My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Fragile, Helpless, and About to Leave Her

When Wen Miao agrees to lend Pan Hongxia grain, Ji Baiqing’s expression freezes. She stares at Wen Miao. Wen Miao reaches for her hand, but Ji Baiqing pulls away. Feeling a little sad, Wen Miao gives Pan Hongxia the grain after she writes a note. Pan Hongxia looks happy. Ji Baiqing stares at her back, and when she’s gone, she goes to the room without saying a word.

Wen Miao follows her. The room is dark, but she can feel Ji Baiqing’s bad mood. She’s mad. But why? Wen Miao is confused. She knows Ji Baiqing so well. She reaches out and finds Ji Baiqing’s face.

Ji Baiqing is lying on the bed, her back turned to Wen Miao. Wen Miao lies next to her and hugs her from behind. Her face is against Ji Baiqing’s wet, cold hair. “A Qing, what’s wrong?” she asks softly.

Ji Baiqing pulls Wen Miao’s hand away and moves farther away from her. Wen Miao is surprised to see her acting like this. She’s always the one who throws tantrums, and Ji Baiqing always calms her down. This is the first time she’s seen Ji Baiqing truly angry, and it makes her feel a little scared.

She hugs Ji Baiqing again, burying herself in her embrace. She kisses Ji Baiqing’s chin again and again. “A Qing, don’t be mad,” she says softly.

Ji Baiqing doesn’t say anything. Wen Miao thinks for a moment. “Is it because I gave Pan Hongxia grain?” she asks. “She was just like me back then. I couldn’t just leave her there.”

In the dark, Ji Baiqing’s eyes are open. She thinks to herself, She couldn’t help but give it to her, but Pan Hongxia could. The thought makes her heart ache. She finally hugs Wen Miao tightly.

Wen Miao thinks Ji Baiqing is no longer mad and kisses her chin again. “Wen Miao,” Ji Baiqing asks, “if you knew she would try to befriend Shen Niannian and not help you when you needed it, would you regret it?”

Wen Miao thinks for a moment. “Probably not,” she says. She smiles. “I don’t regret my decisions very often. And I won’t change who I am for her. I gave her the grain because she was in the same situation I was in. I didn’t expect her to repay me.”

Ji Baiqing is a little surprised by Wen Miao’s answer. She realizes that Wen Miao has always been kind and gentle. She won’t let her become like the woman in her dream. This time, Ji Baiqing will protect her.

Wen Miao hears Ji Baiqing’s soft breathing. “A Qing, are you still mad?” she asks.

“Yes,” Ji Baiqing says. “Comfort me.”

Comfort her? Wen Miao touches Ji Baiqing’s face, finds her left eye, and kisses it. Then she kisses her nose and finally her lips.

Ji Baiqing scoffs. “That’s it?”

Wen Miao blushes, but it’s too dark for Ji Baiqing to see. She takes Ji Baiqing’s hand and puts it inside her shirt, onto her br3ast. “You can touch it, A Qing. Are you still mad?” she asks sweetly.

Ji Baiqing swallows. She can’t resist. She rubs Wen Miao’s br3ast and hears her moan. This is not good. She’s trying to scare Wen Miao, but Wen Miao is seducing her.

She sighs and pats Wen Miao’s head. “Okay, I’m not mad anymore.” She says, “I just think she’s not worth it. I just want to protect you, Zhenzhen.”

“It’s okay as long as I don’t feel guilty,” Wen Miao says. She snuggles in Ji Baiqing’s arms. “I love you, A Qing.”

“Besides me, who else do you love?” Ji Baiqing says.

“Only A Qing.”

Ji Baiqing reluctantly pulls her hand out of Wen Miao’s shirt and hugs her. “Okay, I know. Let’s go to sleep. We have to work tomorrow.” Wen Miao curls up in her arms. She knows Ji Baiqing is tired and doesn’t want to bother her.

When she feels Wen Miao is asleep, Ji Baiqing opens her eyes. She kisses Wen Miao’s forehead. “I’ll protect you,” she whispers.

In her dream, the sun is bright. She wakes up and realizes she’s not on her bed. Where is she? She looks around. She is in the educated youth’s dormitory. She is confused. She should be home. She looks closer. The building is old and run-down.

