Wuni turned around with the wallet and headed straight for home without even giving Qian Cheng a second glance.
Qian Cheng hadn’t expected Wuni to be so heartless, truly abandoning him. For a moment, he was stunned.
Mainly because he had just been held upside down and shaken, leaving him dizzy and nauseous.
Qian Jin had been considering whether to withdraw his marriage report when he saw the sudden shift in the scene ahead, genuinely taken aback.
This woman was too fierce, and it didn’t seem like the kind of interaction that would lead to elopement. Before he could react, Ma Wuni, who had already walked several meters away, spotted him.
If Qian Jin hadn’t been distracted by his thoughts, he wouldn’t have been caught red-handed by Ma Wuni.
Fortunately, the moon was exceptionally bright tonight; otherwise, in the pitch darkness, it would have been hard to tell who was who.
Seeing Ma Wuni alone, not with Qian Cheng, Qian Jin felt incredibly relieved. Not feeling awkward in the slightest, he spoke first: “What a coincidence, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”
Ma Wuni looked Qian Jin up and down: “You know it’s the middle of the night too. Why aren’t you sleeping?” These Qian brothers sure kept busy.
As they spoke, Qian Cheng staggered over, catching up.
Qian Jin pursed his lips and asked casually: “Why are you out here with him in the middle of the night?”
Ma Wuni glanced at Qian Cheng, who was approaching: “Are you blind? Do we look like we’re together?”
Weren’t they together? I’ve been following them all this way. Qian Jin fell silent, then asked an unrelated question: “Do you hold grudges?”
Being asked this in the middle of the night, Ma Wuni grew impatient: “No.” If she had a grievance, she wouldn’t hold onto it—she’d settle it right away.
Qian Jin’s question—“So you’re planning to vent your anger and then forgive him?”—remained unspoken. This woman always threw him off balance.
The atmosphere between the two grew somewhat tense.
When Qian Cheng saw Qian Jin, he went straight for the kill: “Brother, you’re here too. You came to see Wuni and me off—we’re eloping.”
Ma Wuni raised her arm and smacked Qian Cheng away: “Elope? He’s not worthy.”
Really, it was hard for Qian Jin to misunderstand, given how swiftly Ma Wuni had struck. It looked less like elopement and more like a private punishment.
Ma Wuni turned to Qian Jin and raised an eyebrow, a small gesture that thrilled him. Mainly because the way she’d smacked Qian Cheng away was just too cool.
Qian Jin’s expression relaxed, his gloom vanishing entirely, as if Qian Jin didn’t exist: “Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to your home to propose.”
Ma Wuni: “Suit yourself. Keep your people in check—don’t let them disturb others in the middle of the night.”
She tossed a wallet over: “Your money, take it. Keep it safe—don’t let anyone else get their hands on it. From now on, it’s all mine.”
Qian Jin pursed his lips and looked down at the wallet. All the money he’d sent home over the years was in there. Qian Cheng was truly useless.
Ma Wuni walked a few steps away, then added: “By the way, you’re out in the middle of the night too. You’re not planning to elope with someone like this guy, are you?”
Qian Jin glared at Qian Cheng, his eyes blazing with anger, and gritted his teeth as he spoke to Ma Wuni: “If I fancy a girl, I’ll marry her openly and honorably.”
Then, grabbing Qian Cheng, he said to Ma Wuni: “I have some personal matters to deal with first. Wait a moment—I’ll walk you home.”
Ma Wuni had dared to come out alone, and she certainly wasn’t afraid to go back alone.
Still standing by the side waiting, over there Qian Jin roared at Qian Cheng: “The money I sent back was for Mom and Dad, not for you to spend on women.”
Not sure what Qian Cheng said in response, but anyway Qian Jin ignored him, instead dragging Qian Cheng into the station. Who knows what those two brothers were up to.
Qian Jin came out of the station alone and headed straight over to Wuni: “Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”
Ma Wuni looked back but didn’t see Qian Cheng. Was he planning to just leave him there?
