I'll Raise Pigs to Support You - Chapter 15
After cutting the pig grass, the sky had brightened considerably. Song Yugui carried a full basket of grass back and found that Shen Xizhi was already awake, busy lighting the fire in the main room.
“What are you doing?”
She approached.
As soon as Shen Xizhi saw her, her expression instinctively revealed a trace of timidity. She shrank back slightly but quickly composed herself, her face becoming expressionless as she continued lighting the fire.
Song Yugui: “…”
From last night until now, she had finally noticed that Shen Xizhi seemed a bit off. Frowning, she stepped forward. “What’s wrong with you? Woke up in a bad mood?”
Who had upset her?
Shen Xizhi lowered her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. I made porridge. Wife, have some before you leave.”
“Oh.”
Since the other said nothing was wrong, she didn’t know how to press further. She responded dryly, her brows furrowed as she scrutinized Shen Xizhi from head to toe, front and back.
Why is her mood off…? She looked so cold and distant.
Having grown accustomed to the girl’s usual timid demeanor, this sudden aloofness felt quite unfamiliar.
“What’s really going on? Did someone bully you?”
Unable to bear Shen Xizhi’s sullen silence, Song Yugui couldn’t help but ask again.
Shen Xizhi bit her lip, glanced at her, then turned back to tend the fire. After a moment, she looked at her again before resuming her task.
This back-and-forth finally made Song Yugui realize something was amiss.
Pointing at herself in disbelief, she asked, “I bullied you?”
Just a second ago, she’d been thinking about standing up for the villain if someone had wronged her. Now, she felt the villain was being utterly unreasonable!
I’ve been working hard cutting grass, raising pigs, and earning money to support the family—how could I have bullied you?!
Nonsense! Outrageous!
Song Yugui glared at her angrily.
Seeing her anger, Shen Xizhi grew fearful again, daring only to peek at her before hurriedly lowering her gaze. Her lips pressed together lightly as she murmured, “I didn’t say that.”
“Hmph, but that’s what you meant.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“If you didn’t, why were you looking at me like that? And giving me the cold shoulder!”
Song Yugui’s words were filled with indignation. She was about to say more when Shen Xizhi hastily interrupted, “The porridge is ready. Let me serve you a bowl.”
From cold indifference to sudden initiative—Song Yugui was suspicious. “You’re not trying to poison me with half-cooked porridge, are you?”
Shen Xizhi: “…”
It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for her to think this way. After all, she didn’t know when the villain in the original story had started plotting to kill the original host. She had to stay vigilant.
“Wife, half-cooked porridge won’t kill anyone.”
Unable to hold back, Shen Xizhi replied sullenly.
Besides, why would she kill her?
Murder demanded retribution. As a delicate woman, how could she dare do such a thing?
Hearing that it wouldn’t be fatal, Song Yugui relaxed slightly and grumbled, “I didn’t provoke you. I really don’t know why you’re in a bad mood for no reason.”
In her eyes, it seemed Shen Xizhi was the one being inexplicable, as if she were the one at fault.
But that wasn’t the case.
Shen Xizhi’s eyes darkened. Her grip on the ladle tightened until her knuckles turned white. After scooping another spoonful of watery porridge, she finally couldn’t hold back and flung the ladle into the pot, splashing porridge everywhere—startling Song Yugui fully awake.
“Wh-what’s wrong now?”
See?! I told you her mood was off! And she wouldn’t admit it!
Song Yugui glared at her. The girl wanted to glare back but didn’t dare. Instead, she bit her lip, turned her head away, and said in a voice tinged with grievance, “Since I married you, I would never do anything to disgrace my reputation!”
Song Yugui froze. Huh?
What was she talking about? Who said she would?
I didn’t say anything!
“Are you… talking nonsense?”
Song Yugui frowned slowly, staring at her. She even considered checking if Shen Xizhi had a fever.
Shen Xizhi grew even angrier. Though she didn’t glare, she stomped her foot in a rare display of frustration, like any ordinary girl would. “It’s not nonsense! You think I’d do something promiscuous!”
“I didn’t say that! Don’t go pinning things on me!”
Song Yugui’s gaze turned wary, as if Shen Xizhi was trying to frame her for something.
This only infuriated Shen Xizhi further.
“Last night, you suspected I was having an affair with your cousin.”
Her voice dripped with such thick grievance it could drown a person.
She stood there, drowning in her own grievance, her eyes slightly red as she looked at Song Yugui.
Like any woman wrongfully accused of impurity with no way to clear her name.
These words hit Song Yugui like a sledgehammer, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. She had no idea when she’d ever said such a despicable thing.
She wasn’t the original host!
