Chapter 31: A Fiancé’s Sense of Responsibility

Chu Peihan was curious what exactly she was trying to do. Along the way, he was utterly cooperative — as long as she didn’t mention the hospital, he didn’t mind if she dragged him through the whole county today.

But—

She looked like she was searching for something.

“If you want to buy something, don’t worry about the money. I’ve got you.”

“I…” Jiang Yunhe’s eyes flickered slightly. She understood that he was referring to the betrothal gift money. This guy was honestly holding back nothing, treating her with complete, unconditional kindness.

What more could she say?

She couldn’t possibly nitpick just for the sake of it.

“I want to find a place to sell vegetables. The Jiang family has a vegetable plot. Before I get married, I want to harvest the crops I worked so hard to grow. Once I marry you, they definitely won’t let me go back for them — I won’t even be able to leave them a single leaf,” Jiang Yunhe told a small lie in a soft voice.

“I know a place. I’ll take you there.” Chu Peihan nodded immediately. He said he knew a place — it was even run by one of his old army comrades — so she could rest easy.

To be honest, he didn’t care at all about those vegetables.

But since she wanted to vent some anger, as her fiancé, he needed to have that level of awareness.

Jiang Yunhe was a little stunned. He had connections? Was he being serious?

She only knew that Chu Peihan started his business from scratch, rising with the tide of the times, but she hadn’t asked about his life in those years. For her, after all, it had been a period of suffering she didn’t want to revisit.

Jiang Yunhe didn’t really want to think about the past. If she could, she’d rather forget all those chaotic memories from her previous life.

Chu Peihan understood her feelings too. That’s why they only talked about the present and the future — never the past.

As a result, she was truly a bit unfamiliar with his past.

Since he had offered, Jiang Yunhe felt reassured. The morning market was already closed, and it wasn’t market day, so her only option was to try some small restaurants. If he had the right connections, that would be perfect.

Chu Peihan immediately led her toward one of the restaurants.

Jiang Yunhe thought he meant some small fly-infested diner — the kind you see all over the roadside — but to her surprise, this bigshot directly brought her to the only state-run restaurant in the county.

She couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

“Um, Chu Peihan, did we come to the wrong place?”

“Nope.” Chu Peihan chuckled, thinking her current expression was ridiculously cute. He pushed the door open and said, “If you have any requests, just ask. He wouldn’t dare make things difficult for you.”

“But… this is a state-run restaurant…” Jiang Yunhe’s mouth twitched. She wouldn’t have dared dream of something like this. Was he joking with her?

It was the early 1980s — when an “iron rice bowl” job was a big deal.

Anyone working at a state-run restaurant could expect special treatment, even on blind dates. Take the people from Changshou Village, for example — none of them had jobs in the city.

Working in the city meant you could settle down there, and if you could transfer your household registration, even better.

Chu Peihan sighed, “So what if it’s a state-run restaurant? It’s still a place where people eat. And places that serve food need vegetables. You — always overthinking things. Smart when you don’t need to be, and clueless when it counts.”

Jiang Yunhe: “Fine, whatever.”

Just as she finished speaking—

A waitress walked out from behind the counter, strutting over with an arrogant expression. She folded her arms and gave them a once-over before lashing out:

“Where did these bumpkins come from? Talking all big like you own the place. Get out! Lunch hours are over — we’re closed! Don’t dirty up the place, or I’ll have to clean it up myself later!”

“…”

Chu Peihan’s expression darkened instantly. His brow furrowed, and an icy aura spread out from him, pressing down so hard the waitress could barely breathe — but she still forced herself to stand tall.

Seeing this, she immediately shouted:

“What are you glaring at? Do you even know who I am? How dare you glare at me—”

“Oh? Who are you?” Chu Peihan’s lips curled in a cold smile. He remained calm: “Go on, tell me. I’d love to learn something new.”

“I’m the boss’s older cousin, Xu Lingling. I call the shots here. When the boss isn’t around, I am the boss. If you’re smart, get out now. Otherwise, don’t blame me if you’re blacklisted from ever stepping foot in a state-run restaurant again!”

“To my knowledge, the boss here is surnamed Gu — and he’s an only child. No siblings,” Chu Peihan replied in a cold, succinct tone, exposing her lie on the spot.

Xu Lingling panicked. She hadn’t expected these two country bumpkins to know Gu Qingyu. They didn’t look like his friends at all. Gu Qingyu always dressed like a peacock — no way he’d hang out with poor nobodies like them.

Were they bluffing?

“Cousins count too!” Xu Lingling tried to cover with confidence. “So what if you know the boss’s name? Move, move! Don’t block the way!”

“Don’t make threats. If you’ve got the guts, try and throw us out.” Chu Peihan had basically figured out the situation — Gu Qingyu clearly wasn’t around, which was why some nobody was acting up.

Xu Lingling spat fiercely and grabbed a broom to hit him, but bang—

Before she could touch even the hem of his shirt, she was sent flying with a kick!

She flew several meters and hit the ground hard.

Jiang Yunhe stared in shock at the man who suddenly appeared in front of them. He wore a garish floral shirt — bright red, with all sorts of colorful flowers — and yet, he somehow made it look stylish instead of tacky. His slightly upturned peach blossom eyes held a wicked charm, seductive and striking.

Gu Qingyu turned to check Chu Peihan from head to toe, patting him all over to see if he was missing any limbs.

“Brother Pie, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve picked you up!”

“If I had, you would’ve missed out on that wonderful performance.”

“I…” Gu Qingyu was thoroughly exasperated. He looked down at the woman on the floor, his face darkening. “Why are you still here? You’re fired!”

“Gu Qingyu, I’m your cousin!” Xu Lingling scrambled to her feet, heart full of resentment. How had she been so unlucky to run into him?

“You could be my mother, and I’d still kick you out today!” Gu Qingyu sneered. “Damn it, if my mom hadn’t asked me to take you in, you’d never have gotten a job here. I’m not running a charity.”

“I’m going to tell Auntie!” Xu Lingling shouted, unwilling to give up. “Gu Qingyu, just wait until you get home — you’re gonna get a beating!”

“Get back here and apologize!” Gu Qingyu barked coldly, his face icy. “You blind idiot — do you even know who Chu Peihan is? You dare lay a hand on him?”