Accidentally Marking The Vicious Female Lead After Transmigrating Into A Period Novel - Chapter 9

Whether Lin Yishu slept well that night is anyone’s guess, but Li Yan certainly didn’t.

Lin Yishu was incredibly restless in her sleep. Originally, there had been a quilt between them, and at first, Li Yan had only been lightly brushing against her own arm, making it just barely possible to drift off.

Even as the girl’s soft body grazed her arm, drifting in and out of contact.

Even as a string in Li Yan’s mind remained pulled taut at every moment.

The misfortune was that as sleep took over, Lin Yishu began to burrow toward her. The two grew infinitely closer, and that lightly brushed arm was eventually pinned down. Unbeknownst to her own will, Li Yan’s arm pressed against a certain soft curvature of the girl.

A rounded shape, a scorching temperature.

Consequently, her arm became a medium for heat transfer, and Li Yan’s face burned a vivid crimson in the pitch-black night.

Worse still, the scent of roses lingering at the tip of her nose grew stronger, behaving like a silent invitation.

Li Yan felt as if a fire was roaring at the nape of her neck.

Realizing what was happening, she quickly held her breath and ducked her head under the covers, forcing herself to ignore these physiological cravings rising from deep within, gritting her teeth to force sleep.

The air inside the blanket was thin. Every few minutes, Li Yan had to poke her head out for a breath of fresh air before diving back in.

Tossing and turning like this, it wasn’t until the latter half of the night that she finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

But unexpectedly, her dreams offered no reprieve.

In her dream, Li Yan felt surrounded by a giant foxtail grass; every inch of her body was itching.

When she opened her eyes in the morning, that foxtail grass from her dream was still chasing and scratching at her.

Li Yan glanced at the sweetly sleeping Omega and sighed inwardly. What did I do to deserve this torture?

Seeing that the other was sleeping peacefully, she carefully pulled out her numbing arm and rubbed it. Just as the blood started flowing back, the person who had been asleep suddenly opened her eyes, catching Li Yan’s gaze unexpectedly.

Li Yan froze and inconspicuously hid her hand behind her back.

“…Morning.”

Lin Yishu didn’t seem fully awake yet. She looked blankly at her own chest, and finding it empty, her eyes rolled slowly twice.

Li Yan: “……” She really does wake up the moment her ‘Abeibei’ is gone.

Seeing the pale blue light of dawn outside, Li Yan could only explain: “It’s not early. I have to get up for work.”

Lin Yishu blinked, seemingly processing the words, before answering sluggishly: “Oh.”

Seeing her response, Li Yan said no more and quickly dressed and got out of bed.

Li Chunmei had risen even earlier and had prepared a simple breakfast. Li Yan ate quickly and, after a quick word with her mother, prepared to head out.

Just as she reached the threshold, she turned back to Li Chunmei. “Lin Yishu… whatever she wants to do, let her do it. Try not to stop her.”

Li Chunmei nodded. “Mom knows.”

Li Yan was busy all day in the workshop, her mind occasionally wandering back to the person at home. During lunch at the cafeteria, she was called several times before she snapped out of her daze.

Chen Aihua, who also worked in the pork workshop but in quality inspection, was a good friend of Li Yan’s. Seizing a rare chance for them to eat together, she saw Li Yan frequently spacing out. After calling her name several times, she slammed her chopsticks down in mock annoyance.

“Li Yan, what is wrong with you today? If you’re going to be like this, I won’t eat with you next time,” she pouted.

Li Yan was pulled back to reality by the gesture and apologized: “Sorry, I was just thinking about things at home.”

Chen Aihua asked, “Home? Did something happen?”

Li Yan shook her head. “No, just a lot to do with the New Year coming up.”

In reality, it was because there was an extra person at home.

Chen Aihua didn’t press further and started chatting about other things.

In the workshop, Li Yan maintained a taciturn persona; it was the same with Chen Aihua. It was usually Aihua chattering away while Li Yan listened.

Eventually, Chen Aihua remembered something. She leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “By the way, do you know what the New Year welfare benefits are this year?”

Li Yan shook her head.

Chen Aihua didn’t expect her to know.

She continued, “Besides the usual stuff, I heard they’re giving out movie tickets! Sister Wang from the logistics department told me a couple of days ago…”

Movie tickets?

Li Yan couldn’t help but wonder: Could I take Lin Yishu to see a movie?

Wait. Li Yan cut off her own drifting thoughts.

Why do I think of her even when it comes to movies?!

Li Yan now deeply understood the downsides of an “arranged marriage.”

Two strangers with a high degree of pheromone compatibility, wasn’t that basically the same thing?

As they finished, Chen Aihua said casually, “Want to go see a movie together once the tickets are out?”

Li Yan hesitated for a second but didn’t agree directly. She only said, “We’ll see when the time comes.”

On her way home that evening, Li Yan made a detour to the neighboring East Li Village to buy the items she had calculated the night before.

