The Formidable Lady of the Poor Scholar’s Household

Chapter 8: The B*tch, Qian Sishui

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Qian Sishui was like an ice beauty. It was as though nothing fazed her.

Well, that was true to some extent. Qian Sishui simply didn’t care what others said.

Shi Jinhua craned his neck and looked out of the door. Why wasn’t Uncle Wang back yet?

“Miss Xiaoling, what did you say just now?” He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about the wound on your sister-in-law’s hand and didn’t pay attention to what you said.”

Wang Xiaoling glared at Shi Jinhua. His words were filled with murderous intent! They were a fatal blow to the young woman!

“What did you say about cooking? I really didn’t hear you clearly.” Seeing Wang Xiaoling’s constipated expression, he felt quite embarrassed. After all, he really hadn’t listened carefully while she was talking to him.

“But there’s only me and your sister-in-law in our family. As you know, the kitchen almost burned down. I’m usually the one who cooks.” As he said so, he didn’t forget to look out the door. Why wasn’t Doctor Wang back yet?

“How can a man like you go into the kitchen? Your hand is too precious for that!” She glared at Qian Sishui resentfully as she said so.

“How did you become someone’s wife?” She had the cheek to ask a man to cook?

Recently, Shi Jinhua had gotten to understand Qian Sishui’s character better. Her words were more precious than gold. If a question could be answered in one word, she would definitely not waste her breath!

“The men in our family can cook, but your sister-in-law can’t. I don’t mind cooking for her for the rest of my life.” As he spoke, he glanced at Qian Sishui, afraid that she would retort him.

Seeing that Qian Sishui had no reaction, he thought to himself, That was close!

If the man’s earlier words had been a fatal blow, then this was another blatant fatal blow—hitting all the right spots! Most importantly, her opponent had not said a word from the beginning to the end.

“Y-you’re occupying a latrine pit and but not using it!”

Both Qian Sishui and Shi Jinhua were speechless.

Qian Sishui raised her eyebrows at her husband, seeming to say, “She called you a latrine pit.”

Shi Jinhua thought to himself indignantly, How did I become a latrine pit?

Wang Xiaoling came to a sudden realization about what she had said. Just as she was about to apologize, she was interrupted.

“Aiya, Uncle Wang, Doctor Wang, you’re finally back. Quickly take a look at my wife’s hand. It hurts.”

Doctor Wang put down his suitcase of medications and asked, “What did you do again?”

There seemed to be no end to her ailments.

“Her hand is blistering. What medicine will help her to recover faster?”

Doctor Wang took a look at the woman’s hands before turning to enter the pharmacy. Hearing that the woman’s hands had blistered from weeding, Wang Xiaoling secretly glanced at the former’s hands, tugging on her own sleeve with an inferiority complex.

Qian Sishui’s hands were really white, different from her own. Even her face was also fair and tender!

“Take these. The one in the jar is to be applied on her hands. These two packets are used to boiled so that she can soak her hands in the water. Use just one packet at a time. One packet can be used for two and a half days. After soaking hands, dry them and apply the cream! Don’t touch anything else, or it’ll get infected.”

While Wang Xiaoling was still wallowing in defeat, Doctor Wang took out the medicine.

“Alright, I’ll remember.” Shi Jinhua quickly took the medicine.

“That’ll be 50 copper coins.”

The younger man couldn’t help but weep inwardly. Seeing that, Qian Sishui was speechless.

Doctor Wang couldn’t care less, and simply accepted the 50 copper coins from Shi Jinhua, who looked like his parents had just died.

Shi Jinhua held his wife’s wrist and lowered his head. His heart ached so much that he could not breathe! It was so expensive to have a wife… Wouldn’t it be nice if he was single?

Looking at the man who was pulling her away with his head lowered and a pained expression on his face, Qian Sishui nearly burst out laughing.

How stingy, she thought to herself.

When they reached home, Shi Jinhua did as Doctor Wang said. In the end, he placed Qian Sishui on the stool. “I’m really afraid of you now. Don’t move. Tell me if you want to do anything. I’ll do it for you. Just watch from the side.”

Everything boiled down to money! Why did she always hurt herself or burn herself every time she did something? This girl was really a strange existence.

