Chapter 36 – The Female Supporting Character Whose Life Was Taken Away by a Transmigrated Woman

It was once again the season for veterans to retire. Zhou Wenhai had been promoted to deputy platoon leader two years ago, and now the current platoon leader above him had decided to retire. As the deputy platoon leader, Zhou Wenhai had a good chance of being promoted to platoon leader himself.

Because of this, he had been working especially hard in the military unit recently. He had always ignored matters at home, and the fact that his wife had been replaced by another person had no impact on him. He had grand ambitions, and a woman was nothing. How could she keep him tied down? When he found out that Su Quihe was pregnant with his child, Zhou Wenhai felt a sense of relief. After all, since he could remember, his parents had always instilled in him the idea of carrying on the Zhou family line. Now that this task was completed, he had even more time to pursue his dreams.

He felt no guilt towards Wen Xin. Though he acknowledged that he had made mistakes that led to their current situation, when they broke off their engagement, his parents had compensated her. The few hundred yuan was enough for her to marry into a good family. Zhou Wenhai didn’t love Su Quihe; the only reason he married her was because she was pregnant with his child, and he didn’t particularly dislike her either.

Zhou Wenhai was called by the Colonel to fill out a party membership application. After leaving the command room at the battalion headquarters, Zhou Wenhai flashed a big smile.

“Wenhai, there’s a letter for you at the duty office.” a staff officer, who had just returned from the duty office, informed him when he saw Zhou Wenhai.

“Ah, alright, thanks, brother. I’ll go get it now.” Zhou Wenhai replied with a bright smile and headed toward the duty office to collect the letter.

The letter was quite stuffed. When Zhou Wenhai opened it back in his dorm, his face darkened so much that it seemed like water could drip from it.

His parents were truly reckless. He and Wen Xin had once been close; how could they let her marry He Xiunian? Just thinking about Wen Xin marrying He Xiunian made Zhou Wenhai feel extremely uneasy.

As for Wen Xin, if she didn’t want to marry, then she shouldn’t have married, but why did she have to run away? The world outside was so chaotic; what if something happened to her?

And Su Quihe, wasn’t she supposed to be Wen Xin’s best friend? Why hadn’t she tried to persuade his parents? Wasn’t she supposed to be the most understanding person? Didn’t she realize that this would cause embarrassment for everyone?

Zhou Wenhai had also started feeling dissatisfied with Su Quihe.

The allowance from the military unit had just been issued, and Zhou Wenhai kept a small portion for his daily expenses. He sent the rest back to his mother, Mother Zhou. As for whether Mother Zhou would give any to Su Quihe, Zhou Wenhai didn’t even think about it. He didn’t have much concern for Su Quihe either. After all, apart from that one forgettable night, their interactions had been minimal.

Zhou Wenhai’s letter quickly arrived at home. Mother Zhou took all the money and vouchers, while Su Quihe looked on eagerly but dared not say anything. After all, in the book, after Wen Xin married Zhou Wenhai, Zhou Wenhai’s allowance was also controlled by Mother Zhou. Later, when Zhou Wenhai became the platoon leader and returned home to visit, after discussing it with Mother Zhou, she finally gave Wen Xin a portion of the money.

Su Quihe told herself not to worry. She would wait for Zhou Wenhai to come back as platoon leader to visit, and then things would be better. She gently touched her already showing belly, knowing that she was carrying Zhou Wenhai’s child. Surely, she would win his heart more than Wen Xin ever could.

Mother Zhou gave Su Quihe a glance, then looked away in disgust. “You lazy wife, what are you sitting there for? Go wash the dishes and feed the pigs.”

Ever since Mother Zhou found out that Su Quihe’s pregnancy was unlikely to end in miscarriage, she had become more and more unkind toward her. Due to Su Quihe’s unfortunate luck, she had even developed a strong aversion to the child in her womb. What if the child ended up as unlucky as her mother?

Su Quihe lowered her head and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. She accidentally caught sight of the scar on her wrist, and her face twisted. It was the result of being bitten by a dog last month.

Mother Zhou had long become indifferent to Su Quihe’s injuries. When she was bitten, Mother Zhou hadn’t even taken her to the hospital; instead, she scraped some grime off a chopping board and applied it to the wound as if that were sufficient treatment. Su Quihe had no money, and her family was of no help, so the scar remained on her wrist. She also had one on her calf, the result of another dog bite.

Su Quihe thought about it, and she realized that her misfortune had started the day Wen Xin ran away from home, and the pendant went missing. She naturally blamed all the misfortune she had suffered on Wen Xin.

