Chapter 26: A Practical Person

“You think I’m being unreasonable? Just look at your face! Anyone who didn’t know better would think you just got dumped. But you can forget about it! Look at Jiang Qian—it’s obvious she’s really into him!” Jiang Yue (Jiang Qian’s cousin) snapped angrily.

Wang Hesong didn’t want to continue this conversation. “Enough, it’s getting late. You should head back. I won’t walk you home this time—don’t want people in your village seeing us together.”

Jiang Yue glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? Am I that embarrassing to be seen with?”

“If you don’t care what people say, I’ll walk you back,” Wang Hesong replied coolly.

Now, if he escorted her back, everyone in the village would inevitably learn why she had broken off the engagement with Han Shiguo.

Jiang Yue had been planning to wait for the right moment, and then have the Wang family send a matchmaker to her family’s door. She definitely didn’t want to stir things up now, especially when it involved her own reputation. So, she had no choice but to let it go.

After shooting Wang Hesong a glare, she turned and left.

Wang Hesong, too, headed home, though he couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment.

He had only caught a glimpse of the man just now—a big, rough-looking guy, clearly a soldier. Men like that, he thought, couldn’t possibly know how to be gentle or considerate.

He needed to find a way to talk to Jiang Qian, to persuade her. She couldn’t just marry someone so casually, especially if it was out of spite toward him!

Jiang Qian had no idea what Wang Hesong was thinking; otherwise, she would have definitely asked Han Shiguo to get off the bike and teach him a lesson with his fists.

On the way back to the village, though, Han Shiguo did ask, “Qianqian, who were those two people earlier? Do you know them?”

Jiang Qian responded straightforwardly, “That was my cousin, Jiang Yue, and the guy was Wang Hesong—he almost became my fiancé.”

That one sentence made Han Shiguo abruptly hit the brakes. “He almost became your fiancé?”

Jiang Qian briefly explained the entire messy situation of swapping fiancés. There was no reason to hide it since both she and Han Shiguo were victims, and her relationship with Wang Hesong had always been clean and proper.

There was no need to keep it secret. It was better to tell Han Shiguo directly rather than let him hear it from someone else and risk any misunderstandings.

As Han Shiguo finally grasped the situation, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Looks like you and I were destined for each other.”

Seeing where his focus was, Jiang Qian asked, “You’re not upset?”

Han Shiguo understood what she was really asking and shook his head. “Everyone has their own fate. There’s nothing to be upset about.”

He didn’t care at all, so there was no reason to be angry.

“What about you?” Han Shiguo asked, more concerned with her thoughts.

“Me?” Jiang Qian was taken aback for a moment. When she realized what he meant, she chuckled, “I don’t care either.”

Han Shiguo was satisfied. Even though he had only glanced at Wang Hesong earlier, he knew he was taller, better-looking, and had a brighter future than that man. It was only natural that his wife would choose him!

Yes, in his heart, she was already his wife—the woman who would spend a lifetime with him, raising their children together.

In a great mood, Han Shiguo leisurely rode into the Wuxing Brigade with his wife-to-be.

As they returned, familiar neighbors greeted them warmly. “Qian, you went to the city with your fiancé to watch a movie, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Jiang Qian responded openly. Now that things were settled with Han Shiguo, she didn’t hesitate to admit that he was indeed her fiancé.

Han Shiguo, still riding the bike, smiled and also greeted the neighborly aunties along the way.

Soon, they reached the Jiang family home. Zhou Guiyun had been expecting them back around this time, and sure enough, when she heard the sound of the bicycle, she stepped outside and saw them arriving.

“Aunt,” Han Shiguo greeted with a smile.

“Good, good,” Zhou Guiyun beamed back, her face full of joy. She didn’t miss the chance to glance at her daughter, whose face was as red as a tomato.

She didn’t need to ask any questions—she could tell that her daughter was very satisfied.

Zhao Aiying, Zhao Aifeng, and Su Zhirou, along with Jiang Shouhai and the others, were also there. Being more experienced in such matters, they could easily see through Jiang Qian’s feelings without needing any explanation.