Shi Jinhua resigned himself to his fate and did not go out in the afternoon. He let Qian Sishui sit on the rocking chair and watch while he weeded the remaining grass in the vegetable garden.

“The beans are about to climb the rack, but I haven’t inserted a pole yet. Wait here for a while. I’ll go find some branches.”

Shi Jinhua picked up a sickle and was about to leave, but he couldn’t rest his mind, knowing that his wife might try to do something again.

“We’ll go to town tomorrow since we didn’t manage to go the last time. Be good!” It was like coaxing a child.

When Qian Sishui heard this, her hand stiffened. This darned man really had a way with words.

Shi Jinhua no longer expected the woman to talk as much as a normal person. It was enough as long as she didn’t cause trouble. The most important thing was that she didn’t waste money. He would cry tears of joy if that happened!

Early the next morning, Scholar Shi specially wore a long robe without any patches. He carefully tidied himself up and dressed up as solemnly as if it was his first date. Then, he brought Miss Qian to the village entrance to wait for the ox cart to the town.

At the thought of spending two copper coins, his heart ached as if someone had cut off his flesh.

He had always made the walk to town. Yet, for the sake of the woman beside him, it was better to take a cart! If there were blisters on the soles of her feet again, the cost of medicine would be more expensive than the cost of taking the cart.

“Hey, aren’t you the kid from the Shi family? It’s probably a first for me to be able to collect your fare!” The woman in the cart teased.

“I’ve made a fool of myself,” Shi Jinhua replied jokingly.

There were many people in the oxcart, so he carefully protected Qian Sishui in his arms to prevent others from squeezing her. Seeing how attentive Shi Jinhua was, the women in the cart were a little envious and jealous of Qian Sishui.

Shi Jiaojiao and Shi Jinhua’s second sister was also in the car today. She glanced at Qian Sishui and turned her head away with a snort. Qian Sishui didn’t know how to respond.

Shi Jinhua had heard that snort. In fact, everyone in the cart had heard it.

“Hey, you from the Shi family. Thiss is your second sister-in-law. Why aren’t you saying hi to her?” The busybodies who were watching the commotion jeered.

“I don’t know her.” It was rare for Qian Sishui to speak, and her words made people feel even colder.

Some people were thinking, What kind of family raises a girl like an iceberg?

“Don’t we know each other now? She’s your biological second sister-in-law,” the woman who spoke continued to gloat.

Shi Jinhua frowned, clearly unhappy. When his parents passed away, that second sister had not even shown up. Such an unfilial person was not his sister at all.

“If my husband says so.” What she meant was that she would address the other woman if my husband recognized the latter as his sister.

Do you think I’m stupid? Qian Sishui thought to herself as she glanced coldly at the talkative woman.

The woman had never looked Qian Sishui in the eye. After all, the latter’s head was always lowered and she never did look at anyone. The woman simply thought that she was a timid girl who was easy to bully. Now that she suddenly came face to face with Qian Sishui, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She instantly shut her mouth, not daring utter another word. When Shi Jinhua heard Qian Sishui say that she was his husband, his brows instantly relaxed, and his eyes glimmered.

He no longer felt sorry for paying the fare, nor did he care about his second sister’s cold personality. His heart was bursting!

The people in the car knew that Qian Sishui was talking about her husband. In their country, only the educated would call their spouses “husband” or “wife”. The rest of the villagers simply addressed their spouses as their “man” or “woman”.

When they arrived in town, Shi Jinhua carefully helped Qian Sishui out of the car.

Once they were far away, the woman who was jealous grumbled, “Pfft! Shameless.”

“They’re a legitimate couple. What’s wrong with holding hands or helping each other? I think some people are just jealous.” The other woman who didn’t get along with the first woman started to despise her.

“Was I talking to you? What are you talking about?” She had been forced to swallow her indignation due to Qian Sishui’s fearsome glare.

“Some people are just jealous of the good relationship between husband and wife. It’s different from some people who get beaten up every three days.”

After saying her piece, the woman did not continue to pester the other and left with a smirk on her face.

Seeing that everyone had left, the first woman looked at Qian Sishui’s back as she disappeared around the corner. “Pfft! What a coquettish b*tch!” She moaned as she stomped away.