Salted Fish Concubine, Always Getting Pregnant, Fierce General Pampers Her Daily - Chapter 1

The Great General’s residence held seven consecutive days of Taoist rituals.

It all began when the elderly matriarch had a nightmare—she saw the Great General fall in battle with no descendants to mourn him.

Before departing, the Taoist priest left the matriarch with an admonitory brocade pouch.

“Balance yin and yang, and the matter will be settled once and for all.”

For three days, the matriarch pondered the priest’s cryptic words without success.

While cracking melon seeds, Wen Wan overheard her companions discussing the matter and burst into laughter.

“Balance yin and yang? It’s obviously telling the matriarch to send women to the frontier so the Great General can sire an heir!”

Her companions gasped in realization. One secretly relayed this interpretation to the matriarch and was rewarded with two taels of silver.

Soon, all seventeen or eighteen women in the General’s harem began scheming, vying for the matriarch’s favor in hopes of bearing his child.

Only Wen Wan remained carefree—eating, sleeping, drinking, and playing mahjong to her heart’s content.

In her past life, she had worked herself to death from overtime. Now reborn as the General’s concubine, she vowed to live leisurely, rejecting all forms of competition.

No 9-to-9 workdays, no performance reviews, no fear of layoffs—just good food, relaxation, and no boss to appease.

This was the dream life for any wage slave.

As for childbirth—a high-risk, low-reward endeavor? Let others volunteer. She wanted no part of it.

Unfortunately, the General’s wife, Zhao Shi, was shrewd. The more women flocked to her, the more she distrusted them. Instead, she set her sights on Wen Wan.

Wen Wan: “…”

Since when did bosses break the script?

Reluctantly, Wen Wan packed her belongings and, alongside another concubine, Chun Niang, followed Zhao Shi toward the frontier.

The journey, normally a month, stretched to six weeks due to Zhao Shi’s noble upbringing making her prone to travel fatigue.

A dozen armed escorts accompanied them for protection.

As dusk fell, the group took shelter in a village along the post road.

The village had only one inn. Zhao Shi, coming from wealth, booked the entire rear courtyard.

Wen Wan and Chun Niang shared a room. Not long after they retired, clamorous noises erupted outside—

“Bandits! Bandits are here!”

Screams and gongs pierced the night, chilling to the bone.

Chun Niang wept, clutching her quilt in terror.

Wen Wan was frightened too, but she crept to the window and peeked through a crack.

What she saw made her blood run cold.

One of their escorts—just dining with them earlier—had his head cleaved off by a raider’s blade.

The bandits were inside. If they didn’t flee now, they’d die.

Wen Wan ducked back, grabbed Chun Niang’s arm, and dragged her toward the rear window.

Just as she pushed Chun Niang out, the door burst open.

Two bandits barged in, blades drawn. Their eyes gleamed at the sight of Wen Wan.

“Well, well—a delicate little beauty!”

“Tonight’s our lucky night. This inn’s crawling with fine catches. Even the lads outside are pretty enough to fetch a good price.”

“Enough chatter. Tie her up and move out.”

Hearing this, Wen Wan exhaled slightly.

As long as they didn’t kill her immediately, there was still hope to escape.

To avoid unnecessary suffering, Wen Wan proactively raised her hands and said cheerfully to the two bandits:

“Brothers, please tie me gently. I’ll cooperate fully.”

The two bandits, seasoned in robbery and plunder, had never encountered a young woman who didn’t scream or resist and simply let them tie her up. They gave her a strange look.

Was this girl out of her mind? Was she an idiot? The “idiot” Wen Wan, with her hands bound, was taken to the front hall of the inn.

Inside the vast room, fifty or sixty ferocious bandits surrounded a group of hostages.

Wen Wan was shoved forward, stumbling and nearly crashing into a young man.

She thought to herself, At least there’s a cushion to soften the fall—it shouldn’t hurt too much.

But the would-be cushion took a step aside, denying her any buffer.

Wen Wan landed hard on her backside, a sharp pain shooting up her tailbone.

Grimacing, she glared at the man who had refused to save her—only to meet a pair of deep, piercing eyes.

Huh. This cushion is really good-looking.

The man was tall, with sharp brows and bright eyes. He wore the rough, short clothing of a village farmer, revealing sturdy arms and calves. The slightly open collar of his shirt hinted at sun-kissed skin and firm, well-defined muscles.

For the past three years, Wen Wan had been confined to the inner quarters, living comfortably but with an extremely dull mental life.

She missed the modern world dearly—the ability to indulge in eye candy online anytime, anywhere!

It had been so long since she’d seen a man who perfectly matched her aesthetic preferences.

Perhaps her gaze was too blatant, because the young man frowned and shot her a disgusted look.

“Uh…” Wen Wan belatedly realized her behavior was inappropriate and quickly averted her eyes.

Among the captured, she didn’t see Zhao Shi.

As the mistress of the household, the armed escorts must have prioritized her escape.

The bandits interrogated the hostages one by one.

One of the bandits, who knew a few characters, was tasked with recording their details—names, ages, and other basic information. Those from wealthy families would be held for ransom, while those without money would be sold as slaves to the barbarians beyond the border.

As someone who had been gifted as a concubine to the general’s household, Wen Wan doubted they would spend a fortune to ransom her. But being sold beyond the border would make escape even harder.

After a moment’s thought, she lied to the recording bandit:

“My name is Zhao Xiaowan. My husband is Zhou Baiwan from South Street in Linqiu City. He’s very wealthy and dotes on me—he’ll definitely send someone to pay my ransom.”

Zhou Baiwan was a merchant from South Street—something Chun Niang had mentioned in passing. The man did exist.

Wen Wan figured that as long as she escaped before the bandits sent their ransom demands, her lie wouldn’t be exposed.

“So you’re from Zhou Baiwan’s household? No wonder there were such skilled armed escorts at the inn.”

The bandit didn’t doubt her. Only wealthy families could afford such guards, and Wen Wan’s high-quality silk robes did resemble those of a rich man’s wife.

Having successfully deceived them, Wen Wan secretly sighed in relief.

Soon, it was the handsome young man’s turn to introduce himself.

“A Chai, twenty-four years old. I have a brother in business who can afford the ransom…”

Good looks and a nice voice too.

What a shame he was stuck in the same predicament as her.

Half an hour later, the mountain bandits separated the hostages for transport. Those who could fetch ransom were locked inside a large horse-drawn carriage.

Wen Wan was the last to board the carriage. After scanning the available seats, she instinctively sat down beside A Chai.

A Chai’s face darkened as he recoiled in clear rejection.

Wen Wan: “…”

So what if she’d glanced at him a few times? Was it necessary to avoid her like the plague as if she were some lecherous pervert?

How utterly insulting!