Chapter 13: Matters of the Heart

“◎Jiang Che was jealous◎

‘Only you can cause trouble.’ Jiang Che entered the kitchen carrying the grain and, upon seeing Wei Xuan clumsily fumbling about, couldn’t resist walking over and snatching the hoe from her hand. ‘Let me do it.’

Wei Xuan didn’t argue, ‘Fine, just continue from where I left off, I’ll go cook.’

‘You’re not bothered by the trouble? It’s not like we don’t have vegetables at home.’

Wei Xuan walked to the well, washed her hands, and said, ‘Those vegetables aren’t enough. Anyway, it won’t take long, you focus on your work. This is crucial for our livelihood.’

Since his wife had spoken, what could Jiang Che do? He could only grumble, ‘Got it, you’re so naggy.’

After finishing the work, Jiang Che was so exhausted that his back nearly couldn’t straighten. ‘Where did you get this hoe? It’s so small, it’s exhausting.'”

‘This is something I had a hard time buying. Alright, stop standing there and go wash your hands for dinner.’

Jiang Che was already hungry, and upon hearing that, he couldn’t bother complaining any further and quickly went outside to wash his hands before coming back. ‘What’s cooking? It smells so good.’

‘I knew you’d be tired from working, so I specially made braised pork. It’s also to celebrate our move.’ She had even used the last of their scarce meat rations to buy the pork. After this meal, who knew when they’d have meat again.

Jiang Che picked up a piece. ‘Mmm, it’s delicious.’

Wei Xuan was happy to have someone appreciate her cooking.

‘By the way, the two friends who helped us move yesterday, we should invite them for a meal sometime. And let’s invite Brother Wu to join as well.’

‘Okay, I’ll go call them.’

Wei Xuan silently rolled her eyes in her mind. ‘What are we going to feed them?’ Seeing that she couldn’t rely on Jiang Che to figure it out, she asked directly, ‘We have all the meat for this month at home, but we can’t invite people over with nothing but vegetables, right?’

Jiang Che paused for a moment and said, “How about I go find Brother Wu and try?” He had never had to worry about these matters at home before, so he didn’t have any other solutions at the moment.

Seeing things move in the direction he wanted, Wei Xuan felt excited in her heart but appeared troubled on the surface. “Isn’t that a bit risky? What if we’re found out?”

“Just be careful. Nothing will happen.” Seeing his little wife was scared, Jiang Che casually reassured her, though he wasn’t entirely confident himself.

Despite Jiang Che’s notorious reputation, he hadn’t actually done anything out of line. Firstly, he didn’t lack for food or drink, so there was no need to take risks. Secondly, he had been taught since childhood by his father Jiang to be cautious. It was fine to be a little lazy, but he was never to do anything that crossed the line. So he had always been careful, even though he had a close relationship with Wu Yun, he had never gotten involved in such matters.

But now, wasn’t this something the family urgently needed? Once in a while, it shouldn’t be a problem… probably.

As for Wei Xuan, there was no need to mention it. She certainly wouldn’t deliberately put Jiang Che in harm’s way. Now that it was already the end of 1976, the policies were about to change, and the regulations weren’t as strict as before, so as long as Jiang Che was careful, nothing should happen.

The two of them made a list of the things they needed for the banquet, and the next day, Jiang Che took the money and went to Wu Yun’s usual contact point.

The underlings working for Wu Yun all recognized Jiang Che. As soon as they saw him, they quickly opened the door and invited him in. “Brother Che, are you here to see our boss? He’s not here right now, but he should be back soon. You can sit and wait if you want.”

“Alright, I’ll just hang around here. Don’t worry about me, go ahead and do your thing.”

“Okay, if you need anything, just call me.”

Jiang Che sat there, watching as several deliveries arrived in quick succession, with an occasional person coming to pick up goods. He silently calculated in his mind. Wow, he hadn’t realized until now, but this business was quite something.

Wu Yun’s operation was really on a large scale. Just in one day, he must be making at least a few hundred. Jiang Che had always known this line of work was profitable, but this was the first time he had such a direct, eye-opening experience.

Before he could snap out of his shock, Wu Yun returned, holding a basket of things.

He handed the basket to his underling and was about to take a break, since this trip had really worn him out. Just then, his underling told him, “Boss, Brother Che is here.”

Brother Che? Which Brother Che? His brain was so tired right now that it was hard to think.

He glanced inside, and then realized it was Jiang Che. This kid rarely came to his place, so it was no wonder he didn’t immediately remember.

He waved his hand at the underling. “Alright, you go ahead and do your thing.”

“Well, this is a surprise, Xiao Che. It’s rare to see you here.” He knew that, although Jiang Che had a reputation for being somewhat of a troublemaker outside, he actually knew when to be serious and never involved himself in anything shady.

Jiang Che, still trying to process the fact that his good friend might actually be a big deal, didn’t immediately respond to Wu Yun’s teasing.

Seeing his reaction, Wu Yun immediately misunderstood. He wiped the smile off his face and furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at home?”

