The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 15

Chapter 15

It was nearly seven in the morning, and the sky was already bright. Pei Yunle felt a piercing red light on her eyelids. She subconsciously rolled over, trying to bury her head in a darker spot. A sharp pain shot through her tailbone, and she fell onto the cold, hard floor. That woke her up completely.

She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, then sluggishly pulled on a tank top and hot pants and went downstairs. The feeling of a hangover was not pleasant; her head was groggy, and she felt like she was floating as she walked.

Today, Grandma Liu had made rice congee. Although it wasn’t as rich as eight-treasure congee, at least it was something she liked. She took a spoon and ladled a large bowlful.

“Grandma, where’s the white sugar?”

Grandma Liu was tending to her flowers. She glanced at the congee in her bowl. “You want to add sugar?”

“Yeah, without any flavor, life feels bitter.”

Grandma Liu’s lips moved as if to say something, but she didn’t. “Your taste is so strange. The white sugar is with the salt and soy sauce.”

Pei Yunle pouted. What was so strange about adding a little white sugar? The thought of the ice cream cake from last night, still in the freezer, made her stride into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door; it was empty.

It wasn’t thrown away as trash, was it?

Pei Yunle shouted out, “Grandma, where’s that stainless steel mold? Have you seen it?”

“Oh, didn’t you say you made it for Qingtang? I helped you take it to her this morning.”

The words were like a thin wire, silently wrapping around Pei Yunle’s heart, lifting it up and swinging it in the air.

Pei Yunle slowly closed the refrigerator door. “Oh, did she eat it?”

“She said she couldn’t handle something so cold in the morning. She ate the cake and gave the ice cream to the little dog.”

Pei Yunle glanced out the window at the Golden Retriever curled up in a corner of the courtyard. The little dog was wagging her tail at her, the fur around her mouth still stained green with matcha.

I’ll have to dock her chicken leg tonight, Pei Yunle thought with a silent sigh.

She grabbed a small handful of white sugar and sprinkled it into her bowl. She walked into the courtyard, found a spoon, and stirred. The white congee steamed.

“So where’s Chen Qingtang? Did she go to the store this early?”

“Didn’t she tell you? Her friend is getting married today and invited her to be a bridesmaid. She should be there waiting now.”

“Pfft—! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!”

Pei Yunle spat out a mouthful of congee. The wet stone path was splattered with white rice. What the f-f-f-f-uck!

What was this strange taste? Was this some kind of dark cuisine?!

Sweet and salty flavors battled in her mouth, refusing to mix, a stalemate. It even gave her two large blisters in her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Grandma Liu was dumbfounded. She walked over and patted Pei Yunle’s back. “Dearie, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yunle didn’t dare to spit out the rest. Old people hated wasting food. She could only hold her breath and force it down.

“Um, I ate too fast and burned myself.”

Grandma Liu looked at her shining eyes, a crystal tear threatening to fall. “Look at you. If it’s delicious, you should eat more, but no one’s rushing you.”

Pei Yunle glanced at the pot of salty congee. It felt like she was eating meat congee, and she almost gagged. Right now, she just wanted to escape this place immediately.

“Grandma, I’m going to find Chen Qingtang.”

“Eh, no need. We’re going to the wedding banquet later. You’ll see her then.”

“I…” Pei Yunle glanced at the congee in her bowl, her tone a mix of grievance and pain. “I want to find her.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Pei Yunle froze, a grain of rice on the corner of her mouth bobbing as she spoke. “Uh, if you tell me, I’ll know.”

“Grandma doesn’t know either.”

“Then where are we going for the banquet…” Pei Yunle’s mouth twitched, and the grain of rice naturally fell off.

“I only know it’s in that hotel, but I don’t know which friend it is.”

Pei Yunle nodded in resignation. “Okay.”

Slap— A sticky sound jumped into her ears. Pei Yunle looked down at the source. At some point, Grandma Liu had added another spoonful of congee to her bowl.

“No, Grandma, what are you doing?” Pei Yunle stared blankly.

“Didn’t you just spill some? I’m adding it back for you. You must be starving, right?”

Pei Yunle’s eyebrows drooped, and she made a face uglier than a grimace. “Thanks.”

“Hehe, hurry up and eat. My flowers still need to be fertilized. Flowers need to eat too.” Grandma Liu put her hands behind her back and went back to her flowers.

Pei Yunle stood up and walked around the courtyard. What she was holding was not food, but a bomb that could blow up her stomach.

Finally, her gaze landed on Jimao’s dog bowl. Jimao stood up and whimpered, circling around Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle quickly poured the congee into Jimao’s dog bowl and pushed it into a corner. “This is your punishment for eating my ice cream. By the way, you won’t get sick from eating something so cold, will you?”

She paused. There was no pet hospital in this town. It would be a real hassle if she got sick.

“Forget it, we’ll deal with it later. Wait for me to steal a chicken leg for you from the banquet.”

…

The old woman’s legs were not convenient, so the two of them had to take a taxi to the hotel.

The third floor was dedicated to banquets. As soon as you entered, you could see a photo of the newlyweds. Fan Ziyun was wearing a pure white wedding dress and holding a bouquet of flowers. She was very beautiful.

