Chapter 50

Jiang Xi’s strategy worked well against the troublemakers. The old lady tried to use public opinion to force a solution, but Jiang Xi didn’t care.

The old lady was exhausted and in pain from her shouting. She even wanted her grandson to find a way to get revenge and beat Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi. After all, she thought, it’s impossible for these children to have someone around them all the time.

Besides, who can afford so much candy every day?

Zhang Dabao and Zhang Erbao were both reckless and not afraid of being beaten. They were scared for a couple of days after getting hurt, but their grandmother’s encouragement made them brave again.

However, they didn’t expect that Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi had only a limited amount of candy. Jiang Xi had said she would give two pieces of candy as payment for their help, thinking that fighting was hard work and could cause injuries.

But Jiang Mi was clever and gave only one piece of candy, saving a lot of it.

So, in every fight, Dabao and Erbao lost. Whenever Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi called for help, a bunch of kids would come to beat them up, and they wouldn’t need to offer candy beforehand, causing the two to run back crying almost every time.

The old lady went to Pei’s house to complain again.

But the violence was caused by more than a dozen families from nearby, and they forced the Pei family to pay compensation. The Pei family was unwilling, and others couldn’t intervene. The Zhang family couldn’t go to the Pei’s house just to demand payment.

After three attempts, the old lady realized she wouldn’t get results and, feeling sorry for her grandson, stopped complaining and let him continue making a fuss.

Zhang Hu and his wife didn’t dare to say anything.

Eventually, the matter faded away.

Jiang Xi used this method successfully, but she was a bit worried. Every afternoon after school, she would ride her bike to pick up the two children, afraid that Zhang Hu might do something drastic.

Fortunately, her fears didn’t come true.

Pei Hejun’s condition improved rapidly. After her return from further studies, he was able to walk without crutches and trained every day, not stopping until he reached his limit.

Although Pei Hejun was incapacitated for a short time, he had no other injuries and a strong will, so he recovered quickly.

In just a few days, he could run around the village several times.

Jiang Xi was amazed.

Perhaps because she was surprised, Pei Hejun sincerely invited her to join him for running: “I’ll take you running. You should exercise too. It’s not healthy to stay inactive.”

Jiang Xi shook her head quickly: “No, no, go by yourself.”

Pei Hejun, disappointed, turned away.

After recovering, Pei Hejun had plenty of energy, his muscles were improving, and he looked very attractive, especially in a green military shirt while exercising.

Jiang Xi couldn’t resist and called him back.

Pei Hejun thought she had agreed but then heard the sleepy woman on the bed say, “Wake up Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi to join you for jogging. It will be good for them too.”

She wanted them to exercise as well, in case they encountered Zhang Dabao and his brother again without candy.

Pei Hejun looked at her helplessly but went to wake them up.

He got up very early. Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, who hadn’t gone to school yet, quickly got up when they heard the knock. Jiang Mi was excited about running with Pei Hejun and agreed immediately: “Okay, brother-in-law, let’s hurry.”

Jiang Yu, though a bit reluctant, agreed gently.

So from that day on, Pei Hejun’s training team had two new members.

_

Time passed quickly. When Pei Hejun became strong enough to run around the village ten times and fetch two buckets of water, Jiang Xi decided it was time to pack up.

When Jiang Xi shared this idea, Pei Hejun, who was filling the water tank, froze and spilled water all over himself.

He set the gun aside, sat next to Jiang Xi, and looked at her seriously: “Do you really want me to leave?”

Jiang Xi blinked, confused: “Don’t I want to join the army?”

Pei Hejun: “!”

He frowned deeply, looking at her accusingly: “You never told me you were going to join the army!”

Jiang Xi coughed, feeling guilty, and said seriously: “Okay, I’m telling you now. I can join the army, but I want to bring Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi with me.”

“Of course!” Pei Hejun agreed quickly, his dark eyes smiling: “I’ve already contacted the army, and I’ll leave after the New Year.”

Since he had been there for so long, they decided he could stay a bit longer, with departure set for after the New Year.

Jiang Xi nodded: “That’s fine. I was thinking they would become transfer students if we moved, so it’s a good opportunity. But are parents really not coming?”

Pei Hejun sighed: “I’m afraid not. I’ve asked them many times, but they refused.”

Jiang Xi worried: “But I can’t cook. What will I eat there?”

She wasn’t completely unable to cook, but her meals were barely edible compared to Pei’s mother’s delicious food. The thought of eating her own cooking for a long time made her anxious.

