Chapter 12

Jiang Ruan’s sister-in-law couldn’t understand why the family was so eager to marry her off now. Before, when she didn’t have a job, the marriage arrangement made sense. But now, Jiang Ruan had found a good job with a decent salary, and she was still young. What was the rush?

It certainly made people suspicious.

The sister-in-law said, “Mom, since Dachun and the baby are fine, let’s just drop the whole thing. It’s inappropriate for a married daughter to interfere in her own family’s marriage decisions.”

Jiang Jianchun retorted, “If I don’t take charge, are you and your husband going to support her in the future?”

Their second brother had been called home by their father, and he knew tonight was going to be troublesome. Frustrated, he complained, “Mom, you and Dachun secretly arranged this marriage for Ruan Ruan behind my back, and then made me deliver the message. Once Dad finds out, he’s going to kill me.”

He turned to grumble at his wife, “All it took was a box of peach crisps from Dachun, and you sold me out?”

Originally, it was supposed to be the second sister-in-law who called for help, but she was too lazy and sent her husband to do it before he left for his night shift. Feeling wronged, she said, “How was I supposed to know Mom was willing to sell out her own son and daughter-in-law for a bit of dowry money? If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Dachun!”

As they argued, Jiang Ruan walked into the courtyard, standing tall and unafraid, showing no sign of guilt or fear.

Seeing her like this, Liu Jinyun became even angrier. She wanted to be good to her, but Jiang Ruan was so frustratingly stubborn that it was hard to love her.

She raised the laundry stick in her hand. “Jiang Ruan, today I’m going to teach you a lesson!”

“Dad, Mom is going to hit me!” Jiang Ruan dodged quickly.

Jiang Baomin, who had just arrived, saw what was happening. Furious, he snatched the laundry stick from his wife. Not wanting to hit her, he took his anger out on his second son, hitting him several times.

“You call yourself her brother? How could you set her up like this? Do you think marrying your sister off to a fool is something to be proud of? Are you planning to spend that dowry money guilt-free? If your workplace finds out about this, what do you think will happen to your future?”

The second brother didn’t have much of a future anyway, but the eldest worked in a government office, and his success represented the family’s prospects. The eldest daughter-in-law had long been resentful of her mother-in-law but didn’t dare to speak up.

Jiang Wanghai didn’t dare to dodge as he took the blows, glaring at Jiang Jianchun with resentment. She was pregnant, so their father couldn’t take out his anger on her and hit him instead. What terrible luck! He had become the scapegoat for someone else’s mess.

The second sister-in-law, distressed at seeing her husband beaten, rushed forward to defend him. “Dad, it’s not Wanghai’s fault! Dachun bribed me with a box of peach crisps to ask Ruan Ruan to come to the department store. Since Wanghai was heading to his night shift, I asked him to pass the message. We had no idea Mom and Dachun were arranging another marriage for her. If you’re going to punish someone, blame the real culprit!”

Seeing that the factory director had also arrived, Liu Jinyun knew she couldn’t keep berating her daughter. She explained to him, “I’m only thinking about my child’s future. Jiang Ruan has always been slow-witted, and the man we found for her, while also a bit slow, comes from a very well-off family. What’s wrong with a mother worrying about her child’s marriage?”

The factory director calmly responded, “Baomin’s wife, whether Jiang Ruan gets married or not doesn’t affect her older brothers or sister, so why are you so anxious? The poor child ran to the factory today, terrified. You know she doesn’t know her own strength—why push her to such extremes?”

Jiang Baomin realized the director was right. He had been too hands-off at home, letting his wife make all the decisions. But forcing Jiang Ruan into an out-of-town marriage didn’t make sense.

He decided to save further questioning for later in the evening when they had more privacy. Turning to his eldest son, he ordered, “Wangshan, take Dachun home and have a talk with her in-laws. Make sure they understand she needs to stay out of this.”

Although Jiang Baomin didn’t usually interfere in family matters, when he did, no one dared to argue. His eldest son pushed his bike, and his wife helped support the troublesome sister-in-law as they left.

Jiang Baomin then ordered his wife to bring out some money. “Let Ruan Ruan keep that hundred yuan bonus she earned.”

