A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 17.2

Fugui’s mother didn’t notice the silent exchange between the two. She just smiled and said, “I can’t believe it! Ping’an has really changed so much since she got a Kunze!” Before, she hadn’t believed what the villagers were saying, wondering how Ji Ping’an could ever change her bad, rascally habits just because of one Kunze. But from then until now, she had genuinely seen the difference in Ji Ping’an. Besides, she had now seen Ah-Jiu face-to-face. Such a beautiful Kunze. It made perfect sense that Ji Ping’an would want to change for her. Although she was still a little reckless and didn’t know how to save money—bringing a wild chicken over three pounds, and still wanting to go home if they didn’t accept it—Ji Ping’an was definitely a better person than before. And now she even stopped drinking.

“Ah-Jiu, you’ve managed her well. If you ask me, what’s so good about alcohol anyway? The money for a bottle could buy two pieces of meat.” After saying this, Fugui’s mother told Fugui’s father to put the wine down.

Shen Zhiyu paused when she heard this and nodded, as if she agreed with Fugui’s mother.

Fugui’s father could only put the wine down dejectedly, changing the topic. “No more drinking, no more drinking. Ping’an and her Kunze have such a good relationship. I wonder if my Fugui can find a Kunze like that.”

When he said this, Fugui, who had been silently gnawing on the stewed goose meat, looked up and saw five pairs of eyes staring at her, even Suisui’s eyes were full of curiosity.

Fugui: “…” She could only say, “Dad, this can’t be rushed.”

“Why not? You’re almost twenty this year. Other families already have children,” Fugui’s mother said, as she couldn’t stop talking about this topic. With a few more people in the house, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She turned to Ji Ping’an and said, “This child, she can’t even speak properly in front of a Kunze. I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

In the modern world, twenty years old was the age of a university student, and it was nowhere near the time to talk about marriage. But in ancient times, the age of marriage was between seventeen and twenty. If a person was over twenty and still not married, they were considered very late.

Ji Ping’an could only say, “Auntie, you don’t have to be too worried. Fugui is a steady and hardworking person. She won’t have trouble finding someone, but it has to be the right person.” In ancient times, divorce was rare. If two people couldn’t get along, living together would inevitably cause friction.

“You’re right,” Fugui’s mother said, as she understood the logic behind it. “Then I’ll ask the village matchmaker to find more people for her to meet. I’ll definitely find a good match.”

Ji Ping’an: “…” She could only give Fugui a sympathetic look. She had thought that after that conversation, Fugui’s mother would mention the topic less, but it seemed she was only pushing harder now.

After saying that, Fugui’s mother looked at Shen Zhiyu sitting next to her, wanting to ask for some advice. “Ah-Jiu, how do you and Ping’an get along on a daily basis?”

Shen Zhiyu: “…”

Ji Ping’an: “…”

Their way of getting along probably wasn’t suitable for most people. Shen Zhiyu wouldn’t just be cold to others for no reason. She paused for a moment and said, “We just get along as usual.”

Ji Ping’an also quickly added, “That’s right. I usually cook, Ah-Jiu starts the fire on the side, and Suisui also helps.”

“We argue sometimes, but I definitely have to be the one to do most of the coaxing. That’s how we can make our life work, you know?”

Fugui’s mother listened and felt that it was very insightful. “You’re right. You have to be considerate of each other. The two of you sitting here, you look like a perfect match.”

Ji Ping’an smiled and turned to look at the calm-faced Shen Zhiyu. She silently prayed, Please be considerate of each other. Don’t be mad when we get back home today!

The food was so fragrant that everyone ate more than usual. After they finished eating, Ji Ping’an discussed the details of the bathtub with Fugui’s father. It didn’t take long, and Shen Zhiyu and Suisui waited on the side for her.

“What made you want to make a bathtub?” Fugui’s father rarely saw anyone in the village make one. Many people made them in the county town, especially some wealthy families. Almost every family would have one. Fugui’s father was skilled and had been hired by people in the county to make bathtubs before, so he didn’t find it difficult.

Ji Ping’an said, “Since we have more people at home, it’s inconvenient to wash up. I thought I would make one, and it would be suitable for Ah-Jiu and Suisui to use as well.”

Fugui’s mother had also finished cleaning up the kitchen and was holding a needle and thread, preparing to mend a piece of clothing in the yard. “You can’t go three sentences without mentioning Ah-Jiu. You’re very good at making people happy.”

“I am,” Ji Ping’an thought to herself. She had to take good care of her Kunze at home.

Shen Zhiyu listened to their conversation and thought about the bath she had a few days ago. It was indeed inconvenient to use a cloth to wash up, and she also wished she had a bathtub, but she had never said this to Ji Ping’an. So, when did the Qianyuan get this idea?

After that, Ji Ping’an described the bathtub she wanted to Fugui’s father. “Just make a normal-looking bathtub, but you can add a small basket on the side to hold bath beans and soap pods.”

“As for the size, make it for someone my height. And the drain hole at the bottom can be made smaller.”

“Smaller?” Fugui’s father asked.

“Yes. We don’t have a separate room for bathing at home. I plan to put the bathtub in the kitchen area. Making it smaller will make it easier to drain the water outside later.” The kitchen only had the stove and a cabinet for bowls and chopsticks. There was more than enough space for a bathtub. And it would be convenient to use the water directly after it was boiled. After washing, she could connect a bamboo drainage pipe to drain the water.

Fugui’s father understood Ji Ping’an’s idea with a brief explanation. “You’ve thought it through. I’ll make the drainage pipe for you as well so you can use it with ease.”

“That’s perfect. Thank you, Uncle.”

