The Cannon-Fodder Ex-Wife of the Richest Man

The Cannon-Fodder Ex-Wife of the Richest Man

The slanting rays of the setting sun cast a patchwork of light and shadow, dividing the courtyard in two. Wisps of smoke curled from the kitchen chimney, leaving half the courtyard bright and half in darkness.

Mother Zhou was chopping vegetable leaves in the shadows. Under her knife, the lush green leaves became thin emerald strips. Once she had chopped a pile, she grabbed a handful and scattered it onto the ground.

A mother hen led a flock of fluffy yellow chicks in a frantic chorus of "peep peep peep" as they fought over the vegetable strips scattered on the ground.

"Mom, I'm taking Jiang Xia to the Health Clinic." The man's deep, mellow voice shattered the courtyard's silence.

Mother Zhou nearly chopped off her own finger!

She put down the cleaver and frowned. "What's wrong now? Didn't she wake up?"

She had just heard the sound of the couple talking.

"She has a fever. She's a little delirious, so I'm taking her to the Health Clinic to get checked out." What Zhou Chenglei didn't say was that he suspected the fever had damaged Jiang Xia's brain.

She had been babbling nonsense and even getting handsy with him.

She had asked him what his name was, then said something about "becoming the richest man's cannon-fodder ex-wife."

What a load of nonsense. He hadn't understood a single word.

He couldn't bear listening to it, either.

Mother Zhou frowned. "Can't she just take a packet of Fever Reducing Powder?"

Zhou Chenglei shook his head.

Annoyance flashed through Mother Zhou's heart. "Then go!"

"What? You're going to the Health Clinic again? A fever won't kill her, so why go to the Health Clinic? Fourth Brother, do you have too much money, or do you think our family has a mountain of gold and silver waiting to be mined?"

Eldest Sister-in-Law came out of the kitchen holding a smoking pair of fire tongs, her mouth firing off words like a machine gun. "She only just got out of the hospital yesterday after trying to drown herself, and today she's going again? What did she do today? Drown herself again, or hang herself? Run into a wall, or slit her wrists?"

"Fourth Brother, do you know I don't even dare go outside anymore? The moment I step out, everyone asks me, 'Did your Jiang Xia run off with a man, get caught in the act by your Zhou Chenglei, and end up driven to drown herself?' Or, 'I heard the pretty, educated city wife Old Fourth just married—beautiful as a flower—eloped with someone. Is that true?'"

"You tell me, she's only been married into this family a few days, and she's already done the whole lot: crying, making a scene, threatening to hang herself, eloping, drowning herself, and crashing into walls. What exactly is she trying to do? She's dragged the Zhou Family's reputation through the mud! If you don't feel embarrassed, I do! My four sons still have to go to school! Even their teachers can't help getting curious."

Mother Zhou was sick to death of it and said unhappily, "Enough. Stop talking."

She was deeply dissatisfied with this newly married daughter-in-law too, but her son had already suffered enough from bringing home such a piece of work.

It was all because she hadn't investigated properly. She had thought her son's superior respected him and was therefore willing to marry his daughter into their family.

If she had known Jiang Xia was this kind of person, she would have found an excuse to reject the match from the start.

She had only thought that her son was capable. He had joined the army before even graduating middle school, gotten into university while serving, fought on battlefields, and earned countless military merits. He had even risen to become a battalion commander. Although he had retired because of his injuries, he was still more than worthy of marrying a factory manager's daughter.

Who could have known he would marry someone so self-righteous, with her eyes practically growing out of her forehead, looking down on them for being country folk who sold fish?

Eldest Sister-in-Law grew even more displeased. "She can make a fuss, so why can't I talk about it? What kind of person does that? If she didn't want to marry into this family, she shouldn't have! She married in and then started threatening to die. Fourth Brother can't even enter the bridal chamber—what is this supposed to be? Does this count as taking a wife? Does she think she's a princess?"

"Fourth Brother, give me a straight answer. When is your wife going to stop making trouble? Are we supposed to keep living like this?"

Zhou Chenglei was silent for a moment. "Eldest Sister-in-Law, I'll take her to see a doctor first. We'll talk when I get back."

