Chapter 338 - 127: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in the Period Novel (14)
Chapter 338: Chapter 127: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in the Period Novel (14)
She stuffed a handful of fruit candies into Wang’s hand and said with a forced smile, "Wang, I’ll be using the kitchen two more times. Consider these candies payment for the water, firewood, and lard I’ll use."
"I was immature before. For over a year, you’ve all been so accommodating. But I haven’t really contributed anything to the group."
Wang was taken aback. "Chi, where are you going?"
Jiang Zishi clenched his fists. Normally, Chi Yun’er was a total wallflower. She never initiated conversations, and it was hard for anyone to get anything personal out of her.
He had arranged this job for her from the very beginning and never intended for anyone else to find out ahead of time.
"Chi Yun’er, I went to town and bought you some sugar-roasted chestnuts." He handed over a paper bag of fragrant, still-warm chestnuts—the ones he had originally bought for Bian Yumin. Then, smiling vaguely at the two curious onlookers, he said evasively:
"I’m about to marry Bian Yumin, so I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to look after her anymore. I had her transferred to the state farm so my older brother can help her out since he’s nearby."
After speaking, he shot Chi Yun’er a subtle, warning glance. With a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he brushed a thumb against his lip and asked, "Chi Yun’er, do you need me to peel them for you one by one?"
He then leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said earnestly, "Chi Yun’er, it’s not easy to find a job anywhere. Go report to your new unit tomorrow, and then come back and tell everyone."
"Otherwise, I’m afraid some people might get jealous and cause you to lose this job. Who knows when the next opportunity will come along."
"Be good. I was impulsive this afternoon. But what can I do? I have you in my heart, yet I have to marry Bian Yumin. When I heard you and my brother were getting closer, I got jealous."
"I can’t stand the thought of not being able to be your Flower Protector openly anymore."
"My behavior was a bit offensive, and I apologize. Please don’t throw a fit and waste this job opportunity just to spite me."
"Only if we are both doing well can we honor the bond of our decade-long childhood friendship..."
Chi Yun’er lowered her eyes, utterly disgusted. She really couldn’t imagine what love and marriage even meant to him.
In the past, before she knew his true colors, she would have definitely poured her heart out in response to such words.
But now, she felt like she was watching a buffoon. Beyond disgust, there was hardly even any hatred left.
’A scumbag like him isn’t worth so much of my mental energy!’
Chi Yun’er didn’t say another word. Instead, she sat obediently to one side, stoking the fire for Wang. Only after they were finished with the stove did she start busying herself with making her own meal.
She made something simple: a bowl of dough drop soup with wild duck eggs and green beans. Once it was ready, she carried the fragrant dish past everyone’s longing gazes and into her room to eat slowly.
A blunt male educated youth pursed his lips. "We’ve known Chi for over a year, right? I always thought she was some delicate city girl who couldn’t carry a pole or lift a basket. I never expected her to be such a good cook. She really is full of hidden talents."
"Too bad we’re not lucky enough to get a taste of her cooking."
Another guy viciously stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth. With so little fat in their diets, everyone was already craving meat and eggs, and her food smelled so unbelievably good.
His stomach felt like a bottomless pit; one whole bun went down and he barely felt a thing!
"How good can her cooking be?" he said, trying to fool himself. "Cooking isn’t something you master overnight. It takes three meals a day, every day. If she could cook that well, would she need to eat whatever random stuff other people make?"
"If it were you, could you hold back from showing off? Let alone her!"
Jiang Zishi, the one who cooked "whatever random stuff"...
He, too, suddenly found the food in his bowl unappetizing. There were three-grain steamed buns, green beans with minced garlic, bok choy stir-fried with lard, and a bowl of pumpkin and rice porridge.
It was actually a pretty decent meal, but the lingering fragrance of egg in the courtyard made it seem like garbage in comparison.
Jiang Zishi shrugged helplessly. "Chi Yun’er never once stepped into the kitchen back home. I guess she watched us cook and picked up a thing or two. Who knows if she even cooked the dough drops all the way through."
"She’s still so stubborn. It’s a good thing my brother will be there to look after her. Otherwise, I’d really worry she might starve herself one day."
