Chapter 30 You Are My Man

Before Song Jianjun could say anything, Song Fu frowned again, forgetting entirely what his third uncle had just told him.
“Wang Huimin, you’ve already registered your marriage with my third uncle. He’s your man, not your dad—shouldn’t you change how you address him? Why are you still calling him ‘Uncle’?”

Seeing how he butted in again, always meddling in things that weren’t his business, Wang Huimin’s face darkened immediately, and she fired back:
“Oh, so you know I’m married to your third uncle now? That makes me your third aunt. Shouldn’t you change how you address me? I haven’t heard you call me ‘Third Aunt’ even once.”

“I’ll call people whatever I want. He doesn’t mind me calling him ‘Uncle’, so what’s it to you?”

Song Fu was so angry his face turned green. “You… Wang Huimin, you damned girl!”

The two were about to start fighting over breakfast. The two kids were so scared they stopped eating. Song Jianjun’s face went cold.
“Enough! What’s all the noise? Can’t we just eat one meal in peace? Both of you stop it and finish your food.”

Once they both fell silent, he turned to Song Fu and said,
“Xiaofu, Xiaomin and I are legally married now. You have to respect her. Slowly work on changing how you address her. It’s okay if it takes time, but outside the house, you can’t talk like that. Don’t make us a laughingstock. Got it?”

Song Fu pouted. “I get it, Third Uncle. For your sake, I won’t disrespect her.”

Then Song Jianjun turned to Wang Huimin and said,
“Xiaomin, Xiaofu’s just like that. Don’t take his words to heart. You can call me whatever you want—our family’s not that strict about titles.”

Hearing that Jianjun was standing up for her, Wang Huimin’s mood immediately improved. She smiled so brightly her eyes turned into little crescents.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Song—I know how to behave. I only talk like this at home. I’d never embarrass you in public.”

“I just don’t know what’s appropriate to call you now. Maybe I should just use your name?”

Seeing the girl biting her chopsticks and seriously trying to figure out what to call him made Song Jianjun feel a little awkward. They’d both grown up in the same village. He had joined the army at seventeen, when Wang Huimin was only nine—a little kid. When he returned, she was still just thirteen or fourteen.

Over all these years, they’d seen each other around. She used to greet him politely and call him “Uncle.” But now, all of a sudden, she was his wife—and it really was a little hard to switch that title overnight.

“You can call me by my name if you want.”

Since he agreed, Wang Huimin didn’t feel any pressure. Her face was full of smiles.
“Got it, Jianjun.”

This time, Song Fu just pouted and didn’t say anything. The two kids glanced up and then quickly lowered their heads and resumed eating.

Hearing her call his name made Song Jianjun feel a bit awkward, but he didn’t say anything—it meant he accepted it.

Just as they finished eating and Song Xiaolong and Song Xiaoxue headed off to school, someone from the village committee came knocking.

The old village chief had passed a few years back. The current one, Song Changfu, had been elected by the village and was actually two years younger than Song Jianjun. They were distant relatives—distant enough that by seniority, he still had to call Jianjun “Third Brother.”

Seeing him show up this early, it was obvious what he was here for.

Song Changfu was polite:
“Third Brother, you already know about what happened yesterday. Tian Yongmei went to the village committee and accused Xiaomin of stealing her money—but she has no evidence.”

“Normally, it’s a family matter and you’d resolve it yourselves. I wouldn’t want to interfere. But she made a scene right outside the committee office. It was disruptive, and someone even reported it to the authorities, so I had to come by and understand the situation.”

“She wanted to come with me, but I knew she’d only stir up more trouble. That wouldn’t be good for anyone. So I stopped her and came alone to ask what’s really going on.”

In truth, the incident on the main road yesterday had already caused a huge stir. The village head’s family had heard all about it too.
A mother beating her own daughter in public until her nose bled, forcing her to strip off her clothes and shoes—that kind of scene was rare even in the wildest tales.

No one could say for sure if Wang Huimin had stolen the money, but one thing was clear: the Wang family had become notorious.

As for Tian Yongmei, “making a scene” didn’t begin to cover it. She was so furious about the missing money that she skipped dinner and didn’t sleep a wink. When Wang Qingcai came home, the entire house had been turned upside down. They practically dug up the floor, but that thousand yuan was nowhere to be found.

When she went to the village committee that afternoon, the chief didn’t side with her, which only made her angrier. She even ran to his house early this morning, demanding he go with her to the Song household to demand an explanation.

The chief had barely talked her down, with help from Wang Qingcai holding her back. That’s the only reason she hadn’t come along to create another scene. She was just waiting for the chief to bring back a report.

And the chief hadn’t accused Wang Huimin directly—he just said he was there to understand the situation.

Song Jianjun welcomed him into the house politely. Wang Huimin even brought him a cup of water and calmly said,
“Village Chief, everyone in the village knows what kind of person my mother is. Anytime something bad happens at home, it gets blamed on me. Nobody can talk sense into her—she’s just unreasonable.”

“She already accepted a thousand yuan bride price from us—way more than usual. And yesterday, I told everyone in the village that I’m now part of the Song family and have nothing to do with the Wang family anymore.”

“No matter how her money went missing, that’s their family’s problem, not ours. We’re not going to be extorted for another bride price.”

“There are still laws and customs in this world. You can’t just bully others and make up stories. I’ll say it again—I didn’t steal any money. If she wants to file a report, she can go ahead.”

“If anyone thinks I’m an easy target and wants to frame me, they’d better bring evidence. Or you’re welcome to search our house and see if you find anything. I’m not afraid. I know I’m innocent. A clear conscience fears no shadow.”

At that point, Song Jianjun also spoke up:
“I feel the same as Xiaomin. This accusation is baseless. We’re not accepting such slander.”

“Besides, Tian Yongmei hit Xiaomin yesterday. Many people saw it. Her nose was bleeding—it was physical assault.”

“I didn’t press charges out of respect for Xiaomin. But if the Wang family keeps pushing this and tries to smear her name maliciously, I’ll take this matter up with the county authorities.”

“Even if I have to report it to the city bureau—I’m not afraid.”