The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 7

Chapter 7

For dinner, Grandma Liu made Pei Yunle a large egg roll. A thin, golden egg crepe was wrapped around a large ball of fresh meat, but there was so much meat that it was too rich. Pei Yunle had to force herself to stuff down the second half, nearly throwing it all up.

She lay on the bed like a freshly cooked noodle, completely limp.

Chen Qingtang came back a little earlier tonight. She had just changed her shoes when Pei Yunle pulled her into the room.

With her hands behind her back and a smile on her face, she said, “Today, I brought you a movie to watch.” With that, she tossed a disc from behind her back.

Chen Qingtang was a little surprised. She raised an eyebrow at the disc, marveling to herself that these things hadn’t been phased out yet…

Pei Yunle peeled off the white plastic case, and a disc fell out. She placed it in the machine’s tray and turned on the connected television.

The DVD player probably hadn’t been used in a long time. If it weren’t for the red light on it, Pei Yunle would have thought the thing was broken.

Chen Qingtang sat primly on a small wooden stool, her elbows on her knees, her palms supporting her slightly pointed chin. Her expression was serious, ready and waiting.

[If I had known, I would have brought back two bags of chips and some yogurt.]

Pei Yunle grinned foolishly. She picked up two clips from the table and pinned back the stray hairs at her forehead.

“Last night… did you not sleep well?”

While they waited, she thought to ask how Chen Qingtang was feeling.

[It was okay. I don’t usually sleep much anyway.]

Seeing that there were indeed no dark circles under her eyes, and that she actually looked quite refreshed, Pei Yunle’s heart settled back into her chest.

“This piece of sh—”

Pei Yunle glanced at Chen Qingtang out of the corner of her eye. Seeing no reaction, she quickly corrected herself, “Why isn’t this machine doing anything yet?”

Chen Qingtang shook her head. She had never used this thing either and just watched as the screen flickered with blue static.

[Last night, did something unpleasant happen?]

Pei Yunle pouted, about to pour out her grievances. But then she thought, she had encountered that kind of harassment on her very first day. Who knew how many years Chen Qingtang had been running the store, or how many times she had encountered such things. Would those people use the pretense of WeChat shopping to harass her?

Pei Yunle suddenly clammed up, the flippant words getting stuck in her throat.

“That guy was just a little rude. Let’s not do business with him next time,” she muttered, knowing full well she had no right to cut off someone’s livelihood. Even if that path was full of thorns and pitfalls, it was part of Chen Qingtang’s daily life.

[I’m sorry. You don’t have to do the deliveries next time.]

“Sorry my ass! That guy should be the one apologizing to me! And you’re not allowed to add those men on WeChat anymore.” She added, “No women either. What if you run into danger on the way? It’s not like they don’t have legs. They can walk over and buy it themselves. It’s a bargain for them that we don’t charge a delivery fee.”

Chen Qingtang looked at her intently. It was unclear whether Pei Yunle was wearing blush today, but a pink flush crept up her cheeks to the corners of her eyes, making her look like one of those dolls on New Year’s paintings pasted on old wooden doors. Even her usual exaggerated, flamboyant demeanor was now tinged with a shadow of cuteness.

Pei Yunle noticed the gaze lingering on her and looked back, only to meet Chen Qingtang’s dark, thick brows and eyes, a smile blooming so wide it seemed to splash out from under her eyes and pool into two small dimples.

She turned her head away, rubbing her hands together uncomfortably. While the atmosphere was still decent, she might as well clear the air about pestering her last night and get the apology over with. She was just thinking about the first line of her little essay.

The blue static on the screen finally disappeared. The picture quality softened, revealing a delicate white wall and a section of a warm yellow sofa.

Pei Yunle felt that this movie was different from the ones she had seen before. Normally, shouldn’t a movie start with credits for the director and staff? Did foreign films not do that? But there wasn’t even a production company logo.

What country was this mysterious movie from?

The sound came before the picture—the sound of splashing water, sticky and suggestive.

Pei Yunle’s brain was like an erupting volcano. Was this a sound that would appear in a proper movie? Clinging to a sliver of hope, she forced herself to watch for a few more seconds, her heart pounding.

