Chapter 1 - 1 1 Husband Drink Porridge

Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Husband, Drink Porridge Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Husband, Drink Porridge Daqian, Mianshui County, Xiantao Village.

A dilapidated courtyard, a house in complete disarray. Chen Jie lay on the bed, his eyes blankly staring at the roof.

*Did I just transmigrate?*

*How could something so absurd happen to me?*

*But this ‘new home’ of mine seems completely impoverished!*

“Husband, you’re awake. Get up quickly. Yesterday was my fault. Please have some porridge.”

While Chen Jie was lost in thought, a melodious voice suddenly rang out. He turned his head and saw a woman stepping through the doorway holding a clay pot. Her clothes were patched all over, and she wore no makeup.

Her face tried to maintain a smile, but it couldn’t hide the swollen handprint marring her cheek.

Su Yunjin!

My wife!!

Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed into his mind like an unstoppable tide.

The Daqian Empire, a foreign-founded nation... Xiantao Village, a gambling addict...

Piece after piece of information surfaced, and Chen Jie finally understood his situation.

His predecessor’s name was Chen Jiusi, a resident of Xiantao Village in Mianshui County. Once, his family had been well-off. His maternal grandfather was a famous local doctor in the village. Unfortunately, he had no male heirs, only a daughter. To keep the Chen family lineage from ending, he agreed to take in a *zhuixu* (a live-in son-in-law), which was Chen Jiusi’s father.

Chen’s father had originally been a fisherman in the village, but their poverty had forced him into joining the Chen household as *zhuixu.* His true goal was to learn the old doctor’s medical skills. However, the elder was rigid in tradition, believing that medical knowledge should pass only to male heirs, and that outsiders—*even a son-in-law*—could never inherit it. Only those of Chen bloodline were eligible to learn his craft.

Thus, Chen Jiusi became the intended successor of the old doctor’s legacy. But in the year Chen Jiusi turned eight, the elderly physician passed away suddenly, leaving Chen Jie to inherit nothing of the medical trade.

The Chen family lineage of doctors was thus wholly severed. Luckily, a decent portion of wealth remained. Yet, their fortunes were quickly upended when the old physician died, and Chen’s father—the secondary member of the household—took the opportunity to indulge in heavy drinking and gambling. Later, one night, while drunk, he swam in the river and drowned.

Afterward, Chen Jiusi grew up, and his mother recalled an engagement her father had arranged before his death with the scholarly Su Family from the neighboring village.

Back then, one family boasted a lineage of doctors, while the other was an academic household. The match was ideal, and so a child betrothal was fixed.

Dragging her sickly body, Chen Jiusi’s mother sought out the old scholar and upheld the agreement. The scholar, faithful to his word, allowed his daughter, Su Yunjin, to marry into the Chen household.

In the beginning, their days were serene. Although the Chen family lacked the skill of practicing medicine, they still had over twenty acres of premium farmland and a spacious courtyard.

Chen’s mother was alive then and able to keep Chen Jiusi in line. But their good fortune didn’t last. First, tragedy struck the Su family when the old scholar visited the county town, where thieves killed him. He left behind only a five-year-old orphan daughter.

Chen’s mother decided to take Su Yunrui in and raise her. But within days, her chronic illness flared up again, and she passed away.

With his mother gone, no one could rein in Chen Jiusi. The vices of his father erupted within him, leading him down the same path of excessive drinking, gambling, and abusing his wife—all behavior worse than a beast’s.

In no time at all, Chen squandered the wealth accumulated by three generations, forcing the family into their father’s old decrepit house from before he married into the Chen household.

Last night, he stole the deed to their last three acres of farmland, gambled it away, got drunk again, and returned home to frantically search for something else of value to bet on.

But he found nothing; even the rice jar in their kitchen was empty. Insane with frustration, he noticed his five-year-old sister-in-law, Su Yunrui. He recalled hearing rumors that human traffickers in the city specifically bought young girls like her to groom for brothels—and that they sold for a lot of money.

He began grabbing at the child while Su Yunjin resisted, earning her two slaps that sent her sprawling to the ground. He yelled, “You wretched whore! I’m your husband! Whatever I say goes! Dare defy me, and I’ll beat you to death!”

He lashed out again, kicking her twice. A frightened Su Yunrui threw herself in front of Su Yunjin, crying and pleading: “Brother-in-law, please don’t hit my sister! I’m begging you!”

But Chen Jiusi coldly glared at the little girl and said, “I’m hitting your sister because of you. Be obedient. Tomorrow, follow me to the city. I’ll take you to a place where you can at least have full meals, alright?”

“Brother-in-law, I don’t want to go.”

“Not obeying me, huh? Then I’ll keep hitting your sister. I’ll beat her to death. Believe me?”

“Wahhh—please stop hitting my sister! I’ll go, I’ll go. Ruirui will do everything Brother-in-law says. Wahhh...”

“Ah, now that’s better.”

Chen Jiusi smiled with satisfaction and patted the little girl on her head. Then he turned to the woman lying on the floor and sneered: “Still sitting there uselessly? Go fetch me some foot-washing water, you trash!”

...

Recalling the past events in his mind, Chen Jie felt his scalp tingle. *What a living monster this predecessor was!*

*An exquisite, gentle wife—but instead of cherishing her, he beat her. Truly wicked beyond belief.*

Chen Jie concluded that his predecessor was nothing more than human scum.

Thinking this, Chen Jie couldn’t help but take another look at his wife. She appeared to be about 5’5′′, with fair skin and large eyes. Though dressed in coarse linen patched repeatedly, she exuded the grace and serenity of a noblewoman.

If this woman existed in the modern world, she’d be a star actress-level beauty. And now, she was his wife—a stroke of fortune too great for him to comprehend.

*How could his predecessor raise a hand against such a stunning lady?* Chen Jie simply couldn’t understand.

“Husband, what are you staring into space for? Come, drink some porridge.”

She had taken out a chipped porcelain bowl and scooped out a serving of white rice porridge. Nearby, a particularly adorable little girl couldn’t help but swallow hard as her eyes fixated on the bowl.

“Gulp. Ruirui doesn’t want to drink white rice porridge. Not at all. Gulp...”

The woman gave her younger sister a glance, her eyes flashing with pity. But she still carried the bowl of porridge over to Chen Jie.

“Husband!”

She called softly, handing him the bowl. Although Chen Jie’s gaze lingered on the swollen handprint on her face and the bruises along her arms, his heart ached so much that he didn’t take the bowl, instead grabbing her wrist.

The woman flinched in fear, trembling all over. The bowl nearly fell from her hands, and she reflexively tried to pull away.

But the violence she expected didn’t come. Instead, Chen Jie rolled up her sleeve, revealing numerous bruises along her arm.

Chen Jie fell silent.

Pulling her arm back, tears flashed briefly in her eyes, but she still continued: “Husband, please drink some porridge. Yesterday was my fault. After you’ve had the porridge, take Ruirui to the city.”

Her voice was calm, but Chen Jie detected the tremor underlying her words. He wanted to speak, but as she continued, she told him, “Husband, let’s talk after you eat.”

Chen Jie sighed, reaching out to hold the bowl of porridge. Just as he picked up the spoon, a sharp chime sounded beside his ear: Ding~

[System for Daily Intelligence is binding...]