To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: “Love Rival” Appears

Wen Ying was kneading the dough, and then Yan An took over the task of making noodles again.

After last night’s dinner, Wen Ying was completely at ease with Yan An cooking. Just from the food last night, Wen Ying felt that Yan An’s cooking was even better than her own.

Wen Ying didn’t dwell on how Yan An’s cooking skills seemed to have magically appeared after she lost her memory. As long as Yan An wanted to cook, she would stand by her side, start the fire, and help her with whatever she needed.

After the noodles were in the pot, Yan An’s stomach was already growling from the aroma in the air. Her cravings were bothering her so much that she could already imagine how chewy and smooth the noodles would be!

After Yan An had scooped out two full bowls of noodles, Wen Ying suddenly took over Yan An’s movements, poured a little oil into the pot, and then cracked an egg to fry it until it was fragrant and crispy.

Yan An stared blankly at her actions. She then saw Wen Ying put the fried egg into her own bowl.

Yan An looked at the fried egg in her bowl. Although fried egg with noodles was a perfect combination, she felt a little sad seeing that Wen Ying had only fried one.

It was just an egg. In her original world, it was something that even ordinary people could eat whenever they wanted. Here, it had become a rarity.

She took out her chopsticks and, without a word, divided the fried egg in half, putting one half into Wen Ying’s bowl, which was a size bigger than her own. Considering Wen Ying’s appetite, Yan An had filled her bowl to the brim, determined to make her eat more and gain some weight.

“Yan An, I have a lot of noodles already. I don’t need this,” Wen Ying said, her lips pursed, and a look of reluctance in her eyes.

“Stop talking. Take it and eat it outside. I’m not helping you anymore,” Yan An said. She then took her own bowl of noodles and walked out, eager to have a taste.

Wen Ying looked at her retreating figure and then at the half a fried egg lying quietly in her bowl. Her eyes suddenly felt extremely sore.

She rarely ate eggs at home. Her parents always gave the eggs to her two younger brothers, making them strong and healthy, but they never made them do any work. Most of the work was pushed onto her.

Yan An took a bite and her eyes immediately narrowed in satisfaction. It was indeed as chewy and smooth as she had imagined. The full wheat flavor was even better than the noodles in modern times. It was a million times better than that coarse rice!

At this moment, Wen Ying sat down across from her with her bowl of noodles. Yan An looked up at her and was stunned for a moment. She looked into her eyes and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you cry?”

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

“It’s nothing. The smoke from putting out the fire just got into my eyes,” Wen Ying said, her voice a little hoarse.

Yan An heard her voice and knew that she wasn’t telling the truth. But every adult had their own secrets. If she didn’t want to talk about it, Yan An was sensible enough not to pry. Instead, she urged her to eat her noodles quickly so they wouldn’t get soggy.

“Mmm. The noodles you made are delicious.”

“If it’s delicious, eat more. I’ll make you something else in the future.” The conditions were limited right now, so she could only make a clear noodle soup.

“Okay,” Wen Ying replied softly.

After they finished breakfast, Yan An washed the bowls while Wen Ying took out the clothes they had changed out of yesterday to wash. Then she took a hatchet and went back into the mountains to cut firewood.

“I don’t know when Teacher Yi will come. You stay at home and wait for her. I’ll be back after I’ve cut one load,” Wen Ying said, not wanting Yan An to go into the mountains with her.

“Didn’t you say she would only come after her class? It’s still early. I’ll go with you,” Yan An said, without question. She went and grabbed a backpack and a hatchet.

Wen Ying looked at her actions and was at a loss for words. Especially when she saw her persistence, she frowned worriedly and followed Yan An out the door.

“How can someone be so eager to work?”

Having had one experience, Yan An was a little more used to walking on the mountain paths this time. Before noon, she and Wen Ying had brought back two small bundles of firewood. Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Yan An and Wen Ying looked at each other. In the end, Wen Ying went to open the door, with Yan An right beside her.

Yan An looked at Yi Shuhua, who was dressed in a long gray robe, like a scholar. She looked about 25 or 26 years old, with a gentle appearance. Her words and actions gave off a humble and polite aura.

“Miss Wen, Scholar Yan, I apologize for the interruption.” Yi Shuhua bowed to them.

“No need for formalities. Please come in,” Wen Ying said, stepping aside to let her in, then closing the door.

