Sunlight streamed through the curtains and into the room. The brightness made Ji Yang’s eyelashes flutter, and she instinctively reached out to pull the thin blanket over her face. She was still wondering whether she had forgotten to close the curtains before going to bed last night. Otherwise, how could sunlight penetrate the blackout curtains in her home and disturb her sleep?
Suddenly… something felt wrong.
She was dead. She had transmigrated into a book, becoming the vicious supporting female character in a novel with completely twisted values the female protagonist’s troublemaking older sister.
Great. She was fully awake now.
Sitting upright, Ji Yang rubbed her face. She looked at the female protagonist in the bed beside hers, and an evil idea suddenly came to mind. She turned sideways and gave the other girl’s face a firm slap with her hand, yet spoke in an exceptionally gentle voice.
“Manman, get up. You still haven’t washed your older sister’s clothes from yesterday.”
Ji Man frowned and grabbed Ji Yang’s hand. “It’s so early in the morning! Are you crazy?”
Ji Yang nodded. “Yes, I am. I have a disease that will kill me if I don’t bully you. Now be a good girl and wash my clothes obediently. Otherwise, hehehe… I’ll go visiting the neighbors and announce, complete with gongs and drums, all the juicy details about Ji Man and Jiang Zhiyuan kissing mouth to mouth.”
“Ji Yang, do you really think I wouldn’t dare do anything to you?”
“Mm-hmm. That’s exactly what I think.”
“Fine! Just you wait, Ji Yang. If I don’t make you regret this, then I’ll stop using the surname Ji!”
“No problem. There are so many surnames out there. Mom can help you choose a good one. Which one do you like? We’ll take that one!”
“Ahhhhh! Ji Yang, don’t you dare move! Just wait until I beat you to death!”
Only an idiot would stay still!
Ji Yang darted to the side and shouted loudly, “Mom! This morning, I had a discussion with Manman about women becoming independent, self-reliant, and striving to improve themselves. Manman thinks I’m absolutely right!”
“So, starting today, she plans to wash all the clothes in our family, cook the meals, and then clean the house. She’s determined to become a modern, all-around woman who can be elegant and presentable in public, manage the kitchen at home, take care of every household chore without complaint, look after her family, and still achieve her own personal goals!”
“Ji Yang, when did I ever say that?!” Ji Man was on the verge of breaking down. Damn it, was there something wrong with Ji Yang? Had she suddenly become possessed?
Their father frowned. “Why are you making such a racket first thing in the morning? It’s just washing a few clothes and cleaning the house. Do you think you deserve a medal for it? Your mother has been doing all this for years. Has she ever complained? It’s just washing clothes and cooking a meal, yet the two of you are making such a fuss as though the whole world needs to know!”
“Dad, I didn’t”
“Exactly, exactly! Dad, you’re absolutely right!” Ji Yang immediately cut Ji Man off, giving her no chance to speak.
“My mother really hasn’t had an easy time all these years. It breaks my heart just thinking about it. Fortunately, Manman has finally grown up and become sensible. She now realizes how lazy she used to be, has learned to reflect on herself, and wants to improve!”
“Of course, as her older sister, I must work hard, too. I’ll do my best to guide her toward becoming a better version of herself. That way, after she gets married, whenever people mention her, they’ll say, ‘The Ji family raised their daughter so well! She’s hardworking, sensible, and sweet-tongued. Everyone who meets her gives her a thumbs-up!’”
Their father imagined people praising his daughter like that and felt proud himself. His tone softened a little.
“Mm, naturally, a daughter of our Ji family wouldn’t be any worse.”
Ji Yang immediately seized the opportunity and pressed on. “Exactly! So, let’s start with washing the clothes. Dad, what do you think?”
“Mm, fine. Manman will wash all the clothes today.”
“What gives you the right?!” Ji Man refused to accept it. “Why doesn’t Ji Yang wash them?”
At the mention of this heartbreaking subject, Ji Yang suddenly had plenty to cry about. She slipped into character in an instant, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice dropped several degrees, full of indescribable grievance and sorrow.
“I want to wash them, but I don’t even have a boyfriend! I want to get married, too, but I can’t find a suitable man. Speaking of which, why don’t I have a boyfriend…”
Ji Yang tilted her head and pretended to think for a moment before speaking meaningfully.
“Oh, right. My boyfriend got together with my younger sister.”
The veins on Ji Man’s forehead throbbed.
Their mother glanced at Ji Yang with a furrowed brow.
Breakfast was already prepared. Ji Qiang paid no attention to the commotion and sat down to eat first. But when he heard Ji Yang’s words, he nearly spat out the mouthful of porridge in his mouth.
Their father was fed up the moment he heard about the matter again. He really didn’t want to discuss it anymore. He tossed the razor blade he had been using to shave onto the table and ended the morning’s argument with a single declaration.
“Enough! All of you, say a little less, will you? Are you going to keep this going forever? Ji Yang, that’s enough. Ji Man, wash all the clothes and tidy up the house later. Now, eat!”
The family temporarily called a truce and gathered around the table for breakfast.
In this era, breakfast was never particularly lavish. There was thin rice porridge and corn cakes cooked against the side of a pot. The cakes weren’t made entirely from cornmeal; some bran had been mixed in as well, giving them a rather coarse texture.
Two eggs had been cut into four pieces, with a little soy sauce drizzled over them. Everyone except Ji Qiang received half an egg. There was also some homemade pickled mustard stem, finely shredded and mixed with chopped scallions, garlic, and vinegar, along with a single drop of sesame oil. It actually tasted pretty good.
Ji Yang had no trouble accepting the meal. In her previous life, she had been an actress and needed to maintain her figure, so she hadn’t eaten particularly well either. Her manager had been extremely strict about her diet. Every day, she had to eat vegetable salad with just a tiny bit of chicken breast.
And if she stayed up late and didn’t get enough rest, causing her face to become puffy, she would have to drink a cup of iced Americano without sugar.
It was bitter torture!
So, even corn cakes and rice porridge tasted delicious to Ji Yang.
The Ji family usually chatted casually about various things while eating, but today, no one was in the mood to talk.
It was only after breakfast that Ji Qiang asked their father for money to buy an ice pop.
Their father was a little irritated. He had just given Ji Yang two hundred yuan yesterday, and now he didn’t want to take another single cent out of his pocket. However, Ji Qiang was his most beloved son. Although annoyed, he still took out ten cents and handed it to him.
“Dad, I also want a bottle of soda.”
Their father frowned. “No.”
A bottle of soda cost fifteen cents. How much money did he earn in a day, anyway?
“Dad, it’s just one bottle! Everyone else gets to drink it except me. Every time they drink soda, I have to stand beside them and watch. Just imagine how awful that makes me feel!”
Their father took out another ten cents.
“That’s all you’re getting. Don’t spend the whole day asking for money! Just because it’s summer vacation doesn’t mean you can spend every day wandering around outside with Erzhu and the others. Can’t you stay home for once?”
“What’s the point of staying home?”
Ji Qiang happily pocketed the money and prepared to leave.
Ji Yang watched the money in Ji Qiang’s hand and raised an eyebrow. Soda, huh? She was craving some, too. She wondered whether she could trick this little fool into buying her a bottle.
Ji Qiang noticed Ji Yang looking at him and turned to meet her gaze.
The moment their eyes meet, Ji Yang smiled.
Ji Qiang’s eyebrow twitched. He immediately got up from the table.
“I’m done eating. I’m going out!”
With that, he ran off.