"Who I am is not important, but it seems you were hitting someone?" The man looked at the palm print on Zhong Juan’s face, which clearly showed she had been slapped.
Gao Jianshe glared at the man with dissatisfaction and said, "What does our couples’ matter have to do with you?"
"I can’t intervene, but as a man, how can you hit your wife?"
The man’s voice was resolute and forceful. He turned to Zhong Juan and said, "Even if he’s your husband, he can’t just hit you whenever he wants. You can go to the women’s federation to sue him, and if it’s serious, you can even call the police."
"Who are you anyway? I’m her husband, what’s wrong with disciplining her a little?" Gao Jianshe, upon hearing the man’s suggestion to Zhong Juan about suing him, immediately grew unhappy. Pointing at the man, he said, "Let me tell you, stay out of our business or I won’t be polite to you."
"You’re not from the village. What are you doing in our village?" Gao Jianshe changed the subject; he didn’t know what the man in front of him did for a living, but when he spoke of Zhong Juan suing him, he felt inexplicably anxious and fearful.
"That’s none of your business."
The man glanced at Zhong Juan, saw that she had no intention to speak up, and turned to leave.
Gao Jianshe followed the man all the way until he saw him walk up to Xu Qinghe’s house. He asked, "Are you a relative of Xu Qinghe’s family? How come I’ve never seen you before?"
Without a word, the man just gazed at the house not far away. It seemed like just last year, during Xu Nianji’s wedding, that place was still an empty plot. Could it be that they built a new house so quickly?
However, it did not look like a private residence.
"That’s the furniture factory of Xu Qinghe’s family. Don’t you know?" As Gao Jianshe spoke, he scrutinized the man, guessing in his mind that he must be a relative from Xu Nianji’s grandmother’s side.
"I don’t care what relation you are to Xu Qinghe’s family; just keep out of my and my woman’s business."
Gao Jianshe warned fiercely before turning to leave.
Xu Nianhua had been planning to go home to get some things. From a distance, she saw Gao Jianshe warning someone and standing at her house’s doorstep. She hurried forward, and upon seeing the man, she was a bit surprised, asking, "Shuyuan bro, when did you arrive?"
During the New Year’s festivities, her grandfather wasn’t feeling too well in South City, so the two families didn’t visit each other. They could only exchange New Year’s greetings over the phone. Seeing Ji Shuyuan now was somewhat unexpected for her.
"Just arrived." Ji Shuyuan looked at Xu Nianhua. Compared to last year, the young girl seemed to have grown even prettier. Wearing a light blue dress, her skin appeared exceptionally fair, and her eyes were lively and spirited, as if they could speak.
"You’ve become more and more beautiful." Ji Shuyuan complimented.
"Thank you for the compliment, Shuyuan bro," Xu Nianhua responded with grace, saying, "Shuyuan bro, please come in. It’s very hot outside."
As Ji Shuyuan entered the yard and sat down in the living room, he noticed that there was actually an electric fan in the house?
Ji Shuyuan’s eyes flickered. Their family had an electric fan as well, but the price of an electric fan was truly not cheap.
In the past, when his aunt hadn’t separated from the family, they often relied on his father and uncles for support. How is it that his aunt’s family seemed to be living better and better now?
"How’s grandpa doing? Is his health okay? During the New Year’s, because Nian’an and I had to take the college entrance exams, we couldn’t go to visit grandpa." Xu Nianhua spoke somewhat guiltily. With all the busy events at home, after the exams, she was either at the Chili Sauce Factory or at the furniture factory, working like a spinning top every day.