After Yi Shuhua came in, her gaze fell on Yan An. When Yan An looked back at her, she smiled shyly. But after a moment of thought, she still asked, “Scholar Yan, do you really not remember anything?”

“Mmm, I don’t remember anything. Scholar Yi, this way. See if there are any books you need,” Yan An said, not wanting to linger on small talk. She led her toward the study.

Yi Shuhua heard her words and seemed to have something to say but stopped herself. In the end, she obediently followed Yan An into the study, with Wen Ying following behind.

After entering the room, Yi Shuhua was stunned by the pile of books inside. She hadn’t expected Yan An to have so many books, much more than she did.

Yi Shuhua went forward and gently stroked the pages. She looked at Yan An and said, “How do you want to trade?”

Yan An looked at her careful and respectful actions and knew that she was a book lover. She said, “One book for two liang of silver. If I can’t buy it back within two years, the book will be yours after two years.”

Hearing this, Yi Shuhua shook her head. “That’s too much. If I were to buy it myself, I could buy one for a little over two liang or three liang.”

“But if I end up giving you the money back, it’s like you got to read the book you needed without spending a single coin,” Yan An tried to persuade her.

Hearing her words, Yi Shuhua’s gaze fell on Wen Ying. She thought for a moment and asked, “Are you two living a difficult life?”

For a scholar, selling or pawning books was a very serious matter.

Hearing her words, Yan An felt speechless. “This person is a little too oblivious, isn’t she?”

“After all, we live in the same village!”

Wen Ying nodded, agreeing with Yi Shuhua.

Seeing that Yi Shuhua was still hesitant, Yan An began to lower the price and add other conditions.

“Scholar Yi, you know that I’ve lost my memory and can’t even recognize all the characters. One book for one liang of silver, but on one condition. Do you think it’s feasible?”

Yi Shuhua looked at Yan An thoughtfully. “To teach you how to read?”

“No,” Yan An shook her head and pointed at Wen Ying. “To teach her.”

At these words, Yi Shuhua’s eyes widened slightly, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Wen Ying looked at Yan An with a complex expression. She hadn’t expected that Yan An’s words about her studying weren’t a joke, but that she was truly serious about it.

Yi Shuhua fell silent. Her gaze was on Yan An as if she wanted to see through her.

Since Yan An was able to pass the scholar’s exam at such a young age, it showed that she had a talent for studying. But now, she was choosing to let Wen Ying, who had never touched a book before, study.

“I wonder if you can accept this condition?” Yan An asked.

Her tone seemed calm, but only she knew that her heart was in her throat. This move was a complete gamble. After all, this method was like getting something for nothing.

“Of course, when we have enough money in the future, we will also pay for the tuition from this period,” Yan An quickly added.

Hearing this, Yi Shuhua shook her head. “Miss Wen is my lifesaver. I am happy to help my benefactor. However, I am currently teaching at the Li Family School. If Miss Wen wants to study, she can only do so after I finish my classes every day.”

If Wen Ying were to enter the Li Family School, not to mention that most of the students were young children, she would first have to pay a tuition fee to the Li family, which was obviously not something Wen Ying could afford right now.

“Then won’t that take up too much of your time, Teacher Yi?” Wen Ying asked, concerned.

Yi Shuhua shook her head. “We can just arrange a suitable time.”

Hearing her say that, Yan An knew that the deal was done. She immediately felt relieved. Yi Shuhua chose ten books and pointed at the titles of each one, reading them out loud for them. She told them which ones she had taken.

Yan An and Wen Ying both tried their best to remember the characters. Yan An even wanted to give her a 20% discount, but Yi Shuhua shook her head and refused, still giving her ten liang of silver.

After seeing Yi Shuhua off, Yan An looked at the ten liang of silver and pulled Wen Ying, exclaiming excitedly, “We finally have some money!”

“Mmm,” Wen Ying hummed. Her excitement was not contagious. The thought that this was money earned by Yan An’s books made her feel heavy-hearted.

Yan An looked at the money, thinking about what they could do with it. After thinking for a while, she felt that the best thing to do was to go to town and check out the situation first.

“Wen Ying, let’s find a time to go to town together. I can also see if I can find something to do,” Yan An said.

“Mmm, okay,” Wen Ying replied softly.

