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A’Ku smacked him on the forehead in disgust. “Quit whining like a woman, always crying.”
“Your grandpa is gone, but can’t you do business on your own?”
With teary eyes, Tan Zhilin looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his gaze. “Huh? I can still continue doing business?”
A’Ku despised his cowardice and scolded him while pointing at him:
“Are you stupid? You fell once, and now you can’t get back up?”
“But from now on, keep your eyes open. Don’t be so naive and let people fool you again.”
Tan Zhilin lowered his head like a quail, obediently listening to the lecture.
Counting money brings happiness, so A’Ku voluntarily stayed behind to help tidy up a bit.
Just then, a loud grumble came from Tan Zhilin’s stomach, echoing in the empty room.
Blushing, he gave the two of them an embarrassed smile.
It wasn’t his fault—he had been in a daze for days, barely eating, surviving on rough grain pancakes and cold water.
A’Ku rubbed his own stomach—he was hungry too.
He had set out before dawn, trekked half a day through the mountains, and only eaten two wild vegetable pancakes along the way.
Jiang Tiantian, pleased to have found a suitable warehouse, waved her hand decisively, “Come on, I’ll treat you to a good meal.”
She took them back to the little restaurant from earlier and ordered each of them a big bowl of lamb rice noodles.
She even asked the lady boss to prepare a plate of pure lamb slices just for them.
The lady boss grinned, “Tiantian, you came back just to support my business! Wait a moment~”
With that, she disappeared into the kitchen.
After bringing out two bowls of rice noodles and a plate of lamb for the two young men, the lady boss placed a plate of fragrant melon seeds in front of Jiang Tiantian.
Apparently, they were homegrown and roasted by her family—crispy and delicious!
The two women sat together, chatting away…
Meanwhile, Tan Zhilin, who hadn’t eaten anything substantial in days, was brought to tears by the taste. He picked up a trembling piece of lamb with his chopsticks—the skin was soft, the meat tender. Just one word: delicious!
Food strengthens the spirit.
With a full belly, Tan Zhilin suddenly grew bolder.
They say debtors are kings, and after being roused by A’Ku earlier, his shopkeeper demeanor returned.
Puffing up his chest, he looked at A’Ku and said smugly, “I’m a little scared to do it alone. A’Ku, why don’t you join me? I’ll give you a share of the profits.”
After all, A’Ku was an orphan who made a living by gathering medicinal herbs. It didn’t matter whether he stayed in that remote mountain village or not.
Tan Zhilin had a house, and since he was the only one living there, A’Ku could just move in.
Two single guys could at least keep each other company.
A’Ku slurped up his noodles noisily, not even bothering to look up as he muttered, “I’ll think about it.”
—-
Tan Zhilin handed the warehouse keys to Jiang Tiantian, looking pitiful, before clinging to A’Ku and leaving with him.
Once they were gone, Jiang Tiantian returned to the warehouse outside town and had Xiao Qi unload the pipeline samples.
At the same time, an idea began forming in her mind—perhaps Tan Zhilin could be an opportunity as well.
—-
On the way back to the village…
For the first half of the ride, Jiang Tiantian, at everyone’s request, shared more stories about the city—its interesting events and the many different types of food she had tried.
Halfway through the journey, she suddenly thought of Xiaofang and casually mentioned that she had visited “Xiaofang’s Tailor Shop” today to get some clothes made.
At that moment, the women in the vehicle—her aunts and other village elders—immediately picked up the topic.
“Xiaofang has had a tough life.”
“She was engaged to our village’s Songzi. They were already planning the wedding when Songzi suddenly passed away.”
“But she’s a loyal girl. After Songzi died, she moved into his house and said she’d take care of his widowed mother for him.”
“Less than a month later, she found out she was pregnant.”
“Songzi’s mother is a kind woman. She didn’t want to ruin Xiaofang’s future and urged her to abort the baby so she could remarry someday.”
“But Xiaofang was stubborn. No matter who tried to persuade her, she wouldn’t listen. Her mother and two older sisters were so angry they left in tears, warning her not to regret it later.”
“…”
“Thankfully, Jiuzhang, Xiao Liu, and the others stepped up. They’ve been helping take care of her and the old lady these past two years. They even pooled money together to buy her a small shop in town so she could open a tailor shop.”
