I'll Raise Pigs to Support You - Chapter 27

Outside, a mournful and tragic scream suddenly rang out, lingering in the air. But Shen Xizhi, trapped in her own panicked and despairing world, paid no attention.

She rummaged through the corner and pulled out a seemingly flimsy hemp rope, gripping it tightly with her fingers until her knuckles turned white. Her pale lips were nearly bitten bloody.

Everything had been getting better—why was it all a lie?

Why… Am I really that unworthy? Song Yugui, do you hate me?

At this thought, the young girl felt both a surge of hatred and overwhelming sorrow.

The redness in her eyes never faded.

Outside her home, Uncle Song, a neighbor, had already arrived to mediate the fight.

He had just returned from the fields and passed by his niece’s house when he looked up and saw her hitting someone with a stool?

This wouldn’t do—what if she killed someone and got into legal trouble?

He hurried over to pull them apart. His niece was surprisingly strong, and he almost couldn’t hold her back.

“Don’t stop me! Today, I’m going to beat this scoundrel to death!”

The man was a well-known local troublemaker in the village. Uncle Song took several hurried glances before barely recognizing him through the bruised and swollen face. His eyes widened. “Song Bao? Is that you?”

Song Yugui had been close to Song Bao in the past, often drinking together, as Uncle Song had seen. But today, Song Yugui had actually beaten Song Bao up?

Uncle Song let out an astonished exclamation.

With the stool wrested away, Song Yugui clenched her fists, her anger making it hard to breathe.

No wonder… No wonder Shen Xizhi, who had endured so much, had suddenly resolved to kill Song Yugui in the original story.

No wonder… Xizhi, who was so timid that she would only hide in a corner and cry when bullied, had been driven to such extremes…

What kind of unbearable humiliation must she have suffered?

Song Yugui’s heart trembled violently.

Bastard.

Not human—none of them were human! They all bullied Shen Xizhi. Damn it, everyone bullied her!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She lunged forward again. “Uncle, let go! Today, I’m going to beat him to death!”

Hearing this, Uncle Song tightened his grip. As someone who worked the fields year-round, his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person. “Song Bao, what did you do to make Xiao Gui so angry?”

Song Bao only had two hands—one covering his aching chest, the other his swollen eye. He knew he couldn’t reveal the plot he and Song Yugui had concocted. Selling one’s wife was something that, if exposed, would drown him in the villagers’ spit, and no girl would ever marry him again.

So he just jumped up and cursed, “How should I know why she’s gone mad? She just started hitting me out of nowhere! Uncle, you have to stand up for me!”

Uncle Song couldn’t be bothered to side with a troublemaker.

“Xiao Gui?”

When no answer came from Song Bao, he turned to Song Yugui.

Song Yugui couldn’t possibly reveal something that would damage her wife’s reputation either, so she stiffened her neck and stayed silent, her eyes glaring at Song Bao as if she wanted to beat him again.

Song Bao took a fearful step back.

Uncle Song had no choice but to drag the two of them out of the yard.

His niece’s home had so few possessions—it wouldn’t do to break any of them.

Meanwhile, Aunt Li, hearing the commotion, came over. Seeing the three of them leave, she went inside to ask Shen Xizhi what had happened.

Uncle Song interrogated them outside for a long time but couldn’t get to the bottom of why the fight had started. However, it seemed… Xiao Gui was more justified, while Song Bao kept muttering, “If you didn’t want to, you could’ve just said so. Why resort to violence?”

It was probably his fault.

So Uncle Song put on a stern face and declared, “Both of you were in the wrong today. I’ll take it upon myself to let this matter rest. From now on, don’t go fooling around together, understand?”

Song Bao’s eyes widened in disbelief. What? How was this settled? He was the one who got beaten up—how were they both at fault?

He got beaten up, and he was the one at fault?

The little thug was indignant and about to argue when he met Song Yugui’s cold gaze. His heart sank abruptly.

Damn it, he didn’t know what had happened to Song Yugui, but she’d suddenly become so strong that he couldn’t even fight back!

A life of debauchery had drained the little thug’s strength to the point where even a slightly stronger woman could easily overpower him.

Song Yugui stared at him coldly. Song Bao—his name had appeared in the novel too. He’d coveted the female lead’s beauty, caused trouble for the main couple several times, and in the end… mysteriously died at the bottom of a cliff.

Mysteriously. Died at the bottom of a cliff.

Recalling this plot point, Song Yugui’s heart skipped a beat. The cause and effect the novel hadn’t clearly explained suddenly became clear in her mind.

So that’s how it was…

She’d originally thought the female lead was behind it.

