“I get it,” Li Jianping muttered, his spirit deflating like a punctured balloon. He said nothing more, only silently watching as Cheng Fangqiu’s family left. After the rest of the crowd gradually dispersed, he suddenly turned to Li Lifen. “Aunt, what the hell is going on?!”
“You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll handle this myself.”
At this point, Li Lifen was truly panicked. Just the thought of possibly being handed over to the public security made her uneasy.
This was all because of her greed!
No, she had to act fast and settle this matter with the Jia family. The longer it dragged on, the more unpredictable things would become. If either family discovered her meddling in the middle, she would be finished.
With that in mind, she hurriedly prepared to take a bus to the Jia family’s home. But after stepping inside to grab her wallet, she missed the last bus of the day. She had no choice but to wait until tomorrow.
One day’s delay shouldn’t be a problem…
—
As soon as Ding Ximei reached the doorstep, she muttered in frustration, “From now on, if anything like this happens, don’t even bother engaging—just come straight home. Your father and I will back you up.”
“Exactly! What kind of man blocks a young girl on the road and says things like that? That’s nothing short of harassment!”
Cheng Baokuan spat on the ground, then turned to educate Cheng Xuejun. “Listen up, brat! You better never treat a girl like that. If you have something to say, talk in private!”
The young Cheng Xuejun, who hadn’t even fully grown into his adult frame yet, saw the attention shifting toward him and quickly changed the subject. “Comrade Zhou is coming over later. I should go sweep the courtyard again.”
His nervous reaction amused the rest of the family, easing the tense atmosphere.
Just as they were about to enter the house, they ran into their neighbor across the way—the neighbor’s wife had clearly just come back from watching the drama unfold. At the sight of them, she instinctively looked guilty and uneasy.
“Second Sister-in-law Cheng, you’re back too?”
“Mm, we just got home.”
Ding Ximei, though still in a sour mood, forced a polite smile in response.
The two sides were about to part ways quickly, but just then, Cheng Fangqiu suddenly spoke up.
“Auntie, you’re from Tiejia Village, aren’t you?”
Liao Jiazhen, already halfway through her turn back home, stopped and looked at Cheng Fangqiu, unsure why she had brought that up. Still, she nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“Then do you know much about the Jia family?” Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes lit up as she asked the question on her mind.
“The Jia family?”
Liao Jiazhen immediately pieced things together. That “Jia” fellow Li Jianping had mentioned—could he have been talking about Jia Qingbao from their village?
Jia Qingbao was currently the rising star of Tiejia Village. At a young age, he had already secured a job at the commune, and his future looked promising. Even though she had married into another village, she often heard her family back home discussing him.
She hadn’t expected his family to propose a marriage match with the Cheng family.
Although the match hadn’t gone through, she still found it surprising. There was a mix of regret and relief in her heart.
But should she tell them everything she knew?
Liao Jiazhen hesitated.
“Auntie,” Cheng Fangqiu continued, her voice soft but firm, “I have no grievances with Comrade Jia, nor will I have any dealings with him in the future. I just don’t want people using this situation to stir up trouble. I need to know what I’m dealing with. Can you tell me about their family?”
She wiped the corner of her eye—whether it was an act or genuine emotion, it successfully evoked sympathy from Liao Jiazhen.
As a mother herself, she couldn’t bear to see a young girl caught in such a situation. Given that their families had always been on good terms, she let out a sigh and decided to share what she knew.
“Jia Qingbao is indeed an outstanding young man. I heard that he originally planned to stay in the army, but two years ago, his father fell while working in the mountains and injured his leg. If not for that, he probably wouldn’t have retired from the military and returned home. However…”
As she spoke, Liao Jiazhen suddenly lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening before continuing in a hushed tone, “Everyone says his parents set him up for failure.”
What kind of parents sabotage their own son?
At this statement, the others exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued, prompting them to press for more details.
“If you ask me, it’s all because they were short-sighted, only thinking about the present!”
“Back then, Jia Qingbao fell for a female comrade from the cultural troupe while he was serving in the army. He wrote to his parents, saying he wanted to marry her. But his parents, afraid that he’d marry a woman from outside the village and grow distant from them, forcefully broke them up and refused to agree to the match. Not long after, his father conveniently ‘fell’ and injured his leg, forcing Jia Qingbao to return home. Tell me, isn’t that just too much of a coincidence?”
“After he came home, his parents didn’t stop there. They kept trying to set him up for marriage. But Jia Qingbao wasn’t one to back down easily—whenever his parents arranged a match, he immediately went to the girl’s house to reject it himself, even declaring that he would never marry in this lifetime!”
“With all that going on, no girl in our village dared to marry him anymore.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu pursed her lips in surprise. So, Jia Qingbao wasn’t exactly a scumbag—if anything, he was quite filial and devoted. But on the other hand, abandoning his lover for his parents didn’t exactly make him a good man either.
