Chapter 4: Fiancé Comes Knocking?

“An’an is so graceful even when drinking egg water; she truly is my daughter!” 

Lin Meiru stood up, brushing off the dirt from her bottom, and headed to the kitchen: “There’s still a piece of smoked waxed meat in the corridor. Tonight, I’ll make you something delicious, and I’ll invite your eldest sister’s family over for a feast.” 

Speaking of this waxed meat, it was brought back by her son-in-law two months ago as a gift for the elders. In these times, having a meat ration ticket isn’t enough; the supply of pork in the city is limited every day, and only those working at the meat processing plant can access internal benefits. 

Look at this piece of waxed meat, with a perfect balance of fat and lean, three layers of fat interspersed with two layers of lean meat—top-quality pork belly. 

Lin Meiru hummed a little tune while busy at the stove. She heated a large iron pot, added the fattier meat to render some oil, then added ginger and garlic to sauté until fragrant. Next, she added dried fermented black beans and chili pieces to enhance the flavor, and finally tossed in a handful of soaked dried radish to stir-fry. 

In an instant, the aroma of the meat wafted through the air, drawing the sounds of children being scolded from next door. 

“What meat are you eating? I think you want to eat crap.” 

“Some shameless people do nothing all day, and when they eat meat, they close the door to sneak it, making the smell spread everywhere.” 

… 

It was at this moment that Jiang Shulan and her son arrived, with only the two of them coming, and her eyes were slightly red. 

“Did Zhou Kang hit you?” Lin Meiru raised an eyebrow, brandishing a kitchen knife as if ready to fight. 

Jiang Shulan hurried to stop her: “Mom, it’s nothing. We just had a quarrel over trivial matters. Where’s my little sister?” 

“An’an has a headache; she’s resting in her room,” Lin Meiru said without suspicion, rambling on to advise her eldest daughter: “What couple doesn’t bicker? Just endure it, and it will pass. But if he dares to hit you, don’t tolerate it; let your dad deal with him.” 

Jiang Shulan lightly responded with an “mm,” quickly squatting in front of the stove to start the fire, afraid her sharp-eyed mother would notice something amiss. 

The meal was quickly prepared: a large plate of stir-fried radish with waxed meat, a bowl of steaming spinach and egg soup, two bowls of tender egg soup, and four bowls of sweet potato rice. 

This dinner could be considered extremely lavish. 

Normally, on non-festive days, they would just boil some sweet potato porridge or make a few steamed buns and a dish of pickles to get by. 

The egg custard was fragrant and soft, and Jiang An’an squinted her eyes in happiness, giving a thumbs up: “Mom, how is your cooking so good? It’s better than the chefs at the state-run restaurant.” 

Nearby, Duobao glanced at her and mimicked pouting to slurp up some egg custard. With a gentle slurp, the slippery custard slid right into his mouth, and his big, dark eyes widened in surprise! 

His childish behavior instantly amused everyone. 

“If you like it, I’ll make it for you again tomorrow,” Lin Meiru said, smiling widely. Seeing her only eating the lean meat, she hurriedly picked up some fatty meat for her: “You silly child, why are you only eating the lean meat? That stuff is like chewing on dry wood.” 

Jiang An’an was taken aback. 

Beside her, Lin Meiru continued to urge: “Hurry and eat; I specially picked this for you. It’s all fat except for the skin!”

Jiang An’an didn’t have the courage to eat and quickly divided the food into her parents’ bowls, saying earnestly, “Dad, Mom, you’ve both lost weight from all the hard work during the harvest; you should replenish yourselves more.” 

Jiang Degui and his wife were moved to tears. 

For farmers, the urgent harvest and spring planting were crucial; even if they wanted to slack off, they were still busy with their work. 

Jiang Shulan suddenly asked, “Mom, have we completely offended Uncle’s family today? Cousin is the scorekeeper; he won’t make things difficult for you tomorrow, will he?” 

