“Ranran, was it good? You must have been starving after not eating properly for days. Did the food suit your taste?”
Madam Ji asked with concern.
Looking at the steaming bowl of white rice and the vegetable soup cooked with eggs before her, Lin Ranran felt warmth spread through her heart.
Poor Mother-in-law…
This was probably all the food the family had left.
Yet, for the sake of her precious grandson, she was willing to cook her a full bowl of rice.
“Thank you, Mom. You’re the best.”
Lin Ranran spoke sincerely.
The original owner had been throwing tantrums and refusing to eat for several days.
She, however, was genuinely starving.
She quickly finished the meal.
Madam Ji smiled through her tears.
“As I should… As I should.”
After eating her fill, Lin Ranran began making plans.
It was time to settle accounts with that scumbag cousin.
Over the past few months, the original owner had given him at least five hundred yuan, along with a large number of food coupons.
She intended to make him return every last cent—with interest.
“Mom, Honey, I’m meeting up with one of my girlfriends, so I need to head out.”
She put down her chopsticks.
The smile on Madam Ji’s face instantly froze.
She wanted to stop her, but she was afraid of upsetting her, so she swallowed her words.
Ji Junxiao laughed bitterly to himself.
How stupid I am…
She’s deceived me so many times, yet I still dared to hope.
Still, to reassure his mother, he forced himself to say,
“Ranran, I’ll walk you there.”
Lin Ranran reached over, held his hand, and smiled sweetly.
“My husband is so thoughtful. Thank you, Honey.”
Madam Ji walked them to the gate and stood there watching their backs long after they disappeared from sight.
Ji Junyao stomped her foot angrily.
“That venomous woman! The moment she’s full, she’s off to see her lover! And Big Brother is actually escorting her? Wasn’t Cousin Pei’s humiliation enough already?”
Ji Junyong nodded in agreement.
“Big Brother is completely bewitched by that vixen.”
Ji Junshan quickly lowered his voice.
“Enough. Keep it down. Don’t let Mom hear, or she’ll only feel worse.”
Ji Junzhan frowned.
“Little Sister, go comfort Mom. At least let her spend these last days before going to the countryside in peace.”
Ji Junyao hurried over.
“Mom, Sister-in-law really is meeting a friend. I know about it.”
Madam Ji grabbed her hand.
“Really?”
“Of course. Big Brother personally went with her. Aren’t you reassured now?”
Madam Ji nodded.
“Then I’d better look through the house and see if there’s anything else good to eat. What if my daughter-in-law comes back hungry?”
With that, she turned and went back inside.
Ji Junyao helplessly shook her head.
Her mother…
And her eldest brother…
They were hopeless.
Ji Junxiao had originally wanted to ride his bicycle.
But Lin Ranran refused.
“No need. It’s not far. Just walk with me. Think of it as taking a stroll.”
Ji Junxiao understood immediately.
She simply looked down on riding a bicycle.
Over the past several months, whenever she had to walk more than a few steps, she insisted on taking a car instead, just to show off her status as the Ji family’s daughter-in-law.
People throughout the military compound had gossiped about her behind her back countless times.
Only because of the Ji family’s influence had no one dared say anything to her face.
But now…
The Ji family had fallen.
Things were different.
Sure enough, before they had gone very far, several middle-aged men and women began pointing and whispering.
“Look, that’s Lin Ranran—the daughter-in-law the Ji family married.”
“I heard Regiment Commander Ji was ruined because of her. She’s a real vixen.”
“When choosing a wife, character matters most. What’s the use of being beautiful? Look at Third Auntie’s daughter-in-law. She’s fat and plain, but she gave the family three healthy sons.”
“Poor Regiment Commander Ji. Such a fine soldier, dragged down by that woman.”
“She’s the very definition of a femme fatale.”
“If you ask me, she’s bad luck. Marrying her was the greatest misfortune of Regiment Commander Ji’s life. He’ll never recover.”
It’s easy to add flowers to brocade.
Much harder to offer charcoal in the snow.
If the Ji family still held power…
None of these people would dare gossip so openly.
Lin Ranran wasn’t about to tolerate it.
