The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 3

Chapter 3

Pei Yunle didn’t sleep a wink. Although the mosquito coil spared her from some bites, there were strange rustling sounds coming from the mountain behind the house all night. When she opened her eyes, a black spider was crawling on the ceiling. It wasn’t big, but it was more than enough to be terrifying.

Already drenched in sweat from the heat, Pei Yunle froze for a second, then silently grabbed the quilt she had kicked to the foot of the bed. With a single motion, she rolled over and wrapped herself into a tight cocoon, not letting a single wisp of air in. She felt as if she’d been fished out of water, and she stayed like that for the rest of the night.

Is this place even fit for human habitation? The mental fortitude required is insane.

With dark circles hanging under her eyes, Pei Yunle sat in the courtyard in a daze.

The sky was the color of milky fish broth. The distant mountains, veiled in mist, rippled like waves of indigo. The small town was swallowed by the fog, a flowing jade of apricot haze. The occasional birdsong, mingled with human voices, pierced the swirling mist, breaking the silence and officially starting a new day.

Breakfast at the house was simple: just a few steamed, waxy-yellow cobs of corn, with red and purple sweet potatoes nestled in a bowl.

Pei Yunle, who usually only liked congee, found it hard to swallow. She had to stretch her neck a mile long to get the food down, gulping down two glasses of water after a few hasty bites.

Grandma Liu was watering the plants with a red plastic watering can. The old woman stood before the flowers, her back stooped, looking as if she might be swallowed up by the blossoms.

Pei Yunle stared at her intently. Her eyes, sore from lack of sleep, made even her speech feel weak.

She was about to speak, her lips just parting when she closed them again. She then raised a hand to touch the spot below her lip, and only after confirming it was bare did she begin, “Grandma, did you hear any strange noises while you were sleeping?”

The old woman’s hearing was still quite good. She turned to look at her, the deep lines on her face shifting as she spoke. “Dearie, did you not sleep well last night?”

“Didn’t sleep well” was an understatement. She hadn’t slept at all.

Pei Yunle couldn’t even muster a smile. “I kept hearing something crawling in my room, and something was making noise behind the house.”

“Oh, that’s because our house backs up against the mountain. There are lots of animal spirits in the mountains, so it’s normal to hear things. You’ll get used to it.”

Pei Yunle’s bloodshot eyes widened slightly. “Do they… come down the mountain at night?”

“No, they don’t do that. But, you shouldn’t go wandering up the mountain either. There are a lot of snakes. No one goes up there except for the people who catch them to sell for money.”

“Okay.”

The watering was done. Grandma Liu carefully placed the watering can beside a flowerpot. When she turned around, she saw Pei Yunle looking all around, as if searching for something.

She picked up a piece of sweet potato and carefully peeled it. “Dearie, what are you looking for?”

“Well, I haven’t seen Chen Qingtang. Isn’t she eating with us?” Pei Yunle retracted her gaze, feeling a little self-conscious under the elder’s watch.

The old woman chuckled. “A big shipment came in yesterday, and then she had to go pick you up halfway through. She hadn’t finished unloading the goods, so she left this morning before it was even light out.”

“Huh? Oh… okay.” They lived so close, yet she hadn’t heard a thing when the other girl left. She had been planning to head out with her, go to the store to help out, and maybe talk about what happened yesterday.

Her main objective had just been cut off, and the motivation that had kept Pei Yunle sitting there sputtered out. But seeing the old woman still here, she felt it would be rude to just get up and leave. She also remembered what Chen Qingtang had said—that the old woman liked having people around, probably because she was lonely.

So, she picked a topic at random. “She lives with you, Grandma. Is she your biological granddaughter?”

“No.”

After finishing her sweet potato, the old woman stared at the flowers in silence for a while. It was so long that Pei Yunle started to doze off, about to fall asleep right there on the ground, before she finally heard the aged voice speak again.

“When she was little, she was just like you, fostered here with me. But one by one, you were all taken back by your parents. Only she was left. I figured her parents were working hard away from home, so I didn’t rush them. But spring passed, and then winter, and I couldn’t get in touch with them at all. Later, I found out her parents had divorced. They each found new partners, and neither of them wanted her. Just like that, she became an extra in this world, all alone.”

“Anyway, I don’t have any sons or daughters of my own. I just took her in and raised her. I guess you could say she’s a gift from the heavens. I got myself a good, obedient granddaughter. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Accompanied by the bitter story, the already unappetizing grains and yams now tasted like nothing at all.

Pei Yunle hunched her shoulders. Her mouth hung open for a long time, unsure of what to say. Then she felt that anything she could say would be superfluous.

“So where is her convenience store?”

The old woman’s cloudy eyes shifted. “You want to go find her?”

Caught red-handed, Pei Yunle gave a sheepish laugh. “How did you know?”

