Chapter 22
“Oh, by the way, let me introduce you to a friend of mine,” Jiang Yexun said as he held Su Xiaoxiao’s hand and led her deeper into the cornfield. After walking just a dozen meters or so, they came across a young man squatting on the ground in a daze.
“This is Zhang Tiewa. Everyone in the village calls him Da Wazi. If you can’t find me, you can look for him,” Jiang Yexun explained.
“Sister-in-law!” Zhang Tiewa was startled and quickly stood up, wiping his hands nervously as he looked at Su Xiaoxiao.
“Hello, Comrade Zhang Tiewa,” Su Xiaoxiao greeted him sweetly with a smile. She remembered Zhang Tiewa, who would be one of Jiang Yexun’s companions for the next several decades and had always been one of his closest brothers.
Jiang Yexun couldn’t help but feel both happy and a little bitter when he saw Su Xiaoxiao looking so joyful while interacting with his brother. He suppressed his emotions and said, “Alright, you should go back to the edge of the field first. The dust from cutting corn can be quite heavy, and it might make you uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” Su Xiaoxiao obediently withdrew her gaze and nodded.
Zhang Tiewa watched their retreating figures, as well as their intertwined hands, and felt a pang of jealousy. Brother Jiang had really changed since he got a wife. In the past, they used to thresh grain together after the autumn harvest, and anyone who complained about the dust would be scolded by him. Now, they were just cutting corn, and where did the dust come from? However, his sister-in-law was undoubtedly the most attractive among the educated youths, and her family background was the best. They couldn’t compare to her.
—
Jiang Yexun guided Su Xiaoxiao back to the field edge. He had just planned to hurry back to finish the work when the girl grabbed his arm.
“Why don’t you have another bowl of sweet soup? You men tend to have strong tempers, and it’s so dry in the autumn. You should eat more pears,” Su Xiaoxiao said as she filled another bowl of sweet soup for Jiang Yexun.
Jiang Yexun took the bowl and slowly sipped it. His deep, intense gaze remained locked onto Su Xiaoxiao, burning with desire. Su Xiaoxiao blushed with embarrassment, gripping her dress tightly with both hands to resist the urge to touch him again.
“Why don’t you get a bowl for your friend as well? I made plenty,” she whispered, reminding him softly.
Jiang Yexun glanced at the large pot of sweet soup and felt a surge of jealousy. Why should someone else enjoy the food his woman had prepared with her own hands? However, he couldn’t let Su Xiaoxiao notice his jealousy, so he reluctantly filled another bowl.
“I’ll be right back, so wait for me here. If anything happens, just call me, and I’ll come immediately,” Jiang Yexun repeated his concern before reluctantly leaving.
“Go ahead,” Su Xiaoxiao waved him off and urged him to leave. Once he was gone, she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and spread it on the ground, then sat down.
After a moment of absentmindedness, she looked up at the ever-changing clouds in the sky. As expected, Jiang Yexun soon returned with a shoulder pole. The two baskets on it were filled to the brim with corn.
He first delivered the corn and tools before recording the work credits they had earned that afternoon under Su Xiaoxiao’s name. Then he came back to collect the pot and basket.
Su Xiaoxiao also gave a bowl of sweet soup to Jiang Yexun’s father, Team Leader Jiang, despite his initial reluctance to accept it. Although he wasn’t thrilled about his son marrying an educated youth, he couldn’t go against his wife’s wishes, and his son was quite stubborn. He knew that if they weren’t happy, there would be no peace at home, so he squeezed a friendly smile.
After finishing the sweet soup, he even thanked Su Xiaoxiao sincerely. It was well-known that when Su Xiaoxiao came to deliver sweet soup, Jiang’s eldest and second sister-in-law, who had been waiting for an opportunity to criticize her, gathered in a prominent position. They were waiting for Su Xiaoxiao to try to win their favor so that they could criticize her further and make her give up on marrying into the Jiang family.
However, Su Xiaoxiao seemed completely oblivious to their presence. She walked past them with Jiang Yexun, chatting and laughing, heading towards the cornfield where they were working.
This immediately upset Hu Yuezhen. How could she miss out on such a delicious treat, especially when it was made with pears, red dates, and sugar?
“Educated Youth Su!” Hu Yuezhen hurriedly called out as she ran toward the field edge.
Jiang Yexun, upon hearing her voice, frowned with annoyance. “Ignore her. Our family situation is complicated, I’ll explain it to you later.”
He really didn’t want to deal with his eldest sister-in-law. He intended to take Su Xiaoxiao away first. However, Su Xiaoxiao nonchalantly said, “I know. You and your two elder brothers have the same father but different mothers, and your relationship with them isn’t good.”
Jiang Yexun was startled. He hadn’t intended to hide this from Su Xiaoxiao, but in the midst of their sweet moment at noon, he had forgotten to mention it. However, he was certain that he would address this matter in the next few days and clarify the messy situation at home.
Su Xiaoxiao paid no further attention to him and turned to Hu Yuezhen, who had caught up with them.
“Hey, Educated Youth Su, why are you with our third younger brother? Did you just bring him sweet soup?” Hu Yuezhen said with a strange tone.
This was exactly how she used to be in the previous life. Su Xiaoxiao had always regarded her as a vulgar and uncultured rural woman, and she had never bothered to respond to her comments. However, this time, Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t tolerate her behavior.
“You don’t know why?” Su Xiaoxiao raised her chin and looked down at her with a haughty expression. She noticed the change in Hu Yuezhen’s expression and grew more serious.
She suddenly turned to Jiang Yexun and said, somewhat arrogantly, “Are you planning to abandon me after starting something? You said you wanted to marry me, but you haven’t said anything to your family.”
“Don’t be angry,” Jiang Yexun first reassured Su Xiaoxiao in a gentle tone before turning his cold gaze towards Hu Yuezhen. “Didn’t I tell you?”
Hu Yuezhen was both angry and afraid. She wanted to provoke Su Xiaoxiao while Jiang Yexun was present, but she didn’t dare to do so. She could only smile awkwardly and say, “Oh, I was just joking. I didn’t expect Educated Youth Su to be upset with third younger brother.”
“In that case, I can make joke about you however I want in the future, right?” Su Xiaoxiao suddenly realized.
The fake smile on Hu Yuezhen’s face froze in place. She wasn’t afraid of Su Xiaoxiao doing anything to make her uncomfortable. After all, Su Xiaoxiao seemed gullible and easy to deceive. But if she ever provoked Jiang Yexun, that madman, she was sure she wouldn’t come out unscathed. So, Hu Yuezhen didn’t dare to respond.
“Hmph! Troublemaker!” Su Xiaoxiao taunted arrogantly and made a motion as if she was going to leave.
Hu Yuezhen hadn’t expected Su Xiaoxiao to add that remark, and she exploded, “Educated Youth Su, what do you mean by this? I am, after all, Jiang Yexun’s sister-in-law, and in the future, I’ll be your sister-in-law too!”
“We’re not related by blood, who are you making a show for? If you want to play the authority, go to your younger brother-in-law’s house and do it there,” Su Xiaoxiao said with her arms crossed, becoming more assertive.
Regardless, once she married into the Jiang family, she would inevitably have conflicts with Jiang’s eldest and second brothers’ families. It didn’t matter if they started early or late. Moreover, Hu Yuezhen had bullied her for three whole years in her previous life. She hadn’t had a chance to take revenge back then, but this time, she would settle both old and new scores.