The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 13

Chapter 13

Chen Qingtang looked up, the dim light reflecting brightly in her moist eyes. Squatting on the floor and biting her lip, she exuded a certain resilience.

Pei Yunle looked at her for a moment and felt that this person was even easier to bully. She had been the one feeling wronged, but now she was the one with the upper hand, as if she hadn’t been the one getting the cold shoulder just moments ago.

“Don’t look at me like that. First, tell me, why are you angry with me? What did I say just now that crossed your line?”

At her words, Chen Qingtang turned her head away, not wanting to look at her. But her wrist was held tight, and the more silent she became, the harder the other person squeezed, until her hand, which had been organizing the goods, went limp.

“Tell me. I didn’t ask you for money, I didn’t ask you for suppliers, and I’m not competing with you. What’s wrong with you? Do you think I’m easy-going?”

Pei Yunle was tall and slender, but even for a girl, her frame wasn’t small. The small storeroom was cramped, and as soon as she stood up, she completely blocked the only path, obscuring most of the light.

Chen Qingtang felt a little breathless. She released her lower lip, which had been bitten white. She looked down and saw that the notebook she had placed beside her was now behind Pei Yunle’s feet.

Sensing her gaze, Pei Yunle glanced back and, with a flick of her foot, kicked the notebook over to Chen Qingtang.

Slender fingers picked up the pen and paper. Chen Qingtang tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Pei Yunle tactfully took a step to the side, trying not to block the faint light.

She wrote quickly, but to Pei Yunle, the wait felt like an eternity.

The handwriting on the notebook went from neat and elegant at the beginning to messy and perfunctory at the end. Several lines were crossed out with black ink, leaving only one legible line.

—This is not what you should be doing.

Pei Yunle was a little confused. “What? Are there some rules for recycling? How hard can it be?”

“Or is it that you people here are xenophobic and don’t let outsiders do business?”

Chen Qingtang ignored her, just put down the notebook and pushed down the goods sticking out of the basket. A bag of chips, which had appeared from nowhere, was sticking out conspicuously.

Seeing this, Pei Yunle snatched the chips and casually tossed them into another empty basket, while her other hand shook Chen Qingtang’s arm.

“Why aren’t you talking again? You should finish what you have to say. Is it fun to leave people hanging?”

“Chen Qingtang, can you stop being so mysterious?”

Chen Qingtang shook off her hand. It was truly a disadvantage not being able to speak. If she could, who would be willing to endure this silently? It seemed that if she didn’t make things clear today, this piece of sticky candy would cling to her for good.

—Since you’re educated, you should use that resource to find a job.

Pei Yunle took her pen and, mimicking her, crossed out what she had written and wrote underneath—Who made that rule? I’ll do whatever I want.

As if the tone wasn’t strong enough, and wanting to one-up Chen Qingtang to show her strong dissatisfaction, she added three large black exclamation marks after the sentence.

“Chen Qingtang, don’t you think what you’re saying is strange? Your desire to control other people’s behavior is a bit strong. You know, we have no relationship right now, nothing at all. What right do you have to meddle in my affairs?”

Chen Qingtang whipped her head around. This time, without Pei Yunle’s prompting, she quickly wrote—Not everyone is like you, able to do whatever they want. You have the advantage of an education, you shouldn’t waste it by doing something else, especially something that requires no qualifications at all.

—If that girl knew you went to a good university and have the ability to save people, but you came back to do recycling, it’s really…

Pei Yunle was stunned, belatedly realizing that “that girl” was probably the student from the barbecue restaurant, the one who could study but couldn’t afford it.

For the first time, she discovered that Chen Qingtang was just like Lin Zilan, full of lectures. They were both in their twenties, why couldn’t they understand her at all? They were like old-fashioned antiques from the last century, their tempers as stubborn and strange as those old people.

“Chen Qingtang, what right do you have to put other people’s burdens on me? When I was choosing my major, did anyone ask me what I wanted to study? I’m just so resistant to finding a job right now! I thought about changing my major behind my mom’s back, but all the majors in a medical university are medical. I’d just be going in circles. I’ve had enough! What does other people’s lives have to do with me? All I want right now is a job that can make money. Even if it’s recycling in the wind and sun, I’m not willing to smell disinfectant and live a life that others envy!”

