USWHC -Chapter 54 The Big White Jade Radish (Part 4)

“Thanks!”

Ji Yi felt awkward, not knowing where to look, but he heard Zhu Jie still thanking him as if it were no big deal. He immediately felt embarrassed and said, “My sister-in-law isn’t usually like this, she’s just a little anxious today.”

“I know. She’s worried she won’t save face in front of your mother, that’s why she’s so flustered!” Zhu Jie said, calmly adjusting her clothes as she spoke. “Good thing we were prepared, otherwise, we might really have been caught by them!”

But for some reason, Ji Yi stayed silent for a long time. Zhu Jie looked at him in surprise, seeing his head lowered and, strangely, his face even redder than before.

“If… if you need someone to take responsibility, I—I can…” he stammered hesitantly.

Before he could finish, Zhu Jie burst out laughing. “You’re overthinking it. At this level, it’s completely normal where I come from. In the summer, some women show far more than this!” She even teasingly lifted her clothes again, making her fair skin even more tempting.

Ji Yi was so startled by her move that he almost jumped, shouting repeatedly, “Don’t, don’t!”

His intense reaction made Zhu Jie laugh even more. But she didn’t continue lifting her clothes. Instead, she buttoned up properly and casually said, “You helped me find the radish anyway, so let’s call it even. I won’t hold it against you!”

Of course, the white radish wasn’t something Zhu Jie had actually brought. No one was that foolish to carry a pickled radish around just to lick it. She had deliberately switched it to trick Ji Yi’s mother. Even earlier, when she heard their footsteps, she had taken it out to show them on purpose.

Hearing her explanation, Ji Yi lowered his head in embarrassment and didn’t insist on offering responsibility anymore. The atmosphere became slightly awkward.

Zhu Jie deliberately changed the topic. “Do you think your mother will be angry when she gets home?”

Ji Yi thought for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh. “She’ll probably be furious. It’s the first time she saw something she wanted and couldn’t get.”

Then, with a hint of concern, he added, “You’ll have to be careful in the future. After losing out like this, they definitely won’t be kind to you! Remember how they treated you before, thinking of that white jade hairpin? Now that it’s gone, they’ll probably come back even stronger to get it.”

“What’s there to fear? Their ‘kindness’ is just a few sweet potatoes—how bad can that be? At worst, it’s just a few sweet potatoes. The real suffering might be yours!” Zhu Jie said with a dismissive laugh.

Ji Yi smiled faintly. “It’s just a few sweet potatoes. Even before, they weren’t particularly kind to me, so I’m used to it. If one day they treat me like they treat you, then I might not sleep at night.”

Hearing this, Zhu Jie giggled and lightly poked his head. “Look at you! Can’t even handle a little kindness. My principle is simple: anything good done to me, I accept. But if anyone tries to pull a trick on me… ha! I’ll take everything cleanly and refuse to acknowledge it! Everyone needs boundaries!”

“Boundaries?” Ji Yi was puzzled. “I’ve only heard of ‘lines you shouldn’t cross,’ but this is the first time I’ve heard of having an upper line!”

“Exactly! You’re too nice, people just take advantage of you. You can have no bottom line, but you must have an upper line. I could never repay evil with kindness,” Zhu Jie said matter-of-factly. “Think about it—if I repay evil with kindness, then what virtue do I really have? Repaying kindness with revenge?”

“But sometimes they might not really be bad; maybe they’re just scared because of poverty!” Ji Yi couldn’t help but defend them. “If they ever had money, they might even become genuinely kind-hearted people.”

Zhu Jie snorted. “Brother, you’re far too naive. If they got money, they’d be ruthless, arrogant, and reckless. Just wait and see!”