Chapter 72: First Update

Chapter 72: First Update

"Brother, you're interested in Yingzi? Baozhen's sister?"

Qin Xuecai nodded, his honest and simple face showing no hint of embarrassment. In front of his younger sister and Xie Hongni, he praised Gao Yingzi highly. "Yingzi is really capable. She cleaned such a big house spotlessly... Her tough-dough steamed buns are so delicious. Any man who marries her will be lucky for life."

"She will definitely take good care of her husband. Any ordinary man would want to marry her. And I, your brother, am just such an 'ordinary' man."

...

Third Brother Qin spoke in a loud voice, which could be heard throughout the small two-story house. Xie Hongni, hearing half of it, quickly returned to the guest room with red eyes and "bang" shut the door behind her, wishing she could lock Qin Xuecai's incessant mouth.

"Yaoyao, can you help me set up a meeting with Yingzi? I don't want to miss out on such a good woman."

Qin Yao listened to her elder brother's rambling with a wooden expression. If she had a hammer in her hand at that moment, she would have loved to give Third Brother Qin a few good hits, knocking some sense into him.

Just listen to what he's saying—is this even normal?

"Brother, no matter how hardworking Yingzi is, she's still a person. No one is born to serve someone else."

"Come to your senses, the old feudal times are over."

Qin Xuecai glanced at the closed door, lowered his voice, and leaned in. "Shh, I just want her to know what kind of woman men prefer, so she can change her attitude. Otherwise, this little Hong will never get married."

"She's pretty, yes, but with such a bad family background and not knowing how to take the initiative, who would want her if she keeps giving people attitude?"

"She should learn from Gao Yingzi."

At this point, Qin Yao wasn't thinking about a hammer anymore. She was thinking her brother must have eaten too many walnuts as a kid.

She really needed to teach Third Brother Qin a lesson from the working class.

"Brother, if you like Yingzi so much, I'll arrange a proper introduction for you two."

Third Brother Qin was momentarily taken aback, then thought it was a good idea. He walked to Xie Hongni's door and shouted, "Little Hong, your aunt and I are going out! My sister is setting me up with Yingzi. Maybe soon, you'll be drinking to my wedding!"

"When that happens, my wife and I will take good care of you and help you find a match."

As soon as he finished speaking, something was thrown from inside the room.

Qin Xuecai turned around and saw his younger sister, Qin Yao, standing coldly at the door with her arms crossed. Unfortunately, there was no mirror in front of Qin Yao; otherwise, she would have been surprised to see that her posture and expression mirrored her husband Gu Cheng's.

She just wanted to scoff.

Her brother—though he seemed stupid, he was actually 'foolishly wise.' He had mastered the art of provocation.

Qin Yao took Third Brother Qin to Chen Baozhen's house to set him up on a blind date with Gao Yingzi. While they talked in the living room, Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen whispered in the yard.

Chen Baozhen's eyes curved in amusement. "Still the same, huh?"

"Yes, still the same." Qin Yao rested her head on her best friend's shoulder. "I’m so fed up with those two men. The other one at home even said he’ll get revenge on me."

Chen Baozhen couldn't help but laugh. "My old Gao said he wants to thank you."

This morning, Gao Jianguo ate the oatmeal porridge made by his wife and just wanted to beg Gu Cheng: Please, ask your wife to stop using her magic. Don’t spoil my precious Baozhen.

Chen Baozhen was even more skilled than Qin Yao, especially when it came to cooking, where she could really show her skills.

Qin Yao told her to add a bit of salt and pepper. But Chen Baozhen, thinking it wasn’t enough, added a bit more sugar, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, and star anise.

Qin Yao: “……”

Upon hearing Chen Baozhen’s cooking method, Comrade Qin felt she needed to calm herself down. She suddenly empathized with Gu Cheng’s thoughts at that time. If her best friend served her a bowl of oatmeal porridge like that, she would want to run away too.

Qin Yao drank a sip of tea to cool herself down. Her best friend, Chen Baozhen, was a dangerous element in the kitchen.

