Chapter 24
Jiang Zhen noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Yao when she sent him a telegram asking him to send seeds.
He knew his sister best. Although she had a good heart, she was spoiled by her parents and protected by her brother since she was a child. Besides being willful, she was also a little lazy. No, she was very lazy.
It was surprising enough that she refused the job assigned to her by her old leader and went to the countryside. Now she even took the initiative to ask to send seeds to grow vegetables. It didn't seem like something she would do.
However, an environment can change a person, and maybe queue-jumping really made her change.
Until he received a letter from her a few days ago, saying that he didn't need to send her money in the future and that she could be self-reliant, he could no longer sit still.
No matter how much the countryside can train people, it is impossible to completely change a person's nature in just a few months.
He felt at that time that something must have happened to Jiang Yao in the countryside, and he had to go and see her to feel at ease.
It happened that he had completed an important task at that time, and the camp approved him for a few days of vacation. He took the opportunity to ask for leave to visit his family and rushed to Qingyuan Production Team without stopping.
"Brother...how did you...know that?" Jiang Yao met Jiang Zhen's extremely sure eyes and didn't even bother to quibble.
Jiang Zhen chuckled and said, "You two were flirting right under my nose. If I can't see it, I should be fired as a scout."
Seeing that he didn't look angry, Jiang Yao climbed up the pole, put her arm around his shoulders, and acted like a spoiled braggart while saying, "Brother, you're so awesome. Nothing can be hidden from your sharp eyes."
"Okay, I refuse your sugar-coated bullets." Jiang Zhen said, his face calmed down, and said: "I looked at the Lu family's house. Their family background should not be good, but I think they live well. I believe Lu Che is a responsible person."
"That's right, you're always good at judging people." Jiang Yao was so happy to hear her elder brother praising her boyfriend, and immediately spoke well of Lu Che: "He is really a hard-working person. He never slacks off at work. Even though he comes from a poor family, he uses his strength to improve himself by 10 centimeters a day. He is very active in doing side jobs and going to the market."
"Also, he treats me well. He fetches water and firewood for me every day and never lets me do any heavy work. Although I have moved from the city to the countryside, I am living a more comfortable life now than before."
At the end of her speech, the smile on her face was so happy that she couldn't suppress it.
Jiang Zhen looked at his sister and knew that she was completely trapped.
He couldn't say he was particularly satisfied with Lu Che, but he couldn't find any fault with him either. He felt uncomfortable in his heart, probably because his sister, whom he had cherished for many years, was "robbed" by someone else.
"Yaoyao, that being said, you are just boyfriend and girlfriend now. If you stay at his house, there will inevitably be gossip." Jiang Zhen said.
As she expected, Jiang Zhen was still sensitive about this.
Jiang Yao said, "Brother, I know you are worried about me, but the educated youth site of the production team is now in dangerous buildings, so I can't move back. If I stay at other farmers' houses, there will be men there. And you know I am pretty. No matter which farmer's house I stay at, the women there will be wary of me like a wolf. Do you think I can still have a good life?"
"I understand." Jiang Zhen said after a while: "Go and call Lu Che to my room."
After saying that, without giving Jiang Yao a chance to ask questions, he walked out of her room.
“…”
Jiang Yao didn't know why Jiang Zhen wanted to see Lu Che. She felt complacent for a moment because he seemed to be very calm about her relationship with Lu Che. However, his reaction was too quiet, which made her feel uneasy.
"If my brother beats you up later, don't just stand there like an idiot. Remember to run." Jiang Yao warned Lu Che as she pulled him towards Jiang Zhen's room.
Although Lu Che was a little nervous when his brother-in-law came to talk to him alone, he believed in Jiang Zhen and comforted Jiang Yao, "It's okay. Your brother is a soldier, not a gangster. He won't hit anyone."
"You think too simply. My brother is not here as a soldier to negotiate with you as a family, but as a brother, to negotiate with a bad guy who seduced his sister away."
