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◎The King of Scrolls, Day Thirty-Three◎
The next morning, Jiang Wanzhou saw Jiang Renzhou packing his things.
"Brother, this is my business. Can you let me decide for myself?" Her voice was pleading.
“No way!” Jiang Renzhou said firmly. “You’re only eighteen. What do you know about making decisions? I’m your brother, and I have to be responsible for you. This marriage has to be put on hold for now. We can discuss it again after you turn twenty.”
Jiang Wanzhou stood up anxiously, "I know what I want."
"What do you want? Do you want to be dumped and then cry?" Jiang Renzhou also stood up, and the brother and sister were about to start arguing again.
"Honey, little sister, calm down." Shen Xinglian quickly pulled Jiang Wanzhou back. "Let's talk this out. Don't scare Mingyuan."
Mingyuan, who was woken up, rubbed his eyes and started crying. Shen Xinglian quickly picked him up and comforted him.
The atmosphere in the room instantly plummeted to freezing point, with only the sound of the child crying remaining.
Jiang Wanzhou looked at the crying and making a fuss, and her anger gradually subsided.
"Brother, you and your wife should go together regarding the matter of accompanying the soldier."
She sat down again, her voice calmer, "As for me, I'm not leaving. I've gotten used to living here, and I don't want to leave."
Jiang Renzhou looked at her stubborn profile and sighed, "Fine, I won't force you. But you must promise me that you will never have any contact with Zhou Qingyu again, and the engagement will be put on hold for now. We'll talk about it again in two years when you've thought it through."
"Otherwise, we could try to stop Zhou Zhiqing from returning to the city."
"Brother, this is not right."
Jiang Wanzhou remained silent.
Shouldn't the male lead be virtuous and upright?
It seems that her younger sister holds a significant place in the male lead's heart.
But why is there such a strong reaction to her marrying Zhou, the educated youth?
"I understand," she said softly, picking up the cold steamed bun and nibbling at it in small bites, finding it tasteless.
Jiang Wanzhou went to the pigsty to feed the pigs and saw Zhou Qingyu standing outside the fence in the distance, holding a newly made wooden spoon in her hand. She had obviously been waiting for a long time.
Her heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending not to see, and turned to walk back.
"Comrade Jiang!" Zhou Qingyu's voice came from behind, urgent. "Listen to me, I'm not going back to the city."
"Are you crazy? If you can go back to the city, you must go back to the city."
"Zhou Qingyu, don't make me look down on you."
"I won't stop for you, and you shouldn't stop for me either."
"We'll meet again if fate allows."
Jiang Wanzhou quickened her pace, almost running, and slammed the gate shut behind her.
Her back was pressed tightly against the door, and her heart was pounding as if it would burst out of her chest.
Shen Xinglian pulled Jiang Wanzhou aside and whispered, "Can you really bear to part with Zhou Qingyu?"
Jiang Wanzhou lowered her head, picking at her fingers: "Don't you know me? Letting go is so easy."
"Are you really not considering joining the army?" Shen Xinglian looked at her. "If we go there, we'll have a better future."
"Do you want to leave?" Jiang Wanzhou asked back.
Shen Xinglian paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "Of course I can't bear to part with you, I can't bear to be separated from you."
"Or I might not go with the army."
Jiang Wanzhou hugged her, her nose tingling with emotion: "Go, go live a good life with your brother. I'm doing fine here, I have a house, a vegetable garden, I won't go hungry."
Shen Xinglian patted her back, tears streaming down her face: "Silly girl, what are you saying?"
"In this world, the person I care about most is definitely you."
"Then I'll go with you." Jiang Wanzhou finally made her decision.
In the afternoon, Jiang Renzhou went to the commune to make a phone call to inquire about the specific procedures for accompanying military personnel.
Jiang Wanzhou sat in the courtyard weaving bamboo baskets, her mind a jumbled mess.
She knew she should talk to Zhou Qingyu clearly, but every time she thought about facing his wounded eyes, she lost her courage.
Just then, Song Zheng suddenly arrived, holding a paper package in his hand: "Comrade Jiang, this is honey that my father asked someone to buy from the county town, to help Comrade Shen recover."
Jiang Wanzhou didn't take it: "Thank you, but no need, my brother brought a lot."
Song Zheng didn't press the matter. He placed the honey on the stone table and said with a smile, "I heard that Comrade Jiang is going to join the army? That's really good news, congratulations!"
Jiang Wanzhou frowned: "What do you mean? Just say it."
Song Zheng said in a relaxed tone, "Comrade Jiang, this is actually a good thing. You and my brother are from different worlds. Separating is better for everyone."
Looking at his fake smile, Jiang Wanzhou suddenly realized something: "You were the one who spoke ill of Zhou Qingyu to my brother, weren't you?"
Song Zheng's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "I'm just telling the truth. Comrade Jiang, I'm doing this for your own good. Zhou Qingyu is stubborn and has a falling out with his family. You'll only suffer if you stay with him."
"Our affairs are none of your business." Jiang Wanzhou stood up, her tone indifferent. "You can leave."
Song Zheng didn't say anything more, turned around and left, giving her a meaningful look before he left.
As Jiang Wanzhou watched his retreating figure, her doubts deepened.
Why did Song Zheng want to break her up with Zhou Qingyu so badly?
Just because he is Zhou Qingyu's stepson?
Or is there another reason?
In the evening, Jiang Renzhou returned from the commune with a happy expression: "I've got all the paperwork sorted out, and I can leave next month!"
Shen Xinglian nodded, but her eyes looked at Jiang Wanzhou with hesitation.
Jiang Wanzhou felt a tightness in her chest, as if something was blocking her heart.
