Jiang Meilan instinctively rejected the idea.
As soon as these words fell.
Wang Limei and Jiang Meishu both looked over at the same time.
Jiang Meilan realized her attitude might have been too intense.
Her face stiffened as she offered a clumsy explanation, “Shen Zhanlie’s family conditions are so poor. Meishu can’t carry heavy loads or do manual work, and her health is weak. Wouldn’t marrying him bring a heap of troubles?”
Wang Limei also knew her younger daughter would face difficulties if married into that family.
But if she didn’t marry, she’d be waiting to be sent to the countryside!
She said irritably, “Shen Zhanlie isn’t ideal, but can you find someone better?”
Moreover, how could there be a perfect match among all the potential partners in the world?
It was simply a matter of picking the best among the mediocre.
Jiang Meilan instinctively nodded, “Yes.”
She raised her voice, “I have a better match in mind.”
“Who?”
Jiang Meilan almost blurted out Liang Qiurun’s name.
But she knew her mother’s character – extremely upright and shrewd. If she revealed even the slightest clue, there would be no possibility left between her and Shen Zhanlie.
Secondly, although Liang Qiurun had good conditions, his shortcomings were also obvious.
She didn’t have any major grudges against her younger sister Jiang Meishu – their relationship had always been quite good. She naturally couldn’t push her sister into a pit of fire.
Jiang Meilan immediately swallowed her words.
“No one.”
Keeping her desire to be matched with Shen Zhanlie secret, her mother was the first person she needed to hide it from.
The second was her younger sister – Jiang Meishu.
Jiang Meilan knew what she was doing wasn’t proper, but she had no other choice.
She had taken a liking to her sister’s future husband from her previous life.
She coveted him.
She coveted her sister’s exclusive matchmaking opportunity.
This was an extremely shameful behavior and relationship.
She couldn’t speak of it.
Dared not speak of it.
As her own child, how could Wang Limei not see she was lying?
Wang Limei immediately felt somewhat disappointed, “Meilan, are you going to hide things from your own mother now?”
Jiang Meilan lowered her head, “You’re not just my mother alone, you also have Jiang Meishu. If I tell you, you’ll favor her.”
These words struck right at the heart.
Ever since giving birth to twin daughters, Wang Limei had ensured both children had everything equal since childhood. Even when it came to farting.
She wished she could produce two at once.
Afraid of leaving one out and causing disputes.
Wang Limei suddenly remembered something and stood frozen in place, “Are you blaming me for leaving you at your aunt’s house for five years back then?”
Jiang Meilan retorted, “Shouldn’t I?”
Back then, her elder sister-in-law Jiang Lamei couldn’t have children. After having her first child, she gave birth to twins, coinciding with a famine.
The elder sister-in-law proactively asked to take one child, saying that since this child had younger siblings, perhaps raising this child in her own home might help her conceive.
At that time, the family conditions were poor, and with the famine, they couldn’t afford to raise two infants. Keeping them at home would mean certain starvation.
Since the elder sister-in-law’s family was better off, they chose the healthier Jiang Meilan to send over for a period. The elder sister-in-law ended up raising her for five years.
While Jiang Meishu was eating sweet potatoes, Jiang Meilan was drinking milk powder at her aunt’s house.
It wasn’t until five years later, when the elder sister-in-law successfully became pregnant, that Jiang Meilan was sent back.
Feeling indebted to her, Wang Limei always gave her priority in everything. But in the end, her eldest daughter claimed she favored the younger one.
This was simply heart-wrenching.
Wang Limei could barely stand steady.
Jiang Meishu supported her from the side, knowing she couldn’t utter a single word at such a moment.
The more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes.
In her previous life, she was an only child, a genuine Sichuan girl.
Her parents had only her, and though they were an ordinary family, they gave her everything they could, raising her with boundless affection.
Thus, she had never experienced parental favoritism or rivalry for attention.
Thinking of this, she wondered how her parents were doing after she transmigrated here.
With her gone, would her parents be utterly devastated?
After all, for a single-child family like hers, it was like a triangle—she was the apex.
Without the apex, how could the base—her parents—remain steady?
Jiang Meishu’s expression darkened briefly before she shifted her focus to the present.
She helped Wang Limei sit down, watched her drink some water, and after thinking hard for a while, she analyzed, “Sister, would you like to hear what I have to say?”
Jiang Meilan turned her head away, but her perked-up ears betrayed her emotions.
Jiang Meishu spoke slowly, “The root of your argument with Mother is Liang Qiurun. You say Mother is biased because of Liang Qiurun, but deep down, both of us know—your potential match.”
She glanced at the photo on the table of the gentle, dignified Liang Qiurun, “is clearly the better option.”
“Don’t rush to deny it. Whether in terms of position or family background, Liang Qiurun is undoubtedly superior.”
The youngest director at the Meatpacking Factory.
The owner of a Dongcheng Courtyard.
And his appearance isn’t lacking either.
Combined, these three made him what would later be called a diamond bachelor in the matchmaking world.