Jiang Qian really felt like she couldn’t stay any longer—this was truly embarrassing!

But Han Shiguo wasn’t embarrassed at all. If he wanted to get married, there was nothing to be shy about. Being shy would only make it harder to get a wife.

He smiled as he unwrapped the milk candies he had bought and called over his nieces and nephews to share them.

“Are you our uncle?” asked Jiang Weiguo, the eldest nephew who was already in second grade, standing still as he looked at Han Shiguo.

Below him were the two six-year-olds, Jiang Weihong and Jiang Weijun.

Then there were the two youngest, three-year-old little rascals, Jiang Weidang and Jiang Weimin!

These five kids were the third generation of the Jiang family.

Though they were eager for the milk candies, they weren’t as greedy as other kids might be. After all, with their little aunt around, what delicious treat hadn’t they tried?

They’d had milk candies before, and every year, their little aunt would also make malt candy for them. She’d whip up mung bean cakes, red bean cakes, chestnut cakes, peanut brittle—constantly trying out new recipes whenever she had time. These little rascals had seen it all and were quite resistant to temptation.

As for Jiang Weiguo’s question, his mother, Zhao Aiying, was quick to answer, “Not just yet, but very soon.”

Knowing that her younger sister-in-law was happy with the match, Zhao Aiying, as the eldest sister-in-law, couldn’t resist teasing the couple with a lighthearted joke.

Zhao Aifeng chimed in with a laugh, “For now, call him Uncle, but soon enough, it’ll be Uncle-in-law.'”

Jiang Shouhai was older than Han Shiguo, and even though Jiang Shoutao, the second brother, was the same age as Han Shiguo, he was born a few months earlier. So, calling him “Uncle” wasn’t an issue at all.

Once their mother gave the nod, the children finally accepted the candies from their soon-to-be uncle.

“What do you say when someone gives you a gift? Your aunt’s already taught you this,” Zhao Aiying reminded them.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Jiang Weiguo led the way, and the rest of the little ones followed, each politely expressing their thanks.

Han Shiguo smiled warmly, “You’re welcome.” He then offered the remaining candies to the three sisters-in-law, who each took just one as a gesture of politeness.

With that settled, Han Shiguo sat down and began chatting with Jiang Shouhai and the other brothers. It was clear they were quite satisfied with their future brother-in-law, and the conversation flowed easily.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qian had escaped to the kitchen, lending a hand to her mother, Zhou Guiyun, helping with some of the household chores.

Since Han Shiguo and Jiang Qian returned, Zhou Guiyun’s smile had not faded. She leaned in and quietly asked, “Have you made up your mind? If you have, I’ll go ahead and give Matchmaker Zhang the word.”

After all, Han Shiguo didn’t have much time off, so they had to act quickly.

“I’ll listen to you, Mother,” Jiang Qian replied, her face turning bright red.

She had indeed made up her mind—it was time to marry him.

Zhou Guiyun was pleased and whispered, “I have a good eye for people. Han Shiguo is definitely someone who will cherish his wife. If you marry him, your future life will be a good one.”

Zhou Guiyun had also experienced hardship in her early years, but she had a keen eye for people and quickly recognized Jiang Qian’s father as the right one.

After marrying him, she was able to settle into the steady life they had now.

Jiang Qian, feeling comfortable with her mother, quietly told her about Han Shiguo taking out the passbook with his secret savings and wanting to entrust it to her for safekeeping.

“He still has secret savings?” Zhou Guiyun’s eyes lit up.

“He said it’s for his wife,” Jiang Qian replied, her face flushed.

Zhou Guiyun was more than satisfied.

“Good, good! I can tell he’s someone who knows how to live well. He’s already thinking about his little family!” Zhou Guiyun beamed with satisfaction. She didn’t ask how much was saved, “But don’t tell anyone about this; just keep it between us.”

“I was just mentioning it to you, Mother. I won’t say a word to anyone else,” Jiang Qian smiled.

Zhou Guiyun, of course, knew her daughter well. Like herself, Jiang Qian was someone who could keep things to herself!