A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 17.1

Yesterday, when Fugui’s mother saw her daughter talking to Ji Ping’an, she was furious. She held in her annoyance all the way home so that her family’s troubles wouldn’t be spread outside. As soon as she got home, she grabbed Fugui’s ear and started questioning her.

“Didn’t your mother tell you what kind of person Ji Da is? How could you hang out with her? She’s a walking plague!”

“Fugui, you’ve never given your mother a moment of worry. It must have been Ji Da who found you, right? Did she ask you to go to the county town with her to drink or look at women?”

“Ji Da is a bad person herself, and now she wants you to be just like her!” Fugui’s mother got angrier the more she spoke. She rolled up her sleeves and started walking towards the door. “Your mother is going to go find her right now…”

Fugui and her mother were two extremes. One was silent and couldn’t squeeze out three sentences a day, while the other was a chatterbox who could talk from one end of the village to the other, non-stop all day long. Especially when it came to lecturing someone, she could curse back and forth eight hundred times without stopping.

Fugui finally managed to stop her mother. “Mom, it’s not what you think. Ping’an saved me today.”

Fugui’s mother patted her ears to make sure she hadn’t heard wrong. “What did you say? Ji Da can save you?”

“Yes, I went into the forest today…” Fugui told her mother what had happened. When she spoke about falling into a two-person-deep pit, Fugui’s mother’s face turned pale in shock. She anxiously circled Fugui, checking her up and down. “Are you hurt?”

The mountain near the village was not privately owned, and the county government was too lazy to manage it. Therefore, people from the surrounding villages could go up to look for wild vegetables and fruits, and there were also many hunters who liked to set up various traps. A year ago, a person from Big Willow Village went up the mountain and didn’t come back at night. The whole village went up to help look for them, and they were only found in a hunting pit three days later. However, the person had run into a pack of wild wolves. When they were found, a live wolf was still in the pit, and it was full of bl00d.

Although Fugui’s mother didn’t see it with her own eyes, she could imagine the tragic scene. So when she heard Fugui say she had fallen into a deep pit, her legs went weak. Fugui helped her mother up. “I’m not hurt, I just sprained my ankle. It’s thanks to Ping’an that she saved me.”

Fugui’s mother’s voice was still trembling, and her mind was filled with the thought of her daughter almost losing her life. “Was it really Ji Da?” She had previously said that someone as useless as Ji Ping’an would be the first to lose her life on the mountain. But today, her own daughter was saved by her.

“It was her,” Fugui said. “I asked her to come to our house for lunch tomorrow so we can thank her properly.”

“…That’s right, we should,” Fugui’s mother no longer cared whether Ji Ping’an was a rascal or not. “I’ll ask your dad to go to the county town to buy meat tomorrow morning.” She only had one daughter. If Fugui had died, she wouldn’t have wanted to live anymore either. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. Fugui’s mother couldn’t help but hug her and cry. “Mom will never let you go up the mountain again… never again…”

******

In the end, Shen Zhiyu couldn’t argue with them and followed them to Fugui’s house. Although it was just for a meal, Shen Zhiyu didn’t come empty-handed and brought a wild chicken. Eating was one thing, but she also needed to ask Fugui’s family for a favor.

“You’re here! Come in quickly.” Fugui saw them from a distance and came to greet them.

Ji Ping’an walked to the door and immediately smelled the aroma of food. “It smells so good! What are you making?”

Just as she spoke, Fugui’s mother came out wearing an apron. “Stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, stewed goose in an iron pot, stewed sour vegetables with tofu, scrambled eggs with vermicelli, and a dough-drop soup. Let me know if it’s not enough, and I’ll add more for you.”

When she woke up this morning, she felt a little awkward about having Ji Ping’an over for a meal. After all, among the villagers, she was the one who disliked Ji Ping’an the most. But now that she saw her at her doorstep, that awkwardness naturally disappeared. Compared to a person’s life, how much was a reputation worth?

“This must be Ah-Jiu, right? What a pretty girl you are, and Suisui is adorable too.”

“Fugui’s father also bought some sour jujube cakes. They’re on the table over there. You should take the kids and Ah-Jiu to eat.”