“And anyway, I have the right to mess up my own life! Chen Qingtang, you’re overstepping! Do you live in the Pacific Ocean?”

Pei Yunle saw that Chen Qingtang wanted to write again, but she didn’t want to see any more meaningless lectures. She snatched the notebook from Chen Qingtang’s hand and stuffed it in her own bag. Chen Qingtang’s chest heaved with anger. She couldn’t speak, her open lips were meaningless, only able to produce hoarse, grating sounds that even she herself didn’t want to hear.

Pei Yunle saw Chen Qingtang signing rapidly at her, but she couldn’t understand. She also knew that Chen Qingtang didn’t intend for her to understand. She figured that in this kind of situation, the words were probably harsh and hurtful.

So, she did something that almost made Chen Qingtang die of anger on the spot.

Pei Yunle closed her eyes.

A moment later, a faint, clean scent filled her nostrils, followed by a stinging pain on her face.

Chen Qingtang’s action was very effective. One slap forced her tightly shut eyes open. She threw the pen in her hand at Pei Yunle’s body, then pushed her aside, walked through the small storeroom, and went straight back behind the glass counter.

Pei Yunle belatedly touched the side of her face that had been hit. A light touch, and the skin felt like it had been burned by fire. But she knew that Chen Qingtang hadn’t used her full strength. Otherwise, with her astonishing arm strength, she could probably have sent her to the moon to be Chang’e’s jade rabbit.

She felt wronged and couldn’t help but sniffle. Although what she had done was wrong, what right did Chen Qingtang have to hit her? She straightened her slightly disheveled hair and walked out. Chen Qingtang was leaning on the counter. Pei Yunle didn’t know if she was crying or not. After all, she didn’t dare to stay here any longer, let alone observe her expression and actions. She immediately turned and left.

The red beaded curtain was pushed aside again with a crisp sound. The afternoon convenience store was quiet, as if nothing had happened.

The sun outside was still so strong. Without her cardboard hat, Pei Yunle had to face the sun. She didn’t know if it was from the sun or if the slap had been too hard, but she felt that both her cheeks were burning.

The water flowed gently. Some women were squatting on the stone platform, washing clothes in wooden basins, the water just barely soaking the soles of their shoes. The white walls and black tiles cast a long shadow. It should be very cool standing there. Pei Yunle also squatted down, cupping her hands to splash cool water on her face. A woman next to her glanced at her, then pushed her wooden basin and moved away without a word.

She had never really explored Pingshun. She didn’t like it here. She just felt that it was damp, the residents had no sense of boundaries, there were many insects, and there were also simpletons.

Walking along the river, Pei Yunle heard a couple arguing in a loft above, various vendors shouting their wares, and the wet, sweet and rotten smell of fruits and vegetables from the wet market. A few children were squatting on the ground, playing with paper cards.

How many people didn’t go to school, Pei Yunle didn’t know, and it was none of her business. She just stood there, a little lost. It seemed that everyone had something to do, but she was still an unemployed vagrant, wandering the streets.

She suddenly felt that arguing with Chen Qingtang was meaningless. Chen Qingtang wasn’t wrong, and she wasn’t wrong either. They just had different perspectives. Chen Qingtang had a convenience store, and with people coming and going, she could see a lot of things.

Should I go back and be the first to talk it out? Pei Yunle immediately abandoned the idea. Why should she be the first to back down? It was clearly Chen Qingtang who had been unreasonable first. Couldn’t that person figure out something she herself could figure out? But then again, Chen Qingtang was the one who paid her salary. If she bullied her too much, the day she could buy a ticket back would be far, far away.

Pei Yunle began to bite her nails anxiously. The sun beat down on her. She turned her back to it and continued to bite the nails on her other hand.

After biting off all the excess white on her ten fingers, Pei Yunle decided to be the first to back down. Snatching someone’s notebook was indeed very immoral. It was like covering someone’s mouth in the middle of an argument.

Pei Yunle sighed, convincing herself that she wasn’t apologizing because of principles, but because she had bullied someone too much and had no morals. She just hoped Chen Qingtang wouldn’t push her luck.

Looking at the water, the image of that person squatting in front of her appeared in her mind again. The soft, smooth feeling of her skin still lingered in her palm. This person felt soft to the touch, but her temper was quite hard.

A person like that… just looked like they were asking to be bullied.

So, it probably wasn’t her fault.