My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

My Wife, Why Do You Hate Me Again?

After the new school building is finished, the village cadres hold an opening ceremony. Soon, the children from the three villages can officially start school. The empty teacher position needs to be filled. After the job announcement is made, seven or eight people come to Li Xiangdong’s house. He sends away anyone who hasn’t been to school. But there are still a few who have, including some male and female students, who all want the position.

Li Xiangdong is worried. If he’s not fair, someone might report him. The other village heads have the same problem. They decide to use Ji Baiqing’s suggestion: the current teachers will create three tests—Chinese, math, and politics. They announce that whoever gets first place in the exam will get the job. At least half of the people lose hope.

Ji Baiqing massages Wen Miao’s shoulders. “How do you feel? Are you confident?” she asks. Wen Miao has already read all the books her grandma sent her and the textbooks Ji Baiqing got her. She feels confident. “Don’t worry,” she says. “You’ve asked me so many times.”

Ji Baiqing touches her nose. She is nervous for Wen Miao. In the original book, Shen Niannian gets the teacher position, but Ji Baiqing has faith in Wen Miao. Still, she wonders if Shen Niannian’s protagonist halo will affect the outcome.

“I’m just worried about you,” she says. She quickly adds, “Don’t be nervous. We can go buy a pretty dress after the exam, okay?”

Wen Miao shakes her head. She holds Ji Baiqing’s hand. “No, you should save money. I have a lot of clothes. Let’s just go to the state-run restaurant and have some braised pork.” She knows Ji Baiqing has been working so hard and saving every penny.

Ji Baiqing can hear the concern in her wife’s voice. She rubs Wen Miao’s cheek and kisses her. Wen Miao tilts her head back, making it easier for Ji Baiqing. Ji Baiqing smiles and deepens the kiss. Wen Miao’s neck starts to hurt, and she pushes Ji Baiqing away. “My neck hurts,” she says.

Ji Baiqing laughs. “It’s your fault for making it so easy to kiss you.”

Wen Miao is so embarrassed. “Ji Baiqing!” she says. Ji Baiqing quickly hugs her. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ll massage your neck for you.”

…

The teacher exam is held at the school. Ji Baiqing brings water, a pen, and a ruler, just like a parent would. Before going in, she sees Li Wenwen. “Baiqing, you’re here too?” Li Wenwen says. She then sees Wen Miao, who is wearing a red and white checkered dress. Wen Miao looks elegant and gentle.

Li Wenwen is a little nervous. “Good morning, Wen-zhiqing,” she says. Ji Baiqing feels awkward. She and Wen Miao had their first fight because of Li Wenwen. She carefully looks at Wen Miao’s expression. Wen Miao seems fine and says hello to Li Wenwen. Ji Baiqing relaxes a little. “I’m here to support Wen-zhiqing. What about you?” she asks.

Li Wenwen complains. “My dad wants me to try. He says if I pass, I won’t have to go to high school in town. But I don’t want to be a teacher. I want to work at the supply store after high school.” Ji Baiqing knows that it’s not easy to get a job at the supply store without connections. But she doesn’t want to discourage her. She smiles and says, “Just try your best. A good job is a good job.”

As they talk, Wen Miao stands behind Ji Baiqing, looking at her with a hint of sadness. She knows Ji Baiqing doesn’t have feelings for Li Wenwen, but she is still annoyed that Ji Baiqing is so engrossed in the conversation that she seems to have forgotten about her.

Ji Baiqing, being oblivious, continues talking to Li Wenwen. The school’s public address system announces that the exam is about to start. Ji Baiqing gives Wen Miao the water bottle and stationery. “Good luck! You’re the best!” she says. Wen Miao pouts and walks into the school.

Ji Baiqing finds a spot under a tree to rest. She is about to sit down when she bumps into someone. She tries to help her, but when she sees who it is, she lets go and steps back. Shen Niannian falls to the ground. Ji Baiqing walks away without looking back. Shen Niannian gets up and yells, “You’re so mean!” But Ji Baiqing ignores her. Shen Niannian, realizing the exam is about to start, gets up and limps into the school.

Wen Miao takes a sip of water. Just as the exam is about to begin, someone rushes in and sits behind her. The exam has three parts: Chinese, math, and politics. Wen Miao quickly glances at the questions. She writes down the answers to Chinese and politics. The questions are from elementary school, with a few from middle school. She finishes in an hour. Then she moves on to math. She finishes all but one question in thirty minutes. She looks at the last question, frowns, and decides to leave it blank. She writes her name and turns in the exam.

Outside the classroom, she sees Ji Baiqing chewing on a blade of grass under a tree. She is still angry about Ji Baiqing and Li Wenwen’s conversation, but she can’t help but walk toward her.

Ji Baiqing is in a trance when she smells a familiar scent. She opens her eyes and sees Wen Miao. “You’re done already? You’re so fast!” she says and wraps her arms around Wen Miao’s waist. She buries her face in Wen Miao’s stomach and takes a deep breath.

