My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

◎A Double Dose of Bitterness◎

Ji Baiqing rode around with He Xiangyue and when she came back she saw Li Wenwen standing in the courtyard and was a little confused. “Wenwen, are you on holiday?”

The bicycle stopped in the courtyard, and He Xiangyue jumped off. “Wenwen, why didn’t you go inside?”

Li Wenwen scratched her head. “You weren’t home just now, but I saw there was a beautiful older sister in your house… I talked to her, but she didn’t respond to me.”

Wen Miao wasn’t such an arrogant person. Ji Baiqing was a little worried. Was she not feeling well? “She’s the new educated youth living with us,” she explained. “Wenwen, you go inside and sit down. I’ll tell you more later.” After saying that, Ji Baiqing hurried back to her room.

After opening the door, she saw Wen Miao sitting by the window, looking down at a book. She went up to her and used the back of her hand to check the temperature of her forehead. Wen Miao turned her head to avoid her, but Ji Baiqing didn’t get angry. She asked in a low voice, “Are you not feeling well, Wen Miao?”

Wen Miao, Wenwen. The level of intimacy in these two names was easily distinguishable. Wen Miao shook her head and didn’t say anything.

Seeing her like this, Ji Baiqing was even more worried. She squatted down and looked up at Wen Miao, her voice gentle. “Is our Wen Miao unhappy? What’s wrong? Can you tell me?” Wen Miao’s eyes felt a little sore. She shook her head but still spoke. “It’s nothing,” she said.

Listening to her hoarse voice, Ji Baiqing also felt bad. But Wen Miao was stubborn. When she wasn’t ready to talk, she wouldn’t open up to anyone no matter how much they tried to persuade her. She used to think she was the exception to Wen Miao’s rule, but facing the current situation where Wen Miao refused to speak, she still felt a little frustrated. What on earth was wrong? She was unhappy and not feeling well, but she wouldn’t say anything.

She patiently reviewed the events of the day. “You don’t want me to go butcher pigs? Are you afraid I’ll smell bad to you?” Wen Miao shook her head. “Then are you angry that I took my mom for a ride around the village and not you?” She still shook her head. “Are you unhappy that I said the bicycle belongs to the Ji family?” Wen Miao continued to shake her head.

Ji Baiqing wanted to say something else, but her arm on Wen Miao’s leg suddenly felt hot. She was stunned and looked at Wen Miao’s face. Her eyes were red, and tears were falling one by one, but she bit her lip and refused to make a sound. Ji Baiqing wanted to reach out and wipe her tears, but her hand was dodged before it could even touch the woman’s face. Wen Miao covered her eyes with the back of her hand, looking up, not wanting Ji Baiqing to see her in such a miserable state. “You go out first. I want to be alone for a while.” Her voice was impossibly hoarse.

Ji Baiqing’s chest felt tight, and her breathing became a little heavy. In the end, she left the bedroom without saying a word. She looked up at the blue sky and cursed silently. She also felt like crying. They were so happy when they left this morning. What went wrong that made Wen Miao so unhappy? She couldn’t figure it out.

After calming down at the door for a while, Ji Baiqing went to the main hall. Li Wenwen was helping He Xiangyue sort vegetables. When she saw Ji Baiqing, she quickly stood up, pulled Ji Baiqing, and sat her down on a stool. She asked curiously, “Who was that beautiful older sister just now?” Ji Baiqing: “The new educated youth.”

Seeing that she wanted to talk to her about something, Ji Baiqing really didn’t have the energy to continue the conversation. She pressed her forehead and made up an excuse. “Li Wenwen, you should go home first. My dad told me to till the land this afternoon. I’m going to get scolded if I don’t go.” After saying that, she ignored Li Wenwen, took a hoe, and went to the fields.

After tilling a few plots of land, Ji Baiqing was drenched in sweat. As she rested on the edge of the field, her mind was still on Wen Miao. She fiercely hit the ground. Where did it go wrong?! After tilling the land, Ji Baiqing went back and took the seeds they had bought today to sow them. When she passed her room, she looked at the tightly closed door and felt even more annoyed. She wondered if Wen Miao was still crying. After realizing what she was thinking, Ji Baiqing cursed herself in her heart for being so useless. She simply turned her head away, out of sight, out of mind, and strode away from home with two buckets on her shoulder.

For the whole afternoon, Ji Baiqing was in the fields. She finished the work that would have taken two people two days to do in one afternoon. Unknowingly, the golden sun was setting in the west. The remaining light dyed the clouds pink and orange. The sky, woven with different colors, was magnificent. After Ji Baiqing had vented her inner frustration through labor, she felt much better.

When she poured the last ladle of water on the ground, He Xiangyue came to call her back for dinner. “Baiqing, the food is ready! Come back quickly!” Her voice was loud. Even standing far away, Ji Baiqing could hear her. Ji Baiqing responded loudly and brought the farm tools and buckets back with her.

Before she went back, she went to the river to wash the mud off her body and then washed her face. The cool river water on her face cooled down her sun-drenched cheeks. But when the water dried, her cheeks felt a burning pain when she touched them. This was the downside of having thin skin; it was easy to get sunburned. The sun was scorching hot in the afternoon. She was so angry that she didn’t even put on any protection. Without a mirror, Ji Baiqing guessed her face was probably red from the sun.

When she got home, He Xiangyue was also shocked to see her red face. “Why didn’t you wear a straw hat to the fields?” Ji Baiqing shook her head gloomily. “I forgot. It’s okay. It’ll be fine in a few days.” He Xiangyue put the dishes on the table and glared at Ji Baiqing. “You’re twenty years old now, and you still don’t let me rest easy.” After saying that, she went out, probably to go cut some aloe vera from somewhere.

Today, Ji Wei went to a meeting at the commune with the village chief. The meeting would probably take a day or two. Ji Baiqing sat alone in the empty main hall, looking at the table of dishes that could be called “sumptuous” compared to the previous days, but she still couldn’t be happy. There was braised pork, radish and bone soup, and a plate of vibrant green lettuce. Wen Miao loved to eat braised pork. Suddenly, Ji Baiqing hit her head in disappointment. Why was she thinking of that bad woman again!

After making countless excuses for herself, Ji Baiqing still walked to the door of the room and turned the doorknob, peeking to see what the person inside was doing. When she saw the woman sleeping with her cheeks flushed on the bed, she got even angrier. She was so angry that she worked herself to death in the fields like a cow, but this person was sleeping so soundly in bed!

Although she was thinking this, she still subconsciously lightened her movements. She walked to the bed and looked down at Wen Miao’s sleeping face. The impression of the woman being sick and weak was too deeply ingrained in her heart. She reached out and checked Wen Miao’s forehead. Only after confirming that her temperature was normal did she relax. A few scattered papers were on the desk. They were Wen Miao’s. Ji Baiqing didn’t pry into her privacy. She simply gathered the things together. After a long struggle, she cleared her throat. “Wen Miao, get up and eat.”