Chapter 400
Jiang Yexun took a good look around in the moonlight outside the hallway, ensuring everything was in order before smiling and saying, “Don’t worry, everything’s fine, no issues at all.”
Su Xiaoxiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief and headed home with Jiang Yexun.
Mr. and Mrs. Su kept Jiang Yexun for a while longer, discussing the details of the upcoming wedding banquet. It wasn’t until 10 PM that Jiang Yexun finally left the Su family home.
The next day, Jiang Yexun brought gifts intended for Su Xiaoxiao’s grandparents as they visited them.
Thankfully, this time nothing went wrong. The two of them boarded a bus that took them from the city center to the southern part of town, a trip that took over half an hour before they finally arrived at the slightly aged house.
As soon as Su Xiaoxiao got off the bus, she saw a middle-aged woman squatting outside the yard, doing laundry.
“Auntie!” Su Xiaoxiao cheerfully shouted from afar.
The woman was momentarily stunned upon hearing her voice, then she looked up with joy on her face, gazing at Su Xiaoxiao. “Oh, our sweetheart is finally here. Come on in, your grandparents have been missing you so much, always hoping you’d come visit.”
Su Xiaoxiao, feeling a little embarrassed, pressed her lips together. “There were just so many things to handle before, and I was worried about causing you trouble, so I didn’t come back. But now that most things have been resolved, I don’t have as many concerns anymore.”
“That’s good! We know about your dad’s situation. As long as it’s all resolved now, you’ll be able to live a good life moving forward.” Zhu Peini wiped her wet hands on her pants and patted Su Xiaoxiao’s hands in her palms.
Then she turned to Jiang Yexun, standing nearby. “You must be Comrade Jiang! My, you really are handsome. From now on, we’ll count on you to take good care of our Xiaoxiao. This child has been cherished by all of us since she was young. She’s not as obedient as other girls from the brigade, and she doesn’t do much housework. If you’re hoping for a wife to serve you and your family, then this marriage doesn’t need to happen.”
Since their wedding banquet was only a few days away, Zhu Peini didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly made her point clear, a little harsh on purpose. She figured that if Jiang Yexun found Xiaoxiao difficult to handle, it’d be better to call off the marriage now.
“I won’t let Xiaoxiao do any household chores. All she needs to do is enjoy herself at home, eat and drink, and find something to keep her entertained. I can handle the cooking—I even bought a washing machine. As for farming or earning work points, that’s unnecessary. I can go hunting. The money I make in one day from hunting is more than what people earn from farm work in a month.”
Jiang Yexun could tell that Su Xiaoxiao had a close relationship with her grandparents’ relatives, so he wasn’t upset by her aunt’s stern words. Instead, he explained seriously.
“You’re so young, and you know how to hunt?” Zhu Peini asked, surprised.
If Jiang was indeed a hunter, his claims were no exaggeration. After all, there’s a popular saying in the northeast: “Clubs for deer, ladles for fish, pheasants flying straight into the pot.” Even though everything was collectively owned, hunting was a dangerous job. So usually, hunters were allowed to keep most of their catch, and only a small portion went to the village.
“Of course! He’s been hunting since he was twelve or thirteen, and now he’s been at it for fourteen years. He’s a highly skilled hunter, even caught a bear last time! That bear alone sold for 8,000 yuan, and the five of them who went hunting each got 1,600 yuan.” Su Xiaoxiao proudly boasted.
She knew it would be more convincing to give a concrete example to show her aunt just how capable Jiang Yexun was.
As expected, Zhu Peini’s skepticism faded after hearing Su Xiaoxiao’s story, and her gaze toward Jiang Yexun became more approving.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Gu and Granny Lin, who had been eavesdropping in the room, finally opened the half-shut door.
Although Su Xiaoxiao knew they were listening, she couldn’t help but tear up when they came out.
“Grandpa, Grandma!” Su Xiaoxiao called sweetly, running over like a little bird returning to its nest.
“Oh, my precious! You must have had a tough time in the countryside,” Granny Lin cried, embracing Su Xiaoxiao.
Their sweetheart had never endured hardship before, and yet she had been sent to the countryside, something they never expected given their family’s situation.
“Grandma, don’t worry about me. I didn’t suffer at all after going to the countryside,” Su Xiaoxiao quickly reassured her, afraid her grandmother would be too upset and harm her health.
But Granny Lin wasn’t convinced. She pulled Su Xiaoxiao away slightly and carefully inspected her from head to toe.
To her relief, Su Xiaoxiao appeared well-nourished, even a bit plumper, indicating that despite being sent to the countryside, she had been well taken care of by Jiang Yexun and Aunt Guo.
Satisfied, Granny Lin turned to Jiang Yexun. “You must be Jiang. Thank you so much for looking after our Xiaoxiao. Without your care, she would’ve had a much harder time in the brigade.”
Jiang Yexun humbly replied, “I love Xiaoxiao, so it’s only natural that I take care of her.”
After speaking, he placed the gifts he had brought on the tea table. “These are gifts for Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Auntie. I’ve also bought presents for Xiaoxiao’s two cousins who are still in the countryside, and we can send them later.”
“You’re so thoughtful, child,” Granny Lin said, clearly pleased.
Though Jiang Yexun’s skin was much darker than city folks, making it clear he came from the countryside, his good looks, tall stature, and respectful manners set him apart, even better than many city men.
If there was one concern with this marriage, it was that their sweetheart would be moving to a brigade after the wedding. Even though Jiang had promised to bring her back to the city in three years, Grandpa Gu and Granny Lin still felt uneasy. Promises were just words; it would depend on his character and ability to make it happen.
However, knowing that Jiang could make money and was willing to spend it on their sweetheart, they were quite satisfied overall.
“Sweetheart, come here. When your mother called and said you’d be visiting with your fiancé, I bought you your favorite peach crisps. Come taste them and see if you still like them,” Granny Lin said as she led Su Xiaoxiao to the sofa. She opened the iron box on the tea table and handed her a piece of peach crisp.
Su Xiaoxiao took a bite, the familiar taste making her eyes squint in delight. “It’s delicious! The peach crisps made by the Shanghai master are always the best.”
“If you like them, have more,” Granny Lin said with a smile.
She then took out a thick red envelope and placed it in Su Xiaoxiao’s hand. “Here’s 200 yuan, part of the dowry from your grandpa and me.”
Su Xiaoxiao was stunned. Seeing the weathered faces of her grandparents, she quickly tried to return the envelope.
“Grandma, there’s no need. We have enough money.”
“What you have is yours. This is from your grandpa and me. Every child in the family gets something when they get married. We gave your two cousins red envelopes when they got married in the countryside too,” Granny Lin insisted.
Hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao knew she couldn’t refuse and accepted the envelope.
Zhu Peini soon came out of the room with an even thicker red envelope in her hand. “Xiaoxiao, here’s 200 yuan from your uncle and me as a wedding gift. Don’t refuse it—your parents also gave your cousins wedding gifts.”
Su Xiaoxiao laughed helplessly and had no choice but to accept the second envelope as well. Looking at the two thick stacks of ten-yuan bills, she couldn’t help but feel like she was here for a heist.