Chapter 23

Jiang Zhen suddenly "attacked" without saying why. Although Jiang Yao was a little nervous, he was far away in the military camp and it was impossible for him to come just because he knew that she was dating Lu Che.

The main problem she faces now is whether or not to tell Jiang Zhen that she is dating Lu Che.

Lu Che was good in her opinion. In the eyes of most people, he was not a good partner. In the original owner's memory, Jiang Zhen was a sister-con. If he knew, the probability of opposing them would be at least 80%.

The round trip from the army to Qingyuan takes at least five or six days. A soldier's home leave is limited, and Jiang Zhen will stay in Qingyuan for five or six days at most. As long as she doesn't reveal her tracks during this period, she believes she can keep it secret.

However, if she chose to conceal it, it would very likely hurt Boss Lu’s young and innocent heart.

"When my brother comes, he should stay at your house." Jiang Yao said.

"No problem." Lu Che looked like he was going to get up and start working. He said, "I'll clean up our brother's room today and make sure he lives comfortably here."

"...Who is your brother?" Jiang Yao said with disdain, but she was happy in her heart. She took the opportunity to ask, "Do you think you should tell my brother about our affairs when the time comes?"

"What do you think?" Lu Che kicked the ball back.

Jiang Yao quietly looked at his expression and felt that there was nothing unusual, so she said, "I am openly dating you, so I should tell my brother, but I am worried that if my brother finds out, he may not let me continue to live in your house."

"Why?" Lu Che frowned slightly when he heard the voice.

Jiang Yao: "I live in your house. There are so many rumors out there. My brother can think of them even if he hasn't heard them."

"Then let's not tell him." Lu Che thought for a moment and said.

"You really won't tell me?" Jiang Yao was afraid that he would force her, so she asked, "Don't you feel wronged?"

"What kind of grievance is this?" Lu Che hugged her into his arms and said, "As long as I can be with you, I don't care."

After they discussed it, they went to clean up the room for Jiang Zhen. Even if it couldn't be made public yet, it was necessary to give the elder brother-in-law a good impression in advance.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Yao set out for the old granary to cook with Zhu Xia and others in advance.

Jiang Chao and Yuan Liang went to the county town to buy meat today, and the expenses were shared by everyone.

As for vegetables, Jiang Yao picked some from the Lu family's vegetable garden. She could be very casual in the Lu family, but other educated youth were not like this in farmers' homes. If they met a fussy wife, she would spread rumors about you in the production team the next day.

Jiang Yao set off with two bunches of vegetables, but unexpectedly met Du Yuejiao on the way.

Since the educated youth center was disbanded, she and Du Yuejiao have had almost no contact.

Du Yuejiao was also stunned when she saw Jiang Yao.

After being threatened by Jiang Yao about the MEI drug, Du Yuejiao had been keeping it to herself, but now that she knew that Jiang Yao was involved with Lu Che, a troublemaker, she was extremely happy.

Jiang Yao didn't plan to talk to Du Yuejiao, so she quickened her pace and tried to keep a certain distance from her, but she caught up with him on her short legs and asked gloatingly, "Jiang Yao, are you really with Lu Che?"

"Yes, but it has nothing to do with you." Jiang Yao responded and quickened his pace.

Du Yuejiao's legs were too short to catch up, so she could only jog to catch up, sneering, "I think you are too self-indulgent. You couldn't get Zhao Pengfei, so you found a second-rate guy like Lu Che. Now you live comfortably and have people to help you with farm work, but there is no hope for you to return to the city in the future. You have to stay in the countryside for the rest of your life and be an ignorant peasant woman."

"What will happen to me in the future? What does it have to do with you?" Jiang Yao stopped and stared at Du Yuejiao coldly, saying, "No matter what, my Lu Che is an upright person. He is not like some people who do sneaky and shameful things and even dare to seduce their sister's boyfriend. How dare you come out and see people?"

"You..." Du Yuejiao was angry and pointed her index finger at Jiang Yao.

"What's wrong with me?" Jiang Yao sneered and said, "Do you want to hit me? I advise you to stop thinking about it. You know that my Lu Che is cruel and protective. If he knew that you made me lose a hair, you would be miserable."

Jiang Yao spoke the last few words slowly, word by word, as if they were hitting Du Yuejiao's heart again and again. No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, she could only succumb to Lu Che's bad reputation.

When they arrived at the old granary, Zhu Xia and a few others were already there. Jiang Yao quickly joined them and rolled up her sleeves to prepare some delicious food.

There were thirteen people having dinner tonight, and they made six dishes in total: stir-fried pork with cucumber, steamed pork liver with shredded ginger, scrambled eggs with leeks, stir-fried Chinese cabbage, boiled lettuce, and steamed pumpkin.