Hearing Jiang Yao's words, Lu Che didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Are you trying to comfort me or scare me?"
"…Sorry, I was too nervous." Jiang Yao patted his chest and coaxed him softly, "It's okay, I'm outside, I'll rush in as soon as anything happens."
As they were talking, they had already arrived at Jiang Zhen's room.
The door was open. Jiang Yao pulled Jiang Zhen in and said with a smile, "Brother, Lu Che is here. Just tell me what you want to say. If he doesn't listen, I will criticize him."
Jiang Zhen glanced at Jiang Yao, shook his hands, and said, "It's getting late, go to bed quickly, and remember to close the door when you go out."
"...It's still early, I'm not sleepy." Jiang Yao struggled desperately, but Jiang Zhen didn't give her any chance. He gave her a sharp look, and she obediently left and closed the door.
"Brother, just tell me whatever you have to say." Lu Che sat upright.
Seeing that he was not at all nervous, Jiang Zhen admired him even more.
He shouted to the outside of the door: "Anyone who eavesdropped on confidential information outside, please go back to your room and put yourself in solitary confinement, otherwise you will be punished by military law."
Jiang Yao, who was eavesdropping by leaning against the door, pouted in dissatisfaction and went back to her room in shame.
After the footsteps faded away, Jiang Zhen walked towards Lu Che and threw a punch unexpectedly.
Lu Che was quick-witted and quick-handed. He dodged to the side and the fist just missed his face.
Seeing his reaction speed, Jiang Zhen raised the corners of his lips with satisfaction and said, "Your skills are not bad. It should be no problem to protect my Yaoyao."
"Thank you, brother. I promise to protect Yaoyao for the rest of my life." Lu Che immediately expressed his loyalty.
"Stop, don't call me brother. I'm not your brother yet." Jiang Zhen interrupted without hesitation, "I'm about the same age as you, just call me by my name."
"Okay, bro."
“…”
"Please sit down." Jiang Zhen said as he sat down first, followed by Lu Che.
"How long have you and Yaoyao been together?" Jiang Zhen asked.
Lu Che answered without hesitation: "Sixty-three days."
"..." Jiang Zhen was a little surprised at his accuracy, and asked again: "Did you know that she liked Zhao Pengfei before?"
"I know." Lu Che's answer was unusually quick.
Jiang Zhen looked at him, not missing any expression on his face, and asked again: "Do you mind?"
"Don't mind, who hasn't clicked yet?"
Seeing that he didn't care much, Jiang Zhen said, "It sounds like you have a lot of... "past"?"
"No." Lu Che blurted out: "Before I met Yaoyao, I had never liked other women."
"Really? Although you come from a poor family, your appearance should make you popular among girls." Lu Che had no intention of letting him off the hook on this issue.
"Really not." Lu Che looked at Jiang Zhen and said frankly, "A girl did express her feelings to me before, but I didn't like her and rejected her righteously. If you don't believe me, I can swear."
As Lu Che was about to raise his three middle fingers, Jiang Zhen stopped him in time, "Alright, I believe you. I just want to confirm with you whether you really don't care that Yaoyao liked Zhao Pengfei before? Don't accept everything now that you've just been together, and then bring it up again after a long time."
"I really don't care." Lu Che's face was full of seriousness. "I don't care what Yaoyao was like in the past, as long as she likes me now. Also, she went from liking Zhao Pengfei to liking me, doesn't that prove that I'm better than Zhao Pengfei?"
"It's good that you are so confident."
Jiang Zhen patted Lu Che on the shoulder. Just when he thought the conversation was over, Jiang Zhen unexpectedly asked, "Have you ever bullied Yaoyao?"
Lu Che was stunned for three seconds before he understood what "bullying" meant. He said, "No."
"Really?" Jiang Zhen stared at Lu Che with sharp eyes.
Lu Che shook his head firmly, "No."
"That's good." Jiang Zhen patted Lu Che's shoulder comfortingly. Just as Lu Che was about to let out a sigh of relief, Jiang Zhen asked again, "You are young and full of energy, have you never thought about it?"
