When Aunt Jiang brought up the matter to Jiang Nan, she was busy studying the writing styles of various journals and magazines she had purchased from the post office.
At the end of March this year, the manuscript payment system was reinstated. Journals and magazines that had been suspended for ten years gradually resumed publication. With many intellectuals rehabilitated and the first batch of university students admitted, poetry and “scar literature” reflecting the decade of revolution began to rise. The literary scene was flourishing, vibrant with new voices.
Although universities provided subsidies, most of it went toward food, leaving little cash. Jiang Nan herself spent little, but she had to pay child support for Cheng Hao. She couldn’t afford to live off savings for four years, so she thought of trying her hand at submitting articles.
She planned to write from the perspective of an observer, recording the original Jiang Nan’s journey from ignorance to the struggle for education. She hoped not only to preserve the memory of the original Jiang Nan but also to encourage more girls in similar predicaments to persist in their studies and change their destinies.
Suddenly hearing Aunt Jiang ask her opinion, Jiang Nan’s mind froze.
Who? Zhao Rui? That was Lu Xiaoxiao’s future father-in-law. Would she go from being Lu Xiaoxiao’s “sharp-tongued” former aunt to her future “malicious” stepmother-in-law in waiting?
Jiang Nan thought it impossible. Better to stay far away from story characters to keep her peace!
But Aunt Jiang didn’t know her thoughts and continued listing Zhao Rui’s advantages: “…Although Zhao Rui is in the village without a formal job, he earns no less than city folk.
Take our two plots of tomatoes—just over two months brought in nearly thirty yuan. It doesn’t sound like much, but the effort was minimal. Watering every eight or nine days, fertilizing two or three times, the hardest part was cutting thin bamboo from the mountain to stake the seedlings. I had worried they wouldn’t sell and would rot in the field, but Zhao Rui took Third Son and sold them to the unit canteen at seven cents a jin… Seven cents! That’s more than triple the price of vegetables like greens and radishes. I was worried they’d get caught!”
Jiang Nan’s thoughts drifted. How could they sell to a unit canteen? In those days, public institutions weren’t allowed to purchase from private individuals.
Then she recalled how Zhao Rui and Li Xu had easily obtained the study books and exam syllabus. They must have had other channels. Jiang Nan didn’t expose them.
Aunt Jiang kept talking: “And that’s just the small part. Third Son gives me three hundred yuan a year and still has plenty left, saying Zhao Rui helped him earn it. So Zhao Rui must be making even more. The Zhao family is simple, and they live close by. If you ever suffer grievances, just come home—your aunt will march over to defend you. Not like the last family, where you endured two or three years of unfairness for nothing…”
Zhao Rui followed his mother’s words and recalled distant, unfamiliar memories. At that time, he had just begun working in the fields. His only thought was to repay the years of hardship his mother had endured raising him, to improve their bare household. He had no mind for marriage or romance. He couldn’t even remember if his mother had ever mentioned Jiangnan to him.
“She’s worried Xiao Nan will be away at school for long periods. Others might mind, but I know you wouldn’t. Otherwise, last year you wouldn’t have helped Jingqiu with the college entrance exam.”
Other families feared that once an educated youth wife passed the exam and returned to the city, she would leave them. Only her son had busied himself helping his former daughter-in-law, braving the winter winds to escort her back and forth.
So when Aunt Jiang raised the idea, Mother Zhao didn’t think it was a problem at all.
Listening to his mother envision Jiang Nan as his future wife, Zhao Rui couldn’t help but pour cold water on it. “Are you sure she’d even agree to a blind date with me?”
His mother’s mood soured. “Isn’t that exactly why we’re asking your opinions?”
Zhao Rui smiled wryly. “Her first marriage was in the city. She has her own job, and she even took the college entrance exam. That shows she’s ambitious, always striving upward. Why would she look back and settle for me, a farmer?”
Zhao Rui was very self-aware. Until he achieved success, being divorced with a child didn’t make him a desirable match.
Li Xu’s cousin had started over—divorce, college entrance exam—constantly striving to change her life, becoming better than in her previous one. Such a person was unlikely to want to return to village life.
But his mother didn’t believe it. “Her aunt is already arranging things. You say she won’t agree, and that’s that?”
In short, as long as Mother Zhao didn’t hear him speak ill of Jiang Nan, she wouldn’t allow him to refuse.
Zhao Rui was helpless. He firmly believed Jiang Nan would refuse, so he waited. Thus, the blind date between the two was arranged—without either of their opinions being considered—by Mother Zhao and Aunt Jiang.
The two sat face-to-face, awkwardly, in the Li family’s main hall. Both thought: *Why didn’t you refuse?*
Then, like seasoned players, they instantly read each other’s thoughts in their eyes. Almost simultaneously, they relaxed. Realizing how synchronized their reactions were, Jiang Nan and Zhao Rui exchanged a smile, treating the blind date as nothing more than a casual meeting between friends. They began chatting comfortably.
Jiang Nan asked Zhao Rui about his and Li Xu’s medicinal planting venture.
