Chapter 20: Eating Melon (a.k.a. Watching Drama)
Just thinking about how all the main characters in the book had now gathered around the female lead made Ning Xiyue feel a bit regretful — she couldn’t be there to personally observe their reactions, nor could she enjoy the “melodrama” up close.
On a long and boring journey like this, something interesting had to happen.
Given Liu Yao’s naturally outgoing and talkative personality, she would definitely pull that pair of male and female comrades into conversation. Ning Xiyue was curious how the female lead would react upon seeing the husband who cheated on her in a past life chatting right in front of her.
But then again, if it meant switching back to a hard seat just to witness the drama, Ning Xiyue decided she wasn’t that regretful — and instantly lost the urge to gossip.
Compared to “eating melons” (watching drama), she cared more about her own comfort. There would always be juicy drama as long as the female lead was around. And for the sake of her own little life, it was better to stay quietly in her compartment and study.
With that thought, Ning Xiyue pulled out her illustrated herbal medicine guide. Since they were about to arrive in the countryside, it was far more important for her to familiarize herself with as many herbs as possible. Without at least some medical knowledge, getting treatment or medicine in the countryside would be difficult.
The rest of the trip passed peacefully. Apart from accompanying Comrade Ji to the dining car for meals, Ning Xiyue spent all her time studying the herbal guide.
She memorized a lot of theoretical knowledge, but without actual herbs to experiment with, she didn’t know if she’d be able to recognize them when she saw them. That was a problem for later. For now, she focused on memorizing everything for future use.
Once they were settled in the countryside, she was determined to go up into the mountains to dig up herbs and plant them in her space. She couldn’t let that 100 square meters of fertile black soil go to waste. If she cultivated herbs there, she could conduct experiments inside the space — hands-on practice. Wouldn’t that be her own personal lab?
Ning Xiyue touched the scar on her head. She had to admit — the medicine she’d taken was really effective. That made her even more motivated to study, to the point of practically forgetting to eat or sleep.
When the train arrived in Song City, Ning Xiyue was so immersed in her sea of knowledge that she almost missed her stop. Fortunately, Comrade Ji came by to remind her and even helped carry most of her luggage.
“Thank you, Comrade Ji.” Ning Xiyue, carrying her blanket on her back and pressing her slightly throbbing head, followed behind him.
Ji Yanming thought the young girl before him was just too well-behaved. She had spent the entire two-day journey quietly reading in the compartment without troubling him once. That left him with a faint sense of regret.
After getting off the train, Ning Xiyue saw Liu Yao waving enthusiastically at her. “Xiyue, over here! Hurry up!”
When Ning Xiyue saw the “plot characters” standing behind Liu Yao, her eyes lit up. She quickened her steps and ran over — she wanted to watch the drama up close, see how things unfolded, and relieve her post-study fatigue.
Liu Yao, noticing Ji Yanming following behind, asked curiously, “Xiyue, why’s this comrade still with you? Is something going on?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Ning Xiyue shot her a mysterious look, telling her to figure it out on her own. In truth, she just didn’t want to say too much about Comrade Ji — his identity wasn’t simple, and it wasn’t something they could casually discuss.
Whatever Liu Yao imagined in her head, she didn’t ask again. Instead, she instinctively kept her distance from Comrade Ji. Even when she spoke to Ning Xiyue, she did so quietly, as if afraid he might overhear. Later, when she caught a glimpse of the comrade’s intimidating expression, she spoke to Ning Xiyue even less frequently.
That suited Ning Xiyue just fine — peace and quiet at last. She could calmly observe the group of story characters from the sidelines.
From Song City to Da’an County was another three-hour bus ride. Out of sheer boredom, Ning Xiyue decided to stealthily observe the characters from the book.
And she did notice some interesting things along the way.
The only female comrade in the rural support team she hadn’t interacted much with was named Wang Mengmeng. She was Xia Zhipeng’s classmate and childhood friend — they’d grown up together.
Ning Xiyue quickly noticed that Wang Mengmeng seemed to like Xia Zhipeng. Every time he tried to join Chen Yechu and Liu Yao’s conversation, Wang Mengmeng would “accidentally” interrupt, diverting the topic and deliberately reducing his interaction with the other two girls.
Chen Yechu eventually became completely silent. She had tried making small talk with Liu Yao and Wang Mengmeng at first, but later, she stopped bothering and simply closed her eyes to sleep — out of sight, out of mind.
Yu Zhiyu seemed to have noticed Xia Zhipeng’s interest in Chen Yechu as well. His gaze toward Xia Zhipeng carried a hint of hostility, though most of the time, his eyes were fixed on Chen Yechu’s every move.
Liu Yao, on the other hand, was still as carefree as ever. She hadn’t noticed the subtle emotional undercurrents among the group at all and continued chatting cheerfully with everyone.
From this perspective, Liu Yao really was the happiest one among them.
Tsk tsk, love truly was the most exhausting suffering of all.
Ning Xiyue wondered how they’d managed to endure the past two days.
The push and pull between men and women was truly entertaining.
Like a melon-eating badger lurking in a melon patch, Ning Xiyue silently observed the drama from the shadows, occasionally sipping some water. Just like that, the boring three-hour bus ride passed by.
Finally, they arrived in Da’an County.
“Comrades, we’re here. Grab your luggage.” Xia Zhipeng stood up like a little team leader and called out to the group.
After speaking, he grabbed his own luggage and was about to help Chen Yechu with hers.
But Wang Mengmeng quickly shoved the parcel in her arms into Xia Zhipeng’s and spoke first,
“Brother Zhipeng, could you help me with this package? I can’t reach it. Thank you!”
Ning Xiyue: Oh ho, this is going to be good.
She didn’t know what choice Xia Zhipeng would make, so she picked up her own small parcel and stared intently at the situation.
In the end, Xia Zhipeng gave Chen Yechu an apologetic look and helplessly helped Wang Mengmeng with her luggage.
Looks like he’d given up on the female lead.
Ning Xiyue curled her lips. No wonder he cheated later — the man has zero resolve.
On the other side, Yu Zhiyu moved quickly and helped Chen Yechu with one of her bags. In his other hand, he carried his own luggage and part of Liu Yao’s as well.
Ning Xiyue couldn’t help but feel a moment of sympathy for Comrade Yu — carrying luggage for three people was no easy task.
But Yu Zhiyu himself didn’t feel burdened at all. His heart was full of sweetness because Chen Yechu had smiled at him and thanked him. No matter how hard it was, it was worth it.
Ning Xiyue shook her head as she watched the silly grin spread across Yu Zhiyu’s face. Hopeless. Even ten years of foraging for wild herbs couldn’t save you.
What she didn’t know was that while she was busy observing others, someone else was quietly observing her.
Comrade Ji, walking behind her, had noticed everything about Ning Xiyue’s behavior.
His eyes held a hint of amusement — he had never seen a young girl so fascinated by gossip, watching others’ interactions even as they squeezed through the crowd to get off the bus. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she even made tiny little movements in reaction — it was truly amusing.
Ji Yanming quietly carried her luggage and stayed close behind, silently shielding her from the crowd so she wouldn’t get separated.
