Chapter 224 – The Foolish Prince Consort’s Farming Struggles – My Wife Is the Most Beautiful in the World (07)
Uncle Gao, who had just come out of the kitchen carrying breakfast and happened to witness this scene: …For some reason, he felt that the Seventh Prince had gotten even sillier.
On the fifteenth of every month, Uncle Gao would take Gao Luo to town to see the doctor. The main purpose was to ask whether that particular herb was available. The Seventh Prince had been mentally impaired for three years. Although they hadn’t been found yet and were relatively safe, the Seventh Prince was a thorn in the eyes of all the other princes. It would be best if he could recover as soon as possible.
Using the excuse that he had forgotten something in the room, Uncle Gao sent Gao Luo off to retrieve it.
Now, only Uncle Gao and Bai Tang were left in the dining room.
Uncle Gao’s gaze turned sharp as he questioned Bai Tang, “Where did you go last night? What are your intentions in scheming your way into the Gao family?”
Uncle Gao dropped his kindly demeanor; his sudden fierceness made Bai Tang nervous.
“Qiu’er, should I tell Uncle Gao? What if he kicks me out?” Bai Tang couldn’t decide whether to tell the truth.
Qiu’er replied, “Maybe you should. Just say that you…”
Qiu’er and Xiao A had helped Bai Tang come up with a backstory — something about how his family used to run an herbal medicine shop, but was later swindled, and the household fell into ruin.
Bai Tang nervously stammered out the story in front of Uncle Gao, but the old man clearly didn’t believe him.
“Where are the herbs, then? Show me, and I’ll believe you,” Uncle Gao said coldly.
He hadn’t seen any herbs in the boy’s hands or on the table last night. Besides, who goes out to gather herbs in their underclothes?!
Seeing that Uncle Gao didn’t believe him, Bai Tang had no choice but to lead him back to the room and transfer the herbs from his small pouch space into a box.
He opened the box, revealing a fully intact plant lying inside.
Zhengxi Grass?!
This was the very herb Uncle Gao had been obsessing over. He couldn’t possibly be mistaken.
If the Zhengxi Grass the Seventh Prince needed was growing on the mountain behind them, and this boy was able to harvest it — then the Prince’s recovery might not be far off.
Thinking of this, Uncle Gao’s gaze toward Bai Tang changed. The wariness was gone, replaced by a kind of fervent enthusiasm.
This boy must be a blessing sent from the heavens to help the Seventh Prince!
“Uncle Gao, my wife…” Gao Luo’s voice grew louder as he approached.
He was holding the account book from the restaurant, and when he didn’t see the two of them in the dining room, he panicked—afraid that his wife had run off again. He searched the entire courtyard and finally found the long-“missing” Bai Tang in his own room.
The moment Gao Luo saw the box in Bai Tang’s hands, he instinctively assumed it was his “luggage.” His first thought was: It’s over. My wife’s really leaving this time. He’s even packed.
He rushed forward and hugged Bai Tang tightly.
“Wife, don’t go! I’ll behave, I’ll listen to everything you say.”
As he spoke, he turned his head and called out to Uncle Gao: “Uncle Gao, quick, close the door! My wife is trying to escape—”
Uncle Gao & Bai Tang: …
Bai Tang set down the box and hugged him back.
“I’m not going anywhere. Really.”
To make himself more convincing, he even gave Gao Luo a kiss in front of Uncle Gao.
After kissing him, he immediately buried himself in Gao Luo’s arms and refused to come out.
That was the most he could bring himself to do in front of a stranger.
Gao Luo froze for a moment, then broke into a broad, beaming smile.
He hugged the boy tighter and kissed him back.
He was overjoyed. His wife kissed him! His wife kissed him!
Uncle Gao: “Ahem.”
Did no one care about the emotional well-being of an old man anymore? Young people these days, honestly…
“It’s getting late. We need to head into town,” Uncle Gao reminded them.
The three of them quickly packed up. Gao Luo and Bai Tang got into the carriage, while Uncle Gao took the reins up front.
