Chapter 19: Why Is He Blushing While Washing Clothes?
"Yexun, how's it going with Xiaoxiao?" Aunt Guo asked as she entered the room. She saw her son with a flushed face, both hands hidden beneath a basin of clothes. Moreover, those clothes obviously didn't belong to him, leaving no room for doubt as to whose they were.
"Look at yourself," Aunt Guo scolded him.
Jiang Yexun suddenly snapped out of his trance, pulled his hands out from under the clothes, and wiped his hands on his pants. He placed the basin to the side and looked at his mother.
"We didn't discuss marriage. She mentioned Dong Jiaxuan, the girl from the educated youth dormitory, who cheated Xiaoxiao out of money and belongings. She wrote an IOU just today."
Aunt Guo carefully thought about it and finally matched the name with a face. She then wore a disdainful expression and said, "That educated youth doesn't seem like a pleasant person. Xiaoxiao is so kind-hearted and no wonder she got cheated. Rest assured, now that you've told me, I'll keep an eye on her. I won't let anyone bully my future daughter-in-law."
"Thank you, Mother," Jiang Yexun said with a smile.
Aunt Guo looked at her son, feeling both angry and amused. She shook her head and said, "Even at home, you have to be careful. You're used to being bossy all the time, and your two sisters-in-law can't do anything about it. But Xiaoxiao is gentle and delicate. Don't let things get too tense, or they may vent their frustration on her. Learn a lesson from your sister.”
"No matter how I treat them, they won't be content. But I won't let them bully little educated youth." Jiang Yexun narrowed his eyes, concealing the fierce glint in his eyes.
Aunt Guo pondered for a moment and felt the same way. "Anyway, no matter what, you need to be careful. If you truly want to have a good life with Xiaoxiao, don't let her suffer. In the future, no matter who's right or wrong in any situation, you must prioritize protecting your wife. As for how things are handled afterward, leave it for the future. You can't let your wife's heart be troubled." She added a few more words of concern.
"Okay," Jiang Yexun replied softly. From childhood to adulthood, he had watched his father cause his mother a lot of suffering due to matters in the production team. He was determined not to let Su Xiaoxiao go through the same kind of hardships. Just the thought of it was unbearable!
Su Xiaoxiao woke up from her afternoon nap, and it was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. She blinked her eyes sleepily, not fully aware of her surroundings. When she realized that she had been reborn, she couldn't help but grin.
Rolling around in her bedcovers for a few rounds, she finally crawled out of bed. From her large camphorwood trunk, she picked out a set of her best-looking peach-pink jacket with a high collar, paired with a black polka-dotted white shirt.
She wore clean white shoes and even brushed some shoe powder on them. Then, she stood in front of the mirror and combed her hair into a slightly loosen braid.
Looking at her beautiful reflection in the small round mirror, she twirled around in satisfaction. Afterward, she grabbed the pear she bought yesterday, along with some rock sugar and red dates wrapped in oiled paper and headed for the kitchen.
She gathered some firewood and lit the stove. She filled a large pot with water and added the washed red dates. After the water boiled, she added the rock sugar and the sliced pears into the pot.
Supporting her chin and staring at the fire in the stove, she waited for nearly twenty minutes before finally lifting the pot lid. A sweet aroma wafted into her nose.
She tasted it and found the sweetness just right. She poured the syrup into a large aluminum pot she usually used for cooking rice and placed some clean bowls in a basket. Then, she carried the pot to the field where everyone was working.
As she passed by the cornfield, several young men from the village spotted her, and their eyes lit up. However, none of them dared to greet her, and they quickly averted their gazes. They didn't have the guts to approach Brother Jiang's woman.
"Auntie!" Su Xiaoxiao stood on the field's edge and sweetly called out to Aunt Guo, who was picking corn. Aunt Guo immediately turned around and saw the girl holding a pot. Her heart warmed.