To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Going into the Mountains to Cut Firewood

After Wen Ying finished altering the clothes, Yan An had also finished pulling out the weeds and had even hoed a part of the land.

Yan An was starting to wonder if she had transmigrated to this world as a punishment from the heavens for her family forgetting their roots and becoming rich. They were no longer hardworking farmers, and by Yan An’s generation, she had never even worked on the land.

Wen Ying soaked the altered clothes in water. They would be ready to wear after she washed and dried them.

Yan An was very satisfied, but she still felt they had too few clothes. The weather was fine now, but when it got colder, the clothes wouldn’t dry as quickly, and they wouldn’t have enough to change into.

Yan An also took a machete and followed Wen Ying out the door. On their way to the back of the mountain, they passed by Aunt Li’s house. They saw her feeding her chickens in the courtyard. They greeted her, and Aunt Li seemed very happy to see them.

“Are you going into the mountains together?” Aunt Li asked, seeing them with machetes and backpacks.

“Yes, to cut some firewood,” Wen Ying said. Her tone was very gentle when she spoke to Aunt Li, almost completely different from when she spoke to Yan An.

Yan An, although she understood why she was like this, still felt a little uncomfortable.

“Then you two be careful and come back early, alright?” Aunt Li urged. Although the outer parts of the mountain had been almost entirely explored by the villagers, and wild animals rarely came to this area, it was still better to be careful.

“Yes, okay,” Wen Ying obediently replied.

“You, too. It’s probably your first time in the mountains. The mountain roads are hard to walk on, so be careful, alright?” Aunt Li also urged Yan An.

“Mmm-hmm, I will,” Yan An nodded quickly.

Aunt Li smiled at her and told them to go and come back quickly, watching them as they walked away.

Looking at the backs of the two of them walking together, Aunt Li’s smile grew deeper.

“Look how well-matched they are.”

But they had already walked far away, and no one could respond to her.

…

Yan An followed Wen Ying, walking farther and farther away from the village. The surrounding plants gradually became denser, and the road under their feet began to slope. Looking up, she first saw a small, gentle hill, and then a large mountain range that stretched endlessly.

If Yan An were to be thrown in there, she would probably die without ever being able to walk out.

Yan An: “…” She inexplicably felt as if she had been kidnapped into the mountains.

Yan An took a deep breath to suppress her inappropriate thoughts. If she were really kidnapped into the mountains, she would have to burn down the village and the mountains to ensure a mutual destruction!

“Watch your step,” Wen Ying warned Yan An.

“Mmm, I know.” The path was still relatively flat at this point, and Yan An didn’t feel it was too difficult.

Seeing her like this, Wen Ying wasn’t entirely at ease. Although she considered that Yan An’s first time in the mountains shouldn’t be too deep, the outer parts had already been cut by the villagers. If they were to cut there, it would be over-harvesting and not conducive to the future growth of the trees. They had to go a little deeper.

Yan An, who had initially thought the road wasn’t too difficult, found it getting steeper and steeper. At the same time, the path under her feet was no longer flat. As she walked, Yan An accidentally slipped. If Wen Ying hadn’t been quick to grab her, she would have fallen.

Yan An: “…”

“It’s not easy to have a good life,” she thought. “I know. I know it very well.”

“Are you okay?” Wen Ying held Yan An’s arm and looked at the foot that had just slipped.

Yan An felt it. It was a little twisted, but it didn’t hurt too much. She shook her head and said, “I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

She didn’t want to be a burden.

Seeing her like this, Wen Ying took a second look at her but continued to lead her forward.

Wen Ying stopped when they came to a place with many trees. It was autumn, and the ground was covered with many dry, yellow leaves. Every step she took made a rustling sound.

“You go and pick up the dry firewood on the ground first. I’ll climb the tree and cut some.”

Yan An looked at the ground full of dead leaves and Wen Ying’s agile movements as she climbed the tree. She “oh’d” and obediently went to pick up firewood.

There was already a lot of firewood on the ground. She could pick up a lot just by collecting it.

Wen Ying climbed the tree and selected the many dry branches to cut. Yan An was smart and didn’t get close to the area to avoid being accidentally injured. Wen Ying felt at ease and began to work freely.

She cut a little from each tree, and soon a large pile of cut branches accumulated on the ground. Yan An had also collected two piles of firewood, as if she were a hamster carrying things back home, one trip after another.

Wen Ying found the sight a little amusing.

After coming down from the tree, Wen Ying began to trim the branches she had cut to make them easier to tie together and take home.

Seeing her movements, Yan An also came over and started to cut the branches like her. After working on the farm for two or three days, Yan An felt that her strength had increased a little. Although cutting firewood was still very strenuous, she could at least do it.

“How much firewood do we have to store?” Yan An asked, trying to find a topic to chat about with Wen Ying while she was cutting. Otherwise, the awkward silence between the two felt a little strange.

Yan An attributed it all to the fact that she and Wen Ying weren’t familiar enough. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be awkward for familiar people to sit face-to-face and play with their phones.

Wen Ying thought for a moment. “There are only two of us. Probably about ten bundles.”

Yan An liked to be clean and took a bath every day, so they would naturally use up firewood faster. Plus, if they wanted to keep warm in the cold, it was better to store a little more just in case.

“Oh…”

Yan An remembered that they had about four bundles at home. That meant they still had to cut at least six bundles…

Yan An looked at the huge pile of firewood on the ground and then thought of the modern-day heating that would allow her to lie comfortably at home. She fell silent.

“When I have money, I’m going to install a heated floor in my house!”

Yan An felt that her current thoughts were so bad. It was always “when I have money, I’ll do this and that,” but there was no guarantee when she would ever get money!

They cut the firewood into similar lengths, stacked them, and tied them up. They had two large bundles and two small ones. The two small ones were naturally for Yan An to carry.

Yan An looked at the small bundles that were only half the size of the large ones. She frowned, still a little unconvinced. But after she tried to carry one, her expression instantly changed.

She could barely lift it, but her shoulder hurt so much! She couldn’t even walk two steps.

Yan An watched as Wen Ying easily lifted two large bundles of firewood that were taller and thicker than hers. Yan An’s face turned red, and she felt even more useless.

Wen Ying: “Wait here. I’ll come back and get it after I drop these off.”

Yan An looked at the two large bundles of firewood, which were terrifying to look at, especially with the backpack on Wen Ying’s back filled with flammable dead leaves. Yan An pursed her lips and said, “I’ll go back with you. I can’t carry two bundles, but I can carry one. That way, we can bring back more firewood in one trip.”

With that, she tried to lift one of the bundles onto her shoulder.

Wen Ying looked at Yan An’s feet. She had already noticed Yan An’s occasional ankle-twisting movements. Thinking back to when she had slipped earlier, her foot must have already been uncomfortable.

“No need. You stay here and watch. You don’t want someone to come and take the firewood we’ve already cut,” she said.

Yan An was shocked when she heard this. She realized that this could indeed happen. Wouldn’t that be like doing all the work for someone else?

“Okay, I’ll stay here and watch. Be careful on your way back and stay safe.”

Those two bundles of firewood were intimidating to Yan An just by looking at them.

Wen Ying nodded and didn’t say anything more. She lifted the firewood and walked down the mountain.

Yan An watched her back as she walked on the mountain road as if it were flat ground. She felt a little sad. Wen Ying was such a good girl, but she was stuck with someone like herself and the original owner.

Yan An was discouraged. She lowered her head and looked at her hands wrapped in cloth, feeling even more bitter.

She was clearly older than Wen Ying, but Wen Ying was the one taking care of her.