Chapter 3

Having crossed the river smoothly, Li Miaomiao said thank you in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, then lowered her head and walked away without waiting for Liu Wei.

Liu Wei found it a bit strange; the child usually wasn’t like this.

Putting on his shoes and socks, Liu Wei followed the path toward the village.

Most of the villagers lived on the flat land by the river, and those who were wealthy had moved to the roadside on the other side of the river.

Liu Wei’s family still lived at the foot of the mountain, so he had to pass through the center of the village to get home.

Li Jiaojiao’s house was right in the center of the village, and as he passed by, he saw her sitting in the house, crying.

Liu Wei quickly called out, “Jiaojiao, don’t cry! I’m fine, see?”

He thought Jiaojiao was crying for him, after all, he had fallen off a cliff and his fate was uncertain.

To his surprise, Jiaojiao cried even louder when she saw him, “Why are you still here? You’ve ruined me!”

Liu Wei said apologetically, “Look, I’m fine, not a scratch on me.”

“Just go! I was just about to break up with you, but my dad caught me!” Jiaojiao stopped crying.

Liu Wei’s head buzzed, and he panicked, “Jiaojiao, don’t joke around!”

“I’m not joking! I came here today specifically to break up with you! I’ve already agreed to be engaged to Hu Jianjun, and my family has approved of it!” Jiaojiao turned away.

Liu Wei didn’t believe it. He knew Hu Jianjun, who was ugly and short. How could Jiaojiao possibly like him?

“Jiaojiao, don’t lie to me! What have I done wrong? Tell me, and I’ll change!”

“I’m not lying! His family came to propose, and both families have agreed. We’ll be engaged in a few days and married by the end of the year!”

“Why? Is it because I’m not good to you?”

“It’s not that you’re not good to me, but my family doesn’t approve. I can’t do anything about it.”

Liu Wei felt extremely upset. What kind of era was this? As long as they truly loved each other and stuck together, no one could separate them.

Just then, Li Yukun appeared again. Seeing Liu Wei, he exclaimed, “Are you a ghost or a human?”

It turned out that Li Yukun had seen Liu Wei fall off the cliff and, out of fear, had climbed down to look for him.

He wanted to see if Liu Wei was alive or dead, to find out the truth.

But when he climbed down, he found no trace of Liu Wei, and then saw him at home.

Liu Wei was extremely upset! Seeing Li Yukun, he couldn’t help but shout, “You old man! Did you force Jiaojiao to break up with me? Did you force her to be engaged to Hu Jianjun?”

Seeing Liu Wei speak, Li Yukun approached a few steps and examined him for a long time before saying, “You’re not dead? I thought you were!”

Liu Wei said angrily, “Do you really want me dead? I’m not dead, and you’re not happy about it? Come on, push me down again!”

Li Yukun finally confirmed that Liu Wei was alive and well, and he laughed happily, “You’re fine! That’s great, really great!”

“To fall from such a height and still be fine, you must have a strong fate!”

Liu Wei asked again, “Did you force Jiaojiao to break up with me? Don’t worry, I’ll have money soon! I’ll definitely make Jiaojiao live a good life!”

Li Yukun finally felt at ease and said, “I didn’t force Jiaojiao to break up with you. I didn’t even know about your relationship! This was all Jiaojiao’s decision.”

He ignored Liu Wei’s claim about having money soon, thinking it was impossible!

Li Jiaojiao glared at her father and said, “Go away! This is all my decision. I’ve thought about it a lot and made up my mind!”

“I want a life you can’t give me! We’ve been together for half a year, what have you bought for me?”

“I don’t care about those things, but I don’t want to stay in the village for the rest of my life!”

“Liu Wei, you’re a good person! Just forget about me!”

Liu Wei stared at Li Jiaojiao in a daze. Was this still the person he loved?

He didn’t hear the rest of her words and left in a daze.

On the way, his mind was in chaos. He couldn’t believe he had been dumped like this.

He couldn’t believe Li Jiaojiao was that kind of person! The reason for breaking up with him was probably because she thought he was poor!

Why don’t you believe me? I’ll have money soon!

Liu Wei clenched his fists. Is there no true love in this world?

The more he thought, the angrier he became. You like money, right? You want a good house and a good car, right?

I’ll go earn money now. When I get rich, I’ll see what kind of face you’ll have! I’ll see how you’ll regret it!

...

Before he knew it, he was back home. His father was busy in the fields, and everything was as usual.

It seemed his father didn’t know he had fallen off the cliff! This was good, so his family wouldn’t worry!

Liu Wei took the motorcycle key and went out. He was going to sell ginseng! He was going to earn money!

He entered the cave and, after some careful selection, finally found a ginseng plant that was about 10 to 20 years old.

This ginseng plant seemed to have grown from a fallen seed and looked quite ordinary.

But this was exactly what Liu Wei wanted. If it was too eye-catching, it wouldn’t be good. He decided to act low-key and quietly get rich.

After crossing the river, he went to his second uncle’s house. Since his second uncle lived on the mountain, he couldn’t ride the motorcycle back, so he left it at his second uncle’s house.

His second uncle had built a two-story house by the roadside a couple of years ago. Liu Wei’s family’s motorcycle and truck were parked in front of his house.

His second aunt was secretly unhappy about this, but there was no other choice. It would be even worse to park it at another house.

Liu Wei greeted his second uncle and rode the motorcycle away.

Not far down the road, he saw a woman trying to stop a car.

Liu Wei slowed down and stopped, recognizing her as Zhao Li, a sister-in-law from the village.

Zhuyuan Village was mostly made up of the Liu family, the Li family, and the Shi family, who lived a bit further away.

Zhao Li’s husband, Liu Zhenyang, was of the same generation as Liu Wei, so he called her sister-in-law.

Liu Wei called out, “Sister-in-law, where are you going?”

Zhao Li got on without hesitation and said, “To town! I’m glad I ran into you, otherwise I’d have to walk a long way!”

Liu Wei knew without asking what she was going to town for—probably to play mahjong.

Occasionally, people in the village played mahjong, but the stakes were too small for her.

Zhao Li was known for her mahjong skills, winning seven or eight times out of ten. Her husband didn’t mind, and sometimes she even contributed to the household expenses when she won money.

It was still quite cold after winter, and Zhao Li, dressed lightly for beauty, felt a chill as the motorcycle started.

She hugged Liu Wei’s waist and pressed herself tightly against his back.

Married women with children were always more bold, unlike shy young girls.

Smelling the faint scent of soap on Liu Wei, Zhao Li greedily took a few more deep breaths.

Her husband hadn’t come home for the New Year, and she hadn’t smelled a man’s scent for a long time. For some reason, she particularly wanted to smell it, even if it was just a man’s sweat, which she found pleasant.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being separated from her husband for so long was a torment, both mentally and physically.

Some people in the village were interested in her, but she didn’t like them. She felt she couldn’t betray her husband, who was working hard outside, and often tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep.

At that moment, hugging Liu Wei, she felt a sense of security she couldn’t explain.