“We’re discussing this openly and honestly.”
Jiang Mother set down the yellow ceramic bowl containing pork bone soup and urged, “Come eat quickly. Later, go to Ruan Tang’s house and ask if tomorrow would be suitable for the marriage proposal. Check whether her parents are available?”
Jiang Ye, however, lacked enthusiasm. “Her family doesn’t like me.”
Jiang Mother paused her chopsticks mid-air and turned to look at him. “That’s perfectly normal.”
Jiang Father nodded in agreement.
Jiang Ye: …
That stings.
His heart felt even more stifled.
Jiang Ye fell silent and began picking meat from the bone soup.
“Comrade Old Jiang, you truly live up to being the gold-standard bone trimmer at the meat processing plant. Your deboning skills are even cleaner than a dog’s gnawing.”
“If you ask me, for our own meals, you could leave a little meat on the bones.”
Hearing this, Jiang Father glanced at Jiang Mother and said sternly, “How can you take advantage of the state? How can you undermine socialism? Your ideological awareness needs improvement.”
“These pork bones were given by the factory—and you still want meat? That kind of thinking is unacceptable!”
Jiang Mother nodded: “Well said. Comrade Old Jiang is making rapid progress and deserves praise.”
Jiang Ye: …
Was it necessary to make such a big deal out of this?
Undermining foundations was his specialty.
It seemed he had to lay low for now. Given his status in the family? If he dared let his mother know about his job, he definitely wouldn’t survive a single day.
Sigh, his father really knew how to handle things.
A professional bootlicker—even when thoroughly suppressed, he never resisted and even seemed to enjoy it.
Tsk, tsk. Hard to understand, even harder to comprehend.
Little did Jiang Ye know that in the future, he would surpass his father in bootlicking.
After lunch, Jiang Ye didn’t rush off. He slept until 2:30 p.m. before leaving home.
In just a few minutes, he arrived at the tenement courtyard.
He knocked on the door several times before Ruan Tang opened it from inside.
She peeked out through the crack, her hair disheveled, eyes half-closed, and a crease mark on her left cheek—clearly, she had been sleeping on her side.
“Why are you here?”
Her voice was sweet and soft.
Jiang Ye’s heart began racing uncontrollably again, and the frustration from the morning instantly vanished.
His little wife was truly adorable.
“Didn’t get enough sleep?” Jiang Ye’s voice was so tender it could drip water.
Ruan Tang nodded and then stepped aside to let him in.
Jiang Ye gazed at her. “Why don’t you sleep a bit more?”
“No.” Ruan Tang was afraid she’d sleep straight until dark.
Over the past few days, she had been worried about being sent to the countryside and hadn’t slept well. This morning, after confirming that Jiang Ye would marry her, her half-suspended heart finally settled, making her feel extremely drowsy.
“Did you need something?” Ruan Tang asked as she plopped down onto a chair.
The chair creaked and tilted backward slightly, startling Jiang Ye into a cold sweat. Instinctively, he reached out to steady her.
“Be careful.”
Ruan Tang became a bit more alert and patted the chair beside her, signaling Jiang Ye to sit.
He waited until Ruan Tang was fully awake before broaching the main topic. “My mother wants to come propose tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”
Ruan Tang looked momentarily confused. After a few seconds, she realized what he meant.
“Okay.”
Jiang Ye: “Will your parents be home tomorrow?”
Ruan Tang nodded without hesitation. After all, this was the most urgent matter at hand—her parents would take time off work.
Once the serious matter was settled, Jiang Ye didn’t dare say anything more.
Afraid of being rebuffed.
He felt that just being with his little wife like this was quite nice—it gave him a sense of peaceful, tranquil years.
Ruan Tang suddenly stared at Jiang Ye and said, “Come with me to buy some fabric. I want to make you a set of clothes.”
The successful annulment of the engagement was all thanks to Jiang Ye, and his willingness to marry her was a tremendous help.
That morning, he had even gifted her snowflake cream, yet she seemed to have upset him again.
She felt it necessary to cheer him up.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ye was so overjoyed he began to stutter.
“You… you’re going to make clothes for me?”
Ruan Tang nodded with amusement.
Jiang Ye quickly stood up to leave but, noticing Ruan Tang’s disheveled hair, reminded her, “Your hair is a bit messy.”
