The Guide to Faking Innocence to Win His Wife - Chapter 4

When Jiang Zhongmu left, she didn’t return until the sun was setting.

The orange glow of dusk tinted everything. Forest leaves surged in the wind like rolling waves. With a sharp creak, the front gate was pushed open, and the two women sitting under the tree turned their heads simultaneously to look.

Caught in their collective gaze, Jiang Zhongmu froze for a moment. She lifted a dripping bamboo basket in her hand to show them.

Sitting on a small stool, Grandma saw it and asked with a smile, “When did you run off to set the nets?”

A stream ran through Jiang Town, and the surrounding area was filled with paddy fields home to many small crabs, snails, and eels. Children often went there to set nets, bringing home fresh additions to the dinner table.

Relieved to have someone break the silence, Jiang Zhongmu walked inside, saying, “I didn’t set them. I saw Xiao Xun and his friends carrying them on my way back, so I asked for a basket.”

Grandma nodded, her mind already turning to social etiquette. “Then cut a piece of meat to take over to them later. You can’t take people’s things for nothing.”

“It’s fine. Last time I went fishing, I gave him two,” Jiang Zhongmu replied casually. Her eyes swept over the woman who remained silent, withdrawing her gaze instantly without a trace. She turned on the faucet and let water pour into the bamboo basket.

Relieved, Grandma turned back to Xie Zhiyi and smiled. “Zhong-Zhong’s stir-fried crabs are quite good. You must try more of them later.”

Xie Zhiyi hummed in agreement, keeping her head down as she continued to pick through the vegetable leaves in her hands.

After finishing her egg fried rice that afternoon, she had felt too guilty to simply dump her bowl and retreat to her room. She had spent a long time fumbling at the kitchen sink—which was quite different from the ones in the city—before finally waking Grandma up, who insisted on taking over and washing the pots and pans herself.

Clear water flowed through the cracks of the basket. The small river crabs inside struggled to climb up, only to be washed back down by the current, colliding with their companions.

A moment later, Jiang Zhongmu went into the kitchen and brought out a small stool and a metal basin. She placed the stool and the basket next to Grandma. The metal basin was filled with water, containing a large soup bowl and a toothbrush.

Xie Zhiyi placed the sorted vegetables into another bag and picked up the next bunch.

Jiang Zhongmu carried her water basin and sat down right between Xie Zhiyi and Grandma.

Xie Zhiyi instinctively shifted her stool, moving her legs to the other side to put more distance between them.

Jiang Zhongmu’s eyelashes flickered; she noticed the small movement but brought up a different topic. “From now on, just leave your used dishes on the table. I’ll wash them.”

Xie Zhiyi was about to decline when Grandma beat her to it: “Zhong-Zhong is right. Dish soap is the harshest thing for your hands. Why should a delicate young lady like you be washing dishes?”

The words sounded absurd—she was a girl, but wasn’t Jiang Zhongmu one as well?

But the person beside her seemed to read her mind. Jiang Zhongmu lowered her head and said casually, “My hands are covered in calluses. That stuff can’t hurt me.”

To prove her point, Jiang Zhongmu raised her hand and spread it open for Xie Zhiyi to see.

Perhaps because of her constant labor, the girl’s hands were broader than an average woman’s. Her fingers were long and her knuckles slightly thick; her palms were thick with calluses, the lines deep and mottled. Residual water flowed along the three main lines of her palm like disconnected streams.

Xie Zhiyi withdrew her gaze. A vegetable leaf in her hand had been torn open at some point, looking somewhat mangled. She replied in her usual calm tone, “It’s just a small task, it won’t matter.”

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t say anything else. She retracted her hand and focused on the contents of the bamboo basket.

River crabs didn’t grow large—they were barely bigger than a coin. They had little meat, many shells, and were a hassle to clean. After a long ordeal, you’d only end up with a small plate. Few people were willing to go through the trouble, but…

Jiang Zhongmu’s eyes swept to the side—a light, fleeting glance that was almost impossible to catch. She then gripped a small brush in one hand and a crab in the other, scrubbing vigorously.

Crabs had many joints and lived in the paddies, so they naturally hid a lot of grime. She scrubbed each one two or three times before moving to the next.

Sorting vegetables and scrubbing crabs was tedious work, so conversation naturally drifted back.

“How was your learning today?” Grandma looked at Jiang Zhongmu with a loving expression.

“Same as usual. My godfather took on some outside work; he’s heading out in a couple of days,” Jiang Zhongmu replied, reluctant to talk about herself.

Jiang Town was famous for its jade carving. Before tourism, generations had made their living through this craft. It remained the same today; townspeople began apprenticeships at a young age. Jiang Zhongmu was no exception. She had started at age six and had been at it for twelve years now.

Grandma sighed helplessly and began to nag as she always did: “Your godfather is skilled; people line up to ask him to work. You must learn well. You need a craft to your name so you’ll never have to worry about food and drink in the future.”

In the minds of Jiang Town locals, using jade carving to support a family was a deeply rooted belief; schooling was merely for literacy and broadening one’s horizons.

Jiang Zhongmu simply nodded. She wasn’t impatient; it was just her nature to be quiet.

Seeing her like this, Grandma laughed in exasperation and scolded her: “No wonder Xiao Xun and the others call you ‘Dumb Zhong’ and ‘Mute Stone.'”

Hearing her old nicknames, Jiang Zhongmu blanked for a moment. The crab in her hand dropped into the water basin with a splash. She hurriedly leaned over to fish it out, unable to resist stealing a glance at the person beside her.

