20
Shen Zhiwen had no idea why Jiang Miaomiao had suddenly stopped coming to see him for days. Naturally, he couldn’t have guessed that Jiang Miaomiao had been reborn and had seen through his scumbag nature.
He was simply fretting over who would wash his clothes now, who would polish his shoes, and who would secretly help him with the fieldwork.
Ever since he’d been sent to the countryside at the start of the year, he’d met Jiang Miaomiao, and she’d been helping him with his work for over half a year. These past few days without her help, he’d nearly been too exhausted to hold on and was about to go find her himself which wouldn’t have suited his composed, dignified style at all.
Fortunately, Jiang Miaomiao had come to see him again.
Unfortunately, she’d said a few words and left, with no intention whatsoever of helping him with his laundry.
Shen Zhiwen reluctantly crouched back down, picked up the shoe brush, and thought to himself: It seems even country girls can be lazy sometimes. And she claims to admire him? Was this how she shows it? He mentally docked some points from Jiang Miaomiao.
As he scrubbed, his movements gradually slowed. He thought about the two “girlfriends” Jiang Miaomiao had mentioned and began to consider perhaps they could be useful…
And that was how the scene Jiang Suisui witnessed at the ox cart the next day came to be.
She probably understood now—Jiang Miaomiao was playing matchmaker for Zhang Wenfang and Li Daidi.
But she was a bit curious: how did everyone seem to have their eye on Shen Zhiwen all of a sudden? Weren’t they afraid they’d end up fighting over a man? Although the original novel had been abandoned and she didn’t know what happened later, she felt it was entirely possible.
Jiang Suisui was so absorbed in her own thoughts that her gaze remained fixed on the people across from her.
Song Weizheng couldn’t help frowning slightly, a trace of impatience creeping into his voice: “Hurry up and get on. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”
As soon as he spoke, others immediately chimed in.
“Exactly! You’re late already what’s the holdup? Get on with it!”
“Old Liu, we’re not waiting anymore this time, are we? Can we go now?”
Old Liu took a look at the cart, sized things up, and nodded: “Alright, just about full. We can head out now.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhiwen quickly said to both sides: “Let’s get on quickly don’t hold up everyone’s trip.”
Shen Zhiwen didn’t have much money. He saved up for a while just to make it out of the village once in a while; if he missed this chance, he’d have to wait for the next one. And he certainly didn’t want to humble himself by borrowing a bicycle and having to look at Wu Jiacheng’s arrogant face.
Seeing them start to move, Jiang Suisui suddenly snapped out of it and realized she still hadn’t gotten on the cart.
She hurriedly climbed aboard, claiming the only empty spot, setting the egg basket on her lap. Forgetting all about ladylike behavior, she pushed herself inward with all her might to make a little room, then reached out to Song Weizheng: “Hurry up and get on! We can squeeze!”
Without a word, Song Weizheng planted one hand on the cart and sat down beside Jiang Suisui.
Shen Zhiwen, Jiang Miaomiao, and the other two also scrambled to get on but there was no room left. Both sides of the cart were full, and the middle was packed with people squeezed together.
Shen Zhiwen’s face flushed with embarrassment. He said gently, “Comrades, could you make a little room for us?”
An auntie replied bluntly: “Make room? Just get on, what’s the problem?”
“But… how?” Shen Zhiwen had ridden the village ox cart before, but this time they’d come a bit late, and for some reason, there were especially many people today.
“Get on or don’t! Old Liu, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss out! My two pieces of fabric will be gone!”
“Oh, tell me about it I heard they’re getting a batch of seconds in town today, buy one get one free. I’ve been waiting ages for this day. If we miss it, I’ll have words with you all!”
Suddenly, a cacophony of aunties and grannies started squabbling, and Shen Zhiwen grew more and more uncomfortable.
Jiang Miaomiao scoffed inwardly. She was growing more and more intolerant of Shen Zhiwen’s city-boy habit of turning his nose up at everything.
She glanced over at Song Weizheng—look at him, so steady and composed. Her eyes sparkled.
Ignoring Shen Zhiwen, she climbed onto the cart first. As she did, she seemed to lose her footing, letting out an “Oof!” and falling toward Song Weizheng.
Jiang Suisui’s eyes widened, ready to witness the male and female leads’ intimate contact.
But quick as lightning, Song Weizheng somehow shifted, pressing closer to her side, and Jiang Miaomiao met empty air, nearly tumbling off.
“Oh, Miaomiao, you almost fell!”
“Scoot over here, sit by Auntie.”
“There really are a lot of people today—it’s so crowded. Is everyone rushing to buy fabric?”
“You bet! I’m counting on this batch to make new clothes for the kids.”
The villagers’ chatter dispelled some of the awkwardness of Jiang Miaomiao’s failed attempt. She forced a smile, silently climbed aboard, and squeezed into the crowd. But after sitting down, she shot a fierce glare in Jiang Suisui’s direction.
Jiang Suisui: ??? Why are you glaring at me! Blame Song Weizheng!
Then Li Daidi climbed up too, shrinking herself down and sitting shyly. She looked hopefully at Shen Zhiwen: “Comrade Shen, come sit here—there’s still room.”
Shen Zhiwen looked at the middle of the cart, where people were packed so tightly they were practically sitting on each other’s feet, and his eye twitched. He was quite reluctant.
But he had no choice—discretion was the better part of valor. He grudgingly got on. Only after he was seated did Zhang Wenfang demurely and shyly climb up after him.
