After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 53

“It’s so beautiful, so beautiful… who understands? I’ve watched these few frames on loop; it’s so sweet I could die. Wuwuwu, she’s showing her the rainbow. Even if you deny it ten thousand times, that rainbow was meant for her.”

“What kind of beautiful dream is the person upstairs having? Wuwuwu, I want to dream it too!”

“If the older sister can do it, so can the younger sister. Little President Xia, when you’re looking for a stepmother for Zhouzhou, would you consider me?”

“Aaaah, why is Dr. Qin so calm? And I really have to ask ten thousand times, why is your vibe so different? It really, really looks like a dating show! The essence of this program is for Little President Xia to fall in love, right?”

“Both of them are so good. I really want to join this family. Plus, getting two cute daughters for free is a total win.”

“The part where Zhouzhou called Dr. Qin ‘Godmother’… it’s too sweet to handle. I’m pulling out my Civil Affairs Bureau stamp right now to certify them. There is nothing in this life better than my CP (couple shipping).”

There was no need to go to the farmland. What was currently giving Xia Shibai a headache was how to teach the knowledge related to light to Xia Yaozhou and Gu Mingyi.

Gu Mingyi was definitely better off; she had a foundation from popular science books and a quick comprehension. In contrast, the most troublesome one was Xia Yaozhou.

Qin Zhijin wasn’t in a hurry. She casually handed a bottle of mineral water to Xia Shibai. “We’ll act as a group of four and explain together. If they don’t know something, we’ll learn slowly. It’ll be fine.”

Xia Shibai unscrewed the water bottle and instinctively stuffed it back into Qin Zhijin’s hand, thinking the other couldn’t open the cap.

The water was pushed back and forth in mid-air before landing back in Xia Shibai’s hand.

“It’s for you; I’m not thirsty.” Qin Zhijin looked at Xia Shibai standing beside her with feigned composure, her eyes fixed directly on her. She watched until Xia Shibai gripped the cap tightly and took a small sip before slowly withdrawing her gaze.

“Tha—thank you…”

The mineral water didn’t bring any moisture; instead, it left Xia Shibai’s throat even more parched. Her pearly teeth lightly grazed her lip, leaving white marks.

What’s going on? Why can’t I even speak properly?

While Xia Shibai was feeling annoyed, Xia Yaozhou and Gu Mingyi walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of water and some chopsticks. They moved slowly and cautiously toward the table, knelt on the stools, and propped their hands on the table, calling out to the two adults: “We’re ready! When are you coming to start the lesson!”

Gu Mingyi looked at her godmother, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Once the adult got closer, she asked slowly, “Godmother, are you very hot? Why do you look like a pancake stuck to the side of a boiler?”

“I’m not…” Qin Zhijin didn’t know how to explain to Gu Mingyi that she wasn’t hot, but blushing from embarrassment.

Unable to explain such a profound question, Qin Zhijin ignored the three pairs of inquiring eyes, picked up the chopsticks on the table, and began to demonstrate the refraction of light—specifically, how the chopsticks appeared in the water.

By the same logic, it could be concluded that when standing in water looking at fish, their actual position is not the same as where we see them.

Xia Yaozhou listened in a daze. Looking at the distorted chopsticks in the water, only one thought filled her head: “Mama, let’s go catch fish now, and then we can have grilled fish meat tonight!”

Xia Shibai: “…”

Forget it. In terms of learning, there’s no need to force it.

The water in the bowl wasn’t wasted; it was poured for the chicks and rabbits in the yard. The four of them packed up and searched the house, finding nothing. They had to take a cleaver to the riverbank to find branches to sharpen, planning to just play with the water for a bit.

Just as they were heading out, Xia Yaozhou let out a soft “Ah,” told everyone to wait, and pitter-pattered back to grab the empty bowl from the table.

“Why are you bringing this bowl?”

“To raise fishy-fish.” Xia Yaozhou held the bowl, saying solemnly: “If we catch fish, we have to raise them. Otherwise, in this weather, they’ll ga (die) very quickly. If we keep them in water, they’ll taste delicious tonight.”

