Chapter 336 - 127: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in a Period Novel (14)
Chapter 336: Chapter 127: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in a Period Novel (14)
But Jiang Zishi sensed her movement and instinctively grabbed her wrist. The struggle, however, altered the scissors’ path. While they missed his hand, they slashed across his chest. In an instant, blood bloomed across his white shirt, soaking the fabric!
The wound wasn’t deep, but a spasm of pain wracked Jiang Zishi’s body. He let go of her and staggered back two steps.
He clutched his wound, staring at her in disbelief. His face twisted into a snarl as he ground out his words through clenched teeth:
"Chi Yun’er, don’t you think it’s a little late for this?"
"You’re the one who led me on! If you weren’t such a prude, refusing to let me even touch you, why would I have ever chosen someone else over you?"
"What’s the big deal? It’s just sex. You like me, so shouldn’t you like it when I touch you?"
"Playing hard to get and being all prim and proper is fine, but take it too far and it just gets boring."
With that, he lunged at her again.
Chi Yun’er held the scissors to her chest, her expression frosty. "I’m just being responsible for myself. Without the security of marriage, who’s to say what might happen tomorrow?"
"It’s a good thing I have some self-respect. A good thing I resisted your sweet nothings and stuck to my principles. Otherwise, I’d want nothing more than to kill you right now!"
"After all," she said, a smirk playing on her lips, "I used to be so fond of you, Zishu."
"The deepest love breeds the deepest hate, you know. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Zishu. I was just... overcome."
By now, people were starting to return from the fields, and a look of frustration crossed Jiang Zishi’s face.
’Once Chi Yun’er starts at the brick factory, who knows what bastard will get to enjoy that soft, smooth body of hers.’
’What’s wrong with enjoying her first, before that happens?’
"There’ll come a day when you’re on your knees, begging me!" he snarled. He pulled the transfer notice for the brick factory from his pocket and slapped it onto the table. "Report for duty tomorrow."
With that, he took advantage of the fact that the other educated youths hadn’t returned yet and hurried to his room to clean his wound.
Once he was gone, Chi Yun’er let out a long breath. ’These last few days have been the busiest. Everyone’s workload is heavy, and we’re all racing against the clock, even having to work in the dark at night.’
’But the fieldwork is almost finished. This frantic pace, with everyone out from dawn till dusk, will only last another day or two.’
’She would make her move this afternoon. Time to raid the rat’s nest!’
Chi Yun’er wiped the blood from the scissors and went back to sorting her pickling jars. She scooped the spoiled contents into a bowl, wiped the good ones clean and placed them in a bamboo basket, and then went to wash the empty jars.
She remained in her room, her ears trained on the sounds from the courtyard, occasionally scribbling a few notes in her notebook.
The educated youths returned to wash up and eat. After a short rest, they dragged their exhausted bodies back to the fields.
Jiang Zishi, having slacked off all morning, knew he couldn’t get away with it any longer. Even with the gash on his chest, he couldn’t just hang around the courtyard. It would ruin his carefully crafted image as a diligent, hard-working man.
That would only make the other educated youths more envious, jeopardizing his chance to get a spot at the Industrial and Agricultural University.
So, about ten minutes after the others, he locked his doors and windows. Hunched over slightly, he headed for town, planning to find a doctor to look at the wound and get some ointment to help it heal faster.
He also planned to buy some treats to appease the mother and daughter from the Bian family.
Once everyone was gone, Chi Yun’er took out a hairpin and slipped it into her pocket. She pulled on a pair of gloves, wrapped her hair up tightly, and brushed the dust from her clothes. Then, she slipped on a pair of Jiang Zishi’s shoes that had been left outside to dry.
She hoisted a heavy bag of books onto her back, pushed open her door, and walked slowly toward Jiang Zishi’s room.
The old landlord’s house had stood for centuries, but the ravages of recent years had left it in a state of disrepair. Still, it had been built with sturdy brick and tile, and after some tidying up, the main house was at least habitable.
The house wasn’t far from the back mountain, so for fear of wild animals, the educated youths had used their downtime from farming to build a man-high wall around the courtyard using broken bricks, rubble, and stones.
Now, it served to block the prying eyes of passersby and any villagers living nearby.
Jiang Zishi lived in the left room of the main house. Hanging on the weathered wooden door was a large and intimidating Iron General, polished to a bright sheen.
Chi Yun’er narrowed her eyes. She took out the hairpin and worked it in the keyhole for just a few moments. With a soft click, the lock sprang open.
She opened the door, casually hooking the unlocked padlock back onto the hasp, and peered inside.
The room was spacious, with two large, heated brick beds built into it. They were piled high with a chaotic mess of belongings, and the air held the faint, sour stench of slovenly men.
Covering her nose, she walked over to Jiang Zishi’s bunk. Instead of immediately starting to rummage through his things, she studied it carefully.