Shen Mingzhi never expected that Jiang Shaoan's actions would actually save them from being bullied by Song Huiquan.
Is this all preordained?
"That's why Zhang Ping didn't apply for marriage. I was thinking, if it weren't for my older brother's intervention, you might have applied for marriage. And if I had made another mistake later... we really wouldn't be able to sit here and talk about the past properly today." Jiang Shaozhen finished speaking and smiled at Shen Mingzhi.
"And then?" Shen Mingzhi continued to ask.
“At that time, Zhang Ping still listened to my older brother. Although the family urged him to apply for marriage, he hesitated because of his older brother’s persuasion. But because of my situation, he still decided to hold a wedding banquet with you. My older brother said that he held the banquet with you not out of kindness to help you.”
"I'm so sorry, honey." He couldn't help but feel remorseful as he said this.
"Go on with your talk." Shen Mingzhi was just idly listening to the gossip.
“He thought you must have been terrified at that time, and his mother also needed the child to shut him up, so he didn’t tell my older brother about the wedding banquet. He felt that if he helped you at this time, and you happened to be pregnant, and he accepted you, then no matter what happened in the future, the child and your situation could become leverage against you.”
Shen Mingzhi guessed that was the case.
Since they've been so calculating in the past, it's impossible for them to suddenly become a kind and guileless person later on.
"When my older brother had his accident, he insisted that we help you, probably for this reason. He didn't want you to live your whole life in a man's lie, living a muddled life." Jiang Shaozhen now feels that everything was fate.
My connection with Shen Mingzhi...
Shen Mingzhi thought that Jiang Shaozhen had bullied her because of an accident.
However, Jiang Shaoan also tried his best to pull her out of that environment because of Zhang Ping.
At that time, Jiang Shaoan did not know her.
Because Zhang Ping's actions were unfair to the original owner, he transferred the debt of gratitude Zhang Ping owed to him to the original owner.
Even if it means sacrificing myself, I must tell my family that they must help her.
As expected of someone from a military family, even though Shen Mingzhi had never met Jiang Shaoan, she could still imagine what he looked like.
“My brother has photos, do you want to see them?” Jiang Shaozhen asked with a hint of anticipation on his face.
"Look, look what my benefactor looks like." Shen Mingzhi laughed along.
"It was later discovered that he liked men. In the army, some men really couldn't stand being alone. He was quite good-looking, and after a while, he and that guy started sleeping together... Anyway, I heard that one night they were both drunk and started doing it outside. A big mouth saw it and spread the word throughout the whole army."
The gossip ends here.
After listening, Shen Mingzhi couldn't help but ask curiously, "I heard there are quite a few men in the army, is that true? Have you ever seen any?"
"I've never seen it. Our military is very strict. Anyway, after that incident, the military cracked down hard." Jiang Shaozhen still thinks that liking men is indeed quite frightening.
After hearing about it from his older brother, he would immediately walk away from any men in the army who made physical contact with him.
His older brother even joked with him, saying that he was handsome and should be careful in the army.
"But it was only after my older brother told me all this that I realized men can like other men." Jiang Shaozhen's face was still full of shock and disbelief as he said this.
Shen Mingzhi smiled.
In the future world, there will be many gay men, and the secret will become open. Gay novels will also become a separate genre, and will be sought after by a group of people.
“Sexual orientation is innate. What Zhang Ping did was indeed disgusting, but he had no choice in terms of sexual orientation,” Shen Mingzhi said calmly.
"Born that way?" Jiang Shaozhen asked curiously.
“Well, it’s like this: you’re born liking women, and you’re liking men, and you’re liking men. It’s like… if you’re physiologically attracted to women, you’ll only ever like women. If I told you to like men, or if I secretly wrote a book about you having sex with men, you’d feel nauseous, disgusted, and angry.” Shen Mingzhi patiently explained to him.
Jiang Shaozhen was stunned for a moment, and finally muttered, "You're not allowed to write about me and a man. If you're going to write, you can only write about me and you."
"I don't have that talent, hurry up and make the dumplings!" Shen Mingzhi urged him.
Jiang Shaozhen finished kneading the dough, gave a shout, and the people who were still busy wiping the table and preparing the kitchen utensils outside came in.
"How do you massage this?" Jiang Guofu asked with a curious expression.
“I’ll teach you later,” Jiang Shaozhen replied.
Everyone sat in the courtyard making dumplings, while Shen Mingzhi took care of the children, essentially becoming a hands-off manager.
But apart from Jiang Shaochen, who could wrap the dumplings well, everyone else wrapped them terribly.
Jiang Qing has been in charge of cooking for many years. Although it is now Wang Sao who does most of the cooking, her culinary skills are still quite good.
She really got hooked on making those sticky rice balls.
She squeezed several, but they all crumbled. She took a deep breath, frowned, and asked Shen Mingzhi, "Why do you insist on this rice noodle? It doesn't stick at all; it's all mushy."
"It's this kind of powder that makes it taste so good," Jiang Shaozhen explained to Jiang Qing. "If you don't know how to make it, go take care of the kids."
“Who says I can’t do it!” Jiang Qing said, continuing to study how to make dumplings.
Wang Sao followed Jiang Shaochen's example and succeeded on the fourth attempt.
She quietly put the glutinous rice ball aside.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Qing immediately said, "Teach me."
"Just be gentle, slowly push the dough, don't pinch it like you're making a bun, just fix it into a round shape and wrap the filling inside," Aunt Wang told her.
Unfortunately, this job is really not something Jiang Qing can do.
After making three more broken dumplings, she washed her hands and said to Shen Mingzhi, "I'll lead the way, you go and make them."
"I don't know how either... I can only eat." Shen Mingzhi had been trying to make the dough with her mother for so many years, but she still couldn't succeed.
"It seems that making glutinous rice balls requires talent," Jiang Qing said, picking up Zhouzhou and starting to play with him. "There are lanterns tonight, Grandma will take you to see them, okay?"
Amidst the busyness, the dumplings were finally ready.
Jiang Shaozhen led Shen Mingzhi into the room.
He took out a photo of Jiang Shaoan from the cabinet. In the black and white photo, the three Jiang siblings were standing together.
Jiang Shaoan stood on the left, smiling broadly, his white teeth particularly striking.
Jiang Shaochen's handsomeness carries a hint of coldness, while Jiang Shaoan's charm is pure sunshine, like a little sun constantly nurtured by the sun, his smile radiating the warmth of the sun.
“No wonder your older brother was concerned about me; he’s clearly a good person,” Shen Mingzhi said, looking at the photo.
It's no wonder Zhang Ping would target him.
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