Chapter 109 Instant Familiarity vs. Love at First Sight

Qin Suyun transmigrated before her wedding. At that time, the Pei family found Pei Ying. The original owner of this body had been betrothed to Pei Ying when she was a child. If Pei Ying had not returned, the two families would have tacitly agreed that Pei Jing and the original owner were in love. However, Pei Ying returned, so the person who would marry the original owner would definitely be Pei Ying. But she was in love with Pei Jing.

She had confessed her feelings, but the adults in both the Qin and Pei families had their own reasons for not allowing her to marry Pei Jing. She threatened to kill herself, but accidentally died. When she woke up, she was met by someone with the same name, Qin Suyun.

In the original book, because of this death, Qin Suyun's parents begged Pei's parents, and due to the long-standing friendship between the two families, they finally agreed to Qin Suyun's request and allowed Qin Suyun and Pei Jing to be together.

The two were deeply in love and enjoyed a long period of happiness. However, things took a turn when they learned that Pei Ying's true identity had been revealed. The butcher she had previously looked down upon had suddenly become the heir of a marquis's family. She despised Pei Ying. If Pei Ying hadn't returned, both the Pei and Qin families would have tacitly approved of her marriage to Pei Jing. But Pei Ying's return caused her to lose face and become the laughingstock of everyone.

In the book, Qin Suyun always thought that she and Pei Jing could be superior to Pei Ying, the butcher, for life. She never imagined that one day their status would be reversed, and she would have to bow and pay her respects to Pei Ying and the others. Her resentment and discontent led her to do many foolish things in the book. In Pei Jing's eyes, these things made her regret marrying him. The couple argued constantly, and Qin Suyun was eventually killed because she accidentally killed the Lady Hou while trying to poison the female lead.

When Qin Suyun transmigrated, her marriage had already been arranged, and she was now married to Pei Jing. The wedding was also very soon, and they would get married in just a few days.

Unlike in the book, Pei Ying left earlier. In the original book, Pei Ying also left home, but the Pei family managed to bring her back. However, this time they couldn't find her.

The Pei family elders asked many people to search everywhere, but they couldn't find Pei Ying anywhere. No one expected that Pei Ying would come to Yizhou.

In the original book, Pei Ying did not leave and lived in the Pei family for a long time. It wasn't until the Lady of the Marquis fell seriously ill that her son, who had stayed in Guangling years earlier, came looking for her and found Pei Ying. Only then did everyone go to Yizhou.

When Qin Suyun arrived, the government was forcing everyone to relocate south. The Pei family was unwilling to move, but Qin Suyun thought about the future development of Yizhou. She hinted to Pei Jing, and Pei Jing persuaded the two elders of the Pei family. These were the inside stories. From the outside, it seemed that the government was forcing them to relocate, which is why they came to Yizhou.

Upon arriving in Yizhou, Qin Suyun met Lin Chuntao and exclaimed that the trip had been worthwhile.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ying, the male protagonist of the original book, came to Yizhou and even married Lin Chuntao. Will the original plot still be able to continue?

Moreover, it seems that Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying have a pretty good relationship, which makes things all messed up.

When Qin Suyun told him that they had been forcibly relocated by the government, Pei Ying frowned slightly and then asked, "They don't even know I'm here yet, do they?"

Qin Suyun: "I don't know."

Pei Ying said, "Then please pretend that you have never met me, Madam Qin."

Qin Suyun said, "That's no problem."

Qin Suyun agreed very readily. She didn't care about the male lead at all, and she didn't want to talk to Pei Ying about the Pei family. She only wanted to talk to Lin Chuntao.

Lin Chuntao noticed Qin Suyun's urgency and nudged Pei Ying, saying, "I want to have a few words with Suyun, like sisters."

Looking into Lin Chuntao's eyes, and remembering Qin Suyun's promise not to tell the Pei family, he left.

As Lin Chuntao watched Pei Ying walk away, she anxiously asked Qin Suyun, "Pei Ying, could she be the main villain in the book?"

Qin Suyun looked at Lin Chuntao and smiled, "Don't you remember what I said that day? My character is a bit of a cannon fodder; I married the male lead's younger brother."

Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, her eyebrows furrowing into a knot.

"Ah... so Pei Ying is the male lead?"

Qin Suyun nodded solemnly: "That's right!"

"But I remember you said that the male protagonist in the book ended up with a chieftain's daughter, while my name didn't even appear in the book!"

"Yes!"

