Chapter 41 Self-introduction

The heated words left Xu Dahua and Zhu Sanni blushing, but they dared not speak. After all, they were the ones who schemed first, and now that they were caught and ridiculed, it was what they deserved. Only their resentment and hatred towards He Wanqing remained in their eyes, as if they wanted to eat her alive.

He Wanqing’s mother and the others, who were facing them, immediately glared back, their eyes even fiercer.

Listening to the aunts mocking Xu Dahua and Zhu Sanni, He Wanqing handed the marriage certificate to the leader of the little Red Guards. Then she turned around and went home. “He Cao and Xu Weijun, you better stay away from me from now on. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up every time I see you. You should know that I mean what I say.”

“Mom, you and Aunt He can go work. I’m going home to rest.”

“Alright, go home and lie down. Don’t get angry over those two animals, it’s not worth it.”

“Okay, I know.” She wouldn’t be angry. She was going home to rest and recharge, so she could go find He Cao’s little vault tonight. She was sure that He Cao would go to the vault tonight. After all, her mother had taken most of Zhu Sanni’s money. And now, she, the sucker, had broken off the engagement with their family. She wouldn’t miss the opportunity to ask He Cao for money. If He Cao didn’t give it to her, it was simple. She wouldn’t hold the wedding. After all, that’s what she did in her previous life!

She turned around and glanced at the village entrance, which was already dispersing. A smile appeared on her lips, and she looked up at the sky, saying to herself, “Rest in peace,” before hurrying home. She had to go wash her hands, otherwise, she felt uncomfortable.

After she left, Jiang Cheng, who had been watching from the crowd, whispered a few words to his companion, and then walked towards her house from the other side.

When He Wanqing got home, Jiang Cheng had just arrived. Her neighbors on both sides were still at the village entrance and hadn’t come back.

He Wanqing raised her eyebrows at the man who suddenly appeared behind her, but didn’t say anything. She just opened the door and let him in.

“Don’t forget to close the door.” After giving instructions, she let Big Yellow go play before stepping into the house.

Jiang Cheng, who followed her in, heard this and his eyes flickered. He then turned around and closed the door before Shen Ping entered.

Seeing the door closed by Jiang Zhiqing, and thinking about what her grandmother had said at noon, Shen Ping swallowed the words she was about to say and stood obediently at the door like a pillar, guarding them. Her wary gaze made the people who came back from the village entrance shake their heads.

Inside the house. He Wanqing, unaware of Shen Ping’s expression, pointed to the stool beside her and said to Jiang Cheng, who had entered, “Sit.”

He looked at her and sat down obediently on the stool.

For a moment, the two of them were speechless. One had something to ask but didn’t know where to start. One had something to say, but was afraid to say it and make her unhappy, so she didn’t know how to open her mouth.

After five minutes of silence, He Wanqing coughed and looked at Jiang Cheng, who was sitting up straight. “What’s the matter with you coming to find me?” This man’s serious expression was a bit like her father, who was always in the army.

“I came to tell you about my situation.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t understand why his situation had anything to do with her.

Seeing her bewildered face, Jiang Cheng knew that she hadn’t heard the rumors in the village. He suddenly felt a little flustered, thinking about his recklessness. He was afraid that if he said it, she would think he was taking advantage of her.

“Speak, why are you staring at me?” This man was crazy!

He reached out and touched his nose, and then told her about what had happened in the morning. Finally, he also told her his thoughts.

“They really went to ask you?”

Seeing him nod, He Wanqing lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, making Jiang Cheng, who was looking at her, itch with anticipation.

“I know. I’ll tell my mom and the others. Thank you for letting me know.” No matter what she was thinking in her heart, she didn’t show it. Instead, she stood up generously and thanked him, and then sent him away.

Seeing this, Jiang Cheng, knowing that he would leave if he didn’t speak, immediately told her the purpose of his visit. “I know I’m being a little presumptuous, but I want to say that I can marry you. I’m twenty-three this year. I’m a soldier in a unit not far from here. After we get married, you can go to the family compound or stay at home. My family is from Nanshi. I don’t have the surname Jiang. My surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Cheng’an. I’m here on a mission. I can’t say much for now. I have three brothers. I’m the eldest. My two younger brothers are also soldiers in the army. My father…”

Gu? That’s right, how could she forget that? Thinking about this, He Wanqing, who was lost in thought, interrupted him. “Stop. I understand your situation. We’ll talk about this later. Shouldn’t you be leaving my house now?”

Listening to the conversation at the door, she knew that someone would be knocking soon. It was best for this man to leave quickly.

“Wait, let me finish. My companion heard He Cao and Xu Weijun discussing plans to use that incident to scheme against you. You…”

Hearing the sound outside getting louder, Gu Cheng’an also knew that it wasn’t the time to continue. He got up. “I’ll go now. I know you go out to beat people up every night, and you probably won’t miss tonight. I’ll wait for you under the tree outside your house.” He said this and didn’t wait for her to answer. He left her house under her shocked gaze. He didn’t leave from the front door, but went directly to the backyard of Uncle He’s house and climbed over the wall from there.

He Wanqing, who followed closely behind him, watched the man climb over the wall and leave before she retracted the words she wanted to ask. She thought about how she had been pretending to be sick these days, and going out to beat people up at night, being watched by a group of people, and her scalp tingled. She thought to herself, thankfully she didn’t use the space, otherwise, she would have been dead. But… Looking at the place where Gu Cheng’an left, the corners of her lips curled up. He doesn’t have the surname Jiang? That’s great.

She then thought about the mission he mentioned, and remembered what she had heard in the village back then, and she felt a little worried.

“Cousin, are you awake?” Just then, Shen Ping’s voice pulled her back to reality.

“I’m coming.” She glanced at the backyard again, then turned and walked towards the front door. As she walked, she thought about what he had said, and the fact that He Cao and Xu Weijun wanted to scheme against her again. Her eyes looked towards He Daniu’s house, and she sneered. “It seems like I didn’t beat them hard enough. I’ll beat them harder tonight!” This would make their family go to the mountain to visit their great-grandmother’s grave earlier, so they wouldn’t nag her about not doing it.

Recently, He Wanqing’s beating people had been spread by both families. Because they hadn’t seen anyone alive, they said that it was the ancestors on the mountain who had come down to beat their unfilial descendants. With today’s incident, if both families were beaten up tonight, it would probably be a case of both families going to the grave tomorrow.

Thinking about tonight’s events, she suppressed the smile on her lips and hurried towards the door, so Shen Ping wouldn’t have to wait too long.