Chapter 302: Chapter 302: Fortune-Telling

"When I was out for a performance a while back, I ran into a fortune-teller on the road, and he did a reading for Second Uncle."

Hearing Jiang Moli’s words, the whole family stopped eating and looked at her.

Jiang Moli didn’t keep them in suspense. "The fortune-teller said that Second Uncle has a clash with tobacco and alcohol. Staying away from them will keep him safe."

Jiang Dachuan scoffed. "Fortune-tellers are just spouting nonsense! I’ve been smoking and drinking for half my life, and I’m still alive and kicking."

As he spoke, he picked up the liquor bottle to continue topping off Jiang Dashan’s and Jiang Dahai’s glasses.

The others didn’t take Jiang Moli’s words to heart either.

What man in the countryside didn’t smoke or drink?

Only Jiang Dashan shot to his feet, snatched the bottle from Jiang Dachuan’s hand, and said, "She told you not to drink, so you’re not drinking anymore!"

"Big Brother, you can’t possibly believe that fortune-teller’s nonsense. They just make things up to cheat people out of their money."

Jiang Dachuan was unconvinced and reached to take the bottle back.

Jiang Dashan raised his hand and threw the bottle to the ground. With a CRASH, the glass bottle shattered to pieces, and liquor spilled all over the floor.

The whole family was stunned.

"Big Brother, why’d you smash a perfectly good bottle of liquor? Are you drunk?"

Looking at the shattered bottle, Jiang Dachuan’s heart ached.

This was the liquor Lu Cheng had brought when he accompanied Jiang Moli back to Plum Valley. He had treasured it for nearly six months and had only brought himself to open it for tonight’s gathering.

"All you know is how to drink! Did you not hear what Moli said? If you drink again, I won’t let you off!"

Jiang Dachuan was completely baffled by the scolding. "But... the fortune-teller has never even met me. How could his reading possibly be accurate?"

"It’s better to believe it than not! You are forbidden from drinking from now on."

"Fine, fine, fine. I won’t drink. I’ll never drink again."

Jiang Dachuan agreed casually. ’Jiang Dashan must be drunk,’ he thought. ’He’s just on a drunken rampage. He’ll be fine tomorrow after he sobers up. What a waste of good liquor, though.’

With that thought, he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, wanting a smoke to calm his nerves.

Just as he stuck the cigarette in his mouth, Jiang Dashan snatched it away and crushed it.

The next second, a heavy slap landed across his face.

Jiang Dachuan was stunned, clutching his cheek and staring at Jiang Dashan, unable to react for a long moment.

Ding Yuzhen wasn’t having it. "Big Brother, Dachuan didn’t do anything to provoke you! Why did you hit him?"

Jiang Dahai also thought Jiang Dashan was drunk. He quickly got up and started pulling Jiang Dashan outside, intending to take him home to sober up.

Lu Cheng and Jiang Peng helped as well.

Jiang Dashan couldn’t break free from the three of them, so he just yelled at the top of his lungs at Jiang Dachuan, "Moli telling you not to smoke or drink is for your own good! If you dare to disobey her, a day will come when you’ll regret it!"

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions grew complicated.

They all thought Jiang Dashan was using his drunkenness as an excuse to suck up to Jiang Moli.

Jiang Moli was no longer the person she once was. Her own father was now a cadre in a government agency, her younger brother was in the army, and her husband was a battalion commander. And all three of these men listened only to her. Pleasing Jiang Moli could bring a lot of benefits in the future.

’Jiang Dashan looks so honest and simple, but he’s actually quite shrewd!’

In reality, the entire family had misunderstood Jiang Dashan.

He wasn’t letting Jiang Dachuan drink or smoke because he genuinely had his best interests at heart.

Back then, he had listened to Jiang Moli and broken things off with Ge Yue’e in time, which had saved both his reputation and his eyes.

He didn’t believe in fortune-tellers, but he believed Jiang Moli would never harm her own uncles.

Unfortunately, Jiang Dachuan couldn’t understand his big brother’s painstaking efforts. With his liquor smashed and his face slapped, he was seething with frustration. But Jiang Dashan was his big brother, and he couldn’t hit him back. He could only suffer in silence.

