I’ll Butcher Pigs to Support You! 3

Chapter 3

Song Yugui was unaware that in the other woman’s mind, she was a vicious shrew on the verge of domestic violence. She just wanted to find out how much money the family had left as quickly as possible. She’d had enough shocks for one day; she might as well let the storm hit with its full force.

“I just wanted to ask how much money we have. You don’t have to be so afraid of me.”

Shen Xizhi kept her head down, but her eyes widened slightly at the words, as if she hadn’t expected that.

Her red lips pressed together, and the color slowly returned to her face. But when she saw the shattered bowl on the ground, her heart faltered again.

She’s not going to hit me? Is she really not going to hit me? I broke a bowl, and we don’t have any money to buy a new one. We only had four to begin with…

“What are you thinking about? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Seeing her silent with her head bowed, Song Yugui couldn’t help but wave a hand in front of her face, her brow furrowing slightly.

When Shen Xizhi looked up, the first thing she saw was that displeased frown, and she flinched again. This time, at least, she didn’t tremble all over.

Her voice was just a little quieter, her posture a little more timid and shrinking, her lashes fluttering. “Wife… I don’t know how much money you have. Of the household funds, there are four wen left.”

Song Yugui: “Huh?”

How much?

Four wen?

Even though she’d never lived in ancient times, she knew that four wen was a pitifully small amount. She knew the cannon fodder character was poor, but this level of poverty was still beyond her comprehension.

How could anyone be this poor?

Song Yugui couldn’t understand it. She was the kind of person who got anxious if her savings dipped below a hundred thousand yuan. How could someone let themselves become so destitute?

And with four wen… could they even buy rice? It would probably be gone in two meals.

A sense of suffocation gripped Song Yugui’s heart. She was deeply worried about the days to come, but she didn’t let it show on her face. She just nodded, feigning indifference. “Right. I see.”

Then she turned and went back into the house.

She refused to believe that the original Song Yugui only had this much. She must have a secret stash somewhere!

Shen Xizhi watched her leave in a daze, then lowered her gaze to the mess on the ground. She… she really didn’t hit me, or even scold me.

There was no sense of relief in her heart, only a deeper fear.

She rarely suppressed her anger like this. What was she planning?

It occurred to Shen Xizhi that Song Yugui didn’t always fly into a rage on the spot. Sometimes, when she was truly incensed, she wouldn’t beat or curse her right away. Instead, she would smile, leading her to believe she had been forgiven. But once night fell…

A shiver ran down the young woman’s slender body, and she swayed on her feet, her face growing even paler. Her large, doe-like eyes were moist with unshed tears.

Taking advantage of the other woman’s absence, Song Yugui frantically rummaged through the chests and cupboards in the room, searching for money. She lost track of how long she searched, breaking into a sweat in the cool autumn air, only to collapse onto the straw-strewn bed with vacant eyes.

Nothing. Not a single coin. How on earth did she manage to live like this?

The original Song Yugui had it easy, just up and leaving, dumping this whole mess on her.

Damn it all, she raged inwardly. I’m going to kill you all, kill every last one of you!

The sky outside had long since turned pitch black, and there was no sound from the courtyard. Song Yugui didn’t care what the villain was doing. She was busy mourning her lost phone, air conditioner, refrigerator, and ice cream.

An unknown amount of time passed before the door creaked open. Someone slowly entered, their dark eyes veiled with a thin layer of moisture. Biting her red lip, she inched closer, step by careful step, stopping two or three paces away. “Wife…”

Her voice was laced with trepidation.

Song Yugui heard it. She pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking, I haven’t even done anything today, why is she so scared? Just how had the cannon fodder character raised her, to make her so jumpy and timid? For someone this fearful to muster the courage to kill her own wife, the original owner had to be entirely to blame.

Song Yugui sat up on the straw bed. Just as she was about to say something, she realized the room was pitch black, and she couldn’t see the other woman’s expression.

The darkness was too unsettling.

“Can we light a lamp?” she asked hesitantly.

The other woman was even more hesitant than she was. Her voice was soft and faint as she lowered her gaze. “There’s no more lamp oil in the house.”

Song Yugui felt suffocated. This poor?

She was at a loss for words.

With only the two of them in the room, one person’s silence made the air still, and the other began to fidget. After a long moment, Shen Xizhi finally grit her teeth and said, “I’ll ask the neighbors to lend us some oil tomorrow.”

She thought the other woman was displeased. And for Song Yugui, displeasure meant a beating was coming.

Hearing this, Song Yugui gained an even deeper, more painful understanding of the family’s poverty. She shook her head, feeling as if all her strength had drained away. “No, don’t. I’ll go to town with you tomorrow.”

Shen Xizhi fell silent, assuming she wanted to go to town to buy lamp oil.

They only had four wen. It was barely enough for rice, let alone a bit of lamp oil.

But she couldn’t stop Song Yugui from doing what she wanted.

Shen Xizhi could only lower her eyes and say nothing.

There was nothing to do in ancient times. Using the faint moonlight from outside, Song Yugui rolled over and lay down. “Let’s sleep,” she called out. “I’m tired.”

There was no response from behind her. After a while, there was a sound—the sound of the door opening.

Song Yugui was puzzled. Where is she going so late?

But her confusion didn’t last long. The person who had left came back. Song Yugui rolled over to peek and watched, dumbfounded, as Shen Xizhi brought in a handful of straw, spread it on the floor, and then pulled a tattered cloth from some corner to place on top.

The movements were fluid and practiced. Song Yugui was stunned. It took her a long moment to find her voice, forgetting to maintain her cold facade. “What are you spreading that for?” she asked, bewildered.

Shen Xizhi’s movements paused, and her expression immediately soured. A terrible memory seemed to surface, and a moist glint appeared in her eyes. She bit her lip and said, “Wife, I did nothing wrong today.”

Except for that bowl… but Song Yugui clearly didn’t seem to care about the broken bowl.

Song Yugui was confused. “I know. I’m asking what you’re doing with that.”

She’s still asking!

A wave of grievance washed over Shen Xizhi. She suddenly looked up. Even in the dimness, Song Yugui could see the faint redness at the corners of her eyes by the pale moonlight. Her heart slammed to a halt. The other woman seemed to stare at her for a long moment before lowering her head again, her voice muffled. “I’m going to sleep here. I don’t want to sleep in the front hall.”

It took Song Yugui a great deal of effort to process that. In ancient times, the “front hall” could refer to the kitchen. She doesn’t want to sleep in the kitchen, she wants to sleep in the room. The original Song Yugui made her sleep in the kitchen?

Lying on the bed, Song Yugui’s eyes went wide. She cursed inwardly, Beast! An absolute beast! If you don’t want a wife, you don’t have to marry one. Why marry her just to treat her like this!