Chapter 26

“Ma! Big brother told us to hurry and get the calves and foals back into the pens! No one knows where the wolves from Shuichuan Village have gone!”

Chen Erhu shouted from the ridge between the fields.

Ma Guihong quickly responded, gave Jiang Henian a few hurried instructions, then picked up the dung buckets and rushed off.

Jiang Henian stood in place, her body covered in prickly wheat husks and chaff, which made her itch all over and feel miserable.

She grabbed her clothes and gave them a hard shake. Ignoring the curious gazes around her, she turned and walked toward a side path.

There was an outhouse to the west, and Jiang Henian planned to clean herself up there.

She had to pass through a cornfield, but not wanting to run into anyone, she deliberately took the route through an already harvested section. She had barely walked a few steps before she unexpectedly ran into someone on the narrow path.

Jiang Henian: “…”

She had just calmed down, and now misfortune struck again.

Song Wenqing was sitting leisurely on a pile of corn husks, one leg stretched out, looking relaxed. When he caught sight of Jiang Henian approaching, his eyes showed that smug “she finally couldn’t hold back” expression. He slightly lifted his chin and continued elegantly putting corn into a sack.

Jiang Henian kept a cold face and walked straight ahead, eyes fixed forward.

The path through the cornfield was narrow, and Song Wenqing’s left leg, unnecessarily bandaged with white cloth, was stretched out right in the middle, obnoxiously in the way.

As Jiang Henian drew closer, she lowered her eyes, struggling between stepping on it or stepping over it.

So fake.

He wasn’t even hurt badly—He Jinshan got his whole leg mangled by wolves and didn’t make a peep during dressing changes. This guy? Just got brushed by a wolf’s tail, didn’t even break the skin, and he’s had it bandaged for ten days.

Clearly just an excuse to slack off. No shame at all!

Blocking a shared path and not even moving when someone comes—no sense of public decency!

And his legs weren’t even as long as He Jinshan’s. What’s there to show off?

With a flurry of inner complaints, Jiang Henian simply lifted her foot and stepped right over him without the slightest hesitation.

Song Wenqing’s smug smile froze. He looked at her retreating back in disbelief, then gave a couple of deliberate coughs to get her attention.

“Ahem ahem.”

Cough what cough? If your throat’s that bad, go drink some Yellow Spring water.

Jiang Henian rolled her eyes and stomped off faster.

Her figure was petite and balanced, her loose blue top and black pants making her look even smaller. As she walked, the red ribbon tied around her black braid danced behind her pale neck, looking playful and graceful.

For a moment, she seemed entirely different from usual.

Song Wenqing was momentarily dazed. When he came to, a knowing smirk crept across his face.

So she had dressed up just to come here. Playing hard to get, huh?

Didn’t expect this country girl to have a temper. Was all that shy, quiet, hard-working behavior before just an act?

Song Wenqing chuckled, tossed the corn aside, and got up to follow.

“Comrade Henian.”

Jiang Henian’s eye twitched. Why was he following her?

Afraid he’d suddenly try to hug her again like last time, Jiang Henian quickly turned around and raised her hand to stop him.

“STOP!”

Both of them paused in stunned silence.

Song Wenqing blinked, then smiled curiously and took two more steps forward, his tone gentle.

“Henian, I didn’t expect you’d even learn a foreign word for me. Your pronunciation’s not bad—it must’ve taken effort. I’m touched.”

Jiang Henian almost gagged on the spot. She wanted to slap herself for speaking too fast earlier. Now this delusional idiot was having fantasies again—how revolting!

She couldn’t take it anymore. Like avoiding the plague, she shouted at him:

“Don’t come any closer!”

Song Wenqing’s smile only grew more self-assured. “Henian, don’t be mad anymore. You know it’s really hard for me to work without you. Since you’re here, let’s stop this sulking. No one else is around—help me finish harvesting the corn over there.”

“Haven’t we always been good comrades, helping each other out? Hmm?”

Jiang Henian’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. Which damned author created a male lead like this?!

This guy… is actually the male lead of this world?! Is there no justice left?!

Well then! I’ll bring justice myself today!

Just then, Jiang Henian spotted someone rounding the corner behind them—Si Yuzhen.

Perfect!

With a sly and sweet smile blooming on her face, Jiang Henian took a deep breath, grabbed a stick from the ground, and flicked up a half-dried cow patty nearby.

Channeling her inner golfer, she gripped the stick with both hands and swung it gracefully and powerfully—sending the cow patty flying straight at Song Wenqing’s face.

“Take this, you shameless jerk!”

The patty hit him square in his smiling face.

At the same time, Jiang Henian saw that the approaching figure was indeed Si Yuzhen.

Even better!

She tossed the soiled stick aside and bolted from the scene before anyone else saw her.

The male lead’s howl of rage was music to her ears—so cathartic!

…

The setting sun lit up the wheat fields, and the breeze carried a faint stench of manure.

Besides having to work in the fields and deal with Wang Chunfang and her daughter, the hardest thing for Jiang Henian to get used to in this world was… going to the bathroom.

The outhouse here was truly…

A full assault on the senses!

If she wasn’t absolutely desperate, or itching to death like now, she’d rather die than go in.

She pulled a packet of chamomile-scented tissue from her pocket, tore a sheet in half, and stuffed each piece into her nostrils.

Then she carefully rolled up her sleeves and pant legs.

Staring at the outdoor “luxury” outhouse made of wooden slats, she backed away a few steps, took a deep breath with her head turned aside, and steeled herself. Using just one finger, she pushed open the mildew-stained wooden door.

Nice—no “golden leftovers” from the previous user this time.

Jiang Henian slipped inside with practiced ease, making sure not even her hair brushed against the wooden walls.

As soon as she shut the door, she whipped out a citrus-scented disinfectant spray from her storage space and doused the place in a misty cloud.

Aside from boxed meals, this was her favorite supply item—a true mental lifesaver.

She then took out a cleansing wet wipe and wiped her face and neck. When the wipe brushed over a wound on her neck, she winced from the pain.

Those gossipy women—she’d held back for days, and today she finally got her revenge. She took a few hits too, but at least they didn’t come out unscathed. Let’s see if they dare talk trash again next time!

They said she’d changed, so she decided to go all in—act a little crazy and cement the new image. No more pretending.

She didn’t have many memories of the original host’s mother, but since she now lived in her body, defending her to this extent was the least she could do.

If it were my own mother…

Her eyes dimmed. She tilted her head up, looking through the five-centimeter gap above the outhouse wall, watching the sunset. Her nose tingled.

The wipe in her hand was soon covered in tiny yellow specks.

Harvesting wheat wasn’t just physically exhausting from all the cutting and carrying—what made it truly unbearable were the tiny wheat chaffs that stuck to your sweaty skin, making you itch and sting like crazy, sometimes even rubbing your skin raw. It was torture.

Jiang Henian pulled out another wet wipe, preparing to reach inside her clothes to wipe more thoroughly—when suddenly she felt a strong itch on the side of her left thigh.

Inside her pants, too?

Frowning, she carefully pinched her pants leg and pulled it down to her thigh to take a look.

!?!!?!?!?

Jiang Henian’s eyes flew wide open.