To Be the Male Lead's Deceased First Wife in a Historical Chinese Exam-focused Novel - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: It… Doesn’t Look Good

Perhaps feeling like she had lost face and been teased by Wen Ying, Yan An started her wicked revenge plan! While Wen Ying was kneading the dough, Yan An started quizzing her to practice her mental math.

Basic addition and subtraction questions were no longer a challenge for Wen Ying. So, Yan An started asking multiplication questions.

She could still solve some simple multiplication questions mentally, which were all within two-digit numbers. But as soon as both numbers exceeded two digits, she would get a little stuck.

Looking at the stumped Wen Ying, Yan An’s eyebrows lifted slightly, looking a little smug.

Wen Ying gave her a helpless look, but the smile on her lips never faded.

However, Yan An also knew that once Wen Ying became more proficient in using various calculation formulas, these kinds of questions would probably not be a challenge for her anymore.

Wen Ying was like a dry sponge. Once placed in water, she would frantically absorb it to fill herself up.

After Wen Ying finished kneading the dough, Yan An took advantage of the time she was pulling the noodles to heat up a pot of water, planning to make a simple bowl of plain noodles.

They still hadn’t bought any piglets, but they didn’t need to go to town for that. They could just ask around to see who was selling some.

After the noodles were made, Yan An ate the steaming hot soup noodles and felt very satisfied. Her hands even warmed up when she held the bowl.

“Should we go to the mountain and dig some more winter bamboo shoots later?” Wen Ying suggested. Money was flowing out of the house like water now. If they could dig some winter bamboo shoots to sell, it would at least bring in some income for the family, and Yan An’s pressure wouldn’t be as great.

“No. You stay home and practice writing. I’ll go ask around to see who’s selling some piglets. I’ll buy a few,” Yan An refused. Even if Wen Ying had memorized the characters she had learned, practicing writing still required time and effort.

Although she was not from this world, every dynasty in ancient times required scholars to have good handwriting for the imperial examinations. Good handwriting would at least give the examiner a good first impression of the paper.

“I…” Wen Ying was about to say something, but Yan An interrupted her directly. “I know you want to help, but you can’t be careless with your studies and writing. You’re already many years behind others. Only by working harder can you catch up with them more quickly.”

Wen Ying was silent. Finally, she nodded slowly.

“I won’t let you down,” Wen Ying said in a very low voice.

Upon hearing this, Yan An looked up at her and frowned. “Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. I can accept whether this works out or not. Anyway, even if it doesn’t, our lives will at worst not be worse than they were at the very beginning.”

Wen Ying met her gaze and nodded, revealing a slightly relaxed smile.

Yan An nodded in satisfaction. After they finished eating and cleaned up, they went to the study together.

Yan An wrote the characters Wen Ying needed to practice and taught her the structure of calligraphy. Then Wen Ying practiced writing while Yan An recorded all the expenses from yesterday.

She separated the accounts into two books. One was for the total income, expenses, and savings of the family. The other was for the capital and costs of her village cooking business. Only by recording all of this could she see more clearly whether she was making a profit in the future.

After finishing the accounts, Yan An went out to ask people who was selling piglets. Just as she was leaving, she saw Auntie Li walking toward their house. When Auntie Li saw her, her face lit up with joy, and she shouted, “I have news!”

As soon as Yan An heard “I have news,” she immediately understood what Auntie Li meant. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over to her.

“Auntie Li, what’s the situation?”

Auntie Li smiled brightly. Before she could speak, Wen Ying appeared behind Yan An. Wen Ying said softly, “Auntie Li, come inside and talk.”

Auntie Li’s voice had been a little loud earlier. Wen Ying had heard it from the study and came out to greet her.

“Yes, yes. I was so happy that I was being impolite. Auntie Li, please come in and sit down,” Yan An said, feeling embarrassed. She quickly pulled Auntie Li’s arm to lead her inside. Auntie Li laughed, looking at them. “We’re neighbors. There’s no need to be polite.”

