Chapter 9: One Year

Then why did she choose marriage exchange? Could it be to get closer to Jiang Jiali? The mere possibility made Jiang Yanqing feel uncomfortable all over.

“I just knocked him out, nothing serious.” Jiang Jiali had woken up midway, just as he happened to return and saw it.

To avoid interfering with what Chen Xueying needed to do, he casually knocked him out again. This time, he would sleep until at least tomorrow, when everything would be settled.

Chen Xueying breathed a sigh of relief. If he wasn’t dead, it was fine otherwise, her father and brothers would be in trouble.

Seeing her relieved expression, his hands tightened on the steering wheel. His handsome face was unreadable; his exact emotions unclear at that moment.

“If you regret it, there’s still time to back out,” he reminded her.

Chen Xueying immediately gripped the strap of her crossbody bag tightly. In her previous life, after Jiang Yanqing passed away, a woman had specifically come to pay respects at his grave. She had stood there for half a day before being dragged away.

For someone to stand at his grave for so long, it was clear they must have shared a special bond. But she couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted now.

Suppressing her chaotic emotions, she feigned calmly and said, “I don’t regret it, Jiang Yanqing. Although we weren’t very familiar before, since fate has played its tricks, let’s try to get along well from now on!” She looked up and met his gaze directly.

He seemed to sense it and turned his head. Their eyes met, both startling each other before quickly looking away.

“As long as you’re sure it’s no problem. You’re acting on impulse now, and I’m afraid you might regret it later,” he explained, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

Chen Xueying shook her head hurriedly. “No, I won’t. I’ve thought through clearly. I’m not so shameless if Jiang Jiali insults me like that and I still chase after him, then I’d truly be proving his words right.”

Jiang Yanqing glanced at her sideways and chuckled inwardly: Still hung up on Jiang Jiali.

But it didn’t matter. As Chen Xueying had said, Jiang Jiali knew about his background. If they wanted to get money from him, they wouldn’t tell him the truth.

He had never been a particularly upright person. He had given her a chance, and she had agreed to it herself.

“Alright, as long as you’ve thought through. My job is special, so I might not be able to come back often. Also, given my status, divorce would be very complicated. We can’t divorce for at least a year.” One year would be enough for him to investigate the truth about his origins.

Chen Xueying knew Jiang Yanqing was lying about still being in the military. It seemed he had no intention of telling her he had already been discharged due to injury and transferred to a civilian job.

But she didn’t mind. In a year, Jiang Yanqing will be dead. By then, even if he wanted a divorce, it would be impossible.
“My monthly salary is 15 yuan. From now on, you can work if you want or stay home if you don’t. I’ll send you 10 yuan every month. If you want a divorce after a year, I won’t stop you and will compensate you with 200 yuan. Is that acceptable?”

Chen Xueying nodded. Although she knew Jiang Yanqing was lying, she had no intention of exposing him. Ten yuan was already a lot, and she was quite satisfied. “Alright, then it’s settled one year. Within this year, let’s try to get along. No matter what, neither of us can bring up divorce during this time.”

Jiang Yanqing didn’t understand why she said that, but he agreed, nonetheless.

After their brief exchange, they fell into silence for the rest of the journey. Jiang Yanqing had no intention of taking Jiang Jiali to the hospital, and both tacitly left him forgotten in the tractor’s trailer.

They presented their introduction letters and documents at the civil affairs bureau, and when they emerged, they were officially married.

Chen Xueying looked at the marriage certificate, bearing a name completely different from her previous life, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Seeing her cry, Jiang Yanqing grew tense. Was she regretting it already? Tsk…

Just as he was wondering how to stall and coax her, he saw the young girl carefully fold the marriage certificate and tuck it into her army-green satchel. After securely fastening it, she even patted it gently before looking up, her large, round eyes wide like a cat’s.

“Jiang Yanqing? Jiang Yanqing?” Chen Xueying called twice without response, then waved a hand in front of his eyes.

Startled, Jiang Yanqing took a step back before snapping back to reality. “What did you say just now?”

“I said, since you previously gave Lu Niannian two hundred yuan as bride price, can I get it back?”

Jiang Yanqing never expected Liu Guixiang would spend two hundred yuan to arrange a marriage for him. Regardless of her reasons, that money no longer concerned him.

It is better to give it to the person before him, at least he can keep her appeased. “Of course. Do you need my help?”

“No!” Chen Xueying shook her head, her pigtails swaying over her shoulders.

Seeing her refusal, Jiang Yanqing didn’t press further. His agreement to marry Chen Xueying was solely to gather information about his own origins. He knew she hadn’t married him willingly, but it didn’t matter, once he obtained the information he needed, he could let her leave anytime.

“Now that we’ve registered, is there anywhere you’d like to go?” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Shall we get dinner? Restaurants are serving around this time.”

Though summer nights came late, it was already half past four or five.

Chen Xueying had little interest in food. What kept her going was the desire to drag the Jiang family down with her and change the fates of her parents, siblings, in-laws, and nephews. Material comforts meant little to her.

But at this moment, there was one thing she dearly wanted to do. She took a deep breath and looked at him with hopeful eyes. “Um… I’d like to get a haircut. Could you accompany me?”

Her gaze was clear and bright, unlike the faint sorrow from before. Now, her eyes sparkled like dazzling fireworks.

Dazzled, he averted his gaze, his heart fluttering. “Just a haircut?” He strode toward the tractor.

Jiang Yanqing was tall, perhaps 189 or 190 cm? With each step he took, Chen Xueying had to jog three steps to keep up. The man walking ahead remained unaware, while Chen Xueying, accustomed to trailing behind Jiang Jiali like an eager puppy, found nothing unusual about it.

Only when he climbed onto the tractor and saw her panting as she caught up did he realize he had been walking too fast.

What was wrong with him?

Jiang Yanqing frowned, trying hard to dispel the unfamiliar feeling that seemed unlike him. He turned his head calmly and said, “Hold on tight, let’s go!”

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