My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

◎A Strong Smell of Vinegar◎

On the way, Ji Baiqing saw that Wen Miao had gone from being a little excited to being in low spirits. She asked her softly, “Wen Miao, what’s wrong?”

Wen Miao shook her head. “Nothing.”

Ji Baiqing was a little helpless. Seeing her looking so unhappy, it didn’t seem like nothing was wrong. So what exactly was it that made her unhappy? Through their time together, she had learned that the villainess’s personality was sensitive and easily affected by what was happening around her. She thought for a moment and suddenly understood.

“Are you missing your mom?”

Wen Miao was stunned. After a while, she nodded. “Yeah, Auntie He is very good to you.”

“Your mom must have been very good to you, too. Giving you so much money means you’re her heart’s treasure, so you should be happy. Otherwise, your mom would be sad watching you be sad from heaven.”

Is that so? Wen Miao looked at Ji Baiqing with a hint of doubt. Then, her cheek was pinched, and a chuckle rang in her ear. “Smile quickly for your mom to see.”

Wen Miao slapped her hand away and lowered her head, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. After hearing what she said, her mood was much better.

When Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao arrived at the village entrance, there weren’t many people on the ox cart. They were two familiar aunties. After giving Uncle Niu two cents, Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao got on the ox cart. Then, two or three more people paid and got on.

An auntie with a mole next to her mouth looked at Wen Miao and Ji Baiqing up and down. “Oh, isn’t this Educated Youth Wen? You’re not seen when it’s time to work, but now that you have a holiday, you’re all dolled up and looking so charming. Where are you going?”

Wen Miao said nonchalantly, “Wherever you’re going.”

“You!” The mole-faced woman was so choked up she couldn’t speak.

Ji Baiqing rubbed the back of Wen Miao’s hand and looked at the person opposite them with an unfriendly expression. “Auntie, did you not use tooth powder to brush your teeth before you left today?”

The auntie asked suspiciously, “How did you know?”

The people around who understood laughed out loud. Ji Baiqing held back a laugh. “Otherwise, your mouth wouldn’t stink so much.”

“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

The mole-faced woman’s face turned red, and she finally stopped talking.

At five-thirty, Uncle Niu saw that there weren’t many people and was about to leave for town. Just as he was about to go, a voice suddenly came from behind them. “Wait for us!”

The voice sounded familiar. Ji Baiqing looked back and saw that it was Shen Niannian and Lu Yan. Seeing their intimate posture, had they already gotten together? Ji Baiqing looked at them, recalling the plot of the original book in her mind. If she remembered correctly, in the early stages, Shen Niannian made money by selling things in the black market. It wasn’t until she met Lu Yan on her way to the black market one time and he found out her secret that the two of them gradually became closer.

Wen Miao noticed that Ji Baiqing’s eyes were on Shen Niannian and hadn’t moved away for a long time. For a moment, she was a little annoyed. She thought, Ji Baiqing likes women, and Shen Niannian is also a beautiful woman. Although she’s not as stunning at first glance as she is, she has a different kind of pure beauty. Was Ji Baiqing now thinking Shen Niannian was prettier and was going to change her target?

Thinking of this, Wen Miao felt a little uncomfortable. She pinched Ji Baiqing. Ji Baiqing winced in pain and turned to look at the culprit. Wen Miao said, with a hint of sourness that she herself didn’t even notice, “Your eyeballs are going to fall out.”

Ji Baiqing looked at her expression and finally laughed out loud. She fanned herself and whispered to her, “Do you smell a strong smell of vinegar?”

Wen Miao: “What?” After she realized the meaning of Ji Baiqing’s words, she glared at her fiercely. Ji Baiqing smiled and soothed the ruffled little cat. “Don’t worry, Wen Miao. I’m only friends with you.” Wen Miao snorted softly and didn’t say anything else.

Uncle Niu stopped and let Shen Niannian and Lu Yan get on. As soon as they got on, the back of the cart clearly sank down. In fact, the speed of the ox cart to town wasn’t much faster than walking, but the main thing was that it wasn’t as tiring.

It took more than an hour to get to town. Xining Town was not big. Compared to Beijing, it was tiny. But Wen Miao was still a little curious when she first arrived in town. Everything around them looked very different from Beijing. Ji Baiqing also hadn’t been to town for a long time. She looked at the watch on her hand. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. “The post office isn’t open yet. Let’s go eat breakfast first.”

Wen Miao nodded first, then her eyes moved to her slender wrist. She frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing the watch I gave you?” It was a rare trip to town. To show respect, Ji Baiqing had even specially changed into the good clothes she didn’t wear often. Why wasn’t she wearing that exquisite watch? She had never seen Ji Baiqing wear it on a regular day, so she was afraid she had taken it off as soon as she got home on the day she gave it to her.

Ji Baiqing clicked her tongue. “I was afraid of scratching or bumping it. It would be a waste.”

Wen Miao: “If it gets damaged, just buy another one. Aren’t things meant to be used?”

“But this is the second gift you’ve given me.” Ji Baiqing looked at her.

Wen Miao quickly looked away. “O-okay.” She was so annoyed. Ji Baiqing was three years younger than her, so why did she always talk as if she was deliberately teasing her?

Ji Baiqing didn’t know what Wen Miao was thinking. She looked around and saw a big sign that said “State-run Restaurant.” “Let’s go eat.”

In this era, everyone was poor. The prices at state-run restaurants were affordable, but people from the countryside were reluctant to eat at them when they came to town. Only city people with stable jobs would eat at them when they didn’t feel like cooking. Even so, there was still a long line at the state-run restaurant.

After waiting in line for more than ten minutes, it was Ji Baiqing’s turn. She looked at the breakfast menu and asked Wen Miao what she wanted to eat. After getting a response, she said loudly to the comrade at the counter, “A bowl of rice noodles and a bowl of stewed noodles, both with an egg!” The two added up to twelve cents, which wasn’t too expensive.

After ordering, Ji Baiqing found a seat by the window. Knowing that Wen Miao was a clean freak, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the tabletop. While waiting for the noodles, Ji Baiqing looked out the window. It was time for work, and there were people coming and going on the street, either carrying a cloth bag or rushing home after buying groceries. A small number of people could be seen riding bicycles, looking proud.

Wen Miao noticed that Ji Baiqing’s eyes lingered on the bicycles. She lowered her head thoughtfully.

Not long after, two bowls of noodles were brought to them. The bowls at the state-run restaurant were as big as a head, and the noodles and soup were almost level with the rim. In short, it was worth it. Ji Baiqing slurped her noodles, while Wen Miao ate slowly. The noodles were hot right out of the pot. Knowing that Wen Miao had a cat’s tongue and was afraid of hot things, Ji Baiqing got another bowl and divided a small portion from her bowl. “Eat the smaller portion first. It’ll cool down faster.” After saying that, she continued to eat her own bowl.

When she was almost done, she belatedly asked Wen Miao, “Do you want to try mine? It’s pretty good.” Her bowl had a large spoonful of chili oil and scallions. The red and green colors looked especially appetizing. Wen Miao hesitated in her mind but still nodded. Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, Ji Baiqing picked up some noodles, blew on them, and brought them to her lips.