“Huh? Oh, no, nothing happened. It’s just that I moved, and I wanted to invite you and a few friends over for a meal tomorrow.”

“Sigh. You could’ve just said it was something small, no need to scare me like that.” Once Wu Yun heard that there was nothing serious, he relaxed. “Got it, give me the address, and I’ll come by tomorrow.”

Jiang Che realized he had made a bit of a fool of himself and awkwardly scratched his nose.

“What’s the matter? Is there something else?” Wu Yun noticed that Jiang Che didn’t seem ready to leave and asked. The kid was acting a little strange today.

Jiang Che finally remembered the real reason he came. “I’m hosting a meal, but I’m short on some things. That’s why I came to you to figure it out.”

“Heh~” Wu Yun looked him up and down a few times. “Not bad, you thought of me. Alright, tell me what you need, and I’ll bring it over tomorrow.”

Seeing that Wu Yun wasn’t planning to take any money, Jiang Che couldn’t let that slide. Normally, it wouldn’t matter between brothers, but before he came, his wife had reminded him repeatedly to make sure to pay. Otherwise, could it really count as him hosting?

Originally, Jiang Che hadn’t paid much attention to this, but after seeing Wu Yun’s business, for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of shame.

He had always thought that, between the two of them, he was the one living better. So even though he knew that Wu Yun did some business and had some money, he never really cared much about it. After all, in this era, having money alone wasn’t enough; money couldn’t buy everything, and being a worker was still the most respected.

Moreover, although Jiang Che had taken advantage of their relationship more often, there was still a sense of mutual exchange. Now, he could clearly see that Wu Yun had been letting him off and not holding things against him. This struck Jiang Che’s pride, and he couldn’t stand it anymore.

That’s why he insisted on paying.

Wu Yun saw his persistence and didn’t argue further. He called an underling over: “Go get the things that Brother Che needs.”

“Got it.”

When Wei Xuan saw Jiang Che return looking a bit down and out, she was genuinely startled. She quickly stepped forward and asked, “What’s wrong? Did someone find out?”

It couldn’t be that unlucky, could it?

Seeing his little wife looking so anxious, Jiang Che wiped his face and forced a smile. “It’s fine, just feeling a bit tired. I’ve got everything, you can check if anything’s missing.”

Wei Xuan took the things from him but still wasn’t fully reassured. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just going to lie down for a bit.”

“Alright, I’ll make dinner and call you when it’s ready.”

Today’s events were a big blow to Jiang Che. He had always thought of himself as doing pretty well in this era, but after seeing how successful Wu Yun’s business was, he realized he was just a frog in a well.

He had been content with his monthly salary of less than twenty yuan, thinking he was doing fine, but now he realized it didn’t even compare to half of what Wu Yun made in a single afternoon.

Indeed, in this era, simply having money isn’t enough, and it doesn’t earn others’ respect. But having a lot of money? That’s a different story.

Maybe he should try working behind Brother Wu? Given their relationship, if he asked, Brother Wu probably wouldn’t refuse.

But no, no, never mind. He had seen how much hardship Brother Wu went through when he first started this line of work. During those busy days, he couldn’t even eat properly, constantly worrying, and by the end of the month, he was so thin he was barely recognizable. It was only now that the business had grown and he had a few underlings helping that things had gotten a bit easier.

Besides, now he had a family to support. If something went wrong, not only would his father get dragged into it, but his little wife would also have to suffer with him.

But how could he not feel a stir in his heart when he saw people around him making so much money every day, while he was still living on that tiny salary?

Sigh, why did he have to find out about it? If he didn’t know, he’d actually be pretty content with his life right now. He went to work every day without much stress, his salary was enough if he was careful with it, and at least he was living better than most people.

“What are you doing?” Wei Xuan pushed the door open and saw Jiang Che tossing and turning on the bed, scratching his head in frustration.

The sudden sound startled Jiang Che, pulling him out of his own thoughts. He calmed himself down a bit before rolling over and sitting up. “Nothing. Is dinner ready?”

Wei Xuan eyed him suspiciously for a moment. “Hmm, let’s go eat.”

At dinner, Jiang Che continued to look uneasy. Wei Xuan was now sure that something was bothering him, and it wasn’t something small. But since he wasn’t talking, she didn’t press him.

Jiang Che felt restless inside, and later that night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Now, Wei Xuan was really getting angry. “What are you doing up this late? Got lice or something? Stop tossing and turning, you’re keeping me awake!”

Hearing this, Jiang Che immediately froze, but he couldn’t help sighing again.

Annoyed, Wei Xuan yanked the blanket off the bed, got up, turned on the light, and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Jiang Che. “Spill it, what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, I’m just a bit unable to sleep.”

Wei Xuan noticed his shifty eyes and insisted, “Are you going to tell me or not? If you don’t, get out and sleep somewhere else. Don’t mess with my sleep.”

Unable to sleep? What a lame excuse. This guy has a thick skin—he could never sleep for more than a minute without falling asleep, never had trouble with insomnia.