The Female Supporting Character Forced to Become a High Official - Chapter 4 - Actions speak louder than words

As twilight descended, smoke rose from the chimneys, Wu Xiaoqing stood at the foot of the mountain with her son, her heart heavy with worry. 

He has been gone all day, and at this hour, he still hasn’t returned. It’s really worrying. What if something happened?

By the time the sky darkened and the villagers had all gone home for dinner, Wu Xiaoqing finally saw that familiar figure, the man nearly crushed by two burlap sacks. Wasn’t it Le Guorong?

She quickly rushed over, unloaded the sacks, and opened one to find a bag of chestnuts. This is good, it can fill the stomach.

This bag… wild vegetables? How did he manage to get so many?

Le Guorong was sweating profusely, panting heavily, his eyes shining with excitement, “These are medicinal herbs, they can be sold for money.”

Wu Xiaoqing perked up, “Really? Where do we sell them? The hospital?”

“Just give them to Dr. Li, he’ll handle it,” Le Guorong replied. The herbs need to be processed before they can fetch a good price, and professional tasks should be left to professionals.

Meanwhile, Le Yi threw down the small bamboo basket she had been carrying and plopped down on the ground, her face flushed and utterly exhausted, feeling like she was going to die from the fatigue.

Making money is too hard. Just walking this mountain path is tough enough, let alone carrying the stuff down.

Le Ran circled around her, sweetly calling her “sister” over and over again, and even slipped her a secretly saved steamed bun.

Le Yi dug out a handful of roasted chestnuts and handed them over. As Le Ran ate the delicious chestnut meat, he instantly broke into a big smile.

The village clinic was located at the foot of the mountain. It was originally an abandoned house from a family that had no heirs, but after a little tidying up, it became the village clinic. It consisted of two simple rooms: one served as the consultation room, and the other was for Dr. Li to live in.

In the dim light, Lord Li looked at the pile of herbs on the ground, then at the shy little girl with a bashful smile, somewhat astonished, “That’s right, it’s Reineckea carnea, and it was discovered by Le Yi?”

Besides Reineckea carnea, there was also mulberry leaves, plantain, calamus, honeysuckle, and many other varieties, all correctly identified.

Le Guorong’s smile stretched from ear to ear, his eyebrows dancing as he boasted, “Yes, Xiao Yi is really impressive. She recognized it at a glance. I found it hard to believe. To me, it looked just like the wild grass nearby. How did she tell them apart?”

“Even more amazing, that thick old medical book of yours, she actually remembered everything after reading it once. She even asked me to turn to page 29 to verify the herb, hahaha. Are kids nowadays this smart, or is my daughter particularly clever?”

“My little Yi usually seems dull and doesn’t like to talk, but actually, she’s quite sharp, right? Is your child this smart too? Can he find herbs? Can he read medical books?”

He was so smug it was unbearable to watch. Dr. Li rolled his eyes, his heart was sour. He used to have a wife and child, but a few years ago, something happened. His wife insisted on a divorce and remarried with the child, moving far away. He didn’t even know where they went.

“What are you so proud of? It’s your daughter who’s smart, not you.”

“She’s still my child!”

Don’t get fooled by their constant bickering and endless banter; outsiders might think they don’t get along, but their bond is actually quite strong. This is just their unique way of interacting.

Wu Xiaoqing proudly patted her daughter’s head, determined to support her daughter’s education and not waste her good potential.

She didn’t ask for much, just that Xiaoyi could attend a vocational school, graduate, and get a job placement. That would be a complete turnaround for her, becoming a city dweller with a steady income. In the future, she could marry a man of similar standing and have nothing to worry about.

Le Yi felt a warm sensation on her head, looked up with a sweet smile, and said, “Mom, you help me build a foundation, and I’ll try to finish elementary school in two years. The money saved on tuition can be used for my brother’s education, okay?”

She set a small goal for herself: finish elementary school in two years, finish middle school in two years, finish high school in two years, and then get into university at 16. Perfect.

