She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 4

Qiang Ning stayed just like that.

Because Lin Dongruan was currently living in such poverty, Qiang Ning couldn’t rush to demand anything from her. Even if she intended to use the woman, she would have to wait until they were well-acquainted for it to be feasible.

“Sister, what are we having for lunch?” Qiang Ning propped her chin in her hand, looking at her with a smile in her eyes.

Lin Dongruan turned around and asked her what she wanted to eat.

Qiang Ning knew that whatever she wanted, Lin Dongruan certainly wouldn’t be able to make. Looking at the four bare walls of this house, it was lucky enough if the two of them didn’t starve to death.

“I don’t have any particular favorites, but I don’t have any dietary restrictions either,” Qiang Ning replied thoughtfully.

However, not long after those words left her mouth, she witnessed the consequences of that statement—Lin Dongruan’s culinary skills were abysmal. It seemed as though she cooked merely as a makeshift way to stay alive; as for whether it tasted good or was even edible, it wasn’t very important.

Qiang Ning looked at the “lunch” before her, which emitted a burnt smell and the bitter scent of medicinal herbs. Her brow furrowed in distress.

But to save Lin Dongruan’s face, she deigned to try a mouthful. That texture… it was practically no different from dry-chewing the dregs of vegetation; it was slimy, bitter, and a bit prickly on the tongue.

The noble Eldest Princess thought perhaps she was just ignorant of the hardships of the common world, so she asked seriously: “Is this what you eat? What kind of grain crop is this?”

Lin Dongruan held a long-handled, shallow wooden spoon, chewing in small, dainty bites. She seemed to eat one mouthful for a long time, lost in thought. After finishing that bite, she set down the spoon and replied, “Twenty-Four Tonic Rice.”

“Twenty-Four… Tonic Rice?” Hearing this peculiar name, Qiang Ning had a rather bad premonition. She asked cautiously, “Are you sure this is porridge or rice? And not medicinal dregs?”

“Twenty-Four Tonic Rice takes the creations of the twenty-four solar terms of heaven and earth. They are dried and ground into powder, supplemented with whole herbs, leaves and flowers, fruits and seeds, roots and rhizomes, wood and bark, and insect and mineral medicinal materials. These are decocted to leave the dregs, while the clear juice is made into a paste. The dregs are decocted again and then stored away—when it is time to eat, the powder, paste, and dregs are mixed together with water and honey, and then it can be consumed. It is very convenient.” Lin Dongruan thought for a moment and added, “The household is truly destitute, so I did not add honey.”

Listening to this long list of medicinal categories, a look of agony surfaced on Qiang Ning’s face—what was the difference between this and eating trash? No, this was harder to swallow than trash.

But she couldn’t bring herself to speak directly to Lin Dongruan. After all, preparing this “Twenty-Four Tonic Rice” sounded like a lot of trouble, so she used a tactful phrasing instead: “To make this rice, one must prepare for a whole year. You work too hard, Sister.”

“It’s not hard.” Lin Dongruan took another bite of the rice and recalled, “Although it takes nearly a year to prepare the ingredients, once it’s done and kept in the dark cellar, one batch can be eaten for an entire year. It’s very convenient.”

One batch, eaten for a year.

Qiang Ning had to pinch her palm hard to swallow the rising frustration in her throat. She forced out a smile, comforting herself inwardly—It’s fine, I can eat less at lunch, and dinner will be a different matter. Lin Dongruan has eaten this for so many years, so this rice shouldn’t kill anyone. I’m only eating it once; I won’t die.

She frowned as she looked at Lin Dongruan. After finishing her explanation, the woman went back to eating. Her attitude toward this bowl of rice was very plain. It was a bowl the size of a palm, just one small portion, which she ate seriously, bite by bite, until it was completely finished, without wasting a single grain.

By contrast, Qiang Ning didn’t dare leave any leftovers. After all, in such destitute circumstances, wasting food was a great sin. Moreover, Lin Dongruan had worked so hard to prepare these ingredients for so long; if she didn’t eat it, the other woman might get angry.

Out of various considerations, Qiang Ning ultimately closed her eyes, pinched her nose, and forced herself to swallow the bowl of rice.

The aftertaste of this rice was truly nothing to boast about; it had a complex lingering flavor of vomit, bitterness, and acridity. After finishing it, Qiang Ning felt unwell. She had grown up in wealth and glory her whole life and had never eaten anything so foul.

