Chapter 22: Younger Brother Su Chengtai

At that time, buying wild kiwifruit still required money. But now, in front of them were countless wild kiwifruits, free for the picking, without costing a single cent.

Su Ruanruan stared at the kiwifruits for a long while before turning to Fu Wenjing in surprise. “How did you discover this place?”

“I found it before I joined the army.” Fu Wenjing said. “But back then, there weren’t many kiwifruits. I didn’t expect that after so many years, they would grow this much.”

Although the wild kiwifruits had not been carefully tended by anyone, they followed their own survival rules. Year after year, they continued to flourish and thrive.

Fu Wenjing’s basket was already filled to the brim. Fortunately, Su Ruanruan’s basket still had space, so they could collect quite a few more kiwifruits.

While Fu Wenjing was busy picking kiwifruits, Su Ruanruan was not idle either. She circled to the other side, out of Fu Wenjing’s sight, and secretly placed some kiwifruits into the shop.

Earlier, when she had been gathering wild vegetables, Fu Wenjing had not been around, so she had not felt too nervous.

But now, with Fu Wenjing nearby, she was afraid of being discovered and moved with extreme caution.

After estimating that she had gathered around three or four jin, she immediately stopped. Holding a bunch of kiwifruits in one hand, she circled back around.

Just at that moment, Fu Wenjing had also finished picking. Seeing Su Ruanruan emerge, he smiled and said: “I was just about to call you. Did you carefully select these?”

It was hard to blame Fu Wenjing for asking. Su Ruanruan had taken quite a long time, yet she had not picked that many kiwifruits.

Hearing his words, Su Ruanruan felt immensely relieved.

Luckily, she had stopped in time. If Fu Wenjing had come looking for her and noticed the traces of picked kiwifruits, he would have definitely been suspicious.

She flashed him a bright smile. “Yes! I carefully selected these. They must be especially delicious.”

Fu Wenjing nodded in agreement. “Anything my wife picks is sure to be delicious.”

His words made Su Ruanruan feel a little embarrassed.

She pressed her lips together, her cheeks slightly flushed. “We’ve gathered quite a lot this time, and it’s getting late. Why don’t we hurry back?”

Hurry and leave this place; it would also prevent Fu Wenjing from noticing anything unusual.  

After all, Fu Wenjing was a soldier, and his perception was sharp.  

The longer they stayed here, the greater the risk of being exposed.  

Fu Wenjing did not refuse. He carried one basket on his back and slung another over his shoulder.  

Seeing him like this, Su Ruanruan still spoke up. “Give me that basket. I can carry it.”  

However, Fu Wenjing did not let go.  

“When I was in the Military Unit, carrying weight while running cross-country was a daily routine. That was much heavier than these two baskets. If I can’t even carry this and still need your help, then all those years of training would have been wasted.  

“Wife, just walk behind me. If you feel like your hands are empty, pick some wildflowers to hold.”  

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan felt like laughing, but at the same time, her heart warmed.  

Compared to those who only talked without action—or worse, neither talked nor acted—Fu Wenjing was truly exceptional.  

There was an old saying: climbing up a mountain is easy, but coming down is hard. And there was some truth to it.  

Going up the mountain, one was full of energy and carrying little weight, so it felt relatively easy.  

But coming down, exhaustion set in, and the added weight made every step more cautious.  

Fortunately, both of them had grown up at the foot of the mountain, running through the hills since childhood. It wasn’t too difficult for them.  

They descended steadily and safely. Just as they were about to head toward the village brigade, someone suddenly called out to Su Ruanruan.  

Hearing the voice, she was momentarily stunned.  

Following the direction of the sound, she saw a tall, thin man standing there. Only then did she recognize who it was.  

It was none other than the original owner’s younger half-brother, Su Chengtai.  

Su Chengtai was only a year younger than Su Ruanruan. This year, he was seventeen, slightly taller than Su Ruanruan, standing a little over 1.7 meters.  

Perhaps due to genetics, no one in the Su family was overweight. Even though all the best food in the Su family had been given to Su Chengtai alone, he had never gained weight. Instead, he remained as thin as a monkey.  

Because of this, their mother always said that Su Chengtai had suffered too much. Otherwise, how could he be so skinny?  

At home, anything good to eat or drink was always saved for Su Chengtai alone, and the original owner never got even a single bite.

The Su family’s attitude toward the Original Owner was somewhat complicated.  

In the production brigade, it was common for families to forbid their daughters from attending school.  

Compared to those girls who couldn’t even recognize a single character, the Original Owner was incredibly fortunate to have been allowed to study and even graduate from middle school.  

However, the only reason the Su family let her go to school was their fear that Su Chengtai would be bullied if he attended alone.  

Even though the Original Owner was a year older than Su Chengtai, she had been enrolled in elementary school at the same time as him. They were in the same grade and had always been in the same class.  

From elementary school to middle school, the Original Owner consistently ranked among the top students in her class. In contrast, Su Chengtai completely failed to live up to his name, always lingering among the lowest ranks.  

Yet, despite this, no one in the Su family had ever praised the Original Owner, not even once. Instead, they constantly blamed her for not helping Su Chengtai with his studies, saying that was why he never performed well.  

After middle school, based on her grades, the Original Owner could have easily continued to high school.  

But because Su Chengtai had failed his exams and had no intention of studying further, the Original Owner was also forbidden from continuing her education. She was forced to return home and work on the farm.  

In the past three years, Su Chengtai had hardly done any labor. He idled about every day, indulging in food and laziness.  

Meanwhile, the Original Owner worked tirelessly outside the home, like an old ox, diligently earning labor points.  

Even after returning home, she had to serve the entire family like a housemaid.  

The Su family’s so-called kindness toward the Original Owner was merely relative—it was always centered around Su Chengtai’s well-being.  

Even her marriage to the Fu family was agreed upon only because the Fu family had offered a generous bride price.  

The grain given by the Fu family was to be saved for Su Chengtai’s special meals.  

And the money from the bride price was to be reserved for Su Chengtai’s future wedding.  

Thinking about these things, Su Ruanruan looked at the approaching Su Chengtai with an expressionless face.  

Su Chengtai, however, was all smiles. He strode forward in large steps and stopped right in front of her.  

“Sis, where did you and Brother-in-law go? What’s in your baskets? Is it something tasty? Give me some!”  

A grown man, at his age, might not yet be expected to fully support a household, but at the very least, he should be working hard to provide for himself.  

Yet Su Chengtai had no such thoughts. He shamelessly asked for food and drink without the slightest hint of embarrassment.  

Before Su Ruanruan could even respond, he spoke again.  

“Oh, right! Sis, I’m going on a blind date soon. Lend me your watch to wear, okay?”

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