Chapter 27: None of His Business

Song Sikai brushed the dirt off his clothes, climbing up with practiced ease, not the least bit angry. Hearing Jiang Han say this, he felt relieved.

“Right, right, save her for you, brother, you can teach her a lesson! Women need to be controlled, or they’ll climb over your head!”

Jiang Han rolled his eyes at him again: “You don’t need to tell me.”

“We can stop going to the Hu family. Keep an eye on Xu Guangliang. He really wants to fight me to the death this time.” He put Hu Yao aside for now, and spoke of other matters, sneering.

“Brother, why don’t you just marry his sister, then you won’t have so much trouble.” Song Sikai said softly.

“You marry her. I’ll give you all the work and the steel I just negotiated. Go and strangle Xu Guangliang together.” Jiang Han said in a deep voice.

“Nah, forget it! My mother said before she died that I should marry a wife who is obedient, sensible, and can bear sons!” Song Sikai’s face changed drastically in shock. He wouldn’t touch a woman like Xu Xuzhu with a ten-foot pole. He couldn’t stand a man as cunning and deceitful as Xu Guangliang either.

“My father and mother also told me to marry a wife who is obedient and sensible.” Jiang Han said calmly, showing that he was also a good, obedient son.

But apart from being obedient and marrying wives, there was nothing else about them that was proper.

“Is Hu Yao that kind of obedient and sensible woman?” Song Sikai strongly disagreed.

He hadn’t gone to see Hu Yao after she recovered, but he had seen her before. Every time they met, she was like a crazy girl. Several times she even incited her dog to bite him! She even slapped him! He could remember these things for a lifetime!

If Jiang Han hadn’t stopped him, he would have already dealt with her!

To tell the truth, he went to the Hu family to make a scene, partly because of personal grudges.

“Brother, you even served two months in jail for Xu Guangliang back then, taking all the blame. Now that he’s hooked up with someone else, he wants to shake us off and step on us. There’s no such good thing! Don’t even think about him getting his way. He won’t get away without losing a layer of skin, it’s not fair to him!” Song Sikai gritted his teeth with a gloomy face, no longer in his previous joking tone: “He’s just a low-life who relies on prostitutes.”

They were where they were today thanks to their guts and good opportunities. To put it bluntly, they fought their way to the top. Xu Guangliang was just relying on the fact that he had done Jiang Han a favor in the beginning, repaying kindness with malice, and mostly just reaping the benefits.

Now he’s sucking up to someone else, and his mind is still active! It’s just ridiculous!

Jiang Han’s expression also turned indifferent. Then he patted him on the shoulder: “This matter will be over soon. When the time comes, you go down to the sea and personally take charge of that batch of steel.”

“Isn’t it you, brother, who’s going?”

“I have other things to do.”

“What’s the matter?” Song Sikai pressed.

“Kids shouldn’t worry about so much.” Jiang Han casually evaded.

“…”

…

Hu Yao had no idea that there was someone behind her who hated her so much. Today, she and Lin Zhaodi picked tea leaves all day.

In a few more days, they should be done.

The wages were paid daily. Because Jiang Han had agreed, Li Zhen still honestly settled the wages with Lin Zhaodi, two yuan and two jiao.

Compared to her attitude in the morning, her face had become friendly again. She called Hu Yao “sister-in-law” over and over, as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them.

But Hu Yao quickly heard the purpose in her words. She just wanted her not to go back and whisper in Jiang Han’s ear.

Hu Yao didn’t pay much attention to her. Seeing her finish paying Lin Zhaodi, she called Jiang Xiaochao, who had also been playing all day, and went home.

Lin Zhaodi was very grateful to Hu Yao for helping her, but she was also a little worried that she would get into trouble. She told Hu Yao that she wouldn’t pick tea anymore. Hu Yao smiled and shook her head at her, saying a few words to persuade her.

Jiang Han didn’t take it seriously at all. What trouble could there be? It was just that Liu Jie and Li Zhen had cheated Jiang Han out of so much money, and it was only right that they paid Lin Zhaodi the proper price. She wasn’t working for nothing.

Hu Yao made Jiang Xiaochao’s much-anticipated pumpkin cake for dinner. It was sweet and chewy, and he had eaten two pieces before dinner, happily saying “delicious” around her in a baby voice.

Hu Yao laughed with him, took his cup and poured him a glass of water, telling him to eat slowly, while she continued to cook.

Dinner tonight had beef, brought back by Jiang Han. It was a big piece, enough for three meals. Hu Yao stir-fried ginger-scallion beef, and also ladled a small bowl to take to Lin Zhaodi.

Whenever she had something delicious, she would always share some with her. Jiang Han knew this, but he never asked or cared. He didn’t care about a little meat.

Hu Yao always had to have soup when she cooked. In the past, Jiang Xiaochao and Jiang Han didn’t like to drink soup, but now they were used to having a bowl before or after meals.

The two pumpkins Lin Zhaodi gave were both very big. Hu Yao made pumpkin cakes with one of them, and there was still a little left. She simply boiled the rest into soup.

When the last dish was done, Hu Yao set the table and Jiang Han came home.

He brought someone back with him today.

Jiang Xiaochao called him Uncle Sikai.

Hu Yao vaguely seemed to have some memory, but it wasn’t clear.

She felt that Song Sikai didn’t like her very much, and he didn’t look at her kindly.

Jiang Han’s brothers, whether it was Li Zhuangzhi or Liu Jie, no matter how much they looked down on her in private, they would at least call her “sister-in-law” in public. But Song Sikai was different. He wouldn’t even call her “sister-in-law”, not even a good look.

Hu Yao didn’t care much. She didn’t need him to respect her as his sister-in-law.

She ate quietly as usual, occasionally picking some food for Jiang Xiaochao.

Jiang Han usually drank a small glass of wine at dinner, and there were all kinds of wine in the house.

Today, with Song Sikai accompanying him, they drank two big bottles.

It seemed that Jiang Han had no intention of going out after dinner.

They talked about something while drinking, Hu Yao wasn’t interested in listening.

Men’s voices are loud, especially with two of them, and you could hear them talking in the next door Li family.

The sky was getting dark, and Hu Yao didn’t stay long at Lin Zhaodi’s. After delivering the pumpkin cakes, she went back home. She had forgotten to bring the pumpkin cakes with her when she brought the beef earlier, hence the extra trip.

Jiang Xiaocao said goodbye to her after dinner and ran outside again.

Children love to play, but he had already been playing all day, and he still had so much energy. Seeing his bright eyes, Hu Yao couldn’t bear to interrupt him, so she let him go and play, just telling him not to come back too late.

In the main room, Jiang Han and Song Sikai were still drinking. As she went back, she heard Song Sikai talking bad about her.

He was saying how Jiang Han had her completely under his control, and that she was much better now than before. He was saying that women should be treated this way and that…

It seemed like he was quite satisfied with Hu Yao’s current state.

Hu Yao pursed her lips.

The next moment, she heard Jiang Han’s displeased voice. He said it was none of his business and that if he wanted to control women so much, he should find one for himself.