After Transmigrating, I Gained a Wife - Chapter 2

Luo Yan didn’t fall asleep until very late. Having just arrived in this world, she needed to properly organize and plan many things.

Now that she had replaced the “original” Luo Yan, Father and Mother Luo were naturally her parents too.

She needed to start a business; manual labor was no longer an option. Earning just a few copper coins a day as a laborer wasn’t going to cut it.

Father Luo, Luo Yi, was a long-term laborer who only settled his wages once a year. He received a monthly allowance of about a dozen copper coins, which was barely enough to maintain a basic level of food and warmth.

Buying a new household item was unthinkable, let alone new clothes or accessories.

As for Mother Luo, she had been ill and was currently unable to continue the sewing work she used to do. For now, she needed to focus on recovering.

Luo Yan’s culinary skills were quite good, so she figured she could start by making food to sell at the market.

——

In the early morning, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Luo Yan woke up.

It was as if this body had muscle memory; it woke up exactly on time.

Just as she was about to sit up, Luo Yan realized her arm was being weighed down by something. She turned her head to see Li Hanxue sleeping soundly, using her arm as a pillow.

Hahaha~ This really is a “sweet” kind of pressure.

Li Hanxue looked incredibly adorable while asleep, her body curled into Luo Yan’s chest and her arm draped around Luo Yan’s waist.

Luo Yan extended a slender finger and, with the utmost care, lightly touched Li Hanxue’s cheek.

So soft!

It was even more tender than the tofu she cooked with!

With the face of a total “fan-girl,” Luo Yan stared at the sleeping Li Hanxue for a long time.

She gently lifted Li Hanxue’s arm, got dressed, tucked the blanket around her wife, and stepped out of the room.

As soon as she went out, she saw Mother Luo, who had also just gotten up. Before she could say anything, Mother Luo spoke: “Yan’er, you’re up.”

Mother Luo knew she owed her daughter a lot and felt bad that she couldn’t provide more for her; every time she thought about it, her heart ached.

Looking at Mother Luo, Luo Yan smiled and said, “Yes. I’m going to go get breakfast ready.”

Seeing her daughter’s smile, Mother Luo smiled back. “Good. Let me give you a hand.”

The atmosphere was quite nice. Not bad, Luo Yan thought as she smiled and replied, “Okay.”

Once in the kitchen, Luo Yan checked the available ingredients.

There were eggs, cabbage, and flour. On the stove, she found salt, plums (which smelled tart, similar to modern vinegar), pepper, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and even sesame oil!

Perfect! I’ll make noodles. That’ll be great!

Luo Yan: “Mom, let’s make noodles.”

Mother Luo saw that her daughter had a plan and said, “Alright.”

Luo Yan spent some time hand-rolling the noodles and prepping the ingredients, then hurried Mother Luo to light the fire and heat the wok.

When the wok reached the right temperature, Luo Yan poured in a modest amount of oil and fried the eggs first.

She fried four eggs—one for each of the four family members.

Eggs here cost three copper coins each, which was quite expensive. These eggs were leftovers from the wedding—the ones that hadn’t been used up the day she married Li Hanxue.

On the day of the wedding, the guests were all villagers who rarely ate good food. The dishes made from chicken and duck were wiped clean the moment they hit the table; it was as if they truly hadn’t eaten in years.

I need to find time to go to the market and buy two chickens, she thought. That way, having eggs will be much easier.

Once the eggs were fried, the remaining oil was perfect for the noodles. She tossed in ginger and two small red chilies, stir-fried them briefly, and then added water.

About four or five minutes later, the water was boiling. Luo Yan added the noodles and the seasonings.

When the noodles were about halfway cooked, she added the pre-cut cabbage to the pot.

She told Mother Luo to stop adding wood to the fire; the noodles would be ready in about two minutes.

Luo Yan turned to Mother Luo: “Mom, go to the room and call Father for breakfast.”

Mother Luo replied, “Alright, I’ll go now.”

The noodles were ready, so Luo Yan ran into the bedroom to see if Li Hanxue was awake.

