I'll Raise Pigs to Support You - Chapter 20
The autumn air was slightly cool. Song Yugui, who had initially received an advance of 150 wen in wages, now only had 80 wen left. After leaving the tavern, she hesitated for a moment before buying a three-wen stick of candied hawthorn to bring home and cheer up her wife.
She couldn’t afford anything more expensive—money really didn’t stretch far.
They’d have to live frugally from now on to save up.
Shen Xizhi was still sitting at the courtyard gate, diligently sewing, just as she had been the day before. No noise could distract the young girl from her work.
“Xizhi.”
Song Yugui called out.
The woman on the small stool slowly raised her eyes at the sound of her voice, glanced at her, then lowered her head again without responding.
Song Yugui: “……”
Still holding a grudge?
“Still upset, huh?”
She pushed open the courtyard fence and walked in, handing the candied hawthorn to Shen Xizhi. “I bought this for you. Don’t be mad anymore, okay?”
As soon as Shen Xizhi saw the bright red candied hawthorn, her dark pupils trembled slightly. Hearing Song Yugui’s coaxing, she couldn’t suppress the wave of grievance rising in her heart.
The candied hawthorn was silently accepted, but even after taking it, the other person still refused to speak to her.
Song Yugui waited for a while, but all she got was silence. She was stunned—really?
Seriously, if you’re going to ignore me, then don’t take the treat! How can you accept it and still not forgive me?
Is this how all villains behave—so unreasonable?
Song Yugui fumed indignantly, itching to lecture her on basic decency. But she doubted the villain would listen, and she was afraid of making her even angrier. In the end, she’d just lost a stick of candied hawthorn for nothing.
Fine, ignore me then. Hmph.
Logically, she was the one who’d scolded Shen Xizhi in public first, and she did feel guilty. But seeing Shen Xizhi ignore her and refuse to talk made her angrier instead.
She didn’t linger in front of Shen Xizhi, slipping away to check on the pig that had been feasting for the past few days.
It had grown a bit fatter than when they first got it, but it was still scrawny compared to others. At this rate, even if they butchered it, they wouldn’t get much money for the meat.
After a while, Song Yugui came back out, silently picked up the basket and sickle, and went to cut more pigweed.
Shen Xizhi clenched the shoe sole in her hands, her knuckles turning white from the force. She was so angry she could scream.
What’s the harm in saying a few more words?
Is it going to exhaust your mouth?
Unaware that she was being silently cursed, Song Yugui diligently filled the basket with pigweed. By the time she returned, it was already dark, and the tantalizing aroma of meat wafted from the house along with the smoke from the chimney. Her eyes lit up.
Meat!
We’re having meat tonight!
Song Yugui hurried to feed the pig in the back, then rushed into the main room to watch Shen Xizhi cook.
Shen Xizhi, seeing her finally return, inexplicably felt a weight lift from her chest.
Good, she didn’t go looking for some other woman.
“What’s for dinner?”
The other girl glanced up at her, her eyes shimmering with what seemed like a hint of moisture, but she quickly looked down again and muttered, “Chestnut stew with meat.”
“Chestnut stew? With chestnuts? I love that!”
Shen Xizhi stirred the pot to keep it from burning while coldly thinking to herself, I don’t care whether you love it or not. Hmph.
Song Yugui tried to engage her in conversation but got little response. She began to doubt her life choices—is she really this angry?
Just because I said a few harsh words?
She felt guilty but was too proud to apologize again, so she fell silent.
Shen Xizhi, who seemed indifferent on the surface, was secretly yearning for something. When Song Yugui stopped talking again, she bit her lip so hard her teeth left deep marks, not stopping until the metallic taste of bl00d reached her tongue. She gave the tender meat in the pot a fierce stir.
The fragrant dinner was soon ready, and the two sat down to eat, still without a word.
Shen Xizhi pulled out her chopsticks and suddenly said, “I bought half a catty of meat today.”
“Huh? Oh, half a catty is enough.”
There were only two of them, so they didn’t need much.
“The half catty cost 18 wen. I also bought some fine cotton cloth for 20 wen, and a chick for 5 wen…”
Song Yugui interrupted in surprise, “Wait, you bought a chick too?”
Shen Xizhi pursed her lips. “Yes, just one.”
“Why suddenly raise chickens?”
“Chicks are cheap. When it grows up, we can have eggs. When it’s old, we can make chicken soup.”
She had it all planned out. After explaining, she fell silent again. Her delicate figure and pretty profile would have attracted a swarm of suitors in modern times—the epitome of an aloof goddess.