That was true. Chi was incredibly stubborn; she’d rather suffer a loss than let others interfere. Only Jiang Zishi had the honor of being her knight.
’A delicate only child from the city, who’s probably just figured out how to light a fire? How could she possibly make a delicious meal?’
The group’s attention immediately shifted. They started gossiping, "Chi is transferring to the state farm? That place is full of complicated people and problems. Even your brother might not be able to keep an eye on her."
"Yeah, with Chi’s looks and personality, she’s bound to be taken advantage of."
If Jiang Zishi and Chi Yun’er hadn’t been inseparable before, they would have shamelessly pursued her themselves.
The prize had been up for grabs. When Jiang Zishi announced he was getting married, they all thought their time had finally come. But now, the prize was about to move away...
"Jiang, that’s not right of you. You’re getting married and it’s inconvenient for you to look after Chi, but aren’t there still plenty of us comrades here?"
"That idea we had before about taking turns doing her work for a bit of her rations is totally feasible. Why wouldn’t we be able to take good care of her?"
"The people at the farm are all sly old foxes. If a little white rabbit like Chi goes there, won’t she be eaten alive?"
"We’ve been comrades for over a year. You’re telling us we’re worse than that bunch at the farm?"
All the speakers were male educated youths. Even heroes are susceptible to the charms of a beautiful woman, let alone unrefined men like them.
Chi might have her faults, but she was just too beautiful. Even seeing her just sitting there, not moving, was a pleasant sight that soothed the soul.
Every night, they wished she would appear in their dreams!
They couldn’t date her, so couldn’t they at least be allowed to steal a few more glances at her every day?
Jiang Zishi smiled, but inwardly, he was deeply displeased by their blatant desire for Chi Yun’er. "If she doesn’t work for a long time, it’ll attract gossip. Besides, Yumin will be living in this courtyard with us in the future. It’s inevitable they’ll clash if they see each other."
"The farm is big and has a lot of people; there’s bound to be a job there that suits her."
"It’s getting late. Aren’t you tired after working all day?"
"Get some rest. We still have to work tonight!"
The group, still wanting to talk more, quickly finished their meals and went about their business.
Chi Yun’er smiled silently. After finishing her meal, she went out, washed her bowl and chopsticks, and boiled a pot of hot water. By now, most people had gone to work. She mixed a basin of warm water and took a comfortable bath.
As she was drying her hair, she heard faint footsteps outside her door. Even though the person was being extremely careful, Chi Yun’er could still identify him from the sound of his steps and his breathing.
All the houses of the educated youth outpost were clustered together. She narrowed her eyes. In the windless summer night, she could tell who else hadn’t gone to work.
The busy farming season was exhausting, but the work points were correspondingly high. Anyone who depended on the fields for their livelihood couldn’t bear to miss such a good opportunity to earn points.
Therefore, almost all the educated youths at the outpost had gone out, even the injured Jiang Zishi, who went to the fields with them, fearing he’d draw complaints if he didn’t.
The only ones left were Zheng, who was feeling unwell, and the man outside her door who had just pretended to be sound asleep so he wouldn’t have to leave with the main group!
Chi Yun’er only remembered his surname was Huang. He was someone who usually kept a low profile. He wore thick, black-framed glasses, and his clothes, though clean, were worn thin. He never spent money if he could help it, worked himself to the bone every day for full work points, and mailed most of his grain rations home...
’What is he thinking, waiting silently outside my door now?’
Chi Yun’er continued to dry her hair slowly and deliberately. ’In an era like this, a woman’s beauty alone is enough to place her in extreme danger!’
She had suffered too much because of her looks. But women love beauty. In this new life, not only did she not hate her own stunning appearance, but she wanted to live with dignity and let her looks be nothing more than an embellishment—the icing on the cake of her life.
After drying her hair, Chi Yun’er scraped a good amount of soot from the bottom of the pot, sprinkled it into the basin of water, and stirred it evenly.
She suddenly yanked the door open and, before the person outside could react, flung the basin of dirty water at them.
"AHH," she shrieked in feigned panic.