Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 132: Making a Change

"My surname is Yao," he said faintly. "You can call me Mr. Yao. As for anything more, I can’t tell you right now."

"Mr. Yao..."

She murmured the name, the syllables rolling in her throat. It felt a little familiar, as if it had appeared in some scene before.

’Yao?’

Her eyes flew open and her expression changed. A dusty page of the plot suddenly flipped open in her memory.

’The heartless scoundrel from the script who tricked Song Qingya, sold her to an old man in the countryside, and let her be tormented to death...’

’Didn’t he have the surname Yao?’

That man was gentle and considerate on the surface, but in reality, he was ruthless and cruel, specializing in exploiting women’s trust for his own gain.

...

「The next day.」

Song Qingya was woken by the sunlight. She opened her eyes to see it was already noon.

Her whole body ached, making it difficult to even turn over. She muttered quietly, "Honestly, Fei Jin. What got into him last night? He tossed me around so much I barely got any sleep."

She rubbed her eyes. Her vision was still a little blurry, and it took some effort to lift her arm. Her fingertips brushed against something beside her pillow. Looking down, she saw a neatly folded slip of paper.

It was from Fei Jin.

"Breakfast is warm in the pot. Remember to eat. I’ve gone to the unit. I’ll be back early tonight. —Fei Jin"

A new towel was placed neatly by the bed, and next to it was an enamel basin filled with freshly drawn warm water.

Song Qingya shuffled out in her slippers. As soon as she left the room, she saw several small dishes laid out on the main room’s dining table.

In the very center of the table was a small bouquet of pale yellow daisies.

’What’s with Fei Jin today? He actually remembered to put out flowers?’

Song Qingya couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.

She thought something had gotten into him, that he’d done it on a whim.

But she didn’t know that Fei Jin had arranged this deliberately. He had left at five in the morning, searched for a long time on a wild slope outside the village, picked the best-looking stems he could find, and brought them back to clumsily arrange in a ceramic vase himself.

’Why?’

Because the original Song Qingya had complained in a letter to her ex-boyfriend: "I’ve been married to him for so long, and he’s never once given me flowers. There’s no romance at all. Not like you, who always knows what I want..."

Fei Jin had spent years with his unit and was unfamiliar with such emotional expressions.

He believed that handing over his salary on time, along with all the grain and cloth rations, was the most practical way to be responsible for his family.

Every month, he gave the money and ration tickets to Song Qingya right on schedule, never once delaying.

He remembered the colors of the fabrics she liked and would also bring back some scarce daily necessities when he could.

He felt these actions were enough to show his care and concern.

As for sweet nothings, he had never been good at them, nor did he think they were more important than practical actions.

He only knew that Song Qingya was his wife now, and he had to be good to her, taking care of her life in the most practical ways possible.

But the original owner of this body had a preference for the sentimental, literary type. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

That kind of man couldn’t handle real responsibility, but his silver tongue could coax anyone into submission.

The original owner fell for exactly that sort of thing, which was why she was dissatisfied with a straightforward man like Fei Jin.

She always felt Fei Jin was crude, didn’t understand romance, and even laughed too loudly.

But the current Song Qingya was not that person at all anymore.

Her thoughts and preferences had long since changed.

She no longer liked those flashy but empty gestures.

She valued whether a person could shoulder responsibility and be reliable when things went wrong.

Fei Jin was exactly that kind of person.

He didn’t talk much, but he was methodical in his actions.

He couldn’t say charming things, but he would quietly make sure all the household necessities were taken care of.

Looking at him in his old military uniform, she instead felt a sense of security.

She knew that as long as he was around, the home would be in order.

Ever since Fei Jin had accidentally stumbled upon those old letters, he finally understood that another man had once occupied his wife’s heart.

He had originally thought their marriage, though plain, was at least stable.

But those letters made him realize that his wife had had someone else in her heart.

He didn’t ask any questions, nor did he confront Song Qingya.

He just quietly put the letters away and never mentioned them again.

He decided to make a change, starting now.

’Every week,’ he thought, ’no matter how busy I am, I’ll bring back a bouquet of flowers.’

’The flowers don’t have to be expensive, just fresh and clean.’

This was the most direct form of expression he could think of.

Starting today, he would bring a little more color, a little more life into their home.

In the room, Song Qingya sat on a small stool by the window, holding the freshly arranged bouquet of wildflowers.

The petals still held a few drops of dew, giving off a light, fresh fragrance.

She lowered her head to take a sniff, and the crisp scent invigorated her.

She looked at the few stems of pale pink and white flowers, stretching out in the coarse porcelain bowl, looking exceptionally clean.

She had been feeling a little resentful about last night, thinking Fei Jin had been too impulsive and hadn’t considered her feelings.

But upon seeing the flowers, that bit of unhappiness faded away without her realizing it.

She knew Fei Jin wouldn’t say sorry, but he was making up for it with his actions.

She caressed her slightly swollen belly, thinking that he had indeed been very restrained lately.

Ever since she got pregnant, he hadn’t eaten meat outside the home and never mentioned meat dishes when he returned.

Last night’s burst of passion was probably the result of suppressing his emotions for too long.

She understood, and she was willing to accept it.

Her heart softened, and she decided not to dwell on it anymore.

She moved the flowers to the center of the table, letting them face the sunlight.

She stood up and began to tidy the bed and their clothes.

She thought that if Fei Jin came home to a tidy room, his mood would improve as well.

She wasn’t pursuing a grand, passionate love. As long as their days could pass by peacefully, one after another, that was enough.

She was no longer the girl from the past who only knew how to daydream.

The her of today knew much more clearly what she wanted.

What she wanted was this kind of life: calm, hopeful, and with someone to rely on.

"Wait, System, am I seeing this right? How is the progress bar already at 65%?"

The system immediately popped up: "Host, I was just about to report to you! The progress bar shot up last night; it rose incredibly fast. I saw you were busy, so I didn’t remind you right away."

"..."

’No need to emphasize the word "busy"...’

’A little awkward.’

The progress had increased, but Song Qingya couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She stared at the system interface, her brow furrowed slightly.

The progress bar was rising too quickly, unreasonably so.

Building affection takes time. It couldn’t just leap forward overnight.

She recalled Fei Jin’s words and actions from last night; he had indeed been more urgent than usual.

When he held her, his grip was especially tight, and he repeatedly mumbled, "Don’t go," and "Don’t leave me."

He had never been such an insecure person.

His personality was calm and steady, and he rarely showed his emotions.

’Why would he suddenly blurt out those words?’

Since she had transmigrated here, she had never mentioned separating, nor had she shown any dissatisfaction.

She had always acted content and very reliant on him.

Logically, he should be feeling more and more at ease.

’Could it be...’

’Did Yang Yunhua or Sun Qiang say some gossip when we were in Qi City?’

’Do they know that the original owner used to correspond with someone else?’

’Or maybe they hinted at some rumor that we might separate?’

’Did Fei Jin hear it and become unsettled, which is why he’s acting so sensitive?’

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

She had to figure out what exactly had happened.

Otherwise, this inexplicable tension would continue to plague her.