She knew that the day of parting was approaching.
The next day, Jiang Wanzhou went to the pigsty again.
She saw Zhou Qingyu come out of the educated youth settlement, looking haggard with bloodshot eyes.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Wanzhou asked instinctively.
When Zhou Qingyu saw her, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "It's almost Chinese New Year, I'm asking the brigade leader for leave to go home and visit my family."
“Zhou Qingyu, I…” She was about to speak when she saw Jiang Renzhou walking towards her from a distance. “Then be careful on your way.”
Looking at her evasive eyes, Zhou Qingyu understood seven or eight parts of the situation.
He simply whispered, "Wait for me to come back."
Jiang Wanzhou watched his retreating figure turn away, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
Jiang Renzhou walked to her side, looked at Zhou Qingyu's back, and snorted coldly: "If he goes back, he might not come back."
Jiang Wanzhou didn't speak, but just gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
Three days after Zhou Qingyu left, the autumn rain began to fall in a drizzle, pattering against the window.
Jiang Wanzhou sat in front of the stove adding firewood, the firelight illuminating her profile, but her eyes seemed unfocused.
For the past three days, she couldn't help but look towards the village entrance, feeling as if she would see that familiar figure return any second now.
"What are you spacing out for? The water's boiling." Shen Xinglian's voice came from the stove as she was putting sweet potatoes into the pot.
Jiang Wanzhou snapped out of her daze and quickly added some firewood to the stove: "It's nothing, I was just wondering why Zhou Qingyu hadn't come back yet, maybe something happened to him on the way."
"What could possibly go wrong?" Shen Xinglian smiled. "He's a grown man."
Despite saying that, Jiang Wanzhou was still feeling very uneasy.
She remembered Zhou Qingyu's bloodshot eyes when he left, and the earnestness with which he said, "Wait for me to come back." She always felt that he wanted to go back and talk about the two of them.
Just then, Jiang Renzhou's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Today we're dividing up the work. I've brought all the grain back. You can decide where to put it."
The two quickly got up and went out to help.
Jiang Renzhou had developed great strength in the army and could carry two or three bags of corn by himself. Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian helped him carry the loose potatoes and sweet potatoes to the kitchen.
"Brother, when will Zhou Zhiqing be back from his leave?" Jiang Wanzhou couldn't help but ask, almost dropping the potato in her hand.
Jiang Renzhou paused for a moment, then put the corn sack on the cart: "It's better if it runs away, so I don't have to worry about it anymore."
He glanced at Jiang Wanzhou, his tone softening, "Stop thinking about him all the time, it's the tickets after the New Year."
Jiang Wanzhou kept her head down and worked silently: "Sister-in-law, it's raining, so you can set it up in the kitchen."
Shen Xinglian and Jiang Renzhou exchanged a glance: "Okay."
Jiang Renzhou sighed and didn't try to persuade him any further.
The rain was getting heavier, and the two men moved all the grain into the warehouse, getting completely soaked.
Just as I entered the house and wiped my face, I heard Song Zheng calling from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Comrade Jiang home?"
Jiang Wanzhou frowned, not wanting to pay him any attention, but Jiang Renzhou got up and opened the door: "Is there something you need, Song Zhiqing?"
Song Zheng stood at the door, holding a raincoat in his hand, and smiled politely: "My brother's vacation needs to be extended because someone borrowed him. I don't know what the procedure is."
"Ask the brigade leader," Jiang Renzhou said coldly. "Coming to our house on purpose? What's the meaning of this?"
Song Zheng wasn't embarrassed: "My brother sent some things back for your family, how could I dare to take them?"
Jiang Wanzhou didn't accept it, but Shen Xinglian smoothed things over from the side: "Thank you, Educated Youth Song, I'll accept it on your behalf."
Song Zheng smiled, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Wanzhou's face as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't, and turned and left.
Jiang Renzhou closed the door and threw the things into the warehouse.
Jiang Wanzhou didn't speak, but her mind was even more confused.
As evening fell, the rain lessened, and Jiang Wanzhou, wearing a raincoat, went to the pigsty to check on the pigs.
When she was alone, she suddenly burst into tears.
People cry because they feel wronged. What is she feeling wronged about?
She herself didn't understand.
Perhaps deep down I didn't want to accept it, but reason made me accept it.
She felt wronged.
Jiang Wanzhou quietly comforted herself.
As soon as she stepped out from behind the fence, she saw a familiar figure walking out of the rain, his trouser legs covered in mud and his hair sticking wetly to his face. It was Zhou Qingyu.
"You're back!" Jiang Wanzhou was overjoyed and quickly went to greet her. "Didn't you say you were going to extend your vacation?"
When Zhou Qingyu saw her, a slight smile appeared on her tired face: "Something happened. I just went to the captain to cancel my leave."
He pulled out a package of oil paper, "These are the sweet cakes I bought for you in town, they're still warm."
Jiang Wanzhou felt a warmth in her heart, but also a little embarrassed: "It's good that he's back."
Zhou Qingyu looked at her with a hint of caution in her eyes: "I've missed you a lot these past few days."
Jiang Wanzhou's face flushed red, and she shoved the sugar cake into his hand: "I don't miss you! Hurry back to the educated youth settlement to wipe yourself off, don't catch a cold."
Zhou Qingyu arrived at the Jiang family shortly afterward.
Jiang Renzhou came out from the inner room and his face darkened when he saw Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu looked at Jiang Renzhou: "I know you don't agree with my relationship with Comrade Jiang, but I still want to talk to you."
“I have nothing to talk to you about. Just break up with your little sister, and I’ll take her away so you’ll never see her again in your life.”
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