Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 202: Don’t Bother the Villagers Until Benefits are Promised

Su Yijia and the male educated youth turned simultaneously to see Gao Huabin, with a dark expression, pushing Qin Kaize, whose gaze was even darker than the night, out into the courtyard. Though neither of them had spoken, Su Yijia could sense the tension.

She immediately put on a bright and soft smile and slowly moved over to Qin Kaize’s side. "Honey, why aren’t you asleep yet?"

"Moon gazing," Qin Kaize replied, his tone dripping with jealousy more intense than ever before.

Su Yijia felt the bitterness of his jealousy acutely and quickly pouted, "You don’t miss me at all! I couldn’t sleep because I missed you so much. I was coming to find you, but he blocked my way, so I had to go back to sleep. I didn’t expect you’d be out here enjoying the moon with Gao."

"Sister-in-law, if the boss is moon gazing, it would definitely be with you. Actually, the boss couldn’t sleep because he missed you too, so I brought him out to the courtyard for a walk. We just happened to hear you talking to this male educated youth," Gao Huabin explained, thinking he’d done a good job.

Ever since receiving direct instructions from his leader, he’d fully grasped the art of helping his boss and sister-in-law strengthen their relationship. But when he turned, he saw Su Yijia looking at him with a troubled expression.

"It was the male educated youth asking me questions, not us chatting," Su Yijia seriously clarified. Didn’t Gao know that his boss was an old vinegar jar? Saying they were chatting made it sound like they had a planned conversation that was particularly engaging.

The male educated youth seemed to understand the situation and quickly apologized, "I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the boundaries and was just focused on getting the information I wanted to know."

His sincere apology, without any pretense, improved the mood of Su Yijia, Qin Kaize, and Gao Huabin a bit.

"Are you tired?" Qin Kaize ignored the male educated youth and gently asked his wife.

"Not at all! I’m not sleepy either! How about we take a walk outside?" Su Yijia suggested. It was only a little past nine, far from their usual bedtime. They had eyes watching the surroundings, so it should be safe. Most importantly, while bathing wasn’t an option, they could still kiss and earn daily points, which might save a life one day.

"Okay," Qin Kaize agreed, wanting to spend more time with his wife.

Su Yijia took over the wheelchair from Gao Huabin and pushed Qin Kaize out of the Educated Youth Center. The village was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with exceptionally fresh air. Despite the moon being obscured by clouds, the scene had a poetic beauty to it.

"I’ll bring gifts to the village head’s house tomorrow and talk to his wife about buying the poisonous insects. We can’t delay this; the sooner we make the medicine, the sooner we can leave," Su Yijia said, sitting on a ridge, chewing on a foxtail, and outlining her plans to Qin Kaize.

"Wait a few days, until we’re sure we can grow herbs here. The villagers in the mountains are very cautious about this. If you go too quickly, they’ll suspect the herb-growing plan is just a cover," Qin Kaize reminded her. He had been on missions in this area a few times, and although he hadn’t dealt directly with the villagers, his subordinates had.

The villagers who raised poisonous insects were known to take extreme measures if they sensed danger.

"So, they don’t release the eagle until they see the rabbit?" Su Yijia sighed. However, with Qin Kaize’s advice, she certainly wouldn’t act on her own impulses.

"Then I’ll wait for your news. When you say it’s time to buy, I’ll go find the village chief’s wife. In the meantime, we can enjoy a peaceful countryside life without any quarrels," Su Yijia lay on his lap, her bright eyes sparkling as she looked at him with a soft and obedient demeanor.

Qin Kaize felt a pang of guilt but quickly smiled and agreed, "Do you have plans?"

"Let’s go catch some crayfish tomorrow," Su Yijia suggested. In the heat of summer, not eating spicy crayfish seemed like a waste.

"Can you eat those things?" Qin Kaize asked, confused. He knew about crayfish, but weren’t they dirty?

"Of course! Once we catch them, I’ll cook them for you. The water here is clean, so the crayfish must be clean too," Su Yijia guessed his thoughts and defended the crayfish.

It’s said that in China, crayfish became widely known as edible in the 1980s. They thrived in dirty water, which made Chinese people hesitant to catch them. But this place was different. With clear mountains and rivers and no factories, where would the pollution come from?

"Can you swim? Maybe Gao should catch them," Qin Kaize suggested, worried. Hu City had rivers and seas, but growing up in her family, Jiajia probably never had a chance to swim. If she fell into the river, he couldn’t save her and would have to rely on others, a thought that made his gaze even colder.

"As long as we have something to eat, it doesn’t matter who catches them. But is Gao any good at it?" Su Yijia asked, uncertain. In her original world, she loved fishing for crayfish. During summer breaks, she would wear a straw hat and use cotton thread and pig liver to fish for crayfish in someone else’s field. But her skills were lacking, and even after six or seven hours, she couldn’t catch a pound.

Qin Kaize stiffened slightly, unsure how to respond. He didn’t know if Gao Huabin was any good at it either. Gao Huabin had grown up in the countryside, but nobody ate crayfish, so he probably never fished for them.

As he pondered how to comfort his wife, they heard the sounds of children playing nearby. The kids held torches and carried small bamboo baskets along with sharpened sticks. Seeing Su Yijia and Qin Kaize sitting on the ridge, they froze, then huddled together like quails, looking at them timidly.

Over the past few days, their elders had repeatedly told them that these new arrivals from the city were not like the usual educated youths. They were important leaders here to inspect the village. If they made a good impression, everyone could enjoy meat and new clothes in the future. The older kids understood what leaders meant. The younger ones didn’t, but they wanted meat and new clothes too. So they were terrified of offending Su Yijia and Qin Kaize, even breathing lightly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Su Yijia pulled out some White Rabbit milk candies from her pocket and waved them over. "Don’t be scared. Sister will give you some candy."

The White Rabbit candies made the kids swallow their saliva. Despite their fear of offending the newcomers, they cautiously approached.

Su Yijia gave each of them a candy, just enough to empty her hands. "Why are you out so late? Are you going somewhere fun?" she asked with a smile.

"We’re going to the river to catch fish and snails," an older boy answered softly. To prove he wasn’t lying, he held out his basket, showing her the tiny fish and snails inside.