“Young master, I believe there was a condition. We agreed to play chess if you got five out of ten questions correct.”
“Teacher, you’re such a stickler!”
Jane’s student, Wolfgang, pouted. His grumbling was full of affection for Jane.
“Let’s see how well you did.”
As Jane leaned forward with a red crayon to start grading, Wolfgang quickly covered his test paper.
“Not yet! There’s still time left.”
“Your clock must be broken, young master. My watch says time is already up.”
“Ugh, that can’t be.”
Wolfgang begged for more time. Jane proposed a negotiation with a very serious expression, as if making an important deal.
“I’ll give you extra time. But in exchange, you have to read one more picture book.”
“30 minutes?”
Wolfgang immediately agreed to the negotiation, as if this wasn’t the first time.
“Two books.”
“30 minutes for two books, deal.”
From that moment on, Wolfgang focused intently on solving the problems. His enthusiasm was so great that Jane’s cheeks grew hot.
“Jane, may I have a word?”
While Wolfgang was working on the problems, his mother Merche approached.
Merche took Jane to a corner of the garden and held out a clean envelope.
Jane’s eyes widened.
“But it’s not payday.”
“This is a bonus. Since you started tutoring Wolfgang, he’s developed an interest in studying.”
“I was just doing my job.”
As Jane firmly declined, Merche stuffed the envelope into Jane’s pocket.
“Thank you, teacher.”
Wolfgang had been a notorious troublemaker. Not just because he hated studying, but because he lacked manners and discipline.
But Wolfgang changed after meeting Jane.
Now Wolfgang no longer threw peas at others at the dinner table, stopped fidgeting, read books before bed, and said goodnight to his parents every night.
And he became a student who looked forward to studying, asking “When is the teacher coming?”
All of this was thanks to Jane.
‘Honestly, I was skeptical when I just heard the rumors…’
Although it had been 7 years, the fall of the Whitney family was such a big event that one could hear the details with just a little digging.
It was natural for noble families, where reputation was important, to be wary of Jane, the daughter of the Whitney family.
But those who had hired her as a tutor unanimously called her the best teacher.
At the time, Merche thought people were exaggerating her skills.
But now Merche was even more enthusiastic than those people.
Of course, there were also losses from hiring Jane. Strict nobles, often self-proclaimed conservatives, began to subtly ostracize her.
Merche didn’t care about such things. Her only son had become respectable, so what did ostracism matter?
“…It’s shameless of me, but I’ll accept it. As a sign that I’ll work even harder to teach Wolfgang from now on.”
Normally, Jane would have left the envelope on the table.
But Jane’s situation was urgent.
The creditors who had only asked for interest payments suddenly said she should start paying back some of the principal starting next month.
It was unfair, but Jane couldn’t argue. The contract itself was poorly written.
Jane was barely getting by paying monthly interest.
Thinking about it made Jane’s chest feel tight.
* * *
After finishing work, Jane returned to her house on the hill.
The small house, which didn’t even have separate rooms and kitchen, was shabby and humble without even a proper yard.
But for Jane, it was her only sanctuary and comfort.
Jane unlocked the door and entered the house.
She put down dinner ingredients in the kitchen that was immediately visible, hung her coat and hat on the wall, then found and put on an apron.
She skillfully prepared and chopped vegetables to make a decent vegetable soup. As the soup started to boil, warmth spread through the previously chilly house.
The vegetable soup was soon ready. Jane ladled some soup into a bowl and headed to the windowsill.
Eating dinner while watching the sunset from the windowsill was a small luxury she could enjoy in this house.
Although it was spring and the mornings and evenings were still chilly, Jane opened the window wide.
She picked up her spoon while looking at the hill where green sprouts were beginning to emerge.
“This is really luxurious, isn’t it?”
She muttered to herself as she stirred the soup with chunks floating in it.
Two years ago, Jane was freed from her punishment due to a special pardon. She immediately returned to the capital.
It was because the salary was higher than in the provinces. And she got a job as a tutor.
Not many families were willing to accept the daughter of a criminal. So she started by teaching the children of merchant guilds.
The former head maid of the Whitney family helped Jane.
Laura cried in Jane’s arms. Jane looked up at the sky and thought.
Still, I’m able to live on thanks to my parents.
When word spread about her skills, nobles began to contact her. That’s how Jane became a tutor for noble families, and a year ago she was able to get a small house just for herself.