This was the first time.

And it was all thanks to Lin Dongruan.

Qiang Ning’s brow throbbed. she pressed her finger against her temple, protesting to the other woman with a sense of grievance: “Sister, can we not eat Twenty-Four Tonic Rice tonight? I’m not quite used to it.”

Lin Dongruan was startled: “Tonight?”

Qiang Ning let go of her finger and looked into her eyes: “For dinner.”

An expression of pure confusion appeared on Lin Dongruan’s face. She repeated uncertainly, “Dinner?”

Seeing that bewildered look, Qiang Ning’s heart instantly went cold, and an even worse premonition surged up. She probed cautiously: “Sister, you couldn’t possibly… never eat dinner, right?”

“I have seldom eaten it.” Worried that Qiang Ning might feel uncomfortable, Lin Dongruan weighed her words very carefully. “It’s not that I completely never eat it. Since it has been cold lately, it is also possible to eat it.”

Without needing her to be intentionally considerate, Qiang Ning had already heard the truth from her words—Lin Dongruan had hardly ever eaten dinner in her life. Now, even if she were to eat it, it would likely be to accommodate Qiang Ning.

“So Sister, you only eat one meal a day, and it’s this kind of food like the Twenty-Four Tonic Rice?” Qiang Ning had a stomach full of words and finally picked a few of the ones she wanted to ask most. “Sister, you also know medicine. You know that five grains and three meals are the life-sustaining laws that normal people cannot escape. Why… do you still neglect and numb yourself like this?”

Seeing her become emotional, Lin Dongruan also looked up seriously to explain to her: “If one only eats ordinary food, one must indeed have three meals and five grains, but—”

But, but she had the Twenty-Four Tonic Rice.

Qiang Ning: “…”

She didn’t even need to listen further to know that Lin Dongruan was going to mention that foul-tasting stuff again.

Someone saves her. What on earth was going on in Lin Dongruan’s head? How had this person lived until now?

Qiang Ning painfully covered her eyes with her fingers, listening wordlessly as Lin Dongruan continued to praise the benefits of the Twenty-Four Tonic Rice.

Sure enough, Lin Dongruan only ate to stay alive. That was all.

This person not only had no desires or demands but didn’t even have the appetite that ordinary people possessed. Qiang Ning really didn’t know what such a person would care about.

Appearance? No. Lin Dongruan clearly didn’t care at all about her stunning face. In the morning, she simply wiped her face with a cloth and plain water and was done with it. Her long hair was tied up casually as long as it didn’t interfere with her work. She wore a set of coarse, worn-out clothes and just continued living like that.

What on earth did she care about!

Thinking of this, Qiang Ning first felt a surge of helpless pain, but soon, she emerged from that emotion and instead let out a laugh.

Lin Dongruan was puzzled: “What are you laughing at?”

“Sister, you are truly a singular person.” Qiang Ning revealed her innocent side, the smile at the corners of her mouth impossible to suppress. She said, “It’s very interesting.”

Lin Dongruan had lived by the rules for so many years, and this was the first time she had heard the evaluation of being “interesting.” Her pale gray pupils widened slightly, and her eyebrows rose gently, revealing a hint of joy: “You are the first person to say that about me.”

Her smile wasn’t much, but Qiang Ning was captivated by the brightness on the other’s face—this smile was different from before. Previously, it was just a polite, gentle smile; now, this slight smile was truly from Lin Dongruan’s heart, many times more beautiful than before.

Quite pathetically, Qiang Ning felt her face begin to heat up, and she didn’t know where to put her gaze.

It was as if she was very afraid of meeting Lin Dongruan’s eyes.

Qiang Ning detested this spineless reaction and rebelliously forced herself to correct it. Her back molars tightened, and with a burst of courage, she continued to look up and meet Lin Dongruan’s gaze.

—Those pale gray, clear eyes seemed to hold starlight; they were pure truth and goodness. It was rare to see such beautiful eyes in the world. Every eyelash was thick and perfectly placed, and her excessively fair face further highlighted the clear, pale pink of her inner eyelids. Every detail was breathtaking.

Qiang Ning’s face turned even redder.

As the Eldest Princess, she had seen countless beautiful faces, but no one except Lin Dongruan could give her this kind of feeling.

