Shu Ran felt confused for a moment, and then replied: “Well…yes.” The road was so bumpy, so of course he had to hug Wang Dong’s waist. Was there a problem?!
Riding the bicycle, Xu Shen said with a dark face: “Since when did the two of you have such a good relationship?”
He knew that Wang Dong was not familiar with the Zhou family. Now he was being suspiciously warm.
Shu Ran felt Xu Shen had a strange problem with his brain, so he told him: “Brother Dong and I have nothing to do with each other. He just gave me a ride to meet you.”
“Really?” Xu Shen tried to get to the bottom of it. “Then what were you whispering to each other in the yard today?”
Shu Ran said honestly: “It’s really nothing. Brother Dong tried to open my eyes a little bit, seeing that I know nothing about you.”
Xu Shen asked again: “What did he say?”
Shu Ran didn’t like being interrogated like a prisoner, so he protested in silence for a while before answering: “Just bragging, you can imagine it yourself.”
Xu Shen laughed and seemed to be amused by Shu Ran’s answer. His whole body shook, sending shivers along Shu Ran’s arms.
“What did he brag about me?”
Why did this man insist on getting to the bottom of it? Shu Ran sat behind him and secretly rolled his eyes. “Do you like listening to your own legends?”
Indeed, Wang Dong said he was a good man, but his reputation outside was quite bad. Occasionally, people would talk about how his parents abandoned him in the village when they went back to their city lives, and how his character must have been just as bad as theirs.
Only Shu Ran knew that Xu Shen’s parents would become successful in the future, with thoughts about bringing him back. It is just that Xu Shen was unwilling to follow them, preferring to mingle in his bad circle.
Being rebutted actually made Xu Shen happy. He always thought that Shu Ran was an introverted and timid person, but now he was opening up to him and showing his aggressive side.
“Do you have a problem with what they say about me?” Xu Shen rode slowly, stirring his bike to avoid any pits in the road.
“No!” Shu Ran pursed his lips and hurriedly said: “I’m not qualified to comment on you. It’s meaningless, how you live your life doesn’t concern me.”
“You’re quite sensible.” Xu Shen smiled and said: “But you’re wrong. Whether your sister marries me or you marry me, isn’t your life already tied to mine?”
He was right, but Shu Ran didn’t want to admit it. He still thought he’d pay him back in a year and never have anything to do with that man.
“Why don’t you talk?” Xu Shen looked back at the boy from the corner of his eyes, worried he had annoyed him.
Shu Ran said in a muffled voice: “I don’t know what to say.”
“You just don’t want to talk to me.” Xu Shen hit the nail on its head.
Shu Ran felt choked and lowered his head like he wanted to hide. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Xu Shen, he just didn’t like being interrogated like that. What was the matter with those questions?
They were boring and meaningless. Just empty talk that made him irritated.
Xu Shen didn’t force him. It was already good for two people from different worlds to be able to communicate.
Of course, Xu Shen already knew the young man’s opinion about him. He was persistent in his convictions, but Xu Shen didn’t think highly of those who knew nothing but still told him to only do good.
Shu Ran was immersed in his thoughts. When he came around, he realized: “Your riding skills are better than Brother Dong’s.” Riding with Wang Dong made his brains scatter.
“Tsk.” Xu Shen replied coldly and didn’t feel like continuing the conversation. Shu Ran also fell silent, so they arrived at the Zhou house in an awkward atmosphere.
“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran felt uncomfortable and knew he was rude for judging Xu Shen. Why did he try to push him around like that?
“You stay for dinner.”
“No, there’s no time.” Xu Shen bluntly refused. Who didn’t have any self-esteem? After knowing Zhou Hui’s attitude, how could he stay for dinner? Not only was she not welcoming him, but now it seemed like this little brother-in-law looked down on him as well. His marriage was uncertain, and he guessed he wouldn’t get his money back either. Xu Shen felt like swearing.