"That's why I rushed back to tell you."

Thinking of what happened last night, Lin Chuntao smiled and sighed, "No need to rush, it's already late anyway, let's just pretend we don't know anything about it."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Qin Suyun relaxed a lot. Although she and Lin Chuntao had a natural closeness, they hadn't known each other for long and didn't really understand Lin Chuntao's personality. She was afraid that if Lin Chuntao knew about this, she would think that Pei Ying in the book would end up with another woman, so she might have some ideas. She had already said so and made plans.

But to my surprise, Lin Chuntao didn't care at all.

"I barely slept last night, worried about what would happen if you found out and were unhappy?"

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "It's nothing. According to the plot of the book, the male lead hasn't met the female lead yet, right?"

Qin Suyun nodded.

Lin Chuntao waved her hand, "Then there's even less to worry about. No need for unfounded worries, no need for internal friction from loans. We'll live the same way we did before."

After they finished talking about this matter, they chatted for a while. Pei Ying went for a walk in the backyard. When he came back, they were still talking. Moreover, when he left, they were sitting facing each other with a lot of space between them. Now, the two of them squeezed together and laughed heartily, bending over backwards, talking about something.

He stood in the yard for quite a while, but neither of them noticed him.

For so long, Lin Chuntao had no close female friends of the same age. She got along well with the old ladies and women in the village, but none of them were as close as Qin Suyun.

The two were about the same age and seemed to be very close, talking about everything and whispering in each other's ears while leaning on each other's shoulders.

Lin Chuntao and he had never done anything like this before!

The more Pei Ying looked, the deeper his brows furrowed. He had heard of the name Qin Suyun before. They were good friends when they were young, but she tried to kill herself to marry Pei Jing when they grew up.

As Pei Ying was thinking, the two of them said something, and Lin Chuntao pulled Qin Suyun and ran towards the bedroom.

Qin Suyun followed her to the outer room, while Lin Chuntao went into the bedroom and came out after redeeming a small umbrella from the system.

The packaging was a celadon porcelain bottle, which looked very antique. Lin Chuntao had not told Qin Suyun about the system, so when Qin Suyun opened the bottle and saw this, her eyes widened.

"I...!! Where did you get this?" Qin Suyun exclaimed. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's a secret. Tell me if you run out. If I have any more, I'll share them with you."

Qin Suyun looked at the porcelain bottle in her hand and smiled, "Thank you, my good sister."

"You have no idea how worried I am. I bought some from here, but they are very difficult to use."

Lin Chuntao smiled, and the two walked out of the house hand in hand. They happened to see Pei Ying in the yard. Qin Suyun quickly stuffed the bottle into her sleeve and whispered to Lin Chuntao, "I think he's not happy with me. I'll go back first today. I'll come to see you another day when I have time. Come see me when you have time."

Lin Chuntao said, "I'm about to get busy picking corn."

Qin Suyun smiled and said, "Call me, I'll help you break it."

"Then wait for my message."

Lin Chuntao returned after seeing Qin Suyun off, and Pei Ying was waiting for her at the gate.

"Gone?" Pei Ying asked.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, I'm going back."

Qin Suyun hid the bottle quickly, but Pei Ying still saw it. The bottle looked very similar to the one Lin Chuntao had given him last night. He didn't know where it came from, but since it was in their room, no outsider would know. They just hid it.

But if you give this thing to someone, won't they ask where it came from? Unless that person also knows where it came from, so they won't ask.

But when did Lin Chuntao become Qin Suyun's close friend? How could she trust Qin Suyun so much?

"You and this Lady Qin..." Pei Ying was about to speak, but then paused. Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.

"What did you talk about? You were laughing so happily."

Lin Chuntao said, "It's just some stuff between girls. She told me you two had a childhood betrothal?"

Pei Ying's expression changed slightly, and then she said very solemnly, "It was just a joke between our parents. I was lost when I was very young. She and Pei Jing are in love with each other, and we have no relationship whatsoever."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's what she said too."

Pei Ying then asked, "You haven't known each other for long, have you? You seem to trust her a lot."

Lin Chuntao understood the meaning behind Pei Ying's words, and she smiled.

"We hit it off immediately," Lin Chuntao said.

Pei Ying felt a pang of jealousy, and her mouth, as if acting on its own, blurted out, "What about me?"

Lin Chuntao was stunned when she heard this. She put her index finger to her chin and looked at Pei Ying in shock. Pei Ying came to his senses and realized that he had spoken his mind. His face turned red instantly, but since he had already asked, he braced himself and looked at Lin Chuntao, trying to make himself sound more righteous.

