MCSCPM -Chapter 20 The Peanut Skins

Yin Qingyue nodded and asked again, “Do these peanuts still have their red skins, or are they already removed?”

The old lady looked at her suspiciously. “They still have the red skins. If you want them removed, you can just buy the peanuts and rub them off yourself.”

Yin Qingyue smiled. “No, I don’t want the peanuts, only the red skins. How much do you sell the skins for?”

“Only the skins?” The old lady’s eyes widened. She couldn’t understand what Yin Qingyue wanted to do.

Yin Qingyue nodded firmly, her face earnest as she looked at the old lady.

The old lady hesitated. In the shop, the red skins of peanuts were practically useless—when making peanut candy or fermented peanuts, the skins were even considered waste.

Now someone actually wanted to buy this “waste.” How could the old lady not be puzzled?

After a moment, she smiled. “Miss, to be honest, we’ve never sold just the peanut skins. If you really want them, I can give them to you for free, but you’ll have to rub them off yourself.”

Yin Qingyue blinked, her smile charming and graceful. “Thank you very much, grandmother.”

The old lady watched in surprise as Yin Qingyue went to the basket of peanuts, lightly pinching and removing the red skins, wrapping them in a small handkerchief.

Yin Qingyue’s fingers were delicate and nimble; before long, she had almost cleaned a small basket full of peanuts.

Holding a handkerchief full of red skins, she smiled at the old lady. “Thank you, grandmother. I’ll be going now.”

The old lady shook her head, sighing. “Such a beautiful girl… how could her mind be so odd?”

Yin Qingyue held the handkerchief and smiled faintly. Today, she had truly gained a valuable resource.

The red skins, though seemingly trivial, were very useful. Known as huasheng yi (peanut skins), or also zhang guo yi or luo hua sheng yi, these thin red skins are a traditional Chinese medicinal herb.

Eating them causes no harm, and they help nourish the blood. For Yin Qingyue, whose energy and blood were currently depleted, this was a perfectly suitable remedy.

Medicinal herbs, though effective, were expensive and often difficult to obtain. Even for a small amount of dang gui, someone could constantly be after her. The origin and safety of these herbs were always questionable.

But for food therapy, there were no such worries. Yin Qingyue doubted anyone would be bored enough to steal peanut skins from her.

She returned to the Luochen Courtyard through the back door, already having secretly reapplied her ugly makeup outside, transforming herself back into the girl with thick black eyebrows, bright red lips, and a prominent mole.

Entering the courtyard, she breathed a sigh of relief, intending to return to her own quarters—but ran straight into Xue Zhenyu. Fate, indeed, made enemies cross paths.

Xue Zhenyu had already seen her and deliberately strutted over. “Ugly freak, why do you always wander outside? Just looking at your face makes me want to vomit!”

Yin Qingyue gave her a cold, sly look. “I wonder in what capacity you speak so boldly. Do you think you’re beautiful?”

“Of course I’m more beautiful than you! You ugly freak, have you even looked in a mirror? How dare you mock me!” Xue Zhenyu stomped her foot in frustration.

“Do you really think your beauty ranks among the top here in the Luochen Courtyard?” Yin Qingyue sized her up, her words dripping with mockery.

“You… you ugly girl!” Xue Zhenyu, in anger, raised her hand to slap Yin Qingyue—but her hand froze mid-air.

Yin Qingyue effortlessly clamped Xue Zhenyu’s wrist between two fingers and smiled coldly. “I’m calm now because I know I’m ugly. Even if there were a blood sacrifice, it wouldn’t be my turn anytime soon.”

She watched Xue Zhenyu’s face stiffen, and her smile widened. “The beauties in the courtyard who actually rank among the top are probably anxious every day, miserable, and too preoccupied to wander around.”

Xue Zhenyu struggled but couldn’t pull her hand back, her aura diminishing. “I… I just—”

“Miss Xue, if you still have time to stroll around, you must know by now that you’re actually just an ordinary-looking girl here, right?” Yin Qingyue’s smile was bright, but her words cut like knives.

“I’m not! I’m just worried about being offered as a sacrifice. Anyway, an ugly girl like you doesn’t even have the right to worry!” Xue Zhenyu grasped at a feeble retort, though even she knew it was weak.

