Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 200: Adapting to Village Life

After taking a look around, Su Yijia smiled at the two female educated youths and suggested, "Why don’t we hang a rope with fabric in the front?"

"Sure, we came from the front as well," one of the girls politely agreed.

When Su Yijia glanced at the wooden boxes placed at the head of their beds that were securely locked, she felt a little intrigued. The young woman who just answered her immediately said, "These were made by the village carpenter, Wang. You can get one for thirty eggs or ten pounds of rice."

"Thank you. I’ll go find Wang in a while," Su Yijia thanked her but didn’t ask the young woman to guide her.

She wasn’t planning to stay here for long, and she didn’t want to develop deep relationships with many people. Avoiding unnecessary trouble was her aim.

"Yijia, you go take a bath first, and I’ll organize our things," urged Grandma Lin.

"Grandma, why don’t you go first? I’ll unpack," Su Yijia’s shoes were already wet, and stepping into waterlogged shoes was uncomfortable. This discomfort would be even more pronounced for her grandmother.

Moreover, the male comrades would surely want to let them shower first.

Seeing that Su Yijia was adamant, Grandma Lin began to gather her belongings. She had known that persuasion would be fruitless. Carrying clean clothes and shoes, she headed towards the shower room.

Su Yijia didn’t have much to tidy up. She was quite dirty from the walk, so she just spread out the beddings to sit on the brick bed.

The two educated youths stood nearby, gazing at her intently.

The one who previously spoke said, "How are you planning to eat?"

Before Su Yijia could respond, the other educated youth eagerly asked, "We educated youths share our rations and take turns cooking. Would you like to join us?"

Su Yijia politely declined, "No, thanks. We’ve brought a sick person, so it’s complicated to prepare meals. We brought a stove and a pot with us specifically for that reason."

The first educated youth who inquired was relatively fine with her answer, but the one who suggested they eat together had a noticeable change in facial expression, appearing rather unhappy. Although she dared not speak her thoughts aloud, she was privately murmuring to herself. She believed that despite the excuse of having a sick person, Su Yijia’s true motive was to avoid eating alongside them to ensure they didn’t partake in the better meals. She had noticed that they had brought a disabled person, probably meaning they usually prepare better meals. At least, they should have some dishes with more nutrition, right? Otherwise, she wouldn’t bother and offer to prepare food for several more people.

Observing the negative change in the second educated youth’s demeanor, Su Yijia suppressed her previous amicable expression.

She immediately exuded an oppressive atmosphere that made it difficult for others to breathe freely. The two girls knew that they had upset Su Yijia, and they were anxious about it. They wanted to apologize but didn’t know how to start. At that moment, Grandma Lin came in.

"Gao has asked the boys for hot water and is now heating some more. You should go wash up quickly. Toss your dirty clothes in the tub, and I’ll wash them for you later," Grandma Lin said.

"I’ll wash them myself," Su Yijia quickly refused. She had never washed clothes before, but that was no reason for her grandma to do it.

"You... be obedient! Just leave them there. I’m not so old that I need you to do the washing," Grandma Lin said firmly, and Su Yijia had to give in.

"Alright, then. I’ll trouble Grandma Lin later. I’ll prepare something delicious dishes for you," Su Yijia agreed. Grandma Lin rarely asked for anything, but this time, she requested the steamed dish Su Yijia made the day before, as she was craving it and believed it would be good for Kaize.

In her mind, Su Yijia was planning to wash the dirty clothes and shoes after taking a bath. But when she got to the courtyard, she saw Gao Huabin squatting by the stove, already washing her grandma’s clothes.

"Gao, you leave it there, and I’ll wash them later," Su Yijia was genuinely surprised at his enthusiasm. However, Gao Huabin grinned and said, "Sister-in-law, I’m almost done washing. It’s not tiring, and the boss said that washing clothes requires good control of force, so I thought I’d practice."

"I think your boss is tricking you." Su Yijia thought in her mind, and her mouth twitched as she looked at Gao Huabin with a complicated expression. But seeing he was genuinely enjoying himself washing the clothes, she decided not to say anything.

Luckily, Grandma Lin had just washed her undergarments and took them to the backyard to dry. Otherwise, it would have been quite awkward. The shower room here was particularly simple. Two sides were against the wall, while the other two were made of bamboo sticks pieced together. The roof was also made of bamboo, forming a pointed top with significant gaps for light to pass through. Although it was relatively high, you still had to climb a tree or stand on the wall to look into the shower room.

This made Su Yijia feel very unsafe, especially with the bamboo walls having gaps between them. If she pressed her eye against these gaps, she could see the yard outside. Were the educated youth accustomed to showering in such conditions?

Su Yijia found it hard to believe. Even though she knew she had to press her eye against the gap to see outside, she just couldn’t shower in such a setting. After struggling for a while, Su Yijia ultimately gritted her teeth and decided to return to the room to get two bedsheets to cover the gaps.

The door had just been pushed open when Gao Huabin immediately looked over. Seeing her clothes covered in mud, he asked with some concern, "Sister-in-law, is there a problem with the shower room?"

Su Yijia, blushing, quickened her pace to return to the room. "No, I’m going to get bedsheets to cover the gap. The door makes me uncomfortable."

She quickly informed Grandma Lin, who promptly fetched two bedsheets for Su Yijia. Grandma Lin had also noticed the gap but was sure it wasn’t a significant issue before washing. However, it was understandable for Su Yijia, being young and naturally sensitive. Moreover, the environment there was quite challenging.

Once Su Yijia left, the two female laborers curiously approached Grandma Lin. "Grandma, why did you bring so many bedsheets?"

"We brought the bedsheets from home, planning for two sets per person to alternate for washing, so that’s why there’s more," Grandma Lin casually responded, making up a reason.

In reality, they had bought several new sheets upon their arrival, initially intending to have two people share one bedsheet and then have a few extra for changing. They hadn’t expected to be sleeping in an open bunk where one bed was enough for several people.

The two female laborers found Grandma Lin approachable and inquired further.

"Grandma, do you think our village can really grow medicinal herbs this time?" Wu Xuezhen tentatively asked.

She didn’t actually want the village to grow medicinal herbs. She was currently going up the mountain every day to pick tea leaves, causing her hands to develop thick calluses, and her back became so sore she could barely stand up straight. If they started cultivating medicinal herbs, it would definitely involve clearing uncultivated land. Who would be willing to do such a backbreaking job? After all, she couldn’t endure that kind of hardship.