To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: She Actually Scolded Me

Yan An’s mind was a mess. After finishing all the chores at home, she saw that it was still early. She took her basket and machete and went into the mountain to get some firewood and kindling herself.

When she entered the mountain, she ran into some villagers. Although they were gradually getting used to her current appearance, they still found it strange to see her alone, carrying a machete and a basket, going into the mountain.

The old Yan An was aloof, like a scholar, so how could such a down-to-earth scene ever happen?

“Going hunting again?” a villager asked with a sour tone.

If they could hunt a goat like the Yan family did, they wouldn’t have to buy meat for a whole year.

However, they had their own land and would not risk going into the mountains to hunt. They didn’t want to get hurt without getting any prey.

Hearing their words, Yan An weighed the machete in her hand and said, “Yeah, if I can.”

“I can talk big, so what can they say about me even if I don’t get anything?”

The villager choked on his words and watched Yan An enter the mountain with a complex expression.

…

At almost 3 p.m., Wen Ying appeared at the door with a heavy basket on her back. She opened the door and went in. The courtyard was quiet, with no one around. She called out Yan An’s name, but got no response.

Wen Ying’s brows slowly furrowed. She put the things on the ground. The house was well-kept. The little chicks that were supposed to be pecking for food outside were also chased back into the coop. There was a pile of vegetable leaves inside.

She looked around and didn’t see Yan An. When she saw that a machete and a basket were missing from the place where the farming tools were kept, she immediately knew what Yan An had gone to do.

Her face immediately turned ugly. She picked up a machete and ran out quickly, following the path she and Yan An usually took into the mountains.

Her heart was pounding the whole way. Her already gloomy mood was agitated by Yan An’s action, causing her head to throb. She gripped the machete tightly, her face stiff, and her feet never stopped moving.

Thinking of where Yan An might have gone after entering the mountain, she searched all the way. When she saw the figure bending down to pick up firewood, Wen Ying’s pounding heart finally relaxed. But what followed was a surge of fatigue. She bit her lower lip and looked at Yan An with deep eyes.

Yan An heard the rustling of footsteps on the fallen leaves. She held the machete tightly in one hand, ready to strike at any moment. But when she turned around and saw that it was Wen Ying, she immediately relaxed. Her eyes curved slightly. “You’re back. Why aren’t you resting at home?”

However, Wen Ying didn’t answer. She walked toward Yan An step by step until she was standing an arm’s length away.

“Yan An, do you know how dangerous it is for you to go into the mountain alone?”

The suppressed tone made her skin tighten instantly. She subconsciously thought that she had done something wrong.

The way she walked over with the machete was already very intimidating, making Yan An subconsciously wonder if she was going to kill herself right there. Hearing her words, which were clearly full of blame, Yan An was even more confused.

“Don’t you go into the mountain alone often?”

“How can I be the same as you!” Wen Ying’s voice was a little out of control as she raised it.

“I…”

Yan An was startled by her appearance. She stared at Wen Ying blankly, speechless for a moment.

Why did Wen Ying seem so emotional today? Was it just because she went into the mountain alone?

“But you also left me alone in the mountain before. Why can’t I come alone?” “How can I be the same as you?” Who was she looking down on?

Wen Ying’s face changed slightly. Her imposing demeanor deflated at Yan An’s words. She slowly raised her hand and grabbed Yan An’s wrist. She lowered her head and said softly, “I’m sorry. I won’t leave you alone in the mountain again.”

“But it’s really too dangerous for you to go into the mountain alone. If you want to come in the future, at least let me go with you.”

Although the people in the surrounding villages were still relatively simple, it was impossible for there to be no bad people at all. Going into the mountain alone not only required defending against wild animals, but people’s hearts were also a point of caution.

After Wen Ying’s tone softened, Yan An froze for a moment. She felt that it wasn’t a good time for her to be prickly, but if she softened her attitude just because Wen Ying did, she would feel like she was losing face.

