T1983 Chapter 16

“All right.” Zhang Yunsheng heard from Zhou Hui that Xu Shen was alone, just like himself. He comforted him: “You will have a wife in the future. Find someone compatible.”

Xu Shen smiled: “Uh-huh.”

“Come on, the dumplings are ready!” Zhou Hui brought out a plate full of New Year’s style dumplings. “They are stuffed with cabbage, leeks, and eggs. My brother likes leek stuffing, so I made more.”

“Such a coincidence!” Zhang Yunsheng looked at her with a smile. “I also like egg and leek stuffing.”

“Then you can try it.” Zhou Hui immediately picked one up for him.

Zhang Yunsheng was full of praise after eating: “It’s delicious, Xiao Hui! Your craftsmanship is really good!”

Zhou Hui was praised by him until she became embarrassed.

“I like dumplings with cabbage stuffing.” Xu Shen took one and threw it in his mouth, his mind full of doubts. Did Shu Ran really like leek stuffing? Although they didn’t know each other for long and only shared a couple of meals, from Xu Shen’s careful observations, he understood that Shu Ran didn’t eat anything with a strong flavor. He couldn’t even stand celery or ginger.

Shu Ran came down quickly and said hello to Zhang Yunsheng: “Good morning, Brother Yunsheng, you came so early!”

“Good morning.” Zhang Yunsheng coughed gently. “It’s too early. I’m sorry for disturbing your rest.” He was a soldier, and his program was very strict. Only when he came by in the morning did he realize that everybody was still asleep.

“No, no!” Shu Ran was pleased. “I got up too late.” He looked at both men and asked: “Where is my sister?”

“She should be in the kitchen for something?” Xu Shen pulled a chair beside him. “Sit down.”

Shu Ran sat down and watched Xu Shen pick a leek dumpling for him. He frowned: “I’ll have a cabbage one.”

Xu Shen knew he was right. “Your sister said you like leeks.”

Zhou Hui came again with a pot of eel porridge. She cooked more in the morning, afraid there wouldn’t be enough food for all the men.

“Sister, you’re so capable!” Shu Ran quickly stood up, took the pot from her hands, and started serving a bowl for everyone. “What are we going to do after you get married? I won’t have such a delicious meal in the future…”

“How about you learn it?” Zhou Hui said. “Brother Shen is also unmarried, and he lets you live with him. You could at least learn how to cook, right?”

There was still Chen Sen who knew how to cook, but he wasn’t here to serve them every day…

Xu Shen quickly smoothed things over and said: “He doesn’t need to cook. Chen Sen comes often, and we can also order.”

Zhou Hui found it was like this again. Every time she scolded her younger brother, someone jumped to protect him… It was ridiculous!

Zhou Hui kept her mouth shut for too long. This time, no matter what others thought, she had to say some things: “It’s not about that. Dingzi, I have to tell you something. I think you’ve become very lazy at Brother Shen’s place. These days, you didn’t do any work but still had the nerve to ask for pocket money. You should reflect on yourself and your lazy behavior. You wake up late and depend on others help every day!”

“…” Shu Ran smiled calmly. “Yes, I’ll pay attention to it in the future.” He brought the eel porridge to Zhang Yunsheng: “Brother Yunsheng, have some.”

Zhang Yunsheng hurriedly stood up and took the bowl with both hands: “Thank you very much!”

There were three big men in the room, all of them with their heads lowered, not daring to breathe.

Xu Shen ate his dumpling in silence. He felt there was no need for his wife to be scolded. This was too much… He couldn’t bear to tell him one harsh word. But, as the saying goes, an elder sister is like a mother. Zhou Hui was very reasonable when scolding her brother, and he had no position to interfere. Even if he tried, it would be useless. The more he talked, the more Shu Ran got scolded.

After Zhou Hui said what was on her mind, she realized she was still on a blind date! But so what? She had this temper. It’s better for Zhang Yunsheng to find out sooner, than too late…

“Xiao Hui, sit down and eat too.” Zhang Yunsheng hurriedly gave his bowl of porridge to Zhou Hui. He thought about it and said: “Don’t stress too hard. All young boys are like this for a while. He’ll grow up into a good man in the future…”

“Uh-huh.” Zhou Hui straightened the stray hairs around her temple and showed a weary smile. She was worried that her brother would let loose after moving to the city. After all, as the saying goes, it takes three years to learn a good habit, and three days to forget it all. And Xu Shen and his brothers… for some reason, they all spoiled her brother too much. He shouldn’t do this, and he shouldn’t do that… And she, as his older sister, was stopped the second she dared to say one word. Zhou Hui saw everything and was anxious in her heart.

Her younger brother used to be more diligent back home.

