“...”
After that long-winded speech about breaking up, Jiang Qian said nothing. She merely gazed quietly at the man opposite her.
Seeing her “distraught” appearance, Wang Hesong felt terrible as well, because he truly did like Jiang Qian very much. It was just that circumstances had changed...
“Qianqian, I know this is cruel to you, but I’m very sorry. Let’s put an end to this mistaken relationship together!”
Only then did Jiang Qian come back to herself, sweeping her cold gaze toward him.
The man across from her, spouting melodramatic scumbag lines, was the man she was supposed to meet for a matchmaking date tomorrow: Wang Hesong.
Wang Hesong looked decent enough. Around here, he stood about five feet nine, which counted as slightly above average.
In addition, he had a township resident household registration and was a minor officer at his workplace.
He could be considered an economically practical husband.
But when the Wang family invited a matchmaker to arrange a meeting between the two families, her parents were not in a hurry to agree.
After making a few inquiries, they learned that Wang Hesong was the son born to the Wang family's elderly couple only after they had given birth to six daughters in a row, and they immediately hesitated.
But the Wang family was truly very sincere. Granny Wang even told the matchmaker that, in addition to promising forty-eight legs, she would also provide a sewing machine.
That sincerity was indeed more than sufficient.
As for the pressure to produce a son, with Wang's mother serving as precedent, there was no need to worry if their daughter failed to give birth to a son immediately after marrying into the family.
Besides, Jiang Qian had four older brothers. Under ordinary circumstances, there was nothing to worry about.
And even if she married someone else, she would still have to bear several children. In this era, whose family had only one child?
Thus, after only a brief hesitation, the Jiang family agreed.
But the reason Granny Wang from the township had taken a liking to Jiang Qian of the village was that Jiang Qian loved helping old ladies cross the road. Once, on her way to work at the township primary school, she saw that Granny Wang was unwell and helped her across the road. After that, Granny Wang took an extraordinary liking to her.
For this reason, she even brought Wang Hesong, the Wang family's only son, over to meet Jiang Qian.
Seeing that Jiang Qian did not object, Granny Wang then invited a matchmaker over to propose the match.
After a series of negotiations, the two of them were finally to officially meet for matchmaking tomorrow.
Before this, Jiang Qian had also felt that she could get to know Wang Hesong and see how things went.
After all, she did not have many choices in the surrounding area. More importantly, Granny Wang genuinely liked her. Whenever Jiang Qian came to the school to teach, Wang's mother would visit her from time to time, bring her food, and chat with her with a beaming smile.
Wang's mother was truly pleased with her.
Jiang Qian could sense that, and Wang Hesong had also made an effort. He had wanted to invite her to see a movie, but Jiang Qian had declined because the autumn harvest had been too busy recently. The entire family, young and old, had turned out to help. How could she possibly go see a movie with him?
Once they finished with the work, there would be no rush to go after the formal matchmaking meeting.
But reality had left her utterly stunned. She had actually judged him wrong!
Jiang Qian looked Wang Hesong up and down. Although her voice was soft and delicate, her words were not polite in the slightest. “Wang Hesong, don’t forget that it was your family who sent the matchmaker to propose this matchmaking arrangement!”
Wang Hesong wore a guilty expression, but he still had to say, “Qianqian, I know this is difficult for you to accept, but I can’t give you happiness. You... you should forget me. After all, a forcibly twisted melon isn’t sweet!”
Jiang Qian had not taken it seriously at all. She had merely agreed to meet him and see how things went; she had never decided to marry him.
But hearing how self-satisfied Wang Hesong sounded, she raised her eyebrows as though watching a monkey. “A forcibly twisted melon may not be sweet, but it does quench thirst.”
This clearly meant that she was unwilling to give him up easily.
Wang Hesong felt secretly delighted. It was all because of his damn, irresistible charm!
But if he did not resolve this matter properly, he would have no way to answer to Jiang Yue!
Thus, he simply hardened his tone. “I didn’t come here to discuss this with you today. I came to inform you. Tomorrow’s matchmaking meeting is canceled. If you insist on pestering me and make a fool of yourself, don’t blame me for not warning you!”
Qianqian, don’t blame me. I’m doing this for your own good!
That was what he told himself.
Jiang Qian sneered. “You decide whether to have the matchmaking meeting, and you decide whether to cancel it? Who do you think you are? The meeting is set for tomorrow, and everything has already been arranged, yet you come here to tell me you’re backing out. What were you doing before this? Do you think the Jiang family is easy to bully?”
As she spoke, she raised her hand without hesitation and gave Wang Hesong a hard slap!
With a sharp smack, a bright red handprint appeared on Wang Hesong’s face!
Wang Hesong, who had grown up spoiled by his entire family, was stunned. He had never expected Jiang Qian to hit him!
But when he met Jiang Qian’s furious gaze, he knew that she loved him deeply and hated him just as deeply!
“I know I’m in the wrong. I’m the one who failed your deep affection. If you still don’t feel appeased, you can slap me again!” Wang Hesong accepted the slap without the slightest complaint and even displayed his gentlemanly bearing.
Jiang Qian had always been the type to settle grudges on the spot, so she swiftly raised her hand and gave him another hard slap.
Wang Hesong: “...” Just how much did she love him to hate him this much!
The two slaps had dispelled the anger in her heart, so Jiang Qian finally snorted. “The matchmaking meeting tomorrow is canceled. But remember this, you Wang— I’m the one canceling it. Someone as fickle and untrustworthy as you isn’t good enough for me!”
After saying that, she did not spare him another glance and turned to return to the school.
Wang Hesong watched her retreating figure for a moment. He knew that he had incurred a debt of love!
With the two handprints still visible on his face, he went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to find Jiang Yue, who was at work.
Jiang Yue was quite capable and had gotten along well with her coworkers. When she saw him arrive, she quickly asked a colleague to watch the stall and came out.
When she saw the two handprints on Wang Hesong’s face, her expression immediately filled with concern. “Who hit you?”
“Jiang Qian did. She was furious!” Wang Hesong sighed.
Jiang Yue could not help raising her hand to touch his face. “Jiang Qian has always been arrogant and domineering. She only pretends to be sweet and sensible in front of others. It’s a good thing you don’t want her!”
Wang Hesong knew that Jiang Qian had been so furious because she had truly fallen in love with him, and because he had let her down. But she herself was gentle and kindhearted.
When his mother had suffered from back pain while crossing the road and no one helped her, Jiang Qian was the only one who went to her aid.
That was why his mother had taken such a liking to her and proposed this match to him. In the days afterward, his mother had also often brought boiled eggs and stuffed them into Jiang Qian’s hands to nourish her.
When his mother learned yesterday that he intended to break off the engagement, she had refused to agree and said that she had set her heart on this daughter-in-law.
It was only after he told her the truth that his mother had no choice but to agree.
“Have you resolved the matter of your matchmaking meeting tomorrow?” Jiang Yue did not know about the twists and turns in his heart and asked about what concerned her most.
“I’ve already explained the matter of the matchmaking meeting to her.” Wang Hesong looked at her. “When should we go to the hospital for an examination? To see whether the baby is healthy.”
That was right. Jiang Yue was already carrying his child.
It was precisely because he had already consummated his relationship with Jiang Yue and they even had a child now that, no matter how unwilling his mother was, she could only agree to this marriage.