Chapter 68: Chance Encounter

When Jiang Liyun left the town that day, it was already past six, and the night had fallen.

Jiang Lihai had accompanied them to the town in the morning, but around 8 a.m., Jiang Liyun asked him to leave.

The shop was bustling with people, and she didn’t have much work to do that day. At most, she guided and supervised others, like guiding her daughter-in-law, Gu Lanlan.

“Feng Yi, in the future, let others handle the preparations and have Gu Lanlan fry the chicken in the afternoon. You focus on collecting money and, if you have time, read more books,” Jiang Liyun advised Feng Yi while sitting in the back of the tricycle.

She didn’t want Feng Yi to overwork.

In her previous life, Feng Yi had indeed worked too hard.

In those years when she was paralysed, they had accumulated a lot of debts, and with the high cost of labour, she had to hire someone. Every morning, Jiang Xiaogu would come to the shop, working until around ten in the morning, preparing soy milk and making dumplings and buns for the customers. She sat in her wheelchair, handling the cash. Meanwhile, Feng Yi juggled tasks like frying dumplings and buns and steaming buns, and he also took care of household chores like cooking and doing laundry. Even while helping her use the bathroom, Feng Yi was always there.

Feng Yi got up earlier than the rooster and slept later than the dog during those days.

The only thing she owed in her previous life was Feng Yi.

As for others…

After her divorce, when she moved out and couldn’t stay at her mother’s place, Jiang Lihai and Jiang Lamei still occasionally came to town to check on her, bringing vegetables and helping with some chores. She didn’t take those things for granted; once she was financially stable, she repaid them. During Jiang Lamei’s son’s wedding, she gave him a generous red envelope, helping him find a job.

Jiang Lirain… After leaving home, she would come to help occasionally, even after she started her own family. But once she was in a better financial situation, she mostly visited to enjoy free meals and drinks. Later, when she had an online store and became wealthy, Jiang Lamei always found reasons to seek financial assistance. Jiang Lirain treated them like her “adoptive parents,” especially when comparing them to her “son,” who often caused trouble.

Jiang Lirain’s attitude towards her changed drastically after she gained financial stability, transforming from a helpful and warm-hearted person to someone who only came around for money.

Remembering these events on a chilly winter day, Jiang Liyun felt grateful for her current life.

“Big sister Liyun, I’ve always been reading books!” Feng Yi said.

“I know.” Jiang Liyun stood up, hugged Feng Yi from behind, and gave him a kiss on the side of his face.

After losing balance for a moment, the pedal of the tricycle spun freely in the dark night, and the tricycle slowed down.

Fortunately, it was a tricycle; otherwise, they might have fallen.

Jiang Liyun smiled. “We’re about to get engaged; it’s really nice.”

“Yeah!” Feng Yi nodded earnestly, slowing down the tricycle’s speed.

“Feng Yi, after the Lunar New Year, my parents will move to the new house. Do you want to move in with me?” Jiang Liyun couldn’t resist teasing Feng Yi.

Feng Yi slipped again.

Jiang Liyun chuckled. “Feng Yi, are you thinking of something naughty?”

As they were talking, someone rode a bicycle from behind and shouted, “Shameless!”

Jiang Liyun recognised the voice immediately; it was Xie Zugen.

And at this moment, Xie Zugen also saw the two of them not properly riding the tricycle and angrily exclaimed, “So it’s you two; no wonder you’re so shameless!”

“Are you envious because you can’t find a partner and have to envy others who do?” Jiang Liyun sneered lightly.

Xie Zugen, feeling furious, pedalled faster and rode ahead of them.

Jiang Liyun frowned slightly as she watched Xie Zugen’s direction.

That wasn’t the way to his house; Xie Zugen should have been coming from home, heading somewhere else.

Where could he be going so late at night? Could it be to gamble?

In her previous life, Xie Zugen used to go gambling every night, claiming that the kids at home were noisy and he didn’t want to stay at home. He said he was going to play cards with friends. Then he would come back in the early hours of the morning, often late for work the next day.

Back then, she was unhappy about it, but she didn’t like to argue with people. She mentioned it a few times, but Xie Zugen didn’t change, so she just focused on her own affairs.

Of course, she only thought that way because she didn’t know how serious Xie Zugen’s gambling problem was. She thought he was just playing cards with friends for small amounts of money.