Inside the room, Third Brother Qin and Gao Yingzi sat opposite each other. One was honest and tall, the other simple and plain. They were a good match in appearance. Gao Yingzi was very satisfied with Third Brother Qin’s appearance; his tall and handsome appearance was truly captivating.

However, she had other requirements:

“Comrade Qin, are you good at math and science?”

Third Brother Qin: “Ah?”

“Complete this set of exams first!”

Gao Yingzi took out a middle school physics and chemistry exam paper and spread it out in front of Third Brother Qin, who immediately felt overwhelmed. His name might be “Xuecai” (meaning talented), but in reality, he wasn’t very talented.

Struggling to complete half of the exam paper, Third Brother Qin couldn’t take it anymore. At that moment, he didn’t know who would get married sooner, Gao Yingzi or Xie Hongni.

“Sister, these women are getting scarier by the minute.” Recalling the exam just now, Third Brother Qin was still drenched in sweat. He would rather work in the fields than take exams.

Qin Yao sneered in her heart. She thought this fool was even scarier.

However, when it came to being scary, her best friend Baozhen was even scarier, cooking porridge with milk and adding star anise, Sichuan pepper, cassia, and bay leaves...

*

After returning home, Qin Yao went to knock on Xie Hongni’s door. “It’s me, Qin Yao.”

At that moment, Third Brother Qin was helping her tidy up the yard outside.

Xie Hongni opened the door and let Qin Yao in. The guest bedroom contained only a bed and a simple wooden table. Qin Yao whispered to Xie Hongni, “Big Sister Hong, do you like my third brother?”

Xie Hongni looked flustered, like an ant on a hot pan. She walked uneasily for two steps, turned her face away, and said, “Why would I like him?”

Qin Yao calmly said, “Just tell me the truth, and I’ll help you two.”

Xie Hongni’s eyes turned red. She pinched the flesh on her wrist, and the harder she pinched, the more it hurt, bringing tears to her eyes. As the pain in her hand spread, she turned her back to Qin Yao and said in a hoarse voice, “Even if I like him, what good would it do? He looks down on me. My background is poor. Marrying me would only harm his future.”

Xie Hongni felt a deep pain in her heart. She knew Third Brother Qin wanted to join the army, but how could he have a wife with such a poor background? He was probably just trying to get rid of her as soon as possible so he could pursue his bright future.

It was truly ironic how fate played with people. She had done some reselling in the small market but wasn’t caught by the patrol officers. If they had taken her away, it would have been better, as it would have ended her hopes. She didn’t want to rush into marriage and didn’t want to drag Third Brother Qin down anymore.

But this Qin was stubborn, insisting on seeing her get married and entrusted to a reliable family before he could leave with peace of mind.

Qin Yao: “My brother is a fool. If you don’t clearly tell him that you like him, he’ll never know.”

“Even if he knows, what then? Will he mock me?”

Qin Yao calmly said, “Maybe he cares about you.”

“If he cared about me, why would he be eager to see me marry someone else?”

Qin Yao looked out the window and said, “Who knows? After all, my third brother is a thick-headed fool.”

Xie Hongni: “……”

Even his own sister agrees.

“I’ll give it a try—” Xie Hongni closed her eyes and made up her mind. If it came to it, she would undress and climb into Qin Xuecai’s bed, making him take responsibility. Since he had already seen her, she would cling to him for life.

The next morning, Qin Yao woke up early as she needed to go to work. Just before leaving, she saw Third Brother Qin emerge reluctantly from the room, wearing only a white vest with noticeable claw marks on his shoulders. She left them alone.

The moment Third Brother Qin saw Xie Hongni walk out, he reacted as if he had seen a monster. His face turned red, and he stepped back, blushing.

The night before, they had shared the same bed. Nothing significant had happened, but something had.

This woman was so shameless, undressing and snuggling into his arms, wanting to sleep with him, which made him feel like he was burning. Worse still, he had to wash his pants early in the morning.