She took a deep breath and glared at Song Bao, stating firmly, “Whatever you thought I agreed to before, I’ll never agree to it now. Don’t ever show your face around us again, or I’ll beat you up every time I see you.”

Looking back now, Song Bao’s resistance had felt pitifully weak to her. If she worked a little longer, she could probably lift him with one hand.

If he dared bully her wife again, she wouldn’t let him off.

Humiliated at being beaten up by a woman, Song Bao puffed out his chest—but after glancing at Song Yugui and the muscular, clearly biased Uncle Song, he gritted his teeth and didn’t dare say a word.

Song Yugui gave him one last look. Remembering her wife’s reaction upon seeing him, she inwardly cursed—Shen Xizhi must have known about the original host’s plot with this scoundrel to sell her off.

No wonder she was angry!

If only she’d never let this lunatic into the house. She should’ve refused outright, no matter what. She shouldn’t have relented just to learn more about the untold parts of the novel, to gain more control over the situation.

Regret gnawed at Song Yugui’s heart. After driving Song Bao away, she hurried back to Shen Xizhi.

But after jogging a few steps to her yard, she saw two aunties standing in the middle of it.

Aunt Li noticed her first and immediately scowled, pointing at her angrily. “You finally remember to come back! Why don’t you keep carousing with that ‘brother’ of yours?”

Song Yugui stiffened, lowering her head without rebuttal.

She hadn’t meant to carouse with Song Bao, but she had brought him here.

Aunt Li continued, heartbroken, “Good thing I came over, or you wouldn’t have noticed even if Xizhi hanged herself!”

Song Yugui’s face paled. What? Hanged herself?!

Without another word, she brushed past the two aunties and strode inside, her clothes fluttering. In just a few steps, she entered the inner room and saw the frail figure lying alone on the bed.

Shen Xizhi, who usually had lively eyes, now stared blankly into space, her slender fingers clutching the blanket helplessly, her knuckles white. From the moment Song Yugui entered, she hadn’t glanced at her once.

Song Yugui froze, her heart clenching as a sour ache spread through her limbs, making it hard to even lift her hands.

Aunt Li followed her in, afraid she’d revert to her old ways, and scolded, “You’d finally started behaving better—don’t go back to how you were before. Xizhi is a good girl, you—”

Before she could finish, Song Yugui interrupted loudly, her tone resolute, “I know. I won’t. I won’t go back to how I was before.”

So… don’t be sad anymore, okay? I’ll coax you in a bit, alright?

Aunt Li was only half-convinced. If she hadn’t reverted to her old ways, how could she have driven Xizhi—such a sweet girl—to attempt hanging herself?

Thank goodness she’d arrived in time to stop her.

It had been terrifying.

“Xizhi…”

Seeing the girl’s reddened eyes and the silent tears slipping down her cheeks, Song Yugui’s heart ached unbearably. Without thinking, she stepped closer and reached for her hand.

Shen Xizhi, still lost in her sorrow, didn’t react in time and let her take it. But soon, that soft, delicate hand—the one she always held—slipped out of her grasp and hid under the blanket, refusing to be touched.

Her pale lips pressed together tightly.

This stubborn, pitiful look made Song Yugui’s heart ache even more.

Taking a deep breath, she began ushering the guests out. “Auntie, thank you for your concern. I’ll take good care of Xizhi. Please go back now—let me talk to her alone.”

She wanted to hold her in her arms and comfort her properly.

Aunt Li knew this was a private matter and she shouldn’t overstep. She shot Song Yugui a reproachful look. “Wait a minute. I called the village’s barefoot doctor for you. Shouldn’t she take a look before leaving?”

Though Xizhi didn’t seem injured, her listlessness was worrying.

Hearing that the other aunt was a doctor, Song Yugui quickly stepped aside.

The aunt had only dabbled in medicine years ago, recognizing a few herbs, and wasn’t skilled. When Shen Xizhi refused to let her take her pulse or speak, she could only guess, “She’s probably just frightened. She’ll be fine in a few days.”

Song Yugui lowered her eyes. Frightened—of course she was. She’d nearly been sold off by the original host.

If she’d been even a little later, it might’ve been too late…

“Thank you.”

Song Yugui took out some coins to pay her, but the aunt waved her off. “No need. I was just passing by after picking herbs when I was called over. No charge. Just live well with Miss Shen from now on, and stop pestering my daughter.”

Song Yugui: Thunderstruck.

There was more baggage?!

“Your daughter is… the village belle?”

She ventured a guess. From Song Bao’s words, the original host’s true love was the village belle—she just didn’t know who that was.

Was it this aunt’s daughter?

