USWHC -Chapter 69 Treating the Picked-Up Wife Like a Treasure (Part 9)

“You wash the clothes here, I’ll go fetch water up ahead!”

Hearing Ji Yi’s cold words, Zhu Jie suddenly lifted her head, and a wave of disappointment surged in her chest. Why had he suddenly become so distant?

She watched Ji Yi bend over a large rock not far away, filling two buckets of water, and then leave without even glancing back. It felt like a sharp needle had pierced her heart—he hadn’t even looked back at her once.

For some reason, Zhu Jie felt completely swallowed by that sense of loss. She squatted quietly by the water, staring blankly at the clothes in the basin.

“Are you Ji Yi’s wife?”

A sudden, timid voice spoke beside her.

“Ah?” Zhu Jie turned toward the voice in surprise and saw a young girl.

The girl looked no older than thirteen or fourteen—a small child in Zhu Jie’s eyes. “Who are you?” she asked softly.

The girl’s face suddenly flushed. “You must have heard of me, right? I’m Huaihua!” She spoke shyly, but pounded the clothes in her hands even harder.

Only then did Zhu Jie realize that this young girl had appeared by her side to wash clothes without her noticing.

Huaihua? Hearing the name, Zhu Jie couldn’t help but look at her intently. It was distinctive, but why did she assume Zhu Jie had heard of her?

Seeing Zhu Jie stare, Huaihua thought she had indeed heard of her. Her face turned even redder, and she lowered her head further. “How dare you come to the river?” she suddenly said.

Zhu Jie was puzzled. “Is there something wrong with the river?”

Why did this girl’s words make no sense to her? Could this be a generational gap? A gap of hundreds of years? That shouldn’t be possible—she had been in the ancient world for ten years already, fully accustomed to it. How could there be a gap with a little girl?

Was there a river spirit? Or was the water dirty? That couldn’t be—if it were dirty, Ji Yi wouldn’t fetch water here! And a river spirit? Ha, she didn’t believe that for a second!

Unexpectedly, Huaihua widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Zhu Jie. Seeing her confused expression, Huaihua’s face suddenly lit up with realization. She covered her mouth in shock, as if she had said something wrong, and scrambled to her feet in a fluster.

“No, the river water is fine!” Huaihua quickly explained.

Zhu Jie watched Huaihua hurriedly pack the clothes, noticing that two pieces hadn’t even touched the water. She was even more surprised—why was the girl suddenly in such a rush to leave?

Huaihua clearly fled in panic, shoving the clothes haphazardly into the basin and forgetting to say goodbye. She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

Zhu Jie stared, more puzzled than ever.

Huaihua hesitated, stammering, “Um… um… Brother Ji Yi is a good person!”

“Ah?” Zhu Jie was taken aback.

Before she could react, Huaihua continued, “I—I mean it in a good way! I’m just warning you out of kindness!” But then she hesitated again.

Zhu Jie widened her eyes in confusion, listening as Huaihua added, “You’d better stay away from the water!”

“Ah?” Zhu Jie was stunned again.

Huaihua mustered up all her courage and shouted, “Stay away from all water!” Then, clutching her wooden basin, she ran off as if fleeing for her life.

The clear river flowed quietly, carrying a bone-chilling cold in the winter air. Zhu Jie gazed at the serene surface, lost in thought. What on earth did Huaihua mean?

The clothes floated lightly in the water, and the chill as the water passed over her fingers made her shiver. The water really was cold!

While she was lost in thought, a sudden gust of wind blew, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust. Zhu Jie’s vision blurred, and at that moment, the clothes in her hands inexplicably slipped away.

Zhu Jie froze. Following the clothes downstream, she instinctively reached out to grab them. But just as her hand was about to touch them, the current suddenly quickened—and she slipped beneath her feet…