The Villainous Classmate is My Lucky Star Chapter 252
Translated by Pure
Chapter 252 The Long-Awaited Downpour
With the fall harvest in full swing, the streets of Yibei City were bustling with people carrying hoes and tending to their fields.
Meanwhile, Mu Yang, deprived of his wooden playing cards, grew restless once more. Complaining of having nothing to do, he found himself idle most days. Though Chi Jingxi had appointed him as a nominal squad leader in the military, he seldom assigned him any substantial tasks.
Left to his own devices, Mu Yang would often go out of his way to stir up trouble.
First, he suggested that when the weather turns cold, the trees in the yard might also feel chilly, so he proposed dressing them in clothes.
Wen Yantong was utterly perplexed. She patiently explained to him for a long time that trees don't feel cold like humans do, but Mu Yang, with too much time on his hands, insisted on clothing every tree in the yard.
After Chi Jingxi returned, he was astonished to find all the trees in the courtyard adorned with clothing. He gave Mu Yang a couple of punches as a reprimand, then ordered him to remove the clothes from each tree.
After this stern lesson, Mu Yang behaved for only two days before making Fu Zixian to join him on a stroll through the streets, where the former ended up buying baskets of little chicks.
The little chicks were no bigger than a palm, their whole bodies covered in fluffy yellow feathers, emitting tiny and adorable chirps.
Mu Yang couldn't bear to part with them. He counted them several times and even gave each of the twelve chicks a name.
Wen Yantong poured cold water on his enthusiasm, "Winter is approaching, these chicks won't survive for long."
Mu Yang bared his teeth at her. "Say something nice, don't break my babies' hearts."
Wen Yantong sighed in exasperation. "You have no experience raising chickens. It would be best to give them away sooner rather than later."
Mu Yang pointed to the door. "Leave! Right now!"
Wen Yantong huffed and picked up her skirt as she exited.
As a result, a few days later, Mu Yang cried bitterly, tears mingling with snot as he held his lifeless little chicks. He mourned for them, calling out their names - 'Peony', 'Begonia', and so on.
Wen Yantong's face reflected bewilderment as she stood beside him in silence for a long time.
There wouldn't be another person in the world foolish enough to name chicks after flowers.
In the end, Fu Zixian stepped forward to console him, accompanying him as they dug a grave next to the wooden cards' burial site and laid the dead chicks to rest. Only then did Mu Yang find some solace.
Through it all, Mu Yang's restless antics took their toll, but it was Wen Yantong who bore the brunt of the turmoil.
Because Chi Jingxi and Fu Zixian were occupied with military matters, they seldom returned home. Eventually, Chi Jingxi felt remorseful for Wen Yantong and assigned tasks to Mu Yang.
There was a household in the city whose thirty-year-old son had enlisted in the army and perished in battle. The remaining family members included an elderly couple, a widowed wife, and a young child.
The elderly couple were frail, and the young widowed wife lacked strength. With no one available to harvest the rice at their home, Chi Jingxi decided to send someone to assist.
Mu Yang, who was idle at the time, happened to be assigned to the task.
Mu Yang was naturally delighted to have something to do. He arrived at Wen Yantong's door early in the morning with a sickle at his waist.
Wen Yantong opened the door with a weary expression, and upon seeing Mu Yang's energetic demeanor, she immediately had a foreboding sense of trouble.
"Let's go harvest rice together," Mu Yang suggested, patting the sickle hanging at his waist.
He was dressed in local Yibei attire, with his long hair tied up in a high ponytail and his collar open wide. The red patches on his collarbone had completely vanished, revealing a fair complexion.
Wen Yantong frowned, "I don’t want to go."
Mu Yang scrutinized her from head to toe, eventually settling on her face. "Wen Yantong, do you know how much weight you've gained recently?"
Wen Yantong cursed inwardly.
Mu Yang remained steadfast by her window, reading aloud for a full hour. Wen Yantong was so rattled that her head began to spin. Finally, she relented and changed into Yibei's local attire.
Despite it being autumn, the midday sun still radiated warmth. Wen Yantong donned a cotton and linen top with a thin waistcoat. Below, she wore dark wide-leg trousers, cinched at the ankles into a lantern shape, exposing them to the breeze.
The attire bore a resemblance to modern clothing. In Yibei, where agriculture reigns supreme, few women wore skirts. It was a stark contrast to Chaoge, where girls lead lives of luxury and rarely set foot in the fields.