Although there are more vegetables than meat, it is much better than usual meals. At least there is meat and oil.

Everyone sat around together eating, as if they had returned to the time before the educated youth center was disbanded.

Jiang Yao sat with Zhu Xia, Wen Qian, and Zhou Qiong, Du Yuejia sat with Zhao Pengfei, and Du Yuejiao mingled with the remaining male educated youth.

Everyone was skeptical about the previous rumors about the breakup of the Du sisters, thinking that it was not true. But now that the two sisters are getting along well, everyone knows without asking that it is true.

At first Du Yuejiao was pretending to be a naive girl, which made Yuan Liang and several other male educated youths look at her with pity. But when the dishes were served, her speed in picking up the meat with chopsticks surpassed that of everyone else present, and their pity for her disappeared instantly.

Du Yuejia and Zhao Pengfei didn't even look at Du Yuejiao the whole time. They only had eyes for each other, which was quite disgusting to be honest.

Jiang Yao arrogantly thought that the last time she scolded Zhao Pengfei, she must have woken him up.

This was fine. She had no intention of changing the emotional trajectory of the male and female protagonists, and she had no intention of being happy if they were not doing well. From now on, they would go their separate ways, and she and Lu Che would just be fine.

Because of the rumor that Du Yuejiao was the one who interfered with the relationship between Du Yuejia and Zhao Pengfei, everyone tactfully kept the topic away from the three of them, and the fact that Jiang Yao and Lu Che were dating naturally became the focus.

I have already explained this to Zhu Xia and the others this morning. They have no questions now. The male educated youth who have questions are especially Jiang Chao.

In fact, he had previously felt that Lu Che was a strong rival for him, but seeing that he came from a poor family and was from the countryside, Jiang Yao would not be so pessimistic. He continued his strategy of boiling the frog in warm water, but who knew that someone else would get there first.

"Yaoyao, are you really dating Lu Che?" Jiang Chao didn't give up even though he hadn't heard it with his own ears.

Jiang Yao felt that the pork liver was steamed just right tonight, tender and crispy, and she was enjoying it. She nodded generously when she heard the voice, "Yes."

Jiang Chao saw that she was eating without a heart, not even looking at him, and he had completely given up hope.

After dinner, everyone gathered together to chat and did not leave until around eight o'clock in the evening.

This time, just like last time, the male educated youth sent the female educated youth back according to the principle of proximity.

The task of sending Jiang Yao naturally fell on Jiang Chao. Although she felt that if someone knew about this, he would definitely be jealous, it was late at night and safety was more important than anything else.

A group of people walked out in a mighty procession, with Zhu Xia walking in front. As she just walked out of the collapsed gate of the old granary, she saw a person standing under a big tree not far away.

"Who's standing there?" she shouted.

Hearing the sound, everyone came forward. When Jiang Yao looked up, she saw a figure leaning against the tree trunk standing up straight.

Although it was dark around her, she was able to determine who the man was with the faint moonlight from the sky.

She squeezed to the front, and Lu Che also walked out from the darkness. He stopped only when he was in front of her and said gently, "Let's go home."

"Okay." Jiang Yao didn't expect him to be so considerate and come to pick her up. She couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips and turned her head to wave to the people behind her, "I'm leaving first. Be careful when you go back."

They walked forward side by side. Everyone looked at their backs and couldn't help but sigh: "If we ignore their backgrounds and conditions, Yaoyao and Lu Che are really a good match."

"Yes, the man is handsome and the woman is beautiful."

"Lu Che spoke so gently to Yaoyao, not like a thorn at all."

Everyone was talking one after another, and it seemed that it was not that difficult for them to accept the fact that their most beautiful educated youth was seduced away by the peasants.

Du Yuejiao stood at the end of the crowd. Taking advantage of the darkness, she stared at Jiang Yao's back with her vicious eyes, and clenched her hands at her sides.

Du Yuejia stood to one side and her heart sank when she caught a glimpse of her stepsister, whom she had thought was innocent and kind.

"Why did you come to pick me up suddenly? You didn't even tell me when I was leaving this afternoon." Jiang Yao asked after they walked away.

"If I don't come to pick you up, will you wait for someone with ulterior motives to send you back?"

"...You are such a jealous person." Jiang Yao laughed at him.

"That's right, I like to be jealous. Who made me care about you?" Lu Che admitted generously and took the opportunity to hold her hand.

"Hey, I wonder if there's anyone back there." Jiang Yao waved.

