Chapter 27: Nine-Layer Cake

◎Three Chapters Combined◎

Jiang Che’s aunt and uncle were both ordinary workers. They had one son and one daughter. The daughter had married early, but their son was still in school, attending a Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University, and was currently home on break.

When Jiang Che and Wei Xuan arrived, his aunt and uncle were quite polite, offering tea and fruit.

However, Jiang Che’s younger cousin didn’t seem particularly friendly. When the two of them arrived, he didn’t even glance up, acting as if he hadn’t noticed them. It was only after his aunt reminded him that he reluctantly greeted them.

Jiang Che now considered himself grown-up and mature, so he didn’t mind the behavior of the younger boy. Wei Xuan, of course, wouldn’t let Jiang Che’s aunt feel uncomfortable, so she smiled and changed the subject.

Since it was getting late, they didn’t stay long at his aunt’s place. After dropping off the things and exchanging a few words, they stood up to leave.

Jiang Che’s aunt hurriedly urged, “It’s already this late, don’t leave. Stay for lunch!”

“No, Aunt, we’ll come again next time. We already have lunch prepared at home. We’ll head back to eat today.”

After seeing her nephew off, Jiang Che’s aunt slapped her son in annoyance: “What was that attitude when your cousin came over? They came to our house, and you gave them such a cold shoulder. Who were you trying to show that attitude to?”

Ge Huai didn’t take it seriously and said, “What’s wrong with my attitude? He’s just a good-for-nothing, why should I treat him any differently?”

Aunt Jiang was about to say something more, but Uncle Jiang spoke up to stop her: “Enough, the kids are finally back for the New Year, let’s not say too much.”

Ge Huai snorted and stood up, ready to leave.

“It’s the middle of the day, where are you going?”

“I made plans with a classmate, you guys eat without me.” After saying that, he closed the door and left.

Aunt Jiang was very angry: “Look at your son, can’t even say a word properly. He should’ve just gone to work straight after high school.”

But Uncle Jiang didn’t agree. He had put a lot of effort into securing that college spot for his son. After all, why could the eldest brother be a factory director? It was because he had gone to college. Just wait, when their son graduates from college, he won’t have to worry about finding a good job!

Aunt Jiang and Uncle Jiang’s family disputes were unknown to Wei Xuan and Jiang Che, who had already gone downstairs and headed to the Jiang family’s house on their bikes.

They stayed at the Jiang family’s house for the whole day and returned home only after dinner.

After the New Year was over, they both returned to their normal routine of going to work.

However, the goods from Wu Yun hadn’t been supplied yet. The main reason was that after the New Year, everyone was still in a time of plenty, so they decided to wait another month and talk about it again in April.

When April came, they finally started making the braised meat under Wu Yun’s urging.

When Jiang Che went to deliver goods in the morning, Wu Yun scolded him: “I really don’t understand you two, you have money and still don’t earn it.”

Jiang Che couldn’t exactly say it was because they were lazy after the New Year, so he just laughed awkwardly and didn’t respond.

The weather got hotter day by day, and recently the braised meat wasn’t selling as well. In the past, they couldn’t even send enough goods every day, but now there were occasionally leftovers. Of course, the leftovers weren’t much, and they were mostly given to Wu Yun’s people for snacks.

But Wu Yun told Jiang Che not to increase the supply recently.

After Wei Xuan found out, she reflected on whether she had really been too lazy lately. It seemed like she hadn’t been experimenting with new food ideas for a while.

It must be because there was no survival crisis now, which made her lose her sense of urgency. She couldn’t keep going like this, or she would get too complacent. While being content with the current situation wasn’t necessarily bad, since fate had given her a chance to live in this era full of opportunities, she felt a little unwilling not to do something about it.

She didn’t necessarily need to make a lot of money or reach some high status, but she wanted to ensure that she or her future children could live more comfortably. That shouldn’t be too difficult.

And how could she be satisfied with the little she was earning now? The future was long, and changes were inevitable. If she didn’t have enough funds backing her, she would have to watch opportunities slip away right before her eyes. When that time came, it would be too late to regret. She absolutely wouldn’t allow that to happen.

First, let her think about what would sell well in the summer.

Cold dishes?

No, cold dishes aren’t convenient to sell.

