Renting a young, attractive woman to take home for the Chinese New Year infuriates the entire villag

Jiang Chen's lips twitched.

Oh no, I've really messed up this time.

It's okay if he scolds his second aunt; Dad will only be angry for a while.

But my third aunt is my dad's own sister, someone he watched grow up. My dad is definitely going to go crazy now.

really.

Dad slammed his hand on the table and jumped up abruptly: "How dare you!"

"How dare you talk to your aunt like that! Don't you have any manners?!"

My dad was so angry his fingers were shaking.

"I think your aunt is right. Our Jiang family can't tolerate someone as important as you."

After saying that, she looked at Jiang Chen and said, "If you still consider me your father, you'd better send her away right now, otherwise don't come back!"

Jiang Chen looked at his furious father and then at Sun Mengjia, whose eyes were red with grievance, and sighed helplessly.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Jiang Chen took Sun Mengjia's hand and coldly glanced at the relatives in the room: "Say what you want, I'm not going on blind dates, I'm set on her."

"Since our family can't accept us, we'll just leave."

After saying that, he pulled Sun Mengjia along and walked out of the main room without looking back.

……

On a winter night, the cold wind howled.

The two walked out of the alley and came to the river embankment at the west end of the village.

The moonlight shone on the frozen river, giving it a cold, gleaming appearance.

Sun Mengjia kept her head down, kicking at the pebbles on the roadside, her voice muffled:

"Old man, I'm sorry."

"It's all my fault, I couldn't help myself."

"I was trying to act like a lady, but I messed it up again, and your dad kicked you out."

Jiang Chen stopped and looked at her dejected appearance, then smiled.

He reached out and tucked her wind-blown bangs behind her ear: "It's not your fault. Blame me for buying those cars and flaunting my wealth."

Sun Mengjia looked up, puzzled. "What does buying a car have to do with it? Isn't it good to have money?"

Jiang Chen sighed, looked up at the moon in the sky, and said calmly, "You don't understand. The ways of the world in the countryside, or rather, the world at large, are far more complex than you can imagine."

"A car worth several hundred thousand yuan is nothing in a big city. But in our small county, in a rural area, it's a symbol of success."

"I bought two cars at once, that's showing off my wealth. Everyone wants to get a piece of the action, and those who can't will try to ruin you."

"Like when my third aunt introduces me to potential partners, do you really think she's doing it for my own good?"

Sun Mengjia blinked: "Isn't that right? She said that woman is a graduate student."

"postgraduate?"

Jiang Chen's lips curled into a mocking smile:

"Use your brain. If that woman is really as outstanding as she says—highly educated, from a good family, and beautiful—why would she have given me her contact information six months ago and waited until now to go on a blind date with me?"

"Am I really that outstanding? So outstanding that a rich young lady I've never even met waited for me for half a year?"

"Or is it that in my aunt's eyes, I'm not good enough for a normal woman?"

"Shouldn't someone who truly cares about me, since I'm divorced with a child, introduce me to an unmarried man?"

Sun Mengjia paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, right. So what's she after?"

Jiang Chen sneered: "Because that woman is the village chief's daughter."

"My third aunt's village is in the town. She has a piece of land facing the street and has always wanted to build a three-story building, renting out the ground floor as shops and living in the upper floor herself."

"But in recent years, the town's planning has been very strict, and the approval process has been stuck in the village, it just won't be approved no matter what. But regulations are rules, but people are flexible, understand?"

Sun Mengjia's eyes widened and her mouth formed an "O" shape.

"Holy crap! You mean...?"

"That's right."

Jiang Chen nodded: "She's trying to trade my entire future for her building permit."

Sun Mengjia was stunned.

"This is way too dark!"

"To build her own house, she pushed her own nephew into a fire pit. Is this something a aunt would do?"

Jiang Chen helplessly shrugged: "You already said he's her nephew, not her son, why does she care so much?"

"And that second mistress from today."

Jiang Chen sneered: "Her relationship with my family is just so-so. I wouldn't say we're nodding acquaintances, but how close can relatives outside the fifth degree of kinship be?"

"What's more, she used to be known for her shrewishness in the village, and even my second aunt was afraid of her."

"Yesterday, when my second aunt was making fun of us, she was laughing along. How come she's suddenly become my 'good grandma' today? And she's even helping us scold my second aunt?"

"How can someone so old, and not even a Sichuan opera performer, be so good at face-changing?"

"Isn't it because she sees I'm rich and doesn't want to offend a wealthy junior? Maybe she even wants to benefit from my wealth."

"But the more people like this are, the more terrifying they are. When they can't get money out of you, they'll hate you, despise you, and even slander you even more. They might even set a trap for you and ruin you."

"To put it bluntly, it's all about money."

Sun Mengjia listened in a daze, her eyes filled with admiration.

"Old man, you seem like a philosopher right now."

"I thought you were just a bookworm who only knew how to code, but I didn't expect you to be so insightful."

"Since you understand, why put up with this? Just cut ties with them and yell back at them, won't that solve the problem?"

Jiang Chen shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"It's not that simple. As long as my parents still live in this village and still have feelings for these people, I can't really go to extremes."

"Besides, do you think cities don't have these things?"

"Actually, it's the same in cities and rural areas. When you're poor, everyone wants to stay far away from you and will only mock you when you meet. But when you're rich, everyone flatters you."

Sun Mengjia laughed and said, "I understand. What's that saying on the internet again? When you're broke, everyone around you seems like a bad person; when you're rich, everyone around you seems like a good person."

Jiang Chen nodded: "That makes sense. But have you thought about why people would flatter you? Because they want to get something out of you!"

Looking at Jiang Chen's slightly weathered profile, Sun Mengjia suddenly felt a pang of unease.

It turns out that this seemingly dull and honest man had so many things on his mind, lived such a clear-headed life, yet was also so helpless.

She suddenly patted her chest and said with great pride, "Alright, stop looking so gloomy."

"What's the use of thinking about these things? You've just become stupid from studying too much, and you're too thin-skinned."

"If you encounter someone who annoys you in the future, just vent your anger. They'll feel bad afterward, but you'll feel good. If you don't vent and keep trying to appease them, you're just asking for trouble."

Sun Mengjia chuckled: "If you don't know how to curse, just transfer me two hundred yuan, and I'll curse for you. I guarantee I'll make him question his existence!"

"And those blind dates. I'll block them one by one, and two by two. I guarantee none of them will get even a step closer to you!"

Jiang Chen felt inexplicably better when he saw her high-spirited appearance.

This spirited young woman may have a sharp tongue, but she's truly warm-hearted.

But he added, "Other things can be blocked. But..."

"If, I mean if."

"If the blind date happens to be someone exceptionally beautiful, gentle, virtuous, and wealthy, it's not that they have to shield me; I can handle it myself."

Sun Mengjia: "..."

The smile on her face froze instantly. She took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Then he grabbed Jiang Chen by the collar, pulled him in front of him, blew a puff of smoke in his face, and said smugly, "You're such a sly fox!"

"I knew you were up to no good, you old lecher."

"Just say you want a woman. I'll let you experience it for one night, no problem.

"I'm going to fold down the back seats of the M9 right now. Tonight, I'm going to teach this little greenhorn a lesson in what I'm made of!"

Looking at her red lips so close to his, and the glimpses of her allure peeking out from beneath her neckline.

Jiang Chen quickly stepped back, fanning away the smoke, his face flushed, and he managed to utter a single word:

"roll!"