Chapter 7: Feast on the Wealthy!

◎ Work Is on Track ◎

Wei Xuan saw Jiang Che looking at her with an expression that practically screamed, Are you stupid? She tried to recall but realized she had no memory of Jiang Che having a job.

All along, the original host had just assumed that since he was a city dweller and his father was the deputy director of a state-owned factory, he must have a decent job.

What a ridiculous assumption…

Wei Xuan snapped back to reality. “Then if you don’t go to work and have no income, what are we supposed to live on?”

They couldn’t just be freeloaders!

“That’s a problem for later. In any case, I definitely won’t let you go hungry, so don’t worry.” As he spoke, Jiang Che pulled Wei Xuan toward the bed.

Before she could stop him, she had already been pushed onto the bed. Her outer garment loosened, hanging off her shoulders in a half-fallen state.

“Wait, wait, I haven’t showered yet!”

“Aiya, what’s the big deal? Get things done first, then shower after.”

Seeing that Jiang Che completely ignored her and kept doing his own thing, Wei Xuan had no choice but to kick him.

Since Wei Xuan refused to cooperate, Jiang Che had no other option. In the end, he reluctantly accepted defeat and carried in water for Wei Xuan to wash up, while he went outside to take a quick rinse in the courtyard.

After washing up, he got into bed. Wei Xuan was about to find another excuse to dodge, but this time, Jiang Che didn’t give her a chance to speak. He pulled the blanket over them and pressed down on her.

A sleepless night…

The next morning, they inevitably woke up late.

“This is all your fault! If not for you, I wouldn’t have overslept. Now I’ve completely embarrassed myself!”

Jiang Che, satisfied from the night before, was in a great mood. Ignoring Wei Xuan’s complaints, he attentively picked out her clothes for the day.

By the time they hurriedly got dressed and went outside, the house was already empty. In the kitchen, breakfast had been left for the two of them.

“Mom, Dad, Big Brother, and Sister-in-Law all went to work, and the kids are at school. See? I told you waking up late wouldn’t be a problem. You’re just too self-conscious.”

Wei Xuan ignored the smug look on Jiang Che’s face, but inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief. Even though they had woken up late, not having to face the Jiang family directly was a blessing.

“After lunch, I’ll take you to the Cultural Palace to watch a movie.”

Wei Xuan wasn’t too keen on going. She wanted to have a serious talk with Jiang Che about work. He might have no problem asking his parents for money, but she couldn’t do that. Without an income, she felt no sense of security.

But Jiang Che clearly wasn’t someone who could be easily persuaded. Plus, since she had just married into the family and wasn’t familiar with everything yet, it was better to go along with him for now and take things step by step.

Thinking this, Wei Xuan agreed. “Alright. So, are we just eating at home for lunch?”

“Nope. I’m taking you out to feast on the rich.”

The “rich” Jiang Che was referring to was his good friend, Wu Yun.

“When we see him, don’t hold back. That guy’s loaded—just order whatever you want.” Jiang Che reminded her as they walked.

Wei Xuan was surprised that Jiang Che had such a wealthy friend. Curiosity piqued, she asked, “What does he do for a living? How did you two meet?”

“Heh, don’t worry about that. Just know that he’s rich, and that’s all that matters.”

Well, seeing Jiang Che grinning like that, Wei Xuan could already tell—either this friend or his money probably didn’t come from the most upright sources.

After meeting the man in person, her suspicions were confirmed.

First of all, Wu Yun didn’t look like a good guy. Not that she was saying he was bad—on the contrary, after exchanging a few words, she actually found him to be quite a likable person. It was just that he carried a bit of a ruffian vibe, the kind that made it hard to imagine he had a proper, law-abiding job.

Wu Yun was very generous. As soon as they entered the restaurant, he let Wei Xuan order. She picked three dishes, but he thought it wasn’t enough and added two more. And in this era, the portion sizes were no joke.

When Wei Xuan tried to stop him, he waved it off. “Come on, little sister-in-law, with us two grown men here, do you really think we can’t finish it?”

Since the host wasn’t bothered, what else could she say?

“Brother Wu, technically, we should be the ones treating you…”

Before she could finish, Wu Yun interrupted, “Hey, don’t worry about that! Your man and I are like real brothers—what’s one meal between us? No need to be so formal. Besides, you two just got married yesterday. It wasn’t exactly the right occasion for me to crash the banquet, so think of this as me making it up to you.”

Wei Xuan didn’t quite understand and glanced at Jiang Che.

Seeing this, Wu Yun immediately knew that this brat hadn’t told his wife anything about his situation. So, he spoke up, “Little sister-in-law, you probably don’t know—my family background isn’t the best. I had to fend for myself on the streets from a young age. Back in ’62, I nearly starved to death on the roadside, and it was Xiao Che who saved me with a single flatbread. Ever since then, I’ve treated him like my own little brother, so there’s really no need to be polite with me.”

So that was the story behind their bond. From 1962 until now, that was already fourteen years. Jiang Che was twenty this year, meaning they had indeed grown up together.

With that, Wei Xuan didn’t bother with any more polite refusals—saying too much would only make things awkward.

During the meal, Wu Yun teased Jiang Che, “Your wife is so beautiful—what a steal for you, brat.”

Jiang Che refused to back down. “I don’t look bad either! She’s not suffering any losses.”

And he even sounded proud about it.

Wei Xuan couldn’t even look at him. What was there to compare?

The three of them had a great time chatting over the meal.