Ah, wait, Wei Xuan lightly tapped her head: she could make some pastries to sell. She had even thought about making Shaqima when she was at home, but then she got too busy and forgot about it.

However, Shaqima is too sweet and greasy, not suitable for summer. But she could make other pastries! For example, Nine-Layer Cake?

It doesn’t require too many complicated ingredients, and it’s soft, smooth, and chewy—perfectly refreshing for summer.

Once she thought of it, she wanted to make it. But before that, she needed Jiang Che to buy a stone mill.

“Where do I even buy this thing?” Jiang Che was a bit stunned when he received the task.

Well… Wei Xuan didn’t know either!

The two of them stared at each other for a while, and after a moment, Jiang Che gave in: “Wife, can you first tell me why you need a stone mill?”

Wei Xuan explained what she had in mind.

Well, at least it was a legitimate matter.

“Alright, then, wait for me. I’ll ask around after work today.”

Wei Xuan nodded. It would be great if he could find one for her, but if not, it was fine. After all, it wasn’t like she had to make this.

But when Jiang Che came back in the evening and had actually brought her a small stone mill, she was still very happy.

“Where did you find this? Didn’t you say this morning you didn’t know where to buy one?”

Seeing his wife so happy, Jiang Che felt it was worth the effort, even though his legs were sore from cycling around to find it.

“I asked several people, but no one knew where to buy one. So, I went to the countryside and asked house by house. Luckily, one family had one, and in their village, they also had a bigger one they use to grind tofu. The small one at their house was hardly used, so when I offered to pay, they sold it to me.”

Wei Xuan hadn’t expected that he had gone so far just for a stone mill, and she immediately felt heartache: “Did you eat dinner? We still have steamed buns at home. How about I quickly fry an egg for you, and you can eat that for now? I’ll make something good for you tomorrow.”

Jiang Che had actually eaten dinner already, but now he felt hungry again, so he didn’t refuse Wei Xuan’s suggestion.

Wei Xuan heated up the steamed buns for him and quickly fried an egg with sauce to go with it.

As Jiang Che ate, he watched his wife wash the stone mill in the yard.

Once Wei Xuan finished cleaning the stone mill, she placed it outside to dry, then went to scoop some rice and red beans to soak in water. Tomorrow morning, she could get up and try making the Nine-Layer Cake.

The Nine-Layer Cake is quite simple, but it’s a bit tiring to grind the rice into rice paste. This definitely has to be done by Jiang Che—Wei Xuan can handle a little, but if there’s too much, she doesn’t have the strength for it.

Wei Xuan then divides the ground rice paste into two portions, adding white sugar to one and brown sugar to the other to create two different colored mixtures.

Next, she adds water to an iron pot, places a bamboo sieve (which is usually used for drying things) on top, and lays a smooth piece of coarse cloth on it.

Then she can pour in the rice paste. For each layer, she pours a layer of rice paste, steams it for about five minutes, and then adds the next layer. The white and brown sugar rice paste alternate, creating a beautiful pattern of alternating red and white layers.

After the nine layers are done, she sprinkles the pre-soaked red beans on top and steams it all together. The Nine-Layer Cake is now complete.

Once it’s ready, she uses a fine string to cut it into pieces about the size of a palm, and it’s ready to eat.

This morning, there was no time for breakfast, so Jiang Che couldn’t wait to grab a piece and eat it.

“How is it?” Wei Xuan asked expectantly.

Jiang Che tasted it carefully and praised, “It’s delicious, not sticky, and not too sweet. I think it’s really good.”

Wei Xuan held back her joy and picked up a piece to take a bite. Hmm, how should she put it? It might not compare to the craftsmanship from her past life, but it’s not bad. At least, in this era of scarcity, it’s probably considered a rare treat.

One person ate two pieces, and Wei Xuan put the rest away and handed them to Jiang Che: “You can take it to Brother Wu later. See if it sells well. If it does, we’ll keep making more; if not, we’ll forget about it.”

“Got it.” Jiang Che put the last piece of nine-layer cake into his mouth, picked up the basket, and hurried out.

It was getting late, and if they didn’t hurry, they would probably be late today.

Wei Xuan didn’t dare to delay any longer. She washed her hands, locked the courtyard gate, and quickly headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Luckily, she wasn’t the last one to arrive. Hong Jie was even later than her today.

