I Am Not a Vicious Stepsister! - Chapter 14

After playing in the ocean for most of the day, Ni Songan noticed a distinct, stinging discomfort around her neck. Modesty leaned in to take a look. “Your skin is so red, it looks like a sunburn.”

Neither of them had applied sunscreen, wanting to avoid polluting the water, and their rash guards only covered their torsos and limbs, leaving their necks exposed.

“We should head back to the island. I’m worried you’ll start peeling,” Modesty said, shielding Songan’s neck with her hand to block the sun. “We can apply some aloe vera gel when we get back, maybe that’ll help save it.”

Songan apologized, feeling bad about cutting the outing short. “Why don’t you keep playing? I’ll just put on some sun-protective clothes and watch you from the shore.”

“No need. I’ve had plenty of fun with you already.” At Modesty’s insistence, the two headed back.

Their accommodation was well-stocked with aloe vera gel. After a quick rinse, Modesty brought the jar over to Songan. Sure enough, the skin on Songan’s neck was an alarmingly bright red, the kind that would definitely start throbbing if she stayed out any longer.

Songan tried her best not to scratch. She pulled her hair aside and murmured, “Thanks for the help.”

“Don’t mention it, but you really need to be careful. Let’s cut back on the beach activities for the next few days.” Modesty scooped out a dollop of gel and carefully spread it across Songan’s neck.

The sudden chill made Songan’s body shiver. She instinctively wanted to pull away but forced herself to stay still.

Looking up, Modesty could only see the side of Songan’s face. Her lips were pressed thin and her cheeks were slightly puffed out, as if she were holding her breath.

“Does it hurt? I’ll be gentler.” Modesty instinctively lightened her touch.

However, the lighter touch felt more like a soft caress against the skin. The tingling, itchy sensation was even stranger, so Songan shook her head quickly. “No, just do it like you were before. Being too gentle feels… weirder.”

On the television playing in the background, the daily weather report came on, predicting brief periods of rain over the coming days.

Modesty agreed and continued applying the gel while discussing their plans. “Well, even if you wanted to push through and go to the beach, the weather wouldn’t allow it. Let’s just check out the local markets on the island and try some of the food.”

“Besides, I saw a ton of recommended spots online before we came. Even if we only visit three places a day, we can see over thirty sights in ten days. We’re on vacation, there’s no need to rush.” After finishing, Modesty wiped her hands and helped pull Songan’s hair back into a loose bun to keep the strands from sticking to the gel.

Her playful tone helped ease Songan’s guilt. Songan thought for a moment and said, “I remember the lady who dropped us off mentioned a nearby grocery market. It’s about a kilometer away, we could walk there.”

“Tomorrow then?” Modesty and Songan quickly agreed on the time. They also used their phones to book a nearby buffet for after their shopping trip.

A light rain began to fall. Songan held the umbrella while Modesty stood close by her side. The Arashi Market they were heading to wasn’t a traditional open-air venue, it was indoors. In Songan’s mind, the term “wholesale market” was a much more accurate description.

Near the entrance, an older woman with arms full of flower garlands stood under the eaves to avoid the rain. Droplets fell into small puddles, splashing against her rubber boots.

Seeing more tourists arriving, she didn’t stay put. She adjusted her straw hat and ran over to pitch her wares. “These are our most famous local flowers! They look beautiful as garlands, so many tourists love them…”

The vibrant magenta petals were beaded with water, looking very fresh. Songan was tempted, and since the price was reasonable, she picked out one for herself and one for Modesty.

Once the payment was made, the woman left satisfied, scouting for her next customer.

Songan looked at the two garlands, then at Modesty. She held them up to her sister to compare and finally settled on the red-toned one for her.

“The blue one actually suits you too, but I think the red is more eye-catching. It really stands out,” Songan explained.

Modesty laughed, shyly covering her mouth. “Really? That’s funny, because I think the blue one looks much prettier on you, Sis.”

Her gaze lingered on the blue flower tucked near Songan’s ear for a few seconds. She didn’t say anything else, but took Songan’s arm. Once the umbrella was folded, they headed into the heart of the market.

“Sis, let’s go look at the fish over there!” It wasn’t just Modesty who was drawn to the cylindrical transparent aquarium to their left, Songan had noticed it the moment they walked in.

It was a glass cylinder as tall as the ceiling, roughly five or six meters in diameter. It was filled with water, rocks and fine sand at the bottom, and decorative seaweed that swayed with the movement of the fish.

A crowd of tourists had gathered around, all admiring the beautiful little fish inside.

They were various colors, their tail fins fluttering like the ornate silk skirts of dancers. Swimming through the water, they looked as if they were performing a graceful ballet.

As Songan and Modesty leaned in for a closer look, someone around their age suddenly darted out from the side. Songan instinctively stepped in front of Modesty to shield her.

Realizing she had startled them, the girl gave an embarrassed grin. “Sorry! I just wanted to tell you about our fighting fish. You guys seemed to really like the display…”

“It’s okay. These fish really are stunning. Is this whole area dedicated to ornamental fish?” Songan gave a friendly smile to put the girl at ease. She glanced at the area around the main tank and saw rows of glass aquariums, each with a nameplate identifying the contents.