...

After dinner, Jiang Moli and Lu Cheng took Jiang Dahai and his son back to the city.

When they got to the car, Jiang Dahai and Jiang Peng got in first.

When it was Lu Tingting’s turn, Jiang Peng stuck his leg out to block her. "You sit on the other side."

Lu Tingting glared at him. "What is wrong with you? I want to sit here. You don’t get to tell me what to do."

She tried to force her way into the car.

Jiang Peng held the door, blocking her. "Don’t sit next to me. I have a girlfriend now. I need to keep my distance from other women."

Lu Tingting was incredulous. "You have a girlfriend? Who’s so blind they’d actually be interested in you?"

"Just admit you’re jealous! Even if Teacher Shen went blind, he still wouldn’t be interested in you!"

Lu Tingting puffed up with anger.

Jiang Dahai stepped in to stop their bickering. "Alright, stop arguing. Xiao Peng, switch places with me. Tingting, you can sit next to me, okay?"

Looking at Jiang Dahai’s kind smile, Lu Tingting nodded and got in the car.

The country road was bumpy. To avoid bumping into Lu Tingting, Jiang Dahai kept both hands braced against the back of the front seat.

He then casually asked about Lu Tingting’s studies. "Tingting, you’re graduating in another year, right? What kind of work are you planning to do after?"

"I haven’t decided yet."

"You’re studying agriculture. A job at the Agriculture Bureau wouldn’t be bad. You could consider it."

"Oh."

Although Jiang Dahai was an elder, he didn’t have any unpleasant smell, so sitting next to him wasn’t uncomfortable for Lu Tingting.

But she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward when she remembered the time Wu Meixia and Song Ke had joked about her becoming Jiang Moli’s stepmother.

To ease the awkwardness, she leaned across Jiang Dahai and asked Jiang Peng, "Hey, who’s your girlfriend?"

Jiang Peng retorted, "What’s with the ’hey’? Don’t you know how to call me uncle? My girlfriend is Tang Xiaoyue. From now on, when you see her, you have to call her aunt."

Lu Tingting was exasperated. "Don’t you push me, or else..."

Jiang Peng gloated, "Or else what? You gonna bite me?"

Lu Tingting bit her lip, covertly glancing at Jiang Dahai’s gentle, kind face before turning her head to stare huffily out the window.

’If they really push me, I’ll just marry Jiang Dahai and become a stepmother to Jiang Moli and Jiang Peng!’

’That’ll teach those two bastards!’

At the thought, she couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

From the front seat, Jiang Moli turned to look at her. "What are you thinking about, laughing all by yourself?"

Lu Tingting rolled her eyes at her. "None of your business."

"Hey, have you been in contact with your Teacher Shen recently?"

It would have been better not to mention it. The moment she did, Lu Tingting’s mood soured.

She had written to Shen Yanzhi several times, but he hadn’t replied once!

"In a few days, your brother is heading back to his post. If you have any letters or things you want to send, you should prepare them early so he can take them for you."

Lu Tingting snuck a glance at Lu Cheng. Seeing that he didn’t object, her mind immediately started churning with plans.

...

「Back at the Military District Courtyard.」

Right at their doorstep, they happened to run into Wu Miaoyun, who was just leaving her home.

She greeted the couple warmly upon seeing them. "Oh, Xiao Lu, Xiao Jiang, you’re back from the countryside?"

Lu Cheng replied politely, "It’s still early. Why don’t you stay a little longer, Aunt Wu?"

Wu Miaoyun waved her hand. "I can’t. I still have things to do at home. Come over to my place to hang out some other time!"

She walked away with a huge smile on her face.

Jiang Moli looked up at the sky.

Lu Cheng walked over to her, puzzled, and also looked up. "What are you looking at?"

"Checking to see if the sun rose from the west. I’ve been married into this family for so long, and this is the first time Aunt Wu has ever smiled at me like that. I’m a little overwhelmed."

Lu Cheng chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Is that a bad thing?"

It wasn’t until they got home that Jiang Moli finally understood why Wu Miaoyun had been so happy.

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