To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: “The First Pot of Gold”

On the bustling street, Yan An sat at a roadside tea stall. A bright and beautiful girl, with a touch of a spoiled temperament, was adorned with pearl hairpins and accessories. She and Yan An, in her rough cloth clothes, seemed to be from two different worlds. Passersby couldn’t help but glance over.

Yan An looked at the person in front of her, a little confused, but still said sincerely, “Am I supposed to know you?”

The girl was clearly angered by her words. She smacked Yan An’s shoulder hard, her eyes turning red. “Don’t make such a joke! It’s not funny at all!”

“I…” Before Yan An could continue, the girl leaned forward, staring at Yan An’s face, and cut her off.

“I heard you took a woman as your wife?”

The words Yan An was about to say—that she wasn’t joking—got stuck in her throat. She nodded.

“Why?” Seeing her nod, the girl’s face showed a hint of urgency.

“Huh? Why what?” Yan An couldn’t figure out what the person in front of her meant.

Was she asking why she married a woman, or why she got married at all?

“Of course, why did you marry that person as your wife!” The girl was clearly provoked by Yan An’s attitude. She slapped the tea cup out of Yan An’s hand, looking quite vexed.

Clink! The teacup shattered, and tea splattered everywhere.

The people at the tea stall couldn’t help but look over. They then looked at the girl’s silk clothes and guessed she was the daughter of some wealthy family. They turned their heads back, no longer staring openly, but their ears were all perked up.

Yan An quickly dodged, avoiding getting her clothes wet. She looked at the spilled tea on the ground. “You’ll pay for that!”

She hadn’t even had a sip yet!

“Me, pay?” The girl looked at Yan An incredulously, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. When she saw that Yan An’s expression wasn’t fake, she became even more angry.

“Fine! I’ll pay! I never want to see you again!” she said. She tore off her money bag and threw it heavily at Yan An. Then she stomped her feet and turned to leave.

Her footsteps were heavy but not very fast, clearly waiting for someone to chase after her and comfort her. And looking at her practiced movements, Yan An had reason to believe she had used this tactic more than once.

But Yan An didn’t even know who she was. Why would she comfort her?

She quickly caught the money bag. Although she hadn’t had time to figure out the situation, she could feel the weight of the money bag in her hand. She quickly called out, “Hey, you gave me too much!”

The girl in front not only didn’t get chased after, but she also heard Yan An address her as “hey.” Her eyes turned even redder. She turned around and yelled at Yan An, “Consider the extra a reward from me, Miss!”

This time, she seemed truly angry. She walked away without stopping. The maid beside her had to rush to catch up to her mistress and didn’t forget to turn around and glare hatefully at Yan An, as if she thought Yan An was ungrateful.

Yan An was dumbfounded. She felt a sense of powerlessness in this situation. But seeing that many people were looking at her, she quickly put the money bag into her pocket. By the time she looked up again, the two were gone.

Yan An: “…”

Thinking about the girl’s unusual attitude toward her, Yan An straightened her hair tie. She wondered what the relationship between that girl and the original owner was. It felt a little ambiguous, especially since the other person had asked her why she was married.

“Hmm… did the original owner like that young lady?”

Yan An thought this, finding the plot a little dramatic. After all, if she had someone she liked, why would she still marry Wen Ying?

As she was thinking, she looked up and saw Wen Ying standing not far away. Her eyes lit up, and she was about to go to her side, but she was stopped by the tea stall owner, who wanted her to pay for the broken cup.

Yan An: “…”

Wen Ying walked forward, paid for the cup, and bought another bowl of tea for Yan An.

Yan An took the teacup. With a money bag of unknown origin in her pocket, her mood was a little complicated. She quickly finished her tea and asked, “When did you get back?”

Wen Ying pursed her lips. In the end, she said, “I saw her give you the money bag.”

Hearing her say that, Yan An was about to say something but felt that there were too many people here, and it wasn’t a good place to talk. She wanted to pull Wen Ying away, but then she remembered the tea she had ordered for Wen Ying that she hadn’t drunk yet. She quickly handed it to Wen Ying.

“You drink it. I’m not thirsty,” Wen Ying’s voice was unusually flat. She had noticed at home that Yan An drank a lot of water.

Yan An simply held the teacup to Wen Ying’s lips.

“Your lips are almost chapped. You’re not thirsty? Drink it.”

It was the same forceful action again.

Wen Ying took the teacup, her eyelids slightly lowered, and quietly drank the tea.

