Chapter 5: I’m Willing to Marry You

Several villagers had gathered earlier, gossiping about Huang Yuelan running out of Wang Jianguo’s house, her hair disheveled, speculating about what might have happened… But before the gossip could fully ripen, the matter was settled.

Huang Yuelan was deeply moved. No one had ever stood up for her like this before, nor had anyone staked their reputation and marriage on her behalf.

“Hahaha, a wild man who lives in the mountains year-round, you can’t find a wife so you pick up someone else’s leftovers. But you two are a perfect match!” Old Lady Fang sneered, her tone full of disdain.

She looked down on Huang Yuelan, and even more so on Wang Jianguo.

“Huang Yuelan is the most beautiful girl in the world in my eyes, far surpassing those gossiping women. Yuelan, this family can’t accommodate you. I will always protect you. Let’s go.” After saying this, Wang Jianguo helped Huang Yuelan gather her meager belongings and left.

After walking some distance, Huang Yuelan said to Wang Jianguo, “Thank you just now, thank you for standing up for me! You saved my face.”

He had saved her life when she first arrived, and now he had stood up to Old Lady Fang for her. Huang Yuelan was truly grateful.

“Yuelan, what I said earlier wasn’t just about standing up for you. I really like you, I’ve liked you since I was a child, and I like you even more now. Yuelan, as long as you don’t mind that I’m a ‘wild man,’ I’m willing to take care of you for the rest of your life! What do you think?” Wang Jianguo looked at Huang Yuelan expectantly.

His two younger brothers watched their sister, bewildered.

They were now homeless, having been driven out of their grandmother’s house. The world was vast, but all they had was their older sister.

Huang Yuelan lowered her head. He was her savior, and he was willing to defend her against malice. She found him responsible, dependable, and manly.

“I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all. Who says you’re a wild man? Those people are talking nonsense. I think you’re great,” Huang Yuelan said to Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo, who had been worried that Huang Yuelan wouldn’t accept him, felt a wave of relief wash over him. A smile bloomed on his face. Yuelan thought he was great—did that mean she liked him too? Did it mean she was willing to be with him?

At that thought, his heart pounded, a sweet current surging through him. He desperately wanted to hug her and spin her around, but with his two younger brothers present, he restrained his excitement.

“But I have two young brothers. I can’t abandon them,” Huang Yuelan said, looking at her brothers.

Wang Jianguo: “Don’t worry, they’ll be my brothers too. We’ll take care of them together.”

Huang Yueqiang and Huang Yuehu listened. They weren’t overly concerned with their sister’s marriage—they were too young. However, they didn’t dislike Wang Jianguo at all; in fact, they liked him quite a bit since he had protected their sister.

Huang Yuelan smiled and nodded, “Mm!”

Wang Jianguo took Huang Yuelan and her two brothers back to his place. His house was far from the village, halfway up the mountain behind it. It was much more humble than the houses in the village; there weren’t any stones or bricks; it was entirely made of mud bricks mixed with straw.

However, this kind of earthen house was warm in winter and cool in summer, and there was no worry about formaldehyde.

Wang Jianguo opened the gate and the front door of the main room: “This is the main room. There are two beds; you and your brothers can rest here for now.”

Then, Wang Jianguo tidied up one of the beds used for storage, making space for Huang Yuelan and her brothers’ belongings.

“Where will you sleep?” Huang Yuelan asked.

Wang Jianguo: “I’ll make do in the woodshed for now. I’ll build two more rooms tomorrow. The conditions are a bit rough now, but you can manage for now. I’ll work hard and make our lives better.”

He had previously lived alone, and the two rooms in the main house felt spacious, but now it was insufficient; he had to build two more larger rooms.

“I don’t mind at all. I believe everything will get better in the future,” Huang Yuelan said with a smile, starting to tidy up the house. They were homeless, unable to even find a cave to live in, so how could they possibly dislike this place?

Because he spent so much time in the mountains hunting and chopping wood, his skin was rough, his hair unkempt, making him look like a rugged man. However, he was quite meticulous in his daily life. His house was clean, and though his belongings were old, they were neatly arranged, giving the house a comfortable and tidy feel.

“You must be hungry. Rest here, and I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some vegetables,” Wang Jianguo said. When he lived alone, he ate simply, sometimes only two meals a day, and he didn’t cook anything fancy.

Now things were different. He couldn’t let his wife live simply; he had to let her eat well, so she wouldn’t regret marrying him.

“I have money. Here,” Huang Yuelan had recently received over one hundred yuan from her grandmother—almost two hundred—making her relatively wealthy.

“No, no. I have money and coupons. Keep your money,” Wang Jianguo often hunted and chopped wood in the mountains, then sold them on the black market, earning quite a bit of money and coupons. He used to live frugally, with little expenses, so over the years, he had saved a considerable amount of money and coupons, making him a hidden wealthy man.