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

"Hello, Mom."

As soon as the call connected, my mother's anxious yet distressed voice came through the phone:

"My children, where are you?"

"I'm at the hotel, I'm fine," Jiang Chen replied.

"That's good, that's good."

Mom breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered her voice: "Chenchen, listen to Mom, this was your aunt and your dad's fault. You know how stubborn he is, he doesn't care about anything when he gets angry. Actually, he regretted it as soon as you left, and he also talked to your second uncle and third aunt."

"Bring Jiajia back tomorrow. It's not right for her to be wandering around outside during the Lunar New Year."

Jiang Chen's heart softened: "I know, I don't really blame him."

Just then, a snatching sound came from the other end of the phone, followed by my dad's voice:

"Now that you're back, stay put and don't go out all the time!"

"You run away from home just because your elders say a few words to you? Do you think you're a little kid?"

But then, Dad changed the subject: "But Chenchen, there's something I need to make clear to you."

"Although Jiajia is not a bad person and is quite protective of you, she really doesn't seem like the kind of person who wants to live a stable life."

"Think about it, she's only nineteen, and you're twenty-nine. That's a whole ten-year age difference. There's a generation gap every three years, so you two are three gaps apart."

"Besides, she doesn't have a proper job, and she didn't even finish high school. How will she manage after she gets married? How will she raise the children?"

"Your aunt is right about one thing: since she came to our house, she hasn't helped with any chores. It's not that we really expect her to do anything, it's that she doesn't even have the inclination. She doesn't look like she'd be able to do any work."

"After we get married, it's okay if I don't work, but at least I should be able to take care of the kids and the house. One of us can be the breadwinner and the other can stay at home, that's fine too."

"Don't look down on housewives. They can take good care of their homes and children, and they are worth more than a thousand pieces of gold."

"I don't think she can even take care of herself. How will she manage after she gets married?"

"We're just an ordinary family. We don't need someone who's young and beautiful, or rich. The key is to find someone reliable and capable."

"If you two get married, you'll be working, taking care of the family and children, cooking for her, and doing housework when you get home. All she does is play on her phone, and you'll be miserable."

"It's all good now that we're not married, but once we're married, are we going to get divorced? What will happen to the children if we get divorced? No matter how good a stepmother is, she's never as good as a biological mother."

Jiang Chen held his phone and remained silent.

Actually, what my dad said is indeed invaluable advice if it's about finding a partner.

Unfortunately, he and Sun Mengjia were only employees, not even dating, so these things were completely irrelevant.

"Dad, so you mean...?"

"What I mean is, I want you two to break up!" Dad sighed. "But it's the New Year, and since we've brought her home, we can't just kick her out. The girl has no one else at home, so don't break up yet. Let's enjoy the New Year together."

"But after this New Year, we have to separate!"

"It's better to have a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one. You can't handle a girl with such a childish mentality. When you go back, Dad will ask someone to find you someone of a similar age who is more stable."

Jiang Chen felt relieved after hearing this.

Anyway, it's all fake. As long as we can get through this year, anything goes.

As for what Dad will do to find someone after we return to Hangzhou?

Go ahead and look for them, since they're not even home themselves anyway.

It's just adding each other as friends and chatting for a bit. If we don't add each other as friends or if we do add each other but don't chat, that's all.

With the mountains high and the emperor far away, who can do anything to me?

This is how it's been all these years.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen readily agreed: "Okay, Dad, I'll do as you say."

"After I returned to Hangzhou after the New Year, I made things clear to her so we could part ways amicably."

"Hey! That's right!" Dad's tone was noticeably lighter.

"That girl has had a tough time too. Her family has all passed away. We've known each other for a while, and she's been good to you. Don't just dump her and abandon her when the time comes."

"If that doesn't work, give them some money, or help them find a school to attend. Even a junior college that you can get into by paying money is better than just drifting around outside. If you don't want to pay for it, I'll pay for your mother. Consider it like you've adopted a goddaughter."

"Don't let people speak ill of our Jiang family."

hang up the phone.

Jiang Chen smiled helplessly.

My dad really has some wild ideas.

Sending that eccentric girl to school is less worthwhile than beating her up.

……

Early the next morning.

In a budget hotel room.

After Jiang Chen finished washing up, he knocked on Sun Mengjia's door.