It had been a busy morning, and once things had calmed down, Wei Xuan asked her why she was so late today.

Hong Jie couldn’t help but sigh and said, “It was the kids causing trouble. Last night, I’m not sure if they got cold, but when they woke up this morning, they had a bit of a fever. I had to take them to the hospital to get an IV drip, and I left the grandparents to watch over the child before I could rush back to work.”

Wei Xuan knew that Hong Jie had two daughters and one son. Though her in-laws usually helped with childcare, they were getting older, so it wasn’t always easy to leave these kinds of things to them when the kids were sick.

Hong Jie felt a headache just thinking about it, and she immediately began to vent to Wei Xuan: “Xiao Xuan, tell me, what’s the point of all this hard work in life? Look at me, I already have a job, my in-laws are nice enough, but even so, life is still not going well. I’m busy from morning till night with no time to rest. It’s really exhausting!”

Wei Xuan knew that she was feeling down because of exhaustion, so she tried to comfort her: “Hong Jie, your husband treats you so well, and the kids are sensible and well-behaved. If you say you’re struggling, then no one in this world would have a good life. It’s tough now, but once the kids grow up, you’ll get to enjoy life.”

Wei Xuan’s words really struck a chord with Hong Jie.

“Yes, it’s all for the kids. I don’t expect them to become big shots, just as long as they can support themselves and the family.” After Wei Xuan’s encouragement, Hong Jie did feel much better.

But she still shared her own experience with Wei Xuan: “Xiao Xuan, if you ask me, it’s best for you to live like this now. You can wait a couple more years before having kids and enjoy a couple more years of an easier life.”

Wei Xuan smiled and agreed. This was something she and Jiang Che had already discussed and come to an understanding about.

However, in this world, besides people like Wei Xuan and Hong Jie who live with clarity, there are always those who are muddled and end up making a mess of their own lives.

Wei Xuan finished work as usual today, and from a distance, she saw Song Jianjun and a woman waiting at her doorstep.

As she got closer, she was surprised: “Bian Qianqian?”

Bian Qianqian was also stunned when she saw Wei Xuan. How had this friend, who used to follow her around not long ago, changed so much in just half a year?

She knew that Wei Xuan had married Jiang Che, but every time she came to the city after that, she was too busy meeting with Cheng Shao to find time to visit Wei Xuan. Over time, their relationship faded, and she never thought to reach out. If it weren’t for being at her wit’s end this time, she wouldn’t have come to her cousin here.

As she thought about what she would have to say later, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant. After all, she had been doing better than Wei Xuan in the past…

Seeing that his cousin hadn’t said anything for a while, Song Jianjun awkwardly spoke up to explain the situation.

After listening to him for a while, Wei Xuan finally understood what had happened.

The gist of it was that Bian Qianqian had been seeing a man in the city, but this man’s family was not very well off, and Bian Qianqian’s family disagreed with the relationship. As a result, they locked her in the house.

During this time, Bian Qianqian realized she might be pregnant, so she sneaked out while her family wasn’t paying attention. But after getting out, she couldn’t find the man anywhere, so in the end, she turned to her cousin Song Jianjun for help.

Song Jianjun wanted to send her back home, but she refused, fearing that she would be locked up again. The siblings argued for a while before remembering Wei Xuan, thinking that Bian Qianqian could settle with her for the time being.

Wei Xuan muttered to herself inwardly: Do I really look that easy to talk to? How could she casually get involved in such a big matter? No matter the outcome, she wouldn’t come out of this unscathed.

So, she asked Bian Qianqian, “It’s fine for you to stay with me, but your pregnancy can’t wait. What will you do if you can’t find this man?”

Bian Qianqian had no idea what to do. She hadn’t even thought about the future yet, so when faced with Wei Xuan’s question, she hesitated and couldn’t answer.

Wei Xuan then shifted her gaze to Song Jianjun’s face.

Under Wei Xuan’s intense gaze, Song Jianjun knew he was putting her in a difficult position, but he was also frustrated. No matter what, Bian Qianqian was his cousin, and he couldn’t just leave her to roam the streets.

Just as the three of them fell silent, with no one speaking, Jiang Che returned.

“What are you standing out here for?” As soon as he spoke, he noticed Bian Qianqian and paused, trying to remember who she was. He then assumed she was a friend of Wei Xuan’s and said, “Wei Xuan, is this your friend? Why didn’t you invite her inside?”

But as soon as he finished speaking, none of them moved or responded, and only then did he realize something was wrong. His gaze swept across the three faces and finally landed on Wei Xuan’s.

Seeing Song Jianjun looking at her with a pleading expression and Bian Qianqian looking lost and distraught, Wei Xuan felt a twinge of sympathy. She sighed helplessly and said, “Fine, let’s go inside and talk.”

As soon as Wei Xuan spoke, Song Jianjun finally let out a sigh of relief, smiling as he helped Bian Qianqian and followed her inside.

Unaware of what had happened, Jiang Che seized the opportunity while his wife was in the kitchen getting water and stopped Wei Xuan.

“What’s going on with them? Is something wrong?”

“Sigh,” Wei Xuan set down the teapot and explained the whole situation.

After hearing it, Jiang Che fell silent.

Wei Xuan, feeling frustrated, ran a hand through her hair. “You tell me, with something like this, can I take her in? What if something happens while she’s here? And that man, he doesn’t sound like a decent or reliable person. I just don’t get it—Bian Qianqian is clearly a smart person, so how did she end up with someone like him?”

Hearing his wife’s complaints, Jiang Che scoffed and guessed, “I bet your friend was probably tricked. But now that she’s pregnant, there’s no turning back for her.”

Wei Xuan thought for a moment and felt that Jiang Che’s guess was likely correct. After all, she remembered that Bian Qianqian’s previous goal was to marry into a wealthy family in the city, just like her aunt, and live a comfortable life.

“But the problem is, what should we do now?”

Jiang Che smacked his lips and also felt that this was a tricky situation. If they helped, it concerned someone’s entire life. What if something went wrong in the future after they intervened?

If they didn’t help, Bian Qianqian was still their friend’s wife’s friend, and now she was in such a miserable state, showing up at their door. Kicking her out without any sympathy would seem too heartless.

The couple looked at each other, both letting out helpless sighs.

“Let’s go. It’s not good to leave a guest standing outside for too long. Just don’t say anything later, I’ll do the talking.” Jiang Che was worried that his wife might be too shy to say some things, but he had no such concerns.

Wei Xuan, holding the teapot, asked curiously, “Do you have a solution?”

“Just leave it to me,” Jiang Che answered cryptically, taking the teapot from Wei Xuan’s hands and stepping into the living room first.

Wei Xuan had no idea what he was up to, so she could only follow him and see what he would say.

The four of them sat down, each holding a cup of tea, and there was a long silence with no one speaking.

Song Jianjun did want to ask something, but when he saw Jiang Che’s serious expression, he felt a little nervous. In the end, the words that were on the tip of his tongue remained unsaid.

After a long while, it was Jiang Che who spoke first: “Jianjun, we’re brothers, and my wife is friends with your cousin. Given our relationship, if you have a problem, we should help. But this situation… it’s really not like any ordinary problem.”

Song Jianjun was about to speak when Jiang Che stopped him.

“Hold on a moment,” Jiang Che said. “Let me finish first.”

“Your cousin can stay at our house for now, no problem. At worst, I’ll clear out the living room for her. But the issue is, what if that man can’t be found? Can she just stay here indefinitely? Can she wait? Can the child wait? You can’t expect the child to be born in my house, right? What’s going to happen in the future? You need to give me some clear answers!”

Song Jianjun hadn’t thought about all this before coming. Now, faced with Jiang Che’s series of questions, he was at a loss for words.

It was Bian Qianqian, who had been silent until now, who spoke up: “If we can’t find him, I’ll just go to the hospital while the child is still small and get an abortion, then return home. You can let me stay here for a while so I have time to find Cheng Shao. Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Jiang Che and Wei Xuan exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement, allowing her to stay.

Bian Qianqian was so relieved that she burst into tears. Seeing her crying uncontrollably, Wei Xuan quickly went up to comfort her.

At this point, Jiang Che and Song Jianjun felt it was no longer appropriate to stay, so Jiang Che stood up and said to Song Jianjun, “Jianjun, I happen to have something else to discuss with you. Let’s talk outside.”

Song Jianjun also felt uncomfortable staying there and quickly agreed, “Alright, alright, let’s go outside and talk.”

The two walked to the door, and Jiang Che waited until he was sure the people inside couldn’t hear their conversation before speaking up.

“Jianjun, I think you need to have a clear plan in mind for this. The man your cousin is involved with doesn’t seem reliable to me. Have you considered that if things don’t go well for her in the future, your uncle and aunt might blame you? Wei Xuan and I are outsiders, but you’re different. Don’t let it end up that you have no one to turn to in the family.”

Song Jianjun knew very well the stakes involved, but seeing his cousin cry so much and beg him, he was really afraid that if he didn’t agree, she might do something desperate and harm herself.

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Jiang Che suggested, “How about this—I’ll ask some friends to help look for him over the next few days. Once we find him, we can talk things over. Maybe there’s something we’re missing; perhaps this man really has his reasons, and we’ve judged him too harshly.”

Song Jianjun forced a smile and thanked Jiang Che, but deep down, he wasn’t sure and didn’t dare think too optimistically about the situation.

After Jiang Che saw Song Jianjun off, Wei Xuan was already in the kitchen cooking.

He thought for a moment and then decided to go to the kitchen.

When Wei Xuan saw him return, she asked, “Did Song Jianjun leave?”

“Mm, he left, leaving us with this big problem. Wife, let’s hold off on the goods for Brother Wu for now.” With outsiders in the house, it’s inconvenient. Since we’re not waiting for the money, it’s better to be cautious.

Wei Xuan had been thinking about bringing this up, so when he mentioned it first, she responded, “Okay, then you go to Brother Wu’s and tell him in advance. I’ll also tidy up a bed for Bian Qianqian here at home.”

Jiang Che agreed, and after dinner, he rode his bicycle out. Wei Xuan then took a blanket into the main room, pushed a few chairs together, and laid the blanket over them. It was just enough for one person to sleep.

The weather in May and June isn’t too cold or too hot, and with a small blanket, it should be fine.

After finishing up, Wei Xuan turned to Bian Qianqian, who had just returned from a bath and was standing behind her, fidgeting anxiously. “You can sleep in this room for now. We’ll eat in the kitchen from now on. It’s just me and Jiang Che at home, and no one else will come by, so you can stay at ease.”

“Wei Xuan, really, thank you.”

“No problem, we’re still friends, right? You must be tired today too, so go to bed early tonight.”

After settling Bian Qianqian, Wei Xuan took a quick shower and lay down on the bed, waiting for Jiang Che to return.

She wondered if stopping the goods for Brother Wu would cause any trouble for him.

Not long after, Jiang Che returned, and Wei Xuan asked, “What did Brother Wu say?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it,” Jiang Che replied, feeling uncomfortable from the sweat he had accumulated while riding his bike too quickly. He grabbed a change of clothes and said to Wei Xuan, “Wife, I’ll talk to you when I get back. I’m going to take a quick shower first.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

After Jiang Che finished his shower and came back, Wei Xuan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, counting money. She hadn’t counted the money in the cash box since April.

“How much is it?”

Without looking up, Wei Xuan replied, “A little over sixteen hundred, almost seventeen hundred.”

“How is there so much?” Jiang Che asked in surprise, sitting down along the edge of the bed and staring at the money in Wei Xuan’s hand.

Although he hadn’t personally counted it, he knew how much money they were making from the goods they sold each day. He had a rough idea of how much money was in the house.

Wei Xuan thought for a moment, then explained, “We haven’t really spent much money recently, so this includes our salaries from the past few months.”

Jiang Che understood. That made sense. When they first moved in, their salaries weren’t enough, but since the new year, they hadn’t had many expenses. Most of their food had been prepared during the holiday season and they still hadn’t finished it all.

At most, they bought a few vegetables, but there wasn’t much to spend on.

Now that he understood, Jiang Che took out a few bills from his pocket and handed them to Wei Xuan. “Here, this is the money from today’s sales of the nine-layer cake and braised meat.”

Wei Xuan took the money and counted it. “How much did you sell the nine-layer cake for?”

“Hehe,” Jiang Che smirked twice and sat on the bed. “Wife, I’ve realized that making cakes is more profitable than making braised meat. Just those few pieces of cake this morning, I took them to Brother Wu to weigh them, and it was a little over three pounds. He gave me two dollars for them.”

