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He thought to himself: So, they went to the city today to buy things for the wedding. Their years of relationship couldn’t just end like this.
She said she wouldn’t marry him, but then quietly went to buy wedding supplies.
Hah, she was just sulking.
Of course, he had done wrong, and her anger was justified.
Lu Jiangting hurried to the post office to make the call. Once connected, Old Zhou immediately asked, “Jiangting, did you have a fight with your fiancée?”
What?
Who told him?
How did he even find out?
“Uncle Zhou, did someone tell you something?”
“Hmph, Xiao Lin called me yesterday, saying she wanted me to send back your marriage certificate; she doesn’t want to get married.”
What?
“Then… the marriage certificate…”
“It’s still here. After hearing what she said yesterday, I was initially angry and planned to send it back to her right away. But it was too late yesterday; the postman had already left. So I had to wait.”
“I was going to send it today, but then I thought I should ask you first. A relationship is hard-earned. If there are conflicts, resolve them properly. I still hope you two can work things out.”
“Yes, yes, Uncle Zhou is right. We are getting married. Please help me submit the report.”
“That won’t work. You need Xiao Lin to call me and give her consent…”
After hanging up, Lu Jiangting felt a mix of emotions. It turned out she wasn’t joking; she was serious. She really wanted to call off the wedding.
No, wait. If she really wanted to call it off, why did she go to buy wedding supplies today?
Lu Jiangting returned to the village and, after much deliberation, took the two bags of fruit candies he had bought that morning to Lin’s house.
“Yuyao, I bought two bags of your favorite fruit candies. Here you go.”
Lin Yuyao ignored him. Ye Lian, inside the house, heard his voice and came out with a pair of tongs.
“What are you doing here? Get lost; you’re not welcome in our house.” Ye Lian said angrily.
Lu Jiangting stepped back, “Auntie Lian, I know I did wrong. I’m here to apologize. Tell me what I need to do to make you happy, and I’ll do it.” He begged.
“No need. If you just stay away from my daughter, I’ll be eternally grateful.”
“That’s impossible, Auntie Lian. We’ve already applied for the marriage certificate, and it might be ready soon. We’ll receive it in a few days.
Although we haven’t held the wedding banquet yet, Yuyao is already considered my wife. You’re preventing me from seeing her; that’s undermining a military marriage. Auntie Lian, that’s a crime.”
What?
A crime?
“You little scoundrel, do you think I’m being too kind to you?” Ye Lian rolled up her sleeves, ready to poke him with the tongs.
Lin Yuyao had to step in to stop her, “Mother, it’s not worth fighting with him. I’ll handle this myself.”
“Daughter, how are you going to handle this? If you ask me, just throw this shameless guy out.”
Lin Yuyao took a deep breath and said to Lu Jiangting, “Come outside with me.”
She walked out, and Lu Jiangting quickly followed, explaining what happened yesterday.
“Yuyao, I know borrowing money was wrong. I promise it’ll be the last time.”
Lin Yuyao stopped by the village pond and turned to face him. “How can you guarantee that? I ask you, if Fang Qing asks you for money again, will you lend it to her or not?”
“She won’t,” Lu Jiangting shook his head.
“She won’t?” Lin Yuyao raised her eyebrows
“No, I mean she won’t ask me for money again. Now that she’s opened her hair salon, she can earn her own money. Plus, the monthly pension for her and her son, her monthly income is much more than mine. She won’t borrow money from me again.”
Much more? Fang Qing will soon lose everything.
“Yuyao, if you don’t believe me, I’ll let you manage all my money from now on. You can spend it however you want. I won’t carry any money on me, so even if someone asks me to borrow money, I won’t be able to give it to them. What do you think?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Lu Jiangting was speechless.
“Then tell me, what should I do to make you happy?”
“Nothing you do will work.”
Lin Yuyao turned, looking at the spring water in the village pond. She took a deep breath.
“This pond is so big; it must be ten or more acres.”
Lu Jiangting said, “I heard it’s eight and seven-tenths of an acre.”
That’s still pretty big.
“When I was eight years old, I almost drowned in this pond. You saved me. From then on, I followed you around like a little shadow. You saved my life, and I’m very grateful.”
Lu Jiangting also looked at the water, “I saved you willingly, and you don’t need to thank me. I’ve rescued more than just you from this pond. I would have saved anyone who fell in.”
Lin Yuyao didn’t refute him; that was indeed true.
Lu Jiangting was a good swimmer and loved fishing. He was the youngest son, and his parents and two older sisters did the housework. He had a childhood almost free of chores.
He only needed to focus on his studies.
So, during holidays, he would sit under the willow tree by the pond, doing his homework and fishing.
During that time, he not only rescued Lin Yuyao from the pond but also an old woman washing clothes and the youngest son. Others would simply express their gratitude with a “thank you,” a couple of bags of fruit candies, or a basket of eggs, and that would be sufficient.
Her mother had also sent them a basket of eggs as a thank you, so why did she develop different feelings?
“Lu Jiangting, no matter what, you did save my life by pulling me out of here, and I truly appreciate it. However,” She shook her head, “We don’t have a fate; let’s just forget about the marriage.”
Lu Jiangting was taken aback. “Is it still about the money?”
Lin Yuyao nodded, “Yes, it is.”
“I…” He wanted to say that he would get it back.
But Lin Yuyao knew he wouldn’t do that; he wouldn’t dare to speak to Fang Qing about it.
“I will compensate you,” Lu Jiangting said helplessly.
“Why bother? Can’t we just part on good terms? If you want to take care of Fang Qing and her son, marry her and raise her son as your own. Otherwise, whoever you marry in the future will just be harmed.”
Lu Jiangting was very angry upon hearing this. He forcefully threw the fruit candies on the ground and said, “How many times do I have to say it? I have nothing to do with Fang Qing; why can’t you believe me?”
Right now, he may have nothing, but isn’t he just looking forward to marrying her once he’s free of her?
Seeing her silence, Lu Jiangting spoke earnestly, “Yuyao, I really have nothing with her. I… sigh! She’s Jianjun’s widow; how could I possibly marry her? If I did, how could I face Jianjun?”
Lin Yuyao found his words amusing. That dream was not just a simple dream; perhaps she had lived a life of such cowardice.
In that life, didn’t he end up marrying her after all?
Decades later, he had long forgotten the debt of gratitude he owed Comrade Wang Jianjun for saving his life.
“Yuyao, you don’t believe me, do you?”
Lin Yuyao replied, “Do you think I can believe you?”
“Why can’t you believe me? To say something unpleasant, she’s a divorced woman with a child, two years older than me. I’m not blind; how could I possibly like her?”