Chapter 13

“It’s fine if you don’t remember now, Jiang Yao, but I had Sister Meng Er pass along a message to your family—I asked for a matchmaking meeting. You know about that, don’t you?”

When he returned to the brigade last time to ask Sister Meng Er to arrange the match, some time had already passed. He figured she had told Jiang Yao’s family by now.

“Since both families already have a mutual understanding, I hope you can keep your distance from other male comrades—it could easily lead to misunderstandings.”

Confident as always, Deng Hongda had never even considered the possibility that Jiang Yao might reject him.

“Ha!” Jiang Yao laughed angrily. How thick-skinned could someone be to say something like that?

“What understanding? I don’t know anything about that.”

“Comrade Deng, we’re not close and have no relationship whatsoever. Please stop saying things that can cause misunderstanding or mislead others.”

She returned his words exactly as he’d said them. Deng Hongda’s face turned purple with embarrassment.

“You! You just don’t know what’s good for you!”

“Me agreeing to a match with you is doing you a favor. Now that universities have stopped recruiting, your dreams of going to college are gone. You’re no longer that promising student everyone used to admire. What do you have to be proud of?”

“Without me, do you think you’ll find someone better than me?”

“Sure, you’re decent-looking, got some beauty, and you finished high school. But those things only count as advantages in the countryside.”

“In the city, girls with your qualifications are everywhere. City boys wouldn’t look twice at you. After all, if they marry you, their child’s household registration (hukou) would end up in your brigade.”

The current policy dictated that a newborn’s registration followed the mother. If the mother had urban registration, the child would too. But if she was from the countryside, the child would be registered as rural.

So why would any city man consider marrying a village girl?

Hmph. Even if some men had the ability to move their wives to the city, those families would never accept someone like Jiang Yao.

To them, Jiang Yao would just be a fling, nothing serious.

With this thought, Deng Hongda grew more pleased with himself. He was clearly the best option Jiang Yao could possibly have.

“Most countryside men live off a few acres of land. If you married one of them, you’d just become a worn-down housewife toiling every day to make ends meet.”

A man like him—with an official job in the city—was the most suitable match for Jiang Yao.

“Besides, even if you don’t want this, your family is older and wiser. They know what a good match looks like. They wouldn’t let you suffer just because of your childish whims.”

The bride price he was offering wasn’t just high for their two brigades—it was one of the best in the entire Hongqi commune.

Even if the Jiang family loved their daughter, they’d be tempted by such a big benefit and willingly push her toward him.

Wow. Jiang Yao listened to the flood of nonsense pouring from this man who was clearly losing his cool, but her face remained calm.

“So after all that, this is what you wanted to say?”

“To be blunt, all those things you’re so proud of? They’re nothing special to me. And my family certainly won’t be impressed by someone so full of schemes.”

After all, a man couldn’t compare to a job in terms of value. And once she got this job, her say in family matters would rise significantly.

As long as she didn’t fall for him, no one could force her into a matchmaking meeting. After all, what family would willingly marry off a daughter who could earn a steady income?

Jiang Yao’s indifference deeply stung Deng Hongda. “Nothing special”? Her family looked down on him?

Fury surged through him, threatening to burst from his chest. To think that in her eyes, he was so worthless!

If not for… if not for the master’s advice, he never would’ve insisted on marrying this difficult woman.

“Jiang Yao! Don’t go too far!” Deng Hongda suddenly stepped forward, startling Jiang Yao. But before she could step back, Xu Shaojun—who had silently stood between them like a human boundary—grabbed Deng Hongda’s shoulder and stopped him.

“Comrade, watch your words and actions. Do not harass a female comrade who doesn’t know you, and do not try to intimidate someone who can’t defend herself.”

“Otherwise, you may have to pay a visit to the Public Security Bureau.”

At the mention of the Public Security Bureau, the flush in Deng Hongda’s face drained in an instant. Judging from the tone of this man in military uniform, if he kept pushing, he might be taken away for “hooliganism.”

Things like insulting a woman or provoking trouble could fall under that crime. Deng Hongda thought, sure, this was just a minor spat—it probably wouldn’t land him in jail.

But once he stepped foot in the Public Security Bureau, his reputation would be ruined. Everything he had worked so hard to build would fall apart.

And someone might even use it as a chance to sabotage him and take away his job—the very one he had begged the master to help him get.

If he lost it just like that, the master would be disappointed in him. If the master gave up on him, what would he do then?

Realizing this, he stopped throwing a tantrum.
“I got a little carried away. My words were inappropriate and I apologize for offending Comrade Jiang.”

Then he changed his tone:
“However, Comrade, are you aware that Comrade Jiang’s family has already been planning to arrange a marriage for her?”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Sister Meng Er to propose on his behalf.

“Since you can’t give Comrade Jiang a proper commitment, I suggest you don’t get too close to her. If her reputation is damaged and her future partner gets the wrong idea, that would be a shame.”

This time, Deng Hongda chose his words more carefully and didn’t dare speak in such a nasty tone. But he still tried to get this other man to back off.

That military uniform—whether he was a soldier or came from a military family—meant his background was probably quite good. And the watch on his wrist? A foreign brand.

There was no way to buy that kind of thing in their little town.

Even if he truly liked Jiang Yao, his family would never agree to him marrying a village girl. Besides, Jiang Yao’s family clearly intended to arrange a marriage, or they wouldn’t have spread the news.

If Jiang Yao had been honest and told her family about this man, they wouldn’t be in such a rush to match her with someone else.

As for whether Jiang Yao and Xu Shaojun were romantically involved? Deng Hongda never had any doubts. A man and woman walking together alone on the street—if they weren’t a couple, they were on their way to becoming one.

A filthy mind sees filth in everything.

Jiang Yao’s disgust toward Deng Hongda only deepened.
“Deng Hongda, slandering a soldier is a crime. Are you sure you want to end up in a jail cell?”

“Comrade Xu and I just met today. Where exactly is this indecent relationship you keep talking about?”

Being with me is indecent? Xu Shaojun rubbed his nose, a bit annoyed for reasons he didn’t fully understand. Am I really that unbearable?

“Comrade Jiang, I was just giving you a kind reminder. I wasn’t slandering any soldier, so don’t go around making a fuss,” Deng Hongda backpedaled quickly.