T1983 Chapter 2

Zhou Hui forgot to cry and looked at her younger brother with a surprised face: “You…you’re going to talk to him?”

 

She didn’t know why, but she felt that her brother changed a lot recently. He used to be shrewd and cunning, a person that only cared about himself, and never looked her way twice. He was not so kind before.

 

“Well, I’ll talk to him.” Shu Ran couldn’t stand by and watch such a nice girl being pushed by her family in the fire pit.

 

“But how are you going to talk to him?” He was a gangster, an unreasonable man. Zhou Hui was worried: “Forget it, don’t go!”

 

Shu Ran knew what she was worried about: “Sister, it’s okay. Even if we can’t reach an agreement, I’ll still come back in one piece. Trust me.”

 

Zhou Hui fell silent. Maybe her brother could succeed… She was sure she didn’t want to marry Xu Shen.

 

In fact, Shu Ran wasn’t that confident. It was just that, after briefly meeting him twice, he felt that he was not such a short-sighted person.

 

“You should be careful not to argue with him.” After thinking about it, Zhou Hui warned shamelessly.

 

Shu Ran: “Okay.”

 

…………

 

Farm work was not that pressing. The next day, Shu Ran found an excuse and went out to look for Xu Shen.

 

Unlike everyone living in the village, Xu Shen didn’t have a house there. It was said that he grew up relying on the benevolence of a hundred families, and later made enough money to settle down in the county town.

 

If a villager wanted to go to the county town, he’d have to walk more than three hours. It meant terrible suffering for your legs. So Shu Ran found Wang Dong, a young man from the next village who followed Xu Shen: “Brother Dong, I’m Zhou Ding, Zhou Hui’s younger brother.”

 

All of Xu Shen’s underlings knew he was about to get married.

 

“Yo, brother-in-law!” Wang Dong knew about Zhou Hui, so he patted Shu Ran’s thin shoulder and warmly invited him in: “Come on, come in, have you eaten?”

 

Shu Ran quickly waved his hand: “Yes, brother Dong, are you going to the county town? I need to find Brother Shen, if you’re going, please take me with you!”

 

“Go”, Wang Dong said. “I was just about to go out. Why are you looking for Brother Shen?”

 

Shu Ran: “Just some cumbersome details about the wedding, nothing much.”

 

Wang Dong was a married man and knew all about it, so he nodded deeply in thought. “That’s a main event indeed, it has to be planned carefully.”

 

Mobile phones were unheard of during those days. If one wanted to talk to someone, they’d have to find them in person. Wang Dong didn’t doubt him. He directly mounted his bicycle and rode to the town.

 

The road was long and uneven, and Shu Ran felt his buttocks were about to bloom from pain, but he had no reason to complain. After all, Wang Dong worked harder carrying both of them. Shu Ran also wanted to pedal, but looking at Wang Dong’s stocky frame, and then at his own branch-like arms and legs, he silently gave up on the idea.

 

“Brother, hold on tightly and don’t fall halfway.” After a particularly bumpy piece of road, Wang Dong kindly reminded him. Although he was a well-seasoned veteran, unafraid of blood, and one of Xu Shen’s men, he still felt like taking care of this weak little brother-in-law.

 

“Oh, I know, brother Dong.” Shu Ran obediently hugged his waist with both hands.

 

“Listen, it’s not a loss for your sister to marry Brother Shen. Look at everyone from our area, who can be better than him? He settled down in the county town from a young age, and although he has no family, isn’t that better for the girl? Look at my family, my wife and mother argue all day long.”

 

He still had time to chat, so pulling both of them was not a big deal for him. Shu Ran’s guilt decreased a little, so he said: “Oh, you’re right.”

 

Wang Dong grinned as he spoke: “You don’t know, you’re still young. You’ll understand when you marry a wife in the future.”

 

Shu Ran was just a college student before transmigrating. He was far from thinking about marriage and starting a family. After coming here, he thought he’d probably never get married.

 

“Brother Dong, can you tell me what kind of person Brother Shen is?” In a short while, he’ll have to negotiate with the man, it was not a loss to know him better beforehand.

