10
Jiang Suisui scooped water from the vat and poured it into the large pot, swishing it around to rinse the pot. Then she prepared to find firewood to light the stove.
But when she turned around, she saw that while the family had plenty of firewood, it was all thick, unchopped logs. There wasn’t much kindling—dry twigs and weeds—left. In the past, Grandpa and Grandma Jiang would split the firewood before using it, or gather fine branches and weeds from the mountain.
Jiang Suisui didn’t think she was up to the task of splitting firewood just yet, so she stood there staring blankly for a moment.
She rubbed her chin and thought for a bit. Alright, she’d have to head up the mountain first.
She had originally wanted to prepare some extra vegetables, but after glancing at the pickled vegetable jar and smacking her lips, she shook her head.
Eating pickled vegetables at every meal—where was the nutrition in that?
Since she was going up the mountain anyway… that’s it! Jiang Suisui’s eyes suddenly lit up. She might as well dig up some wild vegetables too!
A couple of days ago, Grandma Jiang had made wild vegetable soup. Though it was plain, it had been quite fragrant—still better than pickled vegetables at every meal!
Without further ado, Jiang Suisui found a bamboo basket in the kitchen and strapped it onto her back. She also grabbed a small vegetable basket and marched off toward the back mountain with great enthusiasm.
Though Jiang Suisui hadn’t yet gotten to know everyone in the village, she had already wandered around the mountain behind the house several times since arriving.
It was quite novel. In her previous life, climbing mountains was exercise and leisure for people. But for the folks here, it was just an ordinary part of daily life.
Every day, they went up the mountain to chop and gather firewood, dig wild vegetables, and with luck, pick some mushrooms and wood ear fungus. If you ventured deeper, you might spot wild animals but Jiang Suisui hadn’t dared to go that far. Only the most experienced villagers in the village would enter the deep parts of the mountain.
As Jiang Suisui walked up the mountain, she picked up fallen branches scattered on the ground and tossed them into the basket on her back. Before long, it was half full.
As for wild vegetables… only after she got up the mountain did she realize that she had no idea what wild vegetables actually looked like!
Jiang Suisui crouched down and scanned the grass closely. But the ground was overgrown with weeds that all looked the same—green stems and leaves. She had no way of telling which were edible and which weren’t.
She let out a sigh, wondering if she would seem “slow” again if she went to ask Grandma Jiang what the usual wild vegetables looked like.
A native country girl who couldn’t identify wild vegetables! That would be hard to believe. In the village, children started helping their families dig wild vegetables all over the mountains as soon as they could walk and run.
Jiang Suisui crouched there, feeling a bit deflated. But just then, she heard chattering voices coming from another direction. The voices grew louder as they approached—it seemed someone was coming this way.
She turned her head toward the source of the voices and waited for the people to draw nearer. Eventually, she saw that it was a group of kids carrying baskets, with small shovels and hoes in their hands.
Leading the group was a sturdy, round-faced boy of about ten, holding the hand of a slightly younger, delicate-looking girl. The two walked at the front, chatting and laughing as they went.
When they passed by Jiang Suisui, they glanced at her with a hint of hostility for some reason, but none of them spoke. They just walked briskly past.
Yet Jiang Suisui, left behind, could still vaguely hear their whispering.
“Brother, walk faster! Didn’t you say there were mushrooms ahead? Don’t let Jiang Suisui find out, or she’ll snatch them again!”
“Don’t worry, there are a lot of us this time. We’re not afraid of her!”
“That’s right! Sister Hongxia, we’ll protect you. No need to be scared of her!”
…………
Good grief. The original owner’s reputation was really terrible—she’d even snatched things from little kids.
Jiang Suisui was at a loss for words. She had initially thought, seeing their gear, that they were probably out digging wild vegetables too, and had considered tagging along to learn from them. Forget it—better not make herself unwelcome.
She changed direction and headed the opposite way.
Before long, she arrived at a clearing with thick, lush grass. She found a spot to sit down and looked around at the vegetation. It was abundant, but she might have to go back empty-handed.
Jiang Suisui simply leaned back and lay down. The natural grass was thick and soft. The trees here were dense, and the shade from their canopy kept her from feeling the sun’s heat.
So comfortable… She crossed her hands behind her head, rested on her arms, and crossed her legs, gazing up at the leaves above and the sunlight filtering through the gaps. Occasionally, she could hear birdsong. It was a rare moment of leisure.
Wild vegetables were out of the question. She’d lie down for a bit longer and then head back—she could only make do with some cabbage leaves for soup… Jiang Suisui thought as she slowly closed her eyes, dozing off in the serene atmosphere.
“Rustle, rustle…”
Footsteps approached. Jiang Suisui was only napping, not fully asleep, and was soon roused. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see a small, slender figure.
Coarse cloth and hemp clothes, loose and baggy, making the person look especially thin and small. The pant legs were a bit too short, revealing thin, bony ankles and half of her calves. A small basket hung from her hand as she walked along, searching the ground.
Another kid… Jiang Suisui thought groggily.
