The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 84.1

Lai Quezi rubbed his hands together with a lewd grin and had just taken two steps forward when he heard the sound of villagers approaching. His expression instantly changed, and he immediately backed off. After giving Tang Jing and the others a long, meaningful look, he slipped away down a side path.

“Hmm?” Chi Yu, sitting on the back of the bike, couldn’t see what was happening ahead. But when she noticed Nan Jiejie hadn’t moved for a while, she tugged at her clothes in confusion.

Tang Jing forced a relaxed smile. “It’s nothing, just a little stray cat darting across the road.”

Chi Yu widened her eyes, craning her neck to look ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of the kitten.

Tang Jing chuckled. “It’s already run off.” With that, she pressed down on the pedals and said, “Hold on tight, we’re heading home now.”

“Mm!” Chi Yu wrapped her arms around Tang Jing’s waist with a smile, still scanning the sides of the road for the kitten her sister had mentioned.

But as she rode, Tang Jing’s eyes were filled with cold fury.

The mere thought of Limping Lai’s disgusting expression made her wish she could beat him senseless unfortunately, she couldn’t break character.

Still, if she couldn’t do it openly, there were other ways to deal with him in secret.

When they arrived home, Grandma Qin was sitting in the yard sorting vegetables. Seeing them, she said, “Why are you back so late? It’s already noon.”

Tang Jing smiled. “I took Xiao Yu around town for a bit.”

Grandma Qin nodded. “That’s good. Your Third Aunt told me the town’s changed a lot, buildings are over ten meters tall now.”

“Yep. Next time, I’ll take you to see it too,” Tang Jing coaxed the old woman.

Grandma Qin scoffed. “I’m not going. What’s so interesting about that? I’d rather stay home and watch my hens.”

Tang Jing and Chi Yu both laughed.

“Alright, alright,” Tang Jing said. “We’ll go if you want to, and if not, we won’t.” Then she turned to Chi Yu. “Come on, Xiao Yu, help me cook.”

“Mm!” Chi Yu nodded eagerly.

Though Chi Yu usually cooked for herself and had been taught by the village aunties, she could only manage to make food edible far from anything tasty.

Once Tang Jing brought her into the kitchen, she had Chi Yu wash the vegetables while she chopped and stir-fried.

When Grandma Qin came in with more vegetables, she saw the two working together smoothly and teased, “Why don’t we just have Chi Yu stay with us from now on? That way, she can keep Xiao Nan company.”

Chi Yu quickly shook her head, looking uneasy.

After all, an extra person meant an extra mouth to feed, and Grandma Qin’s family wasn’t well-off. Her staying would only be a burden.

Tang Jing reassured her, “Don’t worry, we’ll talk about it later. For now, you’ll stay with us. The village isn’t safe right now, it’s better with more people around.”

At the mention of this, Grandma Qin also nodded, her expression darkening at the thought of Limping Lai. “That good-for-nothing is nothing but trouble wherever he goes. The police ought to lock him up.”

Maybe out of consideration for him being a fellow villager, or maybe because the villagers feared the police, Limping Lai had managed to bully his way through life all these years.

“Sooner or later,” Tang Jing said casually.

Grandma Qin didn’t dwell on it either, handing them the sorted vegetables before heading back to the main room.

For lunch, they had two dishes and a soup, one of which was a hearty meat dish, thanks to the money they’d made selling eggs that day.

Chi Yu only picked at the stir-fried leeks in front of her. Tang Jing noticed and immediately placed several pieces of meat into her bowl. “There’s plenty of meat, everyone gets their share.”

Chi Yu’s eyes reddened slightly as she nodded.

In the afternoon, Gu Sihuan came looking for Tang Jing, wanting to take a walk outside.

Qin Nanshu had recently been replaced at her job by her boss’s niece and was now idle at home, hence her current leisurely state.

It was the peak of summer, and the heat outside was unbearable. Tang Jing said, “Let’s go out later in the evening. Right now, the sun is so bright it’s hard to keep your eyes open.”

“Then where am I supposed to stay?” Gu Sihuan pouted, her temper flaring.

