As soon as Ruan Xiangbei entered the room, he threw his backpack onto a chair, then picked up a ladle to scoop water from the water vat and started drinking.
“Gulugulu…”
After finishing the ladle of water, he wiped the water stains from his mouth with his sleeve.
Only then did he say: “Big brother came looking for me. He told me everything about your situation. You can’t marry that heartless Su Jincheng.”
“And that Jiang Ye—you can’t marry him either. He isn’t a good person.”
The seventeen-year-old youth stood 1.8 meters tall, sunny and handsome.
His frame was somewhat slender, making the blue-and-white striped T-shirt he wore appear rather loose on him.
Ruan Tang fetched a basin of water for him and placed it on the washstand.
“Look at you, your face is covered in sweat from the heat. Come wash up quickly.”
While washing his face, Ruan Xiangbei asked: “Did you hear what I just said?”
“I heard you. Kids shouldn’t meddle in adult matters.”
Ruan Xiangbei lifted his face discontentedly, water droplets trickling down his cheeks.
“You’re only one year older than me. How am I a kid?”
“I’m even taller than you!”
Ruan Tang rolled her eyes. “No matter how tall you grow, you’ll always be my little brother.”
“I don’t care. Neither of them is suitable. You can’t marry them.”
Ruan Tang crossed her arms and looked at him. “Oh, so you’re getting worked up now? Then tell me, if I don’t get married, how am I supposed to stay in the city?”
“Or do you want me to go to the countryside?”
Ruan Xiangbei immediately objected, “Of course not.”
“You can’t carry heavy loads or do manual labor—there’s no way you can go to the countryside.”
Not wanting to argue with him, Ruan Tang said directly: “Before Mom and Dad get off work, you should hurry back to school. If you get beaten, I won’t help break up the fight.”
Ruan Xiangbei didn’t leave but stared intently at Ruan Tang.
Soon, his eyes reddened.
“Sis, I’m sorry. Big brother told me everything. They want to use your marriage to secure a job for me. I don’t agree, and I don’t want it.”
“I came back to tell them that if they force you to marry Su Jincheng, I’ll drop out of school right now and go register at the Youth Office tomorrow to become an educated youth in the countryside.”
Ruan Tang stood on her tiptoes and flicked his forehead hard.
“What nonsense are you talking!”
“I won’t marry Su Jincheng, and I won’t go to the countryside either. So, go back to school and focus on your studies. If you keep thinking about unnecessary things, I’ll beat you up before Mom and Dad even get the chance.”
Ruan Xiangbei rubbed his reddened forehead stubbornly. “Then are you planning to marry Jiang Ye?”
Ruan Tang didn’t hide it and nodded.
“No, he’s even more unreliable.”
“What if he gets locked up someday? You’d end up a widow.”
Ruan Tang was taken aback by his words.
In that dream, Jiang Ye did get locked up, but the reason wasn’t revealed. There was only one scene of him visiting her parents after being released from prison.
In reality, they weren’t close, so Jiang Ye would never visit her parents. She hadn’t paid it much mind.
Now that this brat said this, did he know something?!
Ruan Tang didn’t rush to question him. Instead, she had him sit down and handed him a handful of White Rabbit candies.
Ruan Xiangbei was confused. Why had his sister’s attitude suddenly changed?
“Sis, I’m not a kid. Why are you giving me so many milk candies?”
Ruan Tang unwrapped one and stuffed it directly into his mouth.
“Stop asking so many questions. Just eat it.”
“Is it sweet?”
Ruan Xiangbei nodded suspiciously.
“Sweet?”
“Very sweet?”
“Extremely sweet?”
Ruan Tang smiled. “Jiang Ye gave them.”
“Cough… cough… cough…”
“Cough, you two… just met… when did you get so close?”
“Recently. He took me to catch someone cheating, helped me successfully break off my engagement, and married me just so I wouldn’t have to go to the countryside. That’s why I think he’s quite good, nothing like what people say about him.”
“Xiang Bei, do you have some misunderstanding about him?”
Ruan Tang gently probed, “Or have you seen him do something illegal?”
“Of course I’ve seen…” Ruan Xiangbei blurted out, but stopped himself before finishing.
He avoided eye contact and didn’t dare say more.
Whew, he almost let it slip. They must never find out he went to the black market with classmates to resell cigarettes.
Otherwise, his father would definitely break his legs.
Just from Ruan Xiangbei’s expression, Ruan Tang knew this guy had been up to no good.
“You’ve done something illegal too.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Ruan Xiangbei quickly shook his head, “No, I haven’t.”
He was just curious and went with his classmates. Before they could even make any sales, Jiang Ye and his men chased them out, claiming their cigarettes were damp and moldy. He threatened to have them beaten up if they tried selling again.
Actually, he was just making false accusations because they were cutting into his business.
What a jerk, completely unreasonable.
Every time they tried going back after that, he’d appear like a ghost, always showing up at the right moment with that sloppy attitude, finding all sorts of trouble.
If he and his classmates didn’t leave, he’d beat them up.
Hmph, it’s not like he owned the black market. Why did he have to be so domineering, so unreasonable, and stick his nose everywhere?
“Sis, I’m just looking out for you. Anyway, that Jiang Ye is no good – no job, always causing trouble. What if he bullies you?”
He wanted to stand up for her, but couldn’t even beat that bastard.
Ruan Tang asked a few more questions, but Ruan Xiangbei kept his mouth shut, so she gave up.
She decided to find a suitable opportunity to ask Jiang Ye about it.
Thinking this, she got up to prepare dinner.
By the time Ruan Fu and Ruan Mu dragged their exhausted bodies home, it was completely dark outside.
When they saw Ruan Xiangbei, they both came back to life, smiles instantly appearing on their faces.
But when they learned why he had come back, Ruan Mu became very angry.
“You’ve all grown up now, grown your wings, learned how to tell us what to do.”
“Apparently your father and I are just step-parents, specially here to cheat our own children.”
The more Ruan Mu spoke, the more heartbroken she felt.
She’d been standing in the workshop all afternoon, her back and legs aching from exhaustion. Not only did no one care, but the first thing they said was to accuse her of cheating her own daughter.
Was she wrong for wanting them to have better lives in the future?
Seeing his mother cry, Ruan Xiangbei felt at a loss, not knowing what to do.
He was so anxious he broke out in a sweat.
As Ruan Tang brought the food to the table, she quickly went to get a towel to wipe Ruan Mu’s tears.
She knelt before Ruan Mu, holding her mother’s hands in hers.
They felt dry and rough.
Looking closely, she could see wounds of varying sizes on the fingers.
A woman in her forties, with hands that looked like they belonged to someone seventy or eighty years old.
Ruan Tang’s eyes instantly reddened.
Remembering Jiang Ye’s words, she said to Ruan Mu: “Mom, I’ll listen to you, okay? I’ll marry whoever you want me to marry.”
Ruan Xiangbei: “Sis…”
Ruan Tang shot him a sharp look, “Shut up.”
Her parents had their own convictions and ideas. For now, she didn’t have the ability to immediately change their way of thinking.
But life had to go on, and she didn’t want to ruin family relationships because of her own issues.
Since Jiang Ye said he would help her, she would trust him for now.
If the outcome remained unchanged, she would figure something out when the time came.
Ruan Fu spoke up at the right moment, “Alright, alright, why cry in front of the child? Tangtang has already agreed, so don’t feel wronged anymore.”
“Let’s eat.”
“Xiang Bei, get a plate and save some shredded potatoes for your brother. He went out to make deliveries and probably won’t be back until nine.”
Ruan Xiangbei: “Okay.”