Seeing that she had finished her tea, Yan An took the cup and put it down. She grabbed Wen Ying’s wrist and walked toward the city gate, whispering in her ear, “I don’t even know her. She just came up to me and said a bunch of inexplicable things, and then she knocked over my tea. When I asked her to pay, she just threw a money bag at me.”

Yan An lovingly patted the money bag in her chest. She was poor, so her ambition was also short-lived. Especially in their current difficult situation, she had already felt it when she caught it. There must be a lot of money inside!

The warm breath on her ear made Wen Ying a little uncomfortable. She turned her head away, but when she saw Yan An’s nonchalant expression, she secretly felt a sense of relief.

“She’s the daughter of the county magistrate,” Wen Ying said.

Yan An couldn’t help but widen her eyes. “I know someone like that?”

“Where did the original owner know her from? And it seems like they had a good relationship?”

Wen Ying didn’t say anything again. Her expression was always calm, with little change.

“Then I’ll just ignore her. This money is mine now. At worst, I’ll pay her back when I have enough money later,” Yan An muttered softly, patting the money bag.

“She said it was a reward. So, it should be fine if I borrow this money for a while, right?”

Wen Ying still didn’t say anything. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.

Yan An didn’t say anything more either. At this moment, she was only thinking about getting home quickly to see how much money was in the bag.

But her movement to go back was stopped by Wen Ying.

Yan An turned her head and gave her a confused look.

“We haven’t bought anything yet,” Wen Ying said flatly. The house was almost out of food. They came out this time to stock up on food.

“Oh, right. Then let’s go buy them now.” Yan An realized she had gotten carried away by what had just happened.

The two of them went back into the city. Yan An followed Wen Ying as she moved between various shops. She looked at how steady and skillful Wen Ying was when dealing with others. She didn’t look like a 17 or 18-year-old at all. She was scarily mature.

“What kind of life does it take to mature a person so quickly?”

As winter approached, food prices had risen a little. Considering that they might rise even more later, Wen Ying bought a lot of things this time, filling the backpack completely.

In this situation, Yan An couldn’t carry it. The backpack was transferred to Wen Ying’s shoulder.

Yan An sighed inwardly looking at Wen Ying. Wen Ying had done so much physical labor and always carried heavy things, yet she still grew to about 162 cm. If she had been well-fed as a child, she might have been even taller than her.

But just then, Yan An’s stomach grumbled. She looked at Wen Ying, feeling a little embarrassed.

Wen Ying bit her lip, a look of regret on her face. She led Yan An to a noodle stall and sat down.

When she used to come to town by herself, she would never eat here even if it was lunchtime. This time, she hadn’t realized that Yan An was hungry and needed to eat.

“Boss, two bowls of noodles.” Yan An quickly placed her order, happy to finally sit down and eat. She was so hungry her head was a little dizzy.

Wen Ying looked at Yan An’s face and suddenly thought of the phrase “a face like a peach blossom.” She felt that this phrase was very accurate to describe Yan An, especially since her face was slightly flushed from walking, making her look even brighter and more beautiful.

Yan An was naturally beautiful. If she didn’t have her scholar status, the threshold of her house would have been broken by matchmakers. Even now, she still attracted many people’s attention.

…

The two bowls of noodles were served quickly. They were clear soups with some chopped green onions and a few pieces of green vegetables. The color was light, and a faint aroma wafted from them.

Yan An was truly hungry. She picked up her chopsticks and started eating, not caring that the noodles weren’t as chewy as the ones Wen Ying made.

It was also Wen Ying’s first time eating in town. After taking a bite with her chopsticks, she pursed her lips and, making sure the owner wasn’t looking, whispered to Yan An, “It’s not as good as the one you made.”

The two seemed to be made in a similar way, but Yan An’s was smoother and more refreshing.

Hearing her words, Yan An’s movements of eating noodles paused. She looked up at her, and an idea quietly emerged in her mind.

“Yes, why didn’t I think of opening a restaurant?”

She made a mental note of this idea. But first, she needed to understand the eating habits of the people here. After all, what she thought was delicious might not be what the people of this world were used to.

While she was following Wen Ying earlier, she had also been looking for job openings. But since it was close to the end of the year, it wasn’t a time for hiring, so she hadn’t seen any.

“It seems I’ll have to find a way to learn more about the city.”

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Yan An’s stomach was full, and she felt much more comfortable.

Seeing that she was done, Wen Ying sped up her movements, finished her noodles, and said, “We can go back after we buy a few more things.”

“Mmm, okay,” Yan An nodded. She had been with Wen Ying and seen many shops along the way, and she now had a basic understanding of this world.

