Hearing this, Cai’s mother turned around in shock. “Don’t talk nonsense here. Jin Cheng’s mother is the workshop supervisor—how could she allow her own son to lose his job?”
Sister-in-law Cai, who heard the commotion from inside the room, felt as if the sky had fallen. Clutching her stomach, she rushed out anxiously. “Mom, that was my job! If Little Sister lost it, what am I going to do in the future?”
Meanwhile, Cai Xiaolan, who was busy getting dressed in her room, couldn’t care less. “So what if it’s lost? Once I marry into the Su family, I’m not worried about finding a job.” After all, her reputation at the cotton mill was already ruined—losing the job was just as well.
Cai Xiaolan changed into a red dress with white polka dots and swayed out with her water snake waist.
Sister-in-law Cai, furious, couldn’t help but remark, “You’re going to read a self-criticism, not get married. Can’t you be a bit more low-key?”
Cai Xiaolan rolled her eyes. “None of your business. I’ll wear whatever I want.” Even though she was heading to the neighborhood committee to read her self-criticism, she was about to see Brother Jin Cheng! How could she not dress up nicely?
Cai’s mother shot Sister-in-law Cai a sharp look. “Mind your own business. Stop meddling—go home.”
“Mom, what about my job then?”
“Don’t listen to that kid’s nonsense. He’s just trying to trick us.”
Ruan Tang paid no attention to the Cai family’s squabbles. She invited Jiang Ye inside to sit.
Jiang Ye, however, hesitated. “There’s no one else in your house—is that appropriate?”
Ruan Tang retorted, “Am I not a person?”
Well, he had overthought it. Ruan Tang hadn’t even considered that implication.
Jiang Ye followed Ruan Tang inside and looked around the sparrow’s nest-sized living room, wondering how a family of five managed to live there. A few square meters of space held a square table surrounded by several chairs—clearly the usual dining area. In the corner against the back wall stood a sewing machine with unfinished clothes on it. Miscellaneous items were piled along the base of the walls, and behind the door was a washstand.
Jiang Ye sat on a chair, casually taking in the surroundings.
Ruan Tang poured him a glass of water and sat down across from him. She looked at him, and for a moment, neither spoke. Truth be told, they weren’t familiar with each other, and she didn’t know what to say.
Jiang Ye held the cup, sipping slowly. Even though it was just plain, tasteless water, he savored it as if it were fine wine. A smile lingered at the corners of his eyes and brows, never fading.
Only after finishing the water did he finally speak. “When should we go register our marriage?”
Ruan Tang blinked her large, dewy eyes. “Whenever you say. I’ll follow your lead.”
Looking at this sweet and adorable girl, Jiang Ye felt his heart race uncontrollably. Ah, this was going to be the death of him!
He cleared his throat lightly and asked, “Do your parents have any objections?”
Ruan Tang replied, “They have reservations, but they don’t oppose it.”
Jiang Ye: “…”
What did that mean? He shouldn’t have asked.
Seeing his silence, Ruan Tang explained, “They only agreed to our marriage because they didn’t want me to be sent to the countryside. But since you have a bad reputation and no job, they think you’re unreliable, so they have some reservations about you.”
Jiang Ye: “…”
He wished she hadn’t explained. So, he was just a tool to keep her in the city? Actually, he did have a job—it just couldn’t be made public. Ah…
Jiang Ye fell into a sulk.
Ruan Tang noticed the change in his mood. “Are you angry? Did I say something wrong again?”
Last time at the police station was the same—he didn’t know what he had done to displease Jiang Ye, but the latter got so angry he turned and strode off. It was only after Jiang Mother arrived that he stayed.
Through these interactions, Jiang Ye realized Ruan Tang was straightforward—whatever was on her mind came out of her mouth. She didn’t hide things or beat around the bush. What a great personality! How could he get angry over that? Really, when had he learned to be so fussy?
Jiang Ye shook his head and laughed wryly, “Do you have any complaints about me?” He cared a lot about this question.
Ruan Tang thought for a moment, intending to comfort him, but what came out wasn’t quite what she meant. “No complaints. You’re quite good, very smart, and you even helped me break off the engagement.”
Jiang Ye indeed smiled.
Ruan Tang continued earnestly comforting him. “But you shouldn’t be upset. It’s not your fault you don’t have a job—it’s just that jobs are hard to find these days. It’s not your fault your reputation is bad either—it’s just your personality. And if people think you’re unreliable, it’s because you’re too good-looking and don’t look manly enough, so they assume you lack a man’s sense of responsibility.”
The more Jiang Ye listened, the more he felt like pinching the philtrum above his lip to calm himself. He was wrong—he shouldn’t have spoken at all. Staring at each other in silence would’ve been better; at least he could’ve admired her stunning beauty.
Seeing Jiang Ye clutch his chest as if on the verge of collapse, Ruan Tang was bewildered. “Jiang Ye, what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? But I was only telling the truth!”
Jiang Ye: “…”
Little wife, don’t you know? Sometimes the truth hurts the most! And her family actually said he didn’t look manly enough!
Jiang Ye took several deep breaths to calm himself, then pulled a jar of snow cream from his pants pocket and handed it to Ruan Tang. “This is for you. I should go.” If he didn’t leave now, he’d be angered to death.
Ruan Tang waved her hand, refusing it. “My skin is fine—I never use these things. You should use it!”
Jiang Ye: “…”
So his skin was bad, huh?!
Jiang Ye was truly close to being angered to death. He shoved the snow cream into Ruan Tang’s hand, turned, and strode off. Was it too late to call off the engagement now?
…………
Most likely, it was too late—because Jiang Mother had already settled things with the matchmaker.
After leaving the tenement courtyard, Jiang Mother went straight to the Youth Office to remove Ruan Tang’s name before returning to the neighborhood committee.
Wang Cuihua, the neighborhood committee staff member in charge of family planning, was also a matchmaker. Jiang Mother explained the general situation to her and arranged to propose marriage the next day.
Wang Cuihua teased her, “You’re really in a hurry to become a mother-in-law. The girl’s family doesn’t even know yet—shouldn’t you notify them in advance so they can arrange time off work?”
Jiang Mother slapped her forehead. “Oh, I wasn’t considerate enough! I got so excited I forgot.”
Wang Cuihua laughed. “Your excitement is understandable. Jiang Ye is finally getting married—you can finally sleep peacefully.”
At this, Jiang Mother’s heart ached with bitterness. Jiang Ye had a poor reputation and no job. Every time matchmaking was arranged, the moment the woman’s family heard he was unemployed, they refused to even meet him. On the rare occasions when meetings did happen, he was the one who turned them down, saying they weren’t his type.
After going through this repeatedly, Jiang Mother felt too embarrassed to seek matchmaking for him again.
Wang Cuihua thought for a moment and decided to offer a reminder.
“She’s marrying Jiang Ye at this critical moment, probably not out of genuine feelings either—most likely just to stay in the city. You should be careful.”
Jiang Mother smiled and said dismissively, “If she has the courage to marry Jiang Ye, I’m grateful to her. As for whether she’s sincere, that doesn’t matter at all.”
“As the saying goes, sincerity begets sincerity. We haven’t given anything yet, so how can we demand that the young girl offer her sincerity?”
Wang Cuihua nodded, thinking this made sense.
Just as the two were discussing the marriage proposal, a scolding voice came from the next room.
“Be serious.”
“Can you straighten out your tongue before you read?”