Qian Jin pulled Ma Wuni along.
Though his movements were brisk, his palms were sweating. This girl’s hand wasn’t easy to hold.
Ma Wuni glanced disdainfully at their clasped hands: “You’re not still that timid, are you? Speaking of which, if you’re so timid, what were you doing out at night?”
If she remembered correctly, Qian Jin used to be too scared to leave the house at night.
When they were kids, the three of them once went to watch a movie together. Ma Wuni and Qian Cheng had deliberately left Qian Jin behind, and that’s how deep the grudge ran.
That kid was so scared he didn’t dare go home, crying for his parents in the middle of the night. Ma Wuni even got punished by Ma Jiye over that incident.
It was all old grudges and past grievances.
Qian Jin had no desire to bring up the past: “Thanks to you, I can now walk alone at night. You’d better not mention the old days. You might not hold grudges, but I do.”
Ma Wuni: “You should thank me. How dare you hold a grudge? What kind of young man is afraid to walk at night?”
Qian Jin, embarrassed and angry, shouted: “Qian Cheng is also afraid to walk at night. Why didn’t you leave him behind alone?”
He immediately regretted it. What if Ma Wuni remembered Qian Cheng’s fear and went back to look for him?
Seeing Qian Jin’s sudden change of mood, Ma Wuni thought to herself that this guy really had a bad temper, unpredictable as ever: “Who told you to be so annoying?”
Qian Jin really didn’t want to deal with this woman. Whenever he was compared with Qian Cheng, he never came out looking good.
That said, as they chatted about past grievances, their clasped hands felt less tense.
Qian Jin didn’t ask Ma Wuni why she hadn’t left with Qian Cheng.
Ma Wuni didn’t ask Qian Jin why he had come out in the middle of the night, nor did she ask where he had left Qian Cheng.
As they neared the village, Qian Jin spoke up: “The wedding will have to wait a few days. Let’s get engaged first.”
Ma Wuni was indifferent: “It’s only a few days. Why bother with all that trouble?”
The corners of Qian Jin’s mouth lifted: “Are you in such a hurry to marry me?”
Ma Wuni raised her foot, but Qian Jin dodged in a flash. Frowning, Ma Wuni realized she had missed: “You dare dodge?”
Qian Jin: “Should I have leaned in to let you kick me? Do you think I’m stupid?”
If I let you kick me whenever you want, would you even see me as a man? I can’t lose face like that. Qian Jin always had his own ideas. The dignity he lost as a kid, he had to earn back.
Otherwise, how could he ever have the authority of the head of the household?
Ma Wuni gritted her teeth, weighing her options. If it came to a fight, she might not necessarily lose, but it would definitely be a struggle.
Qian Jin: “A grown man and woman walking around together in the middle of the night isn’t good for a girl’s reputation. I can’t explain this to Uncle Ma. Let’s get engaged first.”
The implication was: In the future, as a girl, you shouldn’t go out with a man you’re not engaged to. Whether Ma Wuni understood or not was another matter.
Ma Wuni looked up at Qian Jin: “I haven’t even complained about you, a man who runs out in the middle of the night.”
Stop trying to talk circles around her—do you really think she’s that foolish? That’s just my outward demeanor; my nature is straightforward. When it comes to wit, I can at least match Qian Jin, okay? Back in the day, when the two of us went head-to-head, it was always a draw.
She then turned to Qian Jin: “You’re not planning to run off too, are you?”
Qian Jin was instantly riled up: “Too”—she really knows how to hit the nail on the head.
Ma Wuni added, “Just like your shameless brother.” With a cold snort, she shook off Qian Jin’s hand.
Qian Jin grew both anxious and angry, especially at the sight of her pulled-away hand, and for a moment felt humiliated: “At least those who elope have someone by their side. Who would I run off with?”
With that, she turned and stormed away. The resentment in her words was palpable.