“What do you mean?”
Jiang Cui’e looked at him with suspicion. Why had this nephew suddenly changed?
It wasn’t as if she had never thought about asking her elder brother to help find a good match for her daughter in the county. After all, marrying a worker who earned a state salary in the county was far better than marrying a farmer in the village.
But her nephew had always disliked getting involved in others’ affairs. Whenever they came asking for help, he had always brushed them off coldly.
Seeing how indifferent he had been in the past, she had long since given up on that idea.
“Aunt, I used to be ignorant. But now I understand… you’re my aunt. We share the same blood.”
“My sister may carry the surname Feng, but she’s still my real sister.”
“There’s only one male in both our families, and that’s me. If we prosper, we prosper together. If we fall, we fall together. If I don’t stand up for my sisters, then what’s the point of me even existing?”
“Don’t worry. Leave my sisters’ marriages to me. As for those poor village boys who dare to make outrageous demands, don’t even bother with them.”
“Big Lin, are you serious?”
Chen Jiangshan quickly chimed in with a grin, “Aunt, it’s true! You don’t know how capable Big Lin is now. He doesn’t even bother with Tang Yue from our village anymore. He even said he’s going to get into university and show the Jiang family ancestors that their descendants have made something of themselves.”
Jiang Cui’e’s eyes reddened. Seeing her nephew become so sensible filled her heart with a strange mix of warmth and sorrow.
All this time, she had felt like she had no support from her maternal family.
Although her third brother cared about her, he naturally cared more about his own household. Once everyone had their own families, the bond between siblings was no longer as close as before.
And her nephew had always kept his distance, unwilling to involve himself in their affairs.
That was why she had felt her daughters had no one to rely on and had insisted on finding them husbands nearby, so she could at least support them.
But now… if her nephew had truly changed, how could she not hope that her daughters might rise higher and build a better future?
“Alright… Aunt will listen to you.”
His words alone had already warmed her heart to the extreme. Whether he could truly achieve it didn’t even matter. Just hearing him say it was enough.
Outside the door, Feng Junsheng’s eyes were also slightly red.
Each bowl had two eggs resting on top.
Then he brought in another large bowl filled with braised pork.
“Don’t be shy about eating the meat. Pour the braised pork sauce over the noodles… that’s the best way to eat it. Our family may lack many things, but we never lack meat.”
Only someone like Feng Junsheng could speak so boldly. Even officials in the county couldn’t say such things.
After all, even county officials had to rely on ration tickets to buy meat. But Feng Junsheng was a butcher. Whenever anyone slaughtered pigs, they needed him, so meat was never an issue for him.
Jiang Lin didn’t stand on ceremony. He poured the rich braised pork sauce over his noodles and added several pieces of meat on top. His uncle’s cooking was truly exceptional… even better than the school’s head chef. It was authentic and full of flavor.
Chen Jiangshan felt a little embarrassed at first, but Jiang Lin directly tipped the remaining half bowl of braised pork onto his noodles.
Chen Jiangshan’s eyes lit up instantly.
There was no resisting it. That glossy, deep-red braised pork, coated in thick sauce, made anyone swallow hard just looking at it.
The aroma carried a faint sweetness mixed with rich meaty fragrance. This was pork raised purely on grain, untouched by additives or artificial feed.
And since Feng Junsheng was a butcher, he always selected the best cuts for himself.
The pork used for this dish was perfectly layered… tender, fatty yet not greasy, melting in the mouth.
The two of them hadn’t eaten meat in a long time. They immediately lowered their heads and began eating heartily.
Jiang Cui’e brought in two bowls of noodle soup and placed them in front of them. Seeing them eating without even lifting their heads, she hurriedly said, “Slow down, slow down. There’s more in the pot if it’s not enough.”
Only after they had nearly finished did Feng Junsheng speak again.
“Big Lin, what was that you said earlier about helping your sister? What do you need done?”
“Since you came to your aunt, it must be something we can help with. Just say it. I won’t boast about anything else, but in these surrounding villages, I do have some standing.”
That was true. As a butcher, no one dared offend him. After all, when it came time to slaughter pigs at the end of the year, they would need his help.
“What? 25,000 kilograms of green onions?”
Jiang Cui’e and Feng Junsheng exchanged a glance. What kind of problem was that?
Every household in the village grew green onions. Not just their village… the surrounding villages did too. Gathering a few thousand kilograms was easy if they asked around. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Aunt, you don’t understand. Some villages do have green onions, but they might sell them to other units instead. If another unit offers even a slightly higher price, do you think they would still be willing to sell to my sister’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative?”
“So we can only handle this privately. We need to sign contracts directly with the villagers. Once it’s written in black and white, it’s harder for them to go back on their word.”
Feng Junsheng nodded. “I get it now.”
“Alright, no more talk. I’ll handle this. I know a few people… each of them has over 6,600 square meters of green onions. If we gather everything together, 25,000 kilograms is nothing. There’s no need to deal with scattered small households. It wouldn’t help much anyway.”
Just the thought of his daughter possibly marrying into the county to a worker made him more than willing to help.
For years, he had endured people looking down on his family in the village. Now, for the sake of his wife’s pride, he was determined to make it happen.
He wanted his daughter to marry into the city, live a good life, and make the whole village envious… let them all see that his family had raised a remarkable daughter.
That night, Jiang Lin repeatedly reminded his aunt and uncle not to limit their vision.
Once his eldest sister became the director of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, finding a husband who worked a stable job would be effortless.
His greatest fear was that his aunt and uncle would be deceived again. The tragedy of his previous life must never be repeated.
Later that night, Jiang Cui’e and Feng Junsheng lay on the heated bed in their room, unable to sleep.
The news their nephew had brought filled them with excitement.
“Do you think what Big Lin said is reliable?” Feng Junsheng asked.
“Don’t you know his temperament? He never talks nonsense or lies,” Jiang Cui’e replied. “If he were the type to lie, he wouldn’t have said such hurtful things back then.”
“The fact that he said this means he truly believes it. Just set your mind at ease.”
As she comforted her husband, Jiang Cui’e felt an unprecedented sense of confidence.
For the first time, she felt she could stand tall in front of him.
This was the confidence her nephew had given her… the confidence her maternal family had given her.