I'll Raise Pigs to Support You - Chapter 2

Song Yugui opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. A faint sense of injustice rose in her heart—why should she pay for the sins of the original host?

But if she didn’t, she would most likely die.

She never thought she could outwit the major antagonist. That was impossible. If the other party wanted her dead, she might as well just lie down and wait for the end.

Song Yugui: Do I really have to live this kind of hellish life? /Heart turned to ashes.jpg/

She remained silent, and Shen Xizhi didn’t dare speak either, nor did she dare sneak another glance at her. Instead, she lowered her eyes, appearing quiet and obedient.

Song Yugui struggled inwardly for a long time before reluctantly accepting the fact that she had transmigrated into a novel. She raised a hand to cover her eyes in despair. Life had to go on, and suicide wasn’t an option—what if death here meant permanent death, with no return?

So depressing.

After wallowing in sorrow, she lowered her hand and looked up again. The visibly injured woman was still standing there, head bowed, revealing a swan-like neck that was slender and fair. Her features were strikingly beautiful, yet her demeanor was timid and shrinking, as if afraid Song Yugui might suddenly lash out.

And rightly so—given the original host’s volatile temperament, such behavior was entirely possible.

A flicker of pity passed through Song Yugui’s eyes. Her body was still stiff as she pretended her earlier question about names had been nothing more than a casual inquiry. She tried her best to sound less intimidating. “Xizhi, you mentioned dinner was ready earlier?”

She remembered this detail mainly because she urgently needed to divert the conversation, lest Shen Xizhi grow suspicious.

The major antagonist in the novel was undoubtedly extremely clever—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her true nature for so long.

Song Yugui was afraid Shen Xizhi might notice something amiss and label her a monster to be burned at the stake.

After all, Shen Xizhi didn’t actually like women. If she killed Song Yugui, she could freely pursue the male lead.

But Song Yugui naturally didn’t want to die. At worst, she could treat the antagonist well and then divorce her later, allowing her to chase after the person she truly loved.

Hearing the question, Shen Xizhi didn’t dwell on why she wasn’t being beaten this time. Not daring to delay, she immediately replied, “Yes, I made vegetable porridge for dinner. Wife, please have some…”

The term “wife” made Song Yugui’s skin crawl. No lesbian would refer to their partner like that. But she had already acted quite differently from the original host today. If she changed the way Shen Xizhi addressed her now…

It might be too conspicuous.

She’d wait a few days before bringing it up.

“Then I’ll have some.”

It suddenly occurred to her that the original host had always treated the antagonist poorly. Her earlier expressions had already revealed too much deviation from the norm. Now, she could only try to compensate by deliberately hardening her expression, adopting an unsmiling demeanor as she walked over.

Shen Xizhi had initially found her behavior today unusually strange, but seeing her like this now, she relaxed. This was still the same Song Yugui.

She stepped aside to make a narrow path. Song Yugui maintained a cold facade but walked carefully, avoiding the woman’s bruised hands. When she reached the courtyard, her eyes fell on a shabby square table flanked by two equally aged chairs.

Song Yugui felt a pang in her heart. After working so hard to build a good life for herself, she was now back to square one.

Her fists clenched. I’m never reading farming novels again!!!

Shen Xizhi trailed two steps behind, not daring to get too close. Only after Song Yugui sat down did she slowly approach, ladling out two bowls of greenish vegetable porridge.

Song Yugui was still struggling with the uneven chair beneath her. She couldn’t believe it—sitting on something so unstable, how could anyone eat in peace? One wrong move, and she’d topple over, spilling food all over herself.

A bowl of green broth was placed in front of her. When she looked up, all she caught was a glimpse of delicate, slightly reddened fingertips before a cool voice spoke. “Wife, you’re sitting in the wrong spot.”

“Huh?”

Song Yugui looked up, confused. There were only two chairs—were they assigned seats?

“This one is mine. It’s unsteady and might ruin your appetite.”

Perhaps because Song Yugui showed no intention of hitting her, Shen Xizhi relaxed slightly and finally spoke properly, though her voice carried an inexplicable chill that sent a shiver down Song Yugui’s spine.

She lowered her head and examined the other chair. Sure enough, all four legs were intact, unlike the one missing a corner.

Beast! An absolute beast! You’re the one who forced this marriage, so how could you treat her so horribly?

Song Yugui wasn’t exactly heartbroken over the villain. Her indignation was mostly directed at the mess she’d been saddled with.

But she couldn’t just take the good chair. Forcing a stiff smile, she said, “It’s fine. This one’s too wobbly—I’ll sit here. You take the other one.”

Shen Xizhi’s eyes widened in surprise, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She hesitated, not daring to sit. “Wife…”

“Enough. I don’t feel like sitting there today.”

Noticing Shen Xizhi’s uneasy expression, she quickly hardened her tone again.

Since her marriage, Shen Xizhi had never known a good day. Her fear of Song Yugui ran deep, and now that she seemed displeased, Shen Xizhi didn’t dare argue. Silently, she sat down beside her and began sipping the green concoction in small, careful mouthfuls.

Only then did Song Yugui get a proper look at their meal. She’d expected it to be poor, but a whole bowl of green broth left her speechless.

Unable to hold back, she asked, “Didn’t you say it was vegetable porridge?”

Where’s the rice? I don’t see any???

Shen Xizhi tensed, subtly shifting away. She perched on the very edge of the chair, her slender back rigid with tension as she whispered, “The rice… the rice is all gone. This is wild vegetables I dug up from the mountain yesterday. I picked a lot, so I used more. I’ll go to town tomorrow to buy some rice.”

Given everything she’d seen so far, Song Yugui had a strong suspicion the household was broke.

She didn’t want to ruin the meal with unpleasant talk. After a moment of silence, she simply said, “Let’s eat,” then lifted the bowl and took a sip. The bitter taste of the wild vegetable broth was hard to swallow.

Song Yugui suppressed a grimace and forced it down.

This body probably hadn’t eaten lunch, and her stomach was now growling with hunger. If she didn’t drink the broth, she’d likely go to bed starving. Well, no pain, no gain…

Gritting her teeth, she balanced herself carefully and downed the broth in one go, only to find a few grains of rice at the very bottom. Her silence deepened.

Meanwhile, Shen Xizhi’s bowl contained even fewer vegetables.

Silence is the bridge of tonight.

She stopped the girl as she rose to clear the dishes, only to startle her into stumbling back. The bowl slipped from her hands and shattered on the ground with a crisp clink.

Song Yugui hadn’t expected her presence to be so terrifying. Standing awkwardly, she scratched the back of her head.

Shen Xizhi clutched her chest, breathing heavily, her expression flickering between shock and dread. When her gaze landed on the broken shards, her long lashes trembled, and despair settled in.

Her red lips were bitten unconsciously, her eyes misting over as she thought, Is this when it starts? Just earlier, I thought… maybe today would pass peacefully.

But it was just wishful thinking. With Song Yugui’s violent temperament, how could she ever hope for a single day of peace?