After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 44

After resting sufficiently, Xia Shibai was pulled up. She didn’t quite understand the meaning behind Qin Zhijin’s words, let alone why the person in front of her was angry.

She turned to look at the two little ones standing aside, blinking gently in an attempt to ask them what had just happened.

The only response she got was two pairs of clear, yet slightly dim-witted, eyes.

Xia Shibai: “…”

As expected, they were unreliable. Even she, for thinking of asking toddlers for help, was unreliable.

Xia Yaozhou didn’t grasp Xia Shibai’s meaning. She tilted her head at her mother, thinking she was standing still because she was too tired. She trotted over on her short legs, patted the suitcase, and comforted her: “It’s okay, Mommy! We only have that, that, that much distance left!”

After gesturing, Xia Yaozhou braced her hands on her legs, huffing and puffing to cheer herself on. She completely ignored the two suitcases and backpacks remaining on the spot; as far as she was concerned, she just needed to move herself forward.

Gu Mingyi followed behind her with the map. Whenever Xia Yaozhou strayed off the path to look at wild flowers or weeds, Gu Mingyi would reach out and pull her back, saying seriously and sternly: “This is a competition, you can’t just wander around!”

“Oh.” Covered in dirt, Xia Yaozhou nodded and allowed herself to be pulled back by Gu Mingyi’s strength.

Qin Zhijin gripped the rope they had used and pointed to the two people still struggling on the slope. “How about we lend this to them? We’re already ahead anyway.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Xia Shibai still felt like there was dust in her hair.

She was still ruminating on the reason for Qin Zhijin’s anger but couldn’t figure it out for the life of her. Hearing the question, she nodded immediately in agreement, not daring to offer any rebuttal. She only felt that Dr. Qin had quite a temper today.

It must be because she didn’t sleep well, Xia Shibai muttered to herself, failing to grasp the core of the issue from start to finish.

Qin Zhijin went over and handed the rope to Jin Minxi, who was currently untying Jin Minna and letting her stand on the ground. To prevent the child from causing trouble, Jin Minxi had the “leash” ends attached to both their wrists, ensuring the little one couldn’t wander far.

Sheng Liu’s clothes were also smeared with dirt. Looking somewhat bedraggled and harboring a sense of resentment, her dissatisfaction with the show had clearly reached its peak.

She didn’t have to come, but because of a single word from her mother, she had to—without room for refusal. She had even argued with her wife before leaving and hadn’t had the chance to make up. Leaving home early only to end up suffering like this here… Sheng Liu felt she had truly lost her mind.

Compared to the speechless Sheng Liu, Sheng Huaixing was in a much better state. Adopted into the Sheng family at a young age, she had few memories of the orphanage. Having lived in the city, she rarely encountered such a raw rural environment; even though she was sweaty and dirty, she was enjoying herself.

Sheng Liu used a clean part of her arm to rub a smudge off her daughter’s nose. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Xia Shibai, who looked even worse than she did. She felt momentarily relieved—at least she wasn’t as pathetic as Xia Shibai.

Qin Zhijin giving them the rope was undoubtedly a huge help. Jin Minxi thanked her repeatedly, then handed the leash connecting her to Jin Minna to Sheng Liu.

“Help me watch her. I’ll go down and bring the backpacks up, then loop the rope around the suitcases. If I can’t pull them, I’ll come back up and pull from here.”

Sheng Liu didn’t want the other to do everything. “It’s fine, once you hook them, I’ll pull from here. Teamwork is faster.”

After giving the rope, Qin Zhijin returned to pick up their things. Passing Xia Shibai, she frowned. “Why are you still dazing here? Hurry up.”

“Ah, right…” Xia Shibai quickened her pace. Still unable to figure it out, she stared at Qin Zhijin and asked in confusion: “Why did you suddenly get angry? I didn’t do anything wrong or offend you, did I?”

Qin Zhijin pushed the luggage without a word. The wheels rattled over the gravel path, swallowing the end of Xia Shibai’s sentence.

After walking for a bit, Qin Zhijin suddenly stopped. She turned around to see Xia Shibai standing exactly where she expected—rooted to the spot, refusing to move, looking stubborn as if she wouldn’t stop until she got an answer.

