Xu Zijiang: I can't care about saving face, having a wife is more important!
Zhou Chunrong and his wife watched him boast with smiles. It was indeed not easy to find such a beautiful and considerate wife. It was something to brag about!
However, Wen Hongjuan still had to cook, so she let the three of them chat there while she went back to the kitchen. She stir-fried cured pork, made a dry pot braised chicken, and also made mashed potatoes. Yu Jiu offered to help, but she wouldn't let him. She quickly prepared several dishes herself, and they smelled so good that people's mouths watered.
Yu Jiu was somewhat envious of her excellent skills and couldn't help but ask.
"Sister-in-law, how did you learn this skill? The things I make often taste like soy sauce and vegetables, and they don't taste together at all."
Just like people say, everyone's facial features are different, and the same goes for her cooking. She cooks each ingredient and seasoning separately. Her food isn't exactly bad, but it's definitely not delicious either; the taste is just average.
“I didn’t specifically learn it, it’s probably just natural. I don’t know why, but everyone says my cooking is delicious. I helped my family cook when I was little. Ever since I cooked one meal, my family has stopped eating my mother’s cooking and insists on eating mine.”
"But it's okay if you can't cook well. Zijiang can cook, right? His cooking skills are pretty good. Although he can't compare to me, he's much better than your brother Zhou. I don't even want to cook for him. It's too awful!"
Wen Hongjuan gave Zhou Chunrong a disdainful look.
"Everyone says my cooking is delicious, it's just that your standards are too high. If you don't believe me, I'll cook for Yu Zhiqing next time and let her judge for me. I refuse to believe I'm any worse than that kid Zijiang!"
Zhou Chunrong protested his innocence, saying he really didn't think there was anything wrong with the food he cooked, and that it was still edible.
"No, don't torture my little educated youth's stomach. Go ahead and ruin it for yourself. Besides, she definitely thinks my cooking is better. Is there even a need to comment?"
As Xu Zi served Yu Jiu some food, he arrogantly declared, "Consideration is the best cosmetic procedure for a man!"
"That's not necessarily true. I speak based on merit, and I won't favor you."
Seeing that everyone was very friendly, Yu Jiu smiled gently and blended into the atmosphere, no longer feeling awkward. She even subtly criticized Xu Zijiang, saying that he was good in every way, but a little too confident.
"Isn't that confidence? This guy has been saying he's going to get married for a while now. I was wondering where he got a wife from, since I didn't know. Guess what he said? He told me confidently that although he doesn't have a wife yet, he's taken a liking to you and he'll be able to win you over soon."
"Sometimes this kid's confidence makes me feel ashamed."
Zhou Chunrong shook his head with a tsk-tsk sound, having exposed Xu Zijiang's entire past.
"Hey, don't try anything dirty! That's exactly what I was thinking..."
Yu Jiu had no idea that she had already lost face in front of Zhou Chunrong and his wife without her knowledge, and in such a way no less. Didn't that make her seem like she was easy to pursue and very casual?
She couldn't help but grind her teeth and secretly stomp on Xu Zijiang's foot under the table, saying, "Let you talk nonsense and spout rubbish!"
"Hiss~~"
Xu Zijiang was suddenly stepped on, and his toes hurt. He leaned over as if begging for forgiveness and whispered his apology to Yu Jiu.
"I was wrong. I'll never be so confident again. Honey, please forgive me. Give me some face in public, okay? I'll let you beat me up as much as you want when we get back."
"You said it yourself, don't drag me into your embarrassment next time!"
Yu Jiu glanced at him sideways, and like a proud cat, lazily moved her paws away. Her arrogant expression made Xu Zi's hands itch, and he wanted to pinch Yu Jiu's fair and tender little face again.
"Cough cough cough!"
Zhou Chunrong coughed hard, trying to get Xu Zijiang to tone it down and stop staring at people, since there were other people around!
"Let's eat."
Xu Zi shot Zhou Chunrong several sharp glares before letting out a cold snort and continuing to serve Yu Jiu food. He was about to expose Yu Jiu's past misdeeds and subject him to severe torture!
However, the meal was still quite enjoyable. Yu Jiu earned the respect of Zhou Chunrong and his wife, and learned a lot about Xu Zijiang's past from them. This trip was quite fruitful.
To her even greater delight, she and Xu Zijiang learned of the reward: a hundred yuan each in cash. The money from the commune was enough for their wedding banquet, and they were quite satisfied with the extra wine. Now, Xu Zijiang wouldn't need to borrow money to arrange the wedding properly.
Upon learning of Yu Jiu's idea, Xu Zijiang remained silent for a long time before finally taking her back to his home, intending to confess.
"What are you going to show me? Why are you being so mysterious?"
Yu Jiu raised her eyebrows in confusion and followed him into his room.
Without wasting any words, Xu Zi stepped onto the stool and opened a cover at a certain point on the crossbeam.
The lid?
Yu Jiu was shocked. How dare someone tamper with the beam?
"The beams in my house are sturdy. I specially selected the wood; it's thick and strong, and there's more than one beam. It's fine if we only make one hole."
Xu Zijiang explained that when he was building the house, he thought of hiding money in the beams, which is why he used such thick wood. At the time, everyone in the team said that the house would last for 180 years because the materials used were so sturdy.
Okay.
Yu Jiu didn't understand either. He said it was nothing, so it was nothing. She opened her watery eyes and looked up at Xu Zijiang as he took a long cloth bag out of the beam. It was quite big.
"Open it and take a look."
Xu Zi jumped off the stool, handed the cloth bag to Yu Jiu, and gestured for her to open it. Yu Jiu had a premonition that, since it was hidden so well, it contained something valuable, if not money.
Sure enough, when she opened the bag, she found it was full of money, and there were no loose bills, only large ten-yuan notes, at least several hundred of them.
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"Where did you get so much money?!"
Yu Jiu was shocked, her eyes widening in surprise. She even suspected that this guy had gone to commit murder and robbery, after all, his skills were ridiculously good, and he could easily take on ten people by himself.
"Of course I make a profit. When I came back from the army, I received a discharge allowance of 1,000 yuan, plus a subsidy of 30 yuan every month. Since I don't lack money, I use the money to buy peace and quiet. I give my uncle's family a little money every month to make them quiet down. Of course, now I have to support my wife and raise my children in the future, so I definitely won't give them a single penny more!"
"The rest of these are what I earned on the black market. There's also some gold and jade bracelets here, which are quite valuable. So I have the money to prepare a betrothal gift for you, to marry you in a grand and glorious way, and I won't let you suffer in the future."
"Wife, you can't go back on your word now that you've agreed to marry me. From now on, all this money is yours, and you can manage it. I'll take care of it..."
He put his arm around Yu Jiu's shoulder, acting all lovey-dovey, as if he wanted to bury his head in Yu Jiu's arms and whine and roll around like a puppy. He was tall and strong, but handsome. Although he was a bit rough, his whining didn't seem out of place at all, just like a big wolfhound whining to its owner.
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Yu Jiu found it hard to digest, so this man is incredibly rich! He doesn't lack money at all? Then why was he pretending to be so arrogant before!
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