After being here for several days, Ji Yang had gained a much clearer understanding of this era. Jobs were hard to find, ration coupons were scarce, and money wasn’t everything. Without the right coupons, you couldn’t buy anything at all.
So she packed up all her old clothes, quilts, the aluminum lunchbox she’d used at school, her books, and various other belongings to take with her.
Ji Man leaned against the doorframe, watching Ji Yang pack, her eyes filled with mockery.
“Ji Yang, do you see it now? I’m the child our parents love most. You’re nothing but a clown making a fool of yourself. You thought that by refusing to go to the countryside and marrying Jiang Ye, you’d have a good life. Heh. Just wait. You’ll find out soon enough how difficult your life will be.”
Jiang Ye was definitely going to die next year.
If Ji Yang had a child by then, remarrying would be even more difficult for her.
What good life could a widow with a child possibly have? By then, she’d probably have no choice but to take the most miserable jobs and do the hardest work.
Cleaning toilets. Working as a janitor.
But once the reform and opening-up began, Ji Man would urge Jiang Zhiyuan to build up his business. After he made money, she’d have him buy an entire office building. Then she’d make Ji Yang work as a cleaner in his company.
She’d make Ji Yang lick every single leaf of the money tree at the entrance downstairs until it was spotless.
She’d make her rub every chandelier on the ceiling clean, one tiny section at a time, using the cuffs of her sleeves.
She’d make her scrape every toilet in the restroom clean with her bare hands.
Then, when Jiang Zhiyuan saw Ji Yang again, his first impression of her would undoubtedly be disgust.
Hmph! So what if she was beautiful?
Time would teach her that marrying well was far more important than being beautiful!
Ji Yang had no idea what was going through Ji Man’s head. She couldn’t even be bothered to pay attention to her.
“Even if your life becomes difficult in the future, you don’t need to worry too much. After all, we’re sisters. I’ll help you when the time comes. Oh my, I’m such a kindhearted person!”
Ji Yang put her packed belongings aside, straightened up, and looked Ji Man up and down.
Ji Man was a little confused.
“You don’t need to rush to worry about my future. You’d better think about your own life first.”
“What if Jiang Zhiyuan becomes rich and successful in the future, and his mind starts wandering? What if he starts…”
Ji Yang didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was obvious. Men changed when they had money. Once Jiang Zhiyuan became wealthy, he might start keeping a mistress on the side.
Ji Man didn’t believe it. Jiang Zhiyuan loved her. In her previous life, he’d given her everything except an official title as his wife. Now that he had her in this life, there was no way he’d keep another woman on the side.
Seeing the disbelief flicker in Ji Man’s eyes, Ji Yang’s lips curled almost imperceptibly.
Although the novel had been written from the heroine’s perspective and described in detail how the male lead obeyed her every wish and showered her with affection, Ji Yang didn’t buy it.
When she’d read the book, she’d noticed that certain passages subtly hinted that the male lead might have been cheating.
For example, midway through the novel, Jiang Zhiyuan was described as a workaholic who constantly worked overtime and stayed away from home, all so he could provide the heroine with a more luxurious life.
One passage even described how the heroine felt sorry for him. One night, she went to his office to deliver some nourishing soup. Through the glass door, she saw Jiang Zhiyuan sitting beside a woman in a red dress, the two of them looking over documents together. The woman’s hand rested on the back of his hand, and he didn’t push it away.
When the heroine entered, the woman smiled, stood up, and left. Jiang Zhiyuan merely rubbed his temples and explained, “She’s the person in charge on the business partner’s side. We were so engrossed in discussing the project that we didn’t notice.”
He then reassured her, “Don’t overthink it. You’re the only one in my heart,” before pulling her into his arms and showering her with kisses and affection.
The heroine genuinely believed they had only been discussing business and didn’t ask any further questions.
If you asked Ji Yang, what kind of business discussion required their hands to be touching?