In an era of scarce resources, if you want to stand out, being too ordinary won’t do. You have to shine brightly so that no one can block your brilliance.

Fame should come early.

“Alright, I’ll help you build a foundation, but we don’t have any elementary school textbooks. The people in the big house and the second house definitely won’t be willing to lend them to us.”

“I have some here.” Doctor Li pulled out a few textbooks, math and Chinese books from grades one to five, which his son had used before.

He gently stroked the books, his eyes showing a hint of sadness.

Le Guorong watched and gently patted his shoulder, “Don’t be sad, one day you will be reunited with your son. How about letting my child recognize you as ‘godfather’?”

Doctor Li was a little tempted, but after thinking about it, he refused.

“Dad, I’m hungry.” The little guy rubbed his stomach and looked at his parents with pleading eyes.

Children are active and digest quickly, so he was already grumbling of hunger.

Le Yi was also hungry. She had eaten roasted chestnuts on the mountain, but she had consumed too much energy walking all the way down, and she was starving.

Le Guorong grabbed one child with each hand and walked out, saying, “Brother Li, I’m leaving everything to you. Oh, and I have saved twenty pounds of chestnuts for you as a midnight snack.”

Dr. Li was taken aback for a moment, then smiled warmly, “This guy.”

The family of four hurried home in the dark. On the way, they encountered a few women who came over to chat, “Guorong, you didn’t go to work again today, just lazing around all day, making the captain lose face.”

“You say you’re sick, but you’re running around everywhere, and you’re just getting home now. No wonder your mom is so angry. You’re not a kid anymore, can’t you be a bit more mature?”

The moment he opened his mouth, it was all accusations. Le Guorong was so furious he felt like spitting blood, and he was being scolded again! He sighed softly, “Sigh, I don’t want to go up the mountain to look for wild vegetables either. Isn’t this not giving me enough food ?”

Aunt Chen immediately frowned, “Guorong, your words are too heartless. Last night, your family of four took all the rice and a big pot of tofu soup and hid in your room to eat, making your mother cry. You, who are usually lazy and unfilial, this is unacceptable.”

Aunt Liu glared at them angrily, “You guys are full and let others work on an empty stomach. This is heartless.”

Le Guorong and his wife were utterly shocked. What kind of talk was this? They desperately tried to explain, but no matter how much they explained, it was just making excuses. No one believed them, showing how bad their reputation was.

Le Guorong was really upset, “Who took all the rice? Who said that? It’s absolute nonsense.”

He specifically left more than half, and there was a big pot of tofu soup left, enough for the rest of the family to eat. How did such a rumor spread?

Aunt Chen has always looked down on this couple, saying they are able-bodied but just know how to be lazy.

“Everyone in your family says so, and even Chunmei agrees. But you two, you just spend all day doing nothing, only making life difficult for the elders and bullying the younger ones in the family.”

She said earnestly, “As a person, you should have a conscience.”

Le Guorong’s face turned ashen with anger. What kind of heinous act had he committed? “You believe in everything they say?”

“I only believe in Chunmei. She saved my dog and helped many people in the village.” Sixth Aunt immediately started praising Le Chunmei, elevating her to the heavens, like a rabid fan. “So we shouldn’t  believe in her, but in you? What a joke.”

Le Yi was dumbfounded. The heroine’s popularity is too good!  Anyone who opposed her was bound to be unpopular.

She couldn’t help but sigh. Her family’s reputation in the village was really bad.

Le Guorong angrily rushed home, wanting to ask his family why they were all lying.

Le Yi followed him, “Dad, don’t be angry, it’s not good for your health. Let’s eat first and then talk.”

She was afraid that if they started arguing, they wouldn’t be able to have dinner.

Le Guorong thought about it and agreed; they needed to eat first to have the energy to argue.

He suppressed his anger and walked into the house. The whole family was there, all looking at him with not-so-good expressions.

Old Lady Le had a face full of displeasure, “Oh, I thought you all were out there and didn’t want to come back.”