In her mind, if Wen Xin hadn’t run away, the pendant wouldn’t have disappeared. She would still have the spiritual water to use, and she wouldn’t have become the talk of the village as the unlucky one.

It was all Wen Xin’s fault.

As she stared at her reflection in the water, Su Quihe saw her face. Back then, skincare products weren’t as developed as they were now. Ever since she had come into this world, she had never bought any skincare products to take care of herself. When she still had a drop of spiritual water every day, her skin had been smooth and fair, without a single blemish, and her pores were barely visible.

But the last drop of spiritual water had long been used up. Now, her skin was dull and rough, with pregnancy spots under her eyes. Her once elegant and beautiful face had turned into that of a plain, yellow-faced woman. People had even said that her skin looked worse than Wen Xin’s, and even the poorest girls in the village had better skin than hers.

Su Quihe gripped the dishcloth tightly.

Wen Xin, don’t let me find you.

Since the last weekend when He Xiunian had come over for a meal, he began to visit regularly every weekend. Wen Xin was digging a drainage ditch in the orchard, and when He Xiunian arrived, he naturally helped. After all, he was a man, and having grown up doing farm work, digging a ditch was a piece of cake for him. Wen Xin had initially refused his help twice, but after failing to stop him, she let him join in.

On Sunday evening, after dinner, He Xiunian played with the puppies, who had grown considerably, for a while before heading back home.

They had become quite familiar with each other, so Wen Xin didn’t see him off and let him go down the mountain on his own.

The next day, Wen Xin went up the mountain with Zhang Chunhua and the others to gather firewood. The wood on the mountain was easy to collect, and they quickly gathered a bundle. Wen Xin carried it back home and then went up the mountain again via a different path.

In the autumn, there were many wild fruits on the mountain, like August melons and prickly chestnuts, among others. Wen Xin had only been up the mountain for a short while when she picked half a basket of August melons. The seeds of the August melons were many, but they were sweet, sticky, and smooth to the taste. The only downside was that you had to spit out the seeds, but apart from that, they were almost perfect.

As she walked further up the mountain, Wen Xin came across a wild prickly chestnut tree. Many ripe fruits had fallen to the ground. Wen Xin stopped collecting firewood and used her axe to knock off the prickly shells, revealing chestnuts the size of her thumb.

Before long, Wen Xin had filled half a basket with chestnuts. She began to head back down the mountain along the same path. When she reached a stream, she saw someone lying on the ground ahead. Startled, Wen Xin hurried over and saw that it was an elderly man in a gray Zhongshan suit, wearing glasses. He clearly wasn’t from the village but was likely from the nearby sanatorium.

“Grandpa, are you alright?” Wen Xin hurriedly went over to help the elderly man up.

The old man let out a sigh of relief when he saw Wen Xin. “I think I twisted my foot. Girl, I’m staying at the sanatorium up ahead. Could you help me back? I tried moving, but my left leg seems to be useless.”

The sanatorium wasn’t far, only about ten minutes on foot, so helping him wasn’t difficult. “Alright, Grandpa, I’ll support you as we walk.”

“Ah, thank you, girl.” the elderly man said gratefully.

Wen Xin supported him as they walked toward the sanatorium. Along the way, the elderly man introduced himself. His surname was Qin, and he had previously worked in the capital. Later, due to health issues, he retired. He had heard that the sanatorium in Xiang Province was famous, so he came here for treatment.

Wen Xin also shared some basic details about herself.

As they talked and laughed, they quickly arrived at the sanatorium. When the staff saw Mr. Qin returning, they all breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to assist him.

Mr. Qin smiled at Wen Xin and said: “Thank you, Xiao Wen.”

Wen Xin waved her hand. “No need to thank me, Grandpa. It’s getting late, so I’ll be heading back now.”

Mr. Qin nodded.

Wen Xin returned home, and Mr. Qin, with the help of the staff, went back to his room in the sanatorium. He called for the person who took care of him. “Xiao Zhang, could you find out where the Wen family girl lives? When my foot heals in a few days, I’ll personally go and thank her.”

Xiao Zhang had already informed the sanatorium’s doctor, who acknowledged the message and went out. Ten minutes later, he returned with Wen Xin’s information. Since only former important figures stayed at their sanatorium, the staff made sure to keep track of the comings and goings of the surrounding villages for security purposes. Wen Xin’s details had been known by the sanatorium ever since she moved to the village and bought a house.

