Chapter 6: The Jiang Family; A Direct Confrontation

◎ The First Time Witnessing Jiang Che’s Unruly Nature ◎

Jiang Che was a smart man. Even if he hadn’t figured it out at first, he had more or less guessed the situation by now.

At first, he was a little unhappy that Wei Xuan had soured his mood on such a joyous day.

But after a moment’s thought, he realized that Wei Xuan was two years younger than him, and it was only natural for her to feel reluctant to leave home and her parents. So, he swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue and instead comforted her, “If you miss home, I’ll bring you back. Stop crying now. You look so beautiful today—if you cry and your eyes swell up, people might think I bullied you.”

Wei Xuan rolled her eyes in her heart. Did he really think everyone was as carefree and thick-skinned as he was?

Not wanting to bother with him for now, she turned her gaze to the scenery outside the window.

Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Jiang Che sighed in relief. As long as she wasn’t crying, that saved him the trouble of coaxing her.

Finally, he could enjoy driving again—he hadn’t had enough fun yet.

The car drove smoothly all the way to the residential compound of the state-run cotton factory and came to a stop. When Wei Xuan got out, she realized that Jiang Che’s family might be even better off than she had imagined. The house before her was a standalone courtyard. Although it wasn’t a multi-story building and the yard was small—only about ten square meters—it was clearly much more spacious than the cramped homes she had heard about, where several generations squeezed into just a few dozen square meters.

Before she could take a closer look, Wei Xuan was ushered into the house by the crowd. She and Jiang Che stood together and recited the marriage vows. After that, there was nothing else for her to do.

Jiang Che stayed outside to entertain the guests, leaving her alone in the room with nothing to do but sit.

She took a look around the room, which was about fifteen square meters—not even as big as her room back in the village. However, the bright white walls and cement floor were clearly much better than the conditions she had lived in before. The place felt much brighter.

Inside the room, there was a bed and a large wardrobe. On top of the wardrobe sat a wooden chest—those must have been part of the dowry she had sent over a couple of days ago. Besides that, there was a table with a single chair, and nothing else.

With a creak, the door was pushed open. A woman, around thirty years old, stepped inside. Wei Xuan didn’t recognize her, so she remained silent.

The woman placed a bowl of food on the table and said with a warm smile, “Sister-in-law, I’m Jiang Che’s eldest sister. You can just call me ‘Big Sis’ like he does. You’ve been busy all morning, so you must be hungry. I brought you some food—have a bite to fill your stomach.”

So, this was her eldest sister-in-law! Wei Xuan knew that Jiang Che had three older sisters and an older brother. This eldest sister seemed quite friendly—she wondered if the others would be just as easy to get along with.

Lost in thought, she quickly stood up with a smile and thanked her, “Big Sis, thank you so much. I really was getting a little hungry.”

“No trouble at all. You go ahead and eat—I have things to do outside, so I’ll leave you to it.”

Wei Xuan glanced at the food on the table and was surprised to see braised pork among the dishes.

She couldn’t help but lick her lips before sitting down to eat.

Maybe this body was really starved of nutrition—she had never liked fatty meat before, but now she found it unbelievably delicious.

After finishing a bowl of rice, she reluctantly put down her chopsticks. It had been a long time since she had eaten so much and felt this full.

It wasn’t until the wedding banquet guests had all left in the afternoon that Jiang Che finally returned to the room.

Hearing the door open, Wei Xuan jolted awake. She had been on the verge of falling asleep, but her eyes snapped open instantly, and she jumped up from the bed in one swift motion.

Jiang Che had drunk some alcohol at noon and didn’t notice Wei Xuan’s movements. He walked straight to the bed and lay down.

Seeing that he had closed his eyes and seemed about to fall asleep, Wei Xuan quickly asked, “Jiang Che, have all the guests left?”

“They’re gone. If they weren’t, do you think I’d be free to come back?” he grumbled. “Those little rascals dared to make me drink—just wait until tomorrow, I’ll deal with them.”

Wei Xuan ignored his complaints and asked, “Are Mom and the sisters still outside cleaning up? Should I go out and help?”

Hearing this, Jiang Che half-opened his eyes and gave her a once-over. After a moment, he asked, “Do you want to go out?”

Wei Xuan: …

If she really wanted to go out, she wouldn’t have bothered asking him in the first place. Thinking of her mother’s advice from the night before, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously testing the waters, “If I don’t go out, will Mom be upset?”

Jiang Che chuckled. “That’s more like it. Just say what you mean—no need to beat around the bush.”

With that, he pulled Wei Xuan into his arms. “Don’t worry, with Sister-in-law and my sisters around, Mom won’t be mad.”

Wei Xuan struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free. “Let me go! It’s still broad daylight.”

“Don’t move, let me sleep for a bit,” Jiang Che mumbled.

Seeing that he stopped talking after that, as if he had really fallen asleep, Wei Xuan stopped resisting. However, his arm remained firmly wrapped around her, showing no sign of loosening. Realizing it was pointless to struggle, she eventually dozed off as well.

By the time she woke up, it was already 5:30 in the afternoon. Startled, she hurriedly sat up and pushed Jiang Che. That was one deep sleep.

Jiang Che wasn’t pleased about being woken up—he had a bit of a temper when it came to getting up.

But Wei Xuan wasn’t about to indulge him. “It’s almost time for dinner. If you don’t get up now, will you even be able to sleep later tonight?”

Fortunately, Jiang Che still remembered that Wei Xuan was his newlywed wife. Without saying anything more, he got up, though his face was dark with irritation.

At that moment, the Jiang family was gathered in the main hall, chatting.

Once the two of them stepped out after tidying up, all eyes immediately turned to the newlyweds. Wei Xuan felt a little uncomfortable under their scrutiny. She hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to remain composed and continue walking forward.

Jiang Che’s eldest sister-in-law was not pleased to see the two of them leisurely strolling out of the room when it was already getting dark.

She had never thought highly of Jiang Che, her younger brother-in-law. He was always idling around, never doing anything proper, yet he knew how to act sweet and obedient in front of their in-laws. And those two old folks just fell for it every time, treating him even better than their eldest grandson. Who knew how much he had swindled from them over the years?

Now he had married a rural wife, and she figured the girl couldn’t be anything good either. A decent girl wouldn’t get involved with a loafer like Jiang Che in the first place.

Not to mention, she had actually managed to make Jiang Che, a man full of tricks, throw a fit and insist on marrying her no matter what. Who knew what kind of underhanded means she had used?

No matter what she thought in private, Jiang Che’s sister-in-law was adept at keeping up appearances. She put on a beaming smile and greeted Wei Xuan, “Oh my, sister-in-law, you’re such a beauty! No wonder our picky Xiao Che had to have you and insisted on marrying you.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned a little strange. Wei Xuan even caught, out of the corner of her eye, that Jiang Che’s mother’s expression didn’t look too good.

For a moment, she was confused. What was wrong with what Jiang Che’s sister-in-law had just said? It sounded like a perfectly normal compliment.

Puzzled, she simply smiled without responding, trying to figure out where exactly the issue lay.

Jiang Che had always known that his sister-in-law didn’t like him, but he didn’t care. At most, she was just bitter about him getting benefits from their parents and would throw a few sour words his way—nothing that actually hurt. What mattered was that he got what he wanted.

But just because he didn’t care didn’t mean he’d let anyone say whatever they wanted to his wife. She had just married into the family and didn’t understand much yet—there was no reason for her to suffer such needless grievances.

Seeing his little wife’s confused expression, and with his post-nap irritability still lingering, Jiang Che immediately gave his sister-in-law a taste of her own medicine.

“So what you’re saying, sister-in-law, is that my eldest brother only married you because his standards were low?”

“You… You—!” His sister-in-law was so furious she could barely form a sentence.

Seeing the tension rising, Jiang Che’s three older sisters quickly stepped in to mediate.

“Sister-in-law, at our age, let’s not bother arguing with the little brother. You know how he is—he’s always been blunt and never filters his words. He didn’t mean to offend you.”

“That’s right. He probably just woke up and is still a bit groggy from the alcohol. It’s his big day—let’s not make a fuss.”

“Exactly. And honestly, sister-in-law, you should’ve known better. You know how bad his temper is, yet you still said something he wouldn’t like. Weren’t you just asking to be snapped at?”

Sister-in-law Jiang: ……

So now it’s all my fault, huh?

This was the first time Wei Xuan had witnessed Jiang Che’s little tyrant-like, reckless behavior, and she was utterly shocked. Was it really okay to be this blunt and not give others any face? Not to mention, even if he didn’t care about his sister-in-law’s face, his elder brother was still right here.

She glanced in the direction of Brother Jiang—well, great. He was sitting there, looking as calm as ever, casually chatting with his three brothers-in-law, completely oblivious to what was happening over here. Left with no choice, Wei Xuan shifted her gaze to Father and Mother Jiang.

As soon as the elderly couple noticed her looking their way, they quickly turned their heads toward the sons-in-law as well, putting on a serious, absorbed expression as if they were deeply engrossed in the conversation.

Right after that, Wei Xuan heard the three sisters-in-law comforting Sister-in-law Jiang.

For some reason, Wei Xuan suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for her. She just hoped she wouldn’t be angered to death.

She had been a little nervous about this family recognition banquet, but strangely enough, she now felt completely at ease.

After dinner, Wei Xuan made a polite gesture by standing up and attempting to help clear the dishes, but the three sisters-in-law immediately stopped her. As they pushed back and forth, Mother Jiang spoke up: “Alright, let your sisters handle it. You don’t need to lift a finger today.”

Since it was already said, Wei Xuan naturally withdrew her hands. She had only been acting out of courtesy anyway. Her mother had already told her—new daughters-in-law didn’t have to do any housework for the first three days at their husband’s home. It was a custom.

Wei Xuan didn’t particularly care about customs, but if she could get away with slacking off, she certainly wouldn’t go out of her way to do extra work.

After the dishes were washed, the sisters-in-law were sent home by Mother Jiang, and Wei Xuan was also pulled back to their room by Jiang Che.

As soon as they entered, Jiang Che told her, “Stay away from Sister-in-law in the future. If she ever gives you trouble, just tell me—I’ll deal with her.”

“Alright, got it.” Having someone willing to stand up for her? She couldn’t ask for more.

Seeing how obedient his little wife was, Jiang Che couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her hair, laughing as he said, “But don’t be afraid of her. My wife shouldn’t be someone who backs down easily—don’t embarrass me.”

Wei Xuan found it amusing, but she remained calm on the surface. Tilting her head slightly to shake off his hand, she casually smoothed out her hair that he had messed up.

“By the way, how many days did you take off for the wedding? You’ll come with me when we go back to my family on the third day, right? Do you still have time?”

“Take leave? What leave?”

Wei Xuan was surprised. “Don’t you need to take time off work?”

Was the deputy factory director’s son really this arrogant?

“Who told you I have to work? Work is boring, and it doesn’t even pay that much.”

What kind of bandit logic was this? If working didn’t make money, then wouldn’t not working make even less?