Capítulo 20: The More She Looks, the More She Likes
"Xiaoxiao, why are you here? Have you rested enough?" Aunt Guo wiped the dirt from her hands and hurried over.
Su Xiaoxiao placed the pot and basket on the embankment, offering her a large bowl of sugar-stewed pears. "I've rested enough, so I cooked a pot of sweet soup. The weather in autumn can be dry and cause heatiness, so please have some, Auntie."
Aunt Guo, upon seeing the sizable pot filled with pear slices and red dates, was taken aback. "Thank you so much, Xiaoxiao. You're such a good child."
"Xiaoxiao, when Yexun goes to the supply and marketing cooperative later, you should go with him. Check if there's anything we need, what you'd like to eat, and let him buy it for you. Don't let him save money. He goes hunting in the mountains every few days and has earned quite a bit. He used to have no place to spend it, but now he can spend it all for you."
He wasn't just hunting in the mountains for the coop; most of the game went to the black market, and he made quite a profit.
Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, but she wondered if Aunt Guo knew about this.
"Thank you, Auntie," she graciously replied.
Seeing her being so generous, Aunt Guo's face almost bloomed like a flower. She loved such an open-hearted girl. If her son was infatuated with someone like his two sisters-in-law, who would even feel distressed when they ate an extra egg, it might take her a few years off her life.
Aunt Guo didn't want to waste any more time and quickly finished the sweet soup, then handed the bowl back to Su Xiaoxiao. "You should go quickly. Yexun works fast, and if you're late, he might have left."
"Alright."
Su Xiaoxiao watched as Aunt Guo put the bowl back in the basket. She was about to pick up the pot when Aunt Guo said, "This pot of sweet soup is quite heavy. Let me help you carry it."
"It's not heavy at all. It’s quite a short distance." Su Xiaoxiao couldn't let her future mother-in-law carry it for her, so she quickly shook her head to decline.
After considering it, Aunt Guo felt that she shouldn't delay the young couple's time together, so she didn't insist any further.
"Brother Jiang, why did you come to help Educated Youth Su with her work today? Do you really plan to marry her?" A dark and thin young man approached Jiang Yexun, curious.
Jiang Yexun gave him a cold look. "Do I need your permission to marry someone?"
"No, no!" The man quickly shook his head.
"But everyone in the village is saying that Educated Youth Su and Educated Youth Pan are childhood sweethearts. We're worried that Educated Youth Su might be using you to do her work, making her life in the team easier," the man explained, and a resentful expression crossed his face.
Not all the villagers liked to cater to the city people, and not all the rural folks were willing to pamper city people.
Jiang Yexun's expression turned even colder, and his tone grew darker and more intimidating. "Pan Yongsheng is spreading rumors behind her back, trying to establish a relationship between him and Educated Youth Su, but she doesn't know anything about it."
"What?" The young man was shocked. "That Educated Youth Pan, who looks so well-mannered, is as ruthless as the gossipy villagers?"
"Educated Youth Su will be your sister-in-law from now on. I don't want to hear a single bad word about her from any of you," Jiang Yexun warned sternly.
The young man nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Brother Jiang. Since Educated Youth Su is our sister-in-law, we will definitely protect her. But Pan Yongsheng is truly disgusting. Shouldn't we...?"
"I'll handle it myself," Jiang Yexun said, his eyes narrowing. He thought of Educated Youth Su's indignant expression and couldn't help but reveal a faint, enigmatic smile. She would probably be quite willing to take matters into her own hands.
"Well, Brother Jiang, do we need to go to the mountains soon? Sister-in-law looks thin and weak; she should eat more nutritious food. You never paid much attention to these matters before. They're all suffering a lot in the first year in our production team."
"Really?" Jiang Yexun hummed in confusion.
"These city folks mostly come from the south or southwest and have no idea how cold our winters can be. Their cotton jackets and quilts are too thin, and they end up freezing for several days. The houses in the cooperative are old and run down, and the firewalls are useless. Forget about feeling warm; they can't even withstand the cold wind. These folks are lazy, and they don't gather enough firewood. They don't realize it until the first snowfall, and then they can't even go up the mountain. Brother Jiang, you and your sister-in-law should be able to get married before the new year, right? She can't stay in the educated youth dormitory for the winter."
The young man finished speaking and looked at Jiang Yexun with concern.
"Then I should go to the mountains a few more times and earn more money," Jiang Yexun said, his brows furrowing. He wouldn't be able to marry Educated Youth Su until after the new year, since he had to wait for the new year to accompany Su back to Shanghai.
"It's best if you can hunt some big game like sheep or pigs. The market really needs them now. Also, they want deer; they say they need deer blood and antlers for the winter. If we can get a deer, it will be worth at least three wild boars," the young man rubbed his hands together and his eyes were eager.
Just as Jiang Yexun was about to respond, he heard a voice that had been on his mind, as if it was calling his name.
He straightened up and looked in the direction of the embankment. In the warm sunlight, that silky black hair shone with a satin-like luster, glistening. Although it was also a braided hairstyle, it looked different from others.
It exuded a soft playfulness and beautifully complemented her fair skin like snow in the spring sun. Her dark eyes and delicate lips seemed to have been embellished by an artist with thick, vivid strokes.
"Jiang Yexun."
Su Xiaoxiao stood on her tiptoes, her lips curved in a gentle and sweet smile as she waved at the man.
Startled by her breathtaking beauty, Jiang Yexun finally snapped back to reality.
He wiped his hands on the side of his pants as he walked towards the enchanting girl who had captured his heart. He couldn't help but be cautious not to soil her pristine appearance.
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