Regardless, in her previous life, Xie Zugen hadn’t started gambling this early. Could he be starting early now?

As Jiang Liyun expected, Xie Zugen had indeed started gambling early.

It all started when Xie Zugen saw Jiang Liyun buying the tricycle. He felt embarrassed and caused a scene at home, feeling that others looked down on him.

Being the favoured son, Xie Zugen received two thousand yuan from his parents and bought a large colour TV.

As a result, Xie Zugen became the envy of the village, with people praising him wherever he went.

However, because of this, certain people started taking advantage of him and began taking him to “play.”

At first, he won a lot of money when gambling, but then he started losing. However, the more he lost, the more he wanted to continue.

Now, he wasn’t even asking his parents to arrange matchmaking meetings with women better than Jiang Liyun and Sun Cuicui!

Thank you for providing the text. Here’s the English translation:

“Xie Fu actually had some less conventional income, which he kept secret from even Xie Mu, but not from Xie Zu Gen. Some of the money was even entrusted to Xie Zu Gen to deposit in the bank. Now, in Xie Fu’s unawareness, that money has almost all been lost by Xie Zu Gen.

Of course, Jiang Liyun is unaware of these matters. When she returned home, all the lights were on.

“Liyun, you’re back? I’ll get your meal,” Wu Xiaochun said, going to fetch the food kept warm in the pot.

Jiang Liping then jumped out, asking Jiang Liyun, “Liyun, do you think my shoes are nice?”

Jiang Liyun looked and noticed Jiang Liping was wearing a brand new pair of cotton shoes.

Jiang Liping said, “You have to wear cotton shoes in winter. There’s a layer of fluff inside, very comfortable and warm.”

Jiang Liyun asked her, “Did Sun Jinshan buy them for you?”

Jiang Liping proudly replied, “See, no one else bought you shoes!”

Jiang Liyun felt a bit helpless; it’s just a pair of shoes, and she could buy them herself.

At this moment, Jiang Liping dropped a surprising piece of news: “Tomorrow, Sun Jinshan will take me to the Li family, and he will compensate for the Li family’s money on my behalf.”

Jiang Liyun: “…”

Sun Jinshan is truly the epitome of being foolish with abundant money.

In a previous instance, when they sold chickens in Shanghai, she and Sun Jinshan each earned 1,400. She used her share to open a shop, which now earns a hundred bucks daily. Sun Jinshan’s money… It’s likely to be spent after their visit to the Li family tomorrow.

Jiang Liping is really quite impressive.

“Liping, isn’t it inappropriate to let others pay?” Wu Xiaochun asked.

The matter of Jiang Liping divorcing has been discussed in their family a few times. They wanted Jiang Liping to borrow money to settle things. However, Jiang Liping remained silent each time, and now she has directly found someone else to help her with the money.

“You’ve always wanted me to lose money, right? Now that I’m losing money, why are you unhappy?” Jiang Liping said. “If you think Sun Jinshan is at a loss, then don’t expect any dowry from the Sun family. By the way, I’m going to Sun Jinshan’s house for dinner tomorrow night and won’t be coming back.”

She can let Sun Jinshan spend money on her elsewhere and have him arrange a more decent banquet.

The more money Sun Jinshan spends on her, the more reluctant he’ll be to let her go.

Of course, before that, she needs Sun Jinshan’s parents to accept her.

These days, she chatted a lot with Sun Jinshan and subtly approached the topic. Sun Jinshan’s parents should be easy to handle, not like her first love’s parents, who looked at her as if she were trash.

Jiang Liyun was right; she needs to find someone better than her first love, or it would be embarrassing when the two families meet!

Li Xuyang is definitely not an option; Sun Jinshan is just fine.

Thinking of Li Xuyang, Jiang Liping felt a bit uneasy. Tomorrow, she’ll have Sun Jinshan take her to buy some delicious food to please Li Xuyang.

If Li Xuyang were a normal man, she wouldn’t do something that would upset Sun Jinshan. However, Li Xuyang is a different kind of person. If she tries to please him, Sun Jinshan probably won’t get angry.

Jiang Liyun knows that people in this era tend to move quickly in relationships, defining their status after just a few meetings. Jiang Liping’s pace, however, is exceptionally fast.

Every time this happens, she becomes remarkably motivated.”