Accidentally Marking The Vicious Female Lead After Transmigrating Into A Period Novel - Chapter 8

While soaking her feet, Li Yan was mentally calculating the items she needed to buy for Lin Yishu: towels, toothbrushes, basins, cups…

In addition to these basic daily necessities, she needed to buy some fabric to make clothes. Oh, and socks were a must.

She glanced over at the person sitting there, feet bare and shoved into cotton shoes. She recalled seeing Lin Yishu that morning with one sock missing. She wondered what the girl had gone through on her journey to manage to lose exactly one sock along the way.

Right, I also need to buy a flashlight.

Adding it all up, the shopping list was becoming quite long.

Li Yan looked up at the girl, who was secretly making hand puppets and playing with shadows on the wall, and sighed inwardly.

She had originally wanted to save some money. Well, so much for that; it looked like saving was off the table. She wondered if her meager salary could even support another person.

Forget it, she thought. I brought her home myself. Besides, coming across a “gift from the heavens” wife is a stroke of luck, it’s only natural to pay a price for it, right?

With that thought, Li Yan felt a sense of balance return to her heart.

Supporting a wife was much better than supporting some “male creature.” A wife is fragrant, soft, and knows how to care for people.

She successfully talked herself into a good mood.

However, when she finished drying her feet and looked up, she saw that the person who had been playing with shadows had stopped and was staring at her with an indignant expression.

Li Yan was puzzled. How did she manage to get angry at herself while playing?

Unexpectedly, Lin Yishu demanded, “Why are you sighing?”

Li Yan shook her head blankly. “I wasn’t sighing.”

“You clearly just sighed at me,” Lin Yishu insisted. Her tone carried a trace of cautiousness she hadn’t even noticed herself. “Do you think I’m a burden?”

Li Yan froze. She hadn’t realized the girl was so sensitive.

She had been thinking about the financial strain of an extra mouth to feed, but she truly didn’t consider her a “burden.”

She had indeed let out a light sigh, but she didn’t think it was that obvious.

Seeing Li Yan’s silence, Lin Yishu took it as a confirmation. A wave of grievance surged in her heart, and her chest tightened with bouts of bitterness.

She bit her lip hard, refusing to let the whimpering sound escape.

Actually, she knew she was a burden. It was just…

It was just that she really didn’t know where else to go.

In the corner of her mind, the System which had been quiet, suddenly sensed her negative emotions and felt a bit conflicted: [Are you okay?]

Lin Yishu refused to show weakness. “Fine. I’m perfectly fine. At worst, I’ll just leave tomorrow. The world is huge; there must be somewhere I can go.”

The System, having been bound to her through several “loops,” had long since figured out her temperament. Hearing the discrepancy between her words and her heart, it said: [Haven’t you been mailing your luggage here in batches along the way? If you wait a few more days, it might arrive.]

The System truly thought she was quite clever.

On her journey to escape the wedding, perhaps worried that carrying valuable luggage would attract too much attention, she had mailed her belongings out in stages. Based on previous instances, the first batch should arrive around the Little New Year.

The System felt its own feelings were complicated.

She was the most uncontrollable variable in the plot, a troublemaker affecting its performance review. But after several “escapes” together, it seemed to have developed a sense of camaraderie with her, sometimes even understanding her.

No, no, the System shook its metaphorical head.

I shouldn’t think like that. Smoothly advancing the plot is my job.

The System could “foresee” based on prior experience, but for Lin Yishu, everything was happening for the first time.

On her way, she had indeed sent her luggage in batches to her destination, Xili Village, but she had no guarantee they would actually arrive.

After all, she hadn’t even been sure if she would make it to Xili Village.

While Li Yan was dazed for a moment, she saw the person standing opposite her in the hazy light. Her eyes were shimmering with tears, looking as if she were about to cry.

Li Yan instantly stood up and hurried over, explaining: “No! I didn’t mean that! Don’t misunderstand, I was just thinking about what items I need to buy for you.”

Lin Yishu turned her back and started walking away in a huff. “No need to buy anything.”

After taking just one step, she saw the pitch-black path ahead and stopped.

She grew even angrier at herself for not being able to overcome even a little darkness.

Li Yan watched her movements, and seeing the girl’s cheeks puffed out in anger, she couldn’t help but smile.

She’s actually quite cute.

Li Yan offered the hem of her shirt again, signaling that the girl could hold onto her to walk.

This time, however, the girl didn’t take it and turned her head away.

Li Yan chuckled inwardly. She kept a straight face and walked forward while holding the kerosene lamp.

Soon, she felt the person behind her following closely, step for step.

As they passed the table in the main room, Li Yan noticed the leftover brown sugar water in the cup. She picked it up and asked the person behind her, “Want more?”

She immediately realized it had gone cold. “Forget it, there’s only a little left and it’s definitely cold. If you want some, I’ll pour you more.”

As she spoke, she lifted the cup to her own lips and drained it in one gulp.

