As soon as Su Tian returned to the village, quite a few people stopped her to ask, “How did the blind date go? I heard from Aunt Wang that the young man looks pretty good. If it works out, you should just get married.”
“And if you’re not feeling well in the future, does that mean you won’t need to go to the hospital—just have your doctor husband take a look?”
The算盘 they were working was so loud you could probably hear it into the next lifetime.
Putting aside the fact that Su Tian hadn’t even gone on a blind date with any doctor yet, even if she did end up marrying one, she wouldn’t be giving free medical consultations. They were clearly trying to take advantage.
Some people even compared her to Su Lili. “He’s not from the city, and his family conditions can’t compare to your cousin’s husband, but at least he’s tall and handsome. You wouldn’t lose out marrying him.”
Su Tian almost burst out swearing. Qin Yan was in no way comparable to Guo Zhiwei.
To stop the misunderstandings from spreading, Su Tian explained, “Aunt Wang got it wrong. The person who ate noodles with me today wasn’t a blind date, and he wasn’t that doctor either. Don’t spread rumors and ruin the doctor’s reputation.”
“When there’s good news, I’ll treat everyone to wedding candy. Today I just met an ordinary friend.”
Someone deliberately picked at her words. “Ordinary friends eat noodles together?”
“And sit face to face?”
“And laugh and talk?”
“So what? Is it illegal for ordinary friends to sit face to face, eat noodles, and chat a bit?”
She explained, but they refused to listen. No wonder she snapped back. “Which law did we break? Tell me, and I’ll fix it next time.”
“Stop acting like you don’t understand human language. If you’ve got nothing to do, go work. Don’t worry about my marriage prospects—anyone would think you were my parents.”
After a few sharp retorts, their faces darkened. One line of “We’re just doing this for your own good” was supposed to morally pressure her.
Su Tian didn’t accept that at all. She said bluntly, “Alright, since you’re doing it for my own good, then help me prepare my dowry. A thermos, enamel basins, quilts and covers—who’s going to provide those?”
As soon as she said that, everyone scattered immediately, afraid she’d really ask them to prepare a dowry. What a joke—they had daughters of their own. Why would they prepare dowries for someone else’s daughter?
Su Tian knew they’d run. She sneered and was about to head back when her second aunt spoke in a sarcastic tone, “They’re all elders. How can you talk to them like that?”
“Elders who rely on their age to bully people—would you want them?” Su Tian shot back.
Li Xiaomei: “……”
Unwilling to swallow the loss, Li Xiaomei deliberately said, “Forget it. I know you’re in a bad mood. Didn’t fancy that doctor, did you? Well, that’s understandable. Lili married well—if you, as the elder sister, ended up with someone not so good, it wouldn’t look right.”
“People should know their place. After all, not everyone can have conditions like your brother-in-law. If you don’t like the doctor, Chen Xiaojun from the neighboring village looks alright. You two were classmates, and he’s still unmarried. If you’re willing—”
Su Tian went straight for the jugular. “What, Chen Xiaojun slept with your daughter and you’re still not satisfied, so now you want me to be taken advantage of too?”
Li Xiaomin’s face turned deathly pale. She pretended to cover Su Tian’s mouth. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Su Tian sneered. “Whether it’s nonsense or not, you know in your heart. Let me warn you: whether I marry or not, go on blind dates or not, or who I marry has nothing to do with you. If you keep spreading rumors about me, I won’t mind chatting with Aunt Wang about your daughter losing her virginity before marriage.”
Li Xiaomin was furious, pointing at Su Tian threateningly. “Try saying one more word!”
Just then, Aunt Wang happened to walk by. Su Tian called out to her, “Auntie, what are you busy with?”
In the next second, Li Xiaomei panicked and grabbed Su Tian, her eyes full of pleading. “Don’t say it. Second Aunt begs you. If you say it, how will your cousin live in her husband’s family, or even back at her parents’ home?”
Su Tian snorted coldly. “Second Aunt, do you know you were wrong?”
Li Xiaomei lowered her head and admitted it. “Second Aunt was wrong. I won’t talk nonsense again. Please, I’m begging you.”
Only then did Su Tian let her go. She smiled at the approaching Aunt Wang. “Auntie, you got back earlier than me. Were the noodles good today?”