Her lips twitched, and once again, she couldn’t hold back. Trembling, she spat out, “Bullshit! When did I ever say I suspected you of having an affair with my cousin?”
In the novel, the two did have some ambiguous interactions, but that plotline hadn’t even started yet! How could she have said such a thing? And even if it had reached that point, by then, she and Shen Xizhi would already be divorced—what did it matter to her if Shen Xizhi had an affair or not?
Shen Xizhi opened her mouth to retort but suddenly froze. She realized Song Yugui had never explicitly accused her of anything—it was something she had inferred.
Her lips parted and closed, opened and shut, before she finally spat out resentfully,
“That’s what you meant!”
“It wasn’t what I meant. You misunderstood.”
She refused to take the blame for something she hadn’t done. She was already carrying enough of the original host’s baggage—she wouldn’t tolerate false accusations.
Her eyes fixed seriously on Shen Xizhi. The girl clenched her teeth, placed half a bowl of porridge in front of her, then turned and walked away angrily.
Song Yugui: “?”
What’s this? I usually get two bowls, but today it’s only half?
Hmph, half is half. I don’t even care.
She conveniently ignored the fact that she could serve herself more porridge.
The porridge was made by Shen Xizhi, the rice was bought by Shen Xizhi—of course, how much she ate was up to Shen Xizhi. Hmph, if you won’t give me more, then I won’t eat it.
Grumpily, Song Yugui carried her half-bowl of porridge to the rickety wooden table, where only a small dish of leftover stir-fried pork with cabbage from yesterday sat.
Shen Xizhi sat to the side, the cold wind blowing against her face, finally clearing her head.
Seeing Song Yugui’s displeased expression, her heart filled with dread again.
What had she just said?
She had actually scolded Song Yugui and given her the cold shoulder…
Had she lost her mind?
Song Yugui had always had a terrible temper. For her to tolerate such provocation without immediately hitting her was already surprising.
Shen Xizhi grew increasingly uneasy. The earlier anger vanished without a trace, replaced by fear. She clutched the hem of her clothes, not daring to look at Song Yugui, wishing she could disappear entirely.
Like a timid little quail.
Song Yugui didn’t notice that the person who’d just been throwing a tantrum was now docile again. She angrily finished the porridge in her bowl without even touching much of the side dish, then set the bowl and chopsticks down on the table with a sharp clack.
Shen Xizhi flinched at the sound, shrinking her neck and silently turning her head away, not daring to look.
All she could see was the other’s snow-white neck, slender and fragile, as if it would snap with the slightest pressure.
Song Yugui barked, “Turn your head back!”
The girl trembled, her fingers digging into her palms as she reluctantly turned back, keeping her head lowered.
She’s really angry now. Is she going to hit me? But if she beats me and ends up late for work, what then? She finally found this job—what if she loses it?
The girl’s face was deathly pale, yet she was still worried about her wife’s livelihood.
But her wife knew nothing of this.
Her wife was still upset about being given the cold shoulder for no reason and was determined to clear things up with the villain.
“I still have to go to town later. While I’m gone, don’t overthink things. I don’t think you’re having an affair with Song Xingchuan. I just don’t want you interacting with him too much. Didn’t you say he seemed rude? Yesterday, he didn’t even call you ‘sister-in-law’—clearly, he doesn’t respect you. If you keep hanging around him, he might bully you, and then you’ll come crying to me for help.”
She crossed her arms, her clear eyes fixed on Shen Xizhi. Though still a little angry, seeing the girl’s defiance fade into fear and timidity, she couldn’t stay mad anymore. She could only turn away silently.
Shen Xizhi pressed her lips together, struggling to process the explanation—that Song Yugui truly hadn’t meant it that way.
Still hesitant, unsure whether to believe her, Song Yugui glanced at the sky and feigned impatience. With a frown, she dropped one last line:
“With my temper, if I really suspected you, I would’ve made a scene last night. Why wait until now? I’m heading to town. If you’re still mad, we’ll talk when I get back tonight.”
With that, she deliberately walked over and ruffled Shen Xizhi’s soft black hair into a mess—revenge for earlier. “Finish the porridge. No washing clothes for others. I’m leaving.”
Perfect. Very in-character for the original host.
The woman turned and strode away, still a little angry. But she knew she couldn’t take it out on the villain anymore—otherwise, she’d be poisoned to death tonight.
Shen Xizhi sat there in a daze, watching the retreating figure, still unable to process what had just happened.
An explanation, closeness, concern—all in the same day.
Song Yugui was right. If she really thought that way, she would’ve beaten her half to death by now…
She hadn’t gotten angry or hit her. She had misunderstood.
The girl’s heart fluttered with unease, her beautiful eyes filled with anxiety.
I misunderstood her. Did I make her angry?