“Did you all eat?” Le Guorong glanced at everyone. There was no food on the table, so he turned directly to the kitchen to find something to eat.

He found that the pot was cold and there was no food at all. “Mom, where’s the food?”

“It’s finished. Why did you come home at this time?” Grandma Le was still angry. She didn’t believe she couldn’t control her son. “You don’t do any work all day long, you just know how to ask me for food. I’m old, and I still have to support your whole family.”

Le’s eldest sister-in-law’s voice sounded sarcastic. “You won’t die from missing one meal. You all stuffed yourselves last night.”

Le’s second sister-in-law angrily accused, “That’s white rice! How dare you eat it all by yourselves? We work ourselves to death, and you eat and drink well, and you don’t have to do anything…” 

Usually, the sisters-in-law don’t get along, but now they’re united in their anger.

Le Guorong, not pleased, retorted, “Eat it all by ourselves? Didn’t you all eat?”

They all ate, okay? They just had a few less bites. Is it necessary to treat them like class enemies?

Le Lao Er is an honest man, but even his anger can’t be contained at this moment. He worked so hard, and all the good food was snatched away by the third brother. So frustrating.

“We ate coarse rice! And we couldn’t even get enough! Third brother, you guys are really going too far.”

He’s not good with words, and even when angry, he can’t curse properly.

Le Yi vaguely felt that something was off, but in such a chaotic situation, she couldn’t pinpoint it right away.

Everyone united to attack the third branch, and Le Guorong felt targeted, his face turning red with anger, his fury rising to his head. “Nonsense, you’re all lying with your eyes closed, don’t you have any conscience?”

Le Lao Da couldn’t hold back any longer and gently reprimanded, “Old Third, you’re the most ungrateful one in the family, you useless piece of trash.”

Wu Xiaoqing was furious and stepped forward to defend her husband, “You guys are the real useless ones. My husband is much more human than you all.”

The more Le Guorong thought about it, the angrier he got. Why was he the most ungrateful one? He waved the wooden stick around wildly, “Alright, now I understand. You guys are the real family. I’m just a stray kid you picked up, with no mother to care for me.”

Old Lady Le patted her heaving chest, her old face flushed red. This ungrateful child, making a fuss after doing something wrong.

Le Chunmei gently supported her arm, her eyes flickering slightly. “Uncle, stop making a scene. If you won’t consider yourself, at least think about your two children. Can you bear to let them live in shame? You don’t want to live properly or care about your reputation, but what about the two children?”

It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. Le Guorong felt a chill run through him, and he instinctively looked at the two children, his actions stopping, at a loss.

Le Yi took a step forward, silently took the wooden stick from his hand, and slowly walked into the kitchen. Everyone thought she was just going to put it away, but unexpectedly, she stood by the iron pot, her eyes bright and innocent. “Grandma, this iron pot is very expensive, right? It’s not easy to buy, is it?”

Not only is it not easy to buy, it requires an industrial ticket, and farmers don’t have industrial tickets. Therefore, having an iron pot in a farmer’s household is something to brag about.

Old lady Le  disliked this granddaughter the most. She looked too much like Wu Xiaoqing, not at all like a member of the Le family.

Go away, you clueless little brat. 

“Stay away from the iron pot, even if you were sold, you wouldn’t be worth a pot.”

“I don’t like what you just said.” Le Yi slightly raised an eyebrow and fiercely smashed the iron pot with the wooden stick in her hand, her movements swift and ruthless.

With the most innocent face, doing the most ruthless thing.

Everyone’s expressions changed, and they rushed over to stop her, “Stop it.”

“Don’t.” But it was too late; the iron pot was dented. 

Yi looked at everyone with her cold, piercing eyes, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth. “You don’t want to give us food right? Then none of you gets to eat. I’ll smash every single iron pot. I’ll take responsibility!”

The entire venue fell silent, and a thought arose in unison: A dog that bites doesn’t bark, and a dog that barks doesn’t bite!