A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 15

Fugui also witnessed what happened earlier and knew that Ji Ping’an couldn’t go to her house for dinner tonight.

“You should spend time with your Kunze and sister today. Come to my house for lunch tomorrow instead.”

Ji Ping’an nodded and agreed to the arrangement. She did need some help from Fugui’s family.

After returning home, Ji Ping’an first boiled some hot water for Suisui and Shen Zhiyu to drink and calm down, then used the rest of the water to wash their faces.

After drinking, she took a cloth and squatted down to personally wipe Suisui’s face. “Do your eyes hurt from crying?”

“No,” Suisui said subconsciously.

“Are you sure they don’t hurt?” Ji Ping’an’s voice deepened. Her usual gentleness was gone. “If you lie to your sister, your sister will be angry.”

Shen Zhiyu wiped the mud off her face. When she heard what Ji Ping’an said, she subconsciously frowned.

Suisui had already been bullied today. Why was Ji Ping’an being so harsh when they got home?

She wanted to step in and tell her to stop, to take Suisui away for a moment.

Unexpectedly, Ji Ping’an seemed to know what she was thinking. She turned her head and gently touched her arm, then mouthed something to her.

If Shen Zhiyu hadn’t guessed wrong, the other person was probably saying, “I know what I’m doing.”

She hesitated for a moment and swallowed the words she was about to say.

Suisui, who had just calmed down, became scared again in an instant.

Ji Ping’an had not only beaten the bad people but also made the annoying people apologize to her. Suisui’s dependence on her had deepened quite a bit now.

Therefore, when she heard Ji Ping’an say that lying would make her angry, Suisui immediately panicked.

She subconsciously squeezed Ji Ping’an’s sleeve, and a red rim quickly appeared around her eyes. “A little bit. I… I didn’t mean to lie to my sister.”

Ji Ping’an didn’t forgive her immediately and asked again, “Did you also lie to Ah-Jiu just now?”

If Shen Zhiyu had been with the child, she wouldn’t have been bullied.

“…”

Suisui was silent for a long time, but tears streamed down her face. The warm teardrops fell one by one onto Ji Ping’an’s hand.

After crying for an unknown amount of time, Suisui turned around and said to Shen Zhiyu in a tearful voice, “Ah-Jiu… Ah-Jiu, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“…They’re not my friends…”

Shen Zhiyu also squatted next to Ji Ping’an and wiped away Suisui’s tears. “It’s okay. Just don’t lie to me or your sister in the future.”

Ji Ping’an glanced at Shen Zhiyu and followed her words. “Next time someone bullies you, do you know what to do?”

Suisui’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. She cautiously answered in a low voice, “Find my sister… and Ah-Jiu.”

Only then did Ji Ping’an smile. “That’s right. Your sister won’t let anyone bully you again.”

After dealing with the child, she went to her room, put the radishes, pumpkins, and bok choy she had gotten from the draw into the basket, and took out the wild crucian carp from the system space.

When she got her hands on the fish, it was still jumping and splashing water onto Ji Ping’an’s face as if to prove the system’s storage capacity.

It was difficult to handle a live fish. Ji Ping’an didn’t have the right tools, so she had to find Yunniang again and ask her to help cut the pumpkin, scale the fish, remove the insides, and finally force Yunniang to cut the fish in half and leave her with one.

After tidying up, she went home and took everything to the kitchen.

Shen Zhiyu was sitting by the stove, starting a fire. When she saw her carrying so many things, she just glanced at her and looked away.

A couple of strikes with the flint and steel would create sparks to light the dried leaves in the stove. Shen Zhiyu had become quite skilled at it over the past few days.

“I went hunting in the mountains today and even caught a fish from the river. We’ll have fish soup tonight.”

Shen Zhiyu hummed in agreement and told her what had happened that afternoon, including what they had said about Suisui.

Ji Ping’an naturally sat down next to Shen Zhiyu and said, “It’s pretty much what I guessed. But after this, they won’t dare to bully Suisui anymore.”