West Li and East Li used to be one large village. During the war, they split for various reasons, and later, some friction arose between them. To balance the two, the town built the supply and marketing cooperative in East Li and the school in West Li. Over the years, the two villages had settled into a state of peaceful coexistence.

As the only person from both villages to leave the production team and join the working class, Li Yan had long been famous in both areas.

It was currently the time when the production team finished work. Seeing her emerge from the cooperative carrying a clattering assortment of items, people stopped to stare.

“Oh my, you bought quite a lot! Getting ready for the New Year early?”

“A wage earner really can afford to be generous. This must have cost a fortune, right?”

Li Yan wasn’t familiar with the people of East Li. She just gave a polite smile without answering and turned to leave.

One particularly nosy person actually went into the cooperative to ask.

They came out with their mouth agape, holding up ten fingers.

“Good heavens, spent ten whole yuan in one go! Earning a salary really is different!”

Li Yan had no idea people were discussing her “wealth” behind her back as she walked home, satisfied with her haul.

She hadn’t expected to spend even half a month’s salary on so many things today; it was better than she imagined.

The flashlight was only 1.50 yuan. she thought it would be two or three. Although she didn’t buy the top-tier Tiger brand, it should be enough.

Most importantly, it didn’t require a coupon!

She had thought that if she couldn’t get it without a coupon, she would have to use her connections at work. Now, she didn’t have to owe anyone a favor.

Besides basic daily necessities, she bought over twenty feet of fabric. She had used up almost all her saved fabric coupons and paid over twenty cents per foot, but it was more than enough to make some new clothes.

When Li Yan arrived home carrying a pile of things, the whole family was stunned.

“Did you bring the whole supply and marketing cooperative back with you?!” Li Chunmei exclaimed.

“I wish, but I don’t have that kind of financial strength,” Li Yan joked, handing the fabric to her mother while keeping the rest. Her eyes searched for a specific figure. “Mom, where’s Lin Yishu?”

Li Chunmei looked at the various daily necessities in her hands and understood instantly. “Are these for Yishu?”

Li Yan nodded.

Li Chunmei pointed toward the bedroom door. “Yishu is inside doing problems with A-Can. You wouldn’t believe it, with Yishu there, your sister has been so well-behaved. They gathered a lot of firewood this morning and cleaned the house top to bottom. Your sister actually started reading her books voluntarily! It’s like the sun rose in the west. Heaven help me, I wouldn’t have dared dream of this even if our ancestral graves were smoking… it would be great if Yishu could stay with us forever…”

Li Yan listened to the long string of chatter and found it surprising herself.

Peeking into the inner room, it was exactly as described. Two heads were huddled together, staring at a book with intense focus.

Li Yan put the items on the kang bed and cleared her throat.

Both heads turned at the same time, but only for a moment before turning back.

Li Yan: “……”

No wonder her mother was so excited. The world really had changed; her own attraction couldn’t even compete with the textbooks A-Can used to hate.

She cleared her throat again. “A-Can, you must be tired. Why don’t you go out and rest? I bought some sponge cakes, they’re on the table outside. Go eat.”

Books were ultimately no match for the lure of food. A-Can cheered and jumped up to leave, but halfway out, she remembered to ask, “Isn’t Sister Yishu coming to eat too?”

Before Lin Yishu could speak, Li Yan rubbed her nose uncomfortably. “You go first. I have a few words for your Sister Yishu.”

A-Can stopped asking and left happily.

Once only the two were left in the room, Lin Yishu looked over coolly. “What is it?”

Despite the question, her eyes couldn’t help but flicker toward the pile of things on the kang.

Noticing this, Li Yan put on a coaxing smile and walked over with the items. “New daily necessities. Take a look, towels, a water cup, a washbasin… everything is there.”

Lin Yishu turned her back, her words contradicting her feelings. “I told you, I don’t need them.”

Yet, a tiny, hidden sprout of joy rose in her heart, like a piece of honey candy dropped into boiling water, bubbling and sweet.

Though they had only known each other for two days, Li Yan had already figured out her personality; she knew she had to “stroke the fur” the right way.

“I’m the one who wants to give them to you. Is that okay?”

Unexpectedly, Lin Yishu remained stubborn this time, not glancing at them as she walked straight toward the door. “I don’t need them regardless.”

Li Yan sighed.

She knew she had probably truly hurt the other’s pride.

She thought the matter had passed after last night, but it seemed the girl still held it in her heart.

She realized she would have to slowly dissolve the knot in the other’s heart.

The days passed slowly, marked by the girl’s forceful clutching of Li Yan’s arm at night and her cold indifference during the day.

On the day of the Preliminary New Year (Xiaonian), after several overcast days, it finally snowed.

When Li Yan woke up that morning, she felt the room was much brighter than usual. Looking through the frost covered window, she saw goose feather flakes drifting from the sky, draping the entire courtyard in silver and white.

The snow had come much later than in previous years.

But she hadn’t expected such a heavy downfall.

Now they could build snowmen and have snowball fights.

Li Yan turned, smiling at the two who were still lounging in bed. “Lin Yishu, A-Can, it’s snowing!”