Chapter 24: Jiang Lihai

Jiang Lihai has always been someone who cares about his appearance.

While working at the brick factory, most people would be covered in dust after a day’s work. Many would go home wearing dirty clothes.

But Jiang Lihai is different. Every time, he would take a shower, wash his hair, and change into clean clothes before going home.

In the brick factory’s kitchen, there is hot water for sale at two cents per pot. During the winter, he would use at least three pots of hot water a day.

Whenever he appeared in front of relatives and friends, he was always neat and tidy.

However, at this moment, he looks like a pitiable, dirty soul.

Jiang Lamei and Wu Xiaochun usually don’t go to the brick factory, so they’ve never seen him like this. His appearance surprises them, and hearing his words only adds to their astonishment.

Wu Xiaochun immediately asks, “What happened?”

Jiang Lihai seems greatly affected as he says, “Today, her brother found me and said she’s getting married to someone else.”

After speaking, his eyes turn red.

Jiang Liyun had known about this matter for a while. However, in her previous life, similar events only occurred at the end of the year. In this life, it seems to be happening earlier.

In the current rural setting, when girls are looking for partners, practical considerations come first. The primary factor they consider is the financial condition of the man’s family.

Then, they pay attention to aspects like how much the prospective husband can inherit from the parents, how well they get along with the in-laws, whether the mother-in-law can help with childcare, whether there’s a need to support younger siblings, and so on.

In their family, everything doesn’t look good. They are very poor with no house, and Jiang Lamei and Wu Xiaochun, due to their health, can’t provide much assistance to Jiang Lihai. On top of that, there is a younger sister to support.

In other families, having only one son is a good thing, but in their case, it means Jiang Lihai has to take on more responsibilities.

Jiang Liyun is well aware that in her previous life, at this stage, she would never have considered someone like her brother as a potential partner.

Her brother was at the bottom rung of the matchmaking market in the village.

However, now it’s a new era, and people can choose their own partners.

Ignoring the family background, Jiang Lihai is actually a handsome young man with a bit of an artistic flair. Although he didn’t finish junior high school, he occasionally reads books and speaks in a refined manner, making him stand out from other men.

He started working at the brick factory at a very young age and hardly ever returned home on weekdays. However, after work, he would stroll around near the brick factory and sometimes go to the commune’s morning market to buy things.

Through these activities, he got to know a girl named He Chunlin who lived near the brick factory.

Jiang Lihai, being self-conscious and sensitive, wouldn’t actively pursue women around him. It was actually He Chunlin who took the initiative in their relationship.

They started seeing each other frequently, but they were stuck when it came to getting married.

Chunlin didn’t mind, but her parents had many demands. They wanted a bride price, for Jiang’s family to buy He Chunlin a bicycle, and for Jiang’s family to build a new house for them.

But Jiang’s family didn’t have the money.

So, the matter dragged on and on…

His family went to the brick factory to find Jiang Lihai and told him not to pursue He Chunlin anymore.

Jiang Lihai, being concerned about his reputation, indeed stopped seeing He Chunlin after that.

Coincidentally, she got together with Xie Zugen, and Jiang Lihai joined the transportation team at the brick factory. He spent most of his time away from home, and their relationship naturally ended.

About two years later, working on the transportation team, Jiang Lihai finally saved up some money and built a two-story small building.

By then, Jiang Lihai was already twenty-eight and couldn’t find a suitable partner locally. So, someone introduced a girl who was working here from out of town to him.

That girl was his sister-in-law from his previous life.

Before marrying her brother, his sister-in-law had actually been married and had a child. However, she was young at the time, and marriage registration was not taken seriously in rural areas, so she hadn’t registered her marriage with her previous husband.

Though Qiutou Village was rural and not very developed, it was located in the fertile land of Jiangnan. Compared to some places, it was considered affluent.

His sister-in-law used to live in a remote and impoverished area in the mountains. Because she gave birth to a daughter after marriage and her husband’s family treated her poorly, she decided to leave and work outside with some fellow villagers who were said to be doing well.

In those days, many people from rural areas were tricked into going to big cities by their fellow villagers, only to be sold off or forced into prostitution.

Her former sister-in-law was fortunate; the fellow villager who brought her out of the mountains wasn’t that bad, but that fellow villager didn’t do well here and couldn’t arrange a good job for her former sister-in-law, so she persuaded her former sister-in-law to marry someone here.

Jiang Lihai looked good, earning three to four hundred in a month at that time, and his former sister-in-law was naturally willing.

When his former sister-in-law first married into the Jiang family, she treated Jiang Lihai exceptionally well, willingly doing all the household chores.

So, even though they knew his former sister-in-law had been married and had a child before, they didn’t mind; they even sympathised with her.

But later, when his former sister-in-law had a son, considering herself a hero for the Jiang family and realising the Jiang family was relatively poor here, her attitude changed. She found Jiang’s parents easy to bully.

After middle school, Jiang Liyu didn’t go to work but managed household chores. She took care of silkworms, chickens, and pigs at home. Jiang Liyu didn’t actually take any money from Jiang Lihai’s salary.