Lin Meiru snorted coldly, calm and collected: “I’d rather he stirs up trouble, causing a scene for the team leader, so I can take the opportunity to rest.” 

“Exactly, after the autumn harvest, we immediately move into winter planting, sowing winter wheat and rapeseed. The work never stops. If someone twists their leg and injures their back, they might end up lying down for ten or eight days.” Jiang Degui fell into a beautiful reverie, and even the fatty meat in his bowl lost its appeal. 

Jiang An’an admired them: !!! They truly are her parents! 

As if to validate the couple’s words, several days passed peacefully, and the matter of the marriage exchange seemed to have come to a close. 

Jiang An’an stayed indoors for a few days; her dizziness had completely faded. Taking advantage of the clear weather, she decided to go out for a walk. 

The village was quiet, with no one around. The teenage boys were also important laborers at home. The team leader had arranged for them to pick up wheat ears in the fields, working half a day, and if they were lucky, they might catch a field mouse for a feast. 

Jiang An’an walked along the path for just a few minutes before exiting the village. Standing at the village entrance, she could see the entire landscape of the Nanxi Brigade. 

Three sides were surrounded by towering, continuous mountain peaks, especially to the west, where the mountains almost reached the clouds. A massive waterfall hung down, incredibly spectacular, with the river winding from west to east. Scattered among the terraced fields were the hardworking figures of the members. 

The Nanxi Brigade was filled with high mountains and hills, with uneven fields. Using tractors to plow was actually less efficient, and the large machines’ wheels could damage the field ridges. Therefore, most surrounding villages still used the primitive method of plowing with oxen. 

This was a poor and backward little village. 

“Comrade Jiang An’an.” 

In her daze, a strange male voice suddenly came from behind her. 

Jiang An’an turned around in confusion: “Who are you?” 

The farmer in front of her was about 1.78 meters tall, with dark skin, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a flat nose, his body thin and wiry. His clothes had been patched several times and were tight-fitting, even a bit short. 

At this moment, his cheeks were flushed, and he looked at her with a shy and bashful expression. 

A sense of crisis rose in Jiang An’an’s heart, and she vaguely guessed. 

… He must be the marriage exchange partner that the unscrupulous uncle found! 

Had the original owner set fire to the Jiang family’s ancestral grave, which was why that family had found such an awkward match to annoy her? 

Seeing Jiang An’an’s cold expression, the man became anxious and stammered, “I, I will definitely treat you well in the future.”

Jiang An’an was truly beautiful, with willow leaf-shaped eyebrows and apricot kernel eyes, and her slightly red lips resembled plum blossoms in the snow. Bathed in the warm sunlight, her skin was delicate and fair like pearls, as if a fairy had descended to earth. 

Just thinking about Jiang An’an soon becoming his wife made his heart race, almost bursting out of his chest. He mustered the courage to continue, “The wedding is set for next spring. I will definitely work hard to build a spacious thatched house as our bridal chamber, so you can live comfortably.” 

Jiang An’an: “…” 

Should I first listen to the nonsense you’re saying? 

At least the love-struck Wang Baochuan was also someone who appreciated looks! 

“Did my black-hearted grandma tell you that I recently bumped my head and my behavior is out of control?” Jiang An’an picked up a stone from the roadside and weighed it in her hand. 

The man had a vague sense of foreboding but still boldly reached out to grab Jiang An’an. 

“Bang!” 

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. The man raised his hand to touch it, finding his palm covered in blood. 

In his ear, Jiang An’an’s threatening voice rang out fiercely: “I’ll report you to the police this afternoon for illegal marriage exchange.” 

Her tone was cold, showing no hint of joking. 

It was clear she was deeply opposed to this marriage! 

The man’s face turned pale, and he quickly fled in fright. 

Is that all the courage you have? 

Jiang An’an scoffed dismissively and casually tossed the makeshift weapon into the corner. Just then, she unexpectedly locked eyes with a pair of cold, sharp gazes. 

Oh no! 

She had been caught red-handed!!