She raised her head, wanting to explain herself.
“It’s not like that! I’m not a thief. I’m an educated youth from Qingshui Brigade. My name is Jiang—”
But halfway through saying her name, Jiang Yue’s gaze accidentally landed on Zhou Musheng in the crowd, and she froze completely.
Musheng.
It was Musheng.
She had finally seen him again.
Did he know how much she had suffered just to meet him again?
Almost instinctively, Jiang Yue wanted to run over to him and complain about all her hardships so he could pull her into his arms and comfort her tenderly.
Her nose tingled with emotion, and her lips trembled as she prepared to call out Zhou Musheng’s name. But then she suddenly spotted Wen Ranran standing nearby.
Her skin was whiter than snow, her hair thick like fresh spring grass. Standing among the crowd, she shone brilliantly.
Only then did Jiang Yue suddenly realize that in this lifetime, she and Zhou Musheng were not yet married.
Not only had she missed the matchmaking event where she was supposed to reunite with him, but now she was filthy from head to toe, covered in foul-smelling pig manure and being treated as a thief.
And all of this was Wen Ranran’s fault!
Jiang Yue glared at Wen Ranran with hatred burning in her eyes. She understood that under no circumstances could Zhou Musheng discover that she was Jiang Yue—the Jiang Yue he had fallen in love with at first sight and never forgotten.
So Jiang Yue squeezed her eyes shut tightly, lowered her head, clenched her teeth, and refused to say another word.
To Director Chen, her behavior looked exactly like an admission of guilt combined with stubborn resistance and refusal to repent. He casually grabbed a stick nearby and struck her twice.
“Who’s your accomplice? Speak! Are you going to talk or not?!”
Jiang Yue rolled on the ground in pain, yet because she feared Zhou Musheng might recognize something, she didn’t dare make a sound.
Just then, Xiao Li from the security gate returned while driving back the escaped breeding boar.
He had chased the pig until he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through as though he had been pulled from water. All the way back, he had been cursing the pig thief nonstop.
The moment he arrived with the pig, he immediately recognized the clothes Jiang Yue was wearing—they belonged to the crazy woman who had insisted on forcing her way into the factory earlier.
“Director Chen, this woman’s a lunatic! Earlier she was already trying to barge into the factory at the gate!”
Hearing that Jiang Yue had attempted to force her way into the factory even before sneaking in to steal pigs, Director Chen struck her several more times with the stick before directly ordering the security department to call the police.
Not long after, Jiang Yue was dragged away by the officers.
As she passed Wen Ranran, she glared hatefully and hissed:
“Just you wait. I’ll never let you off!”
Wen Ranran merely raised an eyebrow indifferently.
In truth, she had already recognized Jiang Yue and figured out why she had secretly slipped into the pharmaceutical factory. But she had absolutely no desire to testify on her behalf.
Anyway, the police would eventually uncover the truth themselves. Jiang Yue was so narrow-minded, always blaming others whenever something bad happened to her. Letting her suffer a little in the police station would do her some good!
Lu Shi’an also heard Jiang Yue’s threat toward Wen Ranran. He clenched his fists slightly, already planning to make a trip to the police station later and speak with the officers there. They needed to teach that pig thief a proper lesson so she would understand that not everyone could be casually threatened by her.
Meanwhile, Zhou Musheng stood off to the side holding a shovel, completely unconcerned as he watched the thief being taken away. But as Jiang Yue passed by him, the stench of pig manure drifting from her body hit him directly.
His eyes filled with disgust.
Like the others, he spat fiercely in Jiang Yue’s direction.
Jiang Yue’s heart shattered.
Zhou Musheng paid her no further attention. But the moment he turned his head, he saw Wen Ranran chatting intimately with a tall man nearby.
The scene left him feeling unexpectedly disappointed.
He had noticed Wen Ranran during the matchmaking event earlier. The very first time he saw her, he had been deeply stunned by her beauty.
