The Yandere Queen's Manual for Training Her Wife - Chapter 3

The next morning, Xia Mingtang couldn’t find a soul from her room upstairs to the common area downstairs.

After settling her in last night, Shi Shi had left for some matter, leaving Xia Mingtang all alone in this mysterious place. Although the surroundings seemed calm, it gave her the nervous feeling of an espionage drama heroine. Even the two fresh red mosquito bites on the right side of her face were sacrifices she’d made for a great revolutionary cause.

Xia Mingtang arrived at the small kitchen on the first floor and saw someone with their back to her, seemingly busy. She crept forward carefully to observe.

A young woman wearing half-rimmed glasses turned around with a bowl of freshly cooked rice noodles in her hands, nearly colliding with the oncoming Xia Mingtang.

“Ouch!” Xia Mingtang quickly reached out to steady the clay pot, and the heat made tears well up in her eyes.

The woman quickly placed the bowl of rice noodles on the stove. Instead of scolding Xia Mingtang for being so sneaky, she asked casually, “You’re the new guest who checked in yesterday?”

Xia Mingtang nodded, thinking to herself: Is everyone in this inn so well-informed?

Receiving an affirmative answer, the woman extended her hand. “Yang Fan. I’ve been staying here a little longer than you.”

“Xia Xiaohua.” That was the temporary name she had given herself upon entering the inn.

It seemed Yang Fan was just another guest. Xia Mingtang shook her hand and mentally put her in the same camp as herself.

She followed Yang Fan out to a table in the small courtyard and, without being asked, pulled out two chairs, ready for a heart-to-heart chat.

Yang Fan didn’t mind her forward friendliness. She divided the cooked rice noodles into a white porcelain bowl. “Have some. I made too much.”

Having only had a cup of oatmeal this morning, Xia Mingtang didn’t hesitate. She praised Yang Fan’s cooking lavishly while seizing the opportunity to fish for information.

“How long have you been here? When I came yesterday, the owner said they weren’t taking in any more outside guests.”

Yang Fan added several big spoonfuls of chili to her rice noodles and answered without much guard. “I heard the inn has been busy with some things lately. I’ve been here for almost three months. When I first came, it wasn’t even Owner Qin who was running the place.”

Xia Mingtang couldn’t believe such a casual opening had uncovered such a big piece of gossip. The new owner… there was definitely something going on!

A tidal wave of thought surged in her mind, but she managed to keep a nonchalant expression. “Oh, I see. So you must see Owner Qin often, then. What do you think… what kind of person is she?”

Yang Fan slurped a large mouthful of rice noodles and replied vaguely, “Owner Qin isn’t in the shop much. I’ve only seen her a few times. I guess… she seems like a very gentle person.”

That answer was too vague for Xia Mingtang, so she pressed on. “Have you noticed any of her habits or hobbies?”

“Hobbies… flower arranging is one, I guess.” Yang Fan wiped her mouth, finally realizing the one-sided pattern of their conversation. She turned the tables. “Wait, you’ve only been here for one day. Why are you so interested in Owner Qin?”

Oh no, I’m about to be exposed!

Alarm bells went off in Xia Mingtang’s mind. She instantly switched to her go-to special skill: dramatic acting.

She furrowed her brow slightly, letting a sorrowful expression wash over her face. “To be honest, the moment I first saw Owner Qin yesterday, I felt an incredible sense of familiarity. Her every expression and smile is an exact replica of my sister, who passed away from an illness.”

The moment her voice trailed off, Yang Fan pulled out her little notebook and quickly jotted something down. Xia Mingtang was a little confused, but Yang Fan’s expression clearly signaled for her to continue.

Now in her element, Xia Mingtang continued with even more emotion. “My sister was always so good to me, but I was naughty as a child and always made her angry. Now that she’s gone, I’m filled with regret thinking back on it. Seeing Owner Qin yesterday felt as if my sister had come back to me in another person’s form. That’s why I can’t help but want to get closer to her and treat her well, to bring some comfort to my heart. You won’t laugh at me, right?”

“Of course not.” Yang Fan finished her last note and put away her notebook. She was about to offer a few words of comfort, like “the past cannot be recalled, but the future can still be hoped for,” but seeing Xia Mingtang’s sad expression, the words that came out instead were, “Feel free to ask whatever you want. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

In just the time it took to eat a meal, Xia Mingtang and Yang Fan had grown close. They began to loudly conspire in the inn as if they had just discovered some juicy gossip.

“So you think that besides running the inn, Owner Qin doesn’t really care about anything else?” Xia Mingtang put the clean dishes in the cupboard and wiped her hands with a napkin.

“I actually think she doesn’t even care much about running the inn,” Yang Fan said, flipping through her little notebook and shaking her head. “I’ve been here for three months and I can get a sense of everyone else’s personalities, but she’s a little mysterious.”

This was the fifth time Xia Mingtang had seen Yang Fan check her notebook. Feeling curious, she leaned in for a peek. Yang Fan noticed and instantly slammed the notebook shut. “You focus on your Owner Qin. Don’t worry about me.”

Though curious, Xia Mingtang knew what was more important. She unconsciously scratched her cheek, laughing. “Okay, okay, I won’t look at your notebook. Just think back again. Did you miss any details?”

“Let me think…” Yang Fan adjusted her glasses to recall, but her eyes were drawn to Xia Mingtang’s scratching. “Speaking of which, are you really not going to do anything about those two red bumps on your face?”