“What about Dachun’s medical expenses?” Money was tight for everyone, and no one wanted to part with unexpected income.

“If her in-laws won’t pay for her medical bills, I can handle it. We don’t need Ruan Ruan’s bonus. Do I need to say it again?”

Typically, unmarried children contributed their earnings to the family. Jiang Ruan’s older siblings had handed over their wages before they got married, and Jiang Ruan had done the same with her salary. But asking for her bonus now, even the factory director disapproved.

Reluctantly, Liu Jinyun gathered a hundred yuan. Jiang Baomin set aside ten yuan and gave it to Grandma Huang, suggesting, “The house is getting crowded. Let’s rent a small room at your place for Ruan Ruan. We’ll pay ten yuan a month.”

“There’s no need to charge that much,” Grandma Huang replied. Renting a one-bedroom apartment elsewhere would cost around ten yuan. She only took five, and with this arrangement, Jiang Ruan wouldn’t have to endure the stress of returning home every day.

The remaining ninety-five yuan was handed to Jiang Ruan, and her father said, “From now on, give half your salary to the family, and you can save the other half for yourself.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.” Jiang Ruan, seeing so much money for the first time, instantly forgot her unhappiness.

Jiang Baomin felt that this youngest daughter was far easier to deal with than the other three. Despite the favoritism at home over the years, she bore no grudges.

Suddenly, Jiang Baomin felt a pang of guilt.

The factory director wasn’t sure whether he was satisfied with how the family affairs had been handled. To break the awkwardness, Jiang Baomin offered, “Director, why don’t we grab dinner at the state-run restaurant?”

Seeing that Jiang had handled things fairly, the director patted him on the shoulder and agreed, “A harmonious family is the key to everything. I know you’ve been stressed. Let’s go have a drink and unwind.”

…

Han Changfeng had only been back from the military for two months, and it had been seven or eight years since he’d seen his younger sister. Over these two months, he realized that his little sister hadn’t changed at all—she was still as picky as when she was a child.

She wouldn’t eat the skin of buns, only ate the leafy part of vegetables, and when it came to fish, she only ate the belly. Her pickiness remained unchanged.

“Big Brother is back,” Han Qingqing said timidly, still somewhat afraid of him.

“Hmm,” Han Changfeng responded. He didn’t wait for the maid to help him, picking up his own chopsticks and bowl. The Han family employed a maid, but Han Changfeng had always insisted on washing his own clothes since middle school, refusing to let anyone else do it for him.

He glanced at the pile of bun skins in front of Gu Yunqing and the uneaten vegetable stalks in front of Han Qingqing. His mind wandered to the young maid he had seen earlier that evening.

That young girl probably wouldn’t be such a picky eater.

The contrast between the disaster relief scenes he’d witnessed during his years in the military and this moment of indulgence hit him hard. Sure, the family was well-off, but that didn’t mean they should allow such wastefulness.

Suddenly, he lost his appetite. Putting down his chopsticks, he lifted his chin and asked, “Do you know how many people out there can’t even get enough to eat? If you only like the meat, then just eat braised pork. Why waste the bun? And what’s so bad about vegetable stalks that you can’t swallow them?”

Han Qingqing’s eyes reddened, and she reluctantly began eating the stalks one by one.

Gu Yunqing tried to defend her, “Big Brother, we’re the ones who spoil her. If you’re going to scold someone, scold me.”

“Oh, I am going to scold you. You’ve spoiled her, and have you considered the consequences? Whether she gets married or not, what family is going to tolerate her pickiness the way we do?”

“Then she just won’t get married. We’ll support her for the rest of her life!”

Han Changfeng sneered, “Fine. If you’re so capable, then don’t get married yourself. As for this talk of supporting her for life, whoever marries you is the one who’s truly unlucky.”

Han’s mother tried to calm him, saying, “It’s just a small issue with her eating habits, easily fixed. Your sister has always been in poor health since she was young, so don’t say any more. If she cries quietly at night and hurts herself, it’ll only make things worse.”

…

Jiang Baomin, preoccupied with the situation at home, returned after having a few drinks with the factory director. As soon as he got back, he pulled his wife into their room, questioning why she couldn’t tolerate Jiang Ruan.

