Chapter 76: Even You Have Moments of Concession

Jiang Fan did not sit down. Instead, he looked at Xiao Yuxin and asked, “Sister Xin, now that I’ve provoked them, will sitting in your shop bring you trouble?”

Xiao Yuxin smiled and replied, “There’s trouble as it is, but with you here, the trouble disappears.”

Jiang Fan didn’t quite understand, still looking a little concerned. “I can’t be here all the time. What if they take their anger out on you when I’m not around?”

“You don’t need to be here all the time. But this incident will set off a chain reaction. Those security punks you saw earlier, the ones who ran off as soon as you arrived, will tell Ah Sheng who you are. From now on, when you walk down this street, not a single thug will dare to mess with you. I’ll benefit from your reputation as well.”

The harshness of reality and the peculiarities of her life had sharpened Xiao Yuxin’s already keen intelligence, giving her a piercing insight.

Relieved that he wouldn’t be causing trouble for Xiao Yuxin, Jiang Fan finally sat down.

After seeing Ah Sheng and his two lackeys limp away, Xiao Yuxin looked Jiang Fan up and down and said, “Xiao Yu certainly has good taste.”

Embarrassed by the compliment, Wang Wenyu retorted, “Sister Xin, don’t tease me. If I had your sharp eyes, I wouldn’t have fallen for this troublemaker, this thick-skinned rascal.”

Having caused a scene, Jiang Fan reverted to his honest, guileless self and protested, “Men don’t know how to shout. All day long it’s ‘rascal this, rascal that’—it sounds awful.”

Wang Wenyu threw an arm around his shoulder, coaxing him with affection as if he were a child, “All right, my man is the best behaved. Happy now?”

Xiao Yuxin, seeing the young couple bicker and flirt, smiled to herself, then went inside to ladle up some bone broth, placing it on the table. “Have some soup first. I’ll go get some rice.”

At Huifeng, Xiao Yuxin took out two hundred yuan and handed it to the shop owner. “My friend got into a fight here earlier. The tables and chairs were damaged and some customers left without paying. Here’s the money to cover it, but don’t say it was from me.”

The shop owner, a man in his fifties, accepted the money. “I never thought you’d have such capable friends. I hope that after those thugs got beaten, they’ll cut back on the protection fees.”

Xiao Yuxin wanted to offer some comfort, but after a moment’s thought, decided not to make any promises. She carried the rice back to the fruit shop.

After their meal, the young couple returned to their rented room. Wang Wenyu immediately grabbed Jiang Fan’s left arm, carefully checking his bandaged wound. “It’s all right—no blood seeped through the gauze, so the wound is fine.”

Jiang Fan grinned mischievously. “But it hurts a little now. How about you kiss it better?”

Wang Wenyu replied with playful affection, “We sleep in the same bed every night—aren’t you kissed enough? Come on, I’ll help you undress and shower. Once you’re healed, don’t expect me to wash your back again.”

Jiang Fan hugged Wang Wenyu and planted a kiss on her lips. “Once I’m healed, I’ll give you a back rub every day. How’s that?”

Wang Wenyu pursed her lips in mock complaint, “That sounds nice, but you’re just looking for an excuse to take advantage. If I let you do the scrubbing, it’ll take at least an hour for my shower, and I still might not get rid of the sweat smell.”

Jiang Fan gave Wang Wenyu a playful slap on her bare bottom. “You used to call it taking advantage, but now that you’re my wife, it’s perfectly aboveboard. How can you still call it that?”

After their shower, the two lay together intimately on the bed. Barely twenty minutes passed before Wang Wenyu noticed that Jiang Fan’s underwear was damp again.

She laughed and complained, “You’re really something. The one I washed last night isn’t dry yet. I changed you into a fresh pair this morning, but you’ve already soaked them. Now there’s nothing left to change into—what’ll you do?”

Jiang Fan, who had grown up with little luxury, didn’t mind. He rested his hand on his favorite soft spot and said, “I’ll just wear them as they are. Under the covers, my body heat will dry them by morning.”