Jiang Meilan, unconvinced, immediately pointed out his flaws, “You’re only seeing the surface! You haven’t noticed he’s older—thirty-three, twelve years older than us!”Moreover, he has a rebellious stepson in middle school who has already sabotaged many of Liang Qiurun’s matchmaking attempts.” If I marry into such a situation with our modest family background, I’ll just be waiting to be bullied!”
Jiang Meishu pressed her lips together, her fair face tense. “If he had no flaws, would someone like him be available to our family? To you?”
Jiang Meilan knew it, of course.
After a long pause, she retorted, “Do you think being a stepmother is easy?”
Her younger sister was naive, only seeing the glamour on the surface, blind to the underlying troubles.
A family like the Liangs—
She had already waded through that muddy water in her previous life.
The result was dying alone, full of regrets.
In the end, she hadn’t even had the right to become a mother.
She could only watch her sister surrounded by children and grandchildren, her home full of life.
Those who haven’t experienced this would never understand.
An empty house, forever lonely with just one person.
In this life, she wanted to live differently.
Ideally, with a partner who had good conditions, was healthy, strong in bed, and fertile.
She wanted to have many children connected to her by blood.
After considering so many candidates,
her brother-in-law—Shen Zhanlie—was the most suitable.
Seeing that Jiang Meilan had her own set of beliefs and wouldn’t listen to reason,
Wang Limei also felt weary. “Jiang Meishu, there’s no use talking to your sister anymore. She’s dead set against blind dating with Director Liang.”She stood up, looking at her eldest daughter, “But Meilan, you’ve forgotten—whether you go on a blind date with Director Liang or not isn’t something our family can decide.””
“With your consent, your aunt has already shown your photo to Factory Director Liang, and he has agreed. The blind date is in a few days. If you don’t go, are you going to let our family offend Factory Director Liang?”
There were six adults in their family.
Three of them worked at the Meatpacking Factory.
The Jiang family simply couldn’t afford to offend Liang Qiurun.
As these words fell.
Jiang Meilan’s face instantly turned pale. She bit her lip hard, “I—”
“You’re working as a temporary worker in the Meatpacking Factory’s labor union yourself.”
“Even if you don’t consider your family, you should at least think about yourself.”
After delivering this ultimatum, Wang Limei picked up the honeycomb briquette stove and went outside. It was almost the end of the evening shift, and she needed to cook for those returning from work.
Finding time to talk to her daughter about this was already like squeezing water from a stone.
Living in the Dazayuan, space was incredibly cramped.
The Jiang family only had twenty-two square meters total – one large sleeping area with an added earthquake shed, barely housing six adults and three children.
Nine people in all.
They usually didn’t cook inside the house, typically carrying the coal stove under the eaves to prevent cooking smells from filling the poorly ventilated room.
Outside, Wang Limei was busy working.
Inside the small room, on the spring bed, Jiang Meilan was shedding tears.
Jiang Meishu wanted to say something but didn’t know what.
She quietly watched her sister, keeping her company.
After some time, Jiang Meilan stopped crying. She looked at her sister’s exquisitely beautiful face, “Are you satisfied now?”
Jiang Meishu looked utterly confused.
Why did this sister bite everyone she encountered?
After thinking for a while, she slowly fished out a one-fen coin from her pocket, “Quite satisfied. You cried quite beautifully.”
“Good performance deserves reward!!!”
Tossing the coin onto Jiang Meilan’s knees, Jiang Meishu turned and ran.
Leaving Jiang Meilan, who had been crying just moments before, now raging like a tyrannosaurus rex, “Jiang Meishu, do you want to die?”
The roar echoed out.
Jiang Meishu stuck out her tongue, glanced at the helplessly furious Jiang Meilan through the window, then ran toward Wang Limei. Pressing her lips together, she whispered, “Don’t you think my sister seems more alive like this?”
Usually, Jiang Meilan was too reserved. To maintain her reputation for virtue, she would do anything.
She never lost her temper.
She always treated people with smiles.
Seeing her younger daughter taking it in stride, Wang Limei replaced a honeycomb briquette with fire tongs and asked her, “Not angry?”
Jiang Meishu collected the burned coal cinders nearby, unwilling to waste them.
Following past practice, these cinders would be saved and used in the charcoal basin during winter for another round of heating.
After finishing this task, she answered honestly, “A little angry.”
“But she’s just taking her anger out on me. We’ve been competing for things since we were little – we’re used to it.”
In her memory, from daily clothes to schooling, everything for the twin sisters had to be exactly the same!
If they weren’t identical – just wait!
They’d turn the whole house upside down.
But this didn’t mean the sisters had a poor relationship.
Actually, no – they competed and fought, but Jiang Meilan would still consider Jiang Meishu’s poor health and do her share of work for her.
When Jiang Meishu was bullied outside, Jiang Meilan would become like a tyrant, picking up tiles to fight others, all to protect her frail, sickly younger sister.
Thus, the relationship between them was quite complex.
Upon hearing this, Wang Limei couldn’t help but tap her younger daughter’s nose. “Your sister always says I favor you.”
The elder daughter was capable, while the younger one was delicate.
Whatever the younger daughter refused to do, the elder daughter would step in to help.
“But your gentle, unhurried temperament—unlike her sharp, competitive nature—makes you easier to get along with.”
