Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 83: Sophisticated Methods

’She wasn’t actually weak on the inside at all.’

’On the contrary, she was like an iron fist in a velvet glove—her methods were quite brilliant!’

She had come under the guise of giving a gift. Although the shawl wasn’t particularly valuable, she had indeed put some thought into choosing it.

She’d hoped the small gift would both express goodwill and serve as an opportunity to close the distance between them.

But in the end, not only had the other woman refused to be easily bought...

...she had used the opportunity to tactfully make her stance clear.

The whole affair had completely failed to achieve her objective.

But strangely enough, even though she’d been rebuffed, Yang Yingzi felt a growing sense of fondness and admiration for Song Qingya.

She was only doing this to build connections and pave the way for the future while the old man of the Luo Family was still in a position of power.

And this young wife before her was acting this way to ensure her husband’s future wouldn’t be affected in the slightest.

She was watertight in her dealings with people, unwilling to leave even the smallest opening that could be used as leverage against them.

Although their starting points were different, they were both, in the end, thinking of their own families.

In the past, she might have found such thoughtfulness and sense of responsibility to be too stubborn and difficult.

But now, she actually found it rather admirable.

As she thought about this, Yang Yingzi’s mood softened considerably.

A sincere smile appeared on her face as she reached out and firmly grasped Song Qingya’s hand.

The awkwardness and lull in conversation from a moment ago seemed to vanish into thin air.

Her tone became much warmer, as if a floodgate of conversation had truly been opened.

"Qingya, I just realized I don’t know your story at all. Tell me about it, I’d love to hear."

Meanwhile, the two men simply left the women to their pleasantries in the house and cheerfully took the child to play elsewhere.

In a corner of the courtyard, Luo Weiwei was hopping around and looking about when her eyes suddenly went wide.

"Whoa! Brother Fei’s house has a special little room for bathing right next to the outhouse, and there’s a basin too! It’s way nicer than my house, and so well-arranged!"

This wasn’t the first time Fei Jin had to hold back a laugh upon hearing that.

Every time before, he’d had to correct her: "Call me ’Uncle.’"

But she insisted on sweetly calling him "Brother" the moment she opened her mouth.

There was nothing he could do about it, so he had slowly gotten used to it.

Hearing her talk about this novelty, he could only smile and accept it.

At least it was fitting for the little girl to call Song Qingya "Sister."

The warm sunlight spilled into the courtyard.

Luo Fuman stood there, stretching his arms and legs. He yawned, stretched again, and then spoke.

"I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I’m always sleepy, like I can never get enough rest. I feel drained all day long."

These words reached Song Qingya’s ears.

She looked up in the direction of the voice, her gaze landing on Luo Fuman’s face.

She studied his complexion carefully for a few moments, her brow furrowing slightly.

’How is this so similar to that illness mentioned in the book?’

The more she looked, the more she felt something was wrong.

His complexion was a bit dull and sallow, with even a hint of yellow.

He looked utterly lethargic, completely lacking the relatively robust energy he had when they last met.

So, she carefully ventured a question, "Old Luo, has your appetite been poor recently? Have you felt like you don’t want to eat anything?"

Luo Fuman paused.

He nodded, saying with a bit of hesitation, "How did you know? Maybe it’s the hot weather. I really don’t have much of an appetite."

Standing nearby, Yang Yingzi immediately chimed in.

"Isn’t that the truth! That’s just how he is. I can cook a meal and put it right in front of him, and he still won’t have the energy to take a single bite. If you ask me, he’s just got too much idle time on his hands. He’s too lazy to eat! We should make him work in the fields for a couple of days and see if he still dares to be so picky!"

Luo Fuman was not happy to hear that and quickly retorted, "It’s not that I don’t want to eat. I genuinely don’t have the strength to work, so how would I have the strength to sit there and eat a proper meal? It’s a wonder I can force anything down at all."

Yang Yingzi wouldn’t let it go and continued to lecture him, "It’s been almost half a month, and you’ve barely eaten a proper meal! And now it’s not just you. You’ve even influenced Weiwei to become a picky eater, choosing what she will and won’t eat."

Luo Weiwei, who had been listening from the side, heard her mom mention her and quickly jumped in to defend herself.

"Mom, I’m not picky! I just don’t like carrots. I eat everything else just fine."

Yang Yingzi glared and shot back, "How are you supposed to grow if you eat like that? You definitely picked up this bad habit from your father—not eating properly and only knowing how to be picky!"

But Luo Weiwei wasn’t convinced, and her tone became a little wounded.

"That’s not true! I actually like radishes, okay? The person... the one who doesn’t want to eat carrots is someone else, you know?"

Before Yang Yingzi could react, Luo Weiwei rolled her eyes and said, "I’m not the one who hates carrots! You’ve got it all wrong!"

Hearing the bickering, Luo Fuman quickly chimed in to explain.

But his own words carried a hint of guilt. "It’s not that I dislike carrots... I’m just a little worried that eating them will make my skin turn yellow..."

"Well, that still counts as being picky..."

"Hey, alright, alright, I’ll drop it, okay? Let’s save some face here, Xiao Fei is still here."

"Hmph."

The family, old and young, sat together, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.

The courtyard wasn’t large to begin with, but now it felt much more alive.

Before she knew it, Song Qingya had finished her breakfast.

Fei Jin naturally stood up, cleared the bowls and chopsticks, and handed her a handkerchief to wipe her hands.

Yang Yingzi saw this and couldn’t help but sigh, "Look at Xiao Fei, so considerate! Can’t you learn a thing or two from him?"

As long as she wasn’t actively scolding him, Luo Fuman couldn’t be bothered to move.

He would only get up and work, slowly and reluctantly, after she had shouted and nagged at him.

Song Qingya watched the way Yang Yingzi and her husband interacted, finding it more and more interesting.

On the surface, Sister-in-law Qian was the backbone of the family. She called the shots on matters big and small and kept her husband well in line.

But deep down, it was still a very traditional arrangement.

She shouldered all the household affairs herself, complaining and nagging as she worked.

In the end, what good did that do her?

Outsiders might praise her for being capable, saying she could keep her husband under control.

But in reality, she gained no advantage from it. She was the one handling everything, inside and out.

Wasn’t that just working herself to death for no appreciation?

As another middle-aged couple, Song Qingya and Fei Jin’s relationship was completely different.

Seeing Fei Jin get up to clear the dishes, Song Qingya immediately smiled and said, "Ajin, thank you for your hard work."

Her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, her face alight with a sweet smile.

Then, she turned to Luo Fuman and his wife to continue praising Fei Jin.

She angled her body toward them as she spoke, looking at the two with a beaming smile. "Sister-in-law, Brother Luo, don’t be fooled because Ajin looks so stern and serious outside, like he’s hard to approach. With me, he’s absolutely wonderful—so thoughtful and meticulous."

Her eyes shone as she spoke.