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Chapter 83
Old lady Wang was skilled at interacting with people. After preparing the bed for Jiang Yan, she went out to visit her neighbors.
The villagers were mostly warm and sincere, and they welcomed people like the Chen Family with great hospitality. When she returned, she knew exactly where to buy things and where to make phone calls.
The next day, as soon as Jiang Yan put down her chopsticks, Old lady Wang coaxed her to put on warm clothes and pushed her onto the vehicle.
Li drove smoothly into the town and stopped in front of a public telephone booth, only then did Jiang Yan realize what was going on.
The employer of the Chen Family had called earlier, asking for Jiang Yan. However, since there was no telephone in the village, someone had to run and pass the message to Li.
That employer spoke slowly and courteously, and the message conveyed was also very polite, saying not to call her mistress in advance, but to wait until she woke up on her own, had breakfast, and put on warm clothes before coming to return the call.
Although this message sounded very generous, Li and Old lady Wang did not dare delay at all, and arranged everything in an orderly fashion to send Jiang Yan over. Although this employer was said to be doing business for the Chen Family, Old Master Chen had to show him due respect.
"It's your cousin."
Li dialed the number, and Jiang Yan went to pick up the receiver. The soft, gray scarf brushed against her chin, causing a slight tickle.
A voice quickly came through the receiver, as if it had been waiting there all along.
"Have you eaten?" That voice seemed to be naturally imbued with a smile, sounding gentle, husky, deep, and intoxicating.
Jiang Yan adjusted her scarf and gave a faint "hmmm" in response.
Her originally light voice became even weaker as it traveled this distant distance, like a kitten's meow, pitiful and adorable, piercing straight into the heart.
The original plan was instantly shattered. Zhang Xuyun's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he pinched the beads in his hand, a hint of laughter spreading in his dark eyes.
He said: "Your cousin will go to that area in a few days. Let me know if you need anything, and I'll bring it over for you."
Jiang Yan was still a little sleepy and let out a small yawn, saying: "A TV and some books, perhaps. I came in such a hurry that I didn't bring many books with me."
In this era, with her condition, the only thing she enjoyed was watching plays, listening to music, and reading books. But in the countryside, there were no such amenities, no plays or music.
Zhang Xuyun was an expert at indulging this young lady. He agreed in a clean and concise manner, and his final farewell was gentle and lingering: "Yan Yan, I'll see you in a few days."
But Jiang Yan knew that this cousin's actions were in stark contrast to his appearance – he was a ruthless person who hid a knife behind his smile.
When Li drove back to the Chen Family's ancestral home, they happened to run into that little boy, Tian Zhennian, who had brought over another plate of persimmon cakes, saying that his mother had dried too many and was sending them some.
The homemade persimmon cakes were not perfectly shaped, but they looked unattractive, with a thick, frosty texture and an orange-yellow color. Old lady Wang could tell at a glance that Jiang Yan wanted to eat them, so she traded them for a bag of roasted chestnuts she had just bought from town.
Tian Zhennian was young but smart. Before taking the chestnuts, he glanced at Jiang Yan twice, clutching his sleeves and asking: "Fairy sister, don't you want the chestnuts?"
Compliments spoken without intention are the most deadly. Jiang Yan immediately waved her hand and said generously, "No, I don't," even though she still had a bag.
Tian Zhennian happily took the chestnuts and ran towards a young man standing by the willow tree.
Jiang Yan looked at him thoughtfully. The man was tall and had a scholarly air, standing out in the crowd.
Tian Yinian. Jiang Yan confirmed his identity.
With just one glance, she knew he was not him. Just as in the Chen Family's courtyard, with one glance, she knew Zhang Xuyun was him.
Tian Yinian was sent out by his mother to deliver the gifts, but he disliked this routine, so he stood under the tree and let his younger brother go instead.
He saw his younger brother happily give the gifts to those people, and then received a bag of chestnuts in return. But they never got out of the car to greet them, which made Tian Yinian feel like they were being condescending.
Tian Yinian was furious at Tian Zhennian's behavior, feeling that he lacked backbone.
But in reality, it was just his own arrogance as a college student. Seeing someone more respected than himself, he lost his confidence. Even though he had never seen the Chen Family's young mistress, he felt a sense of rejection deep down. It was just human nature.
Jiang Yan, of course, did not care about the opinions of others. She was comfortably wrapped in a small blanket, reading a book.
Old lady Wang was boiling Chinese herbs in the courtyard, and the bitter, fragrant scent of the medicinal herbs wafted into the room, making Jiang Yan feel nauseous, and she couldn't help but stick out her tongue.
The system prompted her again to complete the task.
So when Tian Zhennian came to visit again, the delicate young mistress of the affluent Chen Family got down and asked about how many brothers and sisters they had, and then sent them three cans of canned food.
When Tian Yulian heard her family members praising the Chen Family's young mistress, who rarely showed her face, she pushed the cans aside and scolded her younger brother: "I don't want anything from her. Will you accept gifts from anyone who tries to curry favor with us? As if we've never seen such people before..."
These words implied that Jiang Yan was trying to ingratiate herself with them. No matter how arrogant Tian Yinian was, he knew his sister was overthinking. He silently ate his meal, not reprimanding his brother as he usually did.
...
Tian Zhennian was in junior high school, and his favorite thing to do after school was to play in the Chen Family's courtyard.
Because Jiang Yan had a pile of books, including the "Tintin" comic books that they couldn't afford, which cost forty-seven cents each.
But here, he could read them freely. The Chen Family's young mistress had all sorts of books, various kinds of comic books, cookbooks, and books on flower cultivation.
However, whenever Jiang Yan tried to give him something, he would seriously tell her: "Don't give anything to my second sister, she doesn't want it."
Jiang Yan pondered the crux of the matter for a while and couldn't help but laugh.