Wen Miao doesn’t say anything. Ji Baiqing looks up and sees Wen Miao’s face is cold. She knows Wen Miao is mad, but she doesn’t know why. She lets go of Wen Miao and stands up. She pinches Wen Miao’s cheeks. “What’s wrong? Why is my little boss unhappy?”

Wen Miao doesn’t answer. She just walks home. Ji Baiqing follows her, holding her stool. Ji Baiqing tries to guess what’s wrong. “Is it because I talked to Wenwen?” she asks. “My dear wife, I’ve told you many times, I only like you.”

Wen Miao stops and tries to cover her mouth. Ji Baiqing quickly moves back. Wen Miao’s eyes are a little red. “Don’t say that outside!” she says. Ji Baiqing thinks there’s no one around, but she still says, “Okay, wife, I understand.”

Wen Miao glares at her. “You’re still saying it.” Ji Baiqing, afraid of making her angrier, quickly says, “Okay, Wen-zhiqing, I won’t say it anymore.”

Wen Miao is unhappy. She turns away and mumbles, “I hate you.”

“Why do you hate me again?” Ji Baiqing says.

When they get home, Ji Baiqing takes Wen Miao to the room and sits on the bed. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she says. She doesn’t like leaving misunderstandings unresolved.

“You’re so annoying,” Wen Miao says. Her voice is soft and sweet. Ji Baiqing’s heart melts. She lifts Wen Miao’s chin and kisses the area under her eye. “Tell me what I did so I can fix it,” she says.

Wen Miao grabs Ji Baiqing’s shirt. She feels a little embarrassed. But Ji Baiqing is so patient. Wen Miao suddenly hugs Ji Baiqing. “Because you were talking to Li Wenwen,” she says. She looks up. “It’s not because I’m jealous. But you were talking to her and ignored me.”

Ji Baiqing thinks Wen Miao is adorable. “Zhenzhen, I’m sorry. I was just talking to her because I thought you didn’t want to talk to her. Besides,” she says, hugging Wen Miao’s waist. “I get a little jealous when you talk to others, too. Next time, I’ll introduce you to her.”

Wen Miao’s lips curve into a smile. “Okay,” she says. Ji Baiqing laughs. “I’ll give you a kiss to thank you.” She kisses Wen Miao, and the kiss lasts for a long time. Wen Miao’s face is flushed. Ji Baiqing’s lips are swollen.

Ji Baiqing looks at Wen Miao. “You’re already out of breath? What are we going to do in the future, my good wife?” she teases. Wen Miao glares at her. “You’re the one who can’t handle it!” she says and pounces on Ji Baiqing.

Ji Baiqing is not ready and falls on the bed. Wen Miao sits on her waist. “You’ll see, Ji Baiqing,” she says in a soft but determined voice. Ji Baiqing smiles. She is excited. “I’m so scared. Don’t go easy on me, my wife,” she says.

Wen Miao gets mad. She pins Ji Baiqing’s hands above her head and kisses her. She bites Ji Baiqing’s lip and then her tongue. Ji Baiqing groans, and Wen Miao lets go. She tastes the bl00d and is a little scared. She kisses Ji Baiqing’s tongue again and then kisses her upper palate. She is tired. She wants to stop, but Ji Baiqing’s hands are free. Ji Baiqing touches her lower back, and Wen Miao’s body goes limp. She falls onto Ji Baiqing.

Ji Baiqing kisses her again. When she finally lets go, Wen Miao is breathing heavily. Her face is flushed. Ji Baiqing pokes her. “Zhenzhen, are you okay?” she asks. Wen Miao bites her lip. “You’re annoying,” she says. She doesn’t dare to say anything else. She is no match for Ji Baiqing. She is tired and just wants to rest.

“Okay,” Ji Baiqing says. She pats Wen Miao’s butt. “Get up. Let’s go cook.”

Wen Miao’s body stiffens. “Don’t touch me there!” she says. Her face is red. Ji Baiqing, knowing not to tease her too much, nods. “Okay, I’m sorry, Zhenzhen.”

Wen Miao glares at her again and gets up to cook. They go to the town the next morning to hear the results of the exam. The village heads tell everyone to gather at the square. Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao go together. Ji Baiqing pushes through the crowd to the front. She sees Li Wenwen. “You’re still here?” she asks.

Li Wenwen looks sad. “My dad wants me to stay and hear the results.”

Wen Miao pinches Ji Baiqing’s waist. Ji Baiqing winces and takes Wen Miao’s hand. “I came with Wen Miao,” she says. Li Wenwen says she thinks Wen Miao will get the job. Ji Baiqing agrees.

The village heads announce the results. A man named Wu Weiguo says, “The first place goes to Shen Niannian! She got a perfect score on every exam. She’s exactly what the school needs.”

Ji Baiqing looks at Shen Niannian, who is smiling. She seems to have expected this. Ji Baiqing looks at Wen Miao, who walks to the front. “I don’t agree with this result,” she says.

Wu Weiguo is annoyed. “You can’t disagree. The scores are the only thing that matters. You should come back in a few years.”

Wen Miao is calm. “Village head, I believe the other teachers are here, too. I found a mistake in the last math problem. It’s impossible to solve. So, Shen Niannian’s perfect score is not possible.”