Hearing the voice, Jin Miao glanced sideways, her brow slightly raised as she saw her second brother. Her inner thoughts immediately followed.
[Jin Miao: Well, well, look who it is—the human old ox, Jin Yan! Never caring about anything outside the window, only focused on the family fields. The moment he opens his eyes each day, it’s all about farming. He spends all day calculating and pondering over those few acres of land. Just keep farming then—farming away without a word. Who could possibly out-farm you? Farming your whole life, yet in the end, you still only have those few acres, not even managing to marry a wife.]
Her gaze swept over Jin Yan’s dark, sun-baked face, carrying a hint of pity and faint frustration at his lack of ambition.
It was also because his skin was too dark that she completely failed to notice Jin Yan’s face, flushed red from suffocation.
Too dark—you couldn’t even tell he was blushing.
It was Jin Sen, who was closest, who noticed first and stepped forward to pull him aside. “Second brother, look at you, only coming back after being busy until now. You must be exhausted from the heat. Sit down and rest for a while.”
Thanks to this pull, Jin Yan finally shook off the thoughts that had just been about to burst into questions, and he managed to catch his breath.
His mind was in chaos; you could say he was completely bewildered. What was going on with everything his third sister had said—no, what she had thought in her inner voice?
In response to his eldest brother’s words, he suppressed his jumbled emotions and gave a faint “Mm.”
But Jin Miao didn’t give him more time to think. Immediately, another wave of inner thoughts followed.
[Jin Miao: Even Wang Erwazi from the neighboring village knows how to adapt—not just stubbornly farming. He started raising pigs himself and even married the Dahua you’ve been pining for. Pitiful—no wife, no savings, busy and bustling your whole life, yet ending up with nothing.]
Jin Yan felt as if struck by lightning, looking at Jin Miao in disbelief.
Third sister actually knew he liked—liked Dahua?!
Wang Erwazi raising pigs? And Dahua ended up with him? That—impossible! It can’t be!
Emotionally agitated, he wanted to stand up and confront her, but the next second, someone pressed down on his shoulder. Looking up, he met his eldest brother’s eyes.
Jin Sen shook his head at him, signaling him not to say anything.
He then glanced at their parents and saw them also shaking their heads slightly at him. Only then did he realize—everyone could hear third sister’s inner voice!
“We weren’t saying much. It’s just that my job isn’t stable, so I was discussing other options with Mom and Dad. We’re planning to go to town and start a food business.”
“What?”
As soon as Jin Sen finished speaking, Jin Yan was so shocked he nearly jumped up. Hadn’t he just been busy in the fields and come back a bit late today? Why did it feel like he had missed the whole world?
“Eldest brother, what are you thinking? That internship at the factory was hard for you to get. How can you just say you’re not doing it anymore now?”
Before Jin Sen could answer, naturally, an inner voice answered for him.
[Jin Miao: Nonsense, of course it’s because the factory’s performance is getting worse and worse, and it’s about to shut down soon. Wait! Wait!]
Jin Miao’s brows furrowed as her gaze swept over her eldest brother and her parents. Seeing how calm they all looked, she finally began to sense something was off.
[Jin Miao: Eldest brother doesn’t want to work at the factory anymore? Does he already know something?]
At this moment, Jin Sen’s back was soaked with sweat. Third sister wasn’t a fool—would their ability to hear her inner thoughts be exposed just like that?
Jin Miao: But it could also be the Butterfly Effect. After all, Mom and Dad haven’t let things escalate to an uncontrollable point this time. It’s understandable that Big Brother could sense the factory’s declining performance. So, this time, he probably won’t be tricked by that guy named Chen Gou into spending money to buy a job, right?
This time, her gaze held a hint more appreciation for him.
He shouldn’t be too foolish, right?
Jin Yan, however, pieced together the gist of the situation from these few words. He pulled Jin Sen aside and asked anxiously, “Big Brother, is it true?”
Knowing he was asking if Jin Miao’s inner thoughts were true, Jin Sen sighed silently and nodded in confirmation.
The biggest earner in the family was Big Brother. The second brother instantly deflated like a punctured ball, wilting.
It’s over. Now, Dahua is even less likely to marry him.
Dahua’s family valued his honesty, diligence, and willingness to work hard. Plus, his big brother worked at the factory—a highly respectable job. Even though he was just a trainee employee now, being a trainee meant he wasn’t far from becoming a permanent worker, right?
That respectable job brought great face when mentioned. But now, if Big Brother lost his job too, and the family had to support a little sister who couldn’t do anything… even if he was the hardest worker, their family’s conditions would definitely take a hit.
“It’s over.”
Seeing Jin Yan’s expression as if the sky had fallen, Wei Shufen felt a surge of irritation. These children came from her womb; she knew what they were up to the moment they twitched their tails. Especially this second son—whether in temperament or looks, he was the one among the four siblings who most resembled their old man.
“What’s over? Pah, pah, pah! We haven’t even started our business yet, and you, unlucky child, are already predicting doom? We don’t need you to do much. Just stay home and take good care of those few acres of land with your quiet-as-a-gourd father. Remember to keep a close eye on your dad for me, and don’t let any dirty or foul things cling to him. Got it?”
When Wei Shufen brought out her imposing manner, it was quite intimidating. Under her gaze, the second son could only nod obediently.
“Alright, let’s eat first. We’ll think about what to do next after the meal.”
The family of six finished their belated breakfast, each lost in their own thoughts. Jin Miao and Jin Yao helped their mom clear the dishes and wash them in the kitchen, while the three men sat under the eaves outside. Jin Dayong puffed on his pipe, his furrowed brow hidden in the smoke.
Jin Yan craned his neck to glance toward the kitchen. Seeing everyone inside busy and no one paying attention, he lowered his voice and leaned closer to his big brother.
“Brother, you say… Third Sister, this…” That suffocating feeling began to creep up again, so he quickly stopped, took a breath, and continued, “Do you really believe it? You’re not actually going to quit your factory job, are you?”
Jin Sen just gave him a faint glance, sighed again, and asked, “Second Brother, do you know Chen Gou?”
Chen Gou?
Jin Yan shook his head honestly. He’d never even heard the name.
Jin Sen spoke again, “This Chen Gou was my high school classmate, but he only attended for half a month before dropping out. His family is from Niujia Village under the county town. His uncle is the workshop foreman in the factory’s second workshop, so he got directly arranged as a permanent worker. I’ve never mentioned him to you all, and you’ve never been to where I work. So, how could you possibly know this Chen Gou?”
At first, Jin Yan nodded thoughtfully, but soon he realized that Third Sister’s inner thoughts had indeed mentioned Chen Gou.
Were her inner thoughts all true?
Would Dahua really run off with Wang Erwazi from the neighboring village?
Wuwu, he didn’t want that!!
In the kitchen, Wei Shufen and Jin Yao exchanged a glance, not idling either…