I fed three-year-old Tian Tianmei an egg. My mother said Tian Tianmei's family rarely had eggs. I didn't understand why her grandmother disliked her, but both my grandmother and mother loved Tian Tianmei. Looking at Tian Tianmei's rosy little face, looking so contented with her meal, I couldn't help but give her a kiss. Uncle Su, who came to pick her up, saw it. My mother asked if I wanted Tian Tianmei to be my bride. I said yes, and Uncle Su said with a sullen face, "Don't think you can get ahead of me just because we're childhood sweethearts." My father said, "Jinyuan, you have to give my son a chance." I saw Grandma smiling, Mom smiling, and Tian Tianmei smiling too. As Uncle Su carried her away, she said, "Brother Jing, see you tomorrow." Uncle Su said, "Not tomorrow." My father told me that Uncle Su cherishes his daughter dearly, and that marrying him would be a difficult hurdle for him.

Tiantianmei could cook at the age of six. She was so small that she was still a little short in front of the stove, so she stood on a wooden stool to cook. The fire was so strong that I was really afraid of burning her. Grandma said that this is what it means for children from poor families to take on responsibilities early. For example, I, who was two and a half years older than Tiantianmei, still couldn't cook.

Tian Tianmei was also very courageous. At the age of six, she took Su Zhihao and walked across the long embankment to deliver food to Uncle Su and Aunt Su, who were cutting sugarcane in the sugarcane field. That stretch of road was so long and so quiet. I don't know how long they walked. I only know that Aunt Su cried when she told my mother about it. She said she had never imagined Tian Tianmei would walk three kilometers with her brother to deliver food. She said having a daughter is caring. Tian Tianmei's uncle (Ma Yiqiang's father) also said this about having a daughter. He said that he had three sons, but no one in the family could cook. They couldn't compare to Tian Tianmei. In fact, Tian Tianmei's older cousin, Ma Yijun, was four years older than her and could cook, but he just couldn't cook as well as Tian Tianmei.

Tiantian is in elementary school now. I go to and from school with her, and we can even hang out in the classroom. Even though she's been asking me to stop calling her Tiantian because of the gossip from her classmates, I'll just call her Tiantian. Her older cousin even laughs at me for not calling her Tiantian anymore. Tiantian is incredibly popular at school. She's a good student, always ranked first or second in her class. She can cook, and when we have class activities or picnics, everyone wants to team up with her. Her father dotes on her and buys her dresses. Some girls envy her, others are jealous, but they don't dare bully her because everyone knows she's Tiantian. Her cousin, Ma Yiqiang, is in the same class and will protect her.

In the second semester of sixth grade, my father told me to cherish my time here, saying I should go to the best middle school in town. He had already built a new house there. I was so reluctant to leave Tiantian. She said, "Brother Jing, we can see each other again when I get into your middle school." My lovely Tiantian, did you know that only two people from this elementary school got into this middle school last year? I'm glad I didn't say that, because she actually did get into my middle school. However, before Tiantian got in, her family moved to the other side of the village. Uncle Su bought a piece of land and built a house. The Su family's financial situation was much better than before.

When did we drift apart? Then my mother fell ill and passed away. I went to high school in the city, and she went to another. I went to university in another province, and she went to university in my own province. Our opportunities to see each other became increasingly rare. I visited her at her university and in the city where she worked. I felt she had no romantic feelings for me; she always felt she was too high to marry me. Two years ago, she changed her phone number for work without informing me, and I was truly heartbroken.

To reassure my ailing grandmother, I found Li Lingyue to be my girlfriend. But within six months, we broke up. Perhaps I had someone else in my heart, or perhaps she simply didn't meet my expectations. She was beautiful, had a regular job, and was naturally proud, with a somewhat spoiled personality. But when she told me what she wanted, I thought, I'd rather Su Tiantian be this vain and greedy, just so I could be with her. I gave Li Lingyue everything she asked for: bags, cell phones, clothes, even gifts from Siqi Villa. Since I'd asked her to be my girlfriend, I couldn't let her down.

The reason for the breakup was that Li Lingyue accepted a gold bracelet from Xu Liangming. She's not an ignorant girl; she's a thoughtful adult. She couldn't be unaware of what this meant. I know what kind of person Xu Liangming is, and I know her. Her behavior is truly unacceptable. Actually, I wanted to break up even earlier, when her family asked me for 1 million yuan. In our area, the betrothal gifts are quite small, ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands. Her family asked for this before we even got married, and they were sure to ask for more money in the future.

I have never regretted breaking up. I wanted to part ways amicably and had no intention of recovering the money that I lent to her brother in my father's name. I just thought of it as giving it to her. But she kept pestering me, saying that she still loved me. In order to avoid her, I even moved to an apartment near Lantern Square.

Before the Chinese New Year, my grandmother and I were taking a walk and saw Tiantian and Ma Yiqiang together. I found out about her blind date that day, and my heart ached. My Tiantian deserved better. That Teacher Feng actually introduced her short brother to Tiantian, and Tiantian refused. She actually spread bad words about her everywhere. I told my father that I liked Tiantian, and my father laughed: "Tiantian is good, but in terms of appearance, Li Lingyue is more outstanding. In terms of work, Li Lingyue works in the system and is more stable. She seems to have deep feelings for you. Don't you regret breaking up? Aren't you moved?"

I said confidently, "No, I'm glad that I've broken up now. I can pursue Tiantian openly. Dad, will you help me?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!