Were they discussing some kind of bedroom project?
The novel ended after Jiang Zhiyuan became the richest man in the capital, doted on his wife like a queen, and made other women green with envy.
Now that she thought about it, nobody knew what had happened afterward. If the male lead eventually turned out to have an illegitimate child, things would certainly get interesting.
With that thought, Ji Yang looked at Ji Man with a trace of pity.
Ji Man genuinely thought Ji Yang was mentally ill. First, she questioned Brother Zhiyuan’s love for her, and now she was looking at her with pity.
The woman was seriously messed up!
…
A wedding might be something a person experienced only once in their entire life, so Ji Yang was determined to make herself look her best.
Because of her profession in her previous life, she had always paid close attention to her appearance. She wasn’t a professional makeup artist, but she was practically semi-professional when it came to doing her own makeup.
Unfortunately, even the most skillful cook couldn’t make a meal without ingredients. There was absolutely nothing useful at home.
Left with no other choice, Ji Yang used a piece of red paper to stain her lips a rosy red. Then she sharpened a piece of burnt charcoal into an eyebrow pencil and lightly traced her eyebrows a couple of times.
As for her hair, she played it safe and braided it into two thick plaits.
At nineteen, she was like a flower bud on the verge of blooming, radiating youthful vitality. Even with such a simple touch of grooming, she was beautiful enough to make people unable to look away.
Jiang Ye didn’t come alone. Five or six men followed behind him in an impressive procession. Every one of them was riding a bicycle and wearing a white shirt, forming a whole bicycle convoy as they sped down the road. The wind billowed their shirts, making the fabric flap loudly.
As they climbed the stairs, Jiang Ye looked positively triumphant. He grinned so broadly that both rows of his white teeth showed. Joy was written all over his face, from the corners of his eyes to the tips of his eyebrows. Even his footsteps seemed lighter than usual.
Jiang Ye walked at the head of the group. The collar of his white shirt was casually open, with two buttons undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing his strong wrists.
One of the men behind him teased, “Jiang Ye, you’re already grinning like that before we’ve even reached the apartment. When you actually see your bride, won’t your mouth stretch all the way to your ears?”
Jiang Ye wasn’t offended. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his face grew even wider. His voice was full of undisguised pride.
“Of course! Getting married is a huge occasion. Am I not allowed to be happy? And all of you had better behave yourselves later. Don’t scare my wife.”
His words sent the young men following him into fits of laughter. The previously quiet stairwell was suddenly filled with cheerful noise, and even the neighbors couldn’t resist peeking through the cracks in their doors to see what was happening.
Jiang Ye stopped outside the Ji family’s door and knocked several times.
“Yangyang, I’m here to take you home!”
Inside, Ji Yang’s father sat on the sofa with a newspaper, pretending not to hear him. Her stepmother looked somewhat hesitant, but when she saw that Ji Xingguo wasn’t moving, she stayed where she was, too.
Ji Qiang, however, was eager to see the excitement and wanted to open the door.
Ji Man called out to him, “Xiaoqiang, what does this have to do with you?”
Ji Qiang curled his lip. He was only in a hurry to get to the wedding feast. There were bound to be at least two meat dishes at a wedding banquet, and he hadn’t had a proper feast of meat in ages.
When the door finally opened, Jiang Ye greeted them politely.
“Dad, Mom, I’ve come to take Yangyang home.”
“Wait,” Ji Xingguo replied coldly.
Ji Yang had already packed everything she needed. Hearing the commotion, she came out of her room carrying her belongings.
Jiang Ye had sharp eyes. In two or three quick strides, he crossed the room and took the bundle from her hands without giving her a chance to refuse. Holding it himself, he gazed at her brightly and softened his voice as he repeated, “Wife, I’m here to take you home.”
Ji Yang raised her head and met his eyes, which were brimming with smiles. The corners of her eyes curved as she answered softly,
“All right.”