Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 114: Pearl in the Palm

"Mom, you spoil Zhenhai far too much. It’s not like he’s ever lacked for food or clothing. But he might not even be able to pass the physical exam."

She didn’t say it outright, but the meaning behind her words couldn’t have been clearer. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I even placed in races at school!"

Sun Zhenhai instantly stiffened his neck to argue back.

"Oh, is that so?" A teasing smile touched Song Qingya’s lips. "How about a little contest with your brother-in-law?"

...

The room fell silent.

No one said a word, and no one dared to respond to her challenge.

A single sentence had ended the argument.

Song Qingya had been standing there for quite a while.

Her legs had long since grown sore, and a trace of fatigue was visible on her face.

The very moment she lifted a hand to gently rest it on her lower back...

...Fei Jin read her intent in that subtle movement.

Her husband spoke calmly, "Qingya is a little tired. It’s not good for her to be standing for so long. I’ll take her back to our room so she can rest."

"Xiao Fei, you..."

Fei Jin wasn’t a man of many words.

But when he did speak, no one present dared to utter a single word of protest.

All they could do was watch as Fei Jin carefully escorted Song Qingya, who walked slowly back to their room.

The door closed behind them.

"What the hell did she mean just now? She talked and talked but didn’t say anything definitive!"

"You really couldn’t tell? There were barbs in her words. Isn’t it obvious what she meant? She clearly thinks Zhenhai isn’t physically strong enough, that he doesn’t even qualify!"

"I already humbled myself and knelt to apologize to her. I even kowtowed in front of everyone to make amends! What more could she possibly want?"

"Dad, Mom, I think Song Qingya needs to be taught a lesson. We should rough her up a bit when her husband’s not around. That’ll make her remember her place and learn that our family isn’t somewhere she can just act wild."

The mother, sitting to one side, immediately blanched and scolded him in a low voice.

"Are you trying to get us all killed? Coming up with such a heartless, wicked idea! Now shut your mouth!"

’Was everyone blind?’

’Their son-in-law, the village chief, treated Song Qingya like she was the most precious thing in the world.’

’She was the apple of his eye now. The slightest mishap, even just a touch, could lead to a major incident.’

’Besides, Song Qingya was pregnant, which made her status particularly delicate.’

’At a time like this, who but someone with a death wish would dare to lay a finger on her?’

’All the girl had to do was say she was tired and wanted to rest, and who would have the audacity to stop her?’

’You couldn’t hit this young madam, and you couldn’t scold her, either.’

While they were at a loss, Yang Yunhua gritted her teeth and declared, "Zhenhai’s father, I’ve thought it over. I’m putting it all on the line tonight. I don’t care how late it gets; I’m not going to sleep. I’m going to stand guard right here and wait for her to come out. I have to talk to her face-to-face and get a straight answer! This matter can’t just be left hanging."

Song Qingya had an unshakable bedtime routine.

No matter how tired she was, she always had to wash up before getting into bed.

The house only had one bathroom, and the entire family shared it.

And now that she had gone back to her room for the night...

...since she would definitely need to use the bathroom, it was certain she would eventually come out.

’There are only so many places to wait around here,’ Yang Yunhua calculated.

’As long as I wait here, I’m bound to run into her eventually.’

She immediately put her plan into action.

Yang Yunhua found a small stool, moved it in front of the bathroom door, and sat down to wait.

She held a tattered palm-leaf fan, which she waved back and forth with constant, vigorous strokes.

The FWOOSH, FWOOSH sound of the fan was especially loud in the quiet of the night.

Sweat dripped ceaselessly from her forehead.

There was only one electric fan in the entire house.

Normally, it was kept in Sun Zhenhai’s room.

But this time, when she heard Song Qingya and Fei Jin were coming to stay for a few days...

...Yang Yunhua had immediately changed her tune and moved the fan straight into Song Qingya’s room.

It was all to curry favor with her, in the hopes of getting some kind of benefit from them.

She truly meant it, too.

"My god, this weather is just unbearable! It’s hot enough to roast a person! And these mosquitoes are insane, buzzing all around me."

Yang Yunhua grumbled, her voice full of dissatisfaction.

"Is that girl dragging her feet on purpose? Is she deliberately not coming out? It’s almost eleven o’clock! Everyone else went to bed ages ago, why hasn’t she shown her face?"

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. As she spoke, she slapped a large, red, swollen welt on the back of her hand.

It made a sharp SMACK.

"Just me, sitting here like an idiot, fanning myself. Who knows how much blood these damn things will suck out of me!"

She couldn’t help but sigh after she finished speaking.

She suddenly glanced up and saw a familiar figure standing right next to her.

It was Song Qingya. She had come out of the bedroom at some point and had been standing silently behind her for some time.

The sight made Yang Yunhua jump with fright.

She hastily clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to cover up her grumbling, but it was too late.

All she could do was force a smile, trying to gloss over the moment.

"Mom, what were you just mumbling about? You weren’t badmouthing me, were you?"

Song Qingya smiled faintly, the corners of her lips tilting up.

She crossed her arms lightly in front of her.

She had the air of someone who had clearly heard everything but was deliberately playing dumb.

A shiver went through Yang Yunhua.

Her whole body jolted, and she nearly fell off the little stool.

"N-no, of course not!"

She quickly waved her hands in denial.

"How could I be cursing you? You’re overthinking things, child. I was just talking to myself, practicing my elocution. Don’t take it to heart!"

She scrambled to her feet as she spoke.

"That’s good."

Song Qingya stood in front of the vanity mirror.

"I thought you might be upset with me because I didn’t agree to help Zhenhai join the army."

After saying this, she turned, picked up the wooden comb from the table, and gathered her long hair.

She casually twisted it into a simple, low bun at the nape of her neck.

She didn’t turn to face Yang Yunhua, but simply gazed at the reflection in the mirror.

The next second, she saw Yang Yunhua rise quietly from the stool, tiptoe up behind her, and then stop, stammering, unable to get a word out.

Song Qingya frowned, her tone impatient.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you hiding behind me without making a sound? It’s the middle of the night, that’s scary, you know? If you’re just going to stand there sneaking around behind me, do you even want to talk or not?"

"Actually... it’s about your brother’s situation."

"I’m not trying to force you to pull strings, but Xiao Fei is the village chief, after all. To have those kinds of connections and not use them... it would be such a waste."

When Qingya still didn’t say anything,

she lowered her voice even more.

"Did you know? I heard that officials at his level have internal recommendation slots to get relatives into the army... And you’re family now, so our situation is perfect. Look, your brother is the right age, he’s educated, and I’m sure he’s physically fit enough, right?"

"That sort of thing does exist."

Song Qingya replied, not immediately showing any anger.