Mainly, she didn’t want to stay at home. Coming here meant dealing with Grandma Qin and, most of all, that little mute girl. She simply refused to go inside.

Tang Jing looked at her and finally had no choice but to step out with her. Before leaving, she instructed Chi Yu, “If Grandma asks where I went, tell her I went to pick wild vegetables.”

Chi Yu nodded obediently.

“Take your nap. I’m heading out.” Before leaving, Tang Jing told Xiaoyu to lock the main gate from the inside.

After all, Grandma was also napping. If that scoundrel Lai the Cripple sneaked in, both Grandma and Xiaoyu would be in danger.

It wasn’t an exaggeration, Lai the Cripple was exactly the kind of person who would do such a thing.

Watching Tang Jing repeatedly fuss over the little mute, Gu Sihuan couldn’t help but snipe jealously, “You treat her way too well. Her own parents probably don’t dote on her as much as you do.”

The words were harsh, and Tang Jing’s voice turned cold as she warned, “Gu Sihuan.”

Gu Sihuan immediately flared up. “What, did I hit a nerve? And it’s not like I’m wrong, you treat her better than you treat me.”

Tang Jing frowned. “I don’t want to argue with you.”

“You think I want to argue?” Gu Sihuan’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “I was already upset, and now you’re treating me like this. Seems like all that talk about liking me was just a lie.”

Tang Jing glanced around to make sure no one was listening before turning back to her, her tone icy. “Gu Sihuan, you should understand, if this gets out, neither of us will be able to stay in this village.”

“So what if we can’t stay? I’ve wanted to leave for ages. I don’t want to spend another second here,” Gu Sihuan retorted petulantly.

Tang Jing knew reasoning with her was futile and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Thankfully, the villagers were all asleep, or else their earlier conversation could have had serious consequences.

“Let’s go. Didn’t you say you wanted to walk around?” Tang Jing didn’t want to dwell on the topic and changed the subject.

As the two walked away, Lai the Cripple, who had been napping in a patch of grass, slowly sat up. Watching their retreating figures, his eyes gleamed with calculation as he muttered under his breath, “Women liking women, what kind of perversion is that?”

Unbeknownst to Tang Jing and Gu Sihuan, their entire conversation had been overheard by Lai the Cripple. Neither of them knew that a storm was brewing, waiting to descend upon them.

Tang Jing and Gu Sihuan wandered outside for a little over two hours before returning, the sun was simply too scorching.

Gu Sihuan left in a huff, their outing ending on a sour note.

If it had been the original Tang Jing, she would have been wracked with worry, agonizing over having upset Sisi.

But this Tang Jing? After Gu Sihuan left, she remained completely unaffected and simply headed home.

She was quite pleased with this outcome. The less the other party sought her out, the more freedom she had. There was no need to ruin her mood just to complete a task.

[System: Host, if you want the female lead to regret her actions toward you, you need more interaction. Plus, you have to follow the main storyline.]

“I know,” Tang Jing replied.

In truth, Gu Sihuan’s trip to the city to visit her uncle was coming up soon. After that, they wouldn’t see each other for half a year. When the New Year came around and the other returned with her boyfriend, Tang Jing would just need to make a brief appearance to assert her presence. Then, they wouldn’t cross paths again for another half a year.

Thinking it over, by the time the New Year arrived, the main storyline would already be about 50% complete. After making that final appearance, she’d essentially have no further connection with the other party.

Viewed this way, her interactions with the female lead in this world were relatively light. The real challenges lay elsewhere.

Like work, for instance. Or the matter with Lai the Cripple.

Mention of Lai the Cripple reminded Tang Jing that she ought to move some things along on her own schedule.

“Hmm.” From a distance, Chi Yu spotted Sister Nan coming along the path. However, the other seemed lost in thought, her expression pensive. Chi Yu waved for a while without being noticed, so she had no choice but to go meet her.