She thought about how Yi Shuhua had said before she left that they could officially start the lessons after they were done with the winter preparations. A hint of anticipation rose in her heart.

Studying… it was something she had never dared to dream of before.

After putting the money away, Yan An went into the kitchen to cook and suddenly realized that they had forgotten to ask Yi Shuhua to stay for lunch. But when she saw the situation at home, she was glad they didn’t. It would have been too embarrassing not to be able to serve a decent meal.

This time, Wen Ying had soaked the coarse rice in water as soon as she got back. Now, when she added water to cook it, the texture would be much softer.

After starting the fire for Yan An, Wen Ying went to tidy up the vegetable plot and plant the vegetable seeds she had bought. As long as she took good care of them, they would have fresh vegetables to eat in the winter.

…

Time passed quickly. After making the deal with Yi Shuhua, Wen Ying and Yan An worked hard together to store up firewood for the winter. Once they had enough, they could use the money Yi Shuhua had given them to buy some New Year’s goods to store, so they wouldn’t be without food, cold, and hungry in the winter. That would be miserable.

“You don’t have to carry anything. The road is too far.”

On the day they were going to town, Wen Ying frowned and looked at Yan An, completely disagreeing with her.

“I…” Under her gaze, Yan An inexplicably felt like a child who was overestimating herself.

“But you’re tired,” Yan An said in a low voice.

“But I’m used to it. You’re not,” Wen Ying’s voice was even softer. She was worried if Yan An could even walk to town, let alone carry firewood.

Yan An felt a little bitter but still nodded. Her final insistence was to snatch the backpack with the water bottle and carry it herself.

Seeing her like this, Wen Ying didn’t say anything more. She carried two large bundles of firewood and walked ahead. Even though they now had ten liang in their hands, Wen Ying didn’t dare to be complacent and wanted to earn as much money as possible.

Along the way, many people greeted them. They were surprised to see Wen Ying carrying two large bundles of firewood. In their eyes, even a strong, healthy man would rarely be able to carry such heavy firewood to town to sell.

After they left the village, the main road was fairly flat due to constant foot traffic. But even the flattest road couldn’t withstand a one to two-hour walk!

Yan An sat on a rock by the side of the road, drinking water heavily, out of breath.

Wen Ying put down the firewood and looked at Yan An’s feet, worried. “Can you still walk?”

She looked regretful. “Why didn’t I think of letting Yan An take the ox cart and wait for me at the city gate? That way she wouldn’t have to walk so much.”

“I can!” Yan An said through gritted teeth.

Not long after, she got up again. “Let’s go!”

Wen Ying was fine, but to take care of Yan An, she slowed down her pace. It wasn’t until almost noon that the two of them reached the city gate. Yan An looked at Wen Ying guiltily. “I’m sorry. I slowed you down.”

Without her, Wen Ying could have arrived much sooner and wouldn’t have had to carry such heavy firewood for so long.

Wen Ying shook her head. “Don’t say that.”

The two of them were about to go to the place where Wen Ying usually sold firewood, but not long after they entered the city, someone called out to Wen Ying and asked if she was selling her firewood.

Yan An was dumbfounded. She then saw Wen Ying charge an extra two coins per bundle for the delivery, selling them for 32 coins a bundle.

“You were thirsty earlier, weren’t you? You wait for me at that tea stall. This person’s house is not far away. I’ll be back soon.” Wen Ying put the only two loose coins she had into Yan An’s hand and quickly walked away with the middle-aged woman leading the way.

Yan An was stunned for a moment. The water they had brought was indeed all gone. She ended up going to the tea stall and ordering two bowls of tea, one for Wen Ying to drink later.

As she was drinking a bowl of tea, a voice of surprise suddenly came from her side.

“Yan An!”

Yan An looked up and saw a girl in a beige jacket and a pomegranate-red pleated skirt running toward her with a look of pleasant surprise. She was accompanied by another woman who looked like her maid.

Yan An looked at her with confusion. This girl looked like she came from a wealthy family. Yan An wondered if the original owner knew her.

“You are?” Yan An asked hesitantly.

The girl who had run up to her had a look of pleasant surprise and was about to go up and hold Yan An’s arm. But when she heard her words, her face froze, and she stared blankly at Yan An.

“What are you saying? Don’t you recognize me?”