His former sister-in-law took all of Jiang Lihai’s salary!

Despite this, his former sister-in-law still didn’t like Jiang Liyu, insisting on marrying her off for a high dowry.

Jiang Liyun had no good feelings towards her former sister-in-law; after being reborn, she was determined not to let her brother be with his former sister-in-law.

Regarding her brother’s first love, she wasn’t very clear, only knowing that in her past life, her brother had been upset for a long time and even argued with the family. She even stopped talking to her brother for quite a while.

“Lilin’s brother said I’m useless, despises my poor family, and told me not to bother him.” Jiang Lihai became more and more uncomfortable as he spoke. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Liyun eating calmly, not bothered by his troubles.

His anger surged, glaring at Jiang Liyun, but thinking that Jiang Liyun never gave him face, and with Feng Yi sitting nearby…

Jiang Lihai vented his frustration on Wu Xiaochun and Jiang Lame: “How many families in the village haven’t built houses yet? Why can’t our family build one? Do you take me seriously?”

“I’m so young, working at the brick factory, giving so much money to the family; where’s the money?”

“I didn’t even finish middle school. I just entered the brick factory with that little allowance and still had to bring money home for Jiang Liping’s education. And what’s the result? When Jiang Liping got married, not a single cent of dowry was received! Have you ever thought about me?”

“Why don’t you plan for me?”

…

Jiang Liyun quietly watched Jiang Lihai throw a tantrum.

She knew what Jiang Lihai was thinking.

Jiang Lihai blamed Jiang Lame and the others for not demanding dowry to build him a house when Jiang Liping got married.

In the incident at the end of the year in her past life, she was dating Xie Zugen. At that time, Jiang Lihai was still having wishful thinking, wanting the Xie family to pay for his house.

In her past life, she thought her brother was too much and fell out with him. But now… Watching Jiang Lihai collapse, Jiang Liyun suddenly figured something out.

Jiang Lihai probably had genuine feelings for He Chunlin.

Otherwise, Jiang Lihai, being concerned about his image, wouldn’t have expressed his thoughts openly. For example, when Jiang Liping got married, he didn’t demand a dowry from Jiang Lame and her husband. At that time, he even took pride in their family not asking for a dowry.

After causing a scene for a while, Jiang Lihai noticed that Jiang Liyun was still calmly watching him.

He wanted to blame Jiang Liyun for not being with Xie Zugen and choosing Feng Yi instead. After all, if Jiang Liyun had chosen Xie Zugen, they could have borrowed money from the Xie family to build a house.

But he knew that what he was thinking was not right.

Various thoughts emerged in Jiang Lihai’s mind, and he felt ashamed for having such thoughts.

It was at this moment that Jiang Lihai noticed Feng Yi again.

He lost his partner, but Feng Yi had found a good one, and there was meat on their table!

He couldn’t have meat in the factory, but this guy, Feng Yi, started eating meat when he got together with Jiang Liyun’s sister!

Jiang Lihai felt inexplicably wronged and suddenly burst into tears.

Yes, he cried.

Jiang Liyun was a bit taken aback.

Recalling the past, when Jiang Lihai came home and talked about this matter, blaming her parents, she quarrelled with Jiang Lihai. The more they argued, the angrier they became. She blamed Jiang Lihai for not caring about the family, and Jiang Lihai said he regretted being born into this family.

At that time, Jiang Lihai didn’t cry.

Jiang Liyun sighed quietly.

Jiang Lihai certainly had his own thoughts, but they weren’t necessarily malicious. Like Feng Yi, he started working at the brick factory at the age of sixteen. Although he didn’t want to do farm work at home, he still cared about the family.

“Brother, tomorrow, take some gifts and go find your partner. Find out what’s really going on,” Jiang Liyun suggested.

“What’s the point of asking now? She’s marrying someone else!” Jiang Lihai said and sniffled.

Jiang Liyun couldn’t bear to look at him.

Jiang Liyun thought that He Chunlin might not be marrying so quickly; the He family might be trying to pressure them. In her past life, this incident happened two months later. Many people knew about her relationship with Xie Zugen, and the He family probably knew too. They waited, but there was no movement from their side regarding marriage. They only came to pressure Jiang Lihai at the end of the year.

As for this life… She hadn’t dated Xie Zugen but instead got together with Feng Yi. The He family might be dissatisfied and decided to come early to pressure Jiang Lihai.

However, this was the He family’s idea, not necessarily He Chunlin’s. If Jiang Lihai truly liked He Chunlin, he should talk to her and clarify things.

Jiang Liyun knew that in her past life, He Chunlin didn’t marry so quickly. After more than a year, He Chunlin got married to a bricklayer.

Initially, things went well for the couple, but later, the bricklayer earned money from doing renovations, started an affair, and was reportedly abusive.

He Chunlin later divorced, and after the divorce, she had some interaction with the divorced Jiang Lihai. However, their children didn’t approve, so it didn’t go further.