She hears a familiar voice. “Shen Niannian, please lend me some grain. I will pay you back later.”

Ji Baiqing is stunned. She rushes to the door but realizes she can pass through it. She looks for Wen Miao. The woman looks like Wen Miao, but she also looks like a stranger. Her beautiful long hair is cut short and messy. Her face is pale and her chin is pointy. Her eyes are dull and empty. Ji Baiqing has never seen Wen Miao look so defeated.

Shen Niannian, Lu Yan, Fang Haiyang, Pan Hongxia, and Wu Yanqing are standing in front of her. Lu Yan sneers. “You tried to scheme against Niannian. How can you ask us for grain? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Wu Yanqing looks at Wen Miao with a greedy look. “If you do what I say, maybe I can help you.”

Shen Niannian looks disgusted. “Wu Yanqing, you’re disgusting. What are you talking about?” Lu Yan glares at him, and Wu Yanqing backs down. “I was just joking. Who would fall for a malicious woman like her?”

Wen Miao doesn’t seem to hear them. She looks at Pan Hongxia. “Pan Hongxia, can you lend me some grain? I will pay you back. For old times’ sake.”

Pan Hongxia looks at Lu Yan and Shen Niannian. She hesitates and then says, “Wen Miao, I… I don’t have any grain. This is for all of us.”

Fang Haiyang is impatient. “You used to look down on us. Now you’re begging like a dog. We’re not a charity. Get lost!”

Ji Baiqing sees Wen Miao’s back straighten. Her hands are shaking. She looks like she’s about to fall. Ji Baiqing’s heart aches. She tries to hug her, but her hand passes through her body again. She can’t touch her or say anything to comfort her. She can only watch as Wen Miao walks away like a ghost. The villagers avoid her. Only a few people look at her with pity. Those people are her friends in real life, but they don’t help her.

Ji Baiqing follows her to the river. Wen Miao stands there, looking at the deep, fast-flowing water. Ji Baiqing is scared she’s going to jump. After a while, Wen Miao moves, stumbles, and almost falls. Ji Baiqing rushes to help her, but her hand passes through her again. She looks at her hands, and tears fill her eyes. Wen Miao walks away again. Ji Baiqing follows her, her heart heavy. She wonders why Wen Miao is so thin. She cries, and her tears stain her clothes.

She follows Wen Miao to a hill. Wen Miao faints and falls into the grass. “Wen Miao!” Ji Baiqing shouts.

She opens her eyes. She is on her bed. She feels a familiar weight in her arms. She looks down and sees Wen Miao sleeping. Ji Baiqing’s hands tremble as she touches Wen Miao’s hair and skin. She touches the red birthmark under her eye. Her heart is still beating fast. She hugs Wen Miao tightly, as if she’s afraid of losing her.

The dream was so real. She saw a fragile, helpless Wen Miao, abandoned by everyone. And she couldn’t do anything. She is furious. Why didn’t anyone help her? She is so mad she regrets not stopping Wen Miao from lending Pan Hongxia grain.

The dream has a huge impact on Ji Baiqing. At breakfast, she keeps putting food on Wen Miao’s plate. She tells her to eat more and more. She wants to make sure Wen Miao never experiences what she did in the dream. Wen Miao thinks Ji Baiqing is acting weird. She gets angry and says, “Ji Baiqing, I told you I’m full! Stop giving me food!”

Ji Baiqing stops. “Okay,” she says. “Just tell me if you’re hungry, okay?”

Wen Miao touches her forehead. “Are you okay? You’re acting like a ghost.”

Ji Baiqing covers her mouth. “Don’t say that!” She can’t tell Wen Miao about her dream. She just eats the rest of Wen Miao’s food.

That morning, she has to go to town to sell meat. She wants to buy some for her family, too. The pig is big, about 300 pounds. She and Zhou Gang kill the pig. While Zhou Gang is preparing the meat, she washes her face. When she comes back, Zhou Gang has already cut the pig, and she starts selling the meat. There’s a long line.

The first woman in line sees Wen Miao. “Look, the two beauties are here today,” she says. Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao both blush. “I want two ounces of pork fat,” the woman says. Ji Baiqing gives her the meat and tells her to pay.

Ji Baiqing is selling the meat when she feels something is wrong. The pork from the front leg seems to be missing. She thinks she must have made a mistake. She doesn’t think much of it.