He didn’t even let her wash his dirty clothes, always doing them himself. Now, she remembered seeing Xu Shen do the laundry yesterday. At that moment, she felt her younger brother became some sort of heavenly immortal…

Zhang Yunsheng took the opportunity to talk about his childhood antics, in order to divert Zhou Hui’s attention: “I was also naughty as a young boy. My father was still alive back then, and an army man. He beat me very hard, always swinging his arms. My behind was as swollen as a ball…”

“So cruel?” Zhou Hui frowned. A man from the army… how strong was he?!

“Yes.” Zhang Yunsheng smiled. “I used to be very afraid of him, but now I miss him a lot.”

Everyone knew that Zhang Yunsheng had no one back home, so they all looked at him with sympathy.

“So it’s good to have someone to scold you.” He comforted Shu Ran.

“Yes.” Shu Ran quickly picked up a dumpling for Zhou Hui. “Sister, eat it before it gets cold.”

“Okay, let’s not talk about it anymore…” Zhou Hui smiled in resignation. She sympathized with Zhang Yunsheng who was left all alone as a small child.

God’s heart was really cruel.

That’s to say, in those days, the world was full of miserable people. When it came to it, Xu Shen was also one. He was also abandoned by his parents as a child, and he had to work hard to survive to this day.

As for Zhang Yunsheng’s intervention in diffusing Zhou Hui’s anger, Xu Shen already had a good impression of him. He was an amiable person who protected Shu Ran. He hoped that in the future when problems arose between the two siblings, his new brother-in-law would also take care of it.

“Here, your favorite leek dumplings.” Zhou Hui started stuffing dumplings into Shu Ran’s bowl. Only then did Shu Ran know that Zhou Ding loved leek dumplings. But he didn’t like them at all, ah…

Fortunately, no one paid attention to him. While Zhou Hui was talking with Zhang Yunsheng, he secretly put the dumplings back on the plate. After doing bad things, he bumped straight into Xu Shen’s smiling eyes. Shu Ran calmly looked back at him, as if asking: “What are you going to do about it?!”

Do absolutely nothing. Xu Shen wasn’t planning to expose him anyway. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.

After chatting at the dinner table, Zhang Yunsheng helped Zhou Hui do the dishes in the kitchen, continuing their conversation. He now knew the complete situation of Zhou Hui and her family, and he didn’t mind it at all. He really liked her and wanted to proceed with the wedding.

“Your parents are so unreasonable to do this. Fortunately, Brother Xu Shen is a good man and didn’t make things difficult for you.” Zhang Yunsheng looked at Zhou Hui with pity.

“Uh-huh.” The girl smiled bitterly. “If it weren’t for my brother supporting me, I wouldn’t have dared to take this step. Brother Shen is indeed a good man. All those things said about him outside, pure nonsense.”

Speaking about this, Zhou Hui was particularly indignant: “They run their mouths so hard that those who don’t know might think he personally did something wrong to their families.” Ignorant people listened to all those rumors and took them as truth. Even her own family believed it, which led to such a big prejudice against Xu Shen.

Zhang Yunsheng nodded and said: “Rumors are as fierce as tigers. Especially in the countryside where no one cares about other people’s affairs.” He continued: “Then I will give the betrothal money directly to you, not your parents. You can return it to Brother Shen.”

Zhou Hui didn’t expect him to want to take care of their debt. She nodded in amazement. “You just started working, don’t take too much money at once. We can pay it back slowly in the future.” Unless she had children soon after marriage, Zhou Hui planned to find some low-income small jobs in order to help raise enough.

Zhang Yunsheng looked at his favorite girl and said with a smile: “I still have some savings. My parents prepared my bride’s money a long time ago, it’s a pity they couldn’t see me get married.”

Zhou Hui looked at him seriously. “We’ll definitely go pay our respects to them after the wedding.”

“Okay, by the way, Xiao Hui, I have the betrothal money with me…” Zhang Yunsheng was afraid of missing his opportunity to get married, so he brought the money in his pocket.

“Ah?!” Zhou Hui was stunned.

Zhang Yunsheng was inexperienced and with no elder to advise him, so he had no idea how much he needed to give. Surprisingly, he bought exactly 500 yuan!

“Here.” Sure that Zhou Hui wanted to marry him, he stuffed the money into the girl’s hand without saying a word. “Return it to Brother Shen.”

Zhou Hui looked at the 500 yuan lying in her palm, her heart warm and full of mixed feelings. She smiled and glanced up at him. “Okay, Brother Yunsheng, let’s be happy in the future!”

They couldn’t choose the wedding date. It was up to Zhang Yunsheng’s superiors to decide and approve his leave. But anyway, it must be soon, so it was time to buy the wedding supplies.

