“Blood ties are innate and cannot be severed.”
These words immediately reddened Jiang Meilan’s eyes. She turned her head to wipe her face, muttering, “Shedding useless tears.”
Jiang Meishu didn’t expose her. Instead, she wrapped an arm around Jiang Meilan’s shoulders and chuckled, “Just remember this – when you have money in the future, you’ll spend it on me!”
Jiang Meilan nodded emphatically.
She thought to herself: Shen Zhanlie would become the richest man in the future. Whether she took his money or earned her own, she could spend it on her younger sister.
Besides, she knew how the future would unfold.
Could she possibly do worse than Shen Zhanlie in the future?
If she had money,
wouldn’t that mean her sister had money too?
“How did the discussion go?” Wang Limei outside couldn’t wait any longer and knocked on the door to ask.
“It’s settled.”
Jiang Meishu responded and pulled the door open.
Wang Limei practically squeezed inside instantly, her face full of concern. “What did you two decide?”
She was asking Jiang Meishu, clearly showing she didn’t trust Jiang Meilan.
Jiang Meilan had been in a fairly good mood, but seeing this, she let out a cold laugh. Her mother always claimed to treat them equally.
This was her version of equality.
In her mother’s eyes, Jiang Meishu would always be the one she trusted.
So, equal treatment?
It didn’t exist.
It would never be possible.
The expression on her eldest daughter’s face stung Wang Limei. She took a deep breath. “Meilan, you tell me.”
Jiang Meilan turned her head away, appearing unwilling to answer.
Had her mother asked her first when she entered, she might have answered.
But her mother hadn’t asked her first, and she didn’t want to be the second choice.
She’d rather remain silent.
Seeing mother and daughter about to clash again like fighting cocks, Jiang Meishu rubbed her throbbing temples. “Mom, let me explain.”
“Big sister and I have agreed to swap potential marriage partners.”
Silence fell instantly in the room.
Wang Limei instinctively looked at her younger daughter. “Did she force you?”
Hearing this,
Jiang Meilan let out another cold laugh, crossing her arms and watching coldly from the sidelines.
Jiang Meishu wished she could cover her mother’s mouth, quickly saying, “Mom, mom, my dear mother! Do you really think, with my personality, that big sister could force me to do anything?”
Whether it was her or the original owner, both might appear soft on the surface, but when truly provoked, even a rabbit would bite.
“Then why did you agree?”
Wang Limei was somewhat puzzled.
She understood her younger daughter’s temperament well. Usually, the two girls got along fine, but whenever there was only one thing they both wanted, they’d fight over it until heads bled.
When they were young, over a cat, she’d even pulled out its fur.
Jiang Meishu smiled. “I want a better life, that’s all.”
“The Liang family’s conditions are so good. You get to live in a big house right away.”
Wang Limei didn’t believe this explanation. She thought her sweet-natured younger daughter was just yielding to her sister out of kindness.
Meishu had always been like this since childhood.
Suffering in silence.
She thought to herself: This won’t do. I must properly compensate my younger daughter later.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lamei felt uncomfortable hearing Jiang Meishu’s words. “The Liang family’s conditions are indeed good. I sent many gifts to arrange this matchmaking opportunity.”
“Meilan, are you really giving it up?”
People’s hearts naturally lean to one side, and Jiang Lamei was no exception.
Although both Jiang Meilan and Jiang Meishu were her nieces, Jiang Meilan had after all been raised by her for five years.
The feelings were naturally different.
She was willing to pile all the good things into Jiang Meilan’s arms—that was genuine affection for her.
But letting Jiang Meishu benefit from it left an indescribable taste in her mouth.
Facing her aunt’s question, Jiang Meilan replied decisively, “I don’t want it.”
“No matter how good the Liang family is, I won’t take it.”
Marrying into that family would mean living as a widow in all but name. Why should she agree to that?
She preferred young men with lean, strong muscles. The feel of holding them was entirely different—so wonderfully firm!
In her past life, she never got to experience it. In this life, no matter what, she was determined to pull one into her bed.
Seeing her resolute refusal, Jiang Lamei sighed. “You two have reached an agreement, but this puts me in a difficult position.”
“Initially, I promised Factory Director Liang that I’d introduce Meilan for the matchmaking. Now photos have been exchanged, and the meeting date is set. How am I supposed to handle this sudden switch?”
It was indeed a dilemma.
Jiang Meishu and Jiang Meilan exchanged glances, neither speaking.
Wang Limei, being principled, thought for a moment and said, “Keeping it from them isn’t right. How about I go with you to speak with Factory Director Liang? Explain that we’re swapping the older daughter for the younger one in the matchmaking?”
