Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 23

“I’ve noticed something off about you lately,” Shi Wangui remarked, poking at the rice in her bowl with a puzzled expression. “You seem to be talking more, and you’re not as annoying as before.”

Wen Youren placed a piece of braised pork in Shi Wangui’s bowl. “You’ve changed too, you’ve become more well-behaved and cheerful.”

Well-behaved? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

Just as Shi Wangui was about to retort, Wen Youren added, “After we finish eating, I’ll take you to pick some fruit.”

“Okay.”

Shi Wangui had to admit that her mood had improved a lot since coming here. Staying away from Shi Qin really did make the air smell sweeter everywhere, and now there was even fruit to pick. Picking fruit wasn’t just about satisfying hunger; it was more about the joy of the experience.

“What kinds of fruit are there?” Shi Wangui asked, overlooking the more important matters.

“This season, it should be pomegranates, persimmons, tangerines, and jujubes,” Wen Youren replied, trying to recall her childhood memories. “Oh, and the tangerines might be sour. Whether you get a sweet one depends on luck.”

“I’ll eat them anyway,” Shi Wangui said stubbornly.

Wen Youren didn’t stop her. “Alright.”

The iron gate of the courtyard was open, and laughter could be heard from outside from time to time. Shi Wangui was curious when she looked out in the morning, the village hadn’t seemed so crowded, and the voices clearly belonged to a group of young people.

“Do you hear all those voices?” Shi Wangui asked.

“That’s normal. It’s Saturday today,” Wen Youren said, lifting her head and listening carefully for a moment. “On weekends, the students who study elsewhere come back. The ones returning now are probably high school students. Elementary school students are usually picked up and dropped off by their parents early in the morning and late in the evening. Middle school students are brought back by the school bus on Fridays, and high school students take the bus back on Saturdays.”

“You’re quite familiar with all this,” Shi Wangui remarked.

“Because I come back often.”

No wonder. Wen Youren was often absent on weekends sometimes she wouldn’t return for the entire day, and other times she was only gone during the day, coming back at night. Shi Wangui had previously thought she was off studying like a madwoman, but now it seemed she was just out having fun.

“I’m finished eating. I want to go out and play too,” Shi Wangui declared, putting down her chopsticks and looking seriously at Wen Youren.

The bandage on Wen Youren’s arm had been removed. Although her jacket covered the fine scars on her arm, the wounds on the back of her hand and her palm were still visible. The scabbed cuts looked frightening, and every time she clenched her fist, it seemed as if a bit of flesh and blood could be seen.

With the meal nearly finished, Wen Youren looked at Shi Wangui and instinctively reached out, touching Shi Wangui’s lips. Both of them seemed to lose their train of thought. Shi Wangui felt Wen Youren’s fingers on her lips, her mouth slightly parting, her eyes wide open. The hand resting on the table went limp and slowly slid down.

“What are you doing?” Shi Wangui asked, still frozen in place.

“Nothing,” Wen Youren said, brushing her lips. “You had a grain of rice on your mouth.”

“Really?” Shi Wangui was half-convinced, half-skeptical. She had just wiped her mouth, after all. Could it be that Wen Youren had initially intended to hit her? Probably not after all, I’m her savior. It must have just been a missed spot.

“I’ll wash the dishes, and then we can go out,” Wen Youren said, standing up to clear the table.

“Never mind,” Shi Wangui said, taking the bowls and chopsticks from Wen Youren. “Your wounds look scarier than ever. Let’s wait until they heal.”

Every time the medicine was applied, Shi Wangui was always by her side. She had watched the wounds transform from bloody gashes to their current state. Pain could be transmitted though the injuries weren’t on her body, she still felt the ache intensely.

Her younger sister had become more obedient and caring, and Wen Youren naturally didn’t refuse her attention. From the very first moment she laid eyes on Shi Wangui, she had sensed that this was no immature child.

After tidying up a bit, the two of them made their way to the small orchard at the edge of the village. This orchard had no specific owner, it had been planted randomly by previous generations with scattered seeds. Many of the trees had survived, and since no one claimed ownership, it eventually became communal property for the entire village. Whenever the fruits ripened, the children would treat it as a source of fun.

“So there are this many people here,” Shi Wangui remarked as she heard the lively chatter from the orchard while still on the ridge path. This was somewhat different from what she had imagined. She had assumed the place was sparsely populated and inconvenient in many ways, but now it seemed her understanding had been too limited.

“It’s the holidays, so of course everyone’s back,” Wen Youren said, holding onto Shi Wangui’s arm. The ridge path was uneven, and this was, after all, a young lady who had been pampered since childhood. “Be careful, don’t trip.”

Shi Wangui disliked being led by the hand. She found it strange when she was with Sun Yi, such contact felt natural and taken for granted, but with someone else, it just felt off.

How odd.

“I’m not that clumsy,” Shi Wangui initially tried to pull away, but any sudden movement made her lose her balance. As for why they took this path, it was Shi Wangui’s idea it was much shorter. Taking the main road would have meant going around a bend and crossing a bridge.

When they finally reached their destination, Shi Wangui realized there were already many children inside, along with a few around their age, though most were still quite young.

“Are you Sister Xiao You?” a girl asked softly, staring intently at Wen Youren as soon as they arrived. After confirming her thoughts, she politely inquired.