Zhao Rui replied, “Many seeds didn’t sprout. Those that did grew unevenly—some strong, some weak. After all, we don’t have proper pesticides or fertilizers, and we can’t go up the mountain every day to tend them carefully. The first year is just trial and error. In a couple of years, once we gain experience and land can be contracted, then we can plant on a large scale.”
Jiang Nan nodded. In truth, she was surprised they had managed to grow anything at all.
“You don’t seem surprised about land contracting?” Zhao Rui suddenly asked, catching Jiang Nan off guard. Her pupils widened instantly.
Right—Xiaogang Village hadn’t yet made headlines. Outsiders had no idea. The concept of “land contracting” hadn’t even been proposed!
Jiang Nan quickly gathered herself, her relaxed demeanor gone, and looked at Zhao Rui with suspicion. Where had he heard that?
Seeing her on guard, Zhao Rui smiled and spoke frankly: “Don’t worry. I’m not trying to uncover your secrets. I just want to understand how I came back—and whether I might suddenly end up somewhere else again.”
He felt fortunate to return to a time when his mother was still healthy, before he had fulfilled his duty to care for her in old age. He didn’t want any more accidents.
Hearing this, Jiang Nan drew a sharp breath. She could now be certain: Zhao Rui had been reborn!
What was this—some kind of Mary Sue “big female lead” period drama turned into a rebirth-revenge saga? And now this melodramatic mess even had sequels!
And judging from Zhao Rui’s words, he seemed to think she was reborn too—was he probing her?
Jiang Nan wasn’t sure, so she simply said, “What do you mean by ‘came back’? How could I know how you got home?”
Seeing she didn’t want to reveal anything, Zhao Rui didn’t mind. He switched topics: “Do you think Lu Xiaoxiao has anything special about her?”
This was the only angle Zhao Rui could find.
Jiang Nan kept her face calm, but inwardly marveled: *Good grief, you’ve nearly touched the ‘world’s core’.*
Still, seeing Zhao Rui’s expression, he didn’t seem able to connect it to Cheng Yixin just yet. Jiang Nan didn’t mind giving him a hint. “Lu Xiaoxiao and her mother are very lucky. Whenever trouble comes, they always turn misfortune into blessing, and things go their way.”
*Lucky?* Zhao Rui looked at Jiang Nan’s smile and fell into thought.
Indeed, very lucky!
Cen Jingqiu fled Ningcheng to Guangshi, and only by chance did someone spot her and inform her brother and sister-in-law. Even Zhao Chuanze, with his network of connections, couldn’t find her. Yet Lu Xiaoxiao easily picked her out from among millions. And his car accident—for Lu Xiaoxiao, wasn’t that also a kind of “wish fulfilled”?
As for Lu Xiaoxiao’s mother…
From Jiang Nan’s words, it wasn’t hard to tell she was the real key. But how did Jiang Nan know?
Zhao Rui’s gaze grew darker. She clearly held information he didn’t. This was getting more and more interesting.
Seeing Zhao Rui’s sudden aura, Jiang Nan’s curiosity was piqued. She especially wanted to know what Zhao Rui was thinking. In his previous life, he had refused until death to approve Lu Xiaoxiao and Zhao Chuanze’s marriage. Would things change this time?
But curiosity killed the cat. Matters of powerful men were not hers to meddle in. Jiang Nan politely held her tongue.
Then, the two continued chatting casually, exchanging information. By the end, both were satisfied with the conversation.
From afar, the Li family and Mother Zhao saw them talking happily and thought the match was made. They were all smiles—until Zhao Rui came out and told them: “It didn’t work out!”
Li Xu was frustrated, chasing after Zhao Rui. “Why not? My sister’s so good, so capable. Brother Rui, you’re… well, you’re getting a huge bargain, you know! If you went from being my brother to my brother-in-law, wouldn’t that make us even closer?”
As Li Xu’s noisy voice faded into the distance, Mother Zhao looked regretfully at Jiang Nan still inside the hall, shook her head, and left disappointed.
Aunt Jiang took a deep breath, went inside, and patiently asked Jiang Nan, “Where did the conversation go wrong?” She wanted to summarize lessons learned.
Jiang Nan laughed and told her the truth: “Zhao Rui also thought we weren’t suitable. It was Aunt Zhao, just like you, who wouldn’t give up, so he had no choice but to come.”
After explaining, Jiang Nan advised Aunt Jiang: “As for matchmaking, you don’t need to worry anymore. I promise you I’ll definitely find a partner—I won’t end up alone.”
Aunt Jiang was anxious, but seeing Jiang Nan’s serious expression that brooked no refusal, she sighed. “Then you’d better hurry! While you’re young, you can find young men. Once you’re older, only the leftovers remain, and I won’t approve of that!”
Jiang Nan smiled and agreed. In the days that followed, Aunt Jiang truly quieted down.
Li Xu, however, refused to give up. He kept praising Zhao Rui in Jiang Nan’s ear. Jiang Nan, helpless, pulled out her trump card: “I’ve never used you as a shield to stop Auntie from matchmaking. Do you want to try it now? How about I tell her you’re ready to get married?”
Li Xu sucked in a sharp breath. “You really are my good sister!” After that, he never dared mention it again.
Finally, Jiang Nan had the peace to begin writing her novel.