Shen Zhiyu thought about the scene at that moment, paused, and then continued where she left off. “Suisui didn’t just let them bully her. She talked back to them.”

Ji Ping’an really hadn’t thought about that. She asked curiously, “What did Suisui say?”

“That she didn’t harm her mother, that she didn’t steal firewood herself… and that you weren’t a bad person, but a good sister.”

When she said the last few words, her voice was noticeably choked up, as if the words were stuck in her throat, but she wasn’t going to hide the truth.

“It wasn’t for nothing that I doted on her all this time. Next time I go to the county town, I’ll buy her some candy,” Ji Ping’an smiled, feeling incredibly content.

The Suisui who had always been beaten before would definitely not have had the courage to say no to those children.

Now, not only did she say no, but she also emphasized that she was a “good sister.” Ji Ping’an felt a sweet warmth spread through her heart!

After that, she looked at Shen Zhiyu again. “I said I would slowly change, and I will definitely not lie to you.”

“And it’s also thanks to you today. Otherwise, Suisui would have been bullied again.”

Shen Zhiyu, as usual, ignored her previous sentence. “I would naturally help Suisui.”

Ji Ping’an smiled. “Of course. Suisui is like your sister now, too.”

“The water’s boiling,” Shen Zhiyu said, looking at the flames in the stove. “Don’t get too familiar.”

She did consider Suisui her own sister, but when it came out of Ji Ping’an’s mouth, it always felt like it had a hint of teasing and other meanings.

Ji Ping’an pretended to be clueless. “What did I just say?”

“Do you want me to tell you again?”

“No, no. I’m going to get some flour.”

Ji Ping’an knew when to stop with the teasing. After saying that, she went out to get the flour. Unexpectedly, before she even reached the door, she heard the familiar system voice.

【Favorable Impression +1 for Target Character】

【Favorable Impression +1 for Target Mission】

【Favorable Impression -1 for Target Mission】

…

The mechanical voice in her mind continued as she finished getting the flour, put the fish soup in the pot to simmer, and began to roll the noodles. She was absentmindedly looking at Shen Zhiyu, who was still tearing apart bok choy leaves in her hands, looking no different from usual.

Shen Zhiyu keenly noticed the Qianyuan’s gaze. She looked back, but Ji Ping’an had already looked away. The other person was now staring at the fish soup stewing in the pot, stirring it from time to time. The savory scent of the fish slowly filled the air.

She hadn’t forgotten how the Qianyuan looked when she tried to forcefully mark her. The Qianyuan was reeking of alcohol. Seeing her on the bed, she looked like a hunter who had found her prey—greedy, anxious, and full of desire… Those eyes were so murky and dirty that the memory was still vivid.

But the Qianyuan now was different. Her eyes were clear, and when she heard that Suisui had been bullied, her eyes were filled with angry fury. The way she so powerfully protected her and Suisui showed no resemblance to the Ji Ping’an who used to hit people.

Could a person really change so much in such a short time?

Shen Zhiyu felt a headache coming on. Fragments of memories flashed through her mind.

“No one… can be trusted…”

“No… she won’t…”

The voice was intermittent, yet it echoed in her mind, full of pain, completely scrambling all her thoughts from just a moment ago.

Shen Zhiyu gripped her head, feeling as if she had forgotten many things, but she couldn’t remember anything at all. It was like a person in a desperate situation, hitting her head and body against a hard rock in front of her, desperately wanting to forge a path, or else the beast following her would swallow her whole.

Her expression was pained, and she curled into a ball, repeatedly hitting her head with her hands, each hit with extreme force.

Ji Ping’an heard the noise and immediately threw down the chopsticks in her hand.

She first wrapped one arm around her, then used her other hand to grip Shen Zhiyu’s two hands, which were hitting her head, and held them above her head. She then pulled the curled-up person into her embrace.

“Ah-Jiu, don’t think about anything else right now. Breathe deeply with me.”