What came into view was the creamy white of skin. The sofa sank downwards, just enough to accommodate two people.

In a single bound, with the speed of a hundred-meter dash, Pei Yunle lunged forward and quickly turned off the TV.

Was this a movie? Wasn’t this a porn movie?! No wonder that owner’s words hadn’t made any sense.

Then again, why didn’t this porn movie even have any foreplay? Could this quality really be considered the treasure of the store? But the one thing the owner had been right about was that watching it did indeed make you feel warm.

Pei Yunle felt a fire shoot through her body. Not the wicked fire in her lower abdomen, but the fire of rage in her chest!

Even though the film was off, she subconsciously shielded the TV with her entire body, waving her hands like a rattle drum.

“Hey, hey, hey, this isn’t what I wanted to watch! This disc must have a virus.” She turned around, wiping her fingertips across the top of the TV. “Or maybe this TV is just too old.”

Chen Qingtang’s usually clear and lively eyes were now fixed on the floor. Other than her forehead and the high bridge of her nose, Pei Yunle couldn’t see the rest of her features.

Watching a bit of porn wasn’t a big deal in her opinion, but one person inviting another to watch it… that was just weird no matter how you looked at it.

For the first time, Pei Yunle was so afraid of Chen Qingtang’s silence. She scrambled over, her voice trembling slightly. “How about we sell the TV? It’s been tainted…”

At this, Chen Qingtang finally looked up, patted Pei Yunle’s shoulder, and gave her a meaningful look.

She picked up her phone. Unlike her usual rapid typing, this time she typed much more slowly. Each tap felt like a kick to Pei Yunle’s heart.

Pei Yunle’s pride was paper-thin. How could she dare to wait for Chen Qingtang’s reply? She was afraid of getting a lecture like the ones Lin Zilan gave. The key thing was, the situation was so awkward it made her want to crawl out of her skin.

She stood up and shuffled towards the door, grabbing her phone and fleeing the room.

“I’m going out… for a walk!”

Pei Yunle had intended to change her shoes downstairs, but hearing Chen Qingtang’s footsteps, she didn’t even have time for that. She just ran out of the Liu house in her slippers.

“Dearie, where are you going?”

“My mom’s calling me home for dinner!”

Clutching the disc, Pei Yunle walked straight ahead, her flip-flops slapping against the stone path.

The watery street was bathed in a bluish hue, as if a filter had been applied. The sound of flowing water came from the side, occasionally mixed with the rustle of clothes being washed. In the distance, smoke curled up from chimneys, painting a picture of peaceful years.

Except for Pei Yunle, who was running, crying, and laughing all at once, attracting a group of small children to follow behind her.

The owner was eating a box of barbecue bibimbap, the sound of a variety show laughing from her tablet.

“Wel—”

Before the electronic voice could finish, Pei Yunle rushed into the video store like a gust of wind. The chopsticks in the owner’s hand clattered to the floor.

Looking like she was ready to fight an unscrupulous merchant to the death, Pei Yunle held up the disc and, refusing to give up, confirmed one last time, “Boss, is this a movie?”

The owner was a bit confused. This young lady had been so pretty during the day, why was she a mess of tears and snot now?

“To be precise, it’s a porn movie.”

“An adult film.”

“The genuine article. Aiyo—” The owner hadn’t even had a chance to taste her dinner, but with a smack of her lips, she tasted the intention behind the other girl’s hurried arrival.

She wore an expression of someone who understood everything. “You didn’t make her cry, did you? No, wait, she didn’t make you cry, did she? Young couples have so much stamina, huh? To get to it so quickly.”

“Bullshit! I hope your store goes out of business!”

Pei Yunle raised her arm, but in the end, she didn’t dare to smash the disc on the counter. If it broke, how could she afford to pay for it? After some thought, she threw the disc on the counter. Even though she was already out the door, she turned back to add, “What do you mean, she made me cry? If anyone’s crying, it’s her!”

“No, wait, what ‘her’? There is no ‘her’! Can’t you be less of a gossip?”

The owner took back the disc. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard such things.

Pei Yunle’s chest heaved with sobs. She decided she would walk back to Anyang tonight. Not even the Queen Mother of the West could drag her back.

