In front of Su Wanwan, she deliberately took Liang Xuemei’s arm affectionately.
“Second sister-in-law, once these wild chrysanthemums sell for a good price, I’ll split it with you.”
Liang Xuemei’s eyes lit up at that. She looked ready to enshrine Lin Zhixia.
“Really, Zhixia? You’re the best. If you were my sister-in-law, we’d get along better than real sisters.”
“Naturally. I’m not like some people. Selfish, shameless, thick-skinned.”
Listening to the two of them trade barbs at Su Wanwan’s expense, Gu Shiwei couldn’t take it. She clenched her fists and was about to go argue with them. Su Wanwan held her back.
“You’re no match for those two.”
Gu Shiwei’s little face fell. “Then I’ll cheer for you from the sidelines.”
Su Wanwan nodded and ambled over to Lin Zhixia and Liang Xuemei.
“You two must have died horrible deaths in your last life. That’s the only way you’d have this much resentment.”
Lin Zhixia choked. Her mouth hung open, eyes glaring.
Liang Xuemei was quicker. Her brows shot up. “How are you talking to people?”
“You bootlicker, don’t talk to me.”
“Bootlicker? What’s a bootlicker?”
She’d never heard the word.
Su Wanwan smiled sweetly.
“You’re a bootlicker. No real ability, but you’ve got flattery down to an art. Your brain’s smaller than a melon seed. Don’t go around telling people you’re my second sister-in-law. You embarrass me.”
Liang Xuemei’s eyes went red with fury.
“You… how can you insult people to their face!”
“So what if I insult you to your face? If you can’t hear it clearly, I can carve it on your tombstone.”
Su Wanwan was very good at cursing people out. She’d grown up alone. If she weren’t fierce, she’d have been picked clean long ago. Dealing with amateurs like Lin Zhixia and Liang Xuemei was nothing. A flick of her fingers was enough to curse them until they couldn’t tell north from south.
Liang Xuemei really was furious.
She wanted to slap Su Wanwan a few times, but she didn’t dare.
Everyone knew Su Wanwan was the jewel of the Su family. If she actually hit Su Wanwan, her husband would be the first to come after her.
This round ended in a crushing defeat for Lin Zhixia and Liang Xuemei.
They shot Su Wanwan murderous glares and headed down the mountain with dark faces.
The moment they left, Gu Shiwei turned to Su Wanwan with a look of pure worship.
“Second sister-in-law, you’re amazing.”
Su Wanwan lifted her chin smugly. “Not bad, I guess. Only third in the world.”
“Haha, Sister-in-law, you’re really not modest.”
After these past few days together, Gu Shiwei wasn’t as afraid of Su Wanwan anymore. Instead, she thought Su Wanwan was wonderful. Beautiful and sharp-tongued. Unlike her. When it came time to argue, she could never perform well.
“Sister-in-law, teach me how to argue with people.”
Su Wanwan waved her hands quickly. “Don’t. Your brother will blame me later. A refined, gentle lady turned into a shrew by me. But…”
She turned and looked at Gu Shiwei seriously.
“Your personality is a bit too soft. It’s easy for people to think you’re easy to bully and easy to fool. From now on, you need to be fiercer. That way no one will dare bully you.”
“I’m exactly the type that’s easy to bully.”
Su Wanwan thought of how the original host had bullied Gu Shiwei too. She took Gu Shiwei’s hand and gave it a gentle shake, speaking earnestly. “Little sister, I was wrong before. I won’t bully you ever again. Your brother and I will protect you together.”
Consider it atonement for the original host.
She was the one who took over someone else’s body, after all.
Gu Shiwei’s eyes reddened. Afraid Su Wanwan would see, she quickly lowered her head.
“What happened before… I’ve forgotten it all.”
Su Wanwan smiled. “Silly girl.”
So silly she didn’t hold a single grudge. That only made her more pitiful.
The two found more herbs in the area and packed them all into the basket. During this time, Su Wanwan deliberately went to check the spot where she’d saved the little fox last time. No trace of it.
Seeing the sun was about to set, she and Gu Shiwei headed down.
What she didn’t notice was that behind a large tree not far away, a small white shadow was hiding, poking its head out to peek.
After descending the mountain, they still had over twenty minutes to walk before reaching home. Along the way, the two chatted and laughed, the atmosphere very good. Until a person appeared in front of them, and the good mood shattered instantly.
Zhou Mingyuan gazed at Su Wanwan with eager eyes.
“Wanwan, I have a few words to say to you.”
Su Wanwan frowned. Her first instinct was to refuse, but she suddenly remembered that the original host hadn’t been faithful after marriage.
Though she liked Gu Shiyan, she hadn’t cut off contact with Zhou Mingyuan either.
That on-again, off-again kind of thing. Sometimes they’d even flirt.
This original host really was…
She didn’t even know how to describe it.
She needed to make things clear with Zhou Mingyuan.
She told Gu Shiwei to go home first.
“I’ll say a few words to him and then come back.”
“Okay.”
Gu Shiwei left quickly, but not before giving Zhou Mingyuan several suspicious looks.
This guy wouldn’t be scheming after her Sister-in-law, would he?
After Gu Shiwei left, Zhou Mingyuan immediately stepped forward, blinking his peach-blossom eyes that looked soulful even at a dog, and reached for Su Wanwan’s hand.
“Wanwan… ah!”
Su Wanwan pulled the small trowel from her basket and smacked it across the back of Zhou Mingyuan’s hand.
“Talk if you’re going to talk. Keep your hands to yourself.”
Zhou Mingyuan nearly cried out from the pain. He rubbed his hand pitifully, unable to believe Su Wanwan could be so heartless.
“Wanwan, you spat on me, and today you hit me…”
Before he could finish, Su Wanwan cut him off coldly.
“‘Wanwan’ isn’t yours to say. Zhou Mingyuan, from the moment you and Lin Zhixia rolled into bed together, we stopped being friends. Don’t hover around me anymore, or I’ll have my man beat you until you’re counting your teeth off the ground.”
“Wanwan…”
“Get lost!”
Su Wanwan left.
Zhou Mingyuan stared after her, devastated, his heart shattered.
He clutched his chest and murmured under his breath.
“All these years of love and time… wasted after all…”
Not long after Su Wanwan got home, Gu Shiyan returned too.
His face was taut, the air around him heavy.
Su Wanwan handed him water. He only glanced at it lightly. “Not thirsty.”
His tall frame went around her and headed straight for the backyard.
Su Wanwan was baffled. She looked at Gu Shiwei in confusion.
“What’s wrong with your brother?”
Gu Shiwei was equally confused. “I don’t know. Someone must have made him angry. His face is dark as the bottom of a pot.”
“Probably the weather’s too hot. He worked all day and he’s tired. Tonight I’ll make mung bean porridge to cool him down.”
Gu Shiwei nodded. “I’ll tend the fire.”
She couldn’t figure it out. Sister-in-law had been so good to her brother these past few days. Why did he still look so unsatisfied?
Men. So hard to please.
Gu Shiyan couldn’t figure it out either. Su Wanwan was already married to him. Why did she still need to meet with Zhou Mingyuan?
He split firewood in silence, and the scene he’d just witnessed rose unbidden in his mind.
Su Wanwan and Zhou Mingyuan standing face to face, the devotion in Zhou Mingyuan’s eyes about to spill over.
He didn’t know what kind of look Su Wanwan gave him. Whether it was the same.
He’d heard some rumors before. People said Su Wanwan and Zhou Mingyuan had once liked each other.
Gu Shiyan gripped the axe and brought it down hard. If she had someone she liked, why did she come after him?