“I know. I’ll go with you in the future,” Yan An said stiffly, her face tense.

Wen Ying was not affected by her attitude. She looked up and smiled faintly at her. She then went to tie up the firewood that Yan An had picked up. She also cut some branches from a tree and then said to Yan An, “Let’s go back.”

Yan An pursed her lips. When she was about to put the basket on her back, Wen Ying quickly took it and put it on her own back. In the end, Yan An had to carry the small bundle of firewood on her shoulder and watched Wen Ying drag the branches down the mountain.

“Hmm… I really want to ask Wen Ying why she’s not trimming the branches and just dragging them back.”

But… they had just had a little spat. She didn’t want to go out of her way to talk to Wen Ying.

Yan An forced herself to look away and focus on the ground under her feet. She went back home with Wen Ying.

“I didn’t buy the pig stomach you asked me to. The vendor had already sold out by the time I got there,” Wen Ying said to Yan An after she dragged the branches into the courtyard and put them down.

Yan An put down the firewood and then remembered that she had asked her to buy a pig stomach. She said, “It’s fine if you didn’t get it. There’s no rush. We can buy it later.”

It would have been perfect if they had bought it before they got the goat, but now they hadn’t even finished processing the goat. If they bought a pig stomach now, they were only two people and couldn’t eat it all.

Wen Ying nodded. She said, “I also bought some rice and flour, and some salt. I’m going to cure the lamb meat and make it into cured meat.”

“Oh, okay,” Yan An nodded in agreement.

Wen Ying was silent for a moment. She looked at Yan An, went to the basket she had carried back from town, lifted the cloth covering it, took out a small paper bag, and handed it to Yan An.

“Huh?” Yan An looked at the item being handed to her. It was a square package made of oil paper. She thought about it and took it. Then she smelled a faint sweet fragrance.

She looked at Wen Ying as if she had sensed something.

“I brought you some Cloud Slice Cake. I saw that others seemed to like buying and eating it,” Wen Ying said softly, pursing her lips.

In the past, when she had no money, she could only bring back candied hawthorns for Yan An. Now that she had a little money, she also wanted Yan An to be able to eat the same things others could.

Yan An held the still-warm Cloud Slice Cake in her hand. Hearing Wen Ying’s words, she pursed her lips. She was a little unaccustomed to this situation. She then placed the cake on the table in the courtyard and opened it. She looked at the white slices of cake inside and could smell the fragrance of glutinous rice.

“Come here. Let’s try it together,” Yan An said, calling out to Wen Ying.

“No. You eat it. I don’t want to,” Wen Ying said, shaking her head and refusing. Cloud Slice Cake was expensive, and she hadn’t bought too many.

“Wen Ying!” Yan An suddenly said in a strict tone.

Hearing her voice, Wen Ying’s heart trembled. She turned her head and looked at her in confusion.

Yan An pointed to the seat opposite her. “I don’t want to say it a second time.”

Yan An felt that this habit of Wen Ying’s was not good. She would give all the good things to others to eat. Yan An hated this kind of behavior! It made her think of how women in many families would leave all the good things for their husbands and children and eat the scraps themselves, which was just asking for trouble.

“I…” Wen Ying finally walked slowly to the seat opposite Yan An under her gaze. She said softly, “This is expensive. I bought it specifically for you.”

“No matter how expensive it is, if you buy it next time, remember to buy a portion for yourself as well,” Yan An said, pursing her lips. She divided the not-so-plentiful cake in half. “Okay, now we each have half. Just try the taste.”

Wen Ying looked at the half of the cake that Yan An had divided for her and couldn’t help but feel her nose sting with emotion.

“Yan An… you don’t have to be so nice to me.”

Wen Ying slowly ate the soft and sweet Cloud Slice Cake. The sweet flavor spread in her mouth, but Wen Ying would rather use the money for this cake to buy Yan An a few more eggs to nourish her body.

