CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: WHAT MAKES SOMEONE ONE OF US

Qiao Xinyu got angry and said, "Who did you hear this nonsense from? What fiancé does Huanhuan have? If you dare to slander her, I’ll report you to the police!"

Jiang Xingye suddenly felt he could breathe again.

The five hundred yuan matter, Xu Qinghuan had mentioned at the county guest house in front of people.

But how it got twisted like this, it’s unclear whether the person spreading it was deliberate, or if the person hearing didn’t pay attention.

She said, "Auntie, it’s a former fiancé. My former fiancé didn’t fancy me and fell for my cousin. They were a perfect match, and to compensate me, their family paid me five hundred yuan when the engagement was called off.

We’ve already broken off the engagement, and you still say he’s my fiancé, which truly slanders me!"

Jiang Xingye unconsciously exerted force on the hand gripping the handle, the muscles on his arm were bulging high, and veins popped out.

He wished he could drag that blind fool over and give them a good punch.

Hu Er chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, I just heard from someone."

Xu Qinghuan said unceremoniously, "Oh? From whom did you hear it? Did the person spreading this also say he was my fiancé?"

"How would I know?" Hu Er said, "A break-off is a break-off, anyway, you are the second-hand goods now. No matter how wealthy you are, it’s hard to find a good family!"

Dong Sufen couldn’t stand hearing it anymore and retorted bluntly, "Aunt Hu, weren’t you widowed? You still managed to remarry Uncle Angui, and Xu, being wealthy and pretty, shouldn’t the men all let her choose? Regardless, none of the lads in your household would be lucky!"

Shangjiang Team had two main surnames: one Jiang, the other Dong. Due to their numbers and influence, they held the most sway.

The rest were miscellaneous surnames.

Hu Er’s husband, Du Angui, was from outside, thin on resources and poor at home; otherwise, he wouldn’t have married Hu Er, a widow, back then.

After Hu Er got married here, she bore five sons. Now all five have grown up, and she thinks she can hold her chest high in the village.

But she only dares to bully some miscellaneous surnames and outsider volunteers, not daring to provoke those with the surname Jiang or Dong.

When Dong Sufen spoke, she was like a quail, not daring to utter a sound.

Xu Qinghuan gave Dong Sufen a thankful smile, Dong Sufen liked this volunteer too, nodding kindly, and when they arrived at the commune, everyone got off.

Only five volunteers were left on the tractor; everyone sighed a relief.

Chen Dewen finally had a chance to ask, "Volunteers Xu, how did the village find out about your breakup with Jiang Chengxu?"

Jiang Xingye sat at the front but pricked up his ears to listen to the people talking behind.

The sound of the tractor chugging was loud, so the speaker had to raise their voice.

With no outsiders, Chen Dewen assumed they were all good friends with Xu Qinghuan and, out of righteous anger, asked out of concern.

Xu Qinghuan understood his good intentions and didn’t hide it, "When I arrived, at the county guest house, I gave Xiaomin a milk candy, and Lu Nianying snidely said her adopted mother gave me a maintenance fee, so I said it was compensation from Jiang Family."

Dai Yifeng and Zheng Siqi frowned, obviously suspecting Lu Nianying.

It’s either Lu Nianying or Kong Lijuan; it can’t escape these two.

Qiao Xinyu asked, "So was the money really compensation from Jiang Family?"

If it was, Jiang Family wasn’t entirely without standards.

Xu Qinghuan said, "No, the money is indeed from Jiang Family, but it’s not engagement dissolution compensation. I sold a piece of news to Jiang Chengxu’s mom, and she gave me 500 yuan."

Chen Dewen suddenly became very interested, "What news? Is it that news?"

His eyes shone, and he became excited. Xu Qinghuan laughed, "If you’re talking about the side tip-off, yeah, that’s it!"

Chen Dewen gave Xu Qinghuan a thumbs-up, "You’re impressive! I need to thank you for this, if it weren’t for your news, and if Jiang Family hadn’t started an internal conflict, my dad might not have had this opportunity."

Xu Qinghuan said, "Oh, your dad got elected as the director? That’s great, congratulations!"

Chen Dewen said, "I should thank you for this, there’s no time like the present. Today, let me treat you all at the state-owned restaurant!"

He said this while looking at Qiao Xinyu.

Xu Qinghuan also glanced at her best friend, seeing her unusually quiet, sitting still with nose to heart, but her earlobes and neck were red, unable to hide her bashfulness.

Is this mutual affection?

She smiled, "Why don’t you treat Xinyu? I’m going to the county to visit an uncle, my dad’s comrade. You take care of Xinyu for me, make her tag along. Otherwise, I won’t rest easy."

Chen Dewen said, "Don’t forget, we’re all high school classmates, you don’t need to remind me, do you?"

Xu Qinghuan smiled, her clear doe eyes full of teasing. Chen Dewen, realizing she understood, coughed awkwardly, turning his slightly flushed face away.

Qiao Xinyu couldn’t care less about being shy anymore, hugging Xu Qinghuan’s arm, "Ah, are you going alone? I’m worried about you being alone too!"

Xu Qinghuan patted her arm, "Don’t worry, my uncle is with the armed forces, I’ll visit him for a bit, and we’ll meet at the state-owned restaurant."

"Alright, take care then!"

Arriving at the county town, Jiang Xingye parked the vehicle at the entrance of the state-owned restaurant, just as Xu Qinghuan was about to get off. He twisted his head and said, "I’ll take you to the armed forces."

Xu Qinghuan, never one to easily decline, continued staying, "Alright!"

After bidding farewell to Qiao Xinyu and the others, Xu Qinghuan leaned against the horizontal bar on the tractor box, asking Jiang Xingye, "Brother Xingye, won’t someone report you for using the public car privately?"

She seemed to be whispering in his ear, her voice a bit low, but each word reached him, her breath spilling onto his ear which visibly reddened.

"They won’t, no one dares to report!" Jiang Xingye said awkwardly, stuttering a bit.

Xu Qinghuan let out a snicker, "No one dares" seemed quite mythical.

Realizing what he just said, Jiang Xingye felt uneasy, tilting his head slightly, "I haven’t always been this fierce, I’m not... not fierce towards my own people!"

Xu Qinghuan acknowledged, "I know," trying to tease him further, "Then who counts as your own, your uncle’s family? Who else?"

Jiang Xingye didn’t speak for a long while, he stopped the tractor at the armed forces entrance, turned off the engine, and courageously looked at Xu Qinghuan, "And... you!"

The last word was bitten with emphasis.

His gaze fell heavily on Xu Qinghuan’s face, not missing any expression.

He still wanted to fight for a chance.

As long as she showed a hint of disdain, from now on, he would keep his distance, protecting her from afar instead.

Xu Qinghuan’s eyes sparkled, like a deer holding a pool of autumn water, clear and transparent, with a hint of barely perceptible encouragement. She gently smiled, mischievous like a little sparrow, jumping off the vehicle.

Jiang Xingye, frightened, hastily reached to catch her.