The aunt laughed awkwardly at the compliment. “My daughter is pretty, but the village belle is the village chief’s girl. If she heard you say that, she’d be upset.”

The village chief’s daughter.

So it was her.

Song Yugui filed this away, cursing the original host for being greedy and never satisfied. A rustling sound caught her ear, and she turned to see Shen Xizhi burrowing under the blanket, covering herself completely, head and all.

She quickly saw the two aunties out. Though they were reluctant, they knew they couldn’t interfere in others’ lives and could only hope the two would reconcile as they had over the past two months.

Uncle Song, not wanting to intrude into the women’s quarters, waited outside for Aunt Li. Their homes were close—if anything happened, they could respond quickly.

Once alone again, the howling winter wind rattled the wooden door, its screeching setting teeth on edge.

Song Yugui walked to the bedside, her eyes filled with palpable heartache. She bent down and patted the blanket-covered figure, her voice tender as water. “Xizhi, I can explain what happened today. Will you come out first?”

The figure under the blanket squirmed—not to emerge, but to wriggle further away from her hand.

Song Yugui: “…”

“You’ll suffocate like this.”

She continued softly.

Perhaps because every word was so gentle, as if the past two months hadn’t been just an illusion, the thin blanket began to tremble slightly.

Song Yugui’s heart ached so much she wished she could pull her into her arms and comfort her.

The blanket was abruptly thrown back, revealing the girl curled up inside.

Shen Xizhi, suddenly exposed, hadn’t yet reined in her mix of resentment and hatred, and a trace of it leaked into her gaze when she looked up.

Song Yugui froze, her heart aching dully. Pressing her lips together, she bent down and forcibly gathered the girl into her arms.

Haltingly, she explained, “It’s stuffy under the blanket—no air circulation. It’s… not good for breathing.”

Shen Xizhi didn’t understand her words, but unlike before, she didn’t ask questions. Instead, she turned her head away, refusing to listen.

Song Yugui sat on the edge of the bed, holding her, and pondered where to start. After a long pause, she stammered, “You… you knew what that Song Bao wanted to do, didn’t you?”

She dared bring him up again!

Shen Xizhi’s red, rabbit-like eyes widened angrily.

This time, she’d just misjudged her. Song Yugui wouldn’t change—she’d become even more shameless than before!

A large teardrop rolled down unbidden. Song Yugui instinctively reached to catch it, the scalding droplet splashing in her palm. Flustered, she coaxed, “Don’t… don’t cry. I was just about to explain. Listen to me first.”

Tears dampened her long lashes as the girl blinked, wanting to beg—Please don’t sell me. I don’t want to serve others, don’t want to be touched by them—but also burning with resentment, hating her for being so heartless. She stubbornly refused to speak or yield.

She hadn’t known she had such pride…

“Do you remember when I told you I’d forgotten a lot of things?”

Shen Xizhi’s eyes, veiled in mist, wavered. Had that happened?

Maybe. Two and a half months ago, Song Yugui had woken up one day claiming she’d forgotten many things and asked her some strange questions.

But… she’d thought it was a joke and hadn’t taken it seriously.

What was she trying to say now?

Her damp lashes fluttered slightly, but she remained silent.

Song Yugui, seeing her dazed, reached out to ruffle her hair—only for Shen Xizhi to duck away. Though she allowed herself to be held, she refused to be touched.

Song Yugui quietly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened, and explained carefully, word by word, “Someone might’ve had those intentions before, but I don’t remember. I didn’t know what Song Bao was planning either. I ran into him on the road, and he said he had something to tell me about my family. Aren’t you my only family? I thought, if it’s about Xizhi, I can’t ignore it. What if someone wants to bully her? What if I miss something important? I was so worried I brought him home to hear what it was about you. But I never expected him to say those things…”

After speaking, she looked down at the girl’s pale, almost translucent face and hesitated before asking, “Do you… understand what I’m saying?”

Shen Xizhi had listened carefully. She’d been terrified that Song Yugui had pretended to be kind for two months just to sell her off, terrified enough to… to…

The mere thought made her stiffen in Song Yugui’s arms, her teeth sinking into her lip. No, no—don’t do that.

Her thin fingers, bony as twigs, clutched Song Yugui’s clothes unconsciously. Even in her resentment, anger, and despair, she… couldn’t bear the thought of this person dying.

Even if she might have betrayed her, even if she’d planned to sell her.

Self-mockery crept into her eyes. She scorned herself for being so weak, clinging to the slightest kindness and refusing to let go.

“Xizhi… Xizhi?”

When the girl didn’t respond, Song Yugui panicked, calling her name repeatedly, leaning closer until their cheeks pressed together.

The sudden warmth startled Shen Xizhi back to reality.