Shu Ran and Xu Shen heard the news and didn’t object. All that mattered was that the two people liked each other. And Zhang Yunsheng was a sensible, good man with a solid heart.

After sending her soon-to-be husband away, Zhou Hui secretly gave Shu Ran the 500 yuan, asking him to return them to Xu Shen. This embarrassing matter has been in her heart for a long time and she was finally feeling relieved.

“Brother-in-law already gave you the betrothal money?!” Shu Ran was extremely shocked. It turned out that a man could really act desperate for a wife to this extent. So admirable!

“Uh-huh.” Zhou Hui smiled shyly. “Your brother-in-law said that we should return it to Brother Shen. He is a good man, and your sister will follow him in this life.”

“Is my brother-in-law so rich?!” Shu Ran continued. “Don’t force him…” So now everyone could take out 500 yuan in one go¹Based on my own proficiency (or lack of) in Google searching, I believe 500 yuan was the equivalent of about 253 US Dollars, with the exchange rate of 1983 <— link (1 USD= 1.97 CNY) I might be wrong, ‘cuz reading financial data is definitely not my strongest point, but oh well… Nowadays, it’s worth about 69 US Dollars, which is a funny number if you’re a middle schooler :))?! Shu Ran could no longer make sense of this era’s economic situation…

Zhou Hui was a little angry. “He’s just alone, not dirt poor! His family has some money.” Both his parents used to be in the army, and Zhang Yunsheng was the only son. All the family’s savings were given to him. Besides, working as a clerk in the army meant a monthly salary of 50 yuan, with a yearly income of 600 yuan. It was quite a big sum, especially for a bachelor. Zhang Yunsheng was alone, with no one to spend money on, and also living and eating the resources provided by the army. He could save up a lot!

“…” Shu Ran felt stupid and numb to any worldly desires. It turned out that only the Zhou family was dirt poor, willing to die and sell their daughter for a sum that was not hard at all for others to earn…

Oh, thinking that he also gave himself to Xu Shen for only 500 yuan… He didn’t regret it but felt he was at least a little short-sighted.

Not just a little… Really short-sighted! So embarrassing…

But thinking about it carefully, if it hadn’t been for Xu Shen, Zhou Hui would have never met her good husband, so it was a blessing after all. Whether rationally or emotionally, Shu Ran did not regret getting entangled with Xu Shen. The current situation was that the 500 yuan could be paid back right now. Would Xu Shen still let him go after getting rid of the debt?!

Really, did he want to pay back the money so soon?!

Shu Ran closed his eyes. Last night, Xu Shen held his waist tightly. The feeling of collusion was still vivid in his mind, and his legs went weak when he thought about it…

“Dingzi, you need to have a good attitude when you give him the money.” Zhou Hui instructed him. “Don’t treat it as a business, it is no longer just about the money. Brother Shen is our benefactor. Don’t think you’re done after paying back our debt. You still have to listen to Brother Shen in the future. He takes really good care of you.”

“Oh.” Shu Ran answered back with a blank mind. She was right, hitting the nail straight on its head. “Don’t think you’re done after paying back our debt…” Really, it wasn’t that simple…

“Then you go. I’m going to do some work.” Zhou Hui picked up a hoe from the front yard.

“What are you going to do?” Shu Ran followed after her and asked.

“There are some leaves in the ditch behind the house. I’ll go clean them.”

“No, I’ll do it!” Shu Ran reached out to take the hoe from her hands.

“No. It’s just a little bit of effort.” Zhou Hui continued. “Go to Brother Shen and get it over with quickly.”

“Alright…” Shu Ran was helpless.

Zhou Hui left with her hoe. It rained before, and the ditch behind the house was full of rainwater and various debris. If left unattended for a while, she was afraid it would start smelling bad.

Shu Ran took the money and went upstairs like a soulless puppet, bumping into Xu Shen on the stairs.

“Wife.” Seeing that there was no one around, he took the opportunity to pull and rub him in his arms. Then he saw the money in Shu Ran’s hand and raised his eyebrow. “This is?”

Shu Ran was rubbed until weak. After being intimate with each other, he became relatively shy whenever he felt Xu Shen’s breath on him. The boy lifted his head and said: “My brother-in-law gave my sister the betrothal money…”

“Then why do you have it?” Xu Shen asked.

“…” Shu Ran moved his lips, but no word came out.

Xu Shen was not stupid. He soon figured out the road the money had traveled, from Zhang Yunsheng to Zhou Hui, all the way to Shu Ran’s hands. He looked at his wife and asked: “Do you want to return it to me?”