“I saw you sitting on only half the stool, with your body angled toward the gate. You’ve been wanting to leave.”

“Grandma, how are you so observant?” Pei Yunle asked, a little surprised.

“Ah, I’ve seen many people come, and many people go. You just learn to see things after a while.”

In the end, Pei Yunle successfully got the general direction of her destination. Why just the general direction? Because the old woman only told her east or west, fifty meters or a hundred.

For context, even when using her phone’s GPS, Pei Yunle had to hold it out and spin 360 degrees just to figure out which way the arrow was pointing. But the GPS was practically useless in this remote little town. The mountainous terrain was complex, there were numerous waterways, and many of the shops didn’t even show up on the map.

She asked for directions as she went, getting lost multiple times in the countless winding alleys, before finally emerging onto a slightly wider main road.

The weather was getting hotter. She subconsciously started fanning herself with her hand, her mouth dry.

After walking for who knows how long, a convenience store appeared up ahead. In front of it was a freezer chest, filled with colorful, gaudy popsicles. Although they were clearly the cheap kind, made from a pile of artificial coloring, Pei Yunle couldn’t help but stare.

But she was just too broke. There was no way she could spend her ten yuan on something like this.

“Hey, you want one?”

Pei Yunle was still licking her dry lips when a head suddenly popped into her field of vision, startling her so much she stumbled back two steps.

A girl had appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a floral-print dress with a small crossbody bag. Her hair was combed immaculately, adorned with colorful clips. She had a smile on her face and looked very sweet and quiet.

Pei Yunle let out a sigh of relief, but her tone was still testy. “You! You! You! Are you trying to scare someone to death?”

The girl tilted her head. “I’m sorry. I just saw you standing here. To make it up to you, have this.”

With that, the girl deftly opened the freezer, expertly pulled out a “Little Pudding” popsicle, and handed it to Pei Yunle.

“Here, this one’s delicious.”

Pei Yunle eyed the popsicle. “You’re treating me?”

The girl didn’t speak, just kept smiling. Perhaps her smile was too disarming, because Pei Yunle hesitantly took the popsicle.

The heavens are my witness, this girl insisted on shoving it into my hand.

Pei Yunle swallowed, tore open the wrapper, and let the cool, sweet treat melt on her tongue. For the first time, she felt cherished by the world.

After a couple of bites, Pei Yunle’s mood improved considerably, and the pitch of her voice couldn’t help but rise. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Xiaoduo. Can we be friends?”

Who asks that right off the bat? Pei Yunle found it strange, but since she’d accepted a free popsicle from the girl, she chalked it up to the simple and kind nature of the local people and gave an awkward affirmative grunt.

The midday sun was vicious. Even with the high walls for shade, the heat seeped into your bones. Pei Yunle was so hot she actually shivered.

“Ah, it’s so cold. Is it going to start snowing…?”

Pei Yunle: …

Pei Yunle: ???

Pei Yunle: !!!

“Wait a minute, snowing?!” Pei Yunle immediately suspected there was something wrong with this girl’s head.

“Xiaoduo! Are you stealing popsicles from my store again!”

A furious shout came from behind them, sharp as a blade, completely severing the friendship that had just begun to form.

Pei Yunle stared blankly over her shoulder. The real owner was standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at them. The popsicle in her hand suddenly felt scorching hot.

“Hey, what is this, a five-finger discount?” Pei Yunle grabbed Xiaoduo’s arm.

Xiaoduo blinked. “What’s wrong? If you want to eat it, you just take it.”

“If you’re going to steal, steal for yourself! Why’d you have to drag me into it?!” Pei Yunle let out a sharp squawk.

The owner wasn’t listening to any of that. All she saw were the two “Little Pudding” popsicles from her store in their hands. She stomped over to Pei Yunle menacingly. “She’s a simpleton and has no money. You pay up!”

For the first time in her life, Pei Yunle thought it must be nice to be a simpleton.

“Big Sis, if I said I don’t have any money either, could you just treat me like a simpleton too?”

“I can treat you to a meeting with the police, Big Sis,” the owner spat on the ground.

Before Pei Yunle could react, her arm was yanked. The next thing she knew, Xiaoduo was dragging her by the hand, running for it, with the owner in hot pursuit, her plastic sandals slapping against the pavement.

“Wait, wait, you’re running too fast, I can’t eat!” Pei Yunle yelled, trying to watch where she was going while frantically shoving the popsicle into her mouth.

It was clear Xiaoduo was a repeat offender. She pulled Pei Yunle through several turns, over a stone bridge, and then ducked under it, startling a flock of ducks into a chaotic flutter. A woman washing clothes by the water cursed at them, “Are you trying to get killed? In such a hurry to get reincarnated?”