Her eyes widened, and she jerked backward, almost falling off the bed. Song Yugui hastily cupped the back of her head, clutching her chest in fright. “That scared me—you almost fell.”

Shen Xizhi pursed her lips, her gaze calm on the surface but faintly distorted beneath.

“Put me down.”

“No. If I do, you’ll just burrow under the blanket again like a turtle.”

Hanging herself—those four words were terrifying. This matter had to be resolved today. What if no one was home next time and something happened?

The thought made Song Yugui break out in a cold sweat.

No, she couldn’t leave her alone at home either. She’d have to take her along. But it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring her to the tavern every day. She’d finish this month’s work and then stop…

Having made up her mind, Song Yugui hugged her tighter.

“I won’t.”

Shen Xizhi denied it.

“You will.”

Song Yugui overruled her, as if she could see right through her.

“Then have the decency to never put me down again.”

Shen Xizhi snapped.

Seizing the moment, Song Yugui stroked her hair and pinched her jade-like ear, leaving her dazed and momentarily forgetting her anger—like a silly goose.

Song Yugui smiled. “Good, you’re even snapping at me now.”

Shen Xizhi had retorted before, but always softly, so adorably that it was impossible to stay mad. Today, she must’ve been truly furious.

She gently rubbed the girl’s thin arm, her voice softening. “I mean it. I never wanted to sell you, and I didn’t know he’d say those things. Otherwise, I’d never have let him in.”

Shen Xizhi lowered her eyes, silent. She didn’t know whether to believe Song Yugui anymore.

Song Yugui knew the original host had left too big a mess. Just when the villainess had started warming up to her, this had to happen—she’d probably retreat into her shell again.

Helplessness filled her expression.

“Were you… scared just now?”

Her gaze fell on the hemp rope on the floor, and her hand wandered to Shen Xizhi’s snow-white neck—no redness, no marks. She hadn’t started hanging yet. Thank goodness. If she had, even for a second before being discovered, it would’ve shattered Song Yugui’s heart.

Remembering her terror upon seeing Song Bao, and Song Yugui’s claim that she hadn’t meant to sell her or conspired with him, Shen Xizhi’s grievances welled up.

Her lips quivered as she nodded. Yes, I was scared—so scared I didn’t want to live.

Song Yugui hugged her tightly, her voice still shaken. “You could’ve asked me first. Or scolded me, hit me—anything but hurting yourself.”

She didn’t understand. In the novel, the villainess had wanted to kill the original host when bullied. Why had it turned into suicide now?

Shen Xizhi secretly tightened her grip on Song Yugui’s clothes, guiltily lowering her head. She hadn’t really meant to hang herself—it was just a show for Song Yugui. If she showed even a hint of remorse, she might’ve temporarily abandoned the idea of selling her, buying time to think of a solution. But… Aunt Li had seen her with the rope and started screaming, scaring her into going along with it.

“I… I was scared.”

As if remembering her usual tactic of playing weak, she lifted her teary eyes pitifully.

Song Yugui was taken aback. Huh? Weren’t you just ignoring me in anger?

But her heart still melted uncontrollably under that watery, pleading gaze.

Softening completely, she hugged her, pressing the girl’s head against her chest, and sighed. “Even if I were heartless, I’d never sell my wife. Shen Xizhi, don’t be afraid of me. I won’t sell you. And being scared doesn’t mean hurting yourself. If others bully you, should you join them in bullying yourself too?”

Her heart ached so much she’d rather Shen Xizhi solve the problem at its root, as in the novel, than see her harm herself.

Shen Xizhi would never bully herself or let others bully her. But when she looked up and saw the tenderness in Song Yugui’s eyes—as if she were some fragile flower easily crushed—she paused.

She didn’t explain, her lashes fluttering as she murmured, her voice hoarse and tentative, “Really? But… we’re out of money…”

She’d spent seventy wen on a skirt for her, draining their savings again. So she’d thought… she really might sell her for money. Given Song Yugui’s past nature, wasn’t it possible?

She still doubted her.

Song Yugui was both angry and a little hurt. It wasn’t me who did it, yet I’m the one being blamed. Frustrated, she pinched Shen Xizhi’s soft cheeks, laughing as the girl twisted away, her pouty face vivid and lively—a far cry from the despair she’d seen earlier. Relieved, her heart softened again.

“When we were even poorer at the start, I never said I’d sell you. Things are better now—why would I? I’ll earn money. What kind of person sells their wife for cash?”

Shen Xizhi’s lips trembled. “But you said you would back then.”

Song Yugui: @#$% you, original host! Spouting nonsense and leaving me to clean up your mess! @#$%!