"...I've thought about it." After hesitating for half a second, Lu Che answered honestly.
"You are honest." Jiang Zhen said, "Before we get married, just think about it. If you really bully my Yaoyao, I will shoot you to death."
"I can control myself."
"Okay, let's go back."
After walking out of Jiang Zhen's room, Lu Che breathed a sigh of relief. This brother-in-law was indeed not easy to deal with. He had never been so nervous in his life.
Knowing that Jiang Yao was worried about him, Lu Che went to her room before returning to his own room.
As soon as he entered, Jiang Yao pulled him and looked him over. Not finding any injuries, she finally let go of her worries and asked, "What did my brother say to you?"
Lu Che explained everything to her one by one, of course leaving out the last question.
After listening to Lu Che's words, Jiang Yao felt relieved, but it seemed that they had never discussed the issue of Zhao Pengfei.
She leaned in his arms, stretched out her fingers and drew circles on his chest, and asked: "Do you...really don't mind that I liked Zhao Pengfei before?"
She had to take the blame for the original owner's behavior. She could say that Zhao Pengfei was being sentimental, but Lu Che was not stupid. As long as he had seen the original owner licking Zhao Pengfei's ass before, he would definitely be able to tell.
Lu Che lowered his eyes to look at her, and asked instead of answering: "Who do you like now, him or me?"
"Of course it's you!" Jiang Yao said without thinking.
Lu Che listened, smiled, lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Today, because Jiang Zhen was at home, the two of them didn't dare to get close to each other. Now that they are hugging each other, how can they not kiss?
It's just that the kiss lasted a little too long, and the direct result was that Lu Che reacted.
I had just promised my brother-in-law that I would control myself, but the next thing I knew I was out of control.
Jiang Yao also clearly felt the changes in his body. She was not conservative, but Jiang Zhen's room was not far away. If he really did something, he would not take him seriously at all.
Moreover, she was not bold enough to actively invite Lu Che.
Just as she was struggling, Lu Che said, "Go to bed early," and ran away.
Jiang Yao looked at his fleeing back and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Lu Che, who had already taken a shower, spent half a day in the bathroom taking a cold shower before returning to his room.
It was August 15th, and there were still four and a half months until the Spring Festival. If Jiang Yao agreed to marry him by then, it would take about a month to prepare everything.
In other words, he has to bear this sweet burden for at least half a year.
These days are even more difficult than the rush for harvest.
The next day, Jiang Yao went to the paper mill with Lu Qing as usual to get materials for handicrafts. Lu Che originally asked her to stay at home and accompany Jiang Zhen, but Jiang Zhen told her to do what she should do and not to worry about him.
Jiang Yao thought that he would stay in Qingyuan for five days. The busiest county town nearby was less than one-tenth of the provincial capital. She had no place to take him, so she just let him move around freely.
After all, Jiang Zhen had been with the original owner for more than ten years, and she was afraid that if she stayed with him for too long, she would easily reveal her flaws.
After breakfast, Jiang Yao and Lu Qing set off.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that the way people looked at her today was different from before. It was as if the eyes that were originally full of gossip were mixed with a hint of contempt.
After receiving the raw materials, on the way back, Lu Qing also said that he had this feeling, but they didn't figure out the specific reason.
"Yaoyao, Yaoyao..."
Halfway through the journey, Jiang Yao suddenly heard Zhu Xia calling her loudly from behind.
She stopped and waited for Zhu Xia to catch up with her before asking, "You're in such a hurry, is there something wrong?"
"Something big has happened." Zhu Xia looked at her calm and composed appearance and knew she definitely didn't know what had happened.
"What's the big deal?" Jiang Yao asked.
Zhu Xia: "I don't know who spread the rumor that on the night Lin Fang got into trouble, you fell into the water and were rescued by Lu Che, and then he took you home, and then... and then..."
