The old lady’s words struck the grandsons—and even the granddaughters-in-law—so hard that their expressions nearly cracked.
“You all think I’ve gone mad with wanting a granddaughter-in-law and lost all sense of judgment. Fine, I’ll admit it—I was wrong once. I accidentally read Xie Zheng’s diary. That’s when I discovered that all these years in Shanghai, there had always been someone he could never forget. It’s just that even his own memories couldn’t provide any concrete proof.”
“Back then, he was tortured so badly that he developed trauma-related stress disorders. Naturally, revisiting the old place helped him come to terms with things. Those buried memories gradually became clearer. As for the Cui family—whatever. If they dare come and make trouble in front of me, I won’t let them off. That so-called childhood engagement and the engagement jade pendant—just treat it as a reward for them. There’s nothing worth mentioning anymore.”
Xie Jun was still somewhat stunned, but Xie Zheng’s third brother, Xie Lian, and fourth brother, Xie Rui, couldn’t hold back.
They crowded around the old lady and asked in unison,
“Then who is Second Brother marrying?”
“The eldest daughter of a Shanghai yarn factory—Ruan Shujin. If it weren’t for that girl, you probably wouldn’t even be seeing your second brother today. Back then, it was that young lady who showed kindness and gave him water and food.”
Xie Jun frowned slightly. His wife, Liu Yici, quietly squeezed his hand.
Noticing the expression on her eldest grandson’s face, the old lady said,
“I know you’re worried about your brother. But you also know his temperament. Since she’s becoming family now, her safety must naturally be guaranteed. Your second brother also said that she’s willing to go to Mengdu with him. In that case, just let it be. As long as he truly likes her, that’s enough.”
Xie Jun gave a low “mm.”
Liu Yici looked at the old lady and asked gently,
“Grandma, do you know what my future sister-in-law likes? I can prepare something.”
“That girl is only twenty. I remember your younger sister is about the same age. Ask her what she likes—just buy something casually.”
Liu Yici nodded obediently.
Xie Lian and Xie Rui were still young. After joining in the excitement, they quickly ran off to play. The old lady turned her gaze back to Xie Jun, who still looked troubled.
“Don’t brood over it. Your brother isn’t gone forever. He has his own path to walk.”
Xie Jun let out a long sigh.
“If it weren’t for me back then, Second Brother wouldn’t have been mistreated like that.”
The old lady hated hearing this. She slapped Xie Jun on the head without hesitation.
“I’ve told you not to overthink it. Whether it’s you or that brat Xie Zheng, the real ones at fault were your father and your grandfather. What does that have to do with you, a little kid back then? If anything, it’s my and your mother’s fault—we failed to rein in those two old men, which led to these irreversible consequences. Your grandfather disliked your timid nature, yet your brother never blamed you. And now you’re the one blaming yourself?”
After she finished speaking, Xie Jun couldn’t help but laugh.
The old lady then turned to her eldest granddaughter-in-law.
“Go help your mother-in-law. She’s so happy she’s lost track of herself—she’s been picking clothes for half the day and still hasn’t come downstairs.”
Liu Yici responded warmly and headed upstairs.
In Shanghai, because a call had come from Kyoto, the marriage application process moved very quickly.
By noon, Cheng Xinfeng had already handed the documents to Xie Zheng.
“You’ve really thought it through? You’re set on this girl? Let me warn you—she’s from a capitalist family. If you marry her, you—”
“Commander, it’s her.”
You don’t know—without her, I would’ve died long ago.
Xie Zheng still didn’t have the courage to say those words aloud.
He glanced at the time, then at the documents in his hand, and took off at a sprint. Cheng Xinfeng slapped the air on both sides, watching Xie Zheng disappear without even a shadow left behind, unsure what to say anymore.
Ruan Shujin had been up early. After thinking it over, she didn’t go to the small towns outside Shanghai to seize the assets Zheng Yousai had transferred. She was waiting for Xie Zheng—and as it turned out, her instincts were spot on.
Xie Zheng really did come with the marriage application.
The two of them fell briefly into silence. Staring at Ruan Shujin’s face, Xie Zheng felt a strange dislocation in his memory. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t align the two faces in his mind.
Seeing her stance, Xie Zheng withdrew his watch.
“You need to think this through. Once you sign, we become one. I’ll protect you.”
Ruan Shujin filled it out quickly, afraid the man across from her might change his mind.
She looked up at Xie Zheng.
“Perfect—I’m free today too. Let’s go take a photo!”
