Shocking! My Rugged Husband is the Hidden Tycoon in the 70s Novel-Chapter 369: I’m Still Single Myself

Dong Sufen tried to brush off the dung on Jiang Xingyong, but he dodged, "No need, it’s dirty!"

He handed the satchel to Dong Sufen, shoveled the dung on the ground into the dung basket, picked up the shoulder pole on the ground, and lifted the dung. "Where to?"

"To the communal cesspool," Dong Sufen said, and Jiang Xingye turned and left.

The burden of dung that was suffocating for her seemed weightless on Jiang Xingyong’s shoulder. He walked briskly.

Dong Sufen held the satchel strap and felt like crying. The thoughts she couldn’t help but arise were forcibly cut off, and she could only watch the figure getting farther away.

"Why are you back? Where are the dung basket and shoulder pole?" Li Fengying saw her daughter returning, visibly desolate, and felt heartbroken.

"He’ll be back soon."

She put the satchel on the table, sat down on a chair, and exhaled heavily.

Li Fengying didn’t know if she would go back to carry the dung. She glanced at the satchel and tentatively asked, "I’ll fetch water, you wash your hands and face?"

"Later."

That wait turned into more than an hour. Jiang Xingyong came to fetch the satchel, followed by Dong Gensheng. "Stay for a meal at our place?"

Jiang Xingyong glanced at Dong Sufen, "No, I need to get back home."

"You helped a lot today, why not stay for a meal?" Dong Gensheng didn’t overthink it. In the countryside, helping each other is the norm.

But a meal should be had.

Dong Sufen stood aside with her head lowered, like a fool.

Only when Jiang Xingyong walked out of the yard did she come to her senses. Raising her eyes, she saw Li Fengying looking at her nervously. She smiled and said, "I accidentally ran into Brother Xingyong while carrying the dung just now."

"Your clothes are probably dirty, why didn’t you say earlier?"

"I forgot." Dong Sufen turned around, fetched water, and went inside to wash. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

She had sweated a lot and, having rested for a while, felt a chill. She dared not fall ill.

Jiang Xingyong returned home, where Zhou Guizhi was discussing this marriage proposal with Jiang Baohua. Seeing him return, she called him to discuss, "Sufen is a child we’ve watched grow up, honest and diligent, not the scheming or mean-hearted type. We won’t have to worry about her mistreating Dandan and Erdan in the future."

Jiang Xingyong was stunned, "Why bring her up?"

"Little Five suggested it. I hadn’t thought of it initially, but after discussing it with Huanhuan today, I think it’s feasible. Let Little Five mediate, but you have to agree first," Zhou Guizhi said.

Jiang Baohua also thought it was negotiable. Once bitten, twice shy; choosing a virtuous wife is always sound advice.

Jiang Xingyong gripped the satchel strap, veins bulging on his hand, "How so? Would they agree not to have a live-in son-in-law?"

"If they want a live-in son-in-law, they just want a child to carry on the name. Our family already has Dandan and Erdan; the first child they have, regardless of gender, will have the Jiang surname, and the first son born afterward will have the Dong surname. With this concession and your looking after their old age, why wouldn’t they agree?"

Jiang Xingyong said, "Whatever you say!"

"Do you like Sufen? It’s only negotiable if you do. If you don’t agree, what are we negotiating for?"

Jiang Baohua was a bit speechless at his wife’s slowness, "He already agreed, what are you thinking?"

Jiang Xingyong hurriedly ran to his room, feeling a sense of disarray and retreat.

That evening, Jiang Xingye returned from the county town and took over the cooking. Xu Qinghuan stoked the fire in the stove, and the two chatted.

Jiang Xingye put rice in the pot and brought a small stool over for her to sit nearby, "It’s hot, you can’t stay by the fire for too long, you’ll get overheated."

"About what you mentioned earlier, are you planning to mediate for Brother Xingyong and Sister Sufen? Aunt asked me about it today. You’re not planning to change your mind, are you?" Xu Qinghuan asked.

"I’m still a bachelor myself, and you don’t even feel sorry for me, but you’re eager to find a wife for my second brother?" Jiang Xingye leaned in closer to say.

Seeing a smudge of ash on her nose, he gently wiped it away.

Zhou Guizhi came over and saw this scene; Xu Qinghuan looked up at Jiang Xingye. Their eyes met, and the tender feelings enveloped them like waves, appearing impenetrable to outsiders.

She came over after eating, and Xu Qinghuan asked her to have a little more. Zhou Guizhi didn’t take the chopsticks and kept saying beside them, "I’ve discussed with your uncle, the room here is kept for them if they want to stay; if not, the kids can stay in it.

We won’t interfere if they live at Dong Gensheng’s place. Your uncle and I can still work now, so there’s no need for them to bear any burdens yet. When we’re old..."

Jiang Xingye said, "When you’re old, I’ll look after you. My second brother already has heavy responsibilities, and how much he can show filial piety is his matter, there’s no need to compare him to us."

When Jiang Xingye mentioned "us," he meant himself and his three cousins.

Zhou Guizhi shook her head, "What he should bear, he still has to. It’s his responsibility; he’s not a live-in son-in-law, he’s still a son of the Jiang family."

Jiang Xingye no longer insisted.

After dinner, Zhou Guizhi left, and Jiang Xingye went to the Dong family.

Dong Gensheng was weaving the dung basket in the last bit of sunset glow. Today, the dung basket bumped into Jiang Xingyong, breaking a strip; it could still be used with difficulty, but it couldn’t bear weight long-term.

"Xingye is here, come, sit!" Dong Gensheng called towards the house behind him, "Bring a stool for Xingye."

Li Fengying responded and brought out a chair, placing it at the door, "Have you eaten?"

"I have. Where’s Sister Sufen? What’s she busy with?" Jiang Xingye asked on a whim, checking if she was inside. If she was, she could listen too.

"Busy with nothing, why find time to come and sit?" Li Fengying was pleased when she heard him asking about Dong Sufen. Jiang Xingye wouldn’t come for no reason or ask out of curiosity.

Jiang Xingye said, "There’s something. Sister Sufen doesn’t have a partner yet, right?"

"No, she doesn’t!" Li Fengying was as ecstatic as a bear finding a honeycomb. Without hesitation, she plopped down on the doorstep, "Why, do you have good news for Sister Sufen?"

"Yeah." Jiang Xingye smiled, "Though it’s not a perfect match, I fear you and Uncle Gensheng might not approve. But the person’s character is decent, just that he’s been married before, which might wrong Sister Sufen."

Dong Sufen was inside mending clothes, feeling restless and bored. Hearing this, she accidentally pricked herself with a needle.

Li Fengying thought of Jiang Xingyong, "Little Five, what you say definitely can’t be wrong, but you’ve seen our current situation."

If it weren’t for wanting a live-in son-in-law, Dong Sufen would have been married by now. Her peers already have kids running around.

Jiang Xingye said, "I’m referring to my second brother. Your family wants a live-in son-in-law only for a child with the Dong surname and the old-age care. Both are not issues for my second brother. His character—you and Uncle Gensheng have seen all these years.

In the future, would you really be without reliance? Living with your family after marriage is also fine. Regarding children, the first will have the Jiang surname, regardless of gender. The first born son after that will carry the Dong surname. This demonstrates the sincerity of the Jiang family. What do you two think?"