Wen Yantong covered her head with a piece of dark brocade cloth to shield herself from the sun, and fastened a sickle to her waist before boarding a carriage bound for the family's paddy field. The field was relatively small, yet resplendent with golden hues.
The two elderly individuals stood at the side, slowly cutting the rice with sickles, while the young widow displayed more agility. The child, just a few years old, sat on the ridge of the field, occupied with play.
Mu Yang and Wen Yantong, accompanied by four guards, divided their efforts as they went to work in separate areas.
Upon seeing the newcomers, the elderly couple called out to their daughter-in-law to come and greet them.
The woman, wiping the sweat from her face, approached, and upon seeing Wen Yantong, her expression shifted to one of anger. "Those officials really know how to assign tasks, don't they? Sending a delicate girl like you here!"
Wen Yantong arched an eyebrow in surprise.
Mu Yang interjected, "So what if she's a girl? Our Wen Yantong is incredibly strong. She can harvest ten rice crops with a single swing."
Wen Yantong promptly delivered a blow to Mu Yang's back and retorted, "Shut your trap."
The woman's expression softened slightly, but her tone remained stern. "Can a delicate girl like her handle such laborious work?"
Just as Wen Yantong was about to respond, they heard a cry from the child nearby. It appeared he had fallen from the field ridge while playing, burying half of his body in the mud.
When the woman saw what happened, she hurriedly ran over, rescued the child, informed her parents-in-law, and returned to change the child's clothes.
Seeing the woman leave, Wen Yantong continued to remain silent. Although the woman seemed difficult to deal with, it did not prevent her from experiencing life.
It had been a while since Wen Yantong had worked in the fields. She vividly recalled her childhood, when she was barely taller than a meter and had to help in the rice fields. Later, with the birth of her younger brother, her family sold their farmland and moved to the county town to seek higher paying jobs.
Years passed by, and as Wen Yantong stood once more in the rice fields, she felt as though time had rolled back. Despite the changes around her, the appearance of the grains remained much the same.
Removing her shoes and rolling up her trousers, she stepped into the paddy field. The muddy water enveloped her legs as she wielded the sickle, ready to cut the rice plants.
In truth, she and Mu Yang were only here to meet their quota; the four guards accompanying them were sufficient for the task. Chi Jingxi had sent Mu Yang along to keep him occupied.
Wen Yantong paused in her labor to wipe the sweat from her face. As she straightened up, a gentle autumn breeze swept through the fields, causing the golden rice to sway in rhythmic undulations, resembling waves of wheat rolling softly.
The breeze carried away the sweat from her face, replacing it with the sweet scent of ripened rice grains that filled the air.
In the absence of turmoil, Yibei City would retain such a peaceful and picturesque scene.
Wen Yantong proceeded with a deliberate pace, pausing to rest after harvesting a few bundles. After she had managed about ten bundles, she heard the woman's call from the ridge of the field. Straightening up, Wen Yantong turned to see her waving with a bowl in hand.
Perplexed, Wen Yantong stepped onto the shore and observed a woman approaching hastily with a damp towel. The woman spoke in a hushed tone, "Dear, quickly wipe your hands. It's best not to toil any further. Your delicate hands and face should be preserved."
Wen Yantong was taken aback, realizing she had misinterpreted the woman's earlier intentions.
The woman spoke her thoughts, "These tasks should be handled by men. How could they assign such labor to a young girl like you? The authorities are simply incompetent." Her words were tinged with frustration.
Wen Yantong smiled, accepting the towel and wiping her hands. "I voluntarily came," she said.
The woman offered her a bowl of cold tea, urging, "Drink up to quench your thirst."
Wen Yantong had previously found the woman difficult to deal with, seeing her as stern and unfriendly. However, as she looked at her again, she noticed a simplicity in her smile that warmed her heart. She accepted the tea and drank it gratefully.
Following the woman's instructions, Wen Yantong cleaned her hands and feet, put on her shoes, and sat on the field ridge to play with the woman's young child. Meanwhile, the woman shouldered her sickle and headed back to the field to resume her work.
Mu Yang toiled away in the fields, and after a long time, he took a small break to ease the strain on his body and instinctively scanned the paddy field for Wen Yantong.
He quickly spotted her sitting on the ridge of the field, engaged in cheerful conversation with the family’s child.
The wind tousled his long hair, pushing loose strands onto his sweaty face. With a muddy hand, he brushed them aside, his smile growing wide as he watched the heartwarming scene.