Although the place was remote, it was important to be cautious. The town had more people and a more mixed crowd. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Uncle Gao always had Gao Luo ride inside the carriage when they went out.
Lin Xiaoshuang watched as the carriage rolled out of the village entrance. She thought back to how, earlier, she had left before dawn to buy a servant from the old matchmaker, and didn’t return until after dark.
The village was poor, and most people relied on farming to survive. Everyone could basically feed themselves, but there wasn’t much money to be made in the village. She wanted to see the town, but didn’t want to walk that mountain path again. Just then, the Gao family’s carriage happened to pass right in front of her—so she set her sights on it.
“Uncle Gao! Uncle Gao, wait a moment!” Lin Xiaoshuang shouted, chasing after the carriage.
Uncle Gao stopped the carriage and saw a thin, dark-skinned girl panting as she caught up from behind.
“Uncle Gao, are you heading to town?” Lin Xiaoshuang asked.
Inside the carriage, the moment Gao Luo heard Lin Xiaoshuang’s voice, he instinctively pulled Bai Tang into his arms.
Bai Tang: “???”
“She’s definitely here to take my wife away. My wife is mine—he can’t go with her,” Gao Luo muttered.
He still remembered that yesterday Lin Xiaoshuang had claimed the boy was someone she bought, that he belonged to her. And now that she was chasing after them, could she be trying to take his wife back?
No way—his wife was his. No one could take him.
Outside the carriage, Uncle Gao replied, “I’m heading to town to buy supplies.”
The Gao family didn’t farm like the others in the village, so if they wanted to live, they had to go to town to purchase essentials like rice, oil, and salt.
Lin Xiaoshuang smiled. “Perfect! I want to go to town too. Since we’re headed the same way, Uncle Gao, why don’t you give me a ride?”
As she spoke, she reached out to lift the carriage curtain.
Inside, Gao Luo pressed hard against the carriage door to block it. Lin Xiaoshuang managed to lift the curtain, but couldn’t push the door open.
Uncle Gao said, “Miss Lin, while we are both headed to town, I also have to take the young master to see the doctor, so it’s not exactly on the way…”
“That’s fine! Just drop me off at the edge of town, it won’t be any trouble. Why won’t this door open…” Lin Xiaoshuang was truly sick of walking. No matter what, she was determined to hitch a ride on Uncle Gao’s cart.
Seeing her persistence, Uncle Gao’s expression darkened.
“Miss Lin, please behave with propriety!”
Lin Xiaoshuang’s eyes widened, and her hand froze in place.
“Uncle Gao, aren’t we practically in-laws? If it weren’t for me, Gao Luo wouldn’t even have a wife.”
Uncle Gao replied sharply, “If I recall correctly, we signed a severance agreement—witnessed by the village chief. You’ve already accepted the bride price and the goods. Our Gao family has no ties with your Lin family, nor with you, Miss Lin.”
Lin Xiaoshuang hadn’t expected Uncle Gao to bring that up, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
She paused, then added, “Fine. Since Uncle Gao insists on drawing a clear line despite being from the same village, I’ll pay you. Consider it a carriage fare. Just have Gao Luo open the door.”
Inside the carriage, Gao Luo heard Lin Xiaoshuang’s words. Glancing at Bai Tang sitting beside him, he immediately said, “I’m not sitting with an ugly freak!”
His voice was loud enough that it carried clearly through the carriage walls.
Lin Xiaoshuang was furious. This was the second time—the second time—she’d been called ugly by this idiot. It was absolutely unbearable.
Since arriving in this unfamiliar world a few days ago, Lin Xiaoshuang hadn’t forgotten the skills she had from her previous life. But what she’d picked up most quickly was her mother’s knack for making a scene—she’d mastered about half of it already.
She banged on the carriage door and shouted, “Get out here! Tell me, what part of me is ugly? Am I uglier than you?!”
“You are ugly, you are ugly, you are ugly!” Gao Luo shouted back like a sulking child. “My wife is the most beautiful! He’s the best-looking in the whole world!”