Xia Shibai didn’t have the heart to tell Xia Yaozhou that they were going to spear fish, not angle or catch them. If a fish got speared, it basically wouldn’t survive; that bowl would only be useful for holding sun-dried fish.

Since the child was persistent and it wasn’t a big deal, Xia Shibai let her keep her innocent whims.

At the riverbank, Xia Shibai found a few small poles and poked them against the ground. Finding them sturdy enough, she sharpened them with the cleaver and handed them out one by one. After a few instructions, she rolled up Xia Yaozhou’s pants and let her play in the shallow parts of the stream.

The place where they stood was clear to the bottom and not deep; as long as they were careful, there wouldn’t be much trouble.

Xia Shibai kept an eye on the fish in the stream while watching the three people standing in different spots, fearing that if she lowered her head for a second, one of them would disappear.

At the same time, Sheng Liu and Jin Minxi were with the two children by the crooked-neck tree in their yard, studying green leaves. “There is an organelle inside leaves called a chloroplast. Plants use chloroplasts to utilize sunlight to manufacture the nutrients they need.”

“We humans don’t have chloroplasts, so we can’t be self-sufficient. The fastest way to distinguish between animals and plants is to see if the cells contain chloroplasts that can utilize sunlight for photosynthesis.”

Jin Minxi had long since returned her physics and chemistry knowledge to her teachers. The only subject she vaguely remembered was biology, and even then, not very accurately. She looked up at Sheng Liu after every sentence. Seeing the other’s eyes curved with a silent, smiling gaze, she continued tentatively.

The boss didn’t say there was a problem…

Then there probably isn’t a problem, right?

The poor worker Jin Minxi speculated on her boss’s intent this way.

In reality, Sheng Liu remained silent because she was a pure liberal arts student. The last time she studied biology-related knowledge was probably an educational video that required blurring. The smile was just her protective mask to avoid looking like a dunderhead.

Sheng Huaixing let out a soft “Ah,” tugged at Sheng Liu’s hem, and stood on her tiptoes, hoping her mother would pluck a leaf for her.

Though she didn’t understand why, Sheng Liu complied. She didn’t just pluck one for Sheng Huaixing; she also plucked one for Jin Minna. She treated both children with equal importance, being impartial to prevent a child from crying and annoying everyone.

Sheng Huaixing wiped the plucked leaf with her hand. The thick dust settled on her fingertips, feeling unpleasant. But in the next second, she placed the leaf on her head and looked seriously at Jin Minxi, who was squatting in front of her. “If leaves have chloroplasts to make their own nutrients, what if I drill a hole in my head and connect countless leaves to my body? Wouldn’t I have chloroplasts too?”

“I could stand under the sun, just like a tall tree, sunbathe, and make my own nutrients! Then I wouldn’t have to eat!” Sheng Huaixing’s eyes sparkled. She thought her proposal was brilliant and wanted to drag Jin Minxi into researching this “super invincible project” right away.

Jin Minxi: “…”

The scariest thing isn’t you asking me what’s wrong; the scary thing is that I also want to know if it’s feasible.

“The concept is great. I don’t want to eat either. How about when Xingxing grows up, you explore this yourself? I can’t give a definitive answer.” Jin Minxi apologetically rubbed Sheng Huaixing’s head, then looked at her own sister, who was already rubbing a leaf in her hand to use as a toy “flying machine.”

The gap between people is sometimes larger than the gap between humans and dogs.

Sheng Liu only had a half-baked understanding of these things. She hadn’t touched a biology book in years. She hurriedly ushered the two children away to look at other things, leading them outside to expend energy while checking what the neighbors were eating today. If it looked good, she’d spend some money to buy some.

Yao Yao, who received Xia Shibai’s text yesterday, booked a flight that same night. Originally, she only booked one, but out of a spirit of revenge, she booked one for Shao Qing as well. They raced to the airport to check in within two hours and arrived in the village this morning looking travel-worn.

Shao Qing couldn’t help but curse.

