The canteen immediately fell silent.
Qin Jian sat opposite, eating his meal and asked Qin Feng, "What brings you here to see me?"
Qin Feng took a big bite of the meatball and, with her mouth stuffed full, said, "Brother, you have no idea. The family has set me up with someone, he’s both ugly and short, I don’t like him. But Mom likes him and is pressuring me to talk to him. I didn’t want to, so I left a letter at home and ran away."
Qin Jian quietly listened to her finish speaking, then asked, "What is your ideal type like?"
"Tall, handsome! Someone who can make money!" Qin Feng said.
Qin Jian paused, then looked at his sister Qin Feng seriously and said, "You shouldn’t measure a man with such a superficial view. All you care about are the most superficial things."
"But that’s what I like." Qin Feng lightly bit the end of her chopsticks, "Brother, what’s most important is that I don’t man. Do you want to see me uncomfortable every day after getting married? Can you talk to Mom for me? Please!"
"If you really don’t like him, I can say a few words for you. But, whether Mom listens is another matter."
"She’ll listen, she’ll definitely listen to you. But when are you going back? If you’re not going back, then you could write a letter for me to take home, that would work too." Qin Feng, fearing that Qin Jian would forget to intercede on her behalf, urged him to finalize the matter as soon as possible.
"I’ve got to go to the countryside in a while to provide some technical guidance. When I do, I’ll talk to Mom and Dad about your situation. Don’t worry now, a marriage can’t be rushed into!" Qin Jian said.
"Really?? That’s great! Everything’s going to be fine now." Qin Feng was overjoyed and began to eat and drink heartily.
The two of them ate while talking about the village affairs.
Qin Feng recounted to her brother the things related to their family that had happened in the village recently. Suddenly, she remembered the matter regarding the An Family that Zhang Juyun and their mother had spoken about, which had caused quite a stir in the village; she recounted this to Qin Jian.
"Brother, do you know? An Hao from our village, the girl who brought candied hawthorn sticks to our house last time, her father broke his leg, and An Hao went around borrowing money for his surgery. As a result, they racked up a huge debt, and no one in the family is repaying it, leaving it all to An Hao. Her stepsister is even worse; borrowing money is one thing, but demanding an additional ten yuan to pay back is just too much. An Hao’s already struggling with school and selling goods, and whatever little money she earns goes to pay off their debts. Now she doesn’t have a single cent left. I really worry about their family’s situation."
With An Hao mentioned, the image of her face, more stunning than the peach blossoms in March, along with the two dimples at the corners of her mouth, came to Qin Jian’s mind. Learning how tough her life had been, a tremor ran through his heart, and he felt a suffocating sense of oppression.
"How much does she owe?" Qin Jian asked Qin Feng.
"I’m not sure, but it’s said to be at least a hundred and fifty? About half of it is paid off now? Still not sure about the exact amount."
Qin Jian pursed his lips and nodded slightly.
After the meal, Qin Feng’s stomach was round and full.
Qin Jian took her for a walk around the garrison, while also asking her when she would go back.
"Brother, can I stay here for a couple of days?" Qin Feng clung to Qiang Jian’s arm, acting coquettishly, "I want to look around the city too."
After considering for a moment, Qin Jian agreed, "Alright. You’ll stay at our research institute’s guesthouse tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have someone take you by car to go back."
"Brother! You’re the best." Qin Feng happily nodded in agreement.
That evening, Qin Feng settled in for her stay.