Chapter 57- The 90s Male Side Character (4) – Transcendental Translations

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Chapter 57

“Wei Baohua, Aunt Liao and Liao Jian’an are a struggling widow and orphan. Everyone in the village is willing to help them in their difficult times, so why are you so heartless? Not only did you refuse to buy Aunt Liao’s grain, but you also humiliated her so badly. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

Song Rong righteously accused Yan Su, her face full of disappointment and pain, completely ignoring the strange looks cast by other customers in the shop.

Yan Su, who had been reviewing the ledger behind the counter, quietly placed the account book into the drawer and stood up. “Xiao Rong, are you saying that even though Aunt Liao mixed two-thirds of old rice into the new grain, I should still purchase her grain at the original price? Otherwise, I’m deliberately making things difficult for her?”

Song Rong froze.

She had been focused on seeking justice for Aunt Liao and had overlooked the issue of the grain’s quality, as claimed by the Wei family. But how could that be? Aunt Liao was such a kind and gentle elder; how could she have done something so dishonest?

“You’re not trying to trick me, are you? Aunt Liao is such an honest person; she couldn’t have done such a thing!” she asserted confidently.

Yan Su said nothing, his gaze dark as he responded, “Xiao Rong, you know I’m willing to do anything for you. If you want me to buy Aunt Liao’s grain, I can. But recently, as we’ve been purchasing grain from various villages, our funds have been running low. The remaining money I have is barely enough to support your university expenses. Since you’re so kind-hearted, I’m sure you’d rather give up your studies to ensure I buy Aunt Liao’s grain. I’ll go right away.”

With that, he headed toward the door.

Song Rong was stunned and quickly stopped him.

Her intention in asking Wei Baohua to buy Aunt Liao’s grain was to ensure Liao Jian’an had money to attend university with her. If Wei Baohua had no money left, she wouldn’t be able to attend university herself, leaving her with no choice but to marry him. How could she still hope to go to university with Liao Jian’an?

Song Rong was undoubtedly selfish. If only one of them could go to university, she would certainly choose herself.

Embarrassed, she softened her earlier righteous tone and said with a meek voice, “I’m sorry, Baohua. I didn’t understand your family’s business situation and shouldn’t have interfered so recklessly. Aunt Liao’s family is indeed in difficulty, but my university studies are more important.”

She sighed, seemingly full of sympathy for Aunt Liao.

Failing to get justice for Aunt Liao, Song Rong couldn’t even face Liao Jian’an when she returned to Maple Tree Village. Like a thief, she snuck back home and hid for several days.

During dinner one evening, her mother, Yu Qin, remarked, “Who would’ve thought that Liao Jian’an has some skills? He managed to latch onto the village chief’s family.”

Hearing “Liao Jian’an,” Song Rong’s eyes widened, and she focused all her attention on asking, “Mom, what happened?”

Yu Qin, sharp as ever, immediately guessed her daughter’s lingering feelings for that poor boy. To make her give up, she explained, “The village chief’s daughter, Jiao Cui, has always fancied Liao Jian’an. Upon hearing that he couldn’t afford his university fees, she convinced her father to sponsor him on the condition that he marries her.”

Jiao Cui?

At the mention of this name, Song Rong’s mind conjured up an image of a dark-skinned, slightly chubby woman. Jiao Cui was two years older than her and Liao Jian’an. She had always been a poor student, consistently scoring the lowest marks in exams. She dropped out of school after finishing elementary school.

Although she wasn’t academically inclined, Jiao Cui was skilled in farm work, making her an ideal daughter-in-law in the eyes of elders. Over the years, many families had proposed to her, but Jiao Cui liked Liao Jian’an and rejected all other suitors.

How could Liao Jian’an marry her?!

Song Rong angrily bit into her steamed bun, growing more furious as she thought about it. Ignoring her family’s puzzled looks, she put down her chopsticks and stormed out.

She went to the neighboring Liao household, where the mother and son were eating dinner. Upon seeing Song Rong, Aunt Liao greeted her warmly with a smile. “Xiao Rong, would you like to join us? I made garlic sprouts stir-fried with pork tonight—it smells so good.”

Song Rong glanced at the significantly improved meal on the table compared to before. Thinking of the price Liao Jian’an had to pay to marry Jiao Cui, her heart ached as if it were bleeding. With a stiff expression, she replied, “Thank you, Aunt Liao, but no. I just have a few words to say to Liao Jian’an.”

Aunt Liao turned to her son, her gaze carrying a warning. Liao Jian’an understood his mother’s disapproval of him causing any gossip during this critical time in his marriage talks with Jiao Cui.

Lowering his gaze, he said indifferently, “Follow me.”

He led Song Rong to the vegetable garden in the backyard. “What do you want to say?”

His expression was cold, his demeanor distant, as if deliberately creating a barrier between them.

For a moment, Song Rong found it hard to accept. She wanted to ask if Liao Jian’an didn’t like her anymore, but she felt she had no right to ask such a question. Torn inside, she could only say with pain in her voice, “Jian’an, are you really going to marry Jiao Cui?”

In truth, Liao Jian’an was even more frustrated than she was.

Everyone said the Liao family was poor, but he knew his mother had a small savings tucked away. This money was enough to cover his first year of university tuition and living expenses. However, just last week, his uncle got drunk and smashed the small shop at the village entrance. Out of love for her brother, Aunt Liao, despite knowing her son was at a critical juncture, withdrew the money to compensate for her brother’s actions.