Wang Wenyu, feeling sorry for him, couldn’t bear the thought of him sleeping in damp underwear. She hesitated, glanced at Jiang Fan, and shyly suggested, “How about you just don’t wear any?”

Jiang Fan couldn’t believe his luck. He sat up, grinning. “Really?”

Seeing his excitement, Wang Wenyu blushed. “You can go without, but you have to promise not to cross the line. I’m already your wife, so there’s no rush. Once I’m ready, I’ll give myself to you.”

Jiang Fan nodded eagerly, then hugged Wang Wenyu closer. “Wife, you’re already doing me a favor—help me take them off, will you?”

“You’re so shameless, always bullying me,” Wang Wenyu grumbled, but her hands were already at the waistband of his underwear.

The next morning, just after eight, the sound of car horns from downstairs woke them up.

Wang Wenyu got up, dressed, and washed. Seeing Jiang Fan watching her with longing eyes, she couldn’t bear to leave and crawled back into his arms. “Why don’t you come to Guangzhou with me? Meet a few of my elders so my family can get used to you.”

Jiang Fan shook his head in alarm. “Don’t scare me. Just thinking about your family makes my scalp tingle. Let me work up my courage first, then we’ll talk.”

“So you have moments of fear too?”

“Of course. Your elders and parents are all cut from the same cloth, and anything concerning in-laws is a big deal. I have to be careful. I’m not that brave yet—let me prepare myself.”

The car downstairs was still waiting. Wang Wenyu lingered in Jiang Fan’s arms for two more minutes before getting up. “Be good while I’m gone. I’ll try to be back by tomorrow.”

Jiang Fan wanted to walk her downstairs, but he didn’t dare meet the people picking her up, so he just pouted and waved goodbye.

After Wang Wenyu left, Jiang Fan couldn’t sleep, feeling restless. He went downstairs to find the fruit shop still closed, so he wandered along the commercial street.

At the entrance to the commercial district, the main road turned in. On the right was the Shengda Handbag Factory; on the left, a vacant lot of more than two thousand square meters, rumored to be the future site of a hotel.

Further along were various shops, most of which were closed in the morning hours.

After walking seven or eight hundred meters, Jiang Fan reached his rented room. Beyond that were a video arcade and a cinema.

Next to the cinema was the village committee, and beside that, a vast stretch of farmland. Many factories had moved in, and the now wealthy villagers no longer tilled the land, living off substantial annual incomes. The fields had become overgrown and abandoned.

Jiang Fan sat down on a patch of grass at the edge of the fields, staring blankly at the people passing by on the main road.

Suddenly, from the brush behind him, he heard a man’s harsh voice: “Sorry, but I can’t even afford to eat. Lend me ten yuan.”

“I—I—I’ve been sleeping rough out here. How could I have any money?” came a timid, stammering girl’s voice, followed by sobbing.

“It’s broad daylight, and you still dare to rob people?” Jiang Fan thought angrily, preparing to get up and head into the brush.

The man spoke again, but his tone had softened. “Don’t cry. I’m really at my wits’ end. I just wanted to ‘borrow’ a little from you.”

The sobbing continued.

The man pleaded, “Please don’t cry. I still have two yuan—here, take it. Just please, stop crying, okay?”

A would-be robber, failing to get any money, ended up giving some away instead. Jiang Fan was both amused and exasperated by what he overheard.

Following the voices into the brush, Jiang Fan saw a man squatting beside a girl with disheveled hair and a dirty face, still crying as he tried to comfort her.

Jiang Fan looked at the man and asked, “What are you doing?”

The man, spotting Jiang Fan, dropped the two yuan in his hand and quickly fled deeper into the brush.

Judging by his silhouette, the man was at least 1.8 meters tall and slight of build. Jiang Fan didn’t pursue, but instead squatted beside the girl. “Don’t cry. He’s gone.”

The girl stopped sobbing, stood up, and looked at Jiang Fan. Timidly, she murmured, “Thank you.”

She looked about fifteen or sixteen, over 1.6 meters tall, her body thin as a bamboo pole. Despite her filth, her beautiful features were faintly visible beneath the grime. Her large eyes, full of helplessness, were dull and unfocused, reflecting the hardship she endured.