As soon as she entered, she saw Hanxue sitting blankly on the bed with a look of someone who hadn’t quite woken up yet. She looked so dazed and adorable that Luo Yan really wanted to squeeze her!

Luo Yan sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, “Are you going to sleep more?”

Li Hanxue turned her head dazedly and said, “I don’t want to sleep anymore.” She had slept enough, especially since she went to bed early last night.

Luo Yan: “Okay, then get up and have some breakfast.”

Li Hanxue began to wake up fully. Seeing Luo Yan staring at her, she suddenly remembered what this person had said to her last night, and she was instantly overcome with shyness.

“You… go out and wait for me first.”

Is she fully awake now? Is she blushing?

Even her ears had turned red!

Oh ho~ Li Hanxue looks so cute when she’s shy. Having a wife is truly the best~

Luo Yan: “Alright, but be quick.” Seeing that Li Hanxue was too shy to speak, she didn’t linger and went out to wait for her “wifey” to get up.

Walking into the living area, she saw Father and Mother Luo already sitting at the table eating noodles.

Huh? Why aren’t they eating the fried eggs!

Without a word, she ran back to the kitchen, grabbed the fried eggs and her freshly chopped chilies, and placed them on the table.

Luo Yan said, “Dad, Mom, there’s one fried egg for each person. You have to eat your own.”

Father Luo saw the chilies and pulled them toward himself first. He looked at the fried egg in the bowl; having four eggs felt like a waste. He and his wife would have been fine without them.

Looking at his daughter, he wanted to say something but found he couldn’t. He simply picked up an egg and put it in his wife’s bowl. Looking at her, he said, “Listen to our daughter.”

Mother Luo looked at her husband and then at Yan’er, smiling without saying a word as she began to eat her egg.

Luo Yan felt a bit awkward seeing Mother Luo’s smile. To avoid the awkwardness, she ran to the kitchen to serve noodles for herself and Hanxue, leaving the rest of the noodles for Father Luo to finish.

Just as the noodles were placed on the table, Li Hanxue finished getting ready and walked over.

Seeing Father and Mother Luo already eating, Hanxue felt very shy. “Father, Mother, good morning~”

Father Luo looked at Hanxue and said, “Come sit and eat. Xiao Yan made excellent noodles today.” The noodles were delicious and chewy; he felt like he’d have much more strength for work today.

Mother Luo also looked at Hanxue: “Xiao Yan’er’s noodles today are indeed very tasty. Eat up, Hanxue.”

After sitting down, the praise from her in-laws made Li Hanxue feel even more bashful, but she was curious about the noodles her “husband” made. She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.

A few seconds later, her eyes lit up! The noodles were indeed delicious—fragrant, chewy, and the broth was flavorful.

Luo Yan watched Hanxue eat. She went from curious and cautious to totally won over! It seemed she liked it. Luo Yan picked up a fried egg and placed it in Hanxue’s bowl.

Li Hanxue was startled and followed the chopsticks back with her eyes.

Luo Yan looked at her, “One fried egg per person.”

Li Hanxue nodded, surprised that Luo Yan had served her so directly. Actually, she could have just told her, and she would have grabbed it herself…

Seeing her wife blush again, Luo Yan happily started eating her own noodles.

When Luo Yan was halfway through, Father Luo finished his bowl. Luo Yan quickly said, “There’s some left in the pot, Father, please finish it.”

Father Luo understood his daughter’s intention. “Alright.”

He quickly finished the rest of the noodles and left for work.

Mother Luo also finished her meal. Luo Yan turned to Hanxue and noticed she seemed to be struggling to finish.

“Can’t eat anymore?”

Li Hanxue: “Yeah, I’m very full.” There was a lot of noodles in the bowl, plus the egg; she really couldn’t eat another bite.

Luo Yan took Hanxue’s bowl and placed it in front of herself. “In the future, if you can’t finish, just tell me. I’ll finish it for you.” After saying that, she started eating Hanxue’s leftovers.

Food from the wife’s bowl really does taste better!

So good!

