Shu Ping coughed awkwardly, smacked his lips, and seemed too afraid to say anything.
Chen Yuzhen, however, became furious when she heard what her daughter said. “Hmph, their standards are too high. We can’t afford to marry into their family. Enough, don’t talk about this anymore. I’ll go heat up your food. It’s all gone cold.”
Seeing her mother’s angry expression and her elder brother’s silence, Shu An knew she probably wouldn’t be able to get anything out of either of them. Her father was even less likely to say anything.
So she quietly leaned toward her second sister and asked, “Second Sister, what’s going on?”
Shu Jing glanced at their elder brother before explaining, “Jiang Mingyue’s family wants two hundred yuan in bride price. That alone would be fine, but they also want the three major items—a bicycle, a tape recorder, and a watch.”
“A bicycle? Doesn’t Big Brother already have one?”
“Sigh, no. She wants him to buy her a brand-new bicycle of her own. Our family simply can’t afford that, so she went and latched onto that scumbag Fu Xuejun.”
“What? She got together with Fu Xuejun?”
“Yeah. But thankfully, Heaven has eyes. You have no idea—yesterday, someone apparently ambushed him in an alley and beat him unconscious. All the money on him was stolen, and his leg was broken too. If you ask me, they went too easy on him. Why didn’t they just beat him to death?”
Whenever Shu Jing mentioned it, her teeth practically ached with hatred. Her younger sister had almost been drowned to death, yet they had no evidence and couldn’t bring Fu Xuejun to justice.
“It’s fine. Our big brother deserves someone better. Besides, she’s probably crying somewhere right now. No matter what, Big Brother is still perfectly healthy. Unlike Fu Xuejun—he might have to spend the rest of his life as a cripple.” As she spoke, Shu An suddenly leaned close to Shu Jing and whispered a few things into her ear.
Shu Jing looked astonished. “No way, right? She can’t possibly be that shameless, can she?”
“Hard to say. After all, Fu Xuejun has ended up like this. What if she comes crawling back to Big Brother?”
At that, the two sisters fell silent at the same time and turned toward Shu Ping, who was sitting nearby.
“W-Why are you looking at me?” Shu Ping asked nervously under their intense stares.
“Big Brother, come here for a second.”
The two sisters grabbed Shu Ping by the arms from either side and immediately dragged him into their room, slamming the door shut behind them.
Chen Yuzhen happened to be carrying the reheated food over when she saw the three siblings shut themselves inside. She turned to the man beside her and asked, “What are those three siblings doing?”
“No idea. The kids have their own business to take care of.”
Inside the room, Shu Jing and Shu An stared at Shu Ping from either side.
“Big Brother, tell us honestly. Do you still have feelings for Jiang Mingyue?”
“Oh, come on, how could I? She’s about to get married. How could I possibly still be interested in her? Besides, I’m not stupid.”
“Our family obviously can’t meet the conditions Jiang Mingyue wants. Am I supposed to make Mom and Dad work themselves to death borrowing money just to satisfy her demands? Have I gone crazy?”
“Then there’s still hope for you.” Shu An nodded after hearing this.
“Big Brother, since she has nothing to do with you anymore, now that Fu Xuejun is in this state, who knows whether she’ll suddenly change her mind and come back to you.”
“Keep your head clear. Don’t let yourself get fooled by some beauty trick. Otherwise, I’ll tell Mom and Dad and have them uphold justice by kicking you out of the family,” Shu Jing threatened, narrowing her eyes.
“Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t, absolutely won’t. Forget whether she’ll come back to me or not—even if she does, considering how our family and Fu Xuejun are completely at odds, there’s no way I’d accept her again.”
“That’s more like it. At least your brain hasn’t stopped working.”
At the same time, far away somewhere else, Jiang He received the telegram Shu An had sent him. As he read its contents, a rare smile appeared on his face.
Seeing him smiling like a man hopelessly in love, Gao Chenrui nudged him with his elbow. “Hey, Lao Jiang, who is it? What made you smile so wide your whole face looks like a blooming flower?”
When Jiang He saw him coming over, he quickly put the telegram away. “It’s a telegram from my wife.”
“Your wife? Good grief, I still can’t figure it out. How did you suddenly end up with a wife just from going home on leave?”
“But you sure moved fast. We were actually thinking about making you my brother-in-law,” Gao Chenrui said, sounding genuinely regretful.
His maternal aunt’s husband had a younger sister who worked in the cultural troupe. His aunt had been asking him for a while whether he knew any suitable men she could introduce to her younger sister.
He had actually been thinking of Jiang He. He never expected that Jiang He would simply go home on leave and come back married. At first, he had even wondered whether it was one of those old-fashioned stories where a country girl had forced a man into marriage. But after asking around, he learned that Jiang He had actually saved a woman in distress and ended up with a beautiful young wife.
“By the way, Lao Gao, do you have a bicycle coupon?”
“A bicycle coupon?” Gao Chenrui was stunned.
“Yeah. I don’t have one.” Jiang He had never really thought he would need one, so whenever he had the opportunity to get one before, he had always given it to someone else.
But Gao Chenrui was different. His family had connections, so getting one should be easier for him.
“A bicycle coupon? I don’t have one either. Who needs a bicycle around here? But I think my father might have one. If you want, I can ask him.”
“Sure. Please ask him for me. My wife wants to buy a bicycle.”
“So it’s for my sister-in-law? In that case, why don’t I just do you a favor and go all the way? I’ll ask my father to buy a bicycle directly and have it shipped back to your hometown.”
“Besides, even if you have a coupon but can’t find a bicycle, there’s not much you can do with it. I can’t guarantee anything else, but my father will definitely have an easier time buying things like bicycles than you would.”
“Then I really have to thank you. Just pay for it first, and tell me how much it costs. I’ll give you the money.”
“Oh, what’s the big deal? We’re brothers. Besides, you saved my life.”
“That’s different. And Lao Gao, stop bringing that up all the time. Anyone would have done the same thing.”
Jiang He corrected him.
“Fine, fine. I won’t mention it anymore. Hurry up and send your telegram so my sister-in-law doesn’t have to worry.”
After Jiang He got the bicycle matter settled, he immediately went to the communications office to send a telegram.