Chapter 12: A Hilarious Tumble!

“Go inside and pick out some food; otherwise, my sister-in-law won’t give you anything to eat.”

Jin Chao, arms crossed, leaned against his bicycle, gesturing for Yan Xiaoyue to go inside and buy something.

She spread her hands. “Are my hands not white enough?”

Jin Chao raised an eyebrow.

“Is my face not white enough?” Yan Xiaoyue pointed at her face.

Jin Chao seemed to understand, pulling a wad of cash and a few coupons from his pocket.

The market was gradually phasing out coupons; however, some special supplies from the supply and marketing cooperative still required them.

She took the money and coupons, casually stuffing them into her pocket.

She swaggered into the supply and marketing cooperative. Looking at the meager supplies, she sighed softly.

She didn’t quite understand what Jin Chao meant, but she knew that if she didn’t buy some food, Qi Lan, that old hag, might really starve her.

In her past life, after Jin Qingyang died, she carried his coffin to receive him. Old Man Yan, worried about the scandal and her future predicament, reached an agreement with Qi Lan, paying her two hundred yuan to quell the Jin family’s anger.

And how did Qi Lan react?

She happily carried the coffin away, telling everyone that her son had died, cursed by Yan Xiaoyue, and that the Yan family had paid two hundred yuan—a pittance—as compensation. She emphasized how unworthy Yan Xiaoyue was, leaving the original owner despondent and withdrawn for a long time.

Yan Xiaoyue blinked. She suddenly felt she should do something, to honor the body the original owner had left her.

“Boss, please weigh me some chili peppers and spices.”

She pointed to several spices mixed together. She planned to make a hot pot at home, using less chili to suit the older people’s taste. Cooking was her forte, though unfortunately, Qi Lan wouldn’t be around to enjoy it.

After weighing the spices, she bought some meat and pig offal. The vendor kindly packed them in a waterproof bag.

“You need to clean the pig offal with wheat flour; otherwise, it’s hard to clean thoroughly,” the boss whispered.

She realized then that they didn’t have any wheat flour at home. If the old hag didn’t give her food, she would starve.

However, she wasn’t going to be so obedient.

The family’s food rations included a share for their three-person household. Why should Qi Lan have all the say?

The Jin family wasn’t just hers; if Qi Lan expected her obedience, she was delusional.

At worst, they could split the household.

In the future, whoever prospered would live a good life, without accusations of taking advantage of others.

She figured Qi Lan would be happy with that too.

Looking at her purchases—ten yuan total, including a large piece of meat—Yan Xiaoyue nodded with satisfaction.

As they left the supply and marketing cooperative, Jin Chao frowned.

Yan Xiaoyue felt a little nervous and whispered, “Broken Jin, did I buy too much?” She thought she should try to appease him, as the other women had suggested.

“Not too much.”

Jin Chao took the things, hanging them on the bicycle.

Yan Xiaoyue noticed a foam pad on the back of the bicycle seat and felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn’t expected this cold man to be so thoughtful.

“Let’s go.” After securing everything, Jin Chao picked up the foam pad and put it in his pocket.

Yan Xiaoyue: …

She’d gotten her hopes up.

She had to endure it, placing her own shoes on the seat to cushion the bumpy ride.

After a long time, her entire bottom would go numb, which was quite uncomfortable.

Finally, they reached Jinjia Village. She was relieved; it was much closer to the county than Yanjia Village.

Yan Xiaoyue remembered that later, during the demolition, Jin Chao died, and all of the Jin family’s properties were in Jin Qingyang’s hands. As the male lead, he received a large sum of money from the demolition.

He used the money to buy rental properties and shops, earning enough rent to live comfortably.

This was Jin Qingyang’s fallback plan, fearing he might one day lose his status as the eldest son of the Jin family in Kyoto. These assets would still allow him to live comfortably.

Recalling these plot points, Yan Xiaoyue couldn’t help but comment that the male and female leads were both ambitious and romantic.

Now that she was here, she would protect Jin Chao and help him return to the Jin family in glory.

It was obvious who the Jin family favored.

Jin Qingyang was eloquent, but he wasn’t their biological son.

Jin Chao may appear cold, but his military achievements were undeniable; he was a man who’d crawled out of a pile of corpses.

“Oh, the jinx is back. Look at this, just married into the Jin family, and already spending so much money. Did your Yan family give you that much?”

Qi Lan sat at the gate, her eyes half-open.

Seeing them return, she scolded them while reaching for the things on the bicycle.

Yan Xiaoyue stopped her. “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, but these are for my personal use and I can’t give them to you.”

She winked at Jin Chao. When he rode away, she felt relieved.

“Not for the family? Are you eating alone then?” Qi Lan’s voice was loud, attracting the attention of the neighbors.

Food wasn’t severely scarce, but most families still struggled to have enough.

“No, Sister-in-law, do you have a problem with that?”

Yan Xiaoyue watched Qi Lan’s anger escalate, her hand rising to strike—but the neighbors held her back.

“Qi Lan, that’s Lao San’s wife! If you hit her, be careful he doesn’t kill you.”

The surrounding chatter helped her understand the situation.

When Jin Chao was away, Jin Qingyang had an affair with his childhood sweetheart, who was sent to the city by her family.

Jin Qingyang was then arranged to marry Yan Xiaoyue (it was originally supposed to be Yan Zhitao), devising this plan after seeing the change in Yan family’s choice.

“Ask any family if they don’t eat separately and have their own private meals!” Qi Lan refused to believe that Yan Xiaoyue was a good-for-nothing. She had already investigated and was glad she hadn’t let her son marry such a woman.

Otherwise, what future would they have?

“Qi Lan, I respect your age, but since you say so, let’s talk. From the day I got married until now, have you ever given me a single meal? If I don’t prepare some food, wouldn’t I starve to death in your Jin family?”

Yan Xiaoyue slowly approached Qi Lan, taking a step with each sentence, forcing Qi Lan to retreat until she tripped and fell into a pit by the gate, landing in a comical heap. She took a spectacular tumble.