People these days are still very reserved when it comes to love. It's fine if no one sees you at home, but it's better to be careful when you're out and about. She's not afraid of people talking behind her back, but she's not eager to create gossip.

“No one’s here.” Lu Che didn’t let go. He turned his hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.

They had hugged and kissed each other many times since they started dating, but this was the first time they simply walked hand in hand.

Jiang Yao felt pretty good, especially since the moon on the 14th was already quite round, which felt pretty good.

The next day, Lu Che got up at four in the morning to deliver firewood to the county town, but just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Jiang Yao.

"Why did you get up so early?" Lu Che asked.

Jiang Yao hung the messenger bag on him and said, "I forgot to tell you last night that there are more than a dozen mooncakes in here. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Give two to each of the canteen directors in each factory. This is not only a thank you for their usual care, but also a favor. We will have to rely on them to send tomatoes and cucumbers later."

"Okay, I understand." Lu Che agreed and said to her, "It's a little cold in the morning, go back to bed early."

After watching Lu Che walk out of the Lu family's gate, Jiang Yao turned around and went back to take a nap.

Although today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are no holidays these days and we still have to go to work.

After breakfast, Jiang Yao and Lu Qing went to the paper mill to get materials. When they returned to the entrance of Lu's alley, they saw a man in military uniform standing at the door and knocking on it.

"Sister Qing, isn't that a soldier? Could he be my brother-in-law?" Jiang Yao asked curiously.

"No, how can Yangyang's father be that young?" Lu Qing just finished speaking, and suddenly realized, "Didn't they say your brother was coming? That's your brother, right?"

"..." Jiang Yao took a few quick steps forward, and just at that moment the soldier turned his head. Although they were not close, the man's figure and appearance matched the image of Jiang Zhen in her memory.

"It's really my brother." Jiang Yao shouted excitedly. Although strictly speaking, she didn't know him, she felt close to him.

"You little girl, you don't even recognize your own brother?" Lu Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly urged her, "Go over quickly, don't keep your brother waiting for too long."

"Brother, brother..." Jiang Yao waved at Jiang Zhen and ran towards him.

Jiang Zhen also saw her and strode to meet her, reminding her: "Don't worry, be careful not to fall, I won't run away."

"Brother, I miss you so much." Jiang Yao didn't know whether she was Jiang Yao or the original owner at this moment. Anyway, she just wanted to say this to Jiang Zhen.

"Brother misses you, too." Jiang Zhen looked at his sister whom he hadn't seen for two years, and held her in his arms with heartache, "Yaoyao, life in the countryside is hard, isn't it? Look how thin you have become."

"No." Jiang Yao shook her head and said, "I am living very well here."

After working hard to collect firewood all morning, Boss Lu earned three cents. He wanted to go home happily and give the money to his girlfriend, but then he saw her hugging a man.

Even though he later found out that this man was his future brother-in-law, he still felt uncomfortable.

Although a briefing had been held beforehand and the Lu family had to keep the fact that Jiang Yao and Lu Che were dating a secret, the old lady still treated Jiang Zhen with the same standards as for receiving a relative and expressed a warm welcome.

"Brother, this is Grandma Lu, Sister Lu Qing, Lu Che, and Sister Lu Qing's two children." Jiang Yao did not forget to improve the Lu family's impression after introducing them. "I received a lot of help from them during my time in the countryside. Grandma Lu provided me with a place to stay, and Sister Lu Qing and Lu Che often helped me with farm work."

"My sister has really troubled you during this period, and I am very grateful for your care for her." Jiang Zhen shook hands with them one by one to express his gratitude.

"Lu Che, thank you for taking care of my sister." Jiang Zhen extended his hand to Lu Che.

"This is what I should do. You are so polite, brother."

“…”

The air suddenly stagnated. Jiang Yao clearly saw that Jiang Zhen's face was stiff. She changed the subject in time and said, "Brother, the room has been cleaned up. You must be tired on the way. Go take a shower and have a sleep first. Let's celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together tonight."

"Okay." Jiang Zhen agreed, said a few words to Mrs. Lu, and followed Jiang Yao out of the main hall.

When she entered the room, she saw only Jiang Yao and Jiang Zhen inside. She finally came back to her senses from the excitement of reuniting with her relatives. Suddenly, she didn't know how to get along with this "brother". After all, she was not familiar with him.

"Brother, put your things here first, take a shower, have a good sleep, and then clean up after you wake up." Jiang Yao found a reason to retreat.

Jiang Zhen didn't notice anything wrong with this "sister". He said hello and handed her a piece of pork. "I just passed by the county town and bought it at the supply and marketing cooperative. Let's take advantage of today's festival to express our gratitude to them."