In the end, the things the two of them bought completely filled the backpack. Considering that they still had some money left, Wen Ying went and bought ten more chicks. Only then did she carry the bamboo basket with the chicks and walk toward the city gate with Yan An.

Just as Yan An thought they were going to walk back again, Wen Ying led her to an ox cart. Yan An found the very spirited old woman sitting in the front a little familiar, as if she had seen her in the village.

“Grandma Li, two people,” Wen Ying said, handing her four coins.

Grandma Li, who was taking a big puff of her pipe, turned her head and saw them. She cheerfully took the money. Two of her front teeth were missing when she smiled. “You finally decided to take the ox cart. You two can find a seat in the back!”

Two coins for a ride wasn’t expensive, but this girl had never been willing to take it before.

Yan An tried her best not to look too surprised. This old woman didn’t seem like an ordinary person. The energy she had, and the way she was smoking a pipe at her age, inexplicably made Yan An feel that if she were to fight her, she would be pinned to the ground like a little chick.

Wen Ying smiled faintly and didn’t say anything. She led Yan An onto the ox cart and found a stable spot for her. Then she put the backpack in front of her and sat down beside Yan An.

If it were just her, she would of course not be willing to take the ox cart. But with Yan An by her side, she didn’t want Yan An to walk back with her again.

After spending some time together, Wen Ying had a rough idea of Yan An’s current personality. If she were to let Yan An take the cart back by herself while she walked, Yan An would likely insist on walking with her.

Yan An sat on the ox cart, feeling a little new to it. But she was naturally relieved that she didn’t have to walk. After all, after walking for the whole morning, Yan An’s feet were already starting to hurt. It was very likely that she had grown blisters again.

“Yan An, will you stay at home and take good care of the chicks for the next few days?” Wen Ying’s hand rested on the edge of the backpack. She spoke to Yan An in a negotiating tone.

“Why?” Yan An frowned and looked at her.

Wen Ying pursed her lips. “I want to cut more firewood and sell it in town these days and buy more food to bring back.”

Although they had bought a lot of things today, it still wasn’t enough to last them through the entire winter.

“But I also want to go to town and find something to do…” Yan An said with a little sadness. She really hadn’t created any value for herself yet.

“The end of the year is approaching. Most shops will be closed. It’s not a good time to find work. How about we wait until spring?” Wen Ying said, negotiating. “And the chicks at home need someone to take care of them.”

In this situation, a respectable job was hard to find. As for a less respectable job, people would surely not hire her because of her scholar status.

And the less respectable jobs were mostly short-term physical labor, such as carrying goods at the dock, which Yan An couldn’t do.

What’s more… she didn’t really want Yan An to come to town.

Wen Ying pursed her lips, her eyes darkening.

Yan An’s brows drooped, and her spirit visibly drooped. But she still pursed her lips and nodded weakly, agreeing with Wen Ying.

She knew that if she insisted on going to town with Wen Ying, she would basically be a burden.

Just like today, without her, Wen Ying could have arrived in the city much faster.

“Don’t look down on me. I’ll find a good job and earn money in the future,” Yan An whispered, biting her lip.

Wen Ying looked at her for a long time. Just as Yan An was about to get anxious, she said softly, “I won’t.”

Hearing her say that, Yan An felt relieved.

…

As more people got on the ox cart, most of them were from the same village. They would talk to each other, especially when they saw Yan An. After Yan An lost her memory, her personality changed, and she became much easier to get along with. Everyone quite liked talking to her.

“Yan An, you two bought so much stuff. Are you already preparing to stock up for the winter?” an auntie asked, looking at the things in the backpack in front of Wen Ying.

Although they were curious about how Yan An and Wen Ying suddenly had money to buy so much, it was not polite to ask directly. So they just chatted with a smile.

“Mmm, don’t you all have so much stuff to prepare as well?” Yan An said with a smile, looking at the backpacks in front of them, which were all full.

“Oh, we have to. If we don’t buy now, we won’t be able to afford it when the end of the year approaches,” a few of them said with a bitter smile.

“Yes,” Yan An agreed with them but didn’t start a conversation herself.

Soon, those people looked at Wen Ying again. Although they were smiling and praising Wen Ying to Yan An, a look of pity couldn’t be stopped in their eyes.

“Yan An, you’ve married a capable wife. Look at how she manages the house so well. When your parents died, she was the one who took care of everything, and she handled it so well that no one could find any fault.”

