Chapter 5 Big Brother and Big Sister

Seeing that his father wasn’t saying anything, Jiang Yanwen got anxious.
“Dad, I’m telling you, I don’t agree! My little sister just came back.”
“She’s so beautiful, and she just graduated from university.”
“Letting her marry that old man Lu Huaijin—it’s such a waste…”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and get to work! It’s getting dark already, go on.”
Jiang Fugui raised his hand and slapped the back of his second son’s head. The boy quieted down and stopped talking.

“Mom, those rice, flour, and other things on the truck—just go ahead and cook them. Don’t be stingy with them.”
“Okay, I know. You go inside and rest for a bit. Once your big brother and sister-in-law get back, we’ll have dinner.”
“Here, take these eggs. Eat them if you’re hungry.”
“Okay, thanks, Mom.”
“No need to thank me, silly.”

After saying that, Lin Shuzhen turned and went into the kitchen. Thinking about how her daughter was back, she planned to fry a couple more eggs for her. But when she entered and saw the huge bags of rice and flour—and even a big jar of lard—she was stunned.

“Oh my goodness… Did my daughter bring back everything from the Xia family’s house?”

Not feeling safe leaving the goods in the kitchen, she carried them into her room and locked them in her wardrobe, thinking she’d save them for her daughter to enjoy slowly.

Meanwhile, Jiang Peiyu walked into the room she’d be staying in. She placed the sugar and salt she was carrying on the desk, then opened her suitcase and began unpacking. She hung up her clothes, placed her bags neatly, and lined up her shoes on the floor. One suitcase, which held her winter clothes, she didn’t open. Instead, she put it on top of the large wooden chest at the foot of the bed. She also stored her money in the suitcase with the winter clothes. After closing and locking it, she placed the empty suitcase on top to weigh it down.

Once everything was in order, she clapped her hands in satisfaction. Just then, she noticed the little boy from earlier peeking in through the door. The moment he realized she had seen him, he shyly pulled his head back.

Jiang Peiyu was amused by his cute reaction. The little boy looked chubby and adorable—he must be her eldest brother and sister-in-law’s son.

“Little one, can you tell Auntie your name?”

Hearing Jiang Peiyu’s question, the boy, still peeking in, couldn’t help his curiosity and poked his head out again. He answered in a soft, childish voice:

“My name is Jiang Qiyang. My nickname is Yangyang.”

He blinked his big, shiny eyes and stared at her, still confused about why she was in his house.

Jiang Peiyu smiled and waved him over.
“Yangyang, come in… Auntie has some yummy White Rabbit candy. Want one?”

As soon as he heard there was candy, the shyness disappeared completely. His little chubby legs moved quickly as he ran into the room and stood in front of Jiang Peiyu, looking up at her.

At that moment, Jiang Qiyang looked just like a cute little bunny, standing straight and tilting his round little head up.

Jiang Peiyu was so charmed by his adorableness that she couldn’t resist gently pinching his chubby cheeks.
“Our little Yangyang is just too cute!”

Then she let go and peeled a piece of White Rabbit candy, placing it into his mouth.

“Auntie, this is yummy! So sweet!”

Jiang Qiyang’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Jiang Peiyu, and as he spoke, drool started dripping from his mouth.

“Hehe…”

Realizing she saw the drool, he gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly slurped it back in.

Jiang Peiyu laughed at his antics.
“All right, you little glutton. If you like it, Auntie will give you one more—but no more than that! Otherwise, your teeth will hurt.”

She took his chubby little hand and placed another candy in his palm.
“Thank you, Auntie! You’re so nice, hehe…”

Jiang Qiyang beamed with joy.
“I won’t eat this one today. I’ll save it for tomorrow.”

“Good boy. Save it for tomorrow. Come on, let’s go bring this salt to Grandma.”

Jiang Peiyu gently patted his head and held his hand, walking slowly toward the door.

The little Jiang Qiyang nodded obediently.
“Okay.”

Even though he was young and didn’t understand the complexities between adults, he already knew he liked this new auntie. The previous “aunt” never gave him candy and would even fight him over eggs. Worst of all, she would threaten him not to tell Grandpa and Grandma—or else she’d beat him up.

But this Auntie was different. She gave him candy, patted his head gently, and held his little hand kindly.

Around seven o’clock, when the sky was getting dark, Jiang Fugui returned with his two sons and eldest daughter-in-law.

Jiang Yanshu, carrying a hoe, entered the courtyard and immediately noticed the petite figure sitting under the eaves. His face lit up with a smile. He set the hoe against the wall and quickly walked over.

“This must be little sister, right? I’m your big brother—Jiang Yanshu.”

Hearing her eldest brother’s voice, Jiang Peiyu looked up and gave a sweet smile.
“Big brother.”

“Hey!” Jiang Yanshu responded happily. He couldn’t help but sigh: A real sister truly is different. Her soft and sweet voice instantly made him feel warm and happy—way better than that Xia Lizhu.

Thinking of that, Jiang Yanshu shook his head, trying to throw away the unpleasant memory.

His wife, Yang Xiaoyan, came over too with a big smile.
“Little sister, I’m your sister-in-law. My name is Yang Xiaoyan.”

Jiang Peiyu also nodded sweetly and called out, “Sister-in-law.”

“Ay! Little sister is really beautiful,” Yang Xiaoyan replied happily, thinking to herself that girls raised in the city really were different—so pretty, just like a porcelain doll.

She carefully examined the girl in front of her, who looked exactly like a delicate doll—fair-skinned, soft, and fragile—the more she looked, the more she liked her.

Jiang Peiyu also glanced at her sister-in-law. She didn’t look any different from an ordinary rural woman, but she gave off a warm and honest vibe. And when she spoke, her tone was gentle and soft—she and her big brother really made a great match.

Qianjin Village had three main family names: Lu, Jiang, and Yang. The rest were mostly women who had married in from outside villages or people who had come during past famines. But there weren’t many of those.

Her sister-in-law, Yang Xiaoyan, was a local. Her maiden home wasn’t far—just a ten-minute walk away.

Li Shuzhen came out of the kitchen. Seeing that the whole family had gathered, she called out:

“Alright, stop standing around outside. Now that you’re back, hurry up and wash your hands for dinner.”

She figured her daughter must be starving. These people—coming home and not even thinking to come inside and eat.

On the table was a bowl of loofah soup, a bowl of pickled vegetables, a plate of shredded potatoes, and several corn cakes. Everyone else had coarse grain porridge, but Jiang Peiyu had white rice.

Once everyone sat down, Li Shuzhen placed a small bowl with two fried eggs in front of Jiang Peiyu.

“Peiyu, Mama was worried you might not be used to the food here, so I specially fried two eggs just for you.”

“Eat up. If I have time tomorrow, I’ll go to the supply co-op at the village entrance and get some meat.”

Everyone else was eating the same food, and only she had something different—Jiang Peiyu couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed.