Wang Guilan and Liu Xiumin looked at the empty bike shed, their expressions instantly turning awkward.
“Tang Yue…”
Neither of them had expected Jiang Lin to be serious this time… if he said he wouldn’t wait, he truly didn’t wait.
Tang Yue’s face burned. No one had struck her, yet her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
“Wang Guilan, Liu Xiumin, let’s go. I don’t care to ride his bicycle. Even if Jiang Lin begged me now, I wouldn’t ride it.”
The three girls walked home in silence.
By the time Tang Yue reached home, her feet ached unbearably.
The soles of her cloth shoes were thin. Walking on the uneven gravel road was pure torture. Toward the end, she was limping as she stepped into the courtyard.
Her mother saw her limping in and immediately made a fuss. “Yueyue, what happened to you? What’s going on with that Jiang Lin? Did he make you fall off the bicycle? If he hurt you, his family will have to cover the medical expenses. Just wait, I’ll go find him.”
Tang Yue quickly stopped her. “Mom, I didn’t ride his bicycle back. And I won’t ride it again in the future. That Jiang Lin thinks just because his father is the village chief, I’ll give in to him.”
Her mind was in turmoil. On one hand, her feet hurt terribly. On the other, Jiang Lin’s behavior today made her feel like she was losing control.
Hearing this, Tang Yue’s mother didn’t take it seriously at all.
Her daughter was the most beautiful girl in all the surrounding villages. Matchmakers had practically worn down their doorstep, yet they had never agreed to marry her off, carefully weighing who would be the best match.
At the moment, Jiang Lin was the most suitable candidate.
He obeyed her daughter in everything. If she said go east, he wouldn’t dare go west.
More importantly, Jiang Lin’s father was the village chief, and his sisters had all married well.
If Tang Yue married into such a family, she would have no trouble keeping Jiang Lin under control. With the Jiang family supporting them, their life would naturally improve.
Smiling, she said, “So you had a fight with Jiang Lin. Don’t be so temperamental. At least be a bit polite to him. A man needs his pride.”
“Mom, stop bringing him up. He made me lose all face at school today. Enough, I’m hungry.”
Tang Yue wasn’t the only daughter in the family, but she was the most beautiful.
Because many men flattered her, and Jiang Lin treated her differently from the rest, being both the most devoted and the best off financially, her parents naturally spoiled her more.
“Third child! Didn’t you hear your sister say she’s hungry? Go to the kitchen and make food for her.”
Twelve-year-old Tang Yun limped into the kitchen without a word.
They were both daughters, yet Tang Yue was like a star in the sky, while she was nothing more than dirt on the ground.
In this family, the eldest brother and the younger brother were like the sun in the sky, Tang Yue was the moon, and she was just mud.
Tang Yue looked at the food placed in front of her and couldn’t help frowning.
The food at home was terrible.
Their family was the poorest in the village. There simply weren’t enough able workers.
Although the eldest brother was already an adult, he was lazy and notorious throughout the village.
Her father had tuberculosis and needed constant medication, unable to work in the fields. Her mother had heart disease.
After land was distributed to each household, their fields relied entirely on Tang Yun and their mother.
But no matter how hard two women worked, they couldn’t support so many mouths.
Their house was the worst in the village, and their food was the poorest.
Looking at her own clothes… even though she had tried her best to hide the patches in less noticeable places, they were still patched clothes.
Then she thought of Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin’s three sisters had all married into the county, each to workers or officials.
His father was the village chief.
On his mother’s side, all her siblings had daughters, making Jiang Lin the only son in both families.
Naturally, he ate well, dressed well, and used only the best things.
Just thinking about it filled Tang Yue with resentment.
That man only relied on his family’s wealth. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even spare him a glance.
Compared to Gu Xingzhi, he was useless and uneducated, only capable of bullying others with his family background, yet he still dreamed of gaining her attention.
Dream on.
Tang Yue took a bite of the sorghum bun in her hand, but found it hard to swallow. She tossed it back onto the plate. “I’m not eating.”
Tang Yun had just finished drinking her thin soup. She stared longingly at the sorghum bun Tang Yue had already bitten.
Seeing that their mother wasn’t paying attention, she quietly picked it up and ate it in a few quick bites.
It was so delicious…
The more Tang Yue thought about it, the angrier she became.
By midnight, hunger gnawed at her, making her restless.
She suddenly felt a hint of regret. She should have eaten that bun earlier.
Fine… if Jiang Lin came to pick her up tomorrow and brought her breakfast like before, she would consider forgiving him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lin and Chen Jiangshan rode their bicycles back to the village like the wind.
Seeing that Jiang Lin truly hadn’t waited for Tang Yue, Chen Jiangshan finally let out a sigh of relief. Even now, he still couldn’t fully believe his friend.
He just hoped Jiang Lin wouldn’t change his mind tomorrow. Otherwise, he would lose all face.
Jiang Lin rode his bicycle into the courtyard.
From inside the house came voices.
“Dad, you have to help Xiuyun this time! It wasn’t easy for her to get this opportunity at the supply and marketing cooperative. She can be promoted directly to director. Just borrow us 800 yuan from you and Mom. I promise to repay it within five years.”
The moment he heard his brother-in-law’s voice, anger surged in Jiang Lin’s chest.
His eldest brother-in-law, Xiao Chenghe, had always been highly regarded by his parents.
After all, Xiao Chenghe was a manager at the tobacco and liquor company. Not only did he have a stable job, he was also a cadre.
Naturally, his parents valued such a son-in-law greatly.
Especially since Xiao Chenghe’s parents were professors, and he had been classmates with Jiang Lin’s eldest sister.
He had pursued her for a long time before she agreed.
Back then, Xiao Chenghe had been overjoyed, even swearing in front of his family that he would treat her well for life.
In the years after their marriage, his eldest sister had not borne any children, yet Xiao Chenghe had never complained.
In the eyes of outsiders, his sister had married into a life of great fortune.
But who could have imagined that this refined, polite man, admired by everyone…
During his sister’s childbirth, had secretly brought in his illegitimate son from outside and passed him off as one of twins.
His naive sister had no idea that the frail child, born with a heart condition, was not her own son at all.