In early September, both the eldest uncle's family and Grandma Jiang received a letter from Jiang Jun, along with some local specialties they had sent.
The letter stated that after careful consideration and discussion with his partner, Kong Xuefang, they were preparing to get married. The date was set for National Day. He asked his family to come and visit if they had time, but said they would understand if they didn't.
Jiang Jianguo immediately made a decision: "I'll go. My second son has been working in the countryside for several years and has hardly caused us any trouble. For such a big event as his wedding, I definitely have to go and see him. I also need to let his wife know that we value him too."
Grandma Jiang nodded in agreement: "That's right, Jiang Jun is a worry-free child. You should go and see him. I'm too old to go. Eldest son, when are you going? Let me know in advance so I can prepare some things for Jiang Jun."
"Okay, Mom, I'm going back." Jiang Jianguo didn't ask Wang Shuhua's opinion about this. He knew that after the incident between the mother and son last year, they both had a grudge, and Wang Shuhua definitely wouldn't go.
Wang Shuhua also learned about her second son's upcoming marriage. She felt extremely conflicted, experiencing a mix of shame, anger, fear, and sadness.
Judging from her husband's expression, Jiang Jun must have told them about his girlfriend when he came back to visit last year. But shouldn't the person who should have told her first be her, his mother?
But now, on the verge of marriage, she realizes that he truly doesn't care about her, his mother, at all.
After her anger subsided, she realized she had really offended her second son. But no matter what, she was still his mother. Couldn't he just let it go? Did he really want to cut ties with her?
Wang Shuhua's anger and fear kept her awake for several nights. Jiang Jianguo knew what was bothering her, and seeing her unable to eat or sleep well, he felt bad too.
"Now you know how painful it is, where were you before? If you still want this son, then prepare some things for his wedding."
Hearing her husband's voice beside her, Wang Shuhua couldn't help but cry. Jiang Jianguo sat up, looked at his flustered and heartbroken wife, and finally put his hand over and patted her back.
“Shuhua, we’ve been married for almost thirty years. You’ve had a tough time all these years. There’s no point in talking about the past now. I just want to say one thing: live your life well. In the end, the only people we can rely on besides ourselves are our two sons.”
Jiang Jianguo thought that the children were already so grown up, and it was unlikely that they would actually get a divorce. The children were already so grown up, and a divorce would cause too much gossip and damage his reputation. He didn't care, but he couldn't let his children suffer because of it.
If we don't get a divorce, we still have decades ahead of us. We can't just live like this, so let's see if we can salvage the situation: "It's not that I favor sons over daughters, it's just that my daughter is married and has her own in-laws to take care of. She can only come back to visit us during holidays to show her filial piety. Look at Ruyun, she married so close by, how many times a year can she come back? Let alone Ruyi."
Wang Shuhua couldn't help but speak up for Jiang Ruyi: "Ruyi said that her boyfriend is from the military compound, and his father is a division commander. If Ruyi marries him, she will become the most capable person in our family."
Jiang Jianguo was so annoyed by her words that he didn't want to talk to her anymore. This woman was no good; her mind was full of such nonsense. He patiently said, "Let's not even talk about the fact that our families are not a good match, or whether her parents will agree to Jiang Ruyi marrying into the family. Just look at Jiang Ruyi's current temper. Even if she marries into the family, what kind of good life will she have? Do you expect her to take you over and let you be an official's wife? Think about it carefully."
Wang Shuhua watched as her husband, who had been speaking kindly to her with great difficulty, changed his expression at the mention of their youngest daughter. She immediately dared not bring it up again. She hadn't been eating for nothing all these years, and of course she knew that even if Ruyi married well, she couldn't possibly take care of her in her old age.
However, Wang Shuhua has spent too much energy on Jiang Ruyi, and it won't be easy for her to let go completely in a short time.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ruyi, who was far away in Heilongjiang Province, finally won over Gu Changzheng after more than half a year of painstaking effort. Gu Changzheng had received a letter from home in June saying that he could be transferred back, but he would have to wait for a while to prepare. In fact, it was because they knew that he had a girlfriend in the countryside. Gu's family did not want him to find an unreliable person outside, so they tried to use their connections to bring their youngest son back.
Jiang Ruyi learned about this by chance and could tell that Gu Changzheng was very interested, but still had some reservations about her, so he promised to bring her back with him.
Jiang Ruyi didn't believe it. Once he went back home, and the good days were over, would he still remember her, his girlfriend from the countryside, when his family arranged blind dates for him again? Although he did have some feelings for her, relying on a man's loyalty and unreliable emotions, ha, she trusted herself more.
Two weeks later, the two said they went up the mountain to relax, but they were caught in a rainstorm and trapped in the mountains. Fortunately, there were wooden huts built by hunters in the past, so they could take shelter from the rain. After that, the quiet mountain forest, the torrential rain, and the occasional lightning and thunder all became catalysts for the ambiguous relationship between the two young people who were alone together.
It's unclear who made the first move, but all that's known is that on a night like this, two people who already had feelings for each other and had established a relationship had low defenses to begin with. Furthermore, one person intentionally or unintentionally seduced the other, and the other genuinely liked the other and was too young and impetuous to resist the temptation. Under the influence of this intense passion, Jiang Ruyi's scheme succeeded.
The next day, Gu Changzheng was afraid and guilty. Looking at Jiang Ruyi, who was pale but had a touch of allure, he swore to the heavens that he would definitely take responsibility for her. Jiang Ruyi didn't say anything, but just leaned closer to him and said in a tender tone, "I believe you, Changzheng. I have given you everything. You are all I have left."
Stimulated by the warmth and fragrance of the woman, Gu Changzheng said sweet words and shamelessly continued with Jiang Ruyi, not caring what others would say about their staying out all night. Young and impetuous, a man who had never tasted the taste of meat before was no different from a monk breaking his vows once he had tasted it.
The thrill of tasting forbidden fruit, coupled with the fact that they were in the wild, made Gu Changzheng even more unwilling to let go of such an opportunity. The two fooled around until their stomachs were growling with hunger before they finally went down the mountain.
The Jiang family was unaware of what Jiang Ruyi had done. Jiang Jianguo was very busy these days, preparing things for Jiang Jun's wedding, going to work, and having to ask for leave in advance. Wang Shuhua wasn't so foolish after all; she still took the time to get Jiang Jun a thick cotton quilt weighing eight pounds.
Jiang Jianguo gave Wang Shuhua the bright red quilt cover embroidered with peonies that his niece had gotten for him. Wang Shuhua didn't say anything and silently sewed it on. Grandma Jiang didn't make any more quilts for her grandson. Instead, following her granddaughter's instructions, she sewed a quilt cover that could be directly put on the quilt using a sewing machine. She said it was convenient because it would save her from having to take the quilt off and wash it repeatedly. This was because Annie had sent her a set of bedding from their area, which she found very convenient, so she told her grandmother to do this.
Jiang Ruyu prepared soap, floral water, face cream, a red mirror, and a comb for her second brother—things that girls need—as a token of her affection.
Looking at the things she had prepared for her second brother, and thinking about the scenery and landscape of Liaoning Province that he had described, she couldn't help but feel longing. She would get restless staying in this city every day.
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