Liao Jian’an was so enraged when he found out that he wanted to rip her heart out.

Initially, he had hoped Song Rong could persuade Wei Baohua to buy their grain and earn them some money.

But there had been no response from Song Rong for several days.

Instead, Aunt Liao, upon learning that Jiao Cui liked him, had, without consulting him, gone to the Jiao family and arranged the marriage. In exchange, Jiao Zhiwen would fund his education.

Liao Jian’an was furious.

He resented his mother, Song Rong, Wei Baohua, and Jiao Cui.

He felt like a soulless puppet, manipulated at his mother’s whim.

Why was it that Song Rong could marry the wealthy and good-looking only son Wei Baohua, who had refined features and was a handsome young man, while he had to marry the unattractive Jiao Cui?

“Song Rong, my family is poor, and we have no other options. The Wei family refused to buy our grain. My mother has been so worried in recent days that she can’t eat or sleep properly, so we had no choice but to take this desperate step.”

He deliberately brought up the Wei family, and sure enough, guilt flashed in Song Rong’s eyes.

Liao Jian’an secretly sneered. The Wei family had so much money, and Wei Baohua obeyed Song Rong’s every word. If she had just acted cute or told a small lie, she could have easily swindled some money from Wei Baohua to help him. But she hadn’t.

Now he had been forced down the path of “selling himself,” and the very thought of it made him feel humiliated.

“Sigh, let’s not talk about it anymore. The college entrance exam results aren’t even out yet. Who knows, I might not have done well enough to attend college,” Liao Jian’an sighed.

In the days that followed, Song Rong watched numbly as Liao Jian’an and Jiao Cui completed the entire marriage process, officially registered their marriage, and held a grand wedding ceremony.

Liao Jian’an initially wanted to follow Song Rong’s example and just get engaged to Jiao Cui first, postponing the wedding for a couple of years.

But Jiao Zhiwen was no fool. A mere engagement meant little to a man, especially one like Liao Jian’an, who was at a low point in his life. An engagement couldn’t hold him, so he had to ensure his daughter married into the family quickly and had a child as soon as possible.

Yan Su wanted to advise the Jiao family to reconsider, but when he saw the joy on Jiao Cui’s face as a happy bride, he gave up on the idea.

In August, the university admission letters finally arrived in Maple Village. Both Song Rong and Liao Jian’an were admitted to the same university, causing the entire village to celebrate.

Geng Xiuying, pleased that her future daughter-in-law was now a college student, proactively sent a gift to the Song family: eggs and two hens.

However, after she left, Yu Qin curled her lips in disdain. “So stingy! How miserly can one be with their in-laws? Song Rong, study hard, and once you graduate, find yourself an even better man. That’ll teach the Wei family a lesson!”

Song Rong, who had been feeling down because of Liao Jian’an’s marriage, was slightly uplifted by the arrival of her admission letter. Her mother’s words stirred something in her long-sealed heart.

However, she replied, “Mom, Aunt Xiuying followed the village customs for her gift. It’s already quite a lot.”

Yan Su had been spending less time in Maple Village lately. He was busy buying grain from various places, contacting suppliers and customers, and opening a branch of the Wei family’s grain and oil store in the city.

During this era, business was still relatively easy to conduct, especially for someone like Yan Su, who had experience, worked hard, and was daring.

Although the population in the town was small, limiting potential customers, most of the residents in nearby villages were self-sufficient in grain. In contrast, urban residents had a greater demand for food supplies.

On the first day of the branch’s opening, Yan Su earned an unimaginable amount of money. Unable to manage everything on his own, he hired two additional helpers.

Once the branch was running smoothly, he finally had a chance to rest. By the time he returned to Maple Village, Song Rong and Liao Jian’an had already left for college.

Good news came from the Liao family as well. Shortly after Liao Jian’an’s departure, Jiao Cui became pregnant.

This should have been a joyous occasion. With only two members in the Liao household—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—it was convenient for the elder Liao to care for her pregnant daughter-in-law in her son’s absence.

However, Liao’s mother had always looked down on Jiao Cui. Though she had been the one to arrange the marriage for her son’s future, now that her son was successfully attending college, she had heard there were programs like work-study opportunities. Even without financial support from the Jiao family, he could still graduate.

As a result, she grew increasingly dissatisfied with Jiao Cui.

She frequently returned to her maternal family to help her incompetent brother with work, leaving her pregnant daughter-in-law unattended at home.

Jiao Cui was an ordinary woman. She had initially believed that marrying her sweetheart would bring her happiness, but she hadn’t anticipated the Liao mother and son treating her with such disregard.

However, like many women of her era, Jiao Cui endured her grievances in silence, unwilling to complain to her family.

After ten months, she gave birth to a son, Mao Mao, finally bringing joy to the Liao household.

Just as Jiao Cui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking her hardships were over, she heard her mother-in-law scold her: “Don’t write to Jian’an about the birth of your son. Don’t disturb him. He’s busy with his studies at school and needs to focus.”

Jiao Cui was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend her mother-in-law’s reasoning.

But Liao’s mother had her own agenda.

Her frequent involvement with her natal family had strained her relationship with Liao Jian’an, leaving her worried that her son would not support her in her old age.

Originally, it had just been her and her son. Now, with Jiao Cui in the picture, the Liao’s mother feared that her son would focus all his attention on his wife, neglecting her. Thus, she wanted to prevent the couple from getting along too well.

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