Chapter 309 - 118: The Green Tea Side Character in a Period Piece (5)
Chapter 309: Chapter 118: The Green Tea Side Character in a Period Piece (5)
Her standards had been raised over time, and she’d come to look down on the men in uniform. She found them crude and uncultured, with nothing in common to discuss. Even a life of material abundance couldn’t satisfy her need for an intellectual and emotional connection.
So when Jiang Zishi appeared, Bian Yumin fell for him completely. He fulfilled all her fantasies about the perfect partner; it was as if he had been made just for her.
She was like someone possessed, diving in headfirst.
Previously, she hadn’t always come home on the weekends. Even when she did, she would just hole up in her little room, not lifting a finger to help around the house.
Her own parents had never been on the receiving end of such devotion. Yet for a man, she now returned to the village to work in the fields whenever she didn’t have class. She became the "dutiful, hardworking girl" on everyone’s lips, all for the slim chance of a "coincidental" meeting with Jiang Zishi on the road—just to exchange a nod, a smile, a simple hello...
The village chief believed there was no future for his daughter and Jiang Zishi. They were from two completely different worlds, and he didn’t want his daughter to continue on her foolish path.
But then the incident happened. For the sake of his worry-inducing daughter, he had secretly struck a deal with Jiang Zishi.
If Jiang Zishi officially registered his marriage to Bian Yumin, the village chief guaranteed that Jiang Zishi would be recommended as a Worker-Peasant-Soldier Student that fall, allowing him to attend university in the provincial capital!
Once the deal was settled, even though Bian Yumin and Jiang Zishi weren’t even formally engaged, the village chief’s wife, with her remarkable skill, managed to spread the word not just to their entire village but to the next one over, all in the space of a single morning.
This was why Bian Yumin now felt no inhibitions. She had gone home earlier to brew some sour plum juice, chilling it in the well for several hours. Waking from her afternoon nap feeling hot and restless, she had specially filled a pot, sprinkled in a generous handful of white sugar, and eagerly brought it over.
At the courtyard gate, Bian Yumin happened to overhear Chi Yun’er’s declaration, "I’m the one in his heart." She also didn’t miss Jiang Zishi’s comment about having no choice but to take responsibility for her.
With her eyes turning red, she couldn’t help but push the door open, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zishi, full of both humiliation and defiance.
"Jiang, do you regret saving me now?"
"I should have just drowned in the river! At least then I wouldn’t be the villain breaking up a happy couple!"
Jiang Zishi hadn’t even finished dealing with one woman, and now another had appeared. The veins on his forehead bulged.
He shot the onlookers a weak smile, then grabbed Bian Yumin’s arm and pulled her toward his room.
Bian Yumin clutched the ceramic pot with one arm and struggled with the other. "Why are you dragging me? Is there something you can’t say in front of everyone?"
"Or are you just afraid of hurting your dear Sister Chi’s feelings?"
"It’s not as if I’m some unwanted woman who has to marry you and no one else. If this marriage isn’t what you want, if you can’t promise it will last until the end of our lives, then I’d rather not have your ’responsibility’ born of necessity!"
Jiang Zishi didn’t say a word.
He was strong, and he pulled a stumbling Bian Yumin along. In the time it took for her to say those few sentences, he had them inside the room. The door slammed shut with a BANG, cutting them off from prying eyes.
Jiang Zishi snatched the ceramic pot from Bian Yumin’s arms and set it on the table. Then, he grabbed her wrist, pinned her against the door, and pressed his hot body against hers, feeling her delicate, soft curves.
He tilted her chin up, his voice low and raspy.
"Yumin, there are some things I truly can’t say in front of everyone."
"Chi Yun’er and I grew up together, but that doesn’t mean we were destined to be a couple. She’s always been delicate, and I’m just used to taking care of her. I genuinely think of her as a little sister to be cherished."
"Before I met you, I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to make of our relationship. Girlfriend, wife... it all seemed about the same, didn’t it?"
"You might not believe this, but as pretty as Chi Yun’er is, I’ve never even held her hand. Now, what do you suppose that says about how I feel about her... versus how I feel about you?"
Bian Yumin’s body flushed hot and her legs felt weak. She had to lean against him just to stay upright.
She turned her head, unable to meet his gaze, and let out a soft huff. "Jiang, you don’t have to sweet-talk me. You’re from the Capital City. What kind of woman haven’t you seen?"
"You’ve seen them all, and you’re telling me you prefer a country wildflower like me?"
Jiang Zishi no longer suppressed his masculine instincts. He closed the remaining distance between them.
The onlookers in the courtyard shrugged. At a shout from the team leader, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes.
Afraid of upsetting Chi Yun’er, no one dared to say another word.
Chi Yun’er went back to her room, picked up a book, and sat by the window, flipping through the pages aimlessly.
Before long, Jiang Zishi’s door opened. The two of them emerged, looking all lovey-dovey, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder toward the fields. ’In this entire village, not a single person truly cares about me, Chi Yun’er!’