“Come here.” Qin Zhijin sighed and beckoned helplessly. “Come here and I’ll tell you why.”

Xia Shibai, who was prepared to act like a statue, strode forward. She reached Qin Zhijin’s side, and before she could even set her things down, Qin Zhijin asked:

“Do you think what you did just now wasn’t dangerous?”

“We are a team, but am I not an adult in this team too?”

“I don’t have a problem with someone leading, but that should come after safety. Think about what you did—at what point did you take your own safety seriously? Is rolling down a slope ‘no big deal,’ or do you think I’m so weak and useless that I’d only hold you back?”

Qin Zhijin stared calmly at Xia Shibai. Seeing the look of panic flash across the other’s face in the next second, she felt a headache coming on. She still isn’t listening.

Xia Shibai apologized decisively: “I’m sorry. If you felt uncomfortable because I was taking on too much, you can tell me.”

“No… that’s not the point!” Qin Zhijin gritted her teeth. She reached out, grabbed Xia Shibai’s collar, and pulled her closer. Pointing at the dirt on Xia Shibai’s clothes, she said: “I’m not blaming you, I’m worried about you!”

“Just like you worry about me, understand?”

“You think me pulling the rope will hurt my palms, so you worry. My worrying about you is the exact same logic! It’s not because you’re ‘taking on too much.'” Qin Zhijin looked at her and added gently: “Don’t do such dangerous things. Aside from making people worry, there’s no benefit.”

Xia Shibai froze for a moment, processing this in her slow-moving brain. “I see. Actually, I only did it because I felt it was fine. Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. Falling down that slope would hurt.”

“And if the rope wasn’t fixed well, it would be hard for you to pull things.” Xia Shibai waved it off dismissively. “Doing a bit more work isn’t a problem; we’re a team after all. As long as we finish better than the others, right?”

Xia Shibai didn’t think her actions were dangerous. To her, it would be more dangerous if Qin Zhijin did them—she had no experience, and those hands were more valuable than her own. More importantly, Xia Shibai had invited her to the show; she felt an obligation to lighten the recording burden for her.

The hand on her collar lost its strength and let go. Qin Zhijin was exasperated by this person who couldn’t read the room or the tone. Not wanting to say another word, she turned and strode toward the children.

As for Xia Shibai, she was left totally bewildered. Why is she even angrier after we ‘talked it out’?

“I feel like Dr. Qin and Little Xia are on totally different frequencies. How long has this ‘chicken talking to a duck’ situation been going on? Hahaha!”

“Qin is about to explode from anger. It’s hilarious—one talks about the East, the other talks about the West.”

“But it’s true Little Xia doesn’t put her own safety first. She does all the dirty work, but she knew to throw her jacket to Dr. Qin so she wouldn’t chafe her hands. You say she has no safety awareness? She plans ahead. You say she does? She bounces on the edge of a cliff. Schrodinger’s Safety.”

“Little Xia is working so hard, is she afraid someone will die of exhaustion? I don’t think she’s worried about the kids, she’s worried about Dr. Qin!”

Gu Mingyi and Xia Yaozhou had already followed the map around a long rural road. Because it was the hilly countryside, the fields were terraced. From a distance, they looked like shimmering jade ribbons.

After walking for a while, Xia Yaozhou’s legs started shaking. She tugged at Gu Mingyi’s clothes, whined about being tired, and sat down cross-legged by the path to look at the terraces.

“I want to play there.” She pointed at a group of fluffy ducklings. “I want to raise one!”

“Auntie won’t agree,” Gu Mingyi said flatly.

“The water looks so pretty, I want to dive in.”

“Auntie won’t agree.”

Lately, it seemed Gu Mingyi only knew this one phrase. No matter what Xia Yaozhou wanted to do, the response was always the same. This cold attitude sparked Xia Yaozhou’s rebellion.

The little girl put her hands on her hips and huffed: “My mom says no to this, no to that. Do you have to listen to everything my mom says?”

Gu Mingyi thought for a moment. Seeing that Xia Yaozhou really was in a bad mood, she quickly changed her tune: “I also don’t agree. It’s dirty. Everything is very dirty.”

