To be honest, Shen Nanchu gained a little something while indirectly dealing with Li Mei and Fang Jie.
Since Li Mei and Fang Jie struck first, they couldn’t blame her for retaliating.
A mischievous smile curled at the corner of Shen Nanchu’s lips as her small hands moved swiftly.
The motion was so smooth that even the system failed to notice.
……
Seeing that the timing was about right, Shen Nanchu finally stopped.
Li Mei and Fang Jie stood unsteadily, aching all over.
“Where’s the snake?” Li Mei asked, still shaken.
“It ran away,” Shen Nanchu replied nonchalantly, tossing the rolling pin back to Pei Yunxi.
Pei Yunxi caught it gleefully. “Yep, I saw it slither off.”
By now, Fang Jie had begun to sense something was off.
“Shen Nanchu, you tricked us?”
“I didn’t trick you!”
Shen Nanchu blinked innocently.
“There really was a snake just now!”
“If you don’t believe me, ask them.”
Those she pointed to chimed in:
Pei Yunxi: “There was—I saw it.”
Wang Jianguo: “Definitely, it ran away.”
Wang Weimin, feeling pressured: “Probably? I didn’t get a clear look.”
[Disgust Points +5]
[Disgust Points +4]
[Disgust Points +3]
……
Finally, Li Mei caught on.
“Shen Nanchu, you did this on purpose.”
“You’re saying I did it on purpose? Got any proof?”
Shen Nanchu grinned at Li Mei.
“You—” Li Mei was left speechless.
“Shen Nanchu, don’t you think it’s shameful to disrupt the exam for your own selfish reasons?” Fang Jie fumed.
“Nope.”
Shen Nanchu raised her voice.
Some of the examinees—both educated youths and villagers—grew visibly angry.
[Disgust Points +5]
[Disgust Points +8]
[Disgust Points +10]
……
“Village Chief, Principal, Shen Nanchu’s actions have severely disrupted the exam. We hope you’ll reprimand her harshly,” Fang Jie declared righteously to Wang Chaoying and Wang Jianguo.
“Village Chief, Principal, I suggest you check everyone’s exam papers. I heard there was cheating,” Shen Nanchu countered with equal righteousness.
What?
Cheating?
This was serious.
Wang Chaoying and Wang Jianguo immediately set aside the issue of Shen Nanchu interrupting the exam and began inspecting the candidates.
Sure enough,
They found torn textbook pages in a villager’s pocket, a book in an educated youth’s bag, and two cheat sheets near Li Mei and Fang Jie’s seats.
Fang Jie and Li Mei froze.
They hadn’t cheated!
“Village Chief, that note isn’t mine!”
“Principal, neither is this one!”
Meanwhile, two educated youths secretly sighed in relief.
They had no idea how their cheat sheets ended up with Li Mei and Fang Jie, but they were grateful for the diversion.
Wang Chaoying and Wang Jianguo were livid.
“You—you—” Wang Chaoying smacked his thigh in frustration. “Hopeless!”
Wang Jianguo’s face darkened. “All cheaters are disqualified from the hiring process.”
A crooked branch grows from a crooked tree.
How could anyone with such twisted morals teach children?
[Disgust Points +10]
[Disgust Points +20]
[Disgust Points +30]
……
Li Mei and Fang Jie kept protesting their innocence, but Wang Jianguo and Wang Chaoying refused to hear another word.
With this scandal, the two officials lost all enthusiasm for the hiring process. They announced a retest at a later date and shooed everyone away.
The sisters-in-law emerged victorious, strutting home triumphantly.
Pei Yunxi trailed behind Shen Nanchu, rolling pin in hand, beaming with pride.
“Sis, how’d you know they were cheating?”
“I spotted it while catching the snake.”
Shen Nanchu missed nothing.
“Sis, you’re amazing.”
Pei Yunxi’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Want to be just as amazing?”
Shen Nanchu was pleased with Pei Yunxi’s performance today.
“Yes!”
Pei Yunxi nodded eagerly.
“Come here.”
Shen Nanchu crooked a finger.
She decided to explain today’s events in detail and share a few tricks, grooming Pei Yunxi as her future frontline ally.
After a whispered exchange, Pei Yunxi was stunned.
You could do that?
A whole new world had opened before her.
Shen Nanchu patted Pei Yunxi’s soft, delicate cheek.
“I’ll let you try it next time.”
“Awesome! Thanks, sis!”
Pei Yunxi didn’t suspect Shen Nanchu’s ulterior motives at all.
Sidekick No. 1 was ready for action.
“Oh, later, go invite the village chief, Aunt Lanhua, and that Wang Weimin over for dinner.”
Shen Nanchu was curious about Wang Weimin—not that she’d admit she was just craving good food.
“After all, he did save you. You should show some gratitude.”
Pei Yunxi nodded.
“Don’t worry, sis. I’ll head out after changing.”
Last time Pei Zhengnian visited, he’d brought back a stash of supplies.
Shen Nanchu had been eyeing that cured ham leg for ages.
Aunt Lanhua was an excellent cook—perfect for the job.
And that jar of wine-pickled fish too…
……
Pei Yunxi changed into fresh clothes, her washed hair cascading down her back.
She’d laundered her old outfit along with Wang Weimin’s shirt.
After hanging the laundry, she headed to the village chief’s house.
At the courtyard gate, the sound of splashing water reached her ears.
Peeking inside,
She saw Wang Weimin shirtless, his back to the gate, hanging clothes to dry.
Sunlight glinted off his bronze skin, his broad shoulders and narrow waist like a sculpture molded from the earth—raw and powerful.
Pei Yunxi had seen shirtless men before—plenty in the military.
But Wang Weimin’s physique was impressive.
“Who’s there?”
“Me.”
Wang Weimin turned, saw Pei Yunxi, and jolted as if electrocuted.
He scrambled to grab a pair of pants from the clothesline to cover himself.
Pei Yunxi’s lips twitched. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’ve never seen a bare chest.”
Wang Weimin turned beet red.
“Pei Yunxi! A young lady shouldn’t talk so shamelessly!”
“Turn around.”
Amused by his flustered state, Pei Yunxi obliged.
“Why so shy?”
“It’s just skin.”
“Relax, I won’t bite.”
……
