous deed.
Zhong Shuyan thought and thought, but did not go over. Lying on the bed, she felt utterly bored and idle. She missed modern society intensely. If she hadn't transmigrated, at this time she would definitely be dominating the square with her old sisters, dancing square dance. It wasn't a boast, but her square dancing was quite good; several old men had even asked for her contact information.
As this thought arose, she felt that if she really hadn't transmigrated, she would surely be completely dead by now—forget about square dancing.
She opened the group chat, and before she knew it, fell asleep. This had become her norm since transmigrating. This body of hers was overworked; only sleep could offer some relief now.
Time passed unhurriedly. At the invitation of Aunt Bao from Daming, Lin Xi applied for a WeChat alternate account and joined the group for her maternal grandmother's village, Jinshuijing Village.
Xue Min was also in the group. She would occasionally chat in the group, posting photos of herself traveling. The red dress Lin Xi had seen in Guangdong Province was posted by her just at noon today.
Someone in the group asked her where she was, and her reply was by the seaside in Guangdong Province.
"Xiao Xi, let's go, we're heading up the mountain." It was Qingming Festival, with bright sunshine. Families in the village were all going up the mountain to sweep the graves.
Chi Xiangping was the most eager, having prepared a basket of items early. The two of them left home and walked towards the mountain.
Halfway there, they ran into Wang Peng's family. Wang Peng's mother had also returned; she was back to push Wang Peng to go on blind dates. Coinciding with Qingming, they were going together to sweep the relatives' graves.
The two families chatted as they walked, and inevitably, the topic strayed to Xue Min.
Lin Xi subtly steered the conversation towards the events of that year.
"Auntie, back then when you all went to work in Shaxu Town, who took you there?"
Wang Peng's mother thought for a moment, somewhat uncertainly asking Chi Xiangping: "I think it was Xiao Min who wanted to go?"
Many years had passed, and Chi Xiangping also couldn't remember the details clearly, because in those years, they had gone out searching like that countless times.
She thought carefully and said: "I think it was after she received a letter, she said she wanted to go look over there."
In those two years, many people went out to work. People from around Lianhua Village were all helping to search outside. In those years, incidents like this were not few.
Wang Peng's mother said: "We were heading for Luo Xiuxiang from Xiaohuba. Back when we entered the factory to work, she was the one who introduced us too. Xiao Xi, if you really want to know about what happened back then, you should go ask your Auntie Xiuxiang. She's selling vegetables at the Xicun Market in the city now. I saw her just a few days ago."
Lin Xi was taken aback. Xiaohuba... come to think of it, her stepfather Luo Qingfeng was also from Xiaohuba Village.
"Xiaohuba? Was the person my mom later married also from Xiaohuba?" She took a deep breath. She felt the mystery surrounding her mother's matter was truly one puzzle after another. Listening to what Wang Peng's mother said today, combined with what she had heard before, Lin Xi could roughly piece together the general outline of events.
"Yes, come to think of it, your mom and your uncle were also introduced by her." After saying this, Wang Peng's mother started talking to other villagers.
Chi Xiangping felt Lin Xi had been paying unusually high attention to Xue Min's matters these past few days and asked a couple of questions, but Lin Xi brushed them off.
She turned to look down the mountain. The scenery below was beautiful, with grandfathers and uncles punting boats carrying tourists downstream with the current.
"Walk faster, we'll be late." Chi Xiangping urged Lin Xi.
"Coming." The grandmother and granddaughter caught up with the villagers' pace. Along the way, green grass grew lush and wildflowers bloomed everywhere.
Arriving at their family gravesite, the grandmother and granddaughter silently began weeding and adding soil to the grave mounds. After finishing all this, while placing offerings before the graves, Chi Xiangping said to Lin Xi:
"The night before your grandpa passed, he suddenly told me he missed your dad terribly. He said in his whole life, what worried him most was you. He said one year your school assigned an essay about mom and dad, and you sat at the desk all night without writing a single word."
"The next day, he went to school crying. He really wanted to see you one last time. You were sleeping on the bed right next to him. I pushed him to your bedside, and your grandpa looked at you for a long, long time. Not long after that, he was gone." So many years had passed, and when mentioning this again, Chi Xiangping's tone was already very calm.
Only Lin Xi, from the very first sentence her grandmother spoke about this, had been weeping uncontrollably. Her grandmother had never told her this story before, because back then, she herself had been utterly exhausted.
At that time, she had taken leave from school to come home. Her grandfather lay unconscious in the hospital bed. The person who had hit him had never been caught, all these years later. With no other options back then, she could only go out to distribute flyers, and she couldn't let Chi Xiangping know about it.
On a good day, she could make a little over a hundred yuan; on a bad day, fifty or sixty. It wasn't much, but it was enough for several days' worth of food and basic living expenses for her and her grandmother at the hospital. Every little bit saved helped.
Chi Xiangping heard Lin Xi's sobs but pretended not to, though her eyes reddened almost imperceptibly.
She said to Lin Xi, "I've noticed you've been very curious about your mother these past few days, always trying to find ways to ask about her. Before, you wouldn't ask about her once a year. I don't know what you're thinking, but my dear, that was all many, many years ago."
"No matter how much you think about it, ask about it, or search for answers now, it won't change anything. Xiao Xi, you must move forward. Look ahead."
"Your grandpa and I, we just want you to be well, healthy, and happy. Whatever choice your mother made, we can't really say anything about it. It was your father who wronged her first."
Lin Xi wanted to say that the Xue Min now was not the Xue Min of the past. But the words stuck in her throat, and she didn't know how to voice them. If she said that, her grandmother would definitely think she was possessed by something unclean. She wouldn't even wait until tomorrow; she'd drag her to that old Miao lady by the street and spend three to five hundred yuan to have her soul called back.
This was something Lin Xi had experienced countless times growing up. Even if a cold lasted a bit too long, her grandma would take her for a session. The price had gone up from three or five yuan in her childhood to three or five hundred now.
Chi Xiangping took one last look at the photo of her late husband on the tombstone and poured a cup of wine on the ground. "Let's go. Time to go home."
The people who had come to sweep the graves were all heading home one after another. Seeing Lin Xi's red eyes, everyone pretended not to notice, as she was far from the only one in such a state.
Coming down from the mountain, they ate a bowl of glutinous rice dyed with butterfly pea flowers. Worried that Yao Yuran might be too busy, Chi Xiangping hurried off to help.
Lin Xi sat in the courtyard, basking in the warm sun, and took out her phone to send a message to Chu Qianmo.
Just as she unlocked it and entered the WeChat interface, Zhong Shuyan started a video call.
Lin Xi immediately clicked to watch. Zhong Shuyan's message was sent in the group chat.
[Ancient World Farmer's Wife Zhong Shuyan: The Third Lu's family is back.]
In the video, Liu Cheng'er, dressed in flamboyant clothes, held Lu Panpan's hand and walked in with a swaying, coquettish gait behind Third Lu. Old Man Lu lay on a wooden cart, his eyes fixed intently on Liu Cheng'er's back.
A man nearly fifty, a withered old fellow, yet with a gaze like a teenager's—it was utterly jarring.
It was so disgusting that the friends in the group chat felt like they were about to vomit up last night's dinner.