No wonder, Wei Xuan thought as she looked at the money in her hand. One pound of rice can make about three pounds of cake, and the market price of one pound of rice is about 0.15 yuan. Even if she gets the goods from Wu Yun, it only costs around 0.20 yuan, plus the beans, oil, and various other ingredients. When you calculate it all, the profit is nearly ten times.

On the other hand, the profit from braised meat is only two times as much. But of course, it’s not just about that; meat is expensive to begin with, and even double the profit is already quite profitable.

But this also shows that the cake business can indeed be done.

“It’s just a shame,” Jiang Che said regretfully, “that just when I found a profitable business, we have to stop.”

Wei Xuan gave him a glance. “Don’t act all coy. A few days ago, I called you to get up and deliver goods, and you were reluctant. Now that you can rest, you’re resting! I don’t think she can last much longer. It’s fine if she finds someone, but if she doesn’t, and she’s still carrying a child, how can she just wait around like this? She’ll definitely have to make a decision soon.”

At this point, Wei Xuan’s mood also turned sour.

Women still need to take care of themselves. Otherwise, when something like this happens, it’s not just heartbreaking—it’s also bad for their health.

Jiang Che didn’t want to see his wife upset over such things, so he quickly changed the subject. “By the way, next month is the Dragon Boat Festival. How about I go with you to visit your parents?”

Sure enough, Wei Xuan’s attention was drawn by his words. “Is that okay? Will your parents be upset?”

“It’s fine. There’s still almost a month before the holiday. We can go home a few more times these next few days, have a few meals with them, and spend some time with them. They’ll understand.”

Wei Xuan was tempted. After a moment, she said, “Alright, once this whole thing with Qianqian is over, I’ll make more nine-layered cakes and take them to visit my parents.”

It’s easy to imagine a beautiful picture, but reality is cruel.

Jiang Che and Song Jianjun had been asking around the streets through their friends, trying to track down Bian Qianqian’s whereabouts, but after several days, they found nothing.

At this point, Bian Qianqian’s mood had also become more and more irritable.

As a pregnant woman, she was already sensitive and overthinking.

Wei Xuan was worried that if she kept this up, she might end up frightening herself into a miscarriage.

There was no choice. Wei Xuan had to take extra care in her meals, and that day, she brought a bowl of freshly made fish soup and knocked on the door of the main room. “Qianqian, are you in? I’ve made some soup, do you want to have some?”

Inside the room, Bian Qianqian wiped her tears and stood up to open the door.

As soon as Wei Xuan saw her red eyes, she knew she had been hiding inside and crying again. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

But she didn’t show it on her face. She walked into the room and placed the soup on the table. “You should drink it while it’s hot. They say fish soup is good for the baby when you’re pregnant; it helps the child become smart.”

Bian Qianqian thanked her for her kindness, sat down, and began drinking slowly, one sip at a time.

After a while, she spoke bitterly, “I guess your kindness is going to be wasted. Whether the baby survives is still uncertain. What does being smart even matter?”

Wei Xuan felt a headache coming on after hearing this. She really didn’t have much experience in comforting people.

Fortunately, Jiang Che and Song Jianjun appeared just in time, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Bian Qianqian immediately put down her spoon when she saw them and quickly walked over. “Did you find anything?”

Song Jianjun replied, “It’s still unclear. Today we did find someone else named Cheng Shao, and from his description, he matches what you said. The problem is, he’s not from the capital but from a village nearby. So, I plan to go to the village tomorrow and see if we can find out more.”

“Not from the city?” Bian Qianqian murmured, then looked up and asked, “But Cheng Shao told me he’s from the capital, and his father works at the steel plant.”

Hearing this, Song Jianjun got angry. “And you still have the nerve to say that? Because you told us his father worked at the steel plant, we’ve been asking around the steel plant for days, and there’s no sign of this person you’re talking about. How exactly do you know this Cheng Shao? You’d better tell me the truth!”

Seeing Song Jianjun getting worked up, Wei Xuan gave Jiang Che a look, signaling him to step in and calm things down.

Jiang Che was reluctant. He turned his head and pretended not to notice. He was already in a bad mood himself. How much time had been wasted on this damn mess? Every day after work, he had to go out and help look for this person. On top of that, his wife had to spend time cooking and making soup for Bian Qianqian. He’d been unhappy about it for a while. His wife had a good temper, but he had one too.