Only then did Ruan Tang realize how casually she had presented herself. She hurriedly rose to tidy up.
After washing up, she noticed the snowflake cream on the table.
Her eyes filled with curiosity.
She picked it up, unscrewed the aluminum lid, and was greeted by a delicate fragrance. Scooping out a small amount, she rubbed it between her hands and evenly applied it to her face.
Instantly, her skin felt less tight.
No wonder her female classmates loved using such products—it really was quite nice.
Emerging from the bedroom, Ruan Tang excitedly leaned her face toward Jiang Ye. “Smell it—is it fragrant?”
Jiang Ye looked puzzled. “What?”
She leaned closer. “Quick, smell my face. Is it fragrant?”
At her words, Jiang Ye’s face flushed bright red.
The girl’s skin was truly exquisite—fair with a rosy glow, so tender it seemed one could squeeze water from it. He could even clearly see the fine down on her cheeks.
Jiang Ye hardly dared to breathe as he slowly leaned closer to Ruan Tang’s face.
The nearer he got, the stronger the fragrance became, and the more fiercely his heart raced.
He knew he shouldn’t get any closer, yet he seemed unable to control himself.
He stopped only when his nose was just a finger’s breadth away from her.
Taking a gentle whiff, he said hoarsely, “It smells wonderful—like the fresh scent of jasmine.”
Ruan Tang smiled.
“It’s the snowflake cream you gave me. I really like it,” she said, stepping back.
When she got a clear look at Jiang Ye’s face, she exclaimed, “Why is your face so red all of a sudden? Do you have a fever?”
Panic stirred in Jiang Ye’s heart. Before he could straighten up, the girl pressed her face against his.
Boom. Fireworks seemed to explode in Jiang Ye’s mind.
So cool, so soft, so comforting.
Ruan Tang rubbed her cheek against Jiang Ye’s and found it burning hot.
Frowning, she said, “You have a fever. Maybe… we should go another day?”
Innocent Ruan Tang had no idea it was her unintentional teasing that had caused his reaction.
“No fever. It’s probably just the hot weather. I’ll go wash my face and I’ll be fine,” Jiang Ye said, quickly turning away.
Using the same water Ruan Tang had used, he splashed his face vigorously.
The heat on his face subsided, but the restlessness in his heart continued to climb.
It wasn’t until they reached the department store and Jiang Ye chugged a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda that the inner turmoil slowly faded.
The department store had four floors: the first for non-staple foods, the second for daily necessities, fabrics, and clothing, the third for household appliances, bicycles, sewing machines, and similar items, and the fourth for offices. Jiang Ye took Ruan Tang directly to the second floor.
There weren’t many customers on this level. Some sales assistants were organizing stock, some were taking notes, and others were chatting idly. Jiang Ye walked straight to one counter.
“Well, look who’s here? Not off with your little wife, but coming to my…” Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Shu froze.
She had spotted Ruan Tang following behind Jiang Ye.
“Third Sister, this is Ruan Tang,” Jiang Ye introduced.
On the way there, Jiang Ye had already introduced Jiang Shu to Ruan Tang, so Ruan Tang obediently greeted her, “Hello, Third Sister.”
The soft-spoken “Third Sister” instantly snapped Jiang Shu out of her daze. She smiled and replied, “Hey, hello, hello.”
“Tangtang is so pretty! That boy Jiang Ye has good taste!”
Ruan Tang beamed, “Third Sister is also very beautiful.”
This wasn’t just flattery—Jiang Shu was genuinely attractive, with an oval face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and slightly upturned red lips. Her shoulder-length hair, paired with a pearl headband, gave her a bright and elegant appearance.
Standing at 1.7 meters tall, her red plaid dress accentuated her curvaceous figure, making her look nothing like a married woman of twenty-five.
Jiang Shu laughed heartily.
“Oh my, our Tangtang is not only beautiful but also sweet-tongued. Third Sister likes you! Come, take a look at what you want—I’ll buy it for you.”
Seeing Jiang Shu playing along, Jiang Ye leaned closer to Ruan Tang and said, “Third Sister is loaded. Go ahead and pick whatever catches your eye—we’ll buy it all.”
Over the past two years, Third Sister had been the most persistent in urging him to get married. She often said that once he married, she would cover all his wife’s clothing expenses.
Of course, she didn’t need to cover everything—just fulfilling part of that promise would be enough.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have a chance to shine.