“I don’t mind if my life is long,” Yin Qingyue replied, her eyes curved in a captivating smile.

Xue Zhenyu was mesmerized—though the face in front of her was still “ugly,” those eyes were breathtakingly beautiful.

Finally forcing herself to look away, she tugged and freed her wrist. “Even living is meaningless for an ugly freak like you!”

“Just as if living is meaningful for someone like you. In this courtyard, it’s all beauties. We’re all doomed to be lonely. Who will appreciate your beauty?” Yin Qingyue sneered.

Xue Zhenyu froze, despair and sadness flooding in.

Yin Qingyue glanced at her. “Don’t you know what kind of place this Luochen Courtyard is? Here, the more beautiful a woman is, the more pitiful she becomes.”

“You’re the pitiful one—you ugly woman with no one to want you! Impure, ugly freak!” Xue Zhenyu shouted, terrified, using her words to numb herself.

“I may be ugly, but I’ll outlive you. When you die, who will remember Xue Zhenyu?” Yin Qingyue’s gentle smile hid the sharp sting of her words, each one striking Xue Zhenyu like a dagger.

Tears streamed down Xue Zhenyu’s face as she collapsed to the ground, helpless, staring wide-eyed. She was young, beautiful, and did not want to die.

“Don’t worry, when you die, you won’t go unnoticed,” Yin Qingyue whispered into her ear.

She saw a flicker of hope return in Xue Zhenyu’s eyes and smiled even more brightly. “On that day, I’ll dress up in the Luochen Courtyard, singing and dancing joyfully, celebrating your departure! Right in the yard you stole from me, I’ll perform your Soul-Breaking Dance!”

With that, she curled her lips and locked eyes with Xue Zhenyu. “By then, your soul will wander the mortal world, but no one will remember you. Everyone in the courtyard will rejoice because you, who always bullied others, are gone!”

“No! I don’t want to die like this! I’m young, I’m beautiful—I don’t want to die!” Xue Zhenyu finally broke down, covering her face and crying.

“You brought this on yourself. Who else can you blame?” Yin Qingyue cast a sidelong glance, smirking.

“Don’t provoke me again. You’re not worthy. And remember, even if you die, it will be before me!” Yin Qingyue said, walking past the sobbing Xue Zhenyu, never once looking back.

Xue Zhenyu shivered and muttered to herself as she slowly got up. “I’m still young… I don’t want to die… I’m so beautiful…”

Her small, trembling fists clenched tightly, determined not to let go.

After leaving Xue Zhenyu, Yin Qingyue exhaled in relief. After today, Xue Zhenyu would probably not trouble her for some time.

As she approached her own courtyard, she ran into the nagging Nanny Zhao.

Nanny Zhao looked at her with disdain and twisted her plump body. “Work properly! Without me, who knows how many times you’d be dead already!”

Yin Qingyue’s lips curved slightly. “Nanny, I don’t understand. Is my life really in your hands?”

Nanny Zhao’s eyes widened, her face changing. “I’m managing you on behalf of the Emperor, of course I control your life too!”

Yin Qingyue smiled coldly. Last time she had yielded to Nanny Zhao to punish that servant, but this time, there was no need to hold back.

She raised her head, her eyes sharp, making Nanny Zhao shiver. “Is that so? Then I really want to see how you’ll deal with me.”

Without waiting for a reply, she continued: “For a five-wen bowl, I saved you a month’s cleaning fees, yet you’re still not satisfied. Are you really going to drive me to death? Would a single family’s life be enough to satisfy the Emperor?”

She stared at Nanny Zhao coldly. “All the women in Luochen Courtyard belong to the Emperor. If one dies for no reason and angers the Emperor, how many lives in your family would be required to appease him?”

“You—!” Nanny Zhao’s chest heaved, her face red with anger, but she could think of no words to retort. This ugly girl… when did she become so sharp-tongued? From the day Nanny Zhao captured her, she had felt something was off. The girl had grown bolder with each passing day.

“Respect me a foot, and I’ll return ten. If you overstep again, don’t blame me for turning ruthless! If I stop being polite, you won’t be able to handle it!” Yin Qingyue said, pushing the courtyard door open and leaving the stunned Nanny Zhao outside.