The focus of Jiang Qian’s tutoring was her eldest nephew, Jiang Weiguo.
With his aunt giving him special lessons, Jiang Weiguo had held on to first place in his class for quite some time.
He was even the class monitor!
In other words, aside from the two youngest ones, the other three had to study with their Aunt Jiang every night.
The two youngest, Jiang Weimin and Jiang Weidang, did not need tutoring, but they still liked to squeeze into their younger aunt’s room.
Jiang Qian was generous enough to promise with a smile that after they woke up tomorrow morning, she would give each of the five a milk candy. But she also shushed them, signaling that they were not allowed to tell anyone.
The five little carrot-heads—three boys and two girls—nodded eagerly.
Eating milk candy was a secret between them and their younger aunt. No one was allowed to tell anyone; whoever did would be a traitor and collaborator!
Traitors and collaborators were the most despised kind of person.
Even when playing games, none of the children wanted to play the traitor and collaborator. They would all keep the secret.
But how could the adults not know? They simply pretended not to.
In her own little room, Jiang Qian tutored her nieces and nephews and acted as the children’s leader.
In the main room, her father, Captain Jiang, was called back inside by her mother to talk.
“What do you think of the Han family?” Zhou Guiyun did not need to beat around the bush with her husband. She got straight to the point.
Jiang Yue’s words had indeed reminded her, and she could not help forming some thoughts.
“What are you planning?” Jiang Father asked after a moment of surprise.
Zhou Guiyun said softly, “What do you think about having younger sister go ask again? Since Jiang Yue doesn’t want it, I think it would be wonderful for Qianqian to go on the blind date!”
Back then, the Han family had been able to arrange this engagement with the second branch of the family because her younger sister-in-law, who had married into Han Family Village, had taken the initiative to act as matchmaker!
Her younger sister-in-law had married into a branch of the Han family over there. They were all relatives!
She had privately asked Aunt Jiang about it before. Aunt Jiang had practically raised her, so Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou Guiyun knew her character well: she was honest and straightforward. As for the young man on the other side, Aunt Jiang had praised him to the skies.
Aunt Jiang had said only one thing: “If he weren’t a good man, I wouldn’t introduce him to my own niece!”
“There’s no harm in going on a blind date.” Jiang Father did not object.
“All right, I’ll go talk to Qianqian!” After settling it with the head of the household, Zhou Guiyun immediately went to her daughter’s room.
“Grandma has something to discuss with your Aunt Jiang. All of you go outside,” Zhou Guiyun ordered.
The group of little carrot-heads reluctantly put down the picture-story books in their aunt’s room and went out.
Only after her grandsons and granddaughters had left did Zhou Guiyun smile and ask, “Qianqian, are you taking your usual compensatory day off tomorrow?”
“Yes.” Jiang Qian smiled and invited her mother to sit down.
Zhou Guiyun sat down and asked, “Do you want to go into town tomorrow? Your Fourth Brother said the movie is pretty good.”
“No. It’s rare to get a day off, so I want to stay home and sleep in.” Jiang Qian had no interest in going to the county town. She had gone there several times over the past two years and had seen all the movies and such. There really was nothing interesting about them. She would rather stay home and lie around like a couch potato.
Still, she knew her mother meant well. “Mom, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”
Seeing that her daughter had not been affected at all, Zhou Guiyun finally felt relieved.
The Fourth Child and her youngest daughter were fraternal twins, but while they were in the womb, the Fourth Child had taken all the nutrients. When her daughter was born, she was barely larger than a mouse.
She and the head of the household had feared they would not be able to raise her, so they had doted on her along with the entire family, never letting her suffer the slightest grievance.
Who would have thought that someone else’s son would cause her daughter such a great grievance?
This had infuriated Zhou Guiyun!
Still, it was a good thing to see the other side clearly as soon as possible!
Zhou Guiyun said, “Jiang Yue has given up that engagement in Han Family Village. Your father and I were thinking, should we have your Aunt Jiang make the trip and find out what their attitude is? Your Aunt Jiang married into Han Family Village. I heard her say before that the Han family is very well-off, and they even have a daughter who married into the city and lives in the County Party Committee Compound!”
Jiang Qian understood her mother’s meaning at once and said with a smile, “Why didn’t Aunt Jiang introduce him to me before?”
“You can’t blame your Aunt Jiang for that. Jiang Yue is two years older than you, and when her engagement was arranged, you were still in high school.” Zhou Guiyun smiled.
Jiang Qian did not take it seriously; she had only said it casually. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “What’s the man’s name?”
“Han Shiguo.” Zhou Guiyun had never met him, but she knew his name.
Jiang Qian then asked, “Did Aunt Jiang ever say what Han Shiguo looks like?”
Seeing that her daughter was interested, Zhou Guiyun smiled. “Your Aunt Jiang told me he’s very tall and heroic-looking, with the bearing of a rare military genius. There’s nothing to criticize about him. He’s just been too busy, which is why he hasn’t returned to get married. But he’s supposed to be coming back soon. Would you like to meet him? Don’t think of it as picking up what Jiang Yue rejected. The two of them haven’t even met!”
Zhou Guiyun was not a conventional person. It was obvious that her niece had gotten involved with the Wang family’s boy and even become pregnant.
Whether Han Shiguo or her daughter, both were victims!
Moreover, Zhou Guiyun had heard from her younger sister-in-law that he was already a deputy battalion commander in the military unit—and that had been some time ago!
If Jiang Yue could be blind enough to reject such a good man, why couldn’t her daughter go on a blind date with him?
Jiang Qian did not see it that way. She knew that her Aunt Jiang had arranged the match, and that after meeting Jiang Yue, the Han family had been satisfied and agreed to the engagement.
The Han family had simply planned for their son to return and get married whenever he had the time.
That was how things were in this era. People could get married after meeting just once; they could even get married without meeting at all!
Seeing that her mother clearly wanted to keep the benefits within the family, Jiang Qian thought about it and said, “Second Uncle and the others have already gone to the Han family to break off the engagement. Will the Han family feel humiliated? If we go over now and they refuse, wouldn’t that be awkward?”
“Don’t worry about that. Your mother knows what to do!” Zhou Guiyun certainly would not let such a thing happen.
Jiang Qian hesitated. “But I’m only twenty. Shouldn’t I wait another two years?”
“I wanted to arrange a match for you two years ago, but you said to wait. I love you and wanted to keep you home for another two years, but now I don’t dare keep you any longer.” Zhou Guiyun stroked her daughter’s head, her eyes filled with affection.
If she could, so what if her daughter never married?
But the world did not work that way. A girl still had to marry. Only after marriage could she have a family of her own, with a husband and children.
Once a daughter grew up, she could not be kept at home forever. Keeping her for these extra two years had already been Zhou Guiyun’s selfish wish.
Having grown up in an orphanage in her previous life, Jiang Qian treasured this kind of affection. She smiled faintly. “All right, Mom. You decide.”
Although she was only twenty, people married young in this era.
Many girls married at seventeen or eighteen. At twenty, she could no longer be considered particularly young.
“All right, then. I’ll go find your Aunt Jiang tomorrow!” Zhou Guiyun smiled. “You should get some rest too.”
After watching her mother leave, Jiang Qian once again thought of the soldier brother she had seen on the way home that day.
If the soldier brother from Han Family Village looked even half as good as the one she had seen, she would marry him with her eyes closed!
She had to marry someone eventually, so she absolutely had to find a tall, handsome man who suited her tastes!