Although it was rented, Jane was proud of herself for managing this much of a life on her own.
Just a few years ago, Jane couldn’t even dress herself.
But now she was good at sewing, cooking decently, and even knew how to do simple house repairs.
Her childhood friends would be shocked if they saw her now.
If she lived diligently like this, someday she would be able to pay off all her debts.
Jane did her best to preserve her parents’ last honor.
When that time came, she would let go of all her lingering attachments and live a life just for herself.
The only lingering attachment in Jane’s life was her parents.
“No, that’s not true.”
Although it would be nice to neatly organize everything, a name buried deep in Jane’s heart suddenly popped up.
Jane’s spoon fell back into the bowl. She stared blankly out the window.
The sky was turning pink. The leaves shaken by the wind created a pleasant noise. The scent of flowers was carried on the breeze.
At the beautiful sight, Jane felt like she was about to burst into tears.
She had tried to forget, wanted to forget, but without fail, whenever she had a moment of respite, it came to mind.
Was this his punishment for Jane?
Or was it just a phantom she had created?
The self that loved him was dead. She was certain because she had killed it herself.
Yet it kept resurfacing, and each time, some part of her would crumble, leaving Jane perplexed.
Having lost her appetite, Jane cleared away the soup bowl and closed the window. The rattling sound of the window in the wind sounded like Cain’s knocking on her door 7 years ago.
Jane sat down on the floor and curled up into a ball.
His cold eyes that she saw at the moment of their parting rummaged through Jane’s mind.
She now shed the tears she couldn’t shed back then. In a place where Cain could never see.
* * *
Bang bang bang bang!
When had she fallen asleep?
Jane’s eyes flew open at the sound of someone pounding on her door as if trying to break it down.
It was pitch dark all around. The sound of rain hitting the window was loud.
Bang bang.
“I know you’re in there! Don’t pretend you’re not and come out. Miss Jane, if this door breaks, that’s more money, right? Open up while I’m asking nicely.”
The unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night, who even whistled casually in between, were the creditors.
The loan sharks Victor and Hamlin.
Jane forced her creaking body to get up and approached the door.
As soon as she unlocked it, the door flew open. Victor and Hamlin shoved Jane aside and barged in.
“Jane, we’re all wet because of you. Are you going to pay for the laundry?”
The reason for bringing up money when they knew she could barely manage the interest payments to them was obvious.
“Or are you telling us to undress here?”
It was a setup for a low-class joke.
Jane remained unfazed and simply stared at the spot where they were standing.
A puddle had formed where Victor and Hamlin stood. She thought about how the carpet would get wet.
“Why did you get a house on top of a hill? It’s killing us every time we come. Is Jane going to massage my tired legs?”
If it was difficult, they could just not come. Jane diligently went to their office in a back alley downtown to pay the interest, so there was no need for them to visit.
But they often came to see Jane. Not because they had any particular business. They came without purpose, spewed out vulgar words to their heart’s content, and left.
In the past, her neck would turn bright red at their every word. But now it didn’t affect her at all. Jane stood impassively, listening to their words.
“You bought something nice. Looks like you’re doing well.”
Victor and Hamlin walked on the carpet without even wiping the mud off their shoes.
“More importantly, why did you go to sleep so early today? You should be saving even sleeping time to make money.”
Victor, who was as big as a bear, looked at Jane’s half-eaten vegetable soup and clicked his tongue.
“No wonder you’re so weak if you eat stuff like this.”
Victor threw Jane’s soup bowl into the sink. Soup splattered everywhere, making a mess of the sink.
Jane simply took in Victor and Hamlin’s misdeeds with her eyes, not saying a word.
The more Jane reacted, the more vicious they became. It was typical of despicable people who enjoyed seeing others’ pain.
Jane swallowed a sigh.
“What brings you here? It hasn’t been long since I paid the interest.”
There were still two weeks left until she had to pay next month’s interest.
“Jane, our situation has become urgent. We need you to repay the money your father borrowed quickly.”
Jane glared at Victor.
“We already agreed that I would start paying back the principal along with the interest from next month.”
“That’s why we’re saying pay it back more substantially.”
“…How much?”
“Pay back half for now.”
“Half?!”
Jane was shocked.
Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.
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Daily Life of a Scumbag Man Giving Birth (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The way for a promiscuous scumbag man to atone for his sins is to let him get… pregnant.
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, scammed countless women, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to scam them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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