A warm sensation came from the back of her hand. Grandma Liu patted her hand. “Let’s go find a seat first.”

Pei Yunle looked around. She didn’t want to sit at the children’s table. She led the old woman to a less crowded table.

“Qingtang said she’s in 402. Weren’t you looking for her? Go and see.”

Pei Yunle scratched her head. She wasn’t sure if she should go now. After all, she hadn’t really made up with Chen Qingtang yet. It would be embarrassing if she lost face in front of Fan Ziyun.

But sitting here was boring. After thinking for a long time, she grabbed a few candies from the table and went to room 402.

The door was open. The room was small, meant for three people, so it was left open to seem more spacious.

Pei Yunle curled her knuckles and knocked three times. The first person to look over was Chen Qingtang.

“Happy wedding.” Two gazes fell on her. She didn’t know what to say, but saying something auspicious was always the right thing to do.

“Thank you. Come in.”

Fortunately, she knew both people in the room, so Pei Yunle didn’t feel too constrained. But she still subconsciously moved closer to the person she was most familiar with. Chen Qingtang, however, stepped to the side.

Pei Yunle pouted, held out her palm, and offered Chen Qingtang two candies. The candies in her hand went from warm to cold, but they still lay there, lonely.

“Can one of you help me take a couple of pictures?” Fan Ziyun shook the camera in her hand.

The makeup artist was cleaning her brushes, the table a mess. “Do you want me to give you some light?”

“It’s okay, it’s fine as it is. I’m not going to print them out, just want to take a few casual shots.”

“Then let the bridesmaid take them for you. I’m busy cleaning up, I don’t have a free hand.”

Chen Qingtang looked at the heavy black object, her eyebrows knitting together. She had never used this thing before and wasn’t even sure where the shutter button was. The screen was black now, and it had been a long time since she had felt so helpless.

Pei Yunle watched from the side for a few moments. She saw her thin hand resting on the camera, but she didn’t move.

“Hey, let me take them for you. The light is good here. It’s crowded where Qingtang is, and it’s backlit, so it won’t be a good picture.”

“Really? Thank you.”

Chen Qingtang let out a sigh of relief and handed the camera to Pei Yunle, finally looking up at her for the first time.

Pei Yunle took it, her palm covering the spot where Chen Qingtang’s hand had been, their warmth overlapping.

Pei Yunle was adjusting the ISO sensitivity according to the light in the room. Unconsciously, a shadow fell to her right. Her hands paused. The pleasant scent of shampoo, like the freshness of a green apple, drilled into her nose. Pei Yunle felt an itch at the tip of her nose and subconsciously rubbed it a couple of times.

She took a step back, leaned her upper body back, and said in a low voice, “The light at dusk and dawn is soft and slanted, which is best for photos. If the sun is scorching and the shadows are dark, the pictures will definitely be ugly.”

Pei Yunle deliberately slowed down the entire shooting process, making sure Chen Qingtang saw every step clearly before she started.

The viewfinder framed Fan Ziyun. She smiled gently, with no excitement or joy on her face. Her body was not posed deliberately. It was as if her makeup was just particularly beautiful today, and she was just taking a daily photo.

Pei Yunle held the camera up to Fan Ziyun. Chen Qingtang turned her head to look at Pei Yunle and found that when this person was serious, her brows would unconsciously furrow, her lips would be pursed, and the muscles in her arms would form a smooth, beautiful curve from the effort of holding the camera up.

“Okay, I took a few. See which ones you want to keep.”

The sudden end of the session also ended Chen Qingtang’s thoughts. She nonchalantly turned her head back, as if nothing had happened.

The moment she saw the photos, Fan Ziyun’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t stop thanking Pei Yunle. She looked at Chen Qingtang and signed to her. Pei Yunle couldn’t understand, only seeing Chen Qingtang turn her face away from her again, not knowing what she had said.

Keeping an eye on the time, Pei Yunle, not being a bridesmaid, had to go back down to the banquet. She said goodbye to everyone in the room in turn, leaving Chen Qingtang for last.

Pei Yunle bent down and leaned in front of her, a playful smile on her face. “I’m going back now.”

Chen Qingtang was unmoved, just turning her face to the side.

Seeing this, Pei Yunle hunched over and leaned in again, insisting on making eye contact, her lips curved. “I’m really going back now.”

Fan Ziyun laughed from the side. Chen Qingtang was a little annoyed and glared at Pei Yunle. Seeing that she still wouldn’t move, she gave her a push.

It didn’t hurt, but Pei Yunle still pretended to rub her chest. “Okay, okay, I’m really leaving. There won’t be any chicken legs left soon, and Jimao will be angry if she doesn’t get dinner.”

She had already turned and walked to the door when she came back and leaned against the doorframe. “See you in a bit.”

Fan Ziyun propped her chin on her hand, squeezing out a bit of soft flesh. She looked at Chen Qingtang. “Who do you think she wants to see?”

At her words, Chen Qingtang also glared at her. Fan Ziyun smiled and took a sip of water.