She walked back to the troublesome banyan tree, opened her GPS, and swallowed hard at the 200-plus-kilometer journey. After swallowing, she continued to cry.

Without mosquito coils, the insects lurking in the woods certainly wouldn’t spare Pei Yunle. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, she was soon covered in large bites. A dozen “cross” seals with her fingernails did nothing; her arms swelled up with welts. She had no choice but to rub some saliva on the red bumps.

“Hey dearie, where are you going? Need a ride?” A whistle came from behind her.

Pei Yunle rolled her eyes at him. “None of your damn business, get lost!”

“Tch, wonder who dumped you.”

Pei Yunle glared at him again, but he was already gone. She could only glare at the back of his car.

She didn’t know how long she had been walking, but the sound of a car engine had been in her ears the whole time. Pei Yunle’s mouth was dry, and she had cried all her tears.

The 200-plus kilometers on the GPS had only changed by a single digit. She really couldn’t walk anymore. Giving up completely, she plopped down on the grass, her face sullen. She reached under her and pulled out a few blades of grass that had been pricking her.

Two white beams of light shot across the ground in front of her. Pei Yunle squinted. The white light was intense. A figure emerged from the darkness. She thought it was another clueless person, but to her surprise, it was Chen Qingtang.

She stood in front of the light, her dress fluttering in the night wind.

For the first time, Pei Yunle felt what light was. It was as if in the next second, Ultraman would reach out his hand and say, “Child, do you believe in the light?”

She licked her dry lips. The points of light in her dark pupils vanished in an instant—Chen Qingtang had just jumped down from that incredibly unsexy three-wheeler.

Chen Qingtang pulled out a jacket from somewhere and insisted that Pei Yunle put it on, even zipping it up to the very top for her.

“I’m not going back. I’m going home.”

Chen Qingtang had followed her all this way. This person had no money and no energy. How was she going to get home?

Pei Yunle was about to throw a tantrum, but Chen Qingtang scooped her up from the ground.

My whole life has been ruined by my lack of strength…

She struggled against Chen Qingtang’s hold, trying to walk forward like a stubborn donkey, until Chen Qingtang pulled her into an embrace, their bones fitting together as if they were one.

A gurgling warmth spread through Pei Yunle’s limbs. The slender figure before her looked even weaker than herself, but at this moment, she was shielding her from the surrounding damp chill.

Does this person actually care about me? Pei Yunle was stunned for a moment. She silently confirmed it. This seemed to be the first one.

She buried her head in Chen Qingtang’s shoulder, wiping her snot and tears on her dress. Pei Yunle had never been given candy before. She was at a loss for what to do.

Even though her tear ducts had long run dry, she still felt a tightness in her throat and a sting in her nose.

“Waaah… what took you so long to find me? My feet are about to fall off! Waaah, do you know how many mosquito bites I have? Waaah, the bed here is hard, the food is as bland as water, there are always ghosts screaming from the back mountain, and those gossipy men babbling on and on, and those little brats were laughing at me just now, waaah, and you laughed at me too…”

Chen Qingtang couldn’t speak. Hearing her voice grow hoarse from crying, she could only pat her back comfortingly.

“Why am I always such a mess in front of you, waaah—”

Pei Yunle was about to pass out from crying. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and the swollen skin stung, making her flinch.

“Arguing with gossips, getting tricked by a simpleton, and watching porn so openly…”

Pei Yunle was determined to vent all her grievances from the past few days right here in the middle of nowhere. Her arms around Chen Qingtang tightened, as if trying to merge her into her own bones.

But when she got to the last sentence, Chen Qingtang stopped patting her and easily broke free from her embrace.

She took out her phone, which she had already typed on, and held the screen in front of Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle’s eyelids were swollen from crying. She forced them open a tiny crack to make out the words.

There were only two sentences.

—[You ran too fast. I didn’t have time to say: that movie isn’t very good.]

—[The quality is too poor. I thought you liked that kind of thing, so I was too embarrassed to comment at the time.]

Pei Yunle was so shocked she forgot to sniff back her snot.

She had thought Chen Qingtang was an unripe, greenish-yellow fruit hanging on a summer branch. She never expected that her core was red, and that a single bite would make the juice splash out.