The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 11

Chapter 11

Pei Yunle squatted on the ground, examining the things Ji Mingzhu had sent her. The burlap sack in front of her was half her size.

She went to the kitchen to find a small knife and cut open the fabric. After removing the heavy cream, flour, cheese, and some molds from the top, she pulled out two large jars from the bottom. Opening one, she found fried chicken pieces soaked in red chili oil. The fragrant and numbing smell rushed straight to her nose.

Pei Yunle casually picked up a piece and tasted it. It was indeed Lin Zilan’s cooking. When she was in high school and complained about the food, Lin Zilan had stayed up all night to make her spicy chicken, packed it in a parcel, and sent it to her. But that was the only time. Knowing that Lin Zilan was busy making money, she didn’t have the heart to ask her to do it again.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, Pei Yunle held a pile of ingredients, not knowing where to put them. The kitchen could be described as shabby—an old stove, a small wooden table with an induction cooker and pots and pans on it. Tea, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all stored on a cabinet in the corner. There was no extra counter space. Other than being clean, it had nothing going for it.

She scratched her head in frustration. Without an oven, she could only use a rice cooker to make the cake, but the texture would definitely be inferior. She needed to whip egg whites for the cream, but Ji Mingzhu hadn’t sent an egg beater. Whipping them with two chopsticks would “ruin” her hand. She had to find a large bottle cap, carve a few holes in it with a knife, and insert a few chopsticks to make a makeshift beater.

Before she even started on the ice cream, just making the cake base took up the whole morning.

However, the heavens still failed her efforts. The moment she opened the rice cooker, the cake collapsed. Pei Yunle frowned and turned the cake out. It hadn’t risen at all and was just a flat, thick layer.

Could she give this to Chen Qingtang? Pei Yunle herself was disgusted by it.

No, it would be a heavenly punishment to inflict this on an old person. After much thought, Pei Yunle decided to give the cake to a few neighbors. She even found a porcelain plate with a floral border to put it on, which made it look a little better, although it was still just a turd on a golden platter.

Pei Yunle had originally intended to give it to the family on the right, but the voices from across the street were so loud they practically crossed the road and forced their way into her ears. It sounded like there were a lot of people. She figured with more people, someone would be willing to accept her disastrous cake.

The door was opened by a woman in her fifties, dressed quite elegantly. Pei Yunle put on a smile and handed her the plate.

The woman exclaimed, “Oh, dearie, this egg pancake you made is so beautiful! It’s so golden, and there’s no texture at all. Did you make it in a pan?”

Pei Yunle’s mouth hung open. She was too embarrassed to correct her that it was actually a cake. She had to press her tongue against her teeth and go along with it. “I guess so. I was at it all morning. Good things should be shared with the neighbors, so I brought it over for you, aunty.”

The woman took the cake and held it up to her eyes for a closer look. “Is this pancake one layer?”

“I guess so, a big layer, hehe.”

“Tsk, it’s so thick. It must be very chewy.” The woman smiled and accepted it, then turned her head and called inside, “Come out and have some egg pancake! Someone brought it over.”

Pei Yunle immediately wanted to wave her hands and refuse, but when she saw the family’s daughter, the words got stuck in her throat. The person’s hearing aid was as conspicuous as ever.

The moment Fan Ziyun saw Pei Yunle, her eyes widened. Even though she had been trying hard to learn to speak recently, the stress on her words was still a bit strange. “Hello.”

“Xiaoyun, look, isn’t the egg pancake this young lady made beautiful?” The woman broke off a piece and handed it to Fan Ziyun. She ate it, her brows relaxing, and she smiled and shook her head.

Pei Yunle immediately wanted to find a hole to crawl into. So this was what Chen Qingtang meant by living close. They were right across the street.

“You’re not from around here, are you? Are you married?” The tone was a bit high, making Pei Yunle look over. Standing next to Fan Ziyun was a slightly plump woman with a head of small curls, dressed all in red.