Jiang Lamei still hesitated. “It might not be easy. The only reason Factory Director Liang agreed to meet Meilan initially was her good reputation at the Meatpacking Factory—virtuous, beautiful, and capable both socially and domestically.”
“Now if we switch to Meishu, let me ask you: what does Meishu have to offer?”
Poor health.
Can’t carry a load on her shoulders or lift anything with her hands.
Doesn’t even know how to cook.
She’s practically a freeloader.
Jiang Meishu, “…”
She squirmed slightly. “It’s not quite as bad as you make it sound.”
Her demeanor amused everyone despite the tension.
Jiang Meilan reached out to ruffle her sister’s hair, then carefully smoothed it back into place before addressing Jiang Lamei. “Aunt, why don’t you go and ask first? We can decide what to do based on their response.”
Jiang Lamei scoffed softly but had no better alternative.
Wang Limei added, “Let’s follow Meishu and Meilan’s suggestion for now. Test the waters first. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure out the next step.”
“What about the Shen family?” Jiang Meilan interjected. “Are we only informing the Liangs and not the Shens?”
This—
Wang Limei felt another headache coming on. She couldn’t help shooting a glare at her elder daughter. “It’s all your fault, insisting on this marriage swap. Now look at the mess—endless complications we can’t resolve.”
Jiang Meilan defended herself firmly. “Your younger daughter agreed to it too. Don’t just blame me; it’s not solely my mistake.”
“Still talking back!” The mention of it fueled Wang Limei’s anger. “If you hadn’t pushed for the swap, would your sister have agreed?”
They were going in circles again.
Jiang Meishu quickly stepped in to mediate. “Since we’ve already decided to swap, let’s focus on how to handle the aftermath.”
This didn’t sound like something she would typically say.
The whole family turned to look at her in unison.
Jiang Meishu touched her face. “What is it?”
“The little fool has gotten clever,” Jiang Meilan remarked leisurely.
Jiang Meishu, “…”
“Alright, Meishu is right. The main issue now is how to resolve this,” Jiang Lamei concluded. “We need to approach both the Liang and Shen families, but how and what to say—that’s the real challenge.”
The room fell into silence.
Jiang Meishu wanted to shut up but couldn’t help adding, “Should we visit the Liang family first? We can’t afford to offend the Liangs. Let’s see how they react before approaching the Shen family.”
The others turned to look at her again.
Jiang Meishu covered her face.
Wang Limei sighed with emotion, “This marriage swap might be a good thing. Look, even Meishu has started using her brain now.”
“Before, she only knew how to eat.”
Jiang Meishu, “…”
How stupid and slow-witted had she been before?
She hardly dared to think about it.
“I’ll go see Factory Director Liang.”
Jiang Lamei thought for a moment, “Give me a photo of Meishu. I’ll show it to Factory Director Liang.”
Wang Limei, “I actually have one here.”
Back when Jiang Meilan was going to be set up on a blind date, she specifically went to take a photo. Even though Jiang Meishu objected, she was forced to take one too.
So, each of them had one taken.
Now it happened to come in handy.
“Take this one.”
Wang Limei handed the photo to Jiang Lamei.
Jiang Meishu couldn’t resist leaning over to look. She saw a bright-eyed, charming female comrade in the photo, with two braided pigtails, fair and clean skin, smiling with lips slightly pressed together, revealing a glimpse of pearly white teeth—clearly a sweet-looking girl.
Although she looked identical to her twin sister Jiang Meilan, their differences were still apparent.
The Jiang Meishu in the photo was obviously a delicate, pampered girl.
But Jiang Meilan was the more steady and dignified one.
“What are you looking at?”
Seeing Jiang Meishu practically gluing her eyes to the photo,
Jiang Meilan asked.
Jiang Meishu said delightedly, “I’m really pretty.”
Jiang Meilan rolled her eyes speechlessly.
“What’s the use of being pretty?”
In these times, being pretty was the least useful thing.
Jiang Meishu found it strange, “We look the same. When I praise myself, I’m praising you too. If you say being pretty is useless, does that mean you’re useless?”
Jiang Meilan, “!!?”
“Jiang Meishu, you’re really asking for it!”
“Alright, alright.”
Seeing the two sisters nearly start arguing after just a few words,
Jiang Lamei interrupted, “I’m going to see Factory Director Liang now to sound things out. You two wait at home.”
Factory Director’s Office.
Neatly arranged documents covered the vermilion-colored large desk.
Liang Qiurun had just finished reviewing last month’s output report from the Meatpacking Factory. Holding the documents, he spoke in a calm but firm tone, “What’s going on? Last month’s output was a full thousand pigs less than the month before.”
