Chapter 59 : It’s not fair to him

Once things settled down, Jiang Yu realized what she had done and quickly released her grip, as if she had burned her hand.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she said, her face even redder than before, looking like a ripe tomato.

He Tingyue didn’t turn around, but there was a slight fluctuation in his usually calm voice that hinted at his amusement.

“It’s fine.”

The rest of the journey was smooth, allowing Jiang Yu’s emotions to gradually calm down. By the time they arrived home, her face was less flushed.

He Tingyue didn’t forget to hand the bag to her. “Here, take this.”

Jiang Yu fidgeted with her hands, feeling reluctant to accept it.

First, she and He Tingyue weren’t close enough for her to take his things.

Second, if he already thought she was materialistic, taking these gifts would only reinforce that perception.

He Tingyue raised an eyebrow, sensing her inner turmoil, and pushed the bag toward her. “You helped Feiya, she should thank you.”

Jiang Yu’s expression became a bit awkward. “I really didn’t do much.”

“But if it weren’t for your vigilance, no one would know what might have happened. So, I’ll come by again tonight to pick you up.”

Not allowing Jiang Yu to refuse, He Tingyue hopped back on his bike and left.

Jiang Yu pursed her lips, resigned to carrying the bag home.

As she walked up the stairs, she spotted Wang Meili and some others loitering at the door.

Jiang Yu frowned, showing her displeasure.

Wang Meili smiled coolly. “Jiang Yu, do you really think you’re a city girl now, to the point of ignoring your parents?”

Yao Xiangling’s building had four units per floor, with poor sound insulation, so any commotion in one household could easily be heard by the others.

Sure enough, the nosy old lady next door poked her head out.

“Oh, Jiang, it turns out to be your parents! I just called them in for tea, but they refused, saying they’d wait for you to come back.”

Jiang Yu responded, “Thank you, Grandma Zhao. I’ll take them inside now.”

Grandma Zhao nodded. “There’s no family issue that can’t be resolved. Just talk to your parents nicely, they’re not easy either. One mustn’t forget their roots, being unfilial can bring disaster.”

Jiang Yu didn’t engage with her rambling and opened the door, leading her parents inside.

As soon as she shut the door, Wang Meili reached out to grab the bag in Jiang Yu’s hand.

“What’s in there? It looks heavy. Let me help you carry it.”

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a pack of peach crisps and peanuts, handing them over while keeping the rest.

“This is for my aunt, I can’t give you everything. Mom, just take these two packs back. Keep it quiet, so no one sees.”

Wang Meili was convinced, thinking Jiang Yu was indeed a caring girl, knowing to bring her aunt something nice.

Even Jiang Yonghua’s expression softened slightly.

Jiang Yonghua said, “You mentioned last time that you had a boyfriend in the city. When are you bringing him home? Jiang Ting is already married, you should hurry with your own marriage too.”

Jiang Yu maintained her composure and lied smoothly, “I wasn’t satisfied with the last guy, so we broke up.”

Jiang Yonghua and Wang Meili’s faces changed dramatically.

“What do you mean you broke up? It’s a big deal to even have a city boyfriend! How could you be so picky? Don’t you look in the mirror? What gives you the right to be dissatisfied?”

Wang Meili reached out to hit her, but Jiang Yu dodged.

“Mom, I have a friend who works at the supply and marketing cooperative. She’s been in touch with her cousin, and he’s coming back soon to meet me.”

Wang Meili paused, quickly asking, “What’s her cousin like?”

“An officer, a battalion commander stationed in He Province.”

Just those few words left Wang Meili utterly stunned.

An officer! She never dreamed Jiang Yu could marry a cadre!

“Oh my, our Jiang family must have good fortune! Jiang Yu, you better seize this opportunity, do you hear me?”

Jiang Yu felt a twinge of guilt, using Huang Zefang as a shield.

These past few days, she had felt so mixed up, thinking about her entanglement with He Tingyue, then turning to Huang Zefang for a blind date felt like looking for a substitute, which wasn’t fair.

Originally, she planned to mention it to Xie Feifei before going out today, but after everything with He Feiyan, she forgot to bring it up.

“I understand. If you have nothing else to do, you can head back. My introduction letter is about to expire, and if this blind date doesn’t work out, I’ll just go back to the countryside and marry someone there.”

Upon hearing “battalion commander,” Wang Meili’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t accept Jiang Yu marrying a country bumpkin.

“That’s out of the question! You have to go for this soldier! Whether your brother can benefit from you depends on you! Oh, right, Jiang Hao, come here! Didn’t we agree you’d apologize to your sister today?”

Jiang Hao was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

His eyes were slightly small, not resembling either parent, and as he tried to widen them, they looked like slits.

Just before leaving, Wang Meili had said they needed to get Jiang Yu’s money, and now suddenly, he was being asked to apologize!

Reluctantly, he was nudged by Jiang Yonghua, who said in a low voice, “Jiang Hao, apologize to your sister. We’re family, and there should be no grudges!”

Jiang Hao had no choice but to grit his teeth and lower his head. “Sister, I’m sorry for what happened last time, I know I was wrong.”

Jiang Yu silently scoffed, but her face remained neutral.

“It’s fine after all, the Du family has already learned their lesson, and I’m no longer concerned.”

Jiang Hao’s expression froze, his fists clenched tightly. Inside, he was seething with hatred for Jiang Yu.

If it weren’t for her, Du Juan wouldn’t have broken up with him.

Wang Meili, worried about running into Yao Xiangling, didn’t linger and happily left with the things they had brought.

After some thought, Jiang Yu couldn’t resist stopping by the Xie family to discuss the blind date.

“You came at the right time, is it okay to schedule the blind date for the day after tomorrow?”

Jiang Yu looked apologetic. “I wanted to talk to you about this, but maybe it’s better to forget it.”

Xie Fei fei didn’t seem upset at all instead, she asked, “Do you still like He Feiyan’s brother?”

Jiang Yu was taken aback, her expression confused.

Once she was pointed out, it felt like the fog in her mind had cleared, giving her a clearer answer.

She nodded. “Yes.”

She should have feelings for He Tingyue.

“It wouldn’t be fair to go on a blind date with your cousin when I feel this way.”

Xie Fei fei giggled, covering her mouth. “You’re the most innocent person I’ve ever met! Do you think my cousin is only going on dates with you? He’s been back for ten days, and my aunt has arranged five blind dates for him! You’re just one of them, and not even the first. By your reasoning, that wouldn’t be fair to you either.”

But that’s how blind dates work, finding the most suitable match and getting married.

In such a short time, there’s only so much one can learn about the other person, mostly their family background and personal conditions.

Without considering those external conditions, what else could there be?

“Just relax, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Even if you’re not interested in my cousin, that’s fine; just think of it as meeting a friend. The girl my cousin went out with a few days ago really liked him, but he just wasn’t interested. You can’t expect him to be responsible for that, right? Blind dating is a two-way street.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu felt a bit better and agreed to meet Huang Zefang for dinner the day after tomorrow.