My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
â—ŽNot a Little Bit Obedientâ—Ž
Wen Miao had heard the noise as soon as Ji Baiqing entered the room. She was a light sleeper and woke up easily; she just wanted to know what Ji Baiqing was going to do. The intimate gesture of Ji Baiqing touching her forehead just now still surprised her. She couldn’t help but think that Ji Baiqing was probably just as caring, if not more, to that Wenwen. After all, her relationship with Li Wenwen seemed to be much better than her relationship with herself.
She shouldn’t care about this, after all, Ji Baiqing wasn’t anyone special to her. They were just… ordinary friends.
After hearing Ji Baiqing’s voice, Wen Miao stopped pretending to be asleep and opened her eyes. The two pairs of eyes met. Ji Baiqing was the first to look away, not wanting to look at those clear, amber eyes. She awkwardly threw out a “hurry up and get ready” and left the room, as if she were fleeing in a panic.
During the day, He Xiangyue didn’t notice anything, but at dinner, she finally felt that something was wrong with the strange atmosphere between Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao. Were the two of them… arguing?
After dinner, Wen Miao voluntarily offered to clean up the dishes. He Xiangyue didn’t have time to stop her. She just pulled Ji Baiqing aside and asked her in a low voice, “Did you and Educated Youth Wen argue?” Ji Baiqing saw her nervous look and was a little helpless. She didn’t want her to get involved in her and Wen Miao’s business, so she shook her head. “Mom, no, you’re overthinking it.”
He Xiangyue knew how close the two of them were during mealtimes. Ji Baiqing would constantly give Wen Miao food, as if she was afraid she would starve. But today, the two of them ate separately. He Xiangyue would be an idiot to believe Ji Baiqing’s perfunctory words. But seeing that Ji Baiqing didn’t want to talk about it, He Xiangyue didn’t ask any more questions. She patted Ji Baiqing’s shoulder. This girl had her father’s height and was now a head taller than her. Her little girl, who used to follow her and call out “Mom,” had also grown up.
“Mom knows you must have your own difficulties, but Wen Miao is a few years older than you. She lost her mom when she was so young, and now she’s all alone in our village. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t help her out. Be good, don’t be so stubborn. How sad Wen Miao must be.”
Ji Baiqing couldn’t help but laugh. She never expected that He Xiangyue would take Wen Miao’s side when they argued. But hearing her words, she felt happy for Wen Miao. In this world, besides her, there were more people who were willing to care about her. “Mom, don’t worry. With you here, how would I dare to bully Wen Miao? We’re just being stubborn. We’ll be fine in a few days.”
After they washed up, Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao lay on the bed together. In the quiet room, Ji Baiqing looked at Wen Miao’s back and wondered if they would really make up in a few days. She wasn’t so sure when she said that; she mostly just wanted to comfort He Xiangyue. She was supposed to get up early tomorrow morning to go to the food station, but she was still tossing and turning and couldn’t fall asleep. Ji Baiqing didn’t want to let the problem last overnight, but Wen Miao was not cooperating at all.
She turned over again, with her back to Wen Miao. Ji Baiqing said softly, “Um… Wen Miao, are you asleep?” “What’s wrong with you? Can you please tell me?” Her words were met with no response, but she could feel the change in the person’s breathing behind her. Ji Baiqing closed her eyes fiercely, deciding not to talk to her again. Bad woman!
After Ji Baiqing fell asleep, Wen Miao turned around and looked at her back. She gently grabbed a small lock of her hair and slowly closed her eyes.
The next day, Ji Baiqing woke up early. She moved slightly, but her scalp was pulled. She took a closer look and realized that at some point, the two of them had hugged each other again last night. Wen Miao was clutching her hair. No wonder she felt like she was tied up in her dream. She gently pried Wen Miao’s fingers open and let go of her hair. She was a little angry looking at the woman’s innocent sleeping face. If only she could be this obedient when she was awake!
She casually grabbed a set of old clothes from the closet and put them on. After a quick cleanup, He Xiangyue, who knew she was getting up early today, also got up to make her breakfast. The leftover dishes from last night were all put in the well to keep them cool. She reheated them in the morning, cooked some sweet potatoes, and it was ready to eat. After breakfast, Ji Baiqing saw that it was about time and rode her bicycle to town.
Riding a bicycle required some strength, but fortunately, Ji Baiqing had more than enough of it. Besides, it was much faster than the ox cart. At this time, the food station wasn’t open yet. People were preparing. Ji Baiqing bought a steamed bun for the old man at the gate and was finally let in. She walked to the food station director’s office, which the butcher had pointed out to her yesterday, and knocked on the door. A dignified, low female voice came from inside. “Come in.”
The door opened with a push. Ji Baiqing walked in and saw a thin, middle-aged female comrade wearing glasses sitting behind a desk. She immediately smiled and introduced herself. “Director, hello. I’m Ji Baiqing from Yunshui Village. Yesterday, I heard from the butcher comrade that the food station was hiring, and I wanted to give it a try.”
The director stood up and shook her hand politely. “Hello, Comrade Ji. I’m Xia Hanmei.” She looked Ji Baiqing up and down. She was thin, tall, clean, and neat. For a moment, she suspected that she had misheard her. “We’re not hiring salespersons anymore, Comrade Ji. Did you hear wrong?”
Ji Baiqing shook her head. “I want to try the pig butchering job.” Director Xia immediately laughed. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes became more obvious. “I underestimated you, Comrade Ji. Since you want to try, we happen to be butchering a pig later.” Ji Baiqing was lucky. Normally, they only sold pork two or three days a week. They had just sold one yesterday, and the pig farm delivered another one today. She happened to have caught it.
“Follow me.” This director was quite easy to talk to, Ji Baiqing thought, and she followed her to the warehouse. After walking into a small warehouse, she smelled a distinct stench and a bloody smell. Director Xia pointed at a pig on the cart that looked to be two or three hundred catties. “We’re butchering this one today.” Ji Baiqing looked at the ropes and knives for tying up the pig around her and had a plan in mind.
Just then, a hearty voice came from the door. “Director Xia, I’m here!” Ji Baiqing turned her head and saw that it was the butcher from yesterday. The butcher was also surprised to see her. She immediately understood the purpose of her questions yesterday. She walked up to Ji Baiqing with her pregnant belly and patted her on the shoulder. “Wow, comrade, I didn’t realize you wanted this job.” Ji Baiqing smiled. “Women hold up half the sky, you know.” The butcher nodded. “That’s right. My name is Wang Baozhu. You can just call me Sister Baozhu.”
She asked the man with a basin who was as thin as a bamboo pole, “Zhou Gang, is the water ready?” Zhou Gang nodded and put the specially made stool in place. The long stool was wide and thick and looked very sturdy. “Follow me and let’s see what you’ve got.”