He wished he could forget the scenes from the previous night, but the more he tried, the clearer they became in his mind.

Third Brother Qin was a conservative and traditional man. He believed that such things should only happen on the wedding night.

Although they hadn’t done “that” thing, they had been “honest” with each other, and there was no going back now.

At this moment, Xie Hongni looked at Qin Xuecai confidently, mocking him for his cowardly behavior.

Xie Hongni realized she had been using the wrong approach. Why had she been fighting with a fool? The right way to deal with such a fool was to cling to him and torment him.

Third Brother Qin put on a white shirt and scolded, “Woman, your taste is terrible.”

Why would she be so foolish as to like him?

Before last night, Qin Xuecai had never believed that Xie Hongni could genuinely like him. He was just an ordinary, rough man. What did he have? Nothing at all. He wasn’t good-looking, nor did he have much education.

Xie Hongni, on the other hand, was different. Although her family background was less than ideal, she was beautiful, had excellent academic achievements, spoke foreign languages fluently, and knew three of them… How could a woman like her even look at someone like him?

“Hong, I’ll accompany you to the hospital later to see a doctor about your eyes. Your eyes must be flawed to have seen something in me.”

“My heart is broken,” Xie Hongni took a deep breath and told herself not to argue with such a fool.

In truth, she also found it unbelievable. How could she have fallen for a man like Qin Xuecai? In her fantasies, her partner should have been a man in a suit, like her father—a highly skilled professional with excellent morals.

Yet, she had fallen for this rough man.

“My heart is broken? What kind of doctor should we find? Your father?”

Xie Hongni clenched her teeth, wishing she could slap him, but she didn’t. Instead, she reached out and touched Qin Xuecai’s cheek.

His rugged face deeply attracted her. Her heart was broken, and her eyes were flawed. Even though this man had a face full of stubble, she found him appealing, which was utterly hopeless.

Qin Xuecai couldn’t help but pull the beautiful woman into his arms. He was a normal man with natural appetites; he couldn’t remain indifferent like Liu Xiahui.

Burying his head in her neck, Qin Xuecai took a deep breath and couldn’t help but laugh foolishly. He never expected that a rough man like him would be so fortunate as to marry such a fragrant and soft wife.

Although this woman had a bit of a temper and was as fierce as a tigress, her body was so soft. Holding her in his arms felt like hugging a marshmallow.

“Now that you’re going to be my wife, I can finally rest assured. From now on, I’ll take care of you and keep you safe.”

Xie Hongni said gloomily, “There’s no need for you to say that. Do you think I’m as naive as you? I didn’t want to live before.”

Qin Xuecai’s expression changed drastically. “We’re living a good life. Why didn’t you want to live?”

Xie Hongni replied weakly, “It’s like preaching to the wind.”

“Let’s live well in the future, and I’ll treat you well.”

Xie Hongni pressed down the corners of her lips, trying to suppress the upward curve. “We’ll see about that.”

*

Two days later, Gu Cheng returned home and found his brother-in-law washing women’s clothes in the yard.

Gu Cheng couldn't help but let out a "tsk tsk."

Qin Xuecai looked at Gu Cheng and suddenly found his brother-in-law irritating. His brother-in-law spent too little time at home. Although his salary was high, as a man, he wasn't effective at home and couldn't be made to work like a workhorse.

"Brother-in-law, you're back?"

"Hmm," Gu Cheng nodded and said sarcastically, recalling what Third Brother Qin had mentioned a few days ago, "Third Brother, it looks like you'll be starting a family on the island too. I should learn from you how to handle women."

Third Brother Qin was speechless.

This brother-in-law has disturbing ideas; he actually wanted to control his sister!

"Brother-in-law, don't think my sister is settling for less. If my sister were to divorce you today, I'd give it two thumbs up. A gentle and beautiful woman like my sister and Honghong deserves a husband who will treat her right. I don’t expect much in terms of a job, just someone who can be there for her every day."

"When I go to the farm, I’ll look for someone young and attractive for my sister."