Song Yugui stole another glance before casually asking, “Oh, where’s the chick? I didn’t see it when I came in.”
“It’s in the back.”
“Okay.”
Song Yugui had no objections to the purchases. “Buy whatever you like. You don’t have to tell me.”
Shen Xizhi’s grip on her chopsticks tightened. She doesn’t care at all? Not even a little?
“You’re the head of the household. Of course, I should tell you.”
Her voice cooled slightly.
Song Yugui, still oblivious, wanted to give her as much freedom as possible. “No need. That’s not a rule in my house. Buy whatever you like, and don’t deprive yourself.”
Shen Xizhi took a deep breath and ignored her, pulling out a handful of coins from her pocket. “There’s 17 wen left.”
Song Yugui: “?”
“Just keep the change.”
The girl lowered her head, her pale face icy. “I don’t want it.”
The 17 wen, plus what had been spent earlier, added up to 60 wen. She’d only given Shen Xizhi 52 wen, which included Shen Xizhi’s own money.
Song Yugui laughed. She’d told Shen Xizhi not to let her see the money earned from washing clothes, and now Shen Xizhi was laying it all out in front of her, even returning it—clearly still sulking. But it was adorable.
Afraid of making her angrier, Song Yugui reluctantly took the money and softened her tone. “Alright, alright, let’s eat first. We’ll talk after.”
Her mouth was practically watering from the aroma.
She picked out a piece of well-marbled meat for her wife and watched her reaction closely.
Shen Xizhi pressed her lips together, poked the meat into mush in her bowl, and then mixed it into her rice before eating.
Adorable.
After dinner, neither of them went for a walk. Instead, they boiled a pot of water to wash off the day’s grime, then closed the door and went to bed.
Shen Xizhi, as usual, sat at the foot of the bed, stripped naked, and slipped under the covers. Song Yugui instinctively reached out to pull her close, but the moment her hand touched the slender waist, the smooth skin slid away like an eel, leaving her hugging air as Shen Xizhi turned to face the wall, back firmly to her.
In the silent darkness, a soft chuckle suddenly broke the quiet.
Her voice was gentle, without a trace of anger. “You’re still mad about what I said during the day?”
When neither of them had acknowledged it, it was manageable. But now that Song Yugui had brought it up, Shen Xizhi’s grievances surged like a tide, instantly filling her eyes with tears.
She remained silent. She wasn’t good at blaming others. Any negative emotions were buried deep inside, left to slowly dissolve.
But often, they didn’t dissolve. Instead, they turned into thorns, piercing her heart.
Song Yugui lay behind her, the moonlight casting a soft glow on Shen Xizhi’s snow-white back. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke softly, “I didn’t mean it during the day. I just got angry thinking about you washing clothes for others until your hands were swollen, and I ended up saying things I shouldn’t have. I might have hurt your feelings. Can you forgive me?”
Apologizing when wrong was second nature to Song Yugui, a product of her upbringing. But to Shen Xizhi, this was the first time her wife had ever bowed her head and admitted fault.
In her family, her father never apologized to her mother.
This realization flustered the young girl. She abruptly turned over, her head resting on the worn pillow, her watery eyes wide with panic as she stared into the pitch-black room, unable to see Song Yugui’s expression.
A rogue-like hand groped its way to her shoulder, then slid up to her face. Sensing that Shen Xizhi might not be as angry anymore—since she hadn’t pulled away—Song Yugui continued, “Forgive me, okay? I won’t scold you in front of others again.”
Shen Xizhi lowered her beautiful eyes, her heart still heavy. So you’ll still scold me, just not in public?
Mean.
But her mouth had already betrayed her, eager to forgive. To save face, she muttered, “I wasn’t angry to begin with. There’s no need for this, wife.”
Song Yugui: “…”
Yeah, right.
“Good, good. You’re the most magnanimous, my little Xizhi.”
Shen Xizhi’s face burned. W-what’s this ‘little Xizhi’ nonsense? Who’s she calling that? No one’s ever called me that before…
“Hug?”
Perhaps sensing her softening, Song Yugui tentatively asked.
Shen Xizhi squirmed awkwardly before slowly inching her snow-white body closer, allowing herself to be gently pulled into Song Yugui’s arms.
Once settled, Song Yugui let out a quiet sigh of relief. So hard to coax. I’d better not make her angry again—she holds grudges. Wouldn’t want her to stab me early.
Her long fingers stroked Shen Xizhi’s back, soothing her—and secretly soothing herself.
Shen Xizhi pressed her lips together, her long lashes lowering to hide her shyness as she snuggled deeper into Song Yugui’s embrace.