“That’s why they say Jiuzhang, Xiao Liu, and Songzi’s group of boys are more than just friends—they’re like brothers.”
“They grew up together. They’re all from our Cha family village.”
“Yes, yes, Grandpa Qi is right. Our Cha family village is one big family.”
“…”
Jiang Tiantian, intrigued, asked curiously, “How did Songzi die?”
The car went silent for a moment before someone sighed and answered:
“Ah… Songzi’s death was such a shame. He was still so young.”
“A few years ago, when the village was building a road, most of the young men went to work on it. Songzi was in charge of setting up an explosion when a rock flew up and hit him in the head.”
“He didn’t even make it to the hospital before he was gone.”
“Sigh… Songzi’s mother nearly died from grief. If we hadn’t stopped her, she might’ve bashed her head against the wall and followed him.”
The atmosphere in the car grew somber at the memory.
“At least now she has a granddaughter to live for…”
“…”
“By the way, have you heard? Xiaofang’s family is trying to set her up with someone. I wonder if the guy is a good match?”
“If she finds someone suitable, I think Xiaofang should consider remarrying. She’s still young—it’s impossible for her to stay alone forever.”
“…”
“But what about Chunni?”
“Songzi’s mother said she wouldn’t stop Xiaofang from remarrying. If she wants to take Chunni with her, she can. The old lady is still mobile and can visit them often. But if Xiaofang doesn’t want to take Chunni, she’ll raise the girl herself, even if it’s the last thing she does.”
“Sigh, poor Chunni. She lost her father so young. If she loses her mother too, what will she do?”
“…”
Jiang Tiantian quietly listened to their conversation, piecing together Xiaofang’s story in her mind. A heavy feeling settled in her heart.
When she met Xiaofang today, it was clear she had deep feelings for Cha Jiuzhang.
She tried to hide it, but the moment she realized who Jiang Tiantian was, her reaction was too obvious.
Jiang Tiantian wasn’t sure if this was just Xiaofang’s one-sided love…
Or if…
During all the time Cha Jiuzhang spent taking care of his brother’s woman, he had started to develop feelings for her too?
After all, many men couldn’t resist a delicate, helpless woman. Pity and compassion could easily transform into something else.
Were they both suppressing their emotions because of their situation?
And if so, what should she do?
—-
Her cousin’s wife noticed her silence and asked curiously, “Tiantian, what’s wrong?”
“You look deep in thought.”
Jiang Tiantian snapped out of it and smiled.
“Nothing, just a bit tired. I was zoning out, looking at the scenery outside.”
“To be honest, the landscape around our village is breathtaking.”
Her cousin’s wife chuckled, “Hah! We see it every day—it’s nothing special to us.”
Jiang Tiantian looped her arm through hers.
“That’s so unfair! You don’t even appreciate it.”
Cousin-in-law curiously asked, “What does Versailles mean?”
Jiang Tiantian was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter and explained, “Hahaha, it means showing off and flaunting!”
Her cousin-in-law pinched her angrily. “Stop talking nonsense!”
“But Tiantian, how do you know so many new words and fresh things? I’ve never heard of them before.”
Jiang Tiantian instantly switched to her “eager-to-learn little angel” mode and enthusiastically explained the importance of learning to her cousin-in-law.
“I read about them in books!”
“If you read a lot, you’ll learn a lot. Many of the things I told you today, I also learned from books.”
Hearing this, her cousin-in-law suddenly understood.
“I was wondering! You’re just a young girl, but it feels like you’ve been to so many places.”
“So, it all comes from books!”
Jiang Tiantian nodded vigorously.
“Yes, exactly! As the saying goes, ‘Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles.'”
“That’s why, cousin-in-law, you must encourage your two little ones to read more books.”
Her cousin-in-law nodded but said with a hint of regret, “Of course, I know that. Look at Jiuzhang—he’s loved reading since he was little, and now he’s doing so well.”
“But it’s a pity our place is so remote. Even if we want to read, we can’t buy many books.”
Jiang Tiantian comforted her, “It’s okay, take it slow. Things will get better.”
“Mm, you’re right. Look at our village—two years ago, we didn’t even have a road. Now we do. Slowly, we’ll have everything.”