Only then was Eldest Sister-in-Law satisfied, though she still couldn't stop herself from saying, "Why would a fever require a trip to the Health Clinic? Do they treat people for free there? One packet of Fever Reducing Powder and even a dead man would be up and bouncing! She's the only one who's some rich young lady, running to the hospital every few days and spending ten or twenty—"

Mother Zhou drove the cleaver hard into the wooden chopping block.

Eldest Sister-in-Law immediately shut her mouth.

Mother Zhou looked at Zhou Chenglei. "Take her to the Health Clinic and get her treated. Once she's better, send her back to her family."

Mother Zhou only wanted to send her away as quickly as possible.

The Zhou Family couldn't afford to keep this ancestor!

Zhou Chenglei said nothing and turned back into the house.

Eldest Sister-in-Law couldn't help adding, "Mom, when they get divorced, remember to demand the Betrothal Gifts back along with the medical expenses. We can't take a loss!"

Mother Zhou shot her a cold glare and pulled the cleaver free.

Eldest Sister-in-Law hurried back into the kitchen, muttering under her breath, "I didn't say anything wrong. She married in, and Fourth Brother hasn't even touched her hand. If we don't get the Betrothal Gifts back when they divorce, won't we be losing out?"

Two thousand yuan, no less. That was almost enough to buy a wooden boat.

Mother Zhou ignored her and continued chopping the vegetable strips.

Inside the festively decorated bridal chamber, Jiang Xia had heard the entire conversation outside.

She looked over the few extremely old-fashioned objects in the room: a Hua Nan Brand sewing machine, carved wooden-framed glass windows, an electric light bulb, a bright red old-fashioned thermos, and an enamel mug. The overly vivid conversation and overly realistic scene...

It took her more than ten minutes to confirm that she wasn't dreaming, but had transmigrated into a book.

And not just any book. She had transmigrated into an era novel titled Reborn in the Eighties: The Richest Husband Spoils Me Every Night, becoming the male protagonist's cannon-fodder ex-wife.

The male protagonist's ex-wife was also named Jiang Xia—a foolish, brainless cannon-fodder supporting character who had taken a hand of good cards and played them into a disaster.

The original host came from an excellent family. Her father was a demobilized soldier who had transferred to civilian work and held a position in a Government Department. Her mother was the head of a Garment Factory. Their family was comfortably well-off.

Her marriage to the male protagonist had been arranged by their parents. At the time, the male protagonist was still in the army. Though young, he had already become a battalion commander with a bright future ahead of him, and she had been quite satisfied as well.

Who could have known that the male protagonist would be seriously wounded on a mission, lose the hearing in one ear, and have no choice but to retire and transfer to civilian work?

Even if he retired and transferred to civilian work, he had already been a regimental commander by then. Even after leaving the army, he could still have gotten an excellent position. She had heard that in the city, he would at least have become a division-level cadre; in a town, he would have been at secretary level. What incredible prestige that would have brought!

Everyone around the original host envied her, making her conceited.

Who could have known that after registering their marriage and marrying into the Zhou Family, she would learn that the male protagonist had given his job opportunity to his Second Brother? He couldn't sit still, disliked working within the system, and hated sitting in an office. He wanted to plunge into business.

And by "plunge into business," he meant making a living by fishing.

Wasn't that just being a fisherman who sold fish? The original host couldn't accept it. She couldn't accept becoming a fisherman's wife, or living in the countryside. So on their wedding night, she began making all kinds of scenes, refusing to share a bed with the male protagonist and clamoring for a divorce.

Later, she was deceived by the honeyed words of a male supporting character who was a wife-beater and eloped with him. But before they had even escaped the village, the male protagonist caught them.

The man ran away in terror the moment he saw the male protagonist. In his panic, he shoved her into the sea, which was how Jiang Xia had transmigrated here.

Jiang Xia looked at the imposing man who pushed open the door and came inside.

His tall, commanding figure was like an immovable mountain, his expression stern and sharply handsome, his presence utterly overwhelming.

As expected of the male protagonist! Absolutely incredible!