The girl introduced them enthusiastically. “That’s right! This area near the entrance is mostly flowers and fish. If you’re looking for handmade souvenirs, you’ll need to head further in.”

“I see, thank you.” Unfortunately, since Songan and Modesty weren’t locals and didn’t plan on staying, they could only admire the beautiful creatures without taking any home. After chatting for a bit, they said their goodbyes and continued deeper into the market.

The conversation gave Modesty an idea. “Should we buy some souvenirs to take back? The moms would love them!”

Songan agreed. The place they were staying at was full of clever little decorative touches. “Sure, Silo Island has so many cute little trinkets.”

Compared to the neat shops at the front, this area was much more cluttered. Most vendors simply spread a cloth on the ground and piled their goods on top. Some of the more organized sellers brought small folding tables or large crates to keep things tidy.

Songan stopped at a small table, peering closely at the lustrous, rounded pearls resting on black velvet.

Modesty had walked ahead a few steps before realizing Songan hadn’t followed. She doubled back and crouched down next to her to look at the pearls and jewelry. “Do you like them?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that…” Songan waved her hand, her eyes landing on Modesty’s earlobes. “Do you remember the earrings you gave me? I just thought these pearl pieces would look great on you.”

“Oh, those.” Modesty remembered. She reached out to brush Songan’s hair aside, but didn’t see the gift she had given. Instead, she saw that the area they had treated with aloe yesterday was starting to peel, looking quite painful.

Seeing the frown on Modesty’s face, Songan assumed she was upset about the earrings. To prevent a misunderstanding, she quickly explained, “I was afraid of losing them while traveling, so I left them at home.”

“It’s not that. I’m asking why you didn’t tell me your neck looked this scary.” Modesty looked at her neck with heartache, finally realizing why Songan had refused to tie her hair up earlier despite complaining about the heat.

“I didn’t want you to worry. Sunburns like this look worse than they feel, it’ll heal on its own soon.” Then, she gestured to the goods on the table to change the subject. “What do you think of these studs? The pearls are so bright and round.”

 As the hair slipped from Modesty’s fingers, she stared at Songan’s back, pushing down her frustration.

They were on vacation, they should be happy.

“I love them! Are you buying them for me, Sis?” Modesty teased with a smile, tilting her head to show her earlobes so Songan could help her put them on. Songan paid the vendor and, as requested, put the earrings on her.

Songan stepped back to admire the look. “They really do suit you.”

Noticing Modesty’s bare neck, she turned back and bought a pearl necklace from the woman as well. After fastening it around Modesty’s neck, she nodded. “Perfect.”

Modesty was thrilled with the gifts. She twirled around to show off the full effect, a radiant smile on her lips.

They shopped all over the market, eventually heading back with their hands full of bags. When she checked the total, Songan’s jaw nearly dropped, she had spent more than half of the money she had saved from her part-time jobs. To avoid using the card Ni Tianjiao had given her, Songan’s only choice was to pick up even more shifts once she returned to Nanzhou.

She turned to find Modesty to see if she was hungry for the buffet, but she was nowhere to be found in the room.

Just then, the front door clicked open. Songan poked her head out of the bedroom and saw Modesty holding a small bag.

Songan didn’t think much of it and just urged her to get ready for dinner.

“Wait a sec, Sis, come here. I went back out to buy some ointment for you.” Modesty waved the bag at her.

 Songan froze, almost failing to process the words. “Wait, for me?”

“Yeah, leaving the peeling skin exposed isn’t good, so I went to the pharmacy to ask.” Modesty opened the box, sniffed the ointment, and flipped through the instructions. “I still can’t really read the language, but I don’t think they’d lie. It should help at least a little.”

A wave of complex emotions flooded Songan’s heart. Before she had transmigrated, she had been sunburnt while volunteering as a teacher in a remote area. Because those regions were isolated and resources were scarce, and because she hadn’t had much money, she had usually just toughed it out.

She looked down at the floor tiles and sniffed almost imperceptibly, her voice steady. “Thank you.”

***

While Songan was enjoying her vacation, she received a reply from her two classmates. They apologized sincerely and expressed their gratitude that she hadn’t exposed their mistake. The three of them reached an agreement: they would explain things to the teacher, redo their individual assignments, and then resubmit them.

As for the teacher… just after Songan sent over the explanation they had painstakingly drafted, the teacher replied instantly, saying he had known the truth all along and simply wanted to see how Songan would handle the situation.

Teacher: Professor Zhou is also very impressed with your decision. She said if you have any questions regarding the competition project, feel free to reach out to her!

Songan felt like she had been played. The anxiety she had felt vanished instantly. Who would have thought this entire mess was just a test of her character?

Still, she felt a spark of joy. Zhou Yejia was her ideal mentor for graduate school. If such a small thing had caused Professor Zhou to take notice of her, it meant she was already on the professor’s radar.

Based on the teacher’s words, that attention was positive. Perhaps Songan could be a bit more bold in her future endeavors.

The orange sunlight gradually dipped below the horizon. Their half-month vacation drew to a close as the sun set one last time on Silo Island. It was time for Ni Songan and Modesty to return to Quxi Orange County for the Lunar New Year.

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