Zhu Xia couldn't say the rest of the words, but Jiang Yao understood what she meant. She was simply saying that she had had an affair with Lu Che that night.
"When did it come out? Did anything else say?" Jiang Yao asked.
Zhu Xia: "I don't know either. I heard Auntie Tian's eldest daughter-in-law talking about it this morning. I came to tell you as soon as I knew it. In addition, there are rumors that you and Lu Che live under the same roof. It's impossible for you to be a normal couple. You must have become a real couple... and live in the same room."
The more she talked, the more uneasy Zhu Xia became. She reached out and held Jiang Yao's hand, saying, "Yaoyao, I know you're not that kind of person, but in this environment, you should move out of the Lu family and live with me."
"No." Jiang Yao did not allow any room for negotiation and said, "I have never done this. If I move out now, wouldn't it seem like I have a guilty conscience?"
"That's true, but didn't you say your brother was coming? If he heard such a rumor..."
Before Zhu Xia finished her words, Jiang Yao hurriedly ran to the Lu family.
Oh my God... How could she forget that Jiang Zhen, this great Buddha, was still there? It was so hard to get him to accept that she and Lu Che were dating. If he knew about this, he would break up the couple in a minute.
She ran back desperately, thinking in her heart that she must not let Jiang Zhen go out today, no, she must not let him go out for the next few days.
Just as he was about to reach the gate of the Lu family, with victory just ahead, he saw Jiang Zhen coming from another direction.
"Brother... why did you... go out? Where did you go?" Jiang Yao said to Jiang Zhen breathlessly. She wanted to see some clues from his face that he had not heard the rumors, but his words "Call Lu Che back immediately" announced that he was already aware of the matter.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Jiang Zhen slammed the table hard, pointing at Jiang Yao and Lu Che in front of him, his face completely black.
Jiang Yao and Lu Che stood there respectfully like two children who had done something wrong. Hearing the voice, Jiang Yao replied, "I was drugged that night. I jumped into the pond to cool down and ran into Lu Che. He knocked me out and carried me home. I slept here for one night and went back the next day."
"Is that it?" Jiang Zhen asked.
Jiang Yao: “That’s it.”
"Shut up first." Jiang Zhen pointed at Lu Che and said, "Look at me and tell me if things are as Yaoyao said."
"Yes." Lu Che met Jiang Zhen's eyes without flinching.
Jiang Zhen was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that he had missed a key point. He asked Jiang Yao, "Were you drugged? Who drugged you?"
"How should I know?" Jiang Yao muttered softly. How could she be talking about herself? She also took the opportunity to play the victim. "You wanted me to move out last night. You don't know how dangerous it is for me outside."
After hearing what she said, Jiang Zhen forgot to blame her, and only felt distressed. He sighed and said, "Who spread this news? Do you have any clues?"
When Zhu Xia talked to Jiang Yao just now, she already knew who did it.
Besides Du Yuejiao, who else knew that she left the educated youth camp that night? Although she didn't see where she went that night, she could make a rough guess by connecting the dots.
However, she couldn't drag Du Yuejiao out at this time. If she pushed her too far and told her about taking medicine, things would become very complicated.
Not to mention what other people think, Lu Che couldn't stand it just knowing it. Could he accept that his girlfriend had liked another man before, could he accept that his girlfriend took MEI drugs to seduce that man?
She felt that the answer was no, no matter how generous a man was, he could not be so generous.
She has always been a person who does not offend others, but if others offend me, I will definitely fight them. Since Du Yuejiao does not want to be a good person, then she will teach her how to be a good person.
However, now is not a good time to deal with her.
"I can't think of who it is." Jiang Yao said, "But someone can prove that Lu Che and I are innocent."
Jiang Zhen: "Who?"
Jiang Yao: "The barefoot doctor here is Zhang Meifang."
When Jiang Yao and Lu Che went to Zhang Meifang's house, she had already heard about this.
Before they could speak, she said, "Come on, I'll go and explain this to everyone now."
"Thank you, Dr. Zhang." Jiang Yao said sincerely.