 

“Brother Shen is a righteous, loyal person, a real man!” Wang Dong was full of praise and then started talking endlessly about how Xu Shen had helped him: “I know some people look down on those mixing in society, but Brother Shen doesn’t fool around, he has to work hard to make money. Unlike those like us who have a family and parents.”

 

Shu Ran squeezed his lips and asked again: “Does he have a good temper? Is he difficult to get along with? What does he hate the most?”

 

Wand Dong chuckled and said: “Why? Are you inquiring about him because of your sister?” Then he continued: “Brother Shen has a good temper, but don’t mess with him, he hates untrusty people, so don’t try to fool him.”

 

Shu Ran couldn’t help swallowing when he thought about what he was going to do. Ah, he was about to become that untrusty person, nothing could save him now.

 

“Don’t worry, Brother Shen also asked about your sister before going to propose marriage. He knows she has a good temper and is a capable person. She’ll be able to keep the family in check, and later she’ll give him two fat sons. Isn’t that great? Brother Shen grew up with no family, so his greatest wish is to have his own home. I just hope that my future sister-in-law won’t dislike him and she’ll be willing to give him children.”

 

The more Shu Ran listened, the heavier his mood became. He felt that today’s business could no longer be negotiated.

 

Hearing that he didn’t say anything, Wang Dong suddenly said: “Zhou Ding, you’re not going to withdraw from the marriage, are you?”

 

Shu Ran’s heart jumped and he quickly said: “No, how can that be? I like Brother Shen very much.”

 

Wang Dong became happy: “It’s useless if you like him, what’s important is that your sister likes him.”

 

Then it was his turn to ask: “Then, what does your sister think about Brother Shen? Does she like him?”

 

Xu Shen was good-looking and rich. In fact, many girls liked him, but he wanted to find an honest and kind village girl, someone who wouldn’t mess around.

 

“I didn’t ask.” Shu Ran said with confidence. “How can I dare ask my sister those questions? I’m afraid she’ll slap me to death.”

 

“Hahaha!” Wang Dong said. “The girls in our village are so tough! But she is capable and has a good way to take care of the family.”

 

The two of them arrived at the county town laughing. Wang Dong rode his bike directly to Xu Shen’s house. It was a small single-family house, with two floors. But it was not a new building, probably a place that had been renovated. There was a pomegranate tree in the yard, and the leaves looked bright green in June. Overall, the place looked well taken care of, already a good home for that area.

 

“Brother Shen! Brother Shen!” Wang Dong shouted outside the iron gate. Shu Ran climbed down from the bicycle, rubbing his buttocks.

 

“Brother Shen, your brother-in-law is here! Open the door!”

 

Upstairs, Xu Shen was calculating accounts in his room. He had heard Wang Dong’s loud voice just now, but he was planning to take his time and open the door later. As a result, he heard something that made him stand up from the chair with a bang. He immediately put down the account book and his pen, picked up the shirt on the back of the chair, and ran down to open the door while dressing.

 

Xu Shen saw Shu Ran standing next to Wang Dong from a distance. Through the hallows in the iron gate, he appeared different from other village boys. He had white skin and pleasant features, with a special temperament. When Xu Shen went to propose marriage, he was the one he paid the most attention to.

 

“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran felt guilty so he said sweetly.

 

Xu Shen took three hurried steps and rushed over to open the iron gate. He looked at Shu Ran and asked: “Why are you here? Hurry, come in and tell me.”

 

“Okay.” Shu Ran passed the gate. Xu Shen followed him.

 

“Hey, you guys…” Wang Dong found himself completely ignored.

 

Xu Shen remembered he was still there when he heard his voice. He went back and took out some money and food stamps from his pocket. “Go buy something to cook. For seven or eight people.”

 

He had a lot of brothers who followed him and there were many mouths to feed.

 

“Okay!” Wang Dong got on his bike and left.

 

Xu Shen returned to Shu Ran and led him upstairs, to his room. “Sit down there, next to the fan.”

 

Shu Ran saw that there was an electric fan in Xu Shen’s room. He felt hot and sweaty so he sat down in front of it without reserve.

 

“Drink some water.” Xu Shen poured him a glass.

