Font Size:
Chapter 12.2
After eating, the task of washing the dishes still fell to Zhou Yao.
Wen Yue stood nearby supervising, hands on the stove, “Can I take some rice cakes and walnut crisps from home for someone? I want to borrow a book from Li Nianqiu, and it feels rude to go empty-handed.”
“Do as you please.” Zhou Yao replied without looking up, “You’re the mistress of the house, you can handle those things as you see fit.”
His tone was casual, his gaze lowered, his brows and eyes soft and tender, his upturned eyes a bit captivating.
Wen Yue’s heartbeat quickened, and she awkwardly looked away, secretly scolding herself.
Having seen countless handsome guys on her phone, how could she still be so easily charmed?
So useless!
She took a deep breath, and after getting his approval, slipped out. She carefully took a few rice cakes, walnut crisps, and a small pile of White Rabbit candies from Zhou Yao’s cupboard.
“I’m heading out~” Wen Yue called from the yard towards the kitchen.
Zhou Yao’s faint reply came from inside, “Alright, I’ll go out later too.”
Speaking of which, Li Nianqiu and Li Huahong are somewhat related by blood, and can be considered distant cousins. In this village, the majority of people have the surname Li and Fang.
The weather was nice today, the sun not too harsh, warm and comfortable. A gentle breeze rustled the cornfield leaves, making a rustling sound.
Wen Yue walked along the narrow path by the fields, eventually spotting Li Nianqiu’s courtyard near the river downstream.
It was lunch break time, and the yard was quiet.
As Wen Yue pondered how to call someone, a ponytailed girl suddenly came out of the house. Seeing someone outside, she paused, then turned back to shout inside, “Sister, Sister Wen Yue is here.”
Wen Yue dug through her memory.
This little girl is Li Nianqiu’s younger sister, Li Xiangdong, who is 13 years old this year and is in middle school. Children in poor families have to grow up fast. Li Xiangdong, like her sister, was smart and strong, growing up tough and determined in a harsh environment.
Unfortunately, Li Xiangdong’s fate wasn’t good.
Li Nianqiu went to study in another place after getting into college. Despite asking the village head to look after her sister, their family was filled with predators.
Taking advantage of the village head being away, they tied up the girl, not yet fifteen, and sold her to a nearly fifty-year-old widower in the neighboring village for one hundred yuan.
When Li Nianqiu returned home for the winter break, she learned of her sister’s death.
Li Nianqiu nearly went mad, chasing her family around the village with a machete until the village head stopped her. She then left with her sister’s ashes and never returned, making life difficult for her family after becoming successful.
But her sister, like a flower, died in that cold winter.
The sentimental Wen Yue nearly cried reading this part, her eyes turning red, thinking how cruel Li Nianqiu’s family was. The girl was just fifteen, how could they be so heartless?
Her eyes red, Wen Yue looked at Li Xiangdong with pity and sympathy.
Li Xiangdong was puzzled, her clear voice filled with confusion, “Sister Wen Yue, is something wrong with me? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you crying?”
Hearing the commotion, Li Nianqiu came out of the room, raising her thick, slightly messy brows as she instinctively asked, “Did Zhou Yao bully you?”
Thinking about it, she found it unlikely. After all, Zhou Yao had stood up for her at the Wen family this morning.
She had heard about it and had a better impression of Zhou Yao.
“No, I got sand in my eyes,” Wen Yue replied softly.
“Come inside,” Li Nianqiu said, opening the gate and glancing at the few tightly shut wooden doors nearby, her tone indifferent.
Li Xiangdong, the younger sister, said, “I’m going to the toilet.”
She had come out intending to go to the toilet and coincidentally encountered Wen Yue.
Li Nianqiu nodded.
Wen Yue followed Li Nianqiu into the room and quickly glanced around.
The room had few belongings but was clean and tidy. There was a bed with a mosquito net, a desk with two chairs, a severely damaged old wardrobe, and some miscellaneous items.
The walls had several cracks, and the exposed wooden beams overhead were very aged. The living conditions were quite poor.
Compared to this, the blue brick house she was staying in now was a hundred times better.
It was true that nothing could withstand comparison.
**
Hey guys, do check out my other translation projects:
Ongoing
Completed
Ayalee[Translator]
Hi there! Aya here 🌸 If you're enjoying my translations, feel free to treat me to a Ko-fi—it would absolutely make my day! Thank you for your support! ｡˚🐈⬛.𖥔 ݁ ˖