But he had not approached her because there had always been another gentle figure lingering in his heart. During this whole period, Zhou Musheng had been searching for the young woman who haunted his thoughts day and night.
Looking at Wen Ranran and Lu Shi’an—who clearly already seemed to be together—Zhou Musheng sighed inwardly with envy.
He wondered when he would finally reunite with that girl again…
The farce finally came to an end.
Accompanied by Lu Shi’an, Wen Ranran found Director Chen and presented the letter of introduction issued by the brigade leader.
Upon learning that Wen Ranran merely wanted to buy medicine for heatstroke, Director Chen readily approved it.
“Go to Production Section One to get the medicine. If they ask, just say I sent you.”
Lu Shi’an accepted the authorization slip on Wen Ranran’s behalf.
“Thank you, Director Chen.”
Director Chen was an experienced man. Seeing how attentively Lu Shi’an cared for Wen Ranran, he immediately understood the two had become a couple.
Laughing broadly, he patted Lu Shi’an on the shoulder and teased them:
“Looks like our factory’s matchmaking event was truly a success! You two make a perfect match. Once this good thing is settled, don’t forget to tell your brigade leader—he owes me a drink!”
Wen Ranran’s ears turned red from the teasing, but she nodded obediently.
“Thank you, Director Chen. I’ll definitely pass along the message.”
The smile on Lu Shi’an’s face never faded.
“When we get married, we’ll invite Director Chen to eat wedding candy.”
“Then I’ll be waiting for it!”
One thing after another happened, and before they realized it, it was already four in the afternoon.
Lu Shi’an still wanted to spend more time alone with Wen Ranran, but the sky was getting dark. Left with no choice, he borrowed a bicycle from the factory and escorted Wen Ranran back to Qingshui Brigade.
When taking Wen Ranran home, Lu Shi’an rode extremely slowly.
A journey that normally took forty minutes was stretched into more than an hour by him.
Yet on the way back, his legs moved like spinning wheels of fire. Pedaling furiously, he returned to the pharmaceutical factory in only half an hour!
The moment he got back, he borrowed the factory phone and called home.
“Hello, Mom? It’s Shi’an. I’m getting married!”
Madam Lu had only just gotten off work and returned home. Before she could even say a single word, her son’s announcement about getting married smashed into her like a bolt of lightning.
Her first reaction wasn’t joy—it was fury. She immediately started scolding him, convinced her son was treating his own mother like a fool!
Honestly, she couldn’t be blamed for thinking that way.
Lu Shi’an was tall, handsome, and striking. Countless girls had openly or secretly expressed interest in him over the years.
Yet he acted as if he were blind. When girls flirted with him, he thought they were having eye spasms. It was like he had two holes on top of his nose that only knew how to turn but didn’t know how to function!
After more than twenty years without showing the slightest romantic awareness, he had gone to visit an injured comrade for only a few days—and suddenly not only found a girlfriend but was already talking about marriage?
How was that possible?!
Yet the usually quiet Lu Shi’an now sounded like an entirely different person.
“Mom, her name is Wen Ranran. She’s an educated youth sent down from Shanghai. She’s extremely beautiful and also very kind-hearted. I’ve already submitted my marriage application to the military. I’m calling because I want to discuss the bride price with you.”
In truth, Lu Shi’an had already planned the amount himself.
According to Beijing customs, bride prices were usually only two or three hundred yuan, with other gifts counted separately.
But Lu Shi’an wanted to give his future wife a bride price of nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan. The “Three Transistors and One Sound” would all be included as well. It was just inconvenient to buy them here at the moment—they could make up for it later once she moved into the military family housing!
Listening to her son chattering endlessly over the phone, Madam Lu genuinely felt close to fainting this time.
He was describing everything in such detail…
The more she listened, the more it sounded real.
Could it be that the iron tree in her family had truly blossomed at last?