“Brother Shen, I’m sorry.” Shu Ran apologized for being rude and impatient with the man. Xu Shen remained expressionless as he stuffed a bag of biscuits into his hand: “Don’t say useless things. I’ll pick you up in a few days.”
He rode his bicycle away and Shu Ran followed him for a few steps: “Okay, I’ll explain the situation to my sister!” This made it clear that the boy intended to marry him instead.
Xu Shen couldn’t help looking back at him. Shu Ran was stubborn and awkward, but he didn’t hide from his eyes. The complex look on his face let Xu Shen know he understood the meaning of his words. “It’s good that he knows.”, Xu Shen thought.
He understood a long time ago that his feelings toward women were average, so he hadn’t touched one for years. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been childless until now, with how much time he spent fooling around outside. But Wang Dong was right. He had indeed grown up relying on the pity of others and was longing for a family. At the same time, spending money to marry Zhou Hui seemed like a good compromise. But a reckless young boy barged into his life and discovered his well-hidden secret. If that was the case, Xu Shen felt it was good to help push the boat on the water and get what his heart truly wanted. Although Shu Ran’s attitude towards him was also not good, Xu Shen didn’t mind it. He was happy just finding a man willing to follow him.
…………
Shu Ran took the things inside and realized that Xu Shen was unwilling to set foot into their house. It was a lie that he never had time, he just didn’t feel like pretending with the Zhou family. After all, he knew that everything was for the sake of money and that no one really liked him.
The younger brothers and sisters immediately gathered around him, fighting for the biscuits in his hand. Shu Ran didn’t dare to open them, so he decided to first lock some packets in the kitchen cabinet and let the parents distribute them later.
“Second sister, where is Zhou Hui?”
The second sister in the family was named Zhou Lan, a fourteen-year-old girl who didn’t attend school. She took care of the three youngest siblings at home, in the absence of their parents. Shu Ran felt it was unfair to her, so he reached out to take the youngest baby off her back and play with him.
“Sister went to collect manure and water the garden.” Zhou Lan took a small packet of biscuits and hid them with care, feeling afraid to be seen by the rest of the family.
Later, Shu Ran went to find Zhou Hui. The two of them met on the road, and Zhou Hui was visibly curious to find out what her brother had accomplished. But the load on her back was too heavy so she kept on walking towards the garden without stopping.
Arriving there, she put down the burden and hurriedly asked Shu Ran: “How did it go?”
“He agreed.” Shu Ran only told her the good news, concealing the rest. “But you can’t tell our parents yet. Let’s just do it first and report later.”
Zhou Hui was surprised: “Are we going to fool them? How?”
Shu Ran told her his plan. On the day of the marriage, she’ll have to pretend to accept it. Shu Ran would be the one who would send her to the county town and follow Xu Shen, so she’d have to have faith and work together with him.
“When we get to the county town, you can find a matchmaker and see if she can introduce you to a soldier.” It was an easy thing to do and a bigger town had more options.
Zhou Hui smiled bitterly: “I’m afraid soldiers look down on rural girls like me.” After all, her family’s conditions were not good.
Shu Ran: “Sister, don’t underestimate yourself. You are tall and good-looking, and you’ve also read books. It’s better to look for a partner carefully, instead of accepting a random proposal from some villager.”
He was afraid a good girl like Zhou Hui would meet a bad mother-in-law. Generally, nobody paid attention to the groom’s family, and all brides got married in a confused state.
Zhou Hui barely mustered a little bit of confidence and nodded: “Then what about you? Are you sure you want to follow Xu Shen? He…”
Shu Ran: “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything against the law. Trust your brother, I will definitely return his money within a year.”
Zhou Hui remembered and said: “Our parents will find out that we fooled them. Won’t they beat you then?”
Shu Ran curled his lips and took a packet of biscuits from his pocket, giving them to Zhou Hui: “I won’t even be here, how can they beat me?” Besides, at that time they’d have to ask for Xu Shen’s permission to touch him…
“Did you take Xu Shen’s things again?” said Zhou Hui, refusing the biscuits.
