Chapter 12: The Break-Up List

Cui Yulan chuckled twice. “Chen Jianbing, you’re here to break off the engagement. Did you bring the things back?”

“Bring back what things? Are you mistaken? Your family still owes us brown sugar, six pounds of pork, two pounds of glutinous rice sticks, and a bottle of white wine…”

Chen’s mother counted on her fingers, itemizing everything. She almost mentioned that even the fruit candies given to the children at the engagement should be covered by the Wen family.

Cui Yulan laughed angrily, sneering, “What? Is breaking off an engagement in your family different from how it’s done in the village?”

It’s ridiculous! If the woman is blameless, and the man initiates the breakup, not only does the woman not return anything, but the man has to compensate her.

“We don’t want the things back,” Chen Jianbing understood the implication in Cui Yulan’s words. He lowered his head in embarrassment, wishing he could disappear.

“Why not? Those are all money!” When Chen’s mother heard the word “no,” she exploded. She subconsciously cursed, “Wen Wan isn’t pure anymore. Breaking off the engagement is only right.”

Cui Yulan trembled with rage. “You low-down old hag, I’ll tear your mouth apart!” She reached out to grab Chen’s mother’s collar.

Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Chen Jianbing stepped forward and separated Cui Yulan and his mother.

Cui Yulan sneered inwardly, while verbally attacking them, she punched Chen Jianbing repeatedly. Don’t underestimate a woman’s punches; Cui Yulan was a strong woman who earned ten work points a day.

Wen Wan held a wrist-thick stick, her eyes fixed on Chen Jianbing. If he dared to lay a hand on anyone, she would break his hand.

It was only while working in the fields in her space that she discovered the original owner’s unexpected strength. She had secretly tested it; she could easily lift a millstone weighing hundreds of kilograms.

However, in her memories, Wen’s father and mother had forbidden the original owner from showing her strength, deliberately concealing her abilities.

“Brother Dafu, I know we wronged Xiaowan, but the gossiping women in the village are spreading terrible rumors,” Chen’s father said anxiously, sweating profusely.

Seeing that Wen Dafu didn’t immediately refute him, he continued, “Brother Dafu, it’s best for Jianbing and Xiaowan to dissolve the engagement and marry separately. It will be better for everyone.”

“Humph, it’s the best solution for your family,” Wen Dafu sarcastically retorted.

“No, no, no, Brother Dafu, Zhou Haoting is also a soldier. Xiaowan won’t lose out marrying him,” Chen’s father insisted.

Hearing this, Wen Dafu was startled, but he maintained an angry expression. He shouted at Cui Yulan, “Wife, you can’t force a cow to drink water, let alone something as important as marriage.”

“Mom, Dad’s right. He doesn’t want to marry me, and I don’t want to marry him. A man who breaks his promises and abandons his principles is unacceptable,” Wen Wan frankly expressed her rejection of Chen Jianbing.

After hearing her husband and daughter’s words, Cui Yulan finally stopped punching, panting and spitting.

Wen Wan looked at Chen Jianbing’s disheveled appearance with a smirk. “He’s nothing special.”

Hearing his earlier words of pity for innocent and kind girls, she felt a wave of nausea. He was exactly like those hypocritical scum men online, always believing they were right.

Chen’s mother regretted her words the moment they left her mouth, especially seeing Cui Yulan’s fierce demeanor. She hid behind Chen Jianbing, too scared to come out.

“Chen Jianbing, if you want to break off the engagement, that’s fine. You can take back the things your family gave,” Wen Wan’s eyes turned cold, her tone calm. “But return the glutinous rice bricks my family gave you.”

Chen Jianbing turned his head sharply. He couldn’t understand why the quiet and gentle Xiaowan had become so formidable, her words so humiliating.

Could it be… A flash of understanding crossed Chen Jianbing’s eyes: Xiaowan must be heartbroken and unwilling to let him go, so she was deliberately acting aggressive.

“Wen Wan, what nonsense about glutinous rice bricks?” Chen Hongxia yelled. “The things my family sent were precious items. How much are your glutinous rice bricks worth?”

She mentioned the engagement, implying she hadn’t seen Wen Wan return anything to her third brother. Glutinous rice bricks, it’s embarrassing to even mention it.

After Chen Hongxia finished speaking, her triumphant expression turned to fear when she saw her father’s gloomy gaze. She didn’t know what was wrong with her words and could only shrink to the side.

“My family’s glutinous rice bricks are worth several lives,” Wen Dafu said calmly.

These few words were like a resounding slap, leaving Chen Jianbing and his father red-faced and buzzing in the ears.

“Xiaowan, I know how you feel, but we’re truly not meant to be. If possible, I’d like to consider you my adopted sister,” Chen Jianbing said apologetically.

Seeing his self-righteous expression, Wen Wan shivered. Chen Jianbing’s oily gaze made her uncomfortable. An adopted sister? What kind of nonsense is this?

“Alright, since you’re all here, we’re not unreasonable people,” Wen Wan calmly flicked her fingers. “The breakup is fine, but your family must return the items, and then we’ll be even.”

Chen’s father opened his mouth, then sighed. He understood Wen Wan’s meaning. Those small glutinous rice bricks had indeed saved their family’s lives.

“Brother Dafu, wait, let’s talk.”

Then, Chen’s father pulled Chen Jianbing to the door and whispered, “Third son, we need to give the Wen family an explanation, and also find a way out for ourselves.”

“Dad, what should we do?” Chen Jianbing clenched his fists. His father was right; the Wen family was relying on their life-saving grace.

“We can’t return the glutinous rice bricks. I think they just want money, so let’s repay them with money,” Chen’s father whispered.

Chen Jianbing nodded in silent agreement.

“Third son, after building the brick and tile house, we have 128 yuan left. It was supposed to be for your wedding and banquet,” Chen’s father stated. They only had a little over a hundred yuan, so that’s all they could compensate with.

Furthermore, after this breakup, they still needed to propose to Liu Xiaoling, and the gifts and dowry would be a considerable expense.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Chen Jianbing’s eyes, his face changing from green to white, before he finally uttered a few words, “Don’t return the things to the Wen family, and compensate them with an additional fifty yuan.”

He knew his parents had done their best. Fifty yuan was his allowance for half a year. The remaining money should be enough to marry Xiaoling. Xiaoling was so kind, she would understand.

Chen’s father’s lips moved, and he nodded, turning to go back inside.

“Brother Dafu, it’s our fault. We should compensate Xiaowan for the engagement gifts and dowry money. We won’t keep them,” Chen’s father said firmly.

Seeing that Wen Dafu’s expression hadn’t changed, he continued, “We’ll return the glutinous rice bricks and add fifty yuan.”

Wen Dafu chuckled. He understood. The Chen family planned to repay their life-saving grace with a single glutinous rice brick and fifty yuan.