As they were led inside, Wen Ying went to pour hot tea. After the two of them sat down, Auntie Li said happily, “You’re lucky. The village cook that the village chief’s family hired doesn’t plan on continuing, so he’s planning to sell all of his things.”

Upon hearing this, Yan An was stunned for a moment. First, she was happy, and then she felt a pang of pain.

She looked at Auntie Li with a bitter face. “Is he selling all of his things? Tables, chairs, bowls, and pots?”

“Yes,” Auntie Li said, looking at her strangely. “He’s not doing this job anymore. What would he keep all those bowls and chopsticks for?”

After the village cook was injured, his body wasn’t very good due to years of labor. This injury became an opportunity for him to decide to quit.

Yan An covered her heart and said with some pain, “I already had someone make new bowls and chopsticks.”

If she could have bought used ones, the price would have definitely been cheaper than buying new ones.

Auntie Li: “…”

Wen Ying looked at Yan An, who was looking sad. She patted her hand lightly and comforted her softly, “It’s okay. They’ll also be happy to have new bowls and chopsticks to eat with.”

Yan An lowered her head, feeling a little unhappy. She felt that her previous actions had been too quick. If she had waited a little longer, she could have saved so much money!

“Auntie Li, how much are those tables and chairs?” Seeing that Yan An was still immersed in “sadness,” Wen Ying asked Auntie Li about the prices.

Auntie Li laughed at Yan An’s appearance, but her eyes were also filled with relief. This person finally seemed to be living a little more responsibly and learning to budget.

“He’s selling them for 300 wen a set. There are more than 20 sets of tables and chairs. But I think you can still talk to him about the price. You can also look at how old and broken the tables and chairs are to see if you can accept them.”

Yan An listened to what Auntie Li said. In this case, it was already more than 100 wen cheaper than buying new ones. However, she still had to negotiate the price. She nodded and said, “Thank you, Auntie Li, for worrying about this. We’ll invite you over for a meal after everything is done and we have some free time.”

When Auntie Li heard this, her face straightened.

“What are you saying? I just heard about this news. What’s with the meal? You don’t see me as one of your own, do you!”

“No, no! I said that because I see you as one of our own!” Yan An said quickly, afraid that she had misunderstood. “I want to create my own menu later, but I’m not sure if you’ll like the dishes I make, so I want to invite you over to try them and give me some suggestions.”

Wen Ying nodded in agreement and looked at Auntie Li with anticipation.

Auntie Li looked at the two of them, who were looking at her eagerly. For some reason, she felt that they looked like a married couple. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay, okay. Then I’ll be able to taste some good food.”

When she agreed, both of their faces showed a relieved smile.

Auntie Li looked at Wen Ying, who was visibly a little fatter than before, and said, “I heard that you went to Teacher Yi’s house yesterday?”

“Yes. Teacher Yi is willing to teach me how to read and write. I thought it would be a good thing to learn,” Wen Ying admitted, too embarrassed to say that she was initially aiming for the imperial examination.

Auntie Li’s eyes lit up immediately. “That’s a good thing! If you can read and write in the future, you’ll be able to find a better job.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m thinking,” Wen Ying said shyly.

Auntie Li looked at Yan An and knew that Wen Ying being able to study was naturally with Yan An’s support. She had already changed her opinion of Yan An a lot, and now she thought even better of her.

Since the farming season was over, Auntie Li didn’t have much to do. She took Yan An with her to the neighboring village to visit the Wu family. She was afraid that Yan An was young and had never experienced these things before, and she would be swindled when negotiating with them.

When they arrived at the Wu family’s house, Mr. Wu was still lying in bed recuperating. In this situation, there was no need to worry about formalities. Mr. Wu’s wife brought two chairs and placed them in front of the bed and served hot tea. Auntie Wu and Yan An sat in front of Mr. Wu’s bed and talked to him.

Mr. Wu was surprised to learn that Yan An was the one buying his things. He had thought that after she took his place as the cook for the Nanya Village chief’s banquet, their relationship was over. He never expected that she would be interested in doing this job.