Compared to their last meeting, Fugui’s mother was especially warm this time. She pulled them to sit down, and before they could even react, there was a bowl of water in front of each of them. After that, Fugui’s mother saw the wild chicken in Ji Ping’an’s hand. “Why did you bring something? Take it back home.”

“No, I brought this wild chicken because I wanted to ask Uncle for a favor,” Ji Ping’an said.

Coincidentally, Fugui’s father came back at that moment, carrying a pot of specially brewed wine. “Just tell me what favor you want, there’s no need to bring anything.”

Fugui’s father’s legs also went weak when he heard about what happened yesterday. After a night had passed, their fear had subsided a lot, but they also knew that without Ji Ping’an, they would have been in a state of panic right now.

“That’s right. Don’t take what your auntie said in the past to heart, Ping’an. If you need a favor from your auntie or uncle, just say it.” Although Fugui’s mother had a fiery temper, she was not the type to repay kindness with ingratitude. She saved her daughter’s life, so what did it matter whether she was a rascal or not?

Ji Ping’an smiled. “That won’t do. If auntie and uncle don’t accept it, I’ll have to find another family to help me.”

As she spoke, she stood up as if she was really going to leave with the wild chicken.

Shen Zhiyu and Suisui sat on the side, watching Ji Ping’an speak with ease, holding the sour jujube cakes that Fugui’s mother had just put in their hands.

Suisui leaned in and whispered to Shen Zhiyu, “Ah-Jiu, should we leave with sister?”

Shen Zhiyu looked at the person who was acting and whispered back, “No.” Ji Ping’an could finish this whole show by herself.

“You child!” Fugui’s father quickly stopped her. In the end, he didn’t really let her leave. “Tell me first, what do you want me to do? If I can’t do it, I can’t accept this.”

Ji Ping’an said, “I want to make a bathtub for the house. I’m sure it’s no problem for you, Uncle.”

She had been thinking about this ever since Shen Zhiyu wanted to bathe. But she wasn’t skilled in carpentry, so she had to find someone to do it. Fugui’s father was the village carpenter, and he was good at it. He could make anything out of wood, and he made it beautifully and neatly. The villagers were all willing to go to Fugui’s father whenever they wanted to add tables, chairs, beds, benches, or cabinets to their homes.

When she heard the words “bathtub,” Shen Zhiyu next to her was briefly stunned. After that, she continued to listen to them talk.

A bathtub was easier to make than those things, so it was naturally no problem. Fugui’s father immediately agreed. “That’s easy. Just leave it to me.”

Ji Ping’an smiled and handed the wild chicken over. “Now you can accept it, right, Uncle? I’ll just use your wood for it.”

“Okay, I’ll give you the best wood and make sure it’s done in a few days,” Fugui’s father said.

Fugui’s mother took the wild chicken. “Then that’s another dish for you. Stewed wild chicken with mushrooms. It’ll go great with wine.”

Ji Ping’an tried to stop her. “Auntie, isn’t that a bit too much?” Pork, goose, and eggs were all expensive. Adding this wild chicken, it was a solid feast of meat dishes. No family in the village would dare to eat like this. Even during the new year, it wouldn’t be this lavish. Fugui’s mother wasn’t holding back at all.

“It’s not too much at all. You all should eat and drink well today,” Fugui’s mother said.

Fugui went back to being the quiet person she was before, just nodding on the side. The whole family had been busy since the morning. Fugui started cleaning the yard, her father hurried to town to buy the freshest pork and goose, and her mother started preparing all the vegetables, all so that they could eat and drink well.

“I’m going to go to the kitchen to see if the stewed goose is ready. Ah-Jiu and Suisui, remember to eat the sour jujube cakes on the table!” Fugui’s mother was a whirlwind when it came to doing things. After saying that, she went to the kitchen again.

Fugui’s father was also a good conversationalist, and the lively atmosphere didn’t die down. Suisui even spoke a few more words than usual.

Ji Ping’an glanced at the sour jujube cakes on the table and leaned toward Shen Zhiyu, curiously asking, “Is it sour?”

“Sour,” Shen Zhiyu said.

Ji Ping’an understood. She knew Shen Zhiyu well. “Then it’s not sour.” If it were really sour, Shen Zhiyu would have said it wasn’t sour and tricked her into taking a bite, just like how she had tricked her into eating the burnt pancake last time. Shen Zhiyu always got her revenge.