Hearing Luo Yan’s words and seeing her eat her leftovers, Hanxue was so dazed and embarrassed she felt like her ears were going to bleed.

After finishing, Luo Yan looked at Li Hanxue and saw she was blushing again~

Hahaha, this is pretty great.

Luo Yan stood up and began to clean up. Li Hanxue tried to help, but Luo Yan “sternly” stopped her.

Luo Yan: “Just sit there. I’ll handle the dishes.”

…

——

While washing the dishes, Luo Yan thought about the ingredients they had. She decided she could start by making pancakes to sell at the market. With her plan mostly formed, she decided to visit the market today to do some market research.

After the dishes were done, she went out and saw her wife sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Li Hanxue’s mind was a mess. Before marrying into the family, she had always been treated unfairly. Li Yan loved to cause trouble for her. After marrying into the Luo family, she found they were very poor—to put it bluntly, they were impoverished peasants.

The day after the wedding, she had sent her maid back to the Li family to look after her mother. The Luo family simply couldn’t afford to feed another person right now.

Finding out Luo Yan was a woman had initially caused her to have a breakdown. But then she remembered what Luo Yan had said, and she felt embarrassed to death. Now that she was married, she could never have her own children…

Luo Yan walked over to her. “Do you want to go to the market with me? I’m heading there now.”

Li Hanxue really wanted to go. “Okay.”

Luo Yan saw the excitement in her wife’s eyes. So cute! “I’ll go tell Mother, and then we’ll head out.”

When Mother Luo heard they were going to the market, she pulled out 50 copper coins and gave them to Luo Yan. Luo Yan took them, promising herself she would earn money to take care of her mother in the future.

After speaking with her mother, Luo Yan and Li Hanxue set out.

The Luo house was a bit far from the market; it took about an hour to walk there.

Once they arrived, Luo Yan found a place to sit and let Hanxue rest before they started looking around.

Li Hanxue was indeed exhausted and was panting for breath. While resting, Luo Yan was drawn to a stall selling paintings and calligraphy and went over to take a look.

Seeing that her wife had rested enough, she called her over to the stall. “How much for one of your paintings?”

“Starting at over a dozen copper coins,” the man replied.

Luo Yan thought painting might be a good option—less physically taxing, though it required mental energy. In her previous life, she had experience with sketching, oil painting, and even Photoshop.

Suddenly, a man approached the artist wanting a portrait. He wanted the artist to paint a person based on a description, and the pay was high—five taels of silver if done well.

The artist looked troubled; his skills weren’t at that level yet.

Seeing the artist’s expression, Luo Yan was delighted. It looked like she could make a good profit today.

Luo Yan turned to the buyer: “Sir, I am a friend of this artist. I can paint what you described for you.”

The man looked at her and told her to go ahead.

Luo Yan asked the artist how much the paper cost and negotiated to give the young artist 50 copper coins once the job was done. It was more than the cost of the paper, but she was using his space, after all.

About an hour later, Luo Yan finished the portrait. By then, quite a crowd had gathered to watch.

Luo Yan’s work was indeed excellent. The employer was surprised and even gave her an extra two taels of silver, saying he would look for her again if he needed more work.

Luo Yan was naturally thrilled and gave him her name and address. At the same time, she learned the employer worked for the local government yamen.

Luo Yan gave the 50 copper coins to the young artist. He had realized her skill was far superior to his when she was only 70-80% finished, and he immediately asked to become her apprentice.

Luo Yan was startled by the request but smiled and said, “Alright.”

The young artist was named Wen Liang, and he spoke with a scholarly air. After giving him her address, Luo Yan turned to find her wife.

Time to hit the market and shop, shop, shop!

Li Hanxue was still in shock. When Luo Yan first said she would paint, Hanxue wanted to stop her. But before she could, Luo Yan was already talking to the artist and starting the work.

By the time Luo Yan finished, Li Hanxue was stunned all over again.

This person’s painting is incredible!

Author’s Note:

Luo Yan: Making money, making money!

Author: Yes.

Li Hanxue: Go for it, Husband!

Author: …