Pei Yunle didn’t understand why the people in this town were so obsessed with whether someone was a local. Every time she heard this question, she subconsciously felt that the people of Pingshun were very cliquey. The moment a stranger appeared, they would become very wary, as if afraid someone would disrupt the local order.

“No, and I don’t think that’s any of your business, is it?” Her tone was cold. The plump woman was an expert at reading people and could tell the tone was not friendly. She cracked a melon seed and, tasting the flavor in Pei Yunle’s words, smiled and shut her mouth.

“Auntie Wang, why are you always trying to set people up?” Fan’s mother said with a smile, resting her hand on Fan Ziyun’s shoulder. Hearing this, a hint of displeasure appeared on Fan Ziyun’s face.

The plump woman was the town’s famous matchmaker. She took money to set people up and, in her spare time, liked to carry a handful of melon seeds and go from door to door, gathering information—who got married, who got divorced, who was of a suitable age, and who hadn’t found a wife. As soon as she heard a name, she could draw out their entire family tree on the spot.

The two of them returned to their previous conversation and were soon chatting animatedly in the front yard again.

“Hello?” Although she could speak, Fan Ziyun still subconsciously wanted to use sign language to communicate. But her mother had sharp eyes and scolded her, “Speak with your mouth, not your hands! Is your mouth just for decoration?”

At her words, Pei Yunle saw her eyelids droop, as if to hide some sadness.

In the days she had spent with Chen Qingtang, Pei Yunle had learned some simple sign language, like “hello,” “thank you,” and “sorry.”

She thought for a moment and smoothly made the sign for “hello.” “It’s okay. That egg… pancake, if you don’t like it—”

Pei Yunle leaned closer to Fan Ziyun, standing on the side with the hearing aid. She stole a glance at the two women chatting animatedly nearby and lowered her voice. “Just give the egg pancake to that fat aunty.”

Fan Ziyun couldn’t help but laugh, her delicate features like a pear blossom in March. Pei Yunle tugged at her sleeve and shifted her position so that they were both facing away from Fan’s mother.

She blinked, belatedly understanding Pei Yunle’s intention, and couldn’t help but sign “thank you.”

“Actually, what you made probably isn’t an egg pancake, is it?”

Pei Yunle gave a dry laugh, not knowing whether to admit it or deny it.

“I’m guessing you whipped the egg whites by hand, but didn’t whip them completely, or you didn’t use a Z-folding motion to mix the batter, so it deflated.” Fan Ziyun spoke with some difficulty, often pausing, accompanied by various small facial expressions.

But Pei Yunle’s attention was entirely on her rapid hand gestures. Her hands fluttered like a butterfly’s wings. It was a pity that Chen Qingtang never signed to her.

“But how did you know I was making a cake?”

“I don’t think anyone puts that much sugar in an egg pancake.”

Fan Ziyun’s expression was a little strange, as if she was still savoring the excessive sweetness in her mouth.

“If you don’t mind, you can ask me for help.”

Pei Yunle nodded. Although she probably wouldn’t, she still braced herself and added Fan Ziyun as a friend. Her profile picture was a picture of her cake shop.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with her?”

Pei Yunle immediately knew that “her” referred to Chen Qingtang. “Oh, boss and employee.”

Fan Ziyun was a little surprised by this answer. “Huh? Her little store is actually hiring? I thought you were her new friend.”

“Actually, I begged her to hire me. I guess my boss is a very soft-hearted person. As for friends, I’d rather not.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know when I’ll be going back. Maintaining a friendship is a lot of trouble. It’s not like you, who lives so close. When you miss her, you can just bring over a cake and visit.”

Fan Ziyun gave a faint smile, but her brows were furrowed. “Okay, but I think she’s pretty tough on the inside. And she has very few friends.”

Pei Yunle agreed with the “few friends” part. Other than Fan Ziyun, she had never seen Chen Qingtang hang out with anyone else.

“Is it because she can’t speak?”

“Yes and no. Her personality is hard to describe. I—I don’t know enough words, and my language skills are poor. I can’t really describe it. Do you know what a hedgehog is?”