“Let me tell you my plan. I intend to donate the yarn factory unconditionally—I won’t be involved in its operations anymore. Once your posting location is confirmed, tell me, and I’ll take my uncle and my younger siblings to prepare. My uncle was an orphan adopted by my grandfather. He has a son and a daughter. I want to bring all of them with me—there’s no way for him to survive in Shanghai anymore.”
“As for my mother… you can call me heartless or foolish, but I don’t want to care anymore.”
Xie Zheng watched her expression closely.
“Do whatever you want. I’m not you—I have no right to forgive those people on your behalf. Just remember one thing: as long as you’re happy. When the time comes, tell me your uncle’s information. That’s enough. But Mengdu isn’t stable, and the environment is nothing like Shanghai. Are you sure your uncle is willing to go?”
“He is.”
Ruan Shujin’s understanding of Shanghai was etched deeply into her bones.
Looking at the young man standing straight beside her, she glanced down at her own clothes.
What a pity—she couldn’t wear her favorite floral dress for the wedding photo.
But it didn’t matter.
After the photo was taken, Ruan Shujin kept a copy of their picture together.
Xie Zheng also stared at the photo for a long time.
Not long after, Xie Zheng stuffed an envelope into her hands. Inside was a thick stack of cash, along with a simple silver bracelet.
He tapped the envelope.
“This is what I’ve saved over the years in the army. The bracelet—I picked it up before. They said it was some kind of old piece. I just thought it looked nice.”
Seeing Xie Zheng scratch his head, Ruan Shujin suddenly found him a little amusing. Where was that cold, unfeeling man people talked about?
“Thank you. I really like it.”
As she spoke, she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.
The speed of their marriage was something Ruan Shujin hadn’t expected.
While she was still planning things out, Xie Zheng suddenly stopped, quickly tugged her wrist once, then immediately let go.
“My family is all in Kyoto. I joined the army because I like being a soldier. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but since you’re marrying me, I don’t want to hide anything. The information the Cui family has about my family isn’t accurate. We aren’t that poor—we’re just low-key. Outsiders assume our family has declined. On top of that, Cui Old Master isn’t a good person, so we deliberately kept him in the dark about our true situation.”
“Once you finish handling your matters here, if you have nowhere to go, head to Lanyun Courtyard. Just give my name—someone will bring you in.”
“When dealing with your family, be careful. Don’t let yourself be schemed against. I’ll be busy for a while and won’t be able to watch over you all the time.”
Ruan Shujin looked down at what she was holding, then back at Xie Zheng. For some reason, the things in her palm suddenly felt heavy.
As Xie Zheng left, he kept turning back every few steps, making her feel oddly uncomfortable—like she’d somehow ruined an innocent young man.
When Ruan Shujin returned to the old residence, Zheng Shuya eagerly rushed over.
“Elder Sister, I saw it just now. You’re really impressive—even someone like Xie Zheng fell for you.”
“Since you’re my sister, I’ll tell you this—don’t think you’ve picked up a watermelon. You don’t know if it’s sweet or rotten. You should think carefully.”
“The conflict between him and my maternal family is already this serious. Whether you marry him or not doesn’t really matter anymore. Why not just dump him and leave with us?”
“I’ve already discussed it with Brother Minhua. If you’re willing, he can marry you.”
Ruan Shujin naturally knew Zheng Shuya was fishing for information.
“Shuya, don’t worry. I can still tell who’s close and who’s distant. He and I just happened to share similar interests and chatted a bit more. You’re my family—I’ll always protect you first. After all, outsiders can’t be relied on.”
Zheng Shuya linked arms with her.
“It’s good that you understand. Dad has already gone to gather more information. The Cui family is still strong, even if weakened—they’re familiar with Hong Kong. I just didn’t expect Cui Yingxue to go crazy like that. A good life was right in front of her, yet she insisted on marrying that Xie-something Zheng.”
“Elder Sister, will you blame me? I really couldn’t control myself. I like Brother Minhua too much. Of course, if you like him too, I can give him to you.”
Suppressing her disgust, Ruan Shujin looked at Zheng Shuya with gentle affection in her eyes.
“Don’t say that. After yesterday, I’ve come to terms with things. Some matters can’t be forced. If you like him, then marry him. The An family are red capitalists—back in the early years, they poured real gold and silver into supporting development. This time, the An family should be able to weather the storm.”
Watching Zheng Shuya’s expression carefully, Ruan Shujin spoke softly,
“Did he tell you what plans his family has now?”