She was lying behind a tree. If someone passed by without looking carefully, they probably wouldn’t notice her.
Jiang Suisui turned her head back and stopped watching. She didn’t plan to make a sound—given the original owner’s overbearing and domineering personality, she had probably bullied every child in the village. Better not scare anyone.
She closed her eyes and continued her nap, planning to wait until the child left, then lie there a little longer before going home to cook.
“Ah…” A clear, cool voice suddenly sounded above Jiang Suisui’s head, laced with surprise.
Jiang Suisui opened her eyes and saw that the child who had been at a distance earlier had somehow quietly made her way right in front of her.
The little girl’s eyes were wide open, her face still holding traces of alarm and the shock of seeing Jiang Suisui suddenly open her eyes.
Wow, what a pretty little girl!
Jiang Suisui’s eyes lit up as she took in the child’s features.
The girl in front of her had big eyes, round and wide from the small fright, like a cat’s. Her features were delicate and fine, her skin fair, her bearing crisp and clean. Two small braids were tied behind her ears, making her look well-behaved and cute.
She hadn’t expected to see such a little darling in a 1970s countryside village.
Jiang Suisui quickly sat up and greeted her with a smile: “Hi! Hello there.”
But as soon as the words left her mouth, the girl stepped back, putting several feet of distance between them, her face wary. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the handle of her basket.
Jiang Suisui’s smile froze on her face. Ouch. Cold reception. Looks like another kid the original owner had bullied.
She softened her voice even more, trying to reassure her: “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to do anything—I’m just lying here resting. If you have things to do, I won’t bother you.”
The girl seemed startled for a moment, then eyed her with a mix of doubt and hesitation. Slowly, she relaxed a little. She pressed her lips together, looking uncertain, as if she wanted to say something.
Seeing her shy, nervous little expression, Jiang Suisui couldn’t help but break into a warm, doting smile: “By the way, what’s your name?”
At this, the girl seemed puzzled. She blinked at Jiang Suisui, looking confused.
“You don’t know who I am?” she asked.
Wow, what a sweet, soft voice!
Jiang Suisui screamed internally, but kept her composure on the outside: “Ahem… I’ve been sick lately, so my memory’s not great.”
The village was small, and everyone knew everyone. She couldn’t help it—she’d just have to say her memory was poor.
“Oh…” The girl looked at her thoughtfully, then slowly said, “I’m Song Yuxue.”
Song Yuxue—what a beautiful name! It suited her perfectly!
Jiang Suisui praised her inwardly, but then suddenly froze.
Song Yuxue?! Wasn’t that the name of the male lead’s little sister?
Jiang Suisui was stunned on the spot, not knowing how to react.
Song Yuxue thought she still hadn’t remembered, so she added, “Song Weizheng is my brother.”
But in her mind, she was thinking—no wonder she’d heard people say that Jiang Suisui had gone silly after falling into the water. It really seemed to be true.
At that thought, Song Yuxue only grew more worried. If she was silly now, then her brother would definitely have to take responsibility, wouldn’t he? Lazy, greedy, domineering, and now add “silly” to the list—her brother was truly too pitiful…
Jiang Suisui couldn’t hear what Song Yuxue was thinking. She was still processing the flood of information about Song Yuxue.
Though the original book hadn’t been long, part of it was about the male lead’s little sister, Song Yuxue.
After the female lead was reborn, she discovered that Song Yuxue had been turned into a big star by the male lead in her previous life. She felt both envious and bitter, and it only strengthened her resolve to be with the male lead. But her feelings toward her future sister-in-law were complicated.
Song Yuxue was young, but her temperament was somewhat cold, withdrawn, and hard to approach. No matter how warmly the female lead smiled at her, Song Yuxue remained indifferent. Only with her mother and brother would she reveal a childlike, cheerful face.
Over time, the female lead grew a little disheartened and only treated Song Yuxue well for the sake of the male lead.
Looking at the girl before her and recalling the plot of the original book, Jiang Suisui couldn’t agree with that portrayal. Even though the girl kept a straight face, the way her cheeks puffed out slightly from pressing her lips together just made her look irresistibly soft! What an adorable little girl!
“Do you remember now?” A voice broke through Jiang Suisui’s thoughts. She looked up and saw Song Yuxue’s cat-like eyes fixed on her.
Jiang Suisui quickly nodded: “Mm-hmm, I remember!” This was her future sister-in-law, after all!
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Do you know about… what’s going on between me and your brother?”
Song Yuxue nodded: “The engagement is already set, so of course I know.”
“Oh…” Jiang Suisui felt a little awkward and didn’t know what to say. Even though she was engaged to her brother, she didn’t actually plan to go through with marrying the male lead.
The male lead didn’t like her, and she didn’t really know him either. She intended to drag things out until the college entrance exams. Or she could discuss it with him and simply call off the engagement altogether.
Now, facing the male lead’s family member, she felt a bit embarrassed. First, she had forced the engagement, and now she was going back on her word to cancel it—it was really putting everyone through a lot of trouble.
**