I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 277 - 272: This Is the Truth
Upon saying that, Xiao Ran licked his lips, and Lu Yu unconsciously did the same. Lu Kuan said, "...What’s the use of just talking about it? You should have brought some for us to taste. For all we know, you might be bragging?"
Unknowingly, the focus of the three little ones shifted completely.
Having just learned about the passing of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jiang Zhengye couldn’t handle it well and had no appetite for food.
With Jiang Zhengye like this, no one else was in the mood to eat either, even little Xiao Ran resolutely supported his sister’s side—the aroma or whatever... he claimed he didn’t smell it.
But Du Qinglan had already prepared everything with great effort. The canned meat their second brother from Yun Dian had just sent back, and a piece of preserved meat they had saved up, were all brought out to entertain their guests. They couldn’t refuse someone’s kind gesture, so the few people ate a little mindlessly.
Lu Tianyang and his wife rushed back, met each of them, and the group went to the Lu Family’s mausoleum. Jiang Zhengye brought his three children to offer tribute and incense to the two elders. In such a small village, news travels slowly, and even if those above don’t allow these things, the people below find ways to do them anyway—where there’s a policy above, there’s a countermeasure below. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Descending the mountain and returning to the Lu Family, Jiang Zhengye asked Lu Jinqian and his wife to clear out a basket; they were leaving.
Lu Jinqian and his wife hesitated a bit; after all, this brother-in-law brought quite a few good things with him, yet they didn’t have much to give in return, which was a bit awkward. Seeing this, Jiang Ming’an mediated the situation.
"I remember auntie’s eggplant pickle is the best. I’ve been missing it a lot. If there’s any..."
Basically, knowing this couple’s temperament, they wouldn’t feel right if they didn’t take something with them.
Eggplant pickle? They had plenty of that at home.
The couple finally relaxed, "We have, we have, I’ll go fetch a jar for you."
In fact, they only had one jar, but Jiang Ming’an was thick-skinned!
Lu Tianyang moved first and put the jar into their large basket. Seeing there was still space, Lu Tianyang’s wife, Yang Luohua, quickly brought some straw to fill it in. Together, they tied everything to the bicycle, exchanged some words about keeping in touch in the future, and then rode back.
No need to say it, unless they flew like a rocket, it would definitely be dark by the time they got home.
Uncle’s family offered to keep them for dinner and stay the night, but given the significant blow to the eldest uncle, staying wasn’t possible.
Xiao Ran hadn’t taken a nap today, and Jiang Ming’an forcibly placed him in front of him on the bike. As expected, they hadn’t been riding for even five minutes before Xiao Ran’s little head bobbed into his embrace, forcing Jiang Ming’an to free one hand to hold him securely.
"Hey! It looks like there’s a fight up ahead!" Jiang Ming’an said. That morning they had come this way via a shortcut through the fields. It saved a lot of time compared to taking the main road, which would involve passing through the Little Stone Commune and adding over twenty minutes to the journey.
The group stopped, intending to see what was happening. However, five minutes passed, and the crowd showed no signs of dispersing. Instead, more people gathered, escalating from a one-on-one to a group confrontation. It seemed unlikely the situation would settle anytime soon.
"Forget it, let’s take the main road. It’s wider." Jiang Ming’an was the first to change direction.
Even though it was the main road, they could still see the crops growing on both sides. Unlike Qingshan Village, which had half farmland and half mountainous terrain, this area looked more like a plain, mostly farmland with few hills. At this time, the fields were planted with broad beans, the seedlings of which were as tall as a hand. Occasionally, areas on the hillsides were planted with radish seeds, just sprouting a few inches.
By comparison, Qingshan Village’s crops were much more diverse.
During this time, they would plant broad beans, rapeseed, and oats in the farmland. On the hillsides, they would plant wheat, radishes, endive, potatoes, or peas.
It seemed today might not be a good day to be out; even after changing paths, they still encountered a quarrel blocking the road.
Fortunately, the road was wide, and they could squeeze past from the side. But as Jiang Mingyue glanced, she suddenly recognized someone among the crowd.
Looking closer.... wasn’t that Jiang Beishan?
Jiang Beishan had been investigating Lin Haiyang with Wei Houping during this time. Since her father had betrothed her to Lin Haiyang and accepted the dowry, if she wanted to break off the engagement, she would need to know the situation precisely to find a breaking point.
The first day of their tailing Jiang Zhenghui was a bust.
The second day was equally fruitless.
On the third day, Jiang Zhenghui finally couldn’t hold back and went to the Little Stone Commune. However, he didn’t meet Lin Haiyang himself, but Chairman Lin of the commune, and their conversation was quite mundane: one person wielding power to intimidate, the other selling off his daughter for glory.
Jiang Zhenghui took a substantial sum from the Lin Family, making the marriage certain. But being so brazen, he secured a favor in return. Chairman Lin would use his connections to place Jiang Zhenghui in the construction cement factory in Liu Village to earn a salary, allowing him to dream of the upcoming days where he’d hold Qingshan Village’s monthly dividends in one hand and the cement factory’s wages in the other, living a life of luxury.
However, the Lin Family wasn’t foolish enough to continue compromising; their son surely had issues. After all, Jiang Beishan was no goddess—any experienced middle-aged man should see the problem, but it seemed they didn’t care.
With Chairman Lin out of reach, Jiang Beishan and Wei Houping redirected their focus to Lin Haiyang himself.
At first, they found nothing, but with patient persistence, they uncovered something unusual.
Lin Haiyang happened upon his doctor; with no one else around, the doctor advised him to seek renowned doctors specializing in those concerns in Yun Dian, assuring that he could be treated.
Though Jiang Beishan and Wei Houping listened through the fog of confusion, not understanding what was said, it was a lead nonetheless. They traced this line further. Wei Houping had an uncle working at the hospital investigate, and sure enough, they discovered something: Lin Haiyang was a natural eunuch. To prove himself, he had dated two women, finding he truly couldn’t perform when taking action.
Armed with the truth, Jiang Beishan confronted Jiang Zhenghui, revealing the reality and urging him to call off the engagement.