Xie Zhiyi’s expression remained unchanged. She continued to look down at her vegetables, the graceful lines of her neck and shoulders trembling slightly with her movements. Her blue veins looked like faint strokes on white porcelain.

A cool breeze swept by, rustling the green leaves.

“That happened so long ago, why bring it up now?” Jiang Zhongmu tossed the crab into the bowl, her tone rising slightly as if she were displeased by Grandma using her nicknames.

The crab hit the side of the bowl and slid down, vanishing into the pile, motionless.

“If they can say it, why can’t Grandma say it?”

“Would they dare say it now? Is their skin feeling loose or itchy?” Jiang Zhongmu arched an eyebrow, implying she’d give them a beating.

“You child…” Grandma couldn’t win the argument. Afraid the girl would resort to her fists again, she didn’t pursue it. She set the vegetables aside and picked up another brush to help.

Xie Zhiyi was finished with her task as well; it was only a small bag of greens. With two people working, it didn’t take long.

Seeing this, she reached out to help with the crabs. Just as her hand moved toward them, the metal basin was shoved to the other side. A violent wave of water splashed out of the basin, landing on her canvas shoes and leaving dark wet spots.

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t speak. She remained bent over, scrubbing the crab in her hand with intense focus. Beneath her thick lashes, she looked so earnest that one could hardly tell it was her foot that had moved the basin.

Xie Zhiyi frowned slightly.

Jiang Zhongmu finally tossed a crab into the bowl and looked up to explain: “Small crabs pinch, and their joints are sharp. You don’t know how to handle them, so don’t bother.”

Grandma chimed in with her agreement.

Noticing Xie Zhiyi remained silent, Jiang Zhongmu added, “We’ll need scallions and ginger later. Help me peel some of those.”

Only then did Xie Zhiyi nod, her brow gradually smoothing over.

The corner of Jiang Zhongmu’s mouth twitched—whether in a smile or a sign of helplessness, it was hard to tell. She stood up and went to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients.

By the time these small chores were done, the sun had lost half its silhouette. The stove was ablaze, turning the bottom of the blackened wok a glowing red.

Jiang Zhongmu grabbed a handful of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and tossed them in. The hot oil sizzled, releasing a pungent, fragrant aroma. She followed with ginger slices, scallion sections, and the crab pieces. With a slight flex of her sweat-slicked arms, she tossed the wok, coating the ingredients in the spicy oil.

Next came the cooking wine, vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings. As she stir-fried and tossed the wok, the high flames seemed provoked, suddenly leaping upward.

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t flinch. The fire was reflected in her light-colored eyes, making her sharp features look even more piercing.

“Zhiyi.”

The voice beside her brought Xie Zhiyi back to her senses. She turned her head, her previous thoughts vanishing.

“Zhong-Zhong’s spicy crabs are delicious. Try some later. If you like them, eat as many as you want. Don’t be restrained or worry about us; we’ve had them plenty of times,” the old woman said. Her affection was always obvious and repetitive, as if she were terrified Xie Zhiyi would be too polite to eat.

She wasn’t like a certain someone who kept everything bottled up, pretending to be indifferent.

“I know, Grandma,” Xie Zhiyi smiled.

“Taste them first. If you like them, I’ll have Zhong-Zhong set the nets again. She can cook snails and eels too. Just tell her whatever you want to eat,” Grandma instructed warmly, showing absolutely no guilt about volunteering her granddaughter’s services without asking.

“Okay, Grandma. If I want anything, I’ll say so. Don’t worry,” Xie Zhiyi replied. To prevent the topic from dragging on, she changed the subject. “When did Zhong-Zhong learn to cook? She didn’t know how last time I was here, did she?”

“She started learning after you left. She even brought it up herself,” Grandma said, a flicker of heartache appearing on her face.

“That was several years ago.”

“Sigh, Zhong-Zhong is a sensible child. At such a young age, she was already thinking of helping me carry the load.”

While they talked, the cooking at the stove reached its end.

Jiang Zhongmu lifted the iron wok with one hand and tilted it toward a circular plate. The red, spicy crabs and sauce slid onto the plate together, garnished with scallion sections. The aroma filled the kitchen.

She picked up the plate and strode to the dining table.

Two dishes and a soup were already set. She placed the crabs closer to Xie Zhiyi’s side, then sat down and picked up her rice bowl.

“Time to eat.”

The two women opposite her stopped talking. The clink of bowls and chopsticks followed.

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t move yet. She waited for Xie Zhiyi to pick up her chopsticks before reaching out, picking up a piece of crab, and placing it in Xie Zhiyi’s bowl. She muttered, “Try it.”

Xie Zhiyi instinctively caught it. She wanted to say thank you, but found the girl had already lowered her head, shoving rice into her mouth. Two large mouthfuls of white rice made her cheeks bulge roundly.

“Hurry and taste it,” Grandma urged with a smile.

Xie Zhiyi pushed her thoughts aside and bit into the spicy crab that had been praised so many times.

The taste was indeed excellent better than many restaurants.

She turned to Grandma and offered a few words of praise, making the old woman so happy she added several more pieces to Xie Zhiyi’s bowl.

Jiang Zhongmu said nothing, but the speed at which she ate her rice increased, as if the plain white rice were the sweetest delicacy in the world. Her cheeks puffed out even more, rising and falling as she chewed.

The wind swept across the lake, kicking up ripples. The struggling red sun finally sank below the horizon.

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