The taste was sweet, but Wen Ying tasted bitterness.

She thought of the person she met when she bought the Cloud Slice Cake, so bright and lively. A goose-yellow dress made her look even more radiant and outstanding. Her skin was as delicate as white tofu. One could tell that she had been pampered since she was a child.

“Unlike me, I just need to be fed so I don’t starve to death. How can I be as glamorous as her?”

Standing opposite that person, she seemed even more insignificant and dull, like a stone on the side of the road that no one would even look at twice.

She couldn’t deny that she felt inferior when facing that person.

She was inferior to that person in every way. Even the only thing she had wasn’t truly hers.

Yan An finished her portion of the cake and saw that Wen Ying seemed a little lost in thought. She didn’t know what she was thinking, but she looked sad and listless. This look was quite rare.

“What are you spacing out for? What are you thinking about?” Yan An raised her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, asking.

Wen Ying came back to her senses. She looked at the person in front of her. She carefully looked at her face, but she couldn’t find the cold, indifferent look she used to have toward her. She slowly swallowed the Cloud Slice Cake in her mouth and said softly, “I wasn’t thinking about anything. It’s just my first time eating this cake, and I wanted to savor the taste.”

“Oh.” Yan An didn’t ask any more questions, but she still said, “The cake you bought is delicious.”

She didn’t refuse Wen Ying’s kindness in bringing her the cake. She didn’t want to be a wet blanket.

Wen Ying smiled gently at her. “Then I’ll bring you something else next time.”

“Okay. But you have to remember to buy a portion for yourself too,” Yan An agreed without hesitation. Although buying these snacks was expensive for them, she felt that money could be earned, but the thoughtfulness of Wen Ying bringing her something to eat was very precious.

After eating the cake, Yan An went with Wen Ying to prepare the lamb meat for curing. They set aside the meat they would need for today and tomorrow and planned to cure the rest.

As Wen Ying was taking things out of her basket, she suddenly took something out and handed it to Yan An.

Yan An looked at her, as if she were a Doraemon pulling something out, and took it, looking at it curiously.

It was in the shape of a small bamboo tube. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Wen Ying.

Wen Ying nodded to her and looked at her with a smile.

Yan An was now completely excited. She quickly opened the lid of the bamboo tube, just like in a TV show. Then she saw that it was filled with a bunch of things Yan An didn’t know. A small spark was in the middle. She tried to blow on it, and a small flame instantly appeared.

“A fire stick!” Yan An said excitedly.

They finally had this thing at home!

“Mmm.” Seeing her so happy, Wen Ying also pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes gentle.

As for herself, she didn’t need to use a fire stick. But now she went to town from time to time. If she couldn’t make it back for lunch, and Yan An didn’t know how to make a fire, she would have to eat cold food, which wasn’t good for her stomach.

After much thought, Wen Ying felt that buying a fire stick for Yan An to make a fire would be the most practical.

“Wen Ying, you’re so good!” Yan An praised her without hesitation. She put the lid back on the fire stick and played with it in her hand, unable to put it down.

Hearing her say that she was so good, Wen Ying lightly bit her lower lip and looked away. “Now, can you try to make a fire with it?”

“Okay!” Yan An immediately took on this important task and ran to the kitchen excitedly.

Seeing her like that, Wen Ying chuckled. She took the salt and some spices out of her basket and planned to take them to the kitchen to stir-fry them until they were fragrant. Then she would use the salt to wrap the meat and cure it for seven days. This way, the meat would also have a richer flavor.

When she entered the kitchen, Yan An had already successfully started a fire. Her face, which was full of smiles, was even brighter in the firelight. The fire was clearly reflected in her inky black pupils.

“Wen Ying, making a fire like this is so easy!” Yan An couldn’t help but say. She finally didn’t have to spend a long time banging two rocks together and not getting any fire.