Pei Hejun looked at her thoughtfully: “Let me try.”

“Ah?”

Jiang Xi was surprised.

But Pei Hejun was serious. He started cooking that night.

Pei’s mother was confused but agreed to teach him, thinking he was bored. She previously didn’t want him to leave for work but supported his cooking interest: “Okay, I’ll teach you. Start by adding oil…”

Jiang Xi sat by the stove and watched him cook.

Pei Hejun, about 1.8 meters tall, found the stove seemed small for him. He cooked efficiently, which was pleasing to watch.

Pei’s mother admired: “Being tall makes cooking easier.”

Jiang Xi agreed: “Yes!”

Pei Hejun wasn’t bothered by the two of them and cooked a meal with great care. He made spicy and sour potato shreds, a stir-fried vegetable dish, and stir-fried pork with peppers. These dishes weren’t very complex, but he cooked them well, almost perfectly mimicking Pei’s mother’s cooking skills.

After tasting the food, Jiang Xi gave a thumbs up and said, “Great!”

Pei’s parents also praised the meal: “Delicious!”

Pei Hejun seemed very pleased with the praise. Before bed, he chatted with Jiang Xi and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Jiang Xi thought of various modern foods and drooled: “Small crispy pork, fried chicken, chicken wings…”

Pei Hejun: “?”

Jiang Xi realized she needed to explain: “Small crispy pork is pork belly cut into strips, marinated, coated with egg and flour, then fried until crispy. Fried chicken is similar, and roasted chicken is also good…”

Pei Hejun noted it carefully and rode his bike to the town the next day to buy meat. He used the fat to make oil and fried the lean meat into crispy pork.

The smell was irresistible!

The fragrance spread far, and people nearby came with their bowls to enjoy the aroma.

Jiang Xi had to admit that Pei Hejun was a talented cook.

She tried a piece of crispy pork, finding it crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside. Thanks to Jiang Xi’s advice, the batter included ground pepper, making it salty, fragrant, crispy, and spicy, just as she remembered.

Seeing her silent after eating, Pei Hejun asked with concern, “How does it taste? Is it delicious?”

Jiang Xi nodded with bright eyes and said, “If you don’t join the army and become a cook, you’ll definitely have a lot of customers!”

Pei Hejun smiled and handed her another piece of crispy pork: “Eat more.”

Jiang Xi took it eagerly.

When Pei’s mother arrived and saw them, she immediately covered her eyes and said, “Ouch, ouch! Can you close the door? If the guards see us in the kitchen, it’ll be trouble!”

Jiang Xi, embarrassed, swallowed the crispy meat quickly and went outside with a smile: “Mom, what’s wrong? Are you hungry?”

Mother Pei replied with a smile, “Yes, the aroma tempted me. Your father told me to come check it out. Is it okay?”

“Yes, yes, let’s eat,” Jiang Xi said quickly.

She took the bowl, Pei Hejun brought the crispy pork, and Pei’s mother carried the other dishes. As they went out, Jiang Xi saw Pei Xisheng carrying a plate with a large steamed fish. He hadn’t touched it and was taking it back.

Noticing her gaze, Pei Xisheng smiled awkwardly and walked faster.

Mother Pei sighed and said, “If I’d known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have done it. I ignored him before, but now that he’s doing well, I try to make peace with him. How did things turn out this way?”

Jiang Xi agreed: “Yes, it’s foolish of Sister Ai Mei to fall into this trap again.”

Pei Xisheng hadn’t been doing well recently. After the divorce, all household chores fell to Xisheng’s mother. Although she did the laundry and cooking, she was unhappy since she hadn’t worked for many years.

She had a worse temper now and wanted to find a good wife for Pei Xisheng.

Life was gradually improving, but finding a good wife was costly. The dowry was now higher, with all expenses totaling at least 230 or 400 Yuan. Even a good virgin girl might not consider marrying someone who was divorced.

Xisheng’s mother was unwilling to spend so much on a wife who wasn’t ideal.

After seeing how well Li Aimei was doing post-divorce and that she had become a doctor, she began to rethink.

Seeing her former daughter-in-law thriving made her question why her son and she were struggling so much. So, she began encouraging her son to reconcile with Li Aimei.

Though she once withheld good things from Li Aimei, now she sent her occasional items like fish and loaches.

Li Aimei, however, was content with her independent life. She was busy learning to read, studying medicinal knowledge, and memorizing herbal properties.

***

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