“I’ll have a pound of fatty pork,” a familiar voice says. Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao look up. It’s Shang Min. Ji Baiqing is on guard. Shang Min smiles at Ji Baiqing and then looks at Wen Miao. “Hello, Wen-tongzhi. It’s been a while,” she says.

Wen Miao likes Shang Min. She’s happy to see her. “Shang Min, what a coincidence,” she says.

“It’s not a coincidence. I heard there are two beautiful girls selling meat at the food station. I knew it was you when I heard one of them was especially beautiful.”

Ji Baiqing cuts the meat and gives it to Shang Min. “Here’s the meat. Pay me and then you can go,” she says. But Shang Min doesn’t leave. She stands there and talks to Wen Miao. Ji Baiqing is annoyed. She is too busy to join their conversation. Wen Miao and Shang Min get along so well. Ji Baiqing gets even more annoyed. She cuts the meat harder and harder.

The meat sells out quickly. Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao are packing up when they see Shang Min still there. “Shang-changzhang, aren’t you going? The meat will get bad,” Ji Baiqing says.

Shang Min smiles. “It’s fine. I don’t care. Wen-tongzhi, let me treat you to a meal.”

“Oh, no. We’ll treat you,” Wen Miao says.

“Miao Miao,” Ji Baiqing says, “we have to go home and cook for my family.”

Wen Miao remembers. “I’m sorry, Shang-tongzhi. We have to go home and cook.”

Shang Min is surprised. “You live together? Your family knows?”

“Yes,” Ji Baiqing says without blinking. So don’t even think about Wen Miao. She’s taken.

Wen Miao looks at Ji Baiqing and doesn’t say anything.

On the way home, Wen Miao asks, “Why did you say that to Shang Min?”

Ji Baiqing scoffs. “Can’t you tell? She likes you.”

“You’re making things up,” Wen Miao says.

Ji Baiqing is hurt that Wen Miao doesn’t believe her. “She likes women. She keeps trying to talk to you. How can she not like you?” She thinks about it. Shang Min heard Wen Miao was selling meat and came all the way here. She even asked her out for a meal. If that’s not liking someone, then Ji Baiqing is an idiot.

Wen Miao doesn’t think Ji Baiqing is right. “Don’t be silly. She doesn’t like me. She’s a good person. It’s not right to think about her like that.”

Ji Baiqing doesn’t say anything. When they get home, she starts cooking without a word. Wen Miao knows she is angry. She gets her a glass of water. “A Qing, drink some water,” she says.

Ji Baiqing drinks the water and continues cutting the meat. Wen Miao sits next to her and starts a fire. “Why are you so jealous? I told you Shang Min doesn’t like me.”

She is still arguing with me! Ji Baiqing is annoyed. “She does like you!” she says. She compares herself to Shang Min. She is younger and stronger, but Shang Min is older and more mature. She wonders if Wen Miao would prefer someone more mature. She gets sad.

Wen Miao, sensing her sadness, says, “It’s okay. We won’t run into her again. Don’t worry, A Qing.” To show that she is mature, Ji Baiqing just says, “Okay.”

That afternoon, Ji Baiqing is still mad. She works extra hard in the field and harvests a whole acre of rice by herself. When she gets home, she is exhausted and smelly. She doesn’t want to get Wen Miao dirty, so she washes her hair. She comes back to the room and sees Wen Miao folding clothes on the bed.

Ji Baiqing goes and hugs her from behind. She puts her chin on Wen Miao’s shoulder and closes her eyes. She is like a lazy cat. Wen Miao feels the breath on her neck. She folds the last piece of clothing and tries to move away. “Let me put these away,” she says.

Ji Baiqing ignores her. She bites Wen Miao’s lips. Wen Miao thinks Ji Baiqing is so bossy when she kisses her. She never lets her go until she is all soft and limp. This time is no exception. Wen Miao’s neck hurts, and her body is weak. When Ji Baiqing lets her go, her lips are red and wet.

Ji Baiqing kisses her birthmark. “You’re mine,” she says. She kisses her again. “You’re mine.”

Wen Miao looks at her with watery eyes. “Yes, I’m yours,” she says softly. She bites Ji Baiqing’s lip. “And you’re mine, too.”