However, Yao Yao was prepared. Wearing noise-canceling headphones, she could only see Shao Qing’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear a word. From the town to the village, only tractors operated. The bumpy ride made Shao Qing want to commit murder; once they arrived, she leaned against a tree and vomited.

Yao Yao carried several large bags of food bought from the town—one in each hand—with money stuffed in her pockets. After waiting a while and seeing that Shao Qing wasn’t recovered, she couldn’t help but urge: “Hurry up, it’s not that big of a deal. Is it worth vomiting like this? It was just a plane to a bus, a bus to a motorcycle, and a motorcycle to a tractor.”

Shao Qing’s face was pale. she shot her a dirty look, gripped her phone, and said coldly: “You’d better guarantee my clock-in today can be converted into a business trip. If it doesn’t work and I lose a day’s salary for nothing, I will definitely kill you.”

“Tsk, how much money are we talking about? What could be more important than saving Little President Xia from her dire situation?”

Yao Yao said this, but she stood honestly in place waiting for Shao Qing to start walking. Once the other had taken two steps ahead of her, Yao Yao still didn’t move until Shao Qing looked back with an annoyed expression.

“Let’s go, let’s go. These are all things Little President Xia ordered me to buy yesterday. Let’s finish up so we can leave early. Otherwise, in this godforsaken place, we won’t even have a place to sleep tonight.”

Shao Qing sneered: “You knew that and still tricked me into coming? Saying Little President Xia had an ‘important mission’ for you… so this ‘important person’ is just someone who traveled thousands of miles to deliver instant noodles to her? Can you hear yourself? Don’t you think it’s ridiculous?”

Yao Yao said hurriedly: “How could it be? People are made of iron, and food is the fuel! Missing a meal affects her work efficiency. Delivering instant noodles to save Little President Xia in her time of need—how is that NOT an important mission?”

Yao Yao talked nonsense with a straight face, weaving together all sorts of random logic into a coherent (to her) whole.

Shao Qing couldn’t be bothered to argue. She slowly moved from the village entrance toward the center, but stopped after two steps.

Yao Yao caught up with the bags. “Why did you stop again?”

“I don’t know the way!” Shao Qing gave Yao Yao a shove and said through gritted teeth: “Why are you walking so far behind? To admire my beautiful silhouette?”

Yao Yao: “…”

Sometimes, I really wonder how far a person’s shamelessness can go. Now I’m certain: shamelessness can take Shao Qing’s surname.

They had entered from the back of the village. Little President Xia had sent a location to Yao Yao yesterday; although the signal was weak, they could manage to follow it. Furthermore, they didn’t even need to get that far before they heard Xia Shibai’s voice.

“Xia Yaozhou, get up here right now! You’re soaked through! Do you want to catch a cold?” Xia Shibai hauled the two water-playing brats to the bank, wringing out her own soaked pants. She forbade them from going back into the water and even herded Qin Zhijin up to the shore.

“Let me do it. You guys watch from the bank. You played for half the day and got addicted, didn’t you?”

As for the skill of spearing fish, Xia Shibai had absolutely none. She simply couldn’t stand seeing the two children play until they were soaked, fearing they would get a fever.

And the reason she sent Qin Zhijin back to the bank was because the other’s clothes were too form-fitting. Standing in the water, the hem was brushed by the ripples, and the pants clung to her legs, revealing her slender, fair calves and ankles. Even holding a bamboo pole like a simple mountain villager, her calm and collected aura paired with that face was enough to attract a massive wave of traffic for the camera tracking her.

The bullet chats were filled with adoring comments.

Xia Shibai felt she didn’t need to look at the feed to imagine it. So, she made Qin Zhijin go ashore. The biggest reason was—discomfort. She felt uncomfortable seeing it.

With her tongue against the roof of her mouth and a branch in her hand, Xia Shibai’s mind wasn’t on the fish. She was wondering why she cared so much about Qin Zhijin. Even that dream… when she read the book, she indeed saw no plot related to Qin Zhijin, but after transmigrating, she dreamed of an ending involving her.

Does the world want her, the variable, to change Qin Zhijin’s fate?