After reviewing the information, Mr. Qin nodded and said to Xiao Zhang: “She’s quite a fiery one.”

Xiao Zhang didn’t respond.

Wen Xin returned home to find He Xiunian playing with the dog outside her door. She was a bit surprised and asked: “What are you doing here?”

He Xiunian stood up and said: “Last time you mentioned wanting to eat lamb, so when I saw some at the market today, I bought some for you.” He raised the bag in his hand.

Wen Xin paused for a moment and then smiled. “That’s perfect! Come on in. I found some August melons and prickly chestnuts on the mountain. Let’s cook the chestnuts later, and we can dry them for tomorrow. They’ll be good to eat even next year.”

Prickly chestnuts weren’t easy to store. Fresh ones spoiled quickly, but if they were cooked and dried, they could be preserved for a long time. When cooked again next year, they would taste almost as fresh as when first harvested.

He Xiunian nodded. “I also bought some lamb offal. We can make a bowl of lamb offal soup later.”

“Alright, alright.” Thinking of the delicious lamb offal soup, Wen Xin hurriedly opened the door a little faster.

It was almost ironic—when she was an adult in her previous life, she had few demands when it came to food. She would eat anything, whether it was good or bad. But as the years went by and her living conditions improved, the food she ate became more delicious, and she became more particular about it.

After being reborn, she had accepted her lack of culinary skills for a long time. But then He Xiunian, with cooking skills that could rival those of a professional chef, spoiled her. Now, she looked forward to weekends and the food that came with it. It felt a bit sinful, really.

Ah, she wondered if it was the food that led her astray or the man.

Back home, Wen Xin used a knife to score the prickly chestnuts in the yard while He Xiunian worked in the kitchen. Soon, the fragrant smell of lamb soup filled the air, and Wen Xin’s stomach growled loudly.

An hour later, Wen Xin set the dining table in the yard, and He Xiunian brought the dishes to the table one by one. Wen Xin scooped two bowls of rice and placed them on the table. The sky was getting dark, so Wen Xin turned on the yard light. Under the dim yellow light, the two of them chatted while eating, very much in Wen Xin’s style.

Wen Xin routinely praised He Xiunian’s cooking skills. Afterward, she couldn’t help but ask a question that had been puzzling her for a long time: “He Xiunian, who did you learn to cook from? Your dishes are almost as good as those from a restaurant chef.”

He Xiunian took a sip of lamb offal soup. “I left home when I was fourteen. My first job was as a side dish apprentice at a restaurant. Later, the head chef noticed I had talent and started teaching me how to cook. I worked at the restaurant until I was eighteen before changing careers.”

Wen Xin clicked her tongue. He Xiunian really had professional training. She gave him a thumbs-up.

After finishing the meal, the two of them cleaned up the dishes, and He Xiunian got ready to leave. Just then, thunder rumbled in the distance, and within two minutes, a heavy rain began to fall. The weather in Xiang Province was always so unpredictable.

Wen Xin, after being surprised at first, had already gotten used to it. She looked at He Xiunian and said: “This rain won’t stop anytime soon, and it’s getting dark outside. It’s not safe to walk on the road at night. Why don’t you stay the night here?”

He Xiunian seemed to think of something, his ears turning red. He cleared his throat and said: “Alright.”

Wen Xin went to the guest room to make the bed and boiled some extra water in the kitchen.

That night, Wen Xin showered, and after saying goodnight to He Xiunian, she went back to her room to sleep.

He Xiunian washed his feet and then returned to the guest room. Lying on the bed in the guest room, He Xiunian was so excited that he didn’t fall asleep until late in the night.

The next morning, He Xiunian woke up with two large dark circles under his eyes. His fair complexion made the dark circles stand out in a comical way. Wen Xin couldn’t help but laugh as soon as she saw him.

He Xiunian, naturally aware of his appearance, felt embarrassed by Wen Xin’s laughter. “Stop laughing, stop laughing, there’s nothing funny about it.”

He Xiunian stepped forward to cover Wen Xin’s mouth, but as she turned away, he missed. Instead, he ended up holding Wen Xin in his arms.

Her warm, soft body was in his embrace, and He Xiunian froze completely. Wen Xin stopped laughing, and the atmosphere between them became awkward.

After a long while, Wen Xin twisted her body to get out of his embrace. “Uh, I’m going to make breakfast.” she said, and quickly ran off.

He Xiunian stayed in the living room. After a long while, he let out a low laugh.