Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He Qiuxia set the teacup in her hand down on the table with a sharp clink, the porcelain striking the wooden surface. "Mrs. Liu, what exactly do you mean by that?"

The sound startled He's mother, and Meng Li's hands stopped massaging her shoulders as she turned to look at He Qiuxia.

He Qiuxia's face had completely darkened. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight. "The one who was betrothed to Jian Jun was our Yun Shu. That was agreed upon by both families sitting down together. Now you say such things in front of the child—are you looking down on Yun Shu because her biological parents aren't as well-regarded as Old Ji?"

He's mother, caught off guard, quickly waved her hands, forcing a smile. "Oh, Sister Ji, look at what you're saying. That's not what I meant at all..."

"Then what did you mean?" He Qiuxia didn't let her off the hook, her voice steady. "Yun Shu is a child I raised. No matter whose surname she carries, she's my daughter. If you think she's not good enough for your Jian Jun, just say so. The Ji family doesn't grovel or beg."

He's mother's face went red and pale by turns. Her mouth opened and closed. She glanced at Ji Yunshu, who was sitting nearby peeling an apple, then at Meng Li standing behind her, and gave an awkward laugh.

"I was just joking—why do you have to take it so seriously?" He's mother stood up, walked over to He Qiuxia, and crouched down, her voice much softer than before. "Yun Shu is a wonderful girl—the prettiest in the whole compound. Half the young men in the compound would kill to marry her. If Yun Shu became my daughter-in-law, I'd be overjoyed! Our Jian Jun only has eyes for Yun Shu, you know that. Sister He, I just have a big mouth and said the wrong thing. Don't take it to heart."

As she spoke, she played the emotional card: "Sister He, you know I'm not well-educated. Old He left us early, and I've been raising three kids on my own. Sometimes I really don't know how to talk properly. You and my Old He were like brother and sister. If you don't know me, you surely know Old He, right? What he promised, I won't back out of, no way!"

At the mention of He Jianjun's father—He's mother's late husband—He Qiuxia sighed, her heart softened a lot. Old He had indeed been an honest, good man, served with Ji Haiguo, and died way too early. It was because of his bond with Ji Haiguo, and because he shared the surname He with He Qiuxia, that the two families had agreed to betroth their kids.

But if Ji Yunshu didn't want this engagement, He Qiuxia wouldn't force it. Nobody does arranged marriages these days, and she'd never force her daughter into anything. Still, over the years, Ji Yunshu and He Jianjun had gotten along well—not romantic, but more like brother and sister—so He Qiuxia had always thought they might eventually end up together.

If He's mother just spoke carelessly today, fine. But if it was a deliberate test, then the Ji family didn't have to honor this engagement at all!

He's mother saw He Qiuxia's face change and knew she'd really ticked her off. She'd figured once He Qiuxia found her real daughter, she'd stop caring so much about Yun Shu. She didn't expect her to still be so fiercely protective.

He's mother didn't want to make an enemy of He Qiuxia—after all, He Jianjun's future promotions might depend on Ji Haiguo pulling strings. She needed to smooth things over: "Sister He, it's all my fault. Don't be angry about this. I'll go home and reflect on my behavior."

She shuffled out toward the door, then turned back and smiled at Ji Yunshu. "Yun Shu, dear, Auntie just has a clumsy tongue. Don't take it out on me. I'll send Jian Jun over to see you tomorrow, okay?"

Ji Yunshu looked up at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and simply said, "Take care."

He's mother slunk off.

He Qiuxia closed the door and turned back, her face still sour. She glanced at Ji Yunshu and sighed. "Don't pay her any mind. She's just like that."

Ji Yunshu cut the apple she'd peeled into small pieces, handed one to He Qiuxia, and took one for herself. She bit into it without saying anything.

Meng Li stood to the side, looking uncomfortable. She glanced at He Qiuxia, then at Ji Yunshu, and said quietly, "Mom, I didn't mean anything by it either... I just... Auntie came over, I couldn't just sit there and do nothing, could I?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't on you." He Qiuxia patted Meng Li's shoulder. "Go eat some apple too."

Seeing that He Qiuxia wasn't upset with her, Meng Li quickly put back on her sweet, gentle act. She sat back down, picked up the book she'd set aside, and continued flipping through it like nothing had happened.

The next day, right after work, He Jianjun showed up.

He wore his military uniform, his shoes polished to a mirror shine, carrying a bag of fruit. He stood at the Ji family's door with a big, friendly smile.

"Aunt He, just came by to see you all." He handed over the fruit, his eyes scanned the room, skipped over Meng Li, and landed on Ji Yunshu. He smiled. "Yun Shu, haven't seen you in a few days—you're looking even prettier."

He Qiuxia took the fruit and waved him inside. He Jianjun came in, said hi to Ji Haiguo, nodded at Ji Yunting, and finally sat down in the chair next to Ji Yunshu.

"I heard my mom came by yesterday and ran her mouth off," He Jianjun said, getting straight to the point with a sincere tone. "I'm here to apologize to Yun Shu on her behalf. She's just blunt—she doesn't mean any harm. I told her to watch what she says from now on, and she agreed."

Ji Yunshu just made a small "mm" sound and didn't say more.

Seeing that Ji Yunshu didn't seem genuinely angry, He Jianjun figured he could still fix this. He knew Ji Yunshu well—lazy, picky, and soft-hearted, with nothing going for her but a pretty face.

But he had to marry her. First, marrying the prettiest girl of their generation in the compound would be a huge flex. More importantly, her father was Ji Haiguo! Everyone in the compound knew how much Ji Haiguo doted on his daughter. As Ji Haiguo's son-in-law, he could breeze through his military career!

If his dad hadn't died so young, and he didn't need Ji Haiguo's pull in the army, he wouldn't want to marry Ji Yunshu at all!

He'd heard from his mother that this new daughter of the Ji family was obedient, sensible, and hardworking. A wife should serve her husband—not be some princess you have to worship at home!

Despite his deep dissatisfaction with Ji Yunshu, He Jianjun knew how to play the long game. He wouldn't show it on his face. He needed to lock down this engagement first. If Ji Yunshu started making a fuss about breaking it off, that would be a real problem.

So He Jianjun swallowed his pride and sweet-talked Ji Yunshu: "Sister Yunshu, I know you love White Rabbit candy. I heard yesterday, so I went out this morning to buy a box. For this box of candy, can you not be mad at my mom anymore? We'll all be family soon. My mom really does like you—she's always hoping you'll marry into our family..."

Ji Yunshu didn't take it. He Jianjun didn't give up, setting the candy box on the table nearby. He lowered his voice, making it all warm and smooth, like he was talking just to her: "Sister Yunshu, I know you've had a hard time lately. You're probably thinking about whether to go to Su City. It's so far away, and you don't know anyone there—you'd be miserable. But if you marry me, you can stay right here in the compound. No need to go to Su City, no need to worry about any of that. I'll take care of you. You can live just like you do at the Ji house—without lifting a finger."

His tone was so sure, like Ji Yunshu would definitely say yes.

Ji Yunshu looked at him and suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

The He Jianjun before her slowly merged with the one from her dreams. In the dream, he'd been the same—polite and kind at first, saying "I'll take care of you." And then? Then he resented her for being delicate, for not knowing how to do chores, for not bearing him a son. Eventually, he cheated on her outright and slapped a divorce petition in front of her.

"We'll see," Ji Yunshu said, lowering her eyes. "There's a lot going on at home right now. No rush."

He Jianjun froze, clearly not expecting Ji Yunshu—who was usually easy to sway—to say that. He opened his mouth to say more, but Ji Yunting suddenly walked in from outside and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Jian Jun, come on, walk with me to buy something."

He Jianjun had no choice but to stand and follow Ji Yunting out.

Before leaving, he couldn't help glancing back at Ji Yunshu several times, as if deeply devoted and reluctant to part.

Ji Yunshu didn't want to acknowledge his gaze. She pretended not to notice and didn't touch the box of candy he'd left behind.

That evening, Ji Yunshu was folding clothes in her room when two knocks came at the door.

"Come in," Ji Yunshu said.

The door opened to reveal Meng Li standing in the doorway. She wore a floral nightgown, her hair loose, her face expressionless.

"Sister." She stepped inside and closed the door.

Ji Yunshu didn't stop what she was doing, glancing at her. "Something on your mind?"

Meng Li walked to the edge of the bed, looking down at Ji Yunshu with her arms crossed. She spoke directly and without pretense: "Sister, the engagement with He Jianjun should have been mine, shouldn't it?"

Ji Yunshu's hands paused mid-fold.

Meng Li's voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear: "I'm the Ji family's biological daughter. If He Jianjun is to marry anyone, it should be the Ji family's real daughter. You took my place in the Ji family for nineteen years—are you going to take this from me too?"

Ji Yunshu looked at her.

Meng Li's face looked pale in the lamplight. She tilted her head slightly, a confident smile curling at the corner of her lips. "Sister, everything that belongs to me should be returned to me now."

Ji Yunshu suddenly remembered the Meng Li from her dreams—the woman standing beside He Jianjun with a swollen belly, calling her "Sister" with that same expression, as if everything was under her control.

So she knew about the dream too.

Ji Yunshu was now certain that Meng Li also knew about the dream—or rather, what was to come. But she felt no panic, only a calm sense of resolution. Because in the dream, she had already made up her mind to cut ties with He Jianjun. A man like that was unworthy of being her husband!

"Fine." Ji Yunshu stood up, brushed off her pants, and nodded readily. "It's just a man. I'll let you have him."

Author's note:

Congratulations to Yun Shu on escaping her misery soon.