The surface of the branch was dry and peeling, uncomfortable in her grip. Xia Shibai didn’t like the story of Qin Zhijin from her dream. Qin Zhijin shouldn’t be like that. Even if she really went into pharmaceuticals, it shouldn’t be because she couldn’t make it as a doctor, but because she simply chose to go.

Qin Zhijin’s resources, money, and even connections should be things she gives away because she wants to, not because the plot requires her to hand them over to a stranger.

Xia Shibai’s heart sank. The thoughts previously suppressed began to surface. The branch swiped the water a few times, catching nothing but scaring away all the fish.

Qin Zhijin sat cross-legged on the bank. Beside her were the two squatting girls, huddling around a single small fish in the bowl—a fish not even as big as a pinky finger. They stared at it intensely, as if trying to memorize every scale.

Before they could memorize it, however, a voice from not far away called out Xia Shibai and Gu Mingyi’s names.

The four people by the stream looked up simultaneously. They saw Yao Yao running toward them with two large bags of snacks. Wearing a yellow vest, she would have looked exactly like a Meituan delivery driver—lightning-fast delivery, thousands of kilometers away.

Seeing Yao Yao and Shao Qing, Xia Shibai knew that tonight’s dinner was taken care of. Instantly, she didn’t even want to catch fish. She carried the branch and walked ashore, water dripping with every step. When she reached Yao Yao and Shao Qing, a surge of familial warmth welled up in her heart.

“Are there chicken feet?”

“Bought them, bought them.”

“What about coconut water? Chips, spicy strips, instant noodles—is it all here?”

“Don’t worry, everything is here, even canned sweet soup.” Yao Yao prided herself as a gold-medal secretary; she arranged what the boss ordered and helped arrange what she didn’t. She had bought nearly a thousand yuan worth of food. When she left the convenience store in town, the owner almost shook her hand and called her a benefactor.

“Good, good, good. Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go home and eat. I’m starving.”

With that, the four hungry people began packing up briskly. Some held the bowl, some carried shoes. Just as they moved, the production crew staff began to communicate, saying this was cheating and violated the program rules, so it wouldn’t count.

Xia Shibai’s eyes shifted as she began to argue using the program’s own terms. “The rules only state we can’t bring our own snacks. These snacks weren’t brought by us, so there’s no violation.”

“Second, the contract and program rules never said we couldn’t have people deliver food and drink. At most, this is playing the game in a gray area; it still isn’t cheating.”

“Furthermore, we didn’t say we wouldn’t pay. If we pay, then we’ve ‘bought’ them. The rules state that money earned through labor can be used to purchase necessary items without handing them over to the crew.”

The staff member said awkwardly: “Yes, but you guys haven’t bought these.”

Qin Zhijin, standing nearby, had a glint in her eyes. “We’re buying them! Of course we’re buying them. We’ll perform labor right now and exchange the money for food.”

Qin Zhijin stepped forward and asked Shao Qing to extend her hand. Her fingertips landed on Shao Qing’s wrist. After a moment of silent observation, she said: “Poor digestion, blockage in the middle jiao. You spend too much time in air conditioning—cold above, hot below. Your emotions are volatile, and your lumbar spine is painfully stiff. I suggest more exercise, walking outside more, and finding a balance between work and life.”

After speaking, Qin Zhijin reached out her hand to Shao Qing: “Consultation fee is one thousand. Thank you.”

Shao Qing: “???”

Staff: “???”

“Dr. Qin, is this a scam shop?” Shao Qing said as she pulled out the money. The money passed through Qin Zhijin’s hands, cycled through Yao Yao’s, and ended up back in Shao Qing’s coat pocket.

The bystanders hurried forward to divide the bags in Yao Yao’s hands, holding them firmly.

“This isn’t a scam shop,” Qin Zhijin said seriously. “This is a ‘blind’ shop.”

“Eh?”

“Because I was just talking nonsense.” Qin Zhijin looked at the staff member behind her. “Making up nonsense is also labor—mental labor. So we are now in full compliance with the law and rules. No problem, right?”

The staff remained silent. “Fine…”

Whatever makes you happy.