Lin Chuntao looked him up and down and teased, "Are you jealous of her?"

Pei Ying: "What does this have to do with being jealous?"

Lin Chuntao said, "I smell a slight sourness."

Pei Ying was genuinely a little jealous. He could tell that Lin Chuntao liked him quite a bit, but it seemed to be limited to physical intimacy. She had never called him "husband," nor had she mentioned any romantic feelings or joy. Even their intimacy was not as intense as when she was with Qin Suyun.

Seeing Pei Ying fall silent, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I felt an instant connection with her, but what about you?" She paused for a moment, as if on purpose, which made Pei Ying's heart jump. Then she laughed and said, "Of course it was love at first sight."

She didn't say it formally; it sounded more like a joke. But Pei Ying's heart was pounding, as if it were about to jump out of her throat.

He didn't bother to verify if it was true, but then he heard Lin Chuntao say, "When Grandma took me there, there were so many people, but I spotted you in the corner right away."

"At the time, my grandmother said that you looked a bit scary and that she was afraid you would be hard to get along with, but there was nothing I could do, since I fell in love with you at first sight."

Lin Chuntao was talking nonsense, and Pei Ying's lips slowly curled up, an irrepressible smile leaking from the corner of her eyes.

"real?"

Lin Chuntao said, "Of course it's real, how could it be faked?"

Pei Ying thought back to the time he gave Lin Chuntao some money, which she refused to accept, and he felt bad at the time. But that night, Lin Chuntao caught him coming back from taking a bath, and that's when he finally understood a little bit of her personality.

Whether it's love at first sight or love that grows over time, as long as she has feelings for him now, that's enough.

The afternoon sun was quite strong, and many families in the village were drying soybeans.

Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying said, "We haven't been to the fields for a few days, and we don't know if the bean sprouts have turned yellow yet. If they have, we can start harvesting the beans."

"Shall we go take a look now?"

As she spoke, she pulled Pei Ying to leave, but Pei Ying pulled her back: "It's too hot now, let's go later."

As he spoke, he pulled Lin Chuntao into the house.

Before the two could even sit down, the sound of gongs and drums came from not far away. They exchanged a glance and wondered, "Are the tax collectors here?"

Pei Ying hissed, "It shouldn't be this early, shall we go check?"

Lin Chuntao nodded, and the two left the courtyard.

Their house wasn't far from the road leading to the village, but the two women didn't go near the roadside. They just walked to the corner of the courtyard wall and looked out. They saw two or three people looking at Luosha, knocking and shouting: "To celebrate this year's bumper harvest, Master Zheng has decided to offer a discount on renting cattle for everyone next spring. Those who are interested in renting cattle for next spring can sign the contract in advance. The price is 30% cheaper than this year! This discount is only for those who sign the contract before the winter month. After the winter month, this discount will be gone."

After shouting this a few times, many villagers gathered around. Lin Chuntao clicked her tongue; this was asking everyone to prepay, just like getting a gym membership.

But even if we pay the money, will we really be able to use the ox next year? Even if we can, will we be told we have to wait? Wait in line? Spring planting is in season, if people have to wait until the season is over, will they still need the ox?

Pei Ying said, "What kind of good deed is this person doing?"

Lin Chuntao said, "How many truly virtuous people are there in the world? This guy is taking advantage of the autumn harvest and everyone having surplus grain to trick us into handing over our grain. What can we do even if we don't need oxen for spring planting next year?"

Pei Ying frowned.

These people walked around the village, and the villagers were still a little confused, but they understood that paying grain and renting cattle now would be cheaper than renting them next year.

Moreover, Lin Chuntao rented cattle to plant crops this year, and so much land was planted in just a few days, which is indeed much faster.

Some villagers, out of curiosity, went up to ask about the rent. The other party said that at the beginning of this year, the rent was 48 coins per day, but if the contract is signed now, it will only cost 35 coins per day.

It's thirteen coins cheaper per day, so it'll be thirty-nine coins in three days.

This is indeed much cheaper.

With everyone's minds wandering, the people who had made their rounds of promotion left, leaving the villagers to discuss amongst themselves. They even started calculating how many days they would need to rent cattle on their land, how much it would cost, and how much cheaper it would be.

Some people were a little more rational and began to advise, "The grain buyers haven't come yet this year, we should check the grain prices."