“Xiao Yu?” Hearing the movement, Tang Jing looked up and saw the young girl running toward her. She reached out and ruffled her braids. “It’s hot out here. Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Mm.” Chi Yu was two years younger than Tang Jing, just eighteen this year. She stood a head shorter, with two braided pigtails and wearing Tang Jing’s hand-me-down clothes.

Qin Nanshu’s height was considered tall among girls her parents were tall, so it was in her genes.

Chi Yu took her hand and led her into the kitchen, then handed her a bowl from beside the stove.

“You made this?” Seeing it was chilled mung bean soup, Tang Jing took a sip. It was cool and slightly sweet.

Chi Yu shook her head and pointed to the adjacent room.

Tang Jing understood. “Grandma made it.” Then, raising an eyebrow playfully, she guessed, “It was chilled in the well, wasn’t it?”

Chi Yu grinned and gave an affirming “Mm,” even giving her a thumbs-up for guessing correctly.

That evening, after dinner, the three of them, the elderly woman and the two younger ones relaxed in the courtyard, listening to the chirping of crickets in the grass.

Tang Jing said, “Grandma, I’m going to town tomorrow.”

Granny Qin lifted her eyelids to look at her. “Again? What for this time?”

“I want to see if there are any job openings,” Tang Jing replied. “I’ve been resting at home for a while now. It’s about time I went back to work.”

Granny Qin didn’t object. “Go ahead.”

Tang Jing had a high school diploma. Though she’d been accepted into university, she couldn’t afford to attend. After graduating, she’d gone straight to work. Two years later, she lost her job and now had to find another.

“Tomorrow, Xiao Yu will stay home with Grandma. I might not make it back in time,” Tang Jing said.

Chi Yu nodded. Knowing Sister Nan was going to town to look for work, she wouldn’t tag along and cause trouble.

Once they’d cooled off enough, the three went inside to sleep.

Throughout the village, lights were turned off one by one. The lively daytime bustle gave way to deep silence.

A shadowy figure moved along a narrow path. Dogs barked wildly at the sight, but soon the figure moved on, and the barking ceased.

The next day, Tang Jing set off on her bicycle.

Not long after she left, Third Aunt came by for a visit.

“Granny Qin home?” Third Aunt called from the yard.

Granny Qin stepped out and, seeing who it was, warmly invited her inside. Chi Yu fetched a cup and poured water for her.

Auntie Third took the cup with a chuckle, “Good girl.”

Grandma Qin, noticing her visit at this hour, sensed she must have something on her mind and asked, “Auntie Third, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

Remembering her purpose, Auntie Third’s smile faded, her expression turning hesitant as she struggled to find the words.

“What’s wrong?” Grandma Qin grew anxious at her troubled look.

Finally, Auntie Third steeled herself and said, “Well, actually, I heard this from someone else. They say…” She leaned closer to Grandma Qin and whispered, “your granddaughter has feelings for the Gu family’s girl.”

The village was home to many surnames, and the Gu family in question was none other than Gu Sihuan’s.

Grandma Qin immediately dismissed it. “Impossible.”

Auntie Third sighed. “Ah, I know it sounds unlikely, but the whole village is already buzzing about it this morning. No idea who started the rumor.”

Grandma Qin’s face darkened.

Meanwhile, Chi Yu blinked her big eyes, pondering what Auntie Third meant by “having feelings.”

At that very moment, Tang Jing, unaware of all this, was biking toward town.

As she rode through the streets, she glanced at the small shops lining the sides. Even when she spotted job postings, she didn’t stop, continuing onward.

Truth be told, she hadn’t come to town to look for work. She wanted to scope out the market.

Working for someone else was out of the question. A month of backbreaking labor would earn her only a pittance, and the job wouldn’t even be stable some boss’s relative could easily replace her, rendering all her efforts wasted.

Better to be her own boss.

But she didn’t have much capital. Renting a shop was beyond her means, so her only option was to source goods herself and sell them at a street stall.

After surveying the stalls, she found their wares outdated, appealing only to middle-aged women and the elderly. The items in the shopping malls were better, but the prices were exorbitant far beyond what ordinary folks could afford.

Having sized up the situation, she stopped wandering and instead biked to a few neighboring villages.

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