With no one stepping in to smooth things over, and under Song Jianjun’s continued pressure, Bian Qianqian finally spoke the truth.

“I was visiting my aunt in the city once and ran into him at the bus station. He saw that I was carrying things and struggling to walk, so he offered to help. After chatting for a bit, he insisted on taking me to lunch, and I couldn’t refuse, so I went with him.”

Song Jianjun, hearing this, was furious. He pointed at her and scolded, “Have you never eaten before? You went to have lunch with someone you just met?”

“Well, he was just so friendly, and he helped me. Plus, he didn’t look like a bad person. I didn’t know what to say at the time…” Bian Qianqian defended herself in a small voice.

Song Jianjun was so enraged that he choked for a moment before saying, “Can a bad person have those two words carved on their face? Fine, go ahead, tell me what happened next.”

It wasn’t surprising that Song Jianjun was angry; even Wei Xuan thought this girl was too careless and oblivious.

And from what Bian Qianqian said, it seemed that Cheng Shao wasn’t just someone who didn’t look like a bad person, but actually looked quite good—at least, good enough to catch Bian Qianqian’s interest.

Sure enough, Bian Qianqian continued, “When I first got to know him, he treated me so well. He would take me to eat delicious food, buy me things for girls, and he was sweet-talking and good-looking. I didn’t think much of it at the time. But after we got together, he told me the truth. He said his family wasn’t very rich. His father was just an ordinary worker at the steel plant, his mother didn’t work, and besides him, there was a younger sister and two younger brothers.”

At this point, Bian Qianqian’s voice began to tremble with tears. “When I heard that, I felt like I had been deceived. But he hadn’t mentioned his family situation before, and by then, we were already together. I couldn’t do anything. I just tried to comfort myself that at least he treated me well, and that was enough… sniff…”

The rest didn’t need to be said. Everyone already understood what had happened. She had decided to be with the man, gathered the courage to tell her parents, only to be opposed and locked up.

And now, Bian Qianqian looked up and shouted, “He lied to me once, but he won’t lie to me again. Brother, can you take me with you when you go to find him tomorrow? That person definitely can’t be him.”

Wei Xuan secretly shook her head: Silly girl, if he could deceive you once, what’s to stop him from deceiving you a second time?

Song Jianjun probably also thought his cousin’s tears were pitiful. After a long pause, he finally nodded. Well, regardless of whether it’s true or not, this matter needed a resolution.

Seeing the conversation come to a close, Wei Xuan handed her a towel. “Quick, wipe your face,” she said, then turned to Song Jianjun. “Stay and eat with us. It’s so late already.”

Song Jianjun glanced at the sky outside. At this hour, he’d definitely miss dinner at home. But recently, he and his cousin had already caused Jiang Che and Wei Xuan a lot of trouble. It didn’t seem right to keep taking advantage of their kindness.

Just as he was about to decline, he heard Jiang Che speak. “Alright, stay and have a meal. It’s not like one more meal matters.”

Seeing that they were genuinely insisting, Song Jianjun nodded. “Sister-in-law, thank you.”

“Ah, no trouble at all. It’s just adding another pair of chopsticks,” Wei Xuan replied.

That night, as they lay in bed, the couple continued discussing the situation. Wei Xuan asked Jiang Che, “Do you think this person you’re inquiring about is the one Qianqian is looking for?”

Jiang Che didn’t really care about the specifics. He only knew one thing: whether or not it was the right person, Bian Qianqian was leaving.

With that in mind, he sat up excitedly and asked Wei Xuan, “Wife, Brother Wu has been urging me these past few days. We need to start thinking about it. Once she’s gone, how many layers of cakes should we prepare to send over each day?”

Speaking of making money, Jiang Che was full of energy now, much more enthusiastic than Wei Xuan. Mainly, he had gotten used to having daily earnings, and suddenly stopping made him feel a bit out of place.

Talking about this, Wei Xuan also put aside the earlier concerns and focused on discussing things with Jiang Che.

The next morning, Song Jianjun came to Wei Xuan’s house to pick someone up.

Wei Xuan and Jiang Che still had to go to work, so they couldn’t go. Song Jianjun, on the other hand, had taken a day off specifically for this matter.

After they left, Wei Xuan felt a bit distracted throughout her workday.

