In her past life, Lin Xu had once subtly hinted to Lin Ruochu that Lu Yichen was not a good match, but Ruochu hadn’t listened back then. Looking at it now, it seemed Lin Xu must have known something.
“Do you happen to know something about this?” Ruochu asked, as the thought crossed her mind.
Mentioning this, Lin Xu had plenty to say. “Last time at the educated youth point, I saw Xia Lin receiving letters and packages sent back by Lu Yichen. I clearly saw they were sent by him, but when I asked her, she stammered and couldn’t give a straight answer. If there isn’t something fishy going on there, I’ll be damned.”
This was truly the first time Lin Ruochu had heard about such a thing. It turned out that when Lu Yichen was away, he would also send things to Xia Lin.
At this moment, upon learning about these matters, Ruochu felt nothing in her heart; her life had already found a brand new beginning.
“Now, Lu Yichen and Xia Lin can finally be together openly and honestly. Isn’t that great?”
“Besides, breaking off my engagement with Lu Yichen and seeing through the true nature of this scumbag early on is my liberation.”
Lin Xu nodded heavily. “That’s right. I always felt Lu Yichen wasn’t good enough for you. Back when we were in school, he always put on a stern face toward you and never showed you any tenderness.”
Lin Xu had attended the same school as Ruochu and the others, just one grade lower, and the two often walked to and from school together, which was why Lin Xu saw things so clearly.
“Yeah, I was just blind before, which is why I fell for Lu Yichen. My eyesight is much better now.”
“As long as you’re not sad, you’ll only meet better men in the future.”
For some inexplicable reason, the moment she heard those words, the image of Fu Tingshi flashed through Lin Ruochu’s mind. She shook her head, casting the shadow away.
Right at that moment, the village chief’s wife walked in carrying bowls of ginger soup. “You two, drink up your ginger soup properly to drive away the cold.”
By this time, the village chief’s wife had already learned about what happened today. Since the two families were related by blood, and Ruochu had saved Lin Xu today, the chief’s wife felt deeply grateful toward her, treating her with even more warmth than usual.
“I heard about what happened today, and thank goodness for Ruochu. Otherwise, if someone had actually succeeded in their scheme, it would be too late for regrets.”
It was no wonder the chief’s wife’s mind went there. While their Lin Family Village had strict rules, neighboring villages had certainly seen dirty tricks used to force marriages.
Just two days prior, something like that had happened over in nearby Wangshan Village. A local lazybones had set his sights on a pretty female educated youth, deliberately pushed her into the river, rescued her himself, and then used the pretext of “taking responsibility” to force the poor girl into marrying him.
So how could the chief’s wife not feel lingering fear?
Ruochu had simply intended to save Lin Xu anyway. “What are you saying, Auntie? Lin Xu and I are close, and we’re family besides. Could I just stand by and watch something happen to her?”
“Auntie knows you’re a good girl.” Afterward, the chief’s wife looked at Lin Xu and instructed her earnestly, “Xiao Xu, Ruochu saved you today. You must remember her kindness and not be ungrateful like certain people.”
The whole village had heard about the incident with Xia Lin; Ruochu had treated Xia Lin so well, yet she turned out to be nothing more than an ungrateful wolf.
“Mom, I know. I’ll keep the sisterly bond between Ruochu and me deep in my heart.”
“As long as you know.”
The village chief’s wife originally wanted to invite Ruochu to stay for a meal, but Ruochu declined because she was in a hurry to get home.
“Ruochu, then Auntie won’t keep you. When your uncle has some free time, he’ll come over to your place.” She had to find a proper way to thank her for today no matter what.
“Alright, Auntie, I’ll be heading back first.”
The village chief’s house wasn’t far from Ruochu’s, only a ten-minute walk. Under normal circumstances, she would have reached home quickly, but an unexpected interruption popped up midway.
That person was Lu Yichen.
After retrieving the bracelet from Xia Lin earlier today, Lu Yichen had originally planned to go to the Lin family to find Ruochu. However, remembering the hostile attitude the Lin family had shown at their house yesterday, he knew he wouldn’t get a warm reception, so he decided to wait outside for Ruochu instead.
Later, upon learning Ruochu had gone to town, Lu Yichen waited at the entrance of the village, only to be delayed further by the incident involving Lin Xu, leaving him with no choice but to keep waiting.
You had to hand it to him—in this matter, Lu Yichen acted quite persistently, continuing to wait after lingering for ages.
Yet the moment she saw Lu Yichen, Ruochu’s mood soured. “Move aside, you’re blocking my path.”
Before the wedding incident, Ruochu had always spoken to Lu Yichen in soft tones and never uttered harsh words. Seeing her impatient demeanor now, Lu Yichen felt a bit unsettled; Ruochu shouldn’t be giving him this kind of expression.
“Ruochu, do you really have to talk to me like this?”
“Otherwise what? The fact that I haven’t laid a hand on you yet is a testament to my good temper.”
Failing to perceive Ruochu’s genuine displeasure, Lu Yichen grew impatient himself. “Alright, Ruochu, if you were angry, your anger should have subsided by now. Stop making a fuss.”
“Lu Yichen, do you lack basic comprehension? You actually think I’m just throwing a temper tantrum? Breaking off the engagement is real, and telling you to be with Xia Lin is also real.”
“I told you, there is nothing between Xia Lin and me. You are the only one I am going to marry.”
“Right, there’s nothing between you two—just playing the groom and bride. If I hadn’t suddenly shown up, you would have already consummated the marriage in the bridal chamber.”
Uncomprehending of why Ruochu kept harping on this matter, Lu Yichen persevered with what he assumed was a patient explanation. “I’ve already explained. You passed out, which is why Xia Lin helped you pour the toasts. I didn’t do anything to wrong you.”
Regardless of anything else, Lu Yichen had never considered not marrying Ruochu, and he believed that meant he hadn’t wronged her.
Ruochu could only laugh bitterly. So Lu Yichen had always been such a hypocritical man.
“Why did I suddenly pass out? Don’t you know? And when something happened to me, shouldn’t I have been sent to the health station? What was the meaning of leaving me locked up in that room?”
Lu Yichen was momentarily left speechless, especially since the sleeping drug given to Ruochu was his doing. Facing her questioning, however, he had to reply, “I thought you were probably too exhausted and needed rest, which is why I didn’t send you to the health station and let you rest in the room instead.”
“Enough, spare me your clumsy excuses. Hearing them just makes me laugh. If you have something to say, spit it out. If not, get out of my way.”
In Lu Yichen’s eyes, the current Ruochu was aggressive and sharp-tongued, entirely unlike her former self.
When Lu Yichen refused to move, Ruochu made a move to shove past him. At that moment, Lu Yichen could only block her path; he certainly didn’t want this trip to end up being a wasted journey.
“Alright, I came here to give you your bracelet. Can you stop making a scene now?”