She planted her hands on her hips and fired back.
“Who the hell keeps flapping their gums? You’re all just jealous because I’m prettier than you!”
“Aunt Zhang! Didn’t your daughter want to marry my husband? Too bad she was rejected because she wasn’t pretty enough!”
“Uncle Li! You’re practically one foot in the grave, yet you’re still sticking your nose into other people’s business? The Ji family isn’t being exiled forever. We’re simply being sent to the countryside as educated youth, responding to the country’s policies by bringing knowledge, new ideas, and helping develop rural communities. It’s not like we’re never coming back!”
“Aunt Zhao! Didn’t the Ji family help your family countless times? And this is how you repay us? Fine. When the Ji family returns in a couple of years, don’t come begging for our help!”
The original owner’s reputation was already ruined anyway.
She might as well vent the Ji family’s anger for them.
If these people weren’t already elderly…
She would have gladly fought them herself.
Standing beside her, Ji Junxiao was completely dumbfounded.
“Regiment Commander Ji! Look at your wife! She’s far too aggressive!”
“She has no manners at all! You’re an educated man—how did you end up marrying someone like her?”
“That vixen keeps talking about divorcing you. It’s obvious she only loves wealth and status!”
“Exactly! If she truly loved you, she’d follow you to the countryside.”
Everyone spoke at once.
Since they were all neighbors and elders, Ji Junxiao couldn’t openly argue with them.
He calmly said,
“Uncles, Aunts… Ranran is my wife. Our marriage is our own business, so I won’t trouble everyone to worry about it.”
After saying that, he took Lin Ranran’s hand and walked away.
Behind them, the insults continued.
“Vixen!”
“She ruined the Ji family, and Regiment Commander Ji still protects her. He’s completely bewitched! He deserves everything she does to him!”
The cursing didn’t stop.
Ji Junxiao’s mood sank even lower.
Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?
On the surface…
She had defended the Ji family.
But in reality…
She had shattered the last bit of dignity he had left.
Ji Junxiao…
How foolish can you be?
You actually believed a woman like this would keep your child.
What a ridiculous dream.
Soon, they arrived outside the Pei family’s courtyard.
Lin Ranran stopped.
“Honey, I’m going inside to settle a score with my cousin. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to come in. Wait for me outside. I’ll be back soon.”
The moment Ji Junxiao heard that, his fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged across his forehead.
“Lin Ranran!”
“We’re not divorced yet!”
“And you’re openly cheating on me?”
He was furious.
So furious he wanted to strangle her.
“No, Honey, that’s not what I—”
He cut her off.
“You’ve barely managed to scam twenty yuan, and now you’re already rushing to spend it on him?”
“Lin Ranran, do you really think marrying Pei Yu’an will make you happy?”
“The law clearly states that close relatives aren’t allowed to marry.”
“You’d better give up on that fantasy.”
The law was one thing.
Whether people actually obeyed it was another.
In the 1970s, marriages between cousins were far from uncommon.
“It’s not what you think.”
Ji Junxiao snorted.
“I beat him up yesterday.”
“He’s probably still lying in bed.”
Lin Ranran immediately clapped her hands.
“Wow! That’s my husband! Well done! That was amazing!”
Ji Junxiao froze.
Shouldn’t she be angry?
After all…
He had beaten up the man she supposedly loved.
She smiled brightly.
“Be good, Honey. Wait here for a little while. I’ll be back soon.”
Unable to resist, Lin Ranran stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.
A jealous man is so handsome.
The original owner really didn’t know how lucky she was.
From now on…
This man is mine.
Ji Junxiao’s face instantly turned crimson all the way to his ears.
She…
She kissed him.
She had actually kissed him.
Was he dreaming?
Had she really changed her heart?
Unfortunately…
He celebrated too soon.
The very next second, Lin Ranran happily turned around and walked straight into the Pei family’s courtyard.
Ji Junxiao felt as though a vast green prairie had sprouted above his head.
The more he thought about it…
The angrier he became.
He clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the wall.
The punch contained every ounce of his strength.
The impact was so powerful that the wall itself seemed ready to crack.