She had been too embarrassed to say anything earlier, but now she could speak frankly. The mention of it only made Xia Mingtang feel itchier. She pressed her nails against her cheek twice and put on a brave face. “It’s nothing. I’ll put some mosquito repellent on it later. Do you have any?”

“Even if I did, it would be expired.” Yang Fan shook her head. “No one has gotten a mosquito bite around here in ages. From what I’ve observed, the inn gives every guest a mosquito coil. Didn’t they give you one this time?”

Xia Mingtang: …

This seemingly ordinary question acted like a gag order on Xia Mingtang. Fortunately, someone appeared at that moment and broke the brief awkward silence.

Qin Yan arrived with two bags of groceries and placed them on the kitchen counter. Even in such a domestic scene, it didn’t look out of place on her, dressed in a cheongsam.

“Have you two met already? That saves me the trouble of introducing you.”

Qin Yan opened one of the bags, which was filled with soy sauce and vinegar. As she arranged them on the counter, she glanced at Xia Mingtang and asked in a normal tone, “So, are you settling in well here?”

“Yes, I am.” Xia Mingtang had just been secretly prying for information about her, and now that the person herself had appeared, she felt a strange sense of guilt. To cover it up, she struggled to make small talk. “Owner Qin, you do the shopping yourself?”

In her nervousness, she even forgot to call her “Sister” like a sweet-talking child.

Qin Yan keenly sensed the change and her teasing words were gentle. “There are so few people in the inn, it’s a small task. No need to hand it off to someone else. I just didn’t expect Miss Xia to become so distant after settling in.”

Xia Mingtang secretly cursed her poor performance. Her plan was to infiltrate the enemy camp and gather intelligence, so she couldn’t afford to raise suspicion. She quickly tried to make amends.

“How could I? I’ve always liked you, sister. And please don’t call me Miss Xia, just call me Xiaohua.”

As she spoke, Xia Mingtang glanced at Yang Fan. She wasn’t afraid to act in front of a stranger or a friend, but having a half-familiar audience made her feel… a bit embarrassed.

But ever since Qin Yan had appeared, Yang Fan had been buried in her notebook, scribbling nonstop, and hadn’t looked at her.

Qin Yan smiled gently and kindly. “Okay, Xiaohua. This is for you.”

Xia Mingtang took what she was offered and saw that it was a bottle of mosquito repellent, nicely protected in a plastic film.

She was about to thank her, but Qin Yan had already said goodbye. “I have some other things to take care of. You two enjoy yourselves here. Oh, right, I asked Yiyi to put a cushion under each of the plum trees. If you miss your grandpa, you can go sit under one.”

“What grandpa?” Yang Fan, who had been scribbling with her head down, suddenly looked up as if coming back to life.

Qin Yan was used to her startled behavior and simply explained, “Xiaohua is here out of filial piety to commemorate her deceased grandpa.”

Yang Fan flipped through her notebook, feeling that something was off. She turned to Xia Mingtang. “But you said your sis—”

“Mmph!”

Xia Mingtang covered Yang Fan’s mouth with her hand and spoke at the fastest speed of her life. “Sister, you should go do your business. I just remembered that Yang Fan and I have some things to talk about, so you don’t need to worry about us! Bye-bye!”

She said this while practically dragging Yang Fan away, terrified that if the two of them spoke for one more second, her carefully woven lies would all be exposed.

Only after she watched Qin Yan walk away did Xia Mingtang release her hand from Yang Fan’s mouth. Facing the “I want an explanation” expression on Yang Fan’s face, she constructed a brand new story framework in a single second.

“It all started on a day of blooming spring flowers. My grandpa and my sister got on a plane together, flying to country M…”

To allay the other’s suspicions, she performed more vigorously than ever before. But Yang Fan didn’t pull out her notebook this time. If micro-expressions could speak, her face was clearly saying: Keep acting.

Having her performance seen through so obviously, even with Xia Mingtang’s strong conviction, it was difficult to continue. She was at a loss.

“I see it all now. You weren’t here for your grandpa or your sister. You have ulterior motives,” Yang Fan said, a flash of insight in her eyes that made Xia Mingtang feel incredibly guilty.

“Actually, I… I…” Xia Mingtang was unwilling to have her plan to infiltrate the enemy camp exposed on the very first day, but her usually quick-witted tongue suddenly became clumsy.

“Don’t bother making things up, I understand it all,” Yang Fan said, feeling more certain of her guess as she saw Xia Mingtang’s face turn red with urgency. “You just have your eyes on Owner Qin, hoping to use your proximity to her to your advantage.”

Xia Mingtang: “I’m not—”

Huh?

Her rebuttal was cut off halfway as Yang Fan continued with conviction, “With Owner Qin’s charm, lots of people have a crush on her. But you’re more clever; you managed to get a place to stay here, so you have more of a chance than others. Don’t worry, it’s fate that we’ve met. I’ll help you.”

Xia Mingtang had never expected things to turn out this way. The light blush on her face had not yet completely faded, so she looked three-parts genuine without even having to act. “Since… since you’ve figured it out, then please… don’t tell sister. I… I’m a little embarrassed.”

Yang Fan gave her a reassuring look, then lowered her head to make a new note in her notebook. She flipped back two pages and crossed out a big section of what she had written before.

Perhaps because she had just uncovered an “earth-shattering secret,” she was a little proud and relaxed, which allowed Xia Mingtang to catch a glimpse of a half-crossed-out line:

[Orthopedic White Moonlight Body Double Literature]

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