“Inhale… exhale…”

“Ah-Jiu, don’t get agitated. That’s right. Just like that. Slowly relax.”

Although Ji Ping’an was anxious, her tone was steady. With the arm that was holding her, she rhythmically patted her back.

By the time the fish soup in the pot started to gurgle, Shen Zhiyu’s rapid breathing had slowly calmed down.

Ji Ping’an turned her head to look at her state. “Do you feel better now?”

Shen Zhiyu’s face was covered in cold sweat, soaking the hair on her forehead. The face that had just gotten some color back now looked pale again.

It was as if she had just come back to her senses. She paused for a moment before realizing that she was currently in Ji Ping’an’s arms and could feel her body temperature through her clothes.

Shen Zhiyu’s voice was impossibly hoarse, but she still said, “Let me go.”

Ji Ping’an saw that she was truly okay and only then realized that she was still holding her slender wrists. She immediately let go. “Your state was too dangerous just now. I had to hold you first.”

Shen Zhiyu put her hand on her forehead and lightly frowned, as if she was talking to herself. “I don’t remember.”

She only remembered that some memory fragments seemed to have flashed through her mind, but there were only bits and pieces. Other than that, there were large swaths of red and black that seemed to want to completely drown her.

“If you can’t remember now, don’t think about it anymore. Otherwise, your head will start hurting again.”

Ji Ping’an actively helped her divert her attention. “The fish soup I’m stewing is almost ready. Go to the room and wake up Suisui. We’re about to have dinner.”

After Suisui finished crying, Ji Ping’an had told her to go to the room to rest. The child must have been too tired because she fell asleep on the bed a little while later.

Shen Zhiyu also knew how bad her state was just now. She could barely control herself, as if she was trapped in a deep nightmare, and it seemed to be deliberately preventing her from remembering.

She could only temporarily put the matter in the back of her mind and replied, “Okay.”

The fish soup was now boiling, and the fish was stewed to a soft and tender state. Ji Ping’an carefully scooped out the fish and put the noodles she had just rolled into the soup.

Without a knife, she had used chopsticks to flatten the noodles, which made them round and plump. Boiling in the milky white fish soup, they tasted even more delicious.

Suisui didn’t even open her eyes. When she entered the kitchen, she said, “Sister, it smells so good.”

“We’re eating fish tonight,” Ji Ping’an said. When she saw that the noodles were almost cooked, she said, “You and Ah-Jiu get some bowls and chopsticks. We can eat now.”

The fish soup was delicious, the fish was tender and smooth, and the noodles were chewy enough. Every bite was a new flavor that made you want more.

Suisui held her chopsticks, so conflicted that she didn’t know what to eat next.

Ji Ping’an found it amusing. “Eat the fish first. Be careful of the bones.”

After saying that, she looked at Shen Zhiyu, who was taking small sips, and it was clear that she didn’t have a good appetite.

She asked, “Does your head still hurt?”

Ji Ping’an thought of what had just happened. It must have something to do with Shen Zhiyu’s amnesia. But treating amnesia was a difficult problem from ancient times to now. Even she didn’t know what to do. She could only make sure that she ate well and was healthy, and then take her to see a doctor in town in a few days.

“Ah-Jiu, are you okay?” Suisui also asked with concern.

Shen Zhiyu’s hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment before she said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Ji Ping’an felt relieved. “That’s good. There’s still more fish and noodles. Eat more.”

Shen Zhiyu glanced at her and then looked away. She was only thinking about one thing.

If she hadn’t gotten it wrong, when the Qianyuan held her just now, she seemed to have smelled the scent of her signal pheromones.

The scent of sunshine.

Shen Zhiyu tried to remember the scent of the Qianyuan’s signal pheromones that night when she tried to forcefully mark her.

But she couldn’t remember. All she could see were the other person’s murky eyes, and she held her breath, wanting to tear the other person into a thousand pieces.

Thinking about it now, the only thing she could remember was that subtle, almost non-existent, scent of the sun from just a moment ago.