Yet, Lin Dongruan had such a pure and sincere nature, without a hint of passion or desire. Without any intentional flattery or seduction, she could make one’s ears burn.

“Having a charcoal fire is truly good.” Lin Dongruan looked at Qiang Ning’s cheeks with a smile and reached out to touch her face. “It’s heating up.”

“Sister, what nonsense are you talking about…” Qiang Ning was a bit ashamed and indignant. She tilted her head to avoid the touch and retorted, “I’m not that hot.”

“Is that so?” Lin Dongruan didn’t expose her but instead took her hand, guiding her to place her palm against the side of her own cheek.

Qiang Ning’s fingertips curled slightly as if she had been burned: “What are you doing?”

Lin Dongruan asked, “What does it feel like?”

Fine, soft, and smooth, but without much temperature, emitting a slight coolness. It was like soft jade held in the palm—very good to touch, very gentle.

To have such skin after so many years of facing the world without adornment… while Qiang Ning marveled, an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

She murmured: “It feels very good.”

Lin Dongruan tilted her cheek slightly. While pressing against Qiang Ning’s palm, she covered the back of Qiang Ning’s hand with her own palm. “What is the temperature?”

Qiang Ning’s hand was so numb it didn’t feel like her own. She couldn’t feel the temperature at all because when she was held by the other, her brain had already gone completely blank. She only remembered the beauty and heartbeat this countenance brought her; how could she care about anything else?

Lin Dongruan pressed again and followed up: “Is it burning?”

This time Qiang Ning was obedient and answered quickly: “No, not burning.”

Lin Dongruan gently caught Qiang Ning’s hand again, leading her to feel: “Then, try the temperature of your own cheek.”

Qiang Ning let herself be manipulated. Upon touching her own cheek, it was indeed a scalding temperature.

So hot, as if it had been set on fire. After the little lie was exposed, there was no room left for maneuvering.

“A child has told a lie.”

Lin Dongruan withdrew her hand leisurely and gave her conclusion.

“I didn’t lie; it’s really not that hot.” Qiang Ning argued stubbornly, “I am just naturally like this. Before, it was because it was too cold that I didn’t heat up.”

“If being stubborn could change the facts, there would be no children getting beaten in this world.” Lin Dongruan raised a finger and lightly pressed it against Qiang Ning’s brow, as if lecturing a student. “What’s wrong with admitting it?”

It didn’t take long for Qiang Ning to finally escape her passive state and regain control of her emotions. She quickly grabbed the finger Lin Dongruan was about to withdraw, lowered her head, and gave it a light kiss. Half-jokingly, with both reverence and playfulness, she said: “What Sister says makes sense. I have passed the age of rebellion; there is nothing I can’t admit.”

Lin Dongruan hadn’t expected her finger to be seized. She pulled slightly but didn’t succeed in taking it back.

“I’m not hot; I’m just blushing.” Following the fingertip, Qiang Ning kissed the base of the finger and finally pressed her soft lips into the other’s palm, feeling Lin Dongruan’s breath. While deliberately acting charming, she didn’t forget to look up and carefully observe the other’s reaction. “Sister, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. The most beautiful in the world, one of a kind.”

As the Eldest Princess, Qiang Ning had inherited the majestic appearance of her parents. Her looks were naturally among the best in the world. Usually, she maintained a dignified air, and this was the first time she had ever put on such a seductive manner. She was confident her beauty could entice anyone in the world, so when she adopted this low, submissive posture, she cared very much about the reaction Lin Dongruan would give.

She wanted to know if the desireless Imperial Preceptor, Lin Dongruan, would react like an ordinary person.

Unfortunately, Lin Dongruan was not an ordinary person, nor did she have a worldly answer.

After watching Qiang Ning’s display with her own eyes, Lin Dongruan instead doted on her by scratching her chin, evaluating: “Just like a little puppy, looking up expectantly and licking someone’s palm. Where did you learn that from?”

Qiang Ning: “…”

The Eldest Princess, who had set aside her dignity for the first time to deliberately seduce someone, suffered a great setback. Her first battle was a miserable defeat. Her downcast appearance really did look like a little puppy hiding from the rain under the eaves.

“I didn’t learn it from a puppy.” She wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and stubbornly raised her chin. “You are slandering me.”