To be honest, it was more comfortable interacting with the younger daughter.
Because she was indifferent—whether she did something or not made no difference to her.
She simply stayed silent either way.
But one couldn’t push her too far. Once, her sister provoked her to the breaking point, and she pinned her sister to the ground and gave her a thorough beating.
After that, Jiang Meilan finally settled down.
Recalling the past, Wang Limei asked, “What do you think about your sister refusing to go on a blind date with Director Liang?”
Jiang Meishu shook her head. “Perhaps she already has someone she likes? Or she just doesn’t think much of Director Liang?”
She had seen plenty of cases in her previous life—university roommates who rejected arranged blind dates, usually because they were already involved with someone they met at school.
Only in such situations would they resist blind dates so strongly.
Hearing this, Wang Limei fell into deep thought.
“I’ll ask her another day.”
“And as for you—”
Afraid that her younger daughter might follow her sister’s example and refuse to go on a blind date,
Wang Limei spoke earnestly, “Although Comrade Shen Zhanlie’s family circumstances are modest, he is highly capable. Among your father’s dozen or so apprentices, he stands out the most. I’ve also met his mother—she’s reasonable and understanding. His younger siblings are sensible too, no difficult personalities in the family.”
“If you take this blind date seriously and marry him, the first few years might be tough, but he won’t remain ordinary in the future.”
He’s a good man, his family is united, and he’s hardworking. They may struggle for a while, but not forever.
Jiang Meishu hummed in acknowledgment, idly peeling cabbage leaves. Her fair, luminous face remained gentle, without any particular resistance.
“I’ll meet him first and see how it goes.”
“Whether it works out or not, we can decide the next step later.”
Though she appeared to be focused on preparing the cabbage, her mind had already wandered, lost in thought.
She analyzed her current situation and realized there weren’t many paths open to her. Among the four siblings in the family,
only her father and eldest brother worked at the Meatpacking Factory—
one as a butcher, the other in cafeteria logistics.
Additionally, Jiang Meilan had used their aunt’s connections (who worked at the labor union) to secure a job serving tea, fetching water, and cleaning—even if it was only a temporary position.
Yet, that alone was enough to make others envious.
Because of this, Jiang Meilan was highly sought after in the Dazayuan—not only for her good reputation but also because she had a job.
In these times, a woman having a job was like adding flowers to brocade when it came to marriage prospects.
Under such circumstances, three people’s wages supported the entire family.
If she were still a child, it wouldn’t be a problem, but she was already a grown woman, an adult.
In this situation, continuing to rely on her family to support her didn’t feel right.
If things at home weren’t feasible, she could only look outward—find a job if necessary.
But that wasn’t easy either.
In this era, jobs in the capital were like stars in the sky—each one snatched left one fewer.
Of course, such opportunities rarely came her way, which was why the “Educated Youth Going to the Countryside” movement existed.
For Jiang Meishu, the path of going to the countryside was not an option. Even office work could exhaust her to death.
Given her frail constitution, if she were sent to the countryside,
she wouldn’t have nine lives enough to survive the hardships.
Looking at it this way, marrying Shen Zhanlie through a matchmaking arrangement and returning to her parents’ home for meals after marriage seemed like a pretty good path.
In her previous life, she worked herself to death.
In this life, Jiang Meishu didn’t really want to work hard anymore.
She just wanted to live a stable and peaceful life.
Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it.
Take one step at a time.
Moreover, although Shen Zhanlie’s current circumstances were modest, at worst he would become a future tycoon. That meant enduring a few tough years first, followed by a comfortable life later.
Jiang Meishu thought to herself, she just needed to grit her teeth and get through it!
She could do it!
Hearing the discussion outside,
Jiang Meilan bit her lip. She couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. When it was time for dinner, she went out instead.
Wang Limei called after her but couldn’t stop her, muttering under her breath, “Where is this child going?”
Jiang Meilan, who was being scolded, didn’t even pause. She went straight to her aunt Jiang Lamei’s house, familiar with the route. Her aunt lived in the Meatpacking Factory’s staff dormitory, a tube-shaped apartment building.
When she arrived, her aunt’s family was having dinner.
Seeing this scene, Jiang Meilan’s heart instantly ached with bitterness.
She had once been a part of her aunt’s family and had always believed she was her aunt’s biological daughter. Later, after her aunt had her own two children, she was sent back.
“Why are you here at this time???”
Jiang Lamei stood up. After all, this was a child she had raised, and even though she had sent her away, she still had some feelings for her.
“Aunt.”
As soon as Jiang Meilan looked up, she started crying. Seeing this, Jiang Lamei was momentarily stunned. “What’s wrong? Who bullied you?”
She pulled Jiang Meilan into the room.
Outside at the table, Zhao Xiaojuan couldn’t help but curl her lip. “She’s always looking for my mom.”
As soon as she said this, her brother Zhao Xiaogang hit her. “Just eat your meal.”
Inside the room.
When they were alone,
Jiang Meilan leaned against Jiang Lamei’s lap and cried, “Aunt, I don’t want to go on a matchmaking date with Liang Qiurun.”