Chapter 22: Benefactor Tang Aren

As soon as Yi An’an reached the bus door, she quickly retrieved her basket. But when she turned around, there were no more seats left.

Tang Aren, who was sitting in the back row, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, “You’re carrying something, and you’re a woman. It’s inconvenient for you. Sit here in my spot!”

Yi An’an had wanted to speak with Tang Aren, so she quickly nodded and carried her basket over.

Just as she reached him, the bus started moving. Yi An’an lost her balance and nearly fell.

Tang Aren quickly reached out and caught her.

This scene happened to be witnessed by Zhan Nan Hui, who was standing outside the bus.

His brows furrowed instinctively, and his gaze turned deep and unreadable.

On the bus, Yi An’an had nearly fallen into Tang Aren’s arms. The other young intellectuals riding along couldn’t help but let out a teasing cry.

Tang Aren immediately turned serious and said sternly, “What are you doing? This lady is already married. Speaking like that isn’t good for her reputation!”

Yi An’an was momentarily stunned. “Married lady”… Well, it was true. But how did Tang Aren know?

Then she remembered that earlier, while on the bus, Zhan Nan Hui had called out “wife.” At the time, she was so overjoyed to see Tang Aren again that she hadn’t even noticed.

“Sister, sorry, they’re just joking. Don’t take it seriously,” Tang Aren said, offering her his seat while he stepped down slightly to stand by the handrail.

“Sister, you don’t look that old. Got married this early?” one of the young intellectuals riding with Tang Aren asked.

Tang Aren slightly turned to listen and couldn’t help shifting his attention to this side.

Yi An’an looked around seventeen or eighteen years old. Though marrying young was common in rural areas, her demeanor and speech didn’t match those of a typical country girl with no knowledge or experience. Girls her age usually wanted to go study or join a city recruitment program, not spend their whole lives in the countryside.

Yi An’an gave a helpless smile. If it hadn’t been for that unusual night, she never would’ve ended up entangled with Zhan Nan Hui.

“I bet it was your family who forced you, huh?” one of the intellectuals guessed.

Seeing that Yi An’an didn’t want to talk, Tang Aren couldn’t help interrupting, “Why are you being so nosy? You don’t even know her. That’s just rude!”

That young intellectual grumbled in displeasure, “Oh? Feeling protective now?”

Tang Aren frowned and turned to Yi An’an, lowering his voice. “I’m really sorry. We joke around too much.”

Yi An’an smiled faintly and tried to steer the conversation, hoping to learn more about Tang Aren. “So, what are you all going to the city for? Buying study materials?”

“Study materials? We only graduated from middle school. At our settlement, only high school graduates could apply. They wouldn’t let us. Said it was a waste of spots,” one of them said, full of regret.

Yi An’an was momentarily stunned and felt a twinge of disappointment.

She had assumed Tang Aren didn’t get into college because he wasn’t good enough academically. But it turned out he wasn’t even eligible to take the exam in the first place.

If he missed this round of college entrance exams, next year would mark the return of many sent-down youths to their hometowns. Educated youths could return to their parents’ cities, but since Tang Aren was an orphan with no family, he couldn’t return anywhere. He would be stuck in the countryside for life.

Standing in front of her, Tang Aren looked somewhat dejected too. He gave a wry smile and said, “There’s nothing I can do. I didn’t even go to high school before I was sent down here…”

“It’s okay. There will always be a way forward,” Yi An’an said encouragingly. She glanced at the bag slung across his shoulder, marked with the name “Dongjia Zui,” a village ten li from Yan Family Village—not exactly close. Back then, no one from the village had saved her drowning daughter except Tang Aren. He had jumped into the water and pulled the child out. That must’ve been fate.

Tang Aren knew Yi An’an was just trying to comfort him, so he smiled faintly.

When it was time to get off the bus, seeing her struggle with the basket, Tang Aren offered to help her carry it down.

“You’re going to the supply and marketing cooperative? Perfect, we’re heading there too. Let’s go together,” Tang Aren said. He never handed the basket back to Yi An’an and carried it the whole way.

Yi An’an didn’t refuse and followed him to the cooperative.

As soon as they entered, Yi Jixiang saw them. She immediately came out from behind the counter, walked up, and blocked Yi An’an’s path. “Yi An’an, what are you doing here?”

Yi An’an didn’t want to talk to her and looked around, hoping to find the cooperative’s manager, Director Han.

“Yi An’an, let me tell you something. Don’t think that saying a few bad things about me to Director Han will get you this job. You’re already married. You don’t qualify for city recruitment anymore. You’d better go home and take care of that criminal husband of yours!” Yi Jixiang snapped.

Yi An’an hadn’t intended to argue with her today—she just wanted to propose selling pickles at the cooperative. But this woman just wouldn’t back off. She said coldly, “Step aside. I want to see your manager.”

“You want to see our manager? You think just anyone can see him?” sneered another young girl working alongside Yi Jixiang selling pickled vegetables. “You’d better just go. Last time you sold goods outside our door, stealing business from the store, and we haven’t even held you accountable yet!”

The few young intellectuals who had come with Tang Aren saw the argument breaking out and quickly pulled him aside, whispering, “We’d better stay away from this woman. Look at her, arguing with cooperative staff. They have real power here—you can’t afford to offend them, or you won’t be able to buy a thing!”

Tang Aren frowned slightly. As an outsider, he didn’t know how to help Yi An’an. But unlike his companions, he didn’t avoid her like the plague either.

Yi Jixiang looked at Tang Aren standing beside Yi An’an and couldn’t help mocking, “Oh? Changed men again? Where’s that criminal husband now?”

Yi An’an frowned. She had only come to negotiate a partnership to sell pickles, but this woman kept pushing her buttons.

“What’s going on here?” Just then, Director Han from the cooperative stepped out and shouted.

The gossiping staff quickly scurried back to their posts.

Yi Jixiang hurriedly said, “Director Han, I’m sorry. My sister is here causing trouble again. I’ll make her leave immediately!”

Yi An’an didn’t respond to her. Instead, she stepped forward and opened the basket Tang Aren was carrying. Inside were more than a dozen clay jars. She began removing the lids one by one, releasing waves of fragrant aromas.

“Spicy Chili Sauce, Sour Cabbage, Crab Roe and Scallion, Eight Treasures Sauce, Five-Spice Dried Radish, Stinky Tofu, Shrimp Oil Radish, Pickled Parsley—these are my Eight Treasures Pickles. Director Han, would you take a look? Want to try some?” Yi An’an introduced them one by one.