When he looked at him like this, Shu Ran felt uncontrollably guilty, like he wanted to destroy the bridge after crossing the river. But still, the money must be returned. “Well, my sister asked me to give it back to you. The money you gave our family… She couldn’t pay you back and she felt bad.”

“I see.” Xu Shen thought for a moment. “Then I’ll take the money and find an opportunity to give it back to her, like adding them to her dowry or something.” He didn’t lack money and Shu Ran’s sister couldn’t get married empty-handed.

Add a fart! Shu Ran directly put the money in his hand. “You can take what my sister gives you, don’t make trouble!”

“Then I’ll give it to her myself.” Whether Shu Ran prepared his sister’s dowry, or he prepared it, it was all the same. He wanted to find Zhou Hui right now and arrange it.

Shu Ran stopped him. “Don’t go! My sister doesn’t know anything! What is your business with her dowry?!”

Xu Shen was afraid of stepping on Shu Ran’s nerves, so he didn’t force it. He stopped and said: “You gave me the money and I accepted it. Your debt is gone. Now I have decided to add dowry to your sister, using this money that now belongs to me. Isn’t it clear?”

“Clear… Bah! That’s not the problem!” Shu Ran was speechless and annoyed. “Just don’t spend any more money!” I finally paid off one debt, and now there’s another one right over the corner… How can I even live in the future?!

He already owned Xu Shen so much. If this continues, he could only promise to be his wife for the rest of his life! That won’t work!

“You’re my wife, right?” Xu Shen smiled and said: “It’s okay, you take care of the money at home. Here you go.” He tried to stuff the money back into Shu Ran’s pocket.

No, who cares about your money?!

Shu Ran was annoyed and depressed. “Can’t you just accept it? Otherwise, I feel like I’m selling myself… Do you understand?”

Shu Ran slept with Xu Shen on behalf of this money, and there was always the illusion of prostitution.

“Is that so?” Xu Shen’s hand froze, and he reluctantly took the money back. “Then I’ll take it first. We’ll go out tomorrow and buy some dowry for my sister, electrical appliances and furniture.”

Shu Ran refused without breathing: “No.”

“Yes.”

This person was so annoying! It was just about owing money and paying it back. Why did he nitpick so much?!

After a moment of silence, Shu Ran tried to remind him again: “Brother Shen, spending money is not everything. It’s not like the more money you spend, the more people will stay by your side…”

Well, he understood Xu Shen’s thoughts, but he sincerely hoped he’d stop spending money indiscriminately. He might lose it all in the future.

“I can’t keep you with money…” Xu Shen touched his face solemnly. “Then, is my full marks face enough?”

“?” Shu Ran was stunned in an instant and bypassed him on the stairs. “You are a little narcissistic.”

“Isn’t that what you said?” Xu Shen followed him upstairs.

“Don’t you know that you’re handsome if I don’t say it?” Shu Ran rolled his eyes.

“I know, but it doesn’t feel so good.” Xu Shen was praised by Shu Ran every day, which made him feel giddy.

But, was it useful?

Xu Shen used to think that he was good enough and could provide Shu Ran with the life that he wanted, but after some contact, he found out he was wrong. Shu Ran was excellent. It was the kind of excellence that he couldn’t even figure out, different from everyone else. Could such a person follow him? Xu Shen didn’t want to guess, so he asked directly: “Shu Ran, will you leave?”

Shu Ran paused and stared back at Xu Shen’s face: “Ah?”

“Didn’t hear it?” Xu Shen was wondering if he should ask again.

“Well, I’ve heard it.” Shu Ran said.

It was just that the question was too sudden. Well, the situation was not abrupt at all, just a bit too direct. However, Shu Ran was surprised. Why did Xu Shen look so calm and composed? It was like he was saying: “It’s okay if you want to leave.”

Being stared at like that, Xu Shen secretly took a breath and asked again: “Will you leave?”

He was very nervous, but he was used to facing everything with a light attitude. Otherwise, he would have been crushed a long time ago.

Shu Ran was also nervous. He almost asked: “If I want to go, will you let me?”

Whether he leaves or not is one thing, but whether Xu Shen lets him go or not is another matter entirely. Yes, that’s how literary people are… quite slow in the matter of feelings.

The author has something to say:

^_^ Shu Ran is not a bright person. Excellence must be shown slowly.

50 red envelopes were also randomly sent out today.

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  Based on my own proficiency (or lack of) in Google searching, I believe 500 yuan was the equivalent of about 253 US Dollars, with the exchange rate of 1983 <— link (1 USD= 1.97 CNY) I might be wrong, ‘cuz reading financial data is definitely not my strongest point, but oh well… Nowadays, it’s worth about 69 US Dollars, which is a funny number if you’re a middle schooler :))