No wonder his parents were now running around looking for marriage prospects so far away. Turns out, all the nearby families had already refused.
Cheng Fangqiu rearranged the information in her mind but still couldn’t figure out why Li Lifen had been so flustered earlier. What exactly was she hiding?
Unable to figure it out, she decided to stop dwelling on it. Now that she understood the general situation with the Jia family and knew they posed no real threat to her family, she could set the matter aside.
“Thank you, Auntie. Here, take these mung bean cakes for your little ones.” Cheng Fangqiu took two pieces from her bag and handed them to Liao Jiazhen. The latter politely declined twice before finally accepting them.
“I need to go back and do the laundry and cooking, so I’ll leave you to it.” With a cheerful farewell, Liao Jiazhen returned to her home.
Watching her retreating figure, Ding Ximei patted her chest with lingering fear. “Thank goodness we didn’t agree to it back then. Otherwise…”
A man who still had another woman in his heart—how could he be a good husband? If they had unknowingly married her off, they would only realize the truth too late and be left with nothing but regret.
“And Li Lifen never mentioned any of this! Did she know and keep it from us, or was she just as in the dark?” Ding Ximei clenched her teeth in frustration. “That does it—I’m taking back that basket of soybeans I gave her!”
“Enough about these unpleasant things. We still have an important guest to entertain tonight.” Ding Ximei sighed, realizing they had been standing at the entrance for too long. She ushered everyone inside.
Sensing the heavy mood, Cheng Fangqiu smiled and changed the subject. “Let’s have some mung bean cake to fill our stomachs first.”
At her words, Cheng Xuejun, who had been about to head outside to sweep the yard, abruptly changed course and dashed straight for the dining table. His peach blossom-shaped eyes, so similar to Cheng Fangqiu’s, locked onto the mung bean cake, his mouth practically watering. But he still retained a shred of restraint as he hesitated before asking,
“Mung bean cake? Sis, where did you get the money and ration tickets to buy this?”
This was the same question that had been on Cheng Baokuan and Ding Ximei’s minds. So, Cheng Fangqiu recounted everything that had happened at the supply and marketing cooperative—except for the part about the money.
She and Cheng Xiaohua had already agreed that the money would be kept as their private savings.
“Sis, from now on, I won’t tease you about being vain anymore. Turns out, being beautiful really can put food on the table.” Cheng Xuejun, now reassured, shamelessly grabbed a piece of mung bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
“This brat!” Cheng Fangqiu let out an exasperated laugh but still offered the cakes to Cheng Baokuan and Ding Ximei. Since they still had dinner to eat later, they only took half a piece each.
Their household was about to host an important guest—Zhou Yinghuai, no less. Everyone took the matter seriously, even feeling a little nervous. To avoid wasting time, they quickly divided up the chores, with the two siblings assigned to check the courtyard for any overlooked corners that needed cleaning.
At this rate, it felt as if they were preparing for a future son-in-law’s visit.
The thought made Cheng Fangqiu pause for a moment before her lips curled in amusement. She began directing Cheng Xuejun to sweep here and there. Watching him diligently follow her instructions, she suddenly had a question in her mind.
It made sense that their parents were nervous—but why was Cheng Xuejun, that fearless troublemaker, acting so tense?
With that thought, she couldn’t help but ask him outright.
“I want to be a technician in the future too. Building a good relationship with Comrade Zhou will help me improve.” Cheng Xuejun’s eyes sparkled with determination, looking as if he were completely serious.
Cheng Fangqiu clicked her tongue, mercilessly exposing him. “A few days ago, you were saying you wanted to be a soldier like Brother Tian Niu.”
Kids and their ever-changing dreams—yesterday he wanted to be a soldier, today he wanted to be a technician, and by tomorrow, he’d probably be dreaming of becoming a doctor.
“Sis!” Cheng Xuejun pouted dramatically, his mouth jutting out high. Cheng Fangqiu saw the perfect opportunity and delivered a swift, playful slap to his lips, producing an unexpectedly hilarious “pop” sound. She immediately burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
“Mom, Dad, Sis is bullying me!”
Cheng Xuejun, realizing he had been tricked, didn’t hesitate for a second before tattling. But their parents were clearly biased—not that it was their first time showing favoritism. Though they were right there in the kitchen, they remained silent, pretending not to hear a thing. Furious, Cheng Xuejun grabbed the broom and took off after Cheng Fangqiu.
Naturally, there was no way she’d let him catch her. She ran while making faces at him, taunting him at every turn. But just as she was about to turn another corner, she suddenly crashed into something firm and unyielding.
A low thud echoed as a few items scattered onto the ground. At the same time, a warm, steady hand wrapped securely around her slender waist.
“Be careful.”
Above her head, a deep, languid voice murmured softly.