Despite being such a gentle person who hadn’t even lost his temper, the entire office didn’t dare to breathe loudly.
“Factory Director Liang, the supply from the pig farm decreased last month, so our Meatpacking Factory’s output naturally dropped.”
Chen Kuaiji couldn’t help but speak up.
Liang Qiurun looked up, his light gaze making Chen Kuaiji tense up involuntarily. Chen lowered his head, lacking even the courage to meet the Factory Director’s eyes, and could only stare at his own toes. “Last month, there was a Swine Pestilence outbreak. Many pigs died at the pig farm.”
“The pig farm couldn’t supply enough, so our Meatpacking Factory naturally—”
Liang Qiurun precisely pulled out a supply document from the pig farm from the stack of papers, “Take a look.”
His gentle features carried a hint of chilly sharpness.
In the spacious office, there was an indescribable sense of pressure.
The document drifted in front of Chen Kuaiji.
Chen Kuaiji’s eyes widened instantly, his face flushing red as sweat poured down his forehead. “I—I—I, Factory Director Liang, I had no idea about this! This document was handed over to us by the Procurement Department.”
He never would have imagined it.
Factory Director Liang had been at their factory for less than a month, yet he had managed to organize all the previous records and even pinpoint the discrepancies.
Zhang Kezhang from the Procurement Department immediately protested, “This is your Finance Department’s failure to verify properly. What does it have to do with us in Procurement?”
Liang Qiurun watched their argument coldly, then lightly tapped the table with his knuckles.
Tap, tap, tap.
Three crisp, measured knocks—not too loud, not too soft—instantly silenced the office, which had been as noisy as a marketplace.
In that moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Liang Qiurun. With his refined, scholarly demeanor and striking handsomeness, he appeared easy to manipulate at first glance.
But now, a single thought echoed in everyone’s minds:
This newly appointed Factory Director Liang is clearly not someone to be trifled with.
We’re done for!!!
Liang Qiurun paid no mind to their thoughts. He stared intently at his trembling subordinates, his voice clear and sharp:
“Three days.”
“I want a reasonable and compliant explanation. Otherwise—”
The unspoken threat was understood by all.
“Yes, yes, Factory Director Liang, we will definitely give you a proper explanation. Definitely.”
The group quietly retreated, wiping sweat from their brows and muttering complaints among themselves.
“Wasn’t it said that Factory Director Liang served as a political commissar in the army before retiring? He seemed so gentle—how did he turn out to be so formidable?”
“I feel the same. I didn’t even dare to speak in front of him.”
“It felt like he might pull out a gun and shoot me at any moment.”
“What are we going to do about these documents? When he threw them in front of me, it felt like he was pointing a gun at me.”
On her way over, Jiang Lamei overheard this conversation and immediately grew uneasy.
With a Factory Director Liang like this, could she really manage to deceive him?
Could she really get him to agree to the marriage swap?
This—
Before she had even stepped into the factory director’s office, Jiang Lamei’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
But thinking of her two nieces waiting at home, Jiang Lamei took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and knocked on the factory director’s office door.
“Come in.”
The voice was gentle and measured, neither too loud nor too soft, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
Jiang Lamei lowered her head to straighten her clothes, ensuring she looked presentable before entering. She then greeted respectfully, “Factory Director Liang.”
Liang Qiurun paused what he was doing and looked up, his expression mild and composed. “Director Jiang.”
“Is there something from the Trade Union?”
His voice was clear and crisp, like a stream flowing over stones, murmuring softly.
Meeting Liang Qiurun’s gaze, Jiang Lamei instantly forgot the carefully prepared words she had rehearsed. She stammered, “It’s like this, Factory Director Liang.”
“As you know, I previously introduced my niece to you for a matchmaking meeting.”
Liang Qiurun nodded. “Yes, I recall it’s scheduled in three days.”
“That’s correct.”
Jiang Lamei hesitated, looking troubled. “My nieces are twins, and since childhood, they’ve been used to competing for everything. Meilan’s younger sister saw your photo and said you’re very handsome. She insisted on swapping with her sister and wants to be the one to meet you instead. I was wondering if you would be willing to change your matchmaking partner?”
As she spoke, she placed Jiang Meishu’s photo on the table and slid it toward Liang Qiurun.
Liang Qiurun lowered her gaze to look, only to see the female comrade in the photo—her eyes, like autumn waters, slightly curved, lips pressed together in a smile, radiant and beautiful.
But she seemed far too delicate.
Forget about educating Liang Rui; even if Liang Rui raised his voice a little, it would probably scare her to tears.
Liang Qiurun thought for a moment and said tactfully, “It’s still the previous blind date candidate.”
“This one isn’t quite suitable.”