“Open the door, then! If you’ve got the guts, open it and we’ll see who’s better looking!”
Provoked by Lin Xiaoshuang’s taunts, Gao Luo couldn’t take it anymore. He angrily flung the carriage door open.
He stepped down from the carriage, looking down at Lin Xiaoshuang from above.
“You’re ugly. End of story.”
Lin Xiaoshuang didn’t even have time to retort. The moment she saw Gao Luo, she was stunned.
How could someone in this world be that handsome? If he were in the modern world, he’d absolutely be a top-tier heartthrob—idol-level good looks.
Her dazed reaction only made Gao Luo more smug.
“I told you you’re ugly,” he said proudly, turning to shut the carriage door again.
But Lin Xiaoshuang reacted quickly, slipping her hand into the narrow gap just in time.
“Oww~!”
Getting her fingers caught in the door was painful—her first reaction was to cry out.
Because of this, the door didn’t fully close, giving Lin Xiaoshuang a clear look at the other person inside the carriage.
The youth was delicate and elegant, carrying a purity only found in children or infants—like an angel who had fallen to earth. Though thin and frail, nothing could diminish his beauty.
Gao Luo grew irritated under Lin Xiaoshuang’s unrelenting stare. He stepped in front of Bai Tang, blocking her view so she couldn’t look at him anymore.
“Go away! Shoo, shoo!”
Without giving her a chance to argue, Gao Luo shoved Lin Xiaoshuang out of the way and slammed the carriage door shut.
“Wife~” Gao Luo leaned in toward Bai Tang pitifully, like a clingy puppy seeking comfort and affection from its master.
The young boy smiled, his eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Ah Luo, be good. Just ignore her if you see her again.”
The male lead’s attitude toward the female lead was a complete 180 from how it was in the original plot, and that gave Bai Tang even more confidence—Gao Luo definitely wouldn’t fall for the female lead now.
“Mm-hmm, I’ll listen to my wife,” Gao Luo nodded enthusiastically. Then, catching Bai Tang off guard, he suddenly kissed him on the lips.
“This morning, y-you kissed me first… so I-I have to kiss you back. Uncle Gao says it’s called ‘courtesy demands reciprocity.’”
Bai Tang touched his own lips, his cheeks turning pink.
No wonder Gao Luo treated Lin Xiaoshuang so well in the original story—it was all because of Uncle Gao’s teachings.
Lin Xiaoshuang had deliberately approached Gao Luo and treated him kindly, so Gao Luo, following the principle of “treating others as they treat me,” naturally returned her kindness.
“From now on, you’re only allowed to kiss me—no kissing anyone else,” Bai Tang said, his face reddening even more.
“Okay, I’ll do whatever my wife says,” Gao Luo said happily, hugging Bai Tang tightly.
“And don’t call me ‘wife’ anymore. Just call me Tang Tang,” Bai Tang added, thinking it was time to correct Gao Luo’s way of addressing him. Being called ‘wife’ all the time just felt strange.
“Alright, Tang Tang… Tang Tang… Tang Tang~” Gao Luo repeated the name, savoring it on his tongue. There was something oddly familiar about it, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
Tang Tang… From now on, his wife would be called Tang Tang.
At the front of the carriage, Uncle Gao tightened the reins and urged the horse forward toward town.
Left behind, Lin Xiaoshuang stomped her foot in frustration.
So what if they have a carriage? Barbarians, all of them—no manners, no appreciation for beauty. No wonder they had to buy a wife!
That’s what she said out loud, but deep inside, a feeling of envy rose up—tinged with a trace of jealousy she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Bai Tang’s so lucky. If I hadn’t bought him, how would he have ended up enjoying the good life at the Gao family?
Grumbling to herself, Lin Xiaoshuang resignedly started walking toward town on foot.
Just wait until I get to town. I’ll buy a carriage of my own—and then I won’t give rides to anyone!
Author’s Note:
A silly little top—so childish now!