Chapter 80: Isolation

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

The next day, Xiao Sheng brought back good news. In the small county, everyone was most familiar with Western-style pastries like cake and bread, but not many people had heard of soufflé before. Xiao Sheng used its sense of rarity and unique taste to negotiate the price to 1.5 yuan.

Yu Bing’s business was thriving, while Yu Yan’s life was getting worse.

Ever since Yu Yan began to realize that food could be used to bribe others to work for her, she became more and more lazy. Although her adoptive parents would send some packages over from time to time, without Sun Yu, she became more and more short of money.

Previously, in order to ostracize Yu Bing, she had specifically made preparations in advance. Unexpectedly, Yu Bing didn’t want to come at all, but she couldn’t take back what she had already given out.

There wasn’t much food left recently, so Yu Yan chose to give them to those who did farm work for her. She didn’t want to get sunburned. The people who worked on the ground looked very rough. Yu Yan couldn’t stand looking like them, so she chose to cook on her own. After all, it was fine to cook once or twice a month.

Yu Yan was barely scraping by, so it was naturally impossible for her to be as generous as before. This time, she had offended her roommate and fellow townsmen, Xu Ling.

Yu Yan and Xu Ling lived in a three-person room. Because Yu Bing was unwilling to stay in the dormitory, there was an empty bed.

Previously, the two of them had agreed that each of them would take turns cleaning. Today, it was Yu Yan’s turn to clean. Xu Ling walked around the dormitory. As she ate the melon seeds she had obtained from Yu Yan, she threw the melon shells wherever she went.

After Yu Yan swept her gaze back and forth a few times, she straightened her back and looked at Xu Ling angrily. “Xu Ling, what are you doing?!”

Xu Ling glanced at Yu Yan from the corner of her eye and threw another melon seed shell on the ground. “What do I want to do? I want to eat melon seeds.”

Yu Yan threw the broom to the ground and stared at Xu Ling as she asked, “I’m sweeping the floor. Why did you throw one seed after another? What do you mean by throwing them everywhere?! Do you have any manners?”

Xu Ling sneered and said meaningfully, “Then do you have any manners? Why didn’t you fulfill the promise you gave me before? Are you trying to swindle me?”

Yu Yan pursed her lips and said coldly, “I’ve been short on money recently, but you’ve eaten a lot of my food before, right?”

Xu Ling snorted again. “You promised! Before you moved in, you agreed on these benefits.”

When Yu Yan heard this, she was furious, so she replied indignantly, “But I asked you to ostracize Yu Bing back then. Didn’t you fail to do so?”

Xu Ling continued to eat melon seeds. “That’s because Yu Bing didn’t move in. This has nothing to do with me. Besides, I really have ostracized her. I haven’t even spoken to her much.”

Yu Yan gritted her teeth and shouted, “Do you think that’s what I mean by ostracization? Stop playing dumb! I want her to stay in the dormitory and let everyone ostracize her!”

Xu Ling couldn’t help but roll her eyes and say calmly, “You can’t even get her to move into the dormitory. It’s useless to talk about that. Anyway, you have to keep your promise.”

Yu Yan was so angry that she sat on the bed. “I don’t have it now. I can barely fill my stomach myself!”

Xu Ling wasn’t angry. She only stared at Yu Yan and said, “Then be prepared.”

When Yu Yan heard this, she naturally knew what she meant. It was none other than what she had hoped that they would do to Yu Bing back then. Yu Yan was angry and anxious. Xu Ling had been in the village for five to six years, so she had more connections than her. How could a newbie like her win?

Yu Yan gritted her teeth and could only give in. “I’ve already written to my parents to send something over. I’ll give it to you when I get it.”

Xu Ling stopped throwing the melon seed shells and retracted them in her palm. “You could have said that earlier. I’ll go next door to play for a while. Hurry up and clean up.” With that, she left the dormitory.

Yu Yan stared fiercely at Xu Ling’s back. Her cold gaze was like that of a snake hiding in a dark corner while waiting for an opportunity to strike.