Chapter 16: Born with Good Luck

Sun Shi (Jiang Yue’s mother) still couldn’t help but curl her lip.

When her daughter had mentioned this matter yesterday, Zhou Guiyun (Jiang Qian’s mother) had been so dismissive, as if she thought she was so above it all. Sun Shi had thought she was being too high-handed, but as soon as the situation unfolded, Zhou Guiyun had swiftly passed it on to others through intermediaries!

But as always, when it came to her daughter’s reputation, Sun Shi couldn’t allow even the slightest leak. Otherwise, her daughter would spend the rest of her life living in other people’s gossip!

Unwed pregnancy could even lead to public shaming—perhaps they’d force her daughter to have her head shaved or be paraded through the streets!

But, in Jiang Qian’s case, this matter had minimal impact. After all, she could always claim to be the victim in this situation!

So, Sun Shi’s explanation was flawless.

She directly announced to everyone that the second branch of the Jiang family had already called off the engagement with the Han family. After much thought, she decided it was best to call it off—if they were so busy before marriage, how could they manage after getting married?

So, yesterday, both of them had gone over and officially called off the engagement.

To her surprise, her sister-in-law had taken a liking to the old Han family.

Upon hearing Sun Shi’s explanation, some people understood, commenting: “You’re right, soldiers really are busy. If they can go with the army, that’s fine, but if they can’t, they have to be separated from their husbands. I have a relative from my side who’s a soldier—he’s only just retired now, but before that, his wife had to raise several children on her own, playing both the father’s and mother’s roles. She had a really hard time!”

However, others raised doubts: “That’s for those who can’t go with the army. But Han Shiguo is a battalion commander! Not only does he have good treatment, but he can also bring his wife with him! And after three years of waiting, now that he’s back, you’re calling off the engagement? Does that mean those three years were all for nothing? I just saw him—he’s really handsome, top-tier, and such a good match. A marriage like that is rare, and you’re turning it down so easily?”

 Sun Shi’s heart was bleeding. She knew very well that the Han family was an outstanding match—otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited for three years.

Her daughter had waited from the age of nineteen until she was twenty-two!

She had seen the match almost coming to fruition, but at this crucial moment, her daughter had messed it up. What could she do?

As for Sun Shi herself, she was really very satisfied with the match introduced by Jiang Xiaogu. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let her daughter wait for three years.

She had always thought that if Han Shiguo could make a name for himself, then she would have a son-in-law who was a high-ranking official.

At that point, it would be the whole family rising with him.

She dreamed of being able to stand tall in front of the main house.

 But her daughter was so disappointing!

“You may think it’s a good match, but my family doesn’t necessarily agree,” Sun Shi said, unable to find any other excuse. “After all, we already have a stable job. If we go with the army, who’s going to do the work?” She had no other way to argue, so she resorted to the fact that they had a “solid job.”

With Jiang Yue’s position at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, she earned a salary of twenty-two yuan per month, which was even higher than Jiang Qian’s pay.

As for teaching, no matter the time, the salary would never be much higher.

 Because of this job, her family no longer valued the marriage they once thought highly of.

Everyone was suddenly enlightened, but some people couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. They didn’t say anything to her face, but once they turned away, they couldn’t resist sneering. “What’s there to be proud of? If it weren’t for the support of the Jiang family’s main household, what are they?”

“Exactly!” Another envious older sister-in-law added, “That job could have been given to the daughter-in-law as well, right? Sending the daughter to marry and follow the army would be the best of both worlds, but they’re tossing away this match just because they have a job? It’s like picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon!”

 “They’re all like rats, only able to see that tiny bit ahead!”

“Once Jiang Qian becomes an officer’s wife, they’ll regret it to the bone!”

“…”

Their voices were loud and unabashed. Shouliangang’s wife overheard quite a bit and went back to report it to her mother-in-law.

Sun Shi’s face darkened.

But Shouliangang’s wife had her own motives because she had been eyeing that job at the supply and marketing cooperative for quite a while!

“Mother, once my younger sister gets married, we’ll have to take over this job ourselves, right?” Shouliangang’s wife asked.

Sun Shi scolded, “The work situation can be dealt with later. Why are you in such a rush? This family isn’t for you to make decisions about!”

Shouliangang’s wife rolled her eyes. “Mother, don’t take your anger out on me!”

With that, she stormed off, acting like she was the one being unfairly treated.

Sun Shi was fuming, irritated by everyone’s behavior.

The villagers, though, didn’t care about these family squabbles. They went over to Zhou Guiyun to inquire about what was going on.

 Zhou Guiyun also learned from the villagers about Sun Shi’s flimsy excuse. She snorted inwardly but went along with it, saying, “I’ve already advised my second brother and the others. They’ve waited three years, so what’s an extra moment? But they wouldn’t listen and insisted on breaking it off. My sister-in-law, however, guaranteed that the Han family’s reputation is solid, that Han Shiguo has great character, and since Jiang Qian doesn’t have a suitor yet, and Han Shiguo is finally on leave, my sister-in-law suggested bringing him over to see if the young people hit it off. If they like each other, I have no objections.”

If rumors spread about the Jiang family’s two daughters fighting over one man, the Jiang family would be the laughingstock for decades—no one would forget it.

So, both the main house and the second house were aligned on this matter. They absolutely couldn’t let anyone make a mockery of them, and this explanation was the most tactful.

Jiang Xiaogu was also concerned about her family’s reputation and told the neighbors, “Anyway, Jiang Yue and Han Shiguo haven’t even met yet. Since my second brother and sister-in-law are unwilling to let Jiang Yue give up her job, and Jiang Yue is also worried that Han Shiguo will be too busy after marriage to take care of her, they’re just being cautious. So, let’s call it off for now and let everyone go their separate ways in marriage. However, Han Shiguo is such a fine young man, I’ll definitely introduce him to Jiang Qian. So, don’t get any funny ideas, alright?” She ended with a playful joke.

But it must be said, everyone was quite accepting of this explanation. They weren’t blind; they could clearly see Han Shiguo’s appearance, build, and demeanor. Moreover, the pay and benefits for soldiers were famously good, and most importantly, his future prospects were bright. At such a young age, Han Shiguo was already a battalion commander—calling him a man with limitless potential was no exaggeration!

No wonder Jiang Xiaogu was so eager to introduce him to her niece.

After all, it’s said that “good water should not flow outside the fields,” meaning it’s best if the good things stay within the family.

Jiang Xiaogu had her sights set firmly on her niece, and that was unquestionable.

However, some families who had been eyeing Jiang Qian were disappointed. They knew they couldn’t compete with the impressive Han Shiguo they had just seen.

But they quickly picked themselves up again, because with Jiang Yue calling off the engagement, Jiang Qian wasn’t getting any younger!

Sure enough, those families had shifted their attention to Jiang Yue!

Jiang Yue had heard this news while still working at the supply and marketing cooperative.

A girl from the village, who was close to Jiang Yue, came by to buy matches and salt. Upon seeing Jiang Yue, she pulled her aside to gossip about the situation, and couldn’t help but say, “How could you be so foolish? Although this job is hard to come by, the money isn’t even for you—it’s all taken by the family, it has little to do with you! But you’ve waited three years, and now, when it’s finally about to pay off, you actually back out? Isn’t this just handing the opportunity to your cousin? Now it’s really solidified that she’s got good  luck!”