USWHC -Chapter 27 The Runaway Bride (Part 7)

The kitchen door was tightly shut, and the fragrance was drifting out from inside—rich, mouth-watering aromas of food. It made everyone in the Ji family unable to stop themselves from swallowing.

With a loud bang, Elder Brother Ji finally lost his patience and kicked the door open. He hadn’t even gotten a bite to eat yet—how could he let someone else enjoy it first?

But as the door swung open, what greeted them was a gentle, smiling face.

“Oh, everyone’s back? Perfect—time to eat!”

Everyone stared in shock at Zhu Jie inside the room, then looked back and forth at each other in disbelief.

What? How was she here?

“How are you here?” Clearly the most astonished person was Ji Yi. He was the first to ask.

But the moment he finished speaking, Zhu Jie suddenly lowered her head, tears falling from her eyes.

She started crying.

Seeing her look so wronged only made everyone more stunned. What kind of scene was this supposed to be? The runaway bride had actually come back home by herself?

Through her sobs, Zhu Jie said, “Brother Yi, you know I truly care about you. But why did you lie to me? On such a cold day, you tricked me into going to the snowy mountain alone. Did you ever think about whether I would live or die?”

The more she spoke, the sadder she sounded.

“And after what happened between us last night… you can’t treat me like this!”

Watching her cry so pitifully, like pear blossoms bathed in rain, it didn’t seem fake at all. Everyone immediately turned their gaze toward Ji Yi.

They had already spent the whole morning running around searching, and their mood was terrible to begin with. Hearing her say this, Old Madam Ji’s explosive temper ignited instantly.

“You idiot! Are you trying to die? Do you know how hard it is to get a woman? And you’re still being picky! I thought she ran away—turns out it’s your fault!”

As she spoke, Old Madam Ji grabbed the rolling pin in her hand and started beating Ji Yi with it like a raging storm.

Meanwhile, Ji Yi could only cry internally.

Why was he always the one getting hurt? Ever since he met this woman, nothing good had happened to him. All he ever got was beaten with sticks. How could he be this unlucky?

At that moment, Zhu Jie hurried over with a concerned expression and stood in front of Ji Yi, shielding him. In a low voice she pleaded, “Mother, it’s my fault. I must have done something that made Brother Yi dissatisfied. Please don’t hit him—hit me instead!”

Seeing how sincere and affectionate she looked only made everyone even angrier.

Even Old Master Ji couldn’t help saying righteously, “Yi, it’s not that your father wants to lecture you, but with such a good wife, you should cherish her!”

Ji Yi had already been stunned before, but now he was beaten so badly he could barely think straight. He could only glare resentfully at Zhu Jie.

What was this girl trying to do now?

But Zhu Jie simply smiled gently at him. She even affectionately tugged at his sleeve and whispered softly, “Brother Yi, I cooked a meal for you. Come see if it suits your taste.”

“Look at that—what a good daughter-in-law. You really picked up a treasure!” Old Madam Ji sighed with emotion.

But her admiration only lasted until Zhu Jie set the dishes on the table.

The next moment she shrieked uncontrollably.

“My—my rice!”

She nearly fainted on the spot.

“Mother! Mother!” Sister-in-law You and Ji Mei rushed forward to support her.

Zhu Jie, however, stood there looking puzzled at everyone.

“Did I do something wrong?”

She glanced down at the steaming rice in her hands—well, actually half a basin of rice. Then she scratched her head and chuckled sheepishly.

“Oh… I couldn’t help myself earlier, so I ate some first. Mother won’t blame me, right?”

Hearing this only made Old Madam Ji even angrier. Her hands trembled with rage.

“You… you…”

“What? Does Mother not like rice?” Zhu Jie asked, still confused. “It’s okay, I also heated up some sweet potatoes for you!”

With that, she turned and rushed back into the kitchen, bringing out the sweet potatoes.

When she came back in and saw Old Madam Ji already fainted beside the table, Zhu Jie was stunned.

What? Was this for real? She looked even more convincing than when I pretend!

“Sister-in-law, did I do something wrong?” Zhu Jie finally asked sincerely.

Seeing that she truly seemed confused, Sister-in-law You could only sigh and ask, “Where did you get that rice from?”

“I saw a basin under the table, so I took it from there. Was that wrong?” Zhu Jie asked softly.

“A basin?” Sister-in-law You continued.

“Yeah! There wasn’t much left in it anyway—just enough for one meal. Isn’t that right?”

“Not right! That was our family’s rice for the entire winter!”

Hearing her explanation, Ji Mei was so angry she practically jumped into the air.