After that, she took a piece of sour jujube cake and ate it. It was soft and delicious. It seemed to have a small amount of glutinous rice flour added, and the sourness was handled very well, mixed with sweetness. It was incredibly soft and fluffy with every bite, a world of difference from the “sour” that Shen Zhiyu had said.

Seeing that she didn’t trick her, Shen Zhiyu said, “Then why did you ask me?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Ji Ping’an said with a smile, as if she didn’t feel the cold air around her. “If you ever run into something like yesterday again, you can come to auntie and uncle. You’ve met them today.”

Shen Zhiyu looked at her. “Did you really save her?”

Ji Ping’an raised an eyebrow and said with a rising tone, “Of course I did. 

Shen Zhiyu had a good memory. When she was being harassed by the Zhang family man, she remembered that Fugui’s mother was nearby, but at the time, she was like most people and was just watching the show. But today, she was exceptionally warm. The reason for this change could only be that Ji Ping’an had saved her daughter.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Zhiyu said.

She couldn’t believe it. From that night on, Ji Ping’an had been doing things that surprised her at every turn.

Ji Ping’an didn’t want to leave it at that. “You should at least praise me a little, like ‘kind,’ ‘amazing,’ ‘brave,’ or ‘good-hearted.'” She counted on her fingers, coming up with a new word of praise each time.

Shen Zhiyu looked at the sour jujube cake in her hand and asked, “Can’t that cake stop your mouth?”

Ji Ping’an immediately shoved a piece of the cake into her mouth and clamped her lips shut, proving that it absolutely could. Otherwise, she was genuinely worried that Shen Zhiyu would stuff it into her mouth herself.

Just then, Fugui’s mother came out with the finished dishes, and the aroma wafted directly toward them. “Dinner is ready! There’s rice in the pot; help yourselves to as much as you want.”

Ji Ping’an responded, “Auntie, you should sit down and eat, too.”

The six of them sat in a circle around the table, with the steaming, mouth-watering dishes in the center.

Ji Ping’an picked up a piece of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots. The pork had been fried to a golden brown, and the crispy bamboo shoots were coated in a rich, oily aroma. It was even more delicious than the meat.

Shen Zhiyu tasted the stewed sour vegetables with vermicelli, a dish that was relatively new to her. The sour vegetables were pickled by Fugui’s mother herself; they were intensely sour and appetizing, with a slight spicy kick that stimulated her taste buds. Paired with the tender tofu, she couldn’t help but scoop up a couple of mouthfuls of rice from her bowl.

The stewed goose in the iron pot and the stewed chicken with mushrooms were no different. The meat was so tender and succulent that it practically fell off the bone with a light bite.

Fugui’s father was a carpenter, and Fugui also worked in the county town. They also owned a few fields, so their family was considered well-off in Big Willow Village. But even they had never eaten so heartily.

Everyone ate a full half-bowl of rice before they finally spoke up.

Ji Ping’an said, “Auntie, your food is so delicious.”

No one could resist a compliment, and Fugui’s mother was no exception. She immediately beamed. “If it’s good, then eat more! I made plenty.”

Fugui’s father swallowed the meat in his mouth, picked up the wine pot next to him, and said, “Come on, let’s have a couple of drinks.”

Ji Ping’an stopped him. “Uncle, I don’t drink anymore.” She had noticed that when he mentioned wine, Shen Zhiyu and Suisui both flinched. She figured that all the terrible things the original owner had done were when she was drunk, so it was better to not drink at all. Besides, Ji Ping’an wasn’t very interested in alcohol anyway.

“You don’t drink anymore?” Fugui’s father was surprised. He had heard that Ji Ping’an liked to drink, so he had specially brought the wine back for her.

Ji Ping’an smiled. “Nope. My Kunze won’t let me.”

When she said this, the admiring gazes of everyone at the table fell on Shen Zhiyu. They knew what kind of person Ji Ping’an used to be, but Shen Zhiyu had managed to make her stop drinking. Now that was an amazing Kunze!

Shen Zhiyu: “…” She turned to look at Ji Ping’an, her eyes asking: When did I ever say that?

Ji Ping’an could only mouth the words, “Help me out.”

Shen Zhiyu was silent for two seconds before saying, “Drinking is not good.”