After giving her instructions, Ji Ping’an prepared to go home. Fugui’s mother came out of the house with a bag of seeds and a chick. “Ah-Jiu and Suisui, take these with you.”

“These are long bean and eggplant seeds. You can plant them in the yard, and you’ll be able to eat them in a couple of months.”

“And this little chick. My hen just hatched it a few days ago. Let Suisui raise it to play with, and when it’s bigger, you’ll be able to eat an egg every now and then.”

Suisui looked up at Ji Ping’an, unsure whether to accept them.

“Then thank you, Auntie.” Ji Ping’an didn’t refuse. The seeds and chick weren’t expensive, but they were a gesture of kindness from Fugui’s mother. Shen Zhiyu took the seeds, while Suisui took the fuzzy chick with both hands, being extra careful.

Fugui’s mother smiled. “It’s nothing. Our two families should be closer from now on. Don’t take what I said about you in the past to heart.”

Ji Ping’an said, “I won’t. I had my moments of being a jerk. Auntie, please keep an eye on me from now on and don’t let me do anything foolish again.” After saying this, Ji Ping’an let out a long sigh of relief. With Fugui’s aunt speaking up for her in the village, she could even make a bad reputation sound good. She no longer had to worry about being doubted.

******

After arriving home, it was not yet dark. When she entered, she saw that the yard had changed. In the corner of the yard against the wall, where miscellaneous items and wood were piled up, and the ground was covered in fallen leaves, the area had been cleared. A new layer of soil had been turned over with a wooden shovel and rake, and a few holes were dug. Shen Zhiyu was watering them one by one.

Suisui followed her, asking, “Ah-Jiu, should we plant long beans on this side and eggplants on the other?”

“That works.” Shen Zhiyu decided to follow Suisui’s idea. After all, when she heard the words “long beans” and “eggplants,” she felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if she didn’t know anything about them. When she thought about plants, her mind only came up with things like begonias, peonies, daffodils, and mock oranges.

“But did we dig too many holes?” Suisui looked down at the seeds in her hand.

The new little chick was following behind the two of them. Its light yellow fluff clung to its body. It would stumble when it hit a stone, but it still loved to get close to Shen Zhiyu’s feet.

Ji Ping’an watched for a while, feeling that if she were to film this scene and post it on her social media account, it would definitely go viral. She shook her head, threw the thought out of her mind, and said, “I have some more seeds in my room. Let’s plant them all.” In the system, she exchanged the ten vegetable seeds she had drawn for long bean seeds and went to help them plant.

“Sister, should we put two seeds in one hole?” Suisui felt a little bad about the seeds.

Ji Ping’an nodded. “This way, more seedlings will grow, and we won’t have to replant them later.” The seeds from this era were basically saved from the plants from last autumn. Some of them might not even sprout, so putting two seeds in one hole would give them a higher chance of sprouting. After planting them, they covered the seeds with dirt and sprinkled a little water on top. The three of them finished planting in no time.

“You two should rest.” Ji Ping’an looked at Shen Zhiyu and asked, “Did you start planting as soon as you got back from lunch?”

“Suisui said that if we plant them early, we can eat them early.” In matters like this, Shen Zhiyu didn’t really care.

Ji Ping’an smiled, looked at Suisui next to her, and asked, “Do you want to eat long beans and eggplants?”

Suisui nodded. “Sister, I’ll water the seedlings from now on.”

“Okay. Then when the long beans and eggplants grow, Suisui will get the first one.”

The chick wasn’t afraid of strangers and would go wherever it heard a sound. It had been pecking at the grass in the yard, and now it was at their feet. Suisui poked the chick’s head and pulled out some grass from the side to put in front of it. “Sister, I want to build a nest for the chick.”

Ji Ping’an nodded, then took out the things she had bought today from her basket. “I’ll give you a piece of candy first. You can build the nest after you’ve eaten it.”

Waxed paper was expensive, so the malt candy she bought was wrapped in a large leaf. Fortunately, it didn’t stick to the candy. Suisui’s lips twitched when she saw the candy. Candy was not cheap. The villagers didn’t buy it often, and if a child in the village had one, they wouldn’t even dare to lick it. They would only eat the next bite after the sweetness in their mouth was gone, so one piece would last them an entire day.

Ji Ping’an gave the candy to the child, then took out another piece and gave it to Shen Zhiyu next to her. “You try some, too.”

Shen Zhiyu didn’t take it. “Save it for Suisui.”

“It’s okay. I bought a lot,” Ji Ping’an said as she put a piece in her own mouth.

Shen Zhiyu: “…” She had thought that Ji Ping’an had bought the candy to trick the child, but now it seemed that she also loved to eat it. She took the candy and tasted it.

It was different from the sweet and sour taste of the jujube cake. The sweetness of the malt candy was richer. After eating it, even her breathing felt sweet.

Ji Ping’an savored the candy in her mouth, wanting to say something else, when she heard the mechanical voice in her mind again.

[Favorable Impression +3 for Target Character]

Ji Ping’an: “?”

She looked at Shen Zhiyu next to her. There was nothing different about her, except for the candy she had just given her. So… Shen Zhiyu was actually very happy eating it?

Shen Zhiyu felt the gaze next to her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ping’an: “I was just thinking, if you like it, I’ll buy more another day.” If it could increase her favorable impression, she would definitely work hard to make money and buy all the malt candy from the stall.

Shen Zhiyu finished the candy and refused. “It’s not necessary.”

Ji Ping’an had bought a total of five pieces of candy. After the three of them each ate one, two were left. She pretended not to hear the other person’s words and gave both pieces to Shen Zhiyu. “One for you and one for Suisui.”

[Favorable Impression +1 for Target Character]

Ji Ping’an: “…” She now knew what it meant to say one thing and mean another.