Chapter 9 My Man

Nice idea, but… can’t you take the proper road and rely on your own effort?

Living off shamelessly taking things from the original owner, while self-righteously saying, “I just can’t stand you nouveau riche types”—tell me, whose attitude is uglier here?

Ruan Jiaojiao just laughed.

Ruan Xiaodie’s disgraceful deeds had been exposed. The humiliation couldn’t be greater.

“I—I don’t even want your stuff…” She forced herself to sound tough, to keep up appearances.

“Oh? Then give it back to me right now. If you’ve got the guts, take it off! Return my clothes to me!”

The original owner had been kind, giving most of the things her parents mailed to her to this pitiful cousin. But Ruan Xiaodie was a white-eyed wolf—she only took, never gave back, and was always scheming against the original owner.

The original was foolish. But Ruan Jiaojiao was not. She had planned to tidy up the house before going to find Ruan Xiaodie—who knew Xiaodie would come crashing right into her instead?

Idiot.

Some men joined in the jeering:
“Take it off, hahahaha!”
“If you don’t, that just means you’re useless. Useless dogs bark for nothing!”

Flushed with shame, Ruan Xiaodie bolted away. She didn’t dare linger, otherwise Ruan Jiaojiao would shred her completely!

This Ruan Jiaojiao was really hateful. They both carried the surname Ruan, they were sisters after all—why quibble over material things?

Had all the books Jiaojiao read over the years been eaten by dogs?

Ruan Xiaodie still convinced herself she was noble and blameless.

She whispered to herself: “Xiaodie, it’s Jiaojiao who wronged you first. So if you steal the man she likes—Huo Yunshu—that’s not your fault!”

“Ruan Jiaojiao, since you were unjust, don’t blame me, Ruan Xiaodie, for being ruthless. I’ll use my wits to make Huo Yunshu fall in love with me. You’ll regret it!”

If Jiaojiao had heard her monologue, she’d only sigh helplessly—

Oh, a bitch really can’t understand human language.

How many times had she already said it? She didn’t like Huo Yunshu at all. Xiaodie, your Chinese grades couldn’t possibly be that bad, could they?

Xiaodie ran toward the hospital—seemed she was about to put her beauty trap into play.

Meanwhile, Jiaojiao, standing on the hill where all the laborers were at work, addressed the crowd once again:
“Everyone, I, Ruan Jiaojiao, have indeed done plenty of shameful things before, made you all laugh at me. But starting today, I’ll live properly with my man. Please forget what came before!”

As soon as she finished, someone clapped first.

Following the sound, Jiaojiao saw it was Gu Yun.

He knew all too well how weak and ignorant Jiaojiao had been before, but today he saw a whole new sister-in-law.

He’d been wrong—wrong to fan the flames and sow discord between Fu Ting and Jiaojiao. His sister-in-law was the best in the world. As the saying went: nothing tastier than dumplings, nothing better to play with than a sister-in-law—bah bah bah! He’d misused an idiom again!

Anyway, from now on, Jiaojiao was his real sister-in-law. Whoever dared spread rumors about her, he’d make them pay!

With Gu Yun starting it off, more and more villagers clapped for Jiaojiao.

All the praise made her a little shy. When she spotted Fu Ting approaching, she quickly ducked behind him, with the two little beansprouts scurrying after.

“Alright, disperse.”

With just that one line from Fu Ting, the crowd scattered. Clearly, Fu Ting held quite a bit of authority here—he had been the village’s top bruiser, after all.

Jiaojiao followed Fu Ting into the fields, sneaking a glance at the land he was tilling.

He was strong, diligent, steady by nature. The soil under his hands was fertile, perfectly turned over. Surely it would grow fine crops!

“You plow really well,” Jiaojiao praised from the heart.

Without thinking, Fu Ting replied: “For farmers, there’s no ruined field—only dead oxen from overwork.”

He only meant to sigh, but Jiaojiao’s cheeks instantly flushed, the tips of her ears turning crimson. Her big grape-like eyes shimmered with watery brightness.

Fu Ting: “…” He suddenly realized the hidden meaning of his words. Saying something like that in broad daylight—yeah, maybe not appropriate.

“Ahem.” Fu Ting coughed lightly, worried she’d feel awkward, and hurried to change the subject. “I heard you made chicken soup? Where’d we get a chicken?”

“Dabao found it. A silly chicken ran into a rock and died. I made braised chicken and chicken soup, thought I’d bring you some to try.”

Braised chicken? Fu Ting had never heard the term before, instantly intrigued.

“My Jiaojiao is amazing.” He praised, then opened the food box.

The fragrance hit him so hard it nearly knocked him dizzy.

But he still asked first: “Did you eat yet? How much? Eat more. Once you’re done, I’ll eat what you leave.”

Xiaobao piped up immediately: “Mama didn’t eat! Me and brother ate! Mama said she’d wait to eat with you!”

Fu Ting’s heart swelled with emotion. “Alright. Jiaojiao, you eat.”

“Brother Ting, let’s eat together. I like watching you eat.”

“Jiaojiao, don’t spoil your man so much. You’re the most important one in our family. Be good, you eat. If my wife is happy, the whole family’s happy.”

“Brother Ting, if you don’t eat, I won’t either. We can just sit here in a standoff.”

“…”

Dabao and Xiaobao’s little heads swiveled left and right in unison—looking at Fu Ting, then at Jiaojiao—synchronized and ridiculously cute.

Meanwhile Gu Yun, still standing nearby, nearly fainted from the choking stench of lovey-dovey sweetness.

The hell… were these two brain-dead? It was just meat! If they weren’t gonna eat it, he’d gladly take it!

Just as he reached out, Fu Ting surrendered first: “Alright, let’s eat together, drink together. Husband and wife of one heart—no hardship we can’t overcome.”

Gu Yun: “…” Ugh, the chicken was almost in his mouth!

Jiaojiao noticed the greedy look on Gu Yun’s face. She handed him two pieces of chicken bone and her own soup: “Gu Yun, you eat too. Thank you for looking after my man all these years.”

Gu Yun: “…”

He—he was only daydreaming! No need to actually feed him so much!

But it smelled so good…

He wanted to accept, but caught Fu Ting’s warning glare.

Quickly he waved it off: “Sister-in-law, you’re a woman, you should eat more. I’ll pass. My family brings me food.”

“Eat. Don’t mind your Brother Ting. On this, I’m the one in charge.” Jiaojiao blocked Fu Ting, not letting him interfere.

Only then did Gu Yun take the soup and meat. Their family slaughtered chickens too, but nothing they made ever tasted this good!

So good he wanted to lick the bowl clean!