Mr. Wu’s expression was complicated. After all, scholars were not that common. Everyone had heard of Yan An’s name. Now, a person who had been called a child prodigy since childhood had suddenly fallen and was living like everyone else. It was truly a little disheartening.

It was a feeling of pity for years of hard study being destroyed in one fell swoop.

In the end, with Auntie Li’s sharp negotiation skills, each set of tables and chairs was sold to Yan An for 285 wen. There were a total of 25 sets. Usually, only well-off families could afford to host two or three dozen tables.

And because of Mr. Wu’s previous respect for scholars, he even promised that if anyone asked him to be their cook in the future, he would recommend Yan An.

After working for so many years, he naturally had his own network. His willingness to introduce Yan An to them was a good thing for Yan An.

Yan An wasn’t taking advantage of him for free. She told him that she would give him a 2% commission on the total price for every person he introduced. It wasn’t a lot, but there was nothing she could do. Yan An was just starting out and wasn’t even sure if she would make a profit yet. Giving him too much would cut into her profit margin.

She paid a portion of the deposit and arranged for Mr. Wu’s son to deliver the tables and chairs to Yan An’s home tomorrow. The remaining balance would be paid then.

After leaving the Wu family, Auntie Li took Yan An to another family to buy piglets.

On the way there, Yan An had mentioned it to Auntie Li. Auntie Li knew almost everyone in the villages within a ten-mile radius. She immediately knew who they could buy piglets from and that the price would be affordable.

“Auntie Li, it’s our blessing to have you!” Yan An said, holding Auntie Li’s arm with a look of gratitude.

It was true. Without Auntie Li, they wouldn’t have been able to get so many things done so quickly. They would have also taken many detours and spent more money.

Auntie Li was stunned for a moment when Yan An held her arm, then she laughed. She gave Yan An a playful look. She felt that Yan An’s personality had changed so much after she woke up. She could barely see her old self.

“I think it’s the greatest blessing for you two to live a good life.”

“Of course we will. Look how great Wen Ying is. She’s managing the household so well!” Yan An said with unwavering conviction.

Auntie Li’s smile grew even wider.

In the end, Yan An bought five piglets from a farmer who raised pigs. She didn’t dare to buy too many at once. Not only was she inexperienced in raising pigs, but she was also afraid that it would be difficult to get enough food for them. Even if she cut pig feed, she wouldn’t be able to cut enough for too many.

Each piglet weighed about 20 jins. One piglet cost 400 wen. Considering that pork was sold for about 14 or 15 wen per jin in this world, this price was a good deal. The pigs had already been castrated, and the farmer even helped deliver them to their home.

Since the farmer was helping to deliver the piglets to their home, Yan An and her companions could ride in the farmer’s ox cart back to Nanya Village.

By the time they got home, it was already past lunchtime. Yan An felt embarrassed and tried to get Auntie Li to stay for a meal. She had been busy all day and couldn’t find a place to eat.

“No, you two eat. My family has already saved a meal for me. I’m going home to eat,” Auntie Li said, waving her hand and leaving directly, afraid that they would pull her back into the house.

Yan An watched her leave so quickly and couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “What’s wrong with Auntie Li? It’s not like we’re going to poison her, are we?”

Wen Ying helped her pat the dust off her clothes and said softly, “Auntie Li is probably worried that we don’t have enough to eat and doesn’t want to be a burden on us.”

After all, in the past, they had a hard time even getting a meal and often relied on Auntie Li’s help. Although their lives were much better now, she was still thinking of them.

Yan An was silent for a moment. Then she said solemnly, “Then when we invite Auntie Li for a meal later, I’m going to use all my skills!”

Wen Ying looked up at her, and the corners of her lips curved into a smile. “Okay. I’ll be your assistant.”

…

While eating the meal Wen Ying made, Yan An asked Wen Ying how her studies at home were going.

