Chapter 44

Before long, three more people boarded the ox cart one after another. They were the same elderly women who had come together earlier.

When the time came, Uncle Niu urged the ox forward, preparing to head back. Just then, a voice called out from afar, asking him to wait. Shen Yiyi lifted her head and looked in that direction.

She saw a man running toward them. He wore a hat, a blue shirt, and loose-fitting trousers. On his feet were a pair of liberation shoes, and his entire demeanor carried an air of scholarly refinement.

It was Lin Jiadong.

Shen Yiyi curled her lips slightly.

If she had to describe her feelings toward Lin Jiadong in this lifetime—love? There was none. Hate? It seemed there wasn’t any either.

After all, in her past life, she had been set up as a vicious female supporting character. In the end, when Lin Jiadong had her killed, it was simply the retribution she deserved for all the terrible things she had done to him and the female lead, Jiang Wanrou.

From a moral standpoint, it was justified.

Of course, she felt no guilt toward them either. To her, everything she had done was simply following the novel’s predetermined plot. None of it had been her own willful choice.

To Lin Jiadong, as the male lead, she had merely been an obstacle that propelled him toward success. And to her, Lin Jiadong had been nothing more than an NPC helping her complete her assigned role.

To put it simply, theirs had been a relationship of mutual necessity. There was no need to get entangled in love, hatred, or resentment.

As for the Three Baos and Li Chen, who had ended up in prison or even lost their lives seeking revenge for her—well, that had been the consequences of her own actions. It was only right that she bore the burden herself.

But in this life, this world was no longer just a book. There were no so-called male leads, female leads, supporting characters, or main villains. They were all just ordinary people among the vast sea of humanity.

The predetermined entanglements of love and hate from the past would no longer happen. As long as Lin Jiadong did not take the initiative to provoke her, she had no intention of having any interaction with him in this lifetime.

With that thought, Shen Yiyi no longer looked at Lin Jiadong and indifferently turned her head away.

Lin Jiadong spotted Shen Yiyi at a glance, a flicker of complexity flashing through his eyes.

Lately, the whole village had been talking about how Shen Yiyi brought mung bean porridge to Li Chen every day and even made clothes for him.

At first, he didn’t believe it. But then, for two days, he and Li Chen had been assigned to work in the same area.

He had personally witnessed her carrying a food container, bringing her three children along to find Li Chen, serving him porridge, and wiping his sweat. The tenderness in her gaze had been unmistakably real.

Even when she hadn’t married Li Chen yet and still had feelings for him, she had never looked at him that way.

Shen Yiyi no longer liked him.

Or rather, she had fallen for Li Chen—deeper than she had ever loved him before!

When he first realized this, Lin Jiadong had felt relieved.

Shen Yiyi had constantly pestered him, which had indeed annoyed him.

She was already married with children. If she kept obsessing over him and rumors started spreading, it would be detrimental to him, considering his already sensitive status.

Besides, his relationship with Wanrou had been growing increasingly stable, and he didn’t want Shen Yiyi to ruin it.

However, just now, when he had personally seen her coldly avert her gaze, he suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort.

He had grown used to being chased and admired by her and had never once been treated with such indifference.

For a moment, he even had the impulse to step off the cart and walk away—just to show her that even though she no longer liked him, he had never liked her to begin with. In fact, he had always found her annoying!

But thinking about the long journey ahead, Lin Jiadong ultimately kept a straight face and got onto the cart.

The ox cart wasn’t large. It had no roof, with benches on both sides and a narrow aisle in the middle. If people squeezed together, each side could fit four or five people. When it was crowded, some would even sit in the aisle.

However, there weren’t many people on the ox cart today. The elderly women had placed their purchased goods on the seats, and when they saw Lin Jiadong get on, they made no effort to move their things to make room for him.

Scanning the cart, he found that there was only one empty seat—the one at the innermost side on the left, directly across from Shen Yiyi.

Lin Jiadong hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting down.

Back then, she had been the one chasing after him. Why should he feel guilty now?

Shen Yiyi didn’t look at him. Instead, she idly gazed at the scenery passing by.

Beside her, an elderly woman sniffed the air and suddenly remarked: “It smells so good, like braised pork… and…”

She sniffed again. “And meat buns!”

As soon as she spoke, everyone subtly turned their gazes toward Shen Yiyi.

The aroma was unmistakably coming from the basket on Shen Yiyi’s back.

Seeing that their looks, though filled with envy, carried no malice or jealousy, Shen Yiyi smiled and said: “Aunt He, your nose is too sharp! You can even tell just by the smell?”

This Aunt He was none other than He Weidong’s grandmother—Wang Yan’s Mother-in-law.

Hearing this, Aunt He instantly puffed up with pride. “Of course! My daughter once took me to a state-owned restaurant to eat braised pork. I know exactly how it should taste!”

Aunt He’s daughter, He Jing, was married in the city. Her husband and in-laws were all factory workers, and their family was well-off. This had always been Aunt He’s favorite subject to brag about.

Everyone in Qingshui Village knew about it—not because they paid special attention, but because her family had a notorious gossip for a daughter-in-law.

Seated beside Aunt He was her sister-in-law, Aunt He Erniang, who had accompanied her to the city today.

With a look of disdain, Aunt He Erniang scoffed: “Alright, alright, you had it once and you won’t stop bragging. Li Chen’s wife eats it all the time, and you don’t see her flaunting it everywhere.”

“Eh? What are you saying?” Aunt He glared.

Shen Yiyi quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Second Aunt-in-law He, you’re not wrong—braised pork from a state-owned restaurant really is delicious!”

“I was thinking, since I had to come out today and there’s no one at home to cook, by the time I get back, my husband and kids will surely be starving. So I figured I’d buy a few meat buns to bring back. But the moment I stepped into the state-owned restaurant, the aroma was just too tempting. I couldn’t resist and ended up splurging on a portion. Even then, I’m not sure it’ll be enough to go around when I get home. If it were really like you said, and I could eat braised pork every day, that would be amazing.”

As she spoke, she even smacked her lips twice, as if imagining the taste of having braised pork every day.

Although she hadn’t deliberately tried to change much in the past few days, she no longer carried the aloof attitude she once had when interacting with the villagers. Gradually, they were getting used to it. While they still had some prejudice against her, it was no longer as deep as before.

Aunt He and her sister-in-law, Second Aunt-in-law He, smiled at her warmly. They naturally understood that Shen Yiyi was just being polite. After all, who in the village didn’t know that her family was well-off?

Her Dad was a factory director, her Mom was a neighborhood committee leader, and her older brother was a soldier…

With all their salaries combined, who knew how many meals of braised pork they could afford? Shen Yiyi’s words were simply to avoid making them feel bad.

Appreciating her gesture, they chuckled and said: “Li Chen is truly fortunate to have such a considerate wife like you.”

Completely forgetting how, in the past, when Shen Yiyi ignored Li Chen and the Three Baos, and Li Chen still treated her with unwavering devotion, they had whispered behind his back that marrying her wasn’t worth it.

Shen Yiyi had been wanting to let the villagers know that she truly intended to live a good life with Li Chen. She didn’t want him to keep enduring those rumors anymore. So she smiled shyly and said: “I’m the lucky one to have Brother Chen as my husband.”

The crowd was slightly surprised.

Was Shen Yiyi really planning to settle down and live a good life with Li Chen?