Aunt Wang had thought there was something juicy to hear and was all ears for gossip, but instead she got that question. She smiled perfunctorily and then asked, “That young man today—was he really not your blind date?”
Su Tian nodded.
Aunt Wang didn’t believe it. The young man hadn’t denied it at all, and they clearly looked like a couple. Trying to fool her? No way.
Su Tian didn’t know what Aunt Wang was thinking. She went home and busied herself with chores. When her parents came back from the fields and dinner was ready, she planned to wait until they were full and asleep so she could open her special Monkey Stamp livestream.
Hearing about Su Tian eating noodles with someone in town, Huang Guihua asked, “You didn’t go see that doctor?”
“No.”
“The person buying salted duck eggs was a young man—how do you know him?”
Su Tian paused for a moment, then smiled. “He’s not. The one who ate noodles with me—you know him. He’s the truck driver who came to escort the wedding convoy when Su Lili got married. He delivers goods along this route and passes through our town.”
“Oh. You ran into him and ate noodles together?” Huang Guihua filled in the blanks herself.
Su Tian nodded.
Thinking of that handsome young man, Huang Guihua felt a stir of interest. “That lad isn’t married yet, right?”
“No.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
Su Tian shook her head.
Huang Guihua’s eyes lit up. “What do you think about him being my son-in-law?”
After all, a transport team driver, working in a factory, able to drive—he had skills. At his young age he already earned a decent amount. In the future, he’d surely make over a hundred yuan a month. He was a formal employee, had housing in the city, and was good-looking. Not a bad choice for a son-in-law at all.
Meeting Huang Guihua’s intense gaze, Su Tian laughed helplessly. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t let me go to the city?”
“That’s different. You can’t go alone, but marrying into the city is fine. Sure, he’s a bit worse than Su Lili’s husband, but at least he’s tall, handsome, and can drive. He’s worthy of you.”
Huang Guihua was just speaking for the fun of it. She had heard about this handsome young man before, and Su Tian had rejected him. This time, she was only making a casual remark. Who would have thought that in less than a couple of weeks, Su Tian actually changed her mind and nodded.
Huang Guihua blinked: “Did I see that right? What does your nod mean?”
Su Tian’s face flushed, and she coquettishly replied, “It means exactly what you think. Today at the noodle shop, he heard that you arranged a blind date for me, got flustered, and confessed. He said he wants to marry me and have a proper blind date with me.”
Huang Guihua: “……”
Jiang Daguo even dropped his chopsticks. “You agreed?”
Su Tian’s cheeks tinged red as she shook her head, half-truth, half-joking: “I didn’t agree. I said I need to go back and consult my parents, think it over, and give him an answer next Monday when he passes by delivering goods.”
Huang Guihua breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Daguo felt reassured. “You did the right thing. That young man is good-looking, but we don’t know anything else about him. Tomorrow I’ll call your eldest aunt and get a clear picture of their family situation.”
Su Tian waved her hand, saying there was no need to waste phone charges. She already knew more about Qin Yan’s family than anyone else—even that he would die young. Since she had decided to be with Qin Yan, she didn’t want to become a widow at a young age. If they got married, she would make sure he never drove again, so they could avoid the fatal accident. Changing his fate would also change hers.
Among the people around her, only Qin Yan was truly worthy of her marrying.
In her past life, she couldn’t have children, and Mrs. Guo had scolded her harshly. On rainy days, when she ran out, he noticed and gave her an umbrella, comforting her that things would get better. Later, when she ran away to the temple to pray for a child, he went out of his way to drive her there, waited for her at the temple, and safely brought her back to the compound. He even handed her a warm steamed bun, which touched her heart. He said that just calling her “sister-in-law” meant they were one family—he couldn’t just stand by.
Even when she took medicine, injured herself, bled, and nearly miscarried, Guo Zhiwei only asked what to do, while Qin Yan carried her to the hospital and saved her life.
There were many things from her past life Su Tian didn’t want to remember—disgusting, painful, unbearable. But now, thinking about it, while Qin Yan was alive, he had truly helped her a lot. Apart from his short lifespan, he was a genuinely good person, far better than anyone else she knew.
At this moment, Su Tian already knew how she would respond to him on Monday.