"Okay." Jiang Yao took the heavy piece of pork, which was estimated to be about one and a half pounds. Everyone could eat meat to their heart's content tonight.

Although Lu Che's brain short-circuited just now, he worked hard after waking up. When Jiang Yao took Jiang Zhen to the bathroom, he had already turned on the water.

"Thank you so much." Jiang Zhen thanked Lu Che before entering the bathroom.

While Jiang Zhen was taking a shower, Jiang Yao pulled Lu Che into the kitchen and asked, "Why did you call me brother just now?"

"I'm sorry." Lu Che said with annoyance and grievance: "It was my first time meeting my brother-in-law, so I was inevitably nervous. I spoke out loud and said what I wanted to say."

Seeing how pitiful he was, Jiang Yao couldn't bear to continue blaming him, so she just said, "Then you should be careful these few days and don't let yourself get caught."

"Okay." Lu Che nodded seriously.

"Okay, you go out first. I need to cook. It's not good for my brother to see you squeeze in here." Jiang Yao said, and saw two pig trotters and two big bones hanging in the kitchen. She couldn't help but smile and said, "My brother also bought a pound and a half of meat. This Mid-Autumn Festival is really going to be better than the New Year's Day."

Lu Che looked at the large piece of pork in her hand and couldn't help but said in frustration: "It's really embarrassing. I wanted to treat our brother to a good meal, but who knew he would give more."

Jiang Yao: “…”

In order not to lose face in front of his brother-in-law, Lu Che made up his mind and slaughtered a chicken.

Jiang Yao was braising pig's trotters when she saw the chicken that had been peeled clean. She laughed and cried, "Are you going to eat all the meat for this year today?"

"Yes, even if there is no meat to eat during the New Year, I will accept it. My grandma also said that I must not embarrass myself in front of my in-laws." Lu Che handed the chicken to Jiang Yao, "You can cook it however you like. I'm going to work now."

In this case, Jiang Yao would not waste such rich ingredients.

She cut half a pound of pork belly and made a dish of braised pork with preserved vegetables for lunch. As for dinner, it was very rich, with mushroom and bone soup, boiled chicken, braised pig's trotters, Dongpo pork, cold seaweed salad, and a few vegetables.

Lu Che got off work on time in the evening, and when he got home, the Lu family's Mid-Autumn Festival dinner was about to begin.

Jiang Zhen was invited to sit at the top seat, and Jiang Yao sat with him, but she deliberately chose a side that was not next to Lu Che.

Her attempt to cover up her guilt earned her a meaningful look from Lu Che.

"Grandma Lu, such a sumptuous meal is really too much for you." Jiang Zhen said as he sat down.

"No, no, no?" The old lady was very satisfied when she heard him say "abundant". She said with a smile on her face, "You brought all the pork. We just added a little bit. Besides, this table of dishes is all Yaoyao's credit. We can't make such delicious dishes."

"Yaoyao did it?" Jiang Zhen turned his head and looked at Jiang Yao in disbelief.

Jiang Yao said calmly: "These are what I learned since I went to the countryside. Brother, you should try it quickly." As she spoke, she picked up a piece of Dongpo pork for Jiang Zhen.

The dishes on the table looked very appetizing to begin with, and now after tasting them, they tasted as good as they looked. He couldn't help but sigh, "Before you went to the countryside, I was very worried, but now it seems to be a good thing, you have gained experience and grown up."

"Yes, Yaoyao is a good worker."

"Yes, Yaoyao is very motivated."

“…”

Everyone tried their best to flatter Jiang Yao in front of Jiang Zhen.

After dinner, everyone moved to the yard and watched the moon while eating moon cakes made by Jiang Yao.

Everyone was chatting casually, and Zhou Yang and Zhou Xin had a natural liking for Jiang Zhen because he and their fathers were both soldiers, so they kept pestering him with questions.

Jiang Zhen was also patient and answered all the brother and sister's wild questions one by one.

Lu Che and Jiang Yao sat diagonally opposite each other, far apart. Their eyes occasionally met in the air, and they basically didn't speak to each other the entire night.

But this time they were all doing it secretly, always on guard against Jiang Zhen.

The moon-watching ended at around nine in the evening. After packing up, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

"Let me go into your room and take a look." Jiang Zhen suddenly said as he reached the door of Jiang Yao's room.

"Okay." Jiang Yao opened the door and went to light the kerosene lamp.

When the kerosene lamp was lit, Jiang Yao was about to ask Jiang Zhen to sit down when she heard him say, "You and Lu Che are dating."

The author has something to say:

Wish our great China □□ a happy 100th birthday!