“I’ll pay it back in the future, don’t be like this. Come on, they’re very sweet. Eat it quickly.” Shu Ran coaxed her.
Hard-working girls from the countryside were prone to hypoglycemia. Zhou Hui was thin and she always gave anything delicious to her younger siblings. Life at home was hard, so Shu Ran was also willing to compromise with Xu Shen and follow him. He didn’t want to live in the harsh environment of the countryside.
He had no choice but to get out. Zhou Hui’s marriage was the same, only by finding a good husband could she live a better life. If Shu Ran were selfish, he could have found a way out for himself. But he didn’t want that, instead, he wished to become a man his sisters could rely on. Planning to give Zhou Hui a better marriage was just the first step.
…………
The Zhou couple was supportive of Shu Ran’s decision to also follow Xu Shen. In the future, they’ll be family, so there was nothing wrong with taking a little bit of advantage. Although Xu Shen’s reputation was not good, it was still better than nothing.
“Dad, when my sister gets married, I will also go to the county town.” Shu Ran said. “Brother Shen introduced me to a job there, and I can get a salary in the future, which is better than farming at home.”
“Really?” Zhou Guodong was overjoyed. “Your brother-in-law introduced you to a job in the county town?”
Shu Ran: “Uh-huh.”
Zhou Qiang wiped his mouth: “What kind of job? Is the salary high?”
It was a really good thing to work in the county town. A rare opportunity, almost impossible to achieve. Could Xu Shen find a way? Wasn’t he just some uneducated brute?
Shu Ran: “I don’t know yet, but anyway, it won’t be bad.”
“Yes, it’s great that Dingzi can work in the county town.” Hu Jinhua was ignorant. She only knew there were some people from their village who had jobs in the county town, and all of them were living good lives. If their family could also live like that, wasn’t it a good thing?
“Can’t you also introduce one to your brother? Zhou Qiang was greedy.
Shu Ran: “There are only so many jobs. It wasn’t easy for Brother Shen to introduce me to one. Let’s wait and see in the future.”
Zhou Guodong nodded: “Don’t worry, let’s wait until Dingzi settles down.” Asking to recommend two people at once, even Zhou Guodong felt the skin on his cheeks was not thick enough.
Zhou Qiang spoke again without using his brain: “He’ll definitely agree. If such a good girl like my sister marries him, his ancestors will rejoice. If he dares to refuse…”
“Brother, what are you talking about?” Shu Ran interrupted him. “Relatives shouldn’t talk like that, marrying our sister is not a transaction.”
Although it was of no use, Shu Ran didn’t feel like entertaining Zhou Qiang’s idea of relying on his sister’s blood and flesh to live a good life.
“You know how Xu Shen is. Will you be responsible if he wants to break the engagement because of this?”
Zhou Qiang stammered: “I…”
Zhou Guodong knocked on his head with his pipe: “You keep running your dog’s mouth! If Xu Shen wasn’t willing to speak for your brother, where would this job come from? If you talk nonsense like this, who would want to introduce you?”
Listening to their father teach her eldest brother a lesson made Zhou Hui happy. This morning, she went to the river to do laundry and met his darling, Lin Xuehua. The other party looked down on her engagement to Xu Shen and even made fun of her. It was really interesting. Did Lin Xuehua not know that the betrothal money her family took was Xu Shen’s? They were all stupidly talking.
A few days before the wedding, Zhou Hui stopped working and stayed home to make new clothes. She made two sets of summer clothes with the fabric Xu Shen sent.
Zhou Hui also made a set for Shu Ran. All the clothes he had were short and no longer in good condition. When taking his measurements, Zhou Hui realized her brother was tall, with white skin, and very good-looking. All the other young men in the village couldn’t compare to him.
In the future, she wondered, what kind of girl would he marry?
