When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 312: Chapter 119: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in a Period Novel (6)

However, her eyes drifted to the side, catching a glimpse of the heavy bamboo basket on a low branch near the window, filled with who knows what.

Chi Yun’er was no longer the innocent and carefree eighteen-year-old of the past. She was now a person burdened with an extra twenty years of tragic experiences. After a lifetime of suffering, she had rarely felt any warmth from the world.

She’d already lived one life full of regrets; she couldn’t start this one by becoming responsible for someone’s death, even indirectly.

There were plenty of ways to get her revenge on Jiang Zishi. She didn’t need to destroy her own conscience to do it!

Chi Yun’er asked cautiously, ”Brother Hua, if there’s something I want, would you be able to bring it for me?”

Jiang Yihua raised an eyebrow, looking amused. ”As long as it’s on my way, sure. But if you ask me to detour halfway across Xiahua, you’ll really be putting me in a tough spot.”

Chi Yun’er chuckled and shook her head. ”Do you think I’m that unreasonable?”

”You’re not just going out for fun, Brother Hua. You have a mission to complete.”

”Since you’re going to Mongolia, you’ll probably take the main road, which passes through the Capital City, right? I’ve been here for over a year, and I’m really craving some snacks from my hometown.”

”We don’t get many holidays, and Zishi never goes back to the Capital City, so I’d never dare to go back by myself. My parents are busy with work and can’t find the time either. I haven’t been home in over a year.”

”Anything mailed from home takes half a month to get here, and since it’s summer, any food would spoil long before it arrived. So for a lot of snacks, the only way I get to even smell them is in my dreams...”

It was far more than a year. She hadn’t tasted authentic Capital City cuisine in over twenty years.

’Was it really the food she missed?’

’No. She was just homesick. She just wanted to return to that simpler, nostalgic time in her life...’

Seeing her speak so pitifully, the crease between Jiang Yihua’s brows softened. He mulled it over for a moment, then a small smile touched his lips as he agreed, ”No problem.”

Chi Yun’er pressed her advantage. ”Then... Brother Hua, could you wait for a moment?”

”I want to write a letter to my parents. Could you take it to them when you pass through? They can prepare the snacks, and you can bring them back for me on your way home?”

As she spoke, she fluttered her eyelashes, her voice soft and sweet as she gazed at him, full of expectation. Her look suggested that for him to refuse would be an unforgivable act of cruelty.

Jiang Yihua put a hand to his forehead. ’What kind of trouble have I gotten myself into?’

There were two routes from here to Mongolia. One was the main highway that passed through the Capital City. The road was better, but it added half a day to the journey. The other route had a stretch of rugged mountain road but saved time. On a round trip, the difference was a full day!

A half-day delay was manageable. But a full day? The rest of the crew probably wouldn’t be too happy about that.

Still, he had been the one to offer. Since he’d already promised her, he couldn’t just back out now and pretend it was a joke.

Jiang Yihua nodded. ”As it happens, some of the drivers in this convoy are also from the Capital City. The autumn harvest is over, so they don’t have much going on. They can take a day or two to visit their families, and the others can look around the city. It’ll work out.”

Chi Yun’er breathed a small sigh of relief. ’As long as he avoids that road, Jiang Yihua should be safe from his fated death, for now,’ she thought. ’Whatever happens to him after this is none of my business.’

She pursed her lips, glanced at him, and then at the glaring sunlight that flooded the yard, so bright it was painful to look at. With a soft chuckle, she went to open the door and said:

”Why don’t you come in and cool off for a bit, Brother Hua? I’m a slow writer, so it might take me a little while. You don’t have anywhere urgent to be, do you?”

Then, she took out a cup meant for guests, rinsed it with hot water, and tilted her head to look at the man still standing awkwardly outside the window, asking:

”Brother Hua, would you like some jasmine tea? I picked the flowers myself from the mountain this year. I don’t have much of it, so I’m usually reluctant to serve it to guests.”

’The truth was, she rarely had guests to entertain. Besides, anyone she didn’t know well, especially the local villagers, would find her too delicate, too bourgeois. An anonymous letter was all it would take to have her publicly shamed, forced to wear a placard while people pelted her with rotten vegetables.’

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Yihua nodded and stepped inside.

The door was left wide open. Jiang Yihua’s gaze fell on the porcelain cup. It was a lustrous white, adorned with a delicately painted orchid. The single small flower gave the cup an extra touch of elegance.

The beautiful jasmine blossoms in the cup, combined with the mint leaves Chi Yun’er had just plucked from the windowsill, sent a light, fragrant aroma curling up with the steam. Before he even took a sip, the sweltering heat he felt seemed to dissipate.

He lowered his head and took a sip. It was subtly sweet and fragrant, with the refreshing kick of mint. It was excellent for dispelling the summer heat and quenching one’s thirst—not bad at all.

The crease between his brows smoothed out a little more.

Chi Yun’er smiled. ”I coated the jasmine flowers in a bit of sugar frost, so it’s a little sweet, but not cloying. Brother Hua, please have some mung bean cake. I’m going to write my letter now.”