"You're so polite." Zhang Meifang said, "Last time Lu Che got into trouble, I went back to my hometown and was unable to testify for him in time, which almost led to an unjust case. This time, I will not let you suffer in silence no matter what."
At this point, most of the villagers were gathered in the production team's rice fields. The three of them went straight there and found Lu Dazhou.
Lu Dazhou also knew about the rumor and was just worrying about why his production team had so many problems recently when he heard Zhang Meifang say that it was a misunderstanding. He laughed out loud and then went back to the production team office and called all members to a meeting over the rice fields using the radio.
The Qingyuan Production Team was not big, and since they heard that it was about the romantic affair between Jiang Yao and Lu Che, everyone arrived in less than 20 minutes.
In addition to the members, educated youth also came.
Du Yuejiao was walking at the end, and when her eyes met Jiang Yao's, she didn't show any fear or guilt at all, and was full of provocation.
Haha... I don't even want to pretend!
"Dear members, this morning some bad rumors about Jiang Yao and Lu Che spread throughout our production team. I don't know who is so vicious that he wants to spread rumors to hurt them, affect the reputation of our production team, and bring shame to the collective. Regarding this matter, Jiang Yao and Lu Che hope to explain it clearly to everyone here to avoid random speculation."
As he spoke, Lu Dazhou handed the loud speaker to Lu Che, "Tell everyone about it."
Lu Che took it and said, "That night Jiang Yao fell into the pond. I happened to be passing by and jumped in to save her. She was scared because she couldn't swim and was scratching around. I knocked her out. I didn't know if I hurt her at the time, so I carried her back to my house and asked Doctor Zhang to come over to see if she was okay."
"Later, Doctor Zhang came to check and confirmed that she had just fainted, so my sister took care of her. When she woke up in the morning, she went home. Because she had not returned home all night, if others knew about it, there would inevitably be a lot of speculation, so she did not tell the truth to the educated youth at the educated youth site when she returned."
"You said that yourself. We fell into the pond, got soaking wet, hugged each other, and spent the night at your house. I don't believe that nothing happened."
After someone finished speaking, the crowd burst into obscene laughter.
Lu Che looked at those malicious faces and clenched his fists in anger. Just when he was about to lose his temper, Jiang Yao grabbed his wrist and told him to calm down.
At this time, Doctor Zhang came over and took the speaker from his hand, saying, "I did go to Lu's house that night. If Lu Che really wanted to do something dirty, couldn't he just do it secretly? Why did he have to call me over?"
"Yes, I live next door to Dr. Zhang, and I did hear someone knocking on the door that night." Someone came forward to testify.
Soon after, more and more people chose to believe Lu Che. After all, what Dr. Zhang said was the truth. If Lu Che wanted to take advantage of Jiang Yao, why would he invite someone who was in the way over?
Regardless of whether the villagers believed Lu Che's statement or not, the matter was finally over.
At the last moment, Du Yuejiao's face was distorted with anger.
Du Yuejia looked at her and thought that this matter might be related to her. She didn't know when her sister became like this. Fortunately, Zhao Pengfei had seen through her true face a long time ago.
This matter was not Lu Che's fault, but Jiang Yao's reputation was damaged after all. Mrs. Lu felt bad about it, and when she got home, she apologized to Jiang Zhen: "Yaoyao's brother, Lu Che did not handle this matter properly, and Yaoyao was wronged."
"Lu Che is not to blame for this. If anyone should be blamed, blame the person who deliberately spread the rumor." Jiang Zhen was not an unreasonable person. Moreover, through this incident, he appreciated Lu Che even more and was sure that he was a righteous gentleman.
"Now that things have come to this, we can only find a way to stop the rumors," said Jiang Zhen.
"How to stop it? The mouth is on someone else's body and we can't control it." Jiang Yao said.
Jiang Zhen looked up at Jiang Yao and Lu Che and said, "You two should get married."
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Lu Che: My brother-in-law is really a great assist!
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