Lin Yishu didn’t have time to stop her. “You…”

Hearing her voice, Li Yan turned back. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Yishu’s eyes landed on Li Yan’s lips, then quickly darted away to the rim of the cup.

That was where her own lips had just touched… how could she… how could she be so nonchalant?

But seeing Li Yan’s indifferent expression, Lin Yishu also put on an unbothered front and shook her head. “Nothing. I’m not drinking anymore.”

Hmph. It’s just drinking from a cup, it’s not like we actually touched lips. If she doesn’t care, why should I make a fuss!

I don’t care at all!

Li Yan, of course, had no idea about the inner monologue running through the other girl’s head.

She just didn’t want to waste the brown sugar water.

In this era, brown sugar was a luxury, it couldn’t be wasted.

There was only one bedroom in the Li house, with a large five or six meter kang (heated brick bed) that was more than enough for the whole family.

When Li Yan and Lin Yishu entered, the other three had already gone to bed. Xu Xiufen and Li Can were fast asleep, but Li Chunmei woke up in a daze when she heard them.

“Yanyan, I’ve taken out the new quilt. Remember to cover Yishu with it. The kang is burning hot, so one quilt should be enough, but keep an eye out in the middle of the night. If Yishu gets cold, I’ve placed a blanket at the foot of the bed. Cover her with that too if needed…”

Li Yan tucked her in and whispered back, “I know, Mom. Go to sleep. I’m taking care of it.”

Li Chunmei and the other two slept on the left side near the door. The three of them slept close together, occupying nearly half the space, leaving a large area open.

Li Yan let Lin Yishu climb onto the bed first. Then she blew out the kerosene lamp, placed it at the foot of the bed, and climbed up in the faint moonlight.

Lin Yishu had already claimed the spot near the edge and lay down with her back turned.

Li Yan wanted to say a few more words to her, but seeing this, she could only rub her nose awkwardly and lie down as well.

Perhaps because she had slept so soundly during the day, she didn’t feel very tired now. She turned on her side and looked at the back of the head facing her.

Likely due to her love for novels and TV shows, Li Yan was someone who believed in fate.

Although today’s events were a bit beyond her comprehension, she was actually prepared to accept them fully.

And Lin Yishu…

She was actually quite cute.

Even if she had a bit of a temper, cried easily, and was stubborn…

As if hearing Li Yan’s thoughts, the head suddenly moved. Lin Yishu flipped over and caught Li Yan’s gaze unexpectedly.

Li Yan felt inexplicably guilty, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.

Fortunately, Lin Yishu didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. She simply stared back with her clear, cool eyes and muttered softly, “I can’t sleep.”

Afraid of waking the family, Li Yan huddled in her quilt and scooted closer, lowering her voice. “What’s wrong? Did you sleep too much during the day?”

Lin Yishu didn’t resist the proximity surprisingly, she even moved two inches closer. “No. I’m just not used to it.”

Li Yan thought, You slept just fine earlier today, and now you’re suddenly not used to it?

But then she remembered how the girl had been so exhausted earlier that she hadn’t even woken up when being carried. She understood.

When you’re extremely exhausted, you can sleep anywhere, but when you’re slightly less tired, it’s normal to have trouble sleeping in a strange bed.

Li Yan used to be like that, so she understood the pain.

She remembered every time she started a new school year, the first night in the dorms was always the hardest. She would toss and turn all night and show up to class the next day with dark circles under her eyes.

Just as she was thinking of how to comfort the girl, Lin Yishu spoke again. “Can you lend me an arm?”

Li Yan: “?”

Lin Yishu seemed to find it difficult to say, her expression struggling. “At home, I’m used to holding a doll to sleep. Without an ‘Abebe’ (comfort object), I can’t sleep.”

Li Yan fell silent.

She had thought the girl was just uncomfortable with the bed, but it turned out she needed a “security blanket” to fall asleep.

Li Yan’s lips parted, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Is there… a bit of a difference between my arm and a doll?”

This is weird, hey!

Even though they had the “marked” relationship, wasn’t this moving a bit too fast?

Lin Yishu had summoned all her courage to ask. Hearing the implied refusal, her pride couldn’t take it. “Fine, just act like I never said anything.”

With that, she immediately flipped back over.

Once again leaving only the back of her head for Li Yan to look at.

Great, I’ve upset her again.

Li Yan curled her lips helplessly. She thought this was different, she couldn’t just give in this time.

But after a few minutes, seeing the back of that head shifting restlessly, vividly displaying the frustration of insomnia…

Li Yan struggled for a moment before compromising. She poked the girl through the quilt. “Here.”

The person buried her face in the quilt, refusing to turn around, her voice muffled. “No need. I don’t want to force anyone.”

Li Yan resignedly extended her arm and said voluntarily, “It’s not forced. I’m doing it willingly.”

That head “snapped” around, revealing a pair of eyes that had clearly gotten their way. “You said it yourself!”