No matter how careless Bian Qianqian might be, she was still a young girl. This situation was undoubtedly a blow to any girl. For a moment, Wei Xuan didn’t know whether she hoped the person they went to find was Bian Qianqian’s partner or not.

If it was him, a fraud, would Bian Qianqian really have a good life if she married him?

If it wasn’t, Bian Qianqian, a young, unmarried girl pregnant out of wedlock— even now, and certainly years later, she would likely not be accepted by society.

The burden wasn’t just family reproach; there would be the strange glances from others. She wasn’t sure if Bian Qianqian could endure it.

When she came home from work that evening and saw only Song Jianjun standing at the door, Wei Xuan had a sense of certainty. It seemed that they really had found something out.

Song Jianjun looked up when he heard footsteps and, upon seeing Wei Xuan, began to explain what had happened that day.

When they arrived in the village today, they saw Cheng Shao. Cheng Shao had originally planned to run, but he was caught by Song Jianjun.

According to him, he hadn’t intended to deceive anyone and truly liked Bian Qianqian. However, when he saw how she was dressed, he knew that if he told the truth, he would have no chance. So, he deliberately presented himself as a wealthy person in front of Bian Qianqian, and sure enough, she fell for it.

After they had relations, he had actually planned to tell the truth, but he was afraid that doing so directly would scare Bian Qianqian away. That’s why he fabricated an identity, planning to gradually reveal the truth and give her time to accept it.

Who would have known that Bian Qianqian would throw a big surprise and decide to marry him? This scared him. He was afraid that if Bian Qianqian found out the truth, she would turn against him. After the New Year, with the busy farming season, he conveniently stayed at home and didn’t go to the city.

No wonder they couldn’t find him after searching for so long. Wei Xuan asked, “Now that you’ve found him, what are Qianqian’s plans?”

Song Jianjun frowned and took a deep drag of his cigarette. “Now that I’ve found him, my job’s done. I’ve already sent her back home and confessed everything to her uncle and aunt. You didn’t see it, but this guy’s family…” He paused for a moment before continuing, “They’re really poor. I asked around in the village. His dad is a lazy bum, and the whole family depends on him and his mom. He has three younger siblings, and they can barely get enough to eat. How is Qianqian supposed to live if she marries into this family?”

Wei Xuan thought that even if they were from a village, their lives shouldn’t be that hard, especially since he had been able to take Bian Qianqian out for meals and buy her things.

As if sensing Wei Xuan’s doubt, Song Jianjun explained, “I asked him about it. He said he usually sneaks into the mountains to catch things to eat. If he’s lucky, he catches enough to sell, which is why he has a little bit of money. But he spends it all on Qianqian.”

Wei Xuan nodded. “At least he knows how to save, but the fact that he’s lying is really unacceptable.”

Song Jianjun came this time to explain the follow-up of this matter clearly to Wei Xuan and Jiang Che. After all, his cousin had been staying here for so long, and it wouldn’t be right to leave without saying a word. After he finished, he didn’t stay long, as he still had to talk to his parents.

Just after he left, Jiang Che returned, and Wei Xuan repeated the whole matter to him.

After hearing it, Jiang Che didn’t offer any opinions. Wei Xuan knew that Jiang Che didn’t particularly like Bian Qianqian, and he didn’t want to discuss her too much.

So, she brought up another matter: “Didn’t you say a while ago that you would try to go home and spend more time with Mom and Dad when you had a chance? Tomorrow works out perfectly. We can make some extra pastries in the morning, deliver them to Brother Wu, and save some to bring home.”

“Okay,” Jiang Che replied, and then added, “Then let’s make some more rice tonight. It seems like we’re running low on rice at home.”

Wei Xuan thought for a moment, “It seems like we don’t have much left, maybe about two or three pounds. It should be enough for tomorrow though.”

Jiang Che nodded, “Then I’ll stop by Brother Wu’s tomorrow. If he has any, I’ll buy more to bring back.”

The next day, when they finished work and excitedly entered the Jiang family courtyard with their things, they immediately sensed that something was off with the atmosphere.

They exchanged a glance, and Jiang Che took the lead and stepped inside, while Wei Xuan lagged a little behind. As they got closer to the house, Wei Xuan heard the faint sound of Jiang Da Sao (Sister-in-law Jiang) crying from inside. She looked a bit awkward.

It seems like we’ve come back at the wrong time!