“Mmm, you’re very impressive,” Wen Ying said, nodding.

Yan An choked on her words. She glanced at Wen Ying out of the corner of her eye. She felt that this person’s praise was so insincere. It sounded fake. She had a fire stick now. What was so impressive about it?

Wen Ying’s movements were very neat. She washed the pot and heated it up, then poured in the salt to stir-fry. She also added cinnamon and other spices. As she stir-fried, the fragrance was completely released.

Yan An sat below, holding her face, watching Wen Ying’s movements. She said happily, “This way, we won’t have to worry about not having meat to eat for a long time.”

“Mmm, we can eat for a long time,” Wen Ying said softly. The two of them couldn’t eat too much in one meal. The goat was very big. It was enough for them to eat for at least half a year.

Yan An smiled. With the cured lamb meat, and when they had more money in the future, they could also buy some fresh meat from time to time. Yan An felt that her life was getting more and more hopeful.

The old Yan An would have never thought that one day she would feel that life was full of hope just because she had meat to eat.

After the meat was cured with the stir-fried salt, they would wait for seven days for the salt to completely seep into the meat. Then they could smoke it.

After the meat was cured, Wen Ying went to soak the seeds she had bought. Soaking them in water before sowing would help them germinate faster.

They were busy like this until it was time to prepare dinner. Yan An was still the one cooking. Wen Ying just watched her from the side, thinking that when she learned how to cook, she would do it herself so Yan An could have an easier time.

Yan An looked at Wen Ying’s quiet demeanor at the side and recalled her unusual attitude on the mountain earlier. She pursed her lips, but still asked, “Did anything special happen when you went to town today?”

Although Wen Ying didn’t show much, Yan An could still see that today’s Wen Ying seemed much more tired than usual and wasn’t in as good a mood.

Wen Ying came back to her senses when she heard the question. Yan An was trying very hard to make her appearance and movements more natural, but Wen Ying, who had been with her for a while, already had some understanding of her and could see the awkwardness in her when she asked that question.

She lowered her eyes slightly and said in a flat tone, “Nothing special happened.”

Yan An’s brows instinctively furrowed. She turned her head to look at Wen Ying. Seeing her calm and indifferent face, she immediately felt uncomfortable.

She said “oh” and didn’t say anything else.

She had already taken the initiative to ask, but if Wen Ying didn’t want to talk, what could she do to force her?

Hearing her simple “oh,” Wen Ying looked up at Yan An. She saw that Yan An’s face was tense and she seemed unhappy. A sour feeling spread through her, but in the end, she didn’t say anything more.

After dinner was ready, they ate in the courtyard as usual. Yan An urged Wen Ying to eat more meat and not just focus on eating rice.

Only by eating enough meat could one nourish their body and make it stronger. Eating rice could fill one up, but the nutritional content was singular. It couldn’t provide as much nutrition as meat.

After they finished eating, Yan An told Wen Ying to wash up and rest early. She was going to wash the dishes and chopsticks.

“Leave them. I’ll wash them,” Wen Ying said, stopping Yan An. She was afraid that Yan An’s porcelain-like hands would become rough if she did these chores too much.

“What’s there to argue about with a few bowls? Go take a bath,” Yan An said, rolling her eyes and urging her.

“I’ll wash them.” But facing her impatient voice, Wen Ying was especially persistent this time.

Yan An stopped and frowned at her. “What’s wrong with you today?”

Wen Ying pursed her lips and looked at her with a stubborn gaze.

Seeing her like this, Yan An was also annoyed. She put down the dishes and chopsticks and said angrily, “Fine, you wash them, you wash them. I’d rather not do anything anyway.”

Yan An had never seen such a person. She was trying to help share the work, but she insisted on taking everything on herself.

Wen Ying knew that Yan An was unhappy, but this time she didn’t go to comfort Yan An. Instead, she took the dishes and chopsticks to the sink and put them down. She then went into the kitchen to get hot water. Finally, she said to Yan An, “You go take a bath first.”