They all scrunched themselves into tiny balls, shuffling and squeezing, until finally everyone was seated.
“Let’s go!” Old Liu flicked his whip, and the ox cart finally lumbered into motion.
Jiang Suisui looked down at the female lead sitting practically at her feet and suddenly felt like singing: I should be under the cart, not in it…
She quietly turned to glance at Song Weizheng, thinking to herself: Sorry for taking the spot next to the male lead… but she really didn’t want to sit on someone else’s feet either!
Song Weizheng was calmly watching the scenery recede behind the cart, his gaze distant, as if lost in thought. He didn’t seem to notice her staring.
About halfway through the journey, they hit a stretch of rough, bumpy road.
The ox cart suddenly jolted violently. Jiang Suisui was thrown off balance and nearly flipped backward off the cart.
Song Weizheng reacted instantly, reaching out to brace her back and push her upright.
Still shaken, Jiang Suisui instinctively looked for something to hold onto but there was nothing!
To her right was a complete stranger—an auntie she didn’t know. To her left was Song Weizheng.
The moment the next jolt came, Jiang Suisui grabbed Song Weizheng’s shirt hem.
Song Weizheng turned to look at her. Jiang Suisui bravely met his gaze and gave a sheepish grin: “Hehe, I’ll just hold on for a bit.”
She patted the basket with her other hand and said in a serious tone: “I’m going to exchange eggs for my grandma today. It doesn’t matter if I fall, but if the eggs break, that’s a disaster. On behalf of my grandma, thank you.”
The corner of Song Weizheng’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He said nothing, turning his head back to his quiet reverie.
Seeing he didn’t refuse, Jiang Suisui let out a relieved breath. She thought to herself: This ox cart is way too bumpy. If she’d known, she’d have sat in the middle—sitting on someone’s feet was better than falling off!
What made it even worse was that the rest of the journey was just as rough. Jiang Suisui could honestly say that in this life—no, even in her past life she’d never been jostled around so much.
Her left hand clung to Song Weizheng’s shirt hem the whole way, while her right hand guarded the eggs. She gripped so hard to keep herself steady that by the time they arrived, his shirt corner was nearly twisted into a pretzel.
When the cart finally stopped, Jiang Suisui was still dazed.
Dizzy… from all the shaking.
Song Weizheng looked down at his shirt hem, still tightly clutched, and gently tugged it.
“?” Jolted back to her senses, Jiang Suisui quickly let go. “Sorry, sorry!”
Song Weizheng swung his long legs off the cart and reached over to take the egg basket from her arms.
Jiang Suisui felt her arms empty and blinked in confusion.
“Get down. Don’t just sit there,” Song Weizheng said, looking at her.
Jiang Suisui had climbed onto the cart using both hands and feet—and it turned out she had to get off the same way. No other reason—the jolting had left her feeling like she was floating. Even Song Weizheng nearly reached out to steady her.
When her feet finally touched solid ground, she let out a long, relieved sigh and couldn’t help saying, “Ah, it feels so good to have both feet on the ground.”
“Tch…” Jiang Miaomiao, passing by her as she got off, couldn’t help letting out a soft scoff. How pretentious! She used to be wild as a boy, and now riding an ox cart makes her so delicate she practically leans into someone’s arms.
Shameless! Jiang Miaomiao cursed under her breath again, feeling even worse after that ride.
Jiang Suisui heard it but said nothing…
“Sister Miaomiao.” Even though Jiang Miaomiao shot her a cold glare, Jiang Suisui greeted her with a good-natured smile. After all, she was the female lead—better not to mess with her.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at her suspiciously. Normally they ignored each other. Why the sudden warmth? Something was off—she must be up to something!
“Miaomiao, is this your younger sister?” Shen Zhiwen suddenly appeared from behind and made small talk.
Jiang Miaomiao gave a perfunctory “Mm” and couldn’t be bothered to respond. But then she paused, her eyes shifted, and she suddenly smiled: “This is my cousin, Jiang Suisui. Isn’t she pretty? Suisui is the most beautiful girl in our village. Suisui, this is Educated Youth Shen from our village—he’s from the city, a real cultured man who knows everything.”
Shen Zhiwen adjusted his glasses and smiled: “I noticed Comrade Suisui on the cart earlier and thought she looked especially kind. So you’re sisters—no wonder, no wonder. Truly a pair of beautiful sisters.”
Jiang Miaomiao: … There goes the scumbag, luring girls again.
Jiang Suisui: Good grief, so greasy!
“Jiang Suisui, what are you crowding over here for? Didn’t we say we’re not friends anymore?” Zhang Wenfang suddenly said with displeasure.
“?” Jiang Suisui looked confused. “I’m not crowding anyone. I’ve been standing right here the whole time. Can’t a person stand on this ground?”
“Hmph!” Zhang Wenfang said nastily, “You acted like you didn’t even see us on the road. I thought you had some pride. But look at you—couldn’t even last a moment before crawling back!”
“Ha?” Jiang Suisui couldn’t help retorting, “So what, do I have to make sure I walk far away every time I see you?”
“You’re the one who wanted to break things off, so don’t even think about coming back!” Zhang Wenfang huffed. Then, lowering her voice, she turned to Shen Zhiwen and said sweetly, “Comrade Shen, you’re not familiar with the people in our village. Don’t bother with just anyone—not everyone is as sweet and innocent as I am.”
Sweet and innocent—that was exactly what Comrade Shen had said to her today! Zhang Wenfang felt both smug and bashful inside.
**