 

“Thank you, Brother Shen.” Shu Ran took it with both hands.

 

Xu Shen smiled and finally confirmed that the boy was not pretending around him. He was indeed too polite. Every time he helped him, he said thank you without thinking.

 

“What’s wrong with you? What’s with all these thank yous you’re giving to your brother-in-law?” Xu Shen sat down opposite him.

 

Shu Ran lowered his head and began to feel guilty.

 

“What’s the matter? Did your family ask you to bring something?” He knew the boy’s family was in poor condition, so as long as it was in his power, he was willing to help them with anything.

 

Shu Ran drank more than half the glass of water before summoning his courage and looked up at him: “Brother Shen, I came to you alone this time. My family doesn’t know.”

 

“You?” Xu Shen looked at him amazed. It was really unexpected. What was this little brother-in-law up to?

 

Shu Ran: “Well, I just want to talk with you. If you think it’s inappropriate, don’t mind me. Please don’t get angry.”

 

Xu Shen raised his eyebrow and became interested. He thought about it and nodded generously: “Just say it.”

 

Shu Ran gritted his teeth and managed to say: “In fact, I don’t want my sister to marry you. I don’t like the fact that my parents agreed by themselves, just because they wanted money for my brother’s marriage. What era is it now? Everyone should be free to fall in love, and my sister doesn’t know you at all. This is an arranged marriage, a feudal practice.”

 

The room fell silent for a while, with only the sound of the electric fan slowly turning around.

 

“So, you’re here to withdraw the marriage?” Xu Shen’s face was expressionless. No wonder this boy never called him brother-in-law. He was afraid Shu Ran was against the marriage from the very beginning. “Is this your sister’s wish?”

 

“No, I insisted on it.” Shu Ran tried to explain. ” How can my sister have such a temper? I just can’t stand the practice of selling one’s daughter.”

 

Xu Shen became quiet.

 

Shu Ran turned stubborn: “Brother Shen, you are a real man, you can’t get mad at a little girl who can’t help herself!”

 

“You feel sorry for your sister…” Xu Shen backed down. She must have been unhappy. Zhou Hui was the candidate he picked himself. As for things like reputation, Xu Shen never cared about it. “But, can you decide on this matter?”

 

Zhou Ding was only a half-grown child at home, and his father was strong and in charge. If there was no father, there was still Zhou Qiang in front of him. It was not Shu Ran’s place to make decisions.

 

“So, that’s why I came to discuss this with you…” Shu Ran was embarrassed and rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees. “I can’t get the betrothal money back, but give me one year and I will pay you back with interest.”

 

Xu Shen was about to get angry when he heard the boy say: “I’ll follow you this year. Just pretend I’m here instead of my sister, and I will pay you back before leaving.”

 

Shu Ran tried his best to promote his qualifications: “I know a lot of things, I must be able to help you with something.” He glanced at the account book on the table and said: “I’m good at arithmetics and I can also do accounts, plan and write. You can do serious business with me and get twice the result with half the effort.”

 

But if it’s gray business, he won’t do it.

 

“You’ll give yourself to me in place of your sister?” Xu Shen frowned and a strange emotion spread in his heart. He looked at Shu Ran a few more times. To be honest, he couldn’t even remember Zhou Hui’s face at that moment. The only thing he knew was that she was regarded as pretty and quite tall.

 

But the image of this little brother-in-law was clear in his mind. He thought about it all the way back from delivering meat yesterday.

 

“Well, I can do a lot of things.” Shu Ran knew his request was quite improper, so he humbled himself by lowering his head. “It can’t be like this. You think about it, okay? Wouldn’t it be better to find a wife who loves you?”

 

Xu Shen: “I hate it the most when people go back on their words.”

 

Shu Ran was nervous and thought he would be rejected, but Xu Shen said: “Have you thought it over? Do you really want to come here and replace your sister? Come to me and do anything?”

 

“Yes.” Shu Ran nodded and hesitated. “As long as you don’t break the law.”

 

Xu Shen agreed and said: “Okay, you won’t do anything against the law.”

 

It was Shu Ran’s turn to become suspicious. Was Xu Shen that easy to talk to?