Yan An was so angry that her eyes almost popped out. In the end, she went to take a bath with a tense face and without saying a word.

While she was bathing, Wen Ying washed the dishes. She then swept the courtyard and checked the coop to make sure the chickens wouldn’t freeze to death at night. She felt much more at ease.

She sat in the kitchen, staring at the fire in the stove. In the end, she couldn’t hold it anymore and hunched her back. Half of her face was covered in shadow.

She had actually met Ji Wan today, the county magistrate’s daughter.

Thinking of the things Ji Wan said, although she seemed to be telling the truth, Wen Ying inexplicably felt that her words were sharp and harsh, like a knife stabbing into her heart.

It was true that Yan An had not had a good life after marrying her. She even had to eat coarse food and starve with her.

And… she really wasn’t worthy of Yan An. It wasn’t surprising that Yan An never looked at her directly before.

Wen Ying’s brows furrowed even more. But the Yan An now was not the Yan An from before. She no longer disliked her and was even willing to work with her to run their family well. She… couldn’t bear to let go.

The more she thought about it, the more Wen Ying felt that she was a thief taking advantage of a person in a difficult situation. She knew that Yan An had never taken her seriously. She knew that Yan An’s heart belonged to someone else. But she still relied on the marriage to bind herself to Yan An, and she even hoped, in a despicable way, that she would never remember the past.

She also didn’t want the current Yan An to have any contact with Ji Wan.

She was trapping a person who didn’t belong to her by her side and absorbing a little bit of her warmth.

Her shoulders hunched even more. Wen Ying’s eyes felt sour and dry. She was completely defeated by what Ji Wan said today and was powerless to refute it.

“What can I do to give Yan An a decent life?”

“Perhaps no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to reach the level that Ji Wan could easily provide for Yan An.”

As she was sinking into the swamp of her own thoughts, someone suddenly called her name.

Although it sounded a little harsh, Wen Ying could still hear the worry hidden beneath the tone.

Wen Ying slowly came back to her senses. Her shoulders straightened, and she looked up at the door.

“Are you very tired? Why don’t you just go to sleep?” Yan An said, frowning tightly. Wen Ying’s appearance just now was not good at all.

Wen Ying’s reaction was a little slow. In the end, she slowly shook her head, got up, and forced herself to be energetic. “I’ll feel better after I take a bath.”

After saying that, she went into the room to get water.

Yan An’s face was a little downcast. Wen Ying’s appearance just now made her not believe that nothing special happened today, especially the harsh tone she used on the mountain, which had never happened before.

Wen Ying quickly came back with hot water. While Wen Ying was bathing, Yan An was in the kitchen roasting by the fire.

The weather was getting colder and colder now. It would be the winter solstice soon. The weather would probably get even colder after that.

Yan An had never really liked winter. Every time winter came, she would be lazy and want to stay in bed. She wondered how she would spend the winter here and if she was allowed to stay in bed.

Wen Ying finished her bath and told her to go into the room. Yan An saw that she hadn’t washed her hair today, so she put out the fire and went back to the room to lie in bed with her.

Lying on the same bed, especially after a little unpleasantness, no one spoke. The room was extremely quiet, which created a sense of awkwardness.

Yan An hated this feeling. Especially since she couldn’t run away. The awkwardness made her want to turn her back and pretend to be asleep.

Just as she was thinking about the feasibility of this action, she suddenly heard the sound of someone turning over next to her.

Yan An subconsciously frowned. She was unhappy and thought, “Wen Ying isn’t going to turn her back and pretend to be asleep first, is she?”

She subconsciously glanced to the side and saw that Wen Ying was facing her.

Yan An: “…”

She quickly looked away. Her heart was beating fast. She was almost caught.

“Yan An, what do you think of the county magistrate’s daughter?” Wen Ying asked softly.