It was a shame that such a good girl had married a woman like Yan An. Which family wouldn’t want a capable and down-to-earth person like Wen Ying as their daughter-in-law?

Yan An’s smile on her face faded a little as she listened to their words. She felt that what they were saying wasn’t very comfortable. They were talking about her as if she were a man.

Marrying a wife, not because of love, but because she was capable and could be a good laborer for the family, this feeling…

…was terrible.

“I’m lucky to have met her,” Yan An said in a slightly flat tone.

Wen Ying, who was sitting beside her, looked at her. She saw that Yan An was looking elsewhere and didn’t seem to want to talk to those aunties anymore.

“Are you tired? You can lean on my shoulder and rest for a bit,” Wen Ying said softly.

Yan An turned her head to look at her, glancing at the others out of the corner of her eye. She understood that Wen Ying was giving her an out. She immediately pretended to be sleepy and nodded. “Then I’ll sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we get home.”

“Mmm, sleep,” Wen Ying’s voice was gentle. After Yan An leaned on her, she put her arm around Yan An’s waist to protect her from the bumps of the ox cart.

Yan An: “…”

“Whatever,” she thought. She didn’t want to listen to those people say unpleasant things. It was better to just pretend to sleep.

But as she pretended, Yan An actually fell asleep. She just leaned her head on Wen Ying’s shoulder and slept soundly as the ox cart swayed back and forth, feeling very safe.

Wen Ying, who had slept with Yan An for a while, naturally knew what Yan An looked like when she was sound asleep. She became even more careful to protect her.

The people in the same cart couldn’t help but lower their voices. But after seeing Yan An was asleep, an auntie still couldn’t hold back her curiosity. She tugged on Wen Ying’s sleeve, whispering, “Girl, what’s it like to be married to a woman?”

Although the government didn’t prohibit same-s3x marriage, most people still didn’t accept it. For example, in this entire Heyun County, they had only heard of Yan An and Wen Ying. All the other marriages were between men and women.

Hearing the auntie’s voice, the others’ eyes also looked over. The curiosity in their eyes was almost overflowing.

Wen Ying: “…It’s ordinary. Whatever you feel when you’re married to a man, that’s what I feel.”

Of course, it was very different, but Wen Ying felt that even if she said something, they wouldn’t understand, or wouldn’t want to understand. They had lived with their conventional ideas for too long, and their minds were unlikely to change. They might even think she was lying.

“How can it be the same?” an auntie shook her head and whispered, “I know what it’s like between a man and a woman, but what’s it like between women? Can you do it?”

“…”

“Auntie, I’m a little tired, too. I’ll rest for a bit,” Wen Ying said with an apologetic smile. She leaned her head against Yan An’s and closed her eyes, avoiding the aunties’ questions.

But the moment she closed her eyes, a bitter smile appeared on her lips. “How would I know?” she thought. “Yan An and I have never done anything.”

Seeing her like this, the others didn’t press her anymore. But they still huddled together and whispered their guesses, with some bold statements being made from time to time.

Wen Ying, who was only pretending to be asleep and not actually asleep: “…”

She was naive and inexperienced. Hearing what those aunties were saying, she suddenly felt as if a new door had opened to a world with many things she didn’t know about.

After pretending to be asleep for a while, Wen Ying “woke up” when they were about to arrive at the village entrance. She saw the stone with the three characters “Nan’ya Village” written on it. Wen Ying gently patted Yan An’s shoulder and woke her up.

“Hmm?”

Yan An groggily opened her eyes. She saw that she was still on the ox cart. She covered her mouth and yawned, her eyes still hazy with sleep. When she saw that the ox cart had stopped, she asked, “Do we get off here?”

“Mmm, everyone gets off here,” Wen Ying said, sitting still and waiting for Yan An to fully wake up. The others were already getting off with their things.

“Oh,” Yan An said, stretching. She felt as if her bones were all soft from her nap. Because she wasn’t sleeping in a very comfortable position, her neck and shoulders were a little stiff. The moment she moved, she felt a sore pleasure.

After getting off the cart, Yan An carried the bamboo basket with the chicks, and Wen Ying carried the backpack as they walked toward home.

Taking the ox cart back was much faster. It was only about 4 p.m. The sun was no longer as hot, and even with the sunlight on her, she could feel a little chill.

Yan An felt a little worried, wondering if winter in this place would be very cold and if she and Wen Ying had enough warm clothes.

…

After they got home, Yan An put the chicks in the coop and then hurriedly pulled Wen Ying back to the room. She closed the door, made sure no one could see, and then took out the money bag from her pocket.