Xiaoduo pulled her along, running like mad, while Pei Yunle trailed behind, apologizing for her: “Sor—ry—!”

The sunlight swarmed like bees, buzzing around her head, causing both pain and sweat.

Pei Yunle was the type to feel nauseous after running an 800-meter race, but now she had no idea how many 800s she’d just run in one go. Her head was throbbing, and hot sweat had soaked her white tank top.

She didn’t know if the owner was still chasing them, only that Xiaoduo suddenly let go of her and knelt by the side of the road, gasping for breath.

It wasn’t as hot here; there was a faint, cool breeze.

“Big Sis Chen, that old aunty was chasing me again,” Xiaoduo whined in a cloying tone that made Pei Yunle’s ears ache.

Her throat burned as if it had been seared by fire. Pei Yunle abruptly lifted her head, following the sound of Xiaoduo’s voice with her eyes.

Chen Qingtang was holding a cattail fan. She pushed aside the string of red beads hanging in the doorway and leaned her upper body against the edge of a glass counter. Her eyes curved slightly, holding a mix of astonishment and a hint of amusement. Although she let Xiaoduo shake her by the wrist, her gaze was fixed entirely on Pei Yunle.

This is so embarrassing.

That was Pei Yunle’s first thought. After all, she was still squatting on the ground, head in her hands, gasping for air. The clips in her hair had fallen out somewhere, and her sweat-soaked bangs were plastered to her forehead. She looked like she had a bird’s nest on her head.

People get very busy when they’re embarrassed. She forced a laugh and stood up, her hands fidgeting as she patted her backside as if someone had just kicked her there.

“Haha, what a coincidence.”

“Pay up! You… two… don’t run!” The owner, panting heavily, finally caught up. She grabbed Pei Yunle’s wrist, unable to get her words out in one breath.

Pei Yunle looked down at the hand clamped around her wrist and took a deep breath. This aunty was a ridiculously good runner. She must have chased them for at least a kilometer.

Sensing Chen Qingtang’s gaze, Pei Yunle became so flustered she started to stammer. “Hey, hey—it’s not like that! I didn’t steal her popsicle, here’s what happened—”

“If you didn’t steal it, why’d you run!” the owner roared, cutting her off.

Pei Yunle shrieked back in protest, “Then why’d you chase me!”

“Would I have chased you if you hadn’t run? Pay up!”

The atmosphere grew white-hot, until a cattail fan was inserted between the two of them.

In the end, the owner left with five yuan, muttering and cursing under her breath.

[I pretty much know what happened, you don’t have to explain.]

Chen Qingtang dismissed the morning’s absurd events with that one short sentence.

[Xiaoduo is a little slow, don’t mind her.] After typing, she turned and walked into the store.

Pei Yunle shot Xiaoduo a resentful glare. The girl, acting as if nothing had happened, was just circling around Chen Qingtang. “Big Sis, can I have a popsicle?”

Chen Qingtang stopped in her tracks. Her slender arm reached into the freezer, pulled out a “Little Pudding” popsicle, and handed it to Xiaoduo before ruffling her hair.

Watching this scene unfold, Pei Yunle gritted her teeth behind them. Shouldn’t I be the one getting comforted here? Her gaze fell on Chen Qingtang’s hands—long and clean, like fine, lustrous white jade.

A pat from those would probably just be bony and uncomfortable, Pei Yunle thought, turning her head away with disdain.

“Hey, hey, you little firecracker, this is for you.” The words were spoken, and another popsicle appeared before her eyes. Xiaoduo was licking the one in her own hand while offering the other to Pei Yunle.

“What, you want me to run again? You little thief!” Pei Yunle couldn’t be bothered to be polite; this was the most civil she could manage.

“Tch, you’re not that much smarter. Big Sis Chen gave this to you. If you don’t eat it, I will. But you can’t tattle.”

Just as Xiaoduo was about to tear open the wrapper, the popsicle was snatched from her hand. She looked up anxiously, only to see Pei Yunle holding it with a triumphant look on her face. “What are you eating? You’re not allowed. This is obviously mine.”

“Big Sis Chen~” Pei Yunle mimicked Xiaoduo’s earlier tone with exaggerated sweetness.

The moment she finished, she saw Xiaoduo’s annoyed expression, which only deepened her own smugness. She turned around and saw Chen Qingtang standing by the red beaded curtain.

The upper edge of the cattail fan rested on the bridge of her delicate nose, obscuring everything but a pair of eyes curved like crescent moons.

As people came and went from the store, the red beads of the curtain would lift and fall, casting dappled light and shadow across Chen Qingtang’s body.

Pei Yunle couldn’t look away. She took a small bite of the popsicle, and a sweet flavor instantly filled her mouth.

She quickly identified the taste. It was red bean and matcha.

She’d never had a popsicle with this flavor before.