After they finished eating, Wu Yun had other matters to attend to and left first. Jiang Che then took Wei Xuan for a walk to help digest the food. The Cultural Palace didn’t open until 1:30 in the afternoon, so there was no point in going too early when no one would be there yet.

“Hey, since you’re so close with Wu Yun, why don’t you work with him and make some money together?”

Jiang Che shook his head. “I can’t handle the kind of hard work he does. Besides, I have enough to eat and drink—I’m not like him. If he doesn’t work hard, his whole family would starve.”

From their conversation earlier, Wei Xuan had already learned about Wu Yun’s family situation. He had a younger sister and an elderly grandmother to support, while his parents had passed away during the political turmoil. He truly had a tough life.

But she couldn’t stand Jiang Che’s attitude of relying on his parents without a care. He couldn’t just loaf around all day—she had to find a way to make him understand the importance of financial independence.

That afternoon, after watching the movie, they returned home to find that everyone had already come back from work. Jiang Che’s sister-in-law was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“Oh, looks like we came back at just the right time—perfect for dinner.”

Jiang Che sat down without the slightest embarrassment. His mother didn’t seem to mind at all and even asked about his afternoon plans with genuine interest. However, his father frowned and criticized, “All you do is play around. Now that you have a family, shouldn’t you start taking work seriously?”

Jiang Che mumbled something under his breath, looking reluctant.

On this matter, Mother Jiang didn’t coddle him. Work was a big deal. One day, when she and her husband were no longer around, their youngest son needed to be capable of supporting his own household.

“That’s right, listen to your father. The factory’s sales department will be hiring an office clerk in a few days—you should give it a try.” Then, she turned to Wei Xuan. “And you too, Wei Xuan. Now that your household registration has been transferred here, I happen to have a friend who’s the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. They have an opening—I’ll ask her about it for you.”

“Really? Thank you, Mom! That would be such a big help!” Wei Xuan had been worrying about work for so long, yet the problem was solved just like that. She was so excited that she quickly agreed.

“It’s no trouble at all—just asking around. But once you get the job, you have to work hard.” Slacking off wasn’t an option. Seeing that Wei Xuan was sensible and appreciative, Mother Jiang felt quite satisfied.

“Of course! I’ll do my best and won’t bring shame to the family!”

With that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law easily reached an understanding, chatting harmoniously. Meanwhile, Jiang Che’s sister-in-law sat at the same table, fuming.

She could tolerate Jiang Che getting special treatment, but why should this countryside girl get to work at the supply and marketing cooperative just like that? Everyone knew it was a cushy job with great benefits!

For years, she had been struggling to transfer to an office position, but it was nearly impossible. Even now, she was still just a textile worker. And listen to how easily Mother Jiang talked about it—did she really think getting a job at the supply and marketing cooperative was that simple? Those positions were like fitting a peg into a perfectly sized hole—there was no extra space. It would definitely cost a lot of money to secure one.

After finishing the meal without tasting much of it, Sister-in-law Jiang went straight back to her room and started complaining to her husband.

“Mom is just being biased! You’re the eldest son, aren’t you? In the future, won’t it be us taking care of Dad and Mom? But now, all their money is being spent on your younger brother. Aren’t we the ones losing out?”

Jiang Che’s eldest brother originally didn’t want to argue with her. Women liked to vent—it was fine to let her grumble a bit. But as she kept going, getting more and more worked up, his own temper flared as well.

“Enough! You go on and on about this every day. Mom and Dad have already done plenty for us. Wasn’t it them who helped arrange your job? The reason I’ve been able to climb the ranks so quickly in the factory is largely because people respect Dad. And what about the two younger ones? All their food and clothes—who do you think has been covering those expenses?

Let’s not even talk about all that. It’s their money. How they choose to spend it and on whom is their business. It’s not up to us to interfere!”

“My job and sister-in-law’s job aren’t the same! I work myself to the bone at the factory every day, and when I come home, I still have to do housework. So what if Mom and Dad help us out a little? I’m the one managing everything in this household!”

Jiang Che’s eldest brother was so angry that he laughed. “How much housework have you really done? All you do is cook a meal every day. What, are you expecting Mom to serve you instead? If we’re talking about housework, how much have you actually done? Isn’t most of it taken care of by our three younger sisters when they come home?”

After a brief pause, he continued, “And about your job—you had just married into the family when you were in such a rush to have Dad arrange one for you. At the time, the factory only had that one position available, and you were the one who chose it. Later, Mom and Dad even said they’d help you switch jobs when there was an opportunity. But what did you do? Before anything was even confirmed, you ran back to your maiden family to brag about it. You even tried to sell your current position at a low price to your younger brother’s wife. When that got out, Dad nearly got into trouble because of it. After all that, you’re still not satisfied? What more do you want?”

As soon as this was brought up, Sister-in-law Jiang’s arrogance faded. She didn’t dare say anything more, afraid that her husband would continue digging up past grievances. Still, deep down, she remained resentful of her in-laws for favoring their youngest son.

While the argument raged on in one room, it didn’t affect the warmth and harmony in the next, where Wei Xuan and Jiang Che were enjoying their time together.

The next morning, the two of them got up early. Today was the day for Wei Xuan’s return visit to her parental home. After breakfast, Mother Jiang handed Jiang Che a package she had prepared the day before. “This is the return gift. Go early and come back soon.”

“Alright, Mom, we’re heading out then.”

This time, there was no car to take them. Jiang Che rode a bicycle with Wei Xuan sitting on the back. Fortunately, Wei Xuan was light, and with the two of them chatting along the way, the one-and-a-half-hour journey to the village passed quickly.