“I can write all the characters I’ve learned, but they don’t look very good,” Wen Ying said softly. In the past, she had only done physical labor. Now that she was suddenly holding a brush, it felt extremely light, and she was having a hard time controlling the force.

“There’s no other way to practice writing. You just have to practice more,” Yan An said helplessly. Calligraphy was not something that could be mastered quickly. Even Yan An’s own handwriting was the result of practicing calligraphy from a young age.

“Okay,” Wen Ying said softly. Then she said with a sigh, “It’s just that paper and ink are very expensive.”

These things were not cheap. This would be a huge expense for the family.

“Don’t worry about that. There’s nothing we can do about it. Are you going to practice on the ground? That’s impossible. Use what you need to. The family can afford this money,” Yan An comforted her, afraid that she would be reluctant to write to save paper and ink. How could she practice her writing then?

She couldn’t just make her own paper to save money, could she? Yan An felt that she wasn’t that versatile.

Wen Ying nodded. After they finished eating, it was time for Wen Ying to go to Yi Shu Hua’s house for class. Yan An also put on her basket, took her sickle, and led the ox out with her. She was going to graze the ox and at the same time cut some pig feed to bring back for the piglets.

It was ridiculous. Yan An, of all people, was now grazing an ox and raising pigs!

As they were about to part ways, Yan An suddenly stopped and looked at Wen Ying’s clothes. They were not thin, but they looked a little strange. She frowned. “Why do these clothes look so strange? Are you really not cold?”

The clothes didn’t look neat or coordinated.

Wen Ying was stunned for a moment and shook her head.

Yan An frowned, looking at Wen Ying’s red hands. She suddenly reached out and put her hand under the hem of Wen Ying’s clothes. She felt the thickness of her clothes. The texture felt strange, both soft and hard, and it didn’t feel like cotton at all.

Her face darkened. Without saying a word, she led Wen Ying into the house and took off Wen Ying’s clothes without asking for permission.

Wen Ying had already been dumbfounded by her series of actions. She was in a daze. It was as if she had already done what Yan An told her to do before her brain could even react.

Ever since Yan An’s hand went into her clothes and felt that slightly cold air, Wen Ying’s body had instinctively tensed up. All her senses were infinitely magnified at that moment.

After Yan An took off Wen Ying’s outer clothes, she started to feel around. When she felt something like stalks inside, she looked up at Wen Ying.

“Is this what you meant when you said you had clothes to wear?”

She directly used a knife to cut the seam on the edge of the clothes. When she saw the filling, which was a mixture of cattail fluff and stalks, Yan An was truly angry.

Along with her anger, she also felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

“Yeah. How could I have believed what Wen Ying said back then? It was obvious how valuable cotton clothes were in ancient times. How could the old Wen Ying have had one?”

“I… I…”

When Wen Ying saw this situation, she couldn’t think of anything else. She was so flustered that she couldn’t even speak.

She could tell that Yan An was really angry.

Yan An took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from getting angry at Wen Ying. She knew why Wen Ying was wearing her clothes like this.

She opened the wardrobe and took out her other cotton coat and put it on Wen Ying.

“Put it on.” Her tone was a little cold and harsh.

“But you need a change of clothes…” Wen Ying said anxiously.

“Is a change of clothes more important or is staying warm more important?” Even though Yan An had already told herself to calm down, her voice still raised a little when she heard Wen Ying’s words.

After saying that, she felt that her tone had been a little harsh. She glared at Wen Ying and found a bigger outer coat from the wardrobe. She put it on over her own cotton coat and said, “This works, right? If it gets dirty, you can just wash this outer coat. You don’t have to wash the cotton one.”

After all, she was also wearing clothes under the cotton coat, so the cotton coat was just the middle layer. This way, it wouldn’t get too dirty.

Wen Ying looked at her actions. Yan An looked a little uncoordinated and bloated with all those layers.

“It… doesn’t look good,” Wen Ying said in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible, as if she was afraid of making Yan An unhappy.