Seeing Sun Mengjia immediately lie back down in bed after opening the door, Jiang Chen laughed and said, "Alright, wake up, pack up and go home."

Sun Mengjia poked her messy head out from under the covers, giving her a look that said she was an idiot.

"Go home? Are you out of your mind?"

"After what happened yesterday, we almost severed our father-son relationship. If you go back now, aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Jiang Chen smiled.

"You don't understand. Biological parents and biological son, how could they hold a grudge overnight? Besides, I finally came back for a visit, and I even spent money to rent a girlfriend."

"I even transferred you a thousand yuan last night as a bribe. If you just leave like this, won't I be at a huge loss?"

Sun Mengjia rolled her eyes and reluctantly got out of bed.

"Believe it or not, when you get back, your stubborn father will definitely scold you to death, and might even beat you out with a broom."

"But don't worry, I'll spray it for you then."

"If they dare to lay a hand on me, I'll do it for you. If you hit your father, it's unfilial of you, but I don't care."

Jiang Chen: "..."

"Shut up, and remember not to say anything. The more you try to help, the more chaotic things will become!"

……

With trepidation, the two returned to Jiangmiao Village once again.

As soon as Jiang Chen entered the yard, he saw his father sweeping the yard and his mother picking vegetables.

Upon seeing the two return, the elderly couple visibly paused.

Jiang Chen was about to call for help.

My mom had already put down the groceries and quickly walked over.

There was no anger on his face, but rather a deep sense of guilt and love.

"You're back! Have you eaten yet? There's some hot food left in the pot for you."

Although Dad didn't say anything, he put down the broom and silently went back into the house to pour two cups of hot water.

We went inside.

Before Jiang Chen and Sun Mengjia could react...

The mother then pulled a thick red envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into Sun Mengjia's hand.

Sun Mengjia was stunned; the plot was not what she had imagined.

"Auntie, what are you doing?"

"Jiajia, here you go."

Her mother held her hand and said earnestly:

"There have been so many messy things at home these days. From the first day you arrived, we had a lot of arguments about buying clothes, and I didn't even have time to give you a gift."

"This is a small token of our appreciation from your uncle and me. It's not much, but please don't mind."

"I'm sorry you were upset about what happened yesterday. You're a good child, you know how to protect Chenchen, and Auntie knows what's going on."

Looking at the bright red banknotes in her hand, and then at the sincere eyes of her parents, Sun Mengjia's usually sharp-tongued mouth was now almost speechless.

She had prepared a whole host of "battle vocabulary," but she was completely dumbfounded by the sweet talk.

"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt."

Sun Mengjia sniffed and then stuffed the two red envelopes into Jiang Chen's pocket.

Mom was taken aback.

"What's given to you is yours; why give it to him?"

Sun Mengjia took Jiang Chen's arm and said with a grin, "Auntie, you don't know, Jiang Chen manages the money in our family."

"Besides, what's his is mine, and what's mine is still mine. It doesn't matter who has it."

Jiang Chen's mother glared at him, and her expression softened only after he returned the red envelope to Sun Mengjia.

"I don't care how you two spend your money, just take what's given to you."

Seeing the red envelope she had received again, Sun Mengjia was so excited she almost jumped for joy. She said sweetly, "Thank you, Auntie! You're so kind. Thank you, Uncle! You're the most understanding parents in the world!"

Even the usually expressionless father couldn't help but smile slightly, and his gaze towards Jiang Chen even held a hint of envy.

Observing his father's expression, Jiang Chen thought to himself: This little sister may not be good at anything else, but she's really good at pretending to be innocent.

They clearly came for the red envelope, but now that they've actually got it, they're pushing it away.

Although it was agreed that she wouldn't receive the red envelope, the fact that she was so decisive and even said she would manage the money herself shows how quick-witted she is.

Moreover, despite being a swear-loving young woman, she can still pull off this affected tone of voice and is quick to praise others.

If she weren't a "spirited young woman," she'd be quite nice.

Pity.

However, the good times did not last long.

Everyone had just finished lunch and was sitting in the living room watching TV and playing on their phones when there was a sudden knock on the front door.

Immediately afterwards, Auntie's signature loud voice rang out.

"Brother, sister-in-law, are you home? I've brought you some distinguished guests!"

Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat.

It's awesome!