Though her name had been changed, Wen Youren didn’t refuse to acknowledge her old one. The young girl in front of her was from Aunt Jiang’s family at the other end of the village. Her name was Jiang An’an, a few months younger than Wen Youren. She seemed to have liked sticking close to her when they were children, but Wen Youren had always been somewhat aloof and didn’t remember much about those times.

Shi Wangui interjected, “No, she’s my little sister, Xiao You.” Worried that Wen Youren might correct her and embarrass her, Shi Wangui quickly reached out and patted Wen Youren’s head. “Be good, little sister.”

Wen Youren sighed inwardly. You win. Does it really matter who’s the older or younger sister?

Shi Wangui had initially assumed this was one of Wen Youren’s younger sisters, which would make her Wen Youren’s older sister meaning she’d gained another little sister. But to her surprise, Jiang An’an immediately hugged Wen Youren and exclaimed excitedly, “Sister Xiao You, I finally found you! Mom said you sometimes come back, but I could never find you before.”

Wen Youren didn’t say anything, just quietly looked at the girl in her arms before raising her eyes to Shi Wangui. Shi Wangui remained silent too, unsure of the relationship between this girl and Wen Youren. If she really was Wen Youren’s younger sister, it might not be appropriate for her to interfere.

Seeing that Shi Wangui didn’t react, Wen Youren gently pushed Jiang An’an away and said, “It’s fine. We’ll have plenty of chances to meet in the future.”

Jiang An’an originally wanted to express how much she had missed her, but as soon as she lowered her head, she saw the dark scabs covering Wen Youren’s hands. Though they had scabbed over, the traces of dried blood still hinted at the pain their owner had endured. “Sister Xiaoyou, what happened to your hands?”

Wen Youren casually glanced at the back of her hands and replied indifferently, “It’s nothing, just scratched by some branches.”

Shi Wangui curled her lips. What a blatant lie, and she didn’t even blush.

“Really?” Jiang An’an asked skeptically. The wounds didn’t look like they were caused by branches at all. But she knew Wen Youren’s temperament, if she didn’t want to talk about something, no amount of questioning would make her speak. Then she remembered Shi Wangui standing nearby. “Sister Xiaoyou, who is she?”

Shi Wangui, sensing the newcomer’s doubtful attitude, immediately crossed her arms and looked up at Wen Youren. This time, she wouldn’t introduce herself, she wanted to see how Wen Youren would explain.

When no one was paying attention, Wen Youren’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Didn’t she just say it? I’m her ‘Xiaoyou mei.’” She emphasized the word “mei” (little sister) heavily, as if afraid others might miss it.

“Oh, oh, then how should I address you?” Jiang An’an asked again.

“Call me Sister Wan. I’ll have your back from now on.”

“Hahahaha.” Jiang An’an was amused by Shi Wangui’s adorable antics. Glancing over, she noticed that among the three of them, Shi Wangui was the shortest. “Alright, Sister Wan.”

“You’re here to pick fruit, right? The pomegranates are almost all gone. Let’s hurry and pick some. The tangerines are still sour better not risk it.” Jiang An’an shared her experience.

“It’s fine, she likes sour things,” Wen Youren said, glancing at Shi Wangui.

Shi Wangui: “…”

Sour it is, then. I do like sour things sourness stimulates the appetite. This idiot just doesn’t get it.

As soon as Shi Wangui ran into the orchard, she picked a tangerine. But she used her brain a little green ones were definitely sour, but the yellow-skinned ones might not be. After carefully selecting a yellow-skinned tangerine, she peeled it on the spot and took a bite.

Hmm…

Pfft, so sour!

Wait, it’s bitter too!

“Wen Youren, this tangerine is so sweet.” Shi Wangui immediately turned and called out to Wen Youren.

Wen Youren was over by the pomegranate trees and didn’t quite catch what Shi Wangui said, but she heard her name. So, after placing the freshly picked pomegranates into the basket, she walked over.

“What did you say?”

Shi Wangui rolled her eyes inwardly. Deaf as a post.

“I said this tangerine is really sweet.” Shi Wangui held up the tangerine in her hand. “As your older sister, of course I’ll share it with my dear little sister.”

Wen Youren stood motionless.

Shi Wangui’s arm grew tired from holding it up.

She peeled off a segment and brought it to Wen Youren’s lips.

Wen Youren ate it.

Shi Wangui: “…”

Watching Wen Youren swallow it, Shi Wangui kept her eyes fixed on her expression. Sure enough, Wen Youren frowned slightly but didn’t spit it out. “Sour.”

Shi Wangui felt like her prank hadn’t quite landed, and instead of feeling satisfied, she grew restless. What reaction had she wanted? For her to spit it out? For her face to scrunch up like a twisted twist? Or for her to curse and complain?

But Wen Youren had shown none of those.

“How boring.” Shi Wangui shoved the rest of the tangerine into Wen Youren’s hands. She wasn’t going to pick any more tangerines they were too sour. Better to gather some jujubes instead. There were a few kids nearby knocking jujubes down, so she could pick up a few.

Just as she turned to leave, Wen Youren grabbed her hand. Puzzled, Shi Wangui looked back. Wen Youren said, “But I like sour things. Thank you.”

Shi Wangui looked at him as if he were a fool, “No need to thank me.”

“Do you like eating pomegranates? I’ll pick more,” Wen Youren asked.

Shi Wangui replied, “I like eating them, but I don’t like peeling them.”

Wen Youren said, “I’ll peel them for you.”

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Shi Wangui smiled and said, “It’s a deal.”

“It’s a deal.”

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