Yan An: “…”

She rolled her eyes at her. “You’re going to freeze to death, so who cares what you look like.”

After saying that, she watched Wen Ying put on her cotton coat. It wasn’t made to fit Wen Ying, so it was a size too big for her. After she put it on, she also put on another layer over it, just like Yan An. She looked at Yan An a little nervously.

It was as if she was asking, “Is this okay?”

Yan An nodded reservedly. “Let’s go. If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late.”

Wen Ying followed her and walked quickly outside. She said to her, “Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I know, I know,” Yan An replied a little impatiently. She led the ox and walked into the distance.

Wen Ying looked at her back. She felt her body being wrapped in the warmth of the cotton coat. Wen Ying turned around and walked quickly in the direction of Yi Shu Hua’s house. The cold wind on the way couldn’t extinguish the warmth that was wrapping her heart.

Yan An led the ox out and let it eat the corn stalks in the field. She herself was cutting pig feed not far away, while occasionally looking up to check on the ox to make sure it didn’t run off somewhere else.

As she was cutting the pig feed, Yan An felt as if she was back when she had just transmigrated and was cutting rice. But now, it was a world of difference compared to when she first transmigrated.

But unfortunately, no one had come to her to ask her to cook for a banquet since she cooked for the village chief’s family. It was supposed to be a time when everyone was resting, so wasn’t it a good time to host banquets?

Yan An sighed with a little pity. She also knew that those banquets had probably already booked other cooks a long time ago.

After filling the basket with pig feed, Yan An saw that the ox had eaten enough and led it home.

The five piglets in the pigpen adapted very quickly. The pigpen was quite large, and the five pigs could run around happily inside. She fed them the pig feed and muttered, “Eat more and get fat, so we can have a great harvest next year!”

After saying that, she laughed at herself, thinking that she was being so childish.

After feeding the pigs and adding some food for the chickens in the coop, Yan An started preparing dinner.

She looked at the winter bamboo shoots and felt a little pity.

Winter bamboo shoots with preserved pork were a perfect match, but unfortunately, the preserved pork she and Wen Ying had smoked was not ready to be eaten yet. They also didn’t have any meat at home, so she could only make a simple stir-fried winter bamboo shoot dish.

“Hmm. I can buy some fresh meat tomorrow when I go to town. Then I can mix it with the winter bamboo shoots and make something delicious for Wen Ying.”

Halfway through making dinner, Wen Ying came back. As soon as she got back, she put her things down and went into the kitchen to help, and at the same time, she told Yan An about the things she had learned today.

It was clear that after these two lessons, Yi Shu Hua had also discovered Wen Ying’s intelligence and was teaching her more things.

Yan An listened to her. She felt that after Wen Ying started studying, her personality finally opened up a little, and she was more willing to speak on her own. This was a good thing.

Thinking of the Wen Ying in the story, who, after learning to read, read almost all the books the original owner had left behind, Yan An felt that if this person were in modern times, she would definitely be on “The Brain.”

Thinking about this, Yan An felt a sense of urgency. After Wen Ying finished her basic education, she could probably go to the county school to study. If Wen Ying could go to the county school, but Yan An couldn’t take her to town, wouldn’t that be a disservice to her?

“Hmm… Or I could let her study in town while I stay in the village and work?”

Yan An didn’t have the courage to tell Wen Ying this idea, so she wouldn’t think she was useless.

After dinner, the two of them didn’t go to bed. Instead, they went to the study and lit an oil lamp. Wen Ying taught Yan An what she had learned today.

Yan An also annotated the corresponding simplified characters and Pinyin for Wen Ying to learn. Since it was still early, Yan An started teaching her the alphabet. No wonder teachers liked smart students. It was truly a joy to teach a smart student.

“But I’m teaching you so much at once. Won’t you get confused?” Yan An asked, feeling a little unsure.

She was just starting to learn, and there were already two writing systems. If it were Yan An herself, she would have cried.

“No,” Wen Ying replied.

She also wanted to master the characters Yan An used as quickly as possible.