Xia Yaozhou: “…”

Fuming, Xia Yaozhou stood up. She didn’t want to talk to Gu Mingyi for another minute. Stupid dummy who only says ‘no’! Who are you kidding?

The adults caught up quickly. Xia Yaozhou immediately rushed to hug Xia Shibai’s leg, begging to be carried.

“I can’t carry you, but you two can sit on the suitcases and I’ll push you?”

Xia Shibai’s clothes had soaked through with sweat and then dried. Walking in the rural wind made her feel chilled. Her jacket had a small hole in it from the rope friction, but more importantly, it was currently draped over Qin Zhijin’s arm.

Qin Zhijin didn’t look like she was going to give it back, and Xia Shibai was too embarrassed to ask. It would make her earlier “heroic speech” feel like a slap in the face.

Dr. Qin, seeing Xia Shibai acting like a “tough guy” despite the cold, felt a surge of irritation again. She decided one shouldn’t stay mad at an idiot. She took off her own jacket and handed it to Xia Shibai, moving the torn jacket to her other arm.

“It’s a short walk. Take mine and make do. Catching a cold is…”

“Put it on,” Qin Zhijin repeated when Xia Shibai didn’t move.

“Oh.” Xia Shibai quickly slipped it on, not daring to say another word for fear of upsetting her further.

They arrived at Gathering Point A, exhausted.

“Don’t tell me this is just the beginning,” Xia Shibai panted. “If there’s another task, I’m going to curse.”

The director allowed them to pick their house first: A Flower House by the meadow or a Treehouse by the fruit forest.

The adults let the kids choose. Looking at the pictures, the kids picked the meadow.

“There are flowers and water! It looks just like our house!” Xia Yaozhou pointed at the vibrant picture. “We’ll feel right at home!”

Xia Shibai looked at the picture of a manual water pump and a few wild flowers, her mind full of question marks. In your eyes, your multi-million dollar villa is no different from this wooden stilt house?

“Are you sure?” The director smiled mischievously.

“Sure, sure, sure!” Xia Yaozhou answered loudly before anyone could change their mind.

Only the other three adults felt uneasy. The director’s smile felt like a trap.

When they arrived at the destination, Xia Shibai realized what “over-optimism” meant.

The roof was broken. The windows were broken. The “meadow” was overgrown with weeds—not a single flower in sight, not even a foxtail.

“This yard… is truly ‘all-natural,'” Qin Zhijin said, her head throbbing. “Tell me, what does this yard have to do with the picture?”

Xia Shibai checked the yard with a long stick for snakes or insects. Once confirmed safe, she let the others in.

Qin Zhijin tried the water pump. It made a screeching metal sound, but no water came out. The well was semi-dry; it needed a bucket of “primer water” to wake it up.

Frustrated, Qin Zhijin started performing a set of Tai Chi moves in the air to vent. Turning around, she saw Xia Shibai watching her from the porch.

Qin Zhijin’s face flushed. She pointed at the pump: “It bullied me first!”

Xia Shibai nodded solemnly, holding cleaning tools. “Right, right. It bullied you first. Do you need me to help ‘educate’ it for you?”

Qin Zhijin: “…No, thank you.” She stopped her Tai Chi mid-way.

While Xia Shibai started the “big clean,” Qin Zhijin went to find water. The roof hole was luckily in the middle of the hall, not over the bedroom. They could manage with a bucket if it rained. As for the windows, they used the vacuum-sealed bags from their blankets and duct tape to seal them up.

Xia Yaozhou and Gu Mingyi were forbidden from the beds until they were cleaned, so they sat on small stools in the open-air hall, staring up at the giant hole in the roof.

“Do you know what we look like right now?” Gu Mingyi asked.

“Like what? Sheep in a tiger’s den?”

“No. Like the frog at the bottom of the well, looking at the sky.”

Only, their “well” was a bit bigger.

Xia Yaozhou didn’t mind. She clasped her hands and prayed to the hole: “If we’re at the bottom of the well, I hope the heavens hear me and drop lots of yummy food down here!”

Gu Mingyi: “…” That is not what that idiom means!