"Stop hitting him, stop hitting him."
Seeing the blood trickling from Lu Yi's lips, Jiang Yu worried something was wrong and tried to grab the man's hand to make him stop. Chen Ying was extremely strong, and his arm, swinging in mid-air, almost threw her off balance. He quickly steadied Jiang Yu with his other hand, narrowly avoiding injury.
"What should we do?"
Looking at Lu Yi lying on the ground, Jiang Yu was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would discover them and report them. She herself was not worried, but she was afraid that it would be reported to the military and affect the man's future.
"Hehe, Jiang Yu, when you saw this man hit me, did you feel sorry for me?"
The alcohol numbed Lu Yi, making him feel no pain whatsoever. Looking at the angry man, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. What good was venting his anger by hitting someone? All the money he'd accumulated over the years, along with the women who had showered him with gifts, had made him the laughingstock of Shenjiazhuang for seven years.
Although he had never actually touched that woman, as long as he didn't say anything, he was sure the man would still have wild thoughts: was he being cheated on? Mental torment is often the most painful.
Upon hearing his words, Shen Ying reflexively glanced at Jiang Yu. Although he didn't want to believe Lu Yi's words, how could this man be so arrogant if nothing had happened?
Jiang Yu wasn't trying to gain anyone's trust, but Lu Yi's words were truly disgusting. What nonsense about not wanting to part with him! If it weren't for the fear of trouble, she wouldn't have given him a second glance, even if it meant death.
Just as the two men's eyes were locked in a fierce exchange, about to spark a flame, Jiang Yu walked to Lu Yi's side and slowly squatted down.
*Snap.*
She slapped him across the cheek, and feeling unsatisfied, slapped him again on the other side, aiming for a symmetrical strike. Her strength was immense; after the two slaps, Lu Yi's face was swollen considerably. Jiang Yu clapped her hands, pointed at him, and began to curse:
"If there's no mirror, you can always pee, right? If all else fails, just take a piss and see what's in your reflection."
Realizing that Jiang Yu had insulted him, Lu Yi wanted to retaliate, but seeing Shen Ying standing to the side, he chickened out.
For the first time, the man found this woman's tantrum surprisingly cool. He grabbed his beer and pulled her away.
Jiang Yu knew when to stop. Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long.
Back home, everyone was already gathered together and seated. Normally, these women would turn away as soon as they saw the original owner in the village, and it took Chen Gantang a long time of persuasion before they would come over for a meal.
"Brother Ying, why did it take you and your wife so long to come back? Did something happen?"
Seeing that the two men had taken a long time to enter, Shen Daniu rushed out with a worried expression. He wanted to see which blind fool dared to bully his brother.
His wife, Sun Ju, sat next to him. Seeing her husband's boisterous manner, she quickly pulled him back and smiled apologetically.
"It's alright, you guys eat first."
Shen Ying put the beer on the ground, turned around and went into the inner room. Everyone looked at each other, feeling a little embarrassed.
"We've been busy all afternoon, everyone hurry up and start eating, otherwise the food will get cold and won't taste good."
Jiang Yu noticed that Shen Ying was clenching his right hand and sensed something was wrong, so she followed him into the house. Sure enough, once inside, Shen Ying unfolded his hand and found that the blood on it had dried, and the wound had already turned blue.
She found a towel, wet it, cleaned the area around the wound, disinfected it briefly, and bandaged it.
Seeing that the two looked strange when they returned, Shen Jianguo worried that they might have argued on the way because of buying alcohol, so he picked up his bowl and went in to check on them.
"Brother Shen Ying, do you have a spoon at home? This corn and chicken soup is so delicious..."
To avoid seeing anything he shouldn't, Shen Jianguo called out from the doorway. Shen Ying's hand was already bandaged. He opened the door and went to look inside the cupboard. Jiang Yu followed him out, and everyone at the table held their breath.
Jiang Yu sensed the awkward atmosphere, picked up the teacup that Wang Cuihua had filled on the table, and offered tea to everyone:
"First of all, thank you all for your help. Secondly, I'm a very easy person to get along with. If you have time, please come over to my house more often and keep each other company."
Seeing that her poised and confident demeanor didn't seem to be an act, the atmosphere immediately became lively.
"Sister-in-law, I've never eaten such delicious food before. Could you teach me how to cook it sometime?"
Sun Ju tore into the pork ribs in her hand; the broth was both sweet and salty, simply divine. Hearing her say that, the other wives also started to get excited. Not only them, but even the children were full of praise.
"Okay, come over when you have time. These dishes are all quite simple. Once you learn one, you can probably learn the rest too."
After spending time with Jiang Yu, everyone overturned their previous opinions of her. The idea that she was a shrew, lazy, and unreasonable was utter nonsense.
Jiang Yu handed out the steamed triangular sugar buns to the children. They were so sweet, Dongdong ate two right away. When he took the third, Wang Cuihua clapped his hands:
"If you eat any more, you'll be so full you'll cry in pain tonight."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the moon had unknowingly climbed to the highest point in the sky.
After dinner, the women cleaned up the dishes together, while the men sat together chatting. When they were almost done, everyone said their goodbyes.
......
The next morning, Shen Ying found a contractor to come and lay the foundation. They had agreed that once the bank opened and the money was withdrawn, they would pay the contractors' wages.
The man was highly trusted in the village and reliable in handling matters, so the contractor kept saying there was no rush.
Naturally, he had nothing to do, so he took advantage of his free time to write a letter, roughly stating that his house had collapsed and needed repairs, and asked his military leaders for two months' leave.
After planning to mail the envelope to the village chief, Shen He'an reported the good news to him. Yesterday, the second day of the Lunar New Year, he went to visit Song E's parents' home and heard from a distant relative that the application for Shen Sui Sui to attend the preschool class had been approved. School starts on the 22nd of the first lunar month, and they were told to make preparations in advance.
Shen Ying frowned. He had clearly told Shen Suisui to use the quota for military dependents, but why was the town's quota used this time?
“Brother Shen Ying, please accept this spot that the town worked so hard to secure. Besides, these days, it's already a blessing for villagers to attend primary school; why would they want to go to some preschool or early childhood education program?”
Shen He'an looked embarrassed as he forcefully stuffed the letter into his hand. What else could he do but say this? Should he reveal that the mayor had staged this whole thing to curry favor with him? Given Shen Ying's incorruptible nature, he would definitely report him.
Shen Ying carried the envelope with trepidation the whole way. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Back home, after handing the letter to Jiang Yu, she almost burst with joy. Looking at the two children, she coughed twice to clear her throat:
"Ahem, I have to make a serious announcement now. On the 22nd of the first lunar month, little Shen Suisui will be going to school. To ensure she has a good mindset for learning, I've decided to take everyone to the city for shopping."
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