“In the past, you secretly changed Jiang Ruan’s age to send her to the countryside, saying she couldn’t get enough food in the city and that at least in the countryside, eating communal meals would keep her belly full. Now that both the eldest and the second son have wages, and Jiang Ruan earns her own salary, why are you still trying to marry her off?”

Liu Jinyun hadn’t initially wanted to mention it, but the situation with Dachun was too much for her to handle alone. Hesitantly, she said, “Dachun mentioned that her widowed boss has a liking for pretty girls and has made some inappropriate advances toward her. Dachun thought that given his situation, marrying Ruan Ruan to him would be ideal. Ruan Ruan is pretty, and once he marries her, he wouldn’t dare harass Dachun anymore.”

Jiang Baomin was stunned by his wife’s reasoning. Being harassed by a superior was already disgraceful, but marrying his sister off to the same man—how did that make it any less shameful?

Furious, he slammed the table. “I don’t believe there’s no justice in the world! Tell Dachun’s husband to report him for misconduct. He should be charged with harassment!”

“Keep your voice down!” Liu Jinyun pleaded. “If this becomes public, how will Dachun live with the shame? Her husband might even divorce her. We absolutely cannot let this get out.”

“Then tell Dachun to quit her job!”

“She’s pregnant; she can’t just quit. And where would she find another job?”

The real issue wasn’t the harassment—it was that Dachun’s boss had discovered the truth about Jiang Ruan and Han Qingqing’s identities. Liu Jinyun had intended to slowly reveal the situation to her husband and let him make a decision, but just mentioning it led to him wanting to report the boss to the authorities. If things escalated, it would end badly for Dachun and Han Qingqing.

Liu Jinyun didn’t dare say any more.

…

Later that evening, Jiang Ruan returned to Qin Yan’s house. The family had already eaten, but Miao Shufang asked Jiang Ruan to have something more. Jiang Ruan declined, saying she wasn’t hungry after eating some dumplings earlier.

She went to boil water for Qin Yan’s bath. Miao Shufang, curious, listened closely but couldn’t quite figure out how Jiang Ruan managed to bathe her notoriously picky son.

Before Jiang Ruan left, Miao Shufang handed her a shopping bag and, seeing her son’s wet hair after his bath, teasingly told Jiang Ruan, “He bought this for you.”

“Mom!” Qin Yan was a bit annoyed and looked up, saying, “You’re the one who said you wanted to buy it. I only paid for it.”

Still, he wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t want to. If he hadn’t been willing, Jiang Ruan wouldn’t have even known he had been to the department store.

Jiang Ruan opened the bag and found three new outfits she had tried on earlier. She had been indecisive about which one to choose, so Qin Yan had bought all three. They cost 100 yuan in total, and Jiang Ruan, feeling the price was too high, said with a pained heart, “Brother, are you giving these to me as a gift?”

“Hmm,” Qin Yan grunted in response.

“But why did you buy me such expensive clothes? How can I repay you?”

There was no particular reason. Qin Yan simply couldn’t stand the thought of others using clothes to sway her. He replied, “If you don’t like them, you can return them. If you decide to wear them, just don’t tell anyone I bought them. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”

As for repayment, Qin Yan felt that buying the clothes had been a bit impulsive and might give the young maid the wrong idea. He needed a reasonable explanation.

He said, “I didn’t say they were a gift. I’ll deduct two yuan from your salary each month for the next five years, until it totals 100 yuan.”

Jiang Ruan: … Two yuan a month, and she could wear three new outfits right now? That sounded pretty good to her. Plus, it made her feel more secure about staying with the Qin family for the next five years.

Before she left, Miao Shufang quietly warned her, “Don’t return the clothes, or Qin Yan will be upset.”

Not wanting to make Qin Yan angry, Jiang Ruan wore one of the new outfits each day for the next three days. Seeing Qin Yan’s pleased expression, she was happy too.

After gym class one day, Han Qingqing called over Teacher Qi, saying that the money she had left in her bag had gone missing. It was quite a large sum—95 yuan—which she had saved up over several years of pocket money. She had brought it that day to donate to a classmate in the hospital, but now the money was gone.