Pei Yunle thought to herself, she knew what a hedgehog was, but a hedgehog probably didn’t know her.

“A hedgehog has spines on the outside to protect its soft belly. But Chen Qingtang is the complete opposite. Her softness is on the outside. Once you get a little closer, the inside is full of dense, sharp spines.”

Pei Yunle felt that this was different from the person she knew. That person seemed to be soft both inside and out. Or maybe, she just hadn’t reached the inside yet. But as long as she pleased her boss, it didn’t matter where she touched, as long as she didn’t cross any lines.

“Are we talking bad about her behind her back?” Fan Ziyun suddenly came to her senses.

Pei Yunle found this a little funny. “You’ve probably never heard what real bad-mouthing is like.”

“What’s it like?”

“In my experience, it’s usually things said to deliberately create conflict. In short, it’s things that, if the person heard them, would make them want to grab a stool and smash it over someone’s head.”

Fan Ziyun nodded. She had been partially deaf for half her life and couldn’t even hear other people’s gossip and criticism.

Pei Yunle was surprised she had said so much to her. Perhaps it was because Fan Ziyun gave her the feeling of a floating cloud—soft and heavy—which made her unconsciously say some silly things.

“Well, I’m leaving now. See you around.”

Pei Yunle turned and walked out the door with a flourish. Fan Ziyun’s hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, finally extended and waved at her back, a farewell between the two.

As soon as she stepped out, a small car rushed towards her, startling Pei Yunle into jumping to the side, nearly falling into the water.

There were no traffic lights or surveillance cameras here. No one cared if you drove at 120 km/h. At most, you’d get a few passersby yelling curses at your ancestors.

For example, right now, Pei Yunle was contemplating whether to start cursing from his father’s generation or his grandfather’s.

“Big Sis.”

Pei Yunle was startled. She hadn’t expected someone to be behind her, standing on the stone steps. Seeing that it was Fang Xiaoduo, she couldn’t be bothered to deal with her and turned to leave immediately, afraid that this silly girl would cause more trouble.

Fang Xiaoduo wailed again from behind, her voice a mix of helplessness and a cloying, coquettish tone.

Pei Yunle clicked her tongue and turned to look at her. “What do you want? I’m not your sister, don’t just call me that.”

Fang Xiaoduo was holding a flower, standing in a bizarre one-legged pose.

“I was just playing ‘Red Light, Green Light’ with the other kids. They all tagged that person except for me. Then they all ran off to eat, and they didn’t unfreeze me. But I have something urgent to do and I want to leave. Can you help me find those kids?”

Pei Yunle took a deep breath. Fang Xiaoduo’s intelligence was truly hard to judge. How had she managed to trick her back then?

“I say, since they’ve all left, the game doesn’t count anymore.”

“Why doesn’t it count?”

“Because they’re gone, the spell is broken.”

Hearing this, Fang Xiaoduo finally realized the game was long over. She finally put her other leg down and handed the flower in her hand to Pei Yunle.

“What for?” Pei Yunle didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids.

“It’s a thank-you gift.”

“Fang Xiaoduo, do you usually get bullied? By adults or children?”

“No, my parents are both teachers. They all like me very much.”

Pei Yunle nodded. No matter where you were, as soon as you heard that someone was a teacher or a doctor, you would immediately feel a sense of respect. Their character came second to their profession. She suddenly realized that this Fang Xiaoduo might not be as silly as she had thought.

She patted Fang Xiaoduo’s head. “Alright, don’t you have something urgent to do? You should be busy getting home for dinner.”

“No.” Fang Xiaoduo’s expression was serious. She picked a four-leaf clover from the mossy stone slab. “I’m going to visit someone.”

“Do you know the way?”

“Yes, she lives on the back mountain.”

Hearing this, a line formed on Pei Yunle’s brow. Other than trees, there were only animals on the back mountain, and a few lonely graves at the foot of it. What ghost was Fang Xiaoduo going to see? No wonder she had a screw loose; they really couldn’t communicate.

“Alright, alright, remember to go home for dinner. And don’t call me next time you see me. We’re not that close.”