My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

Lin Xiulan's face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single complete word.

"Qing...Qingshan...what are you doing?"

Looking into her helpless eyes, Lu Qingshan's gaze became exceptionally serious.

"Xiulan, listen to me."

"Before, I was incompetent and had no money."

"Now I have that ability. From now on, let's live a good life together."

He looked directly at her, speaking each word clearly.

"From now on, you'll be in charge of this money. Every penny in the household will pass through your hands. I trust you."

Lin Xiulan could no longer hold back her tears, which fell in large drops.

She wasn't unfamiliar with how men in plays would say sweet nothings, but none of them could compare to "I believe you."

These three words, like a warm current, instantly broke down the high wall in her heart that she had built up because of her inferiority complex and poverty.

She hugged the cloth bag tightly in her arms, as if she were holding onto the confidence and support for the rest of her life.

"Yes!" She nodded heavily, tears streaming down her face.

Looking at her red and swollen eyes, Lu Qingshan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He lowered his head slightly, his rough fingertips gently wiping away the tears on her cheeks, their warm breaths mingling intimately.

"Alright, stop crying." His voice was low and husky, with a hint of alluring laughter at the end. "If you cry again, I'll have to use my methods to coax you."

Lin Xiulan's heart skipped a beat as she met his deep, burning eyes. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she hurriedly buried her head in his broad chest.

She heard his low, resonant chuckle from above, and he pulled her even closer.

……

Lu Qingshan took Lin Xiulan to deposit the money first, and then went into the only state-run restaurant in the county.

The restaurant was bustling with noise, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and cooking fumes.

Lu Qingshan found a table by the window and handed the menu to Lin Xiulan.

Lin Xiulan looked at the menu with dishes like "braised pork" and "steamed fish" and their alarming prices, and felt a pang of heartache, refusing to order them no matter what.

Lu Qingshan smiled and called out to the waiter, "Comrade, one order of braised pork, one order of stir-fried pork slices, and a cabbage and tofu soup, plus unlimited rice."

"Okay!"

Just as the waiter made his note, a sharp and sarcastic voice rang out from the side.

"Hey, isn't this my sister who married a peasant? What, struck it rich? Can you afford to eat at state-run restaurants now?"

Lin Xiumei, arm in arm with Yu Gaoyang, walked over with an air of arrogance.

Yu Gaoyang, with his round belly and oily face, scanned Lin Xiulan with his small eyes, which were full of malice before finally landing on Lu Qingshan, his eyes filled with contempt.

Lu Qingshan didn't even lift his eyelids, and poured Lin Xiulan a glass of water without paying any attention to her.

Seeing that she was being ignored, Lin Xiumei was so angry that her face turned pale, and she deliberately raised her voice.

"Gao Yang, look how stingy my brother-in-law is, he only ordered two dishes. Let's order the best too! I heard the braised chicken here is amazing, let's order one!"

Yu Gaoyang's lips twitched.

One braised chicken is worth several days' wages for him.

But in front of Lu Qingshan, he couldn't lose face as a city dweller, so he could only grit his teeth and nod.

"Order! Xiumei, order whatever you want! Your brother-in-law is from the countryside, he probably hasn't even seen roast chicken before, right?"

He looked at Lu Qingshan smugly, trying to see envy or jealousy on his face.

But Lu Qingshan only glanced at him indifferently, his eyes looking at him like he was looking at a clown.

Yu Gaoyang felt a surge of anger and deliberately patted the bunch of keys hanging on his waist.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, my dad has already asked someone to get me a sewing machine ticket! Xiumei, after we get married, you won't be shortchanged on anything—the three turns and the one ring!!"

Lin Xiumei's eyes lit up instantly, her voice full of pride: "Did you hear that? Sister, the Gao Yang family are city people, they get government-subsidized grain rations! Bicycles and sewing machines, they bought them just like that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter brought the dishes over.

The steaming hot braised pork belly has a bright red color and a wonderful aroma.

Lu Qingshan picked up the largest piece and put it into Lin Xiulan's bowl.

"Eat more, you're too thin."

Lin Xiulan blushed and ate in small bites, feeling as sweet as if she had been filled with honey.

Looking at them, and then at the braised chicken he had ordered that hadn't arrived yet, Yu Gaoyang across from them felt even more annoyed and spoke sourly.

"Country folks are just country folks; they can't even be proud enough to eat meat."

"Unlike us city folks, we can eat meat every meal."

Lu Qingshan then raised his head, slowly wiped his mouth, looked at Yu Gaoyang, and asked an unrelated question.

"Are you from the food factory?"

Yu Gaoyang thought he was trying to curry favor with him, so he raised his chin even higher: "What's wrong? My dad's the deputy factory director!"

"Oh," Lu Qingshan nodded, his tone indifferent, "How many kilograms of meat coupons does the deputy factory director's family receive a month? Five kilograms?"

Yu Gaoyang retorted, "So what if it's five jin? That's enough for our family to have meat every day!"

Lu Qingshan chuckled softly, his voice low but each word clear:

"The government rations meat; a dual-income family only gets two or three catties of meat coupons a month. Your dad is a deputy factory director; if he can eat meat every meal, then... is that meat being deducted from the factory workers' welfare, or is it being bought from shady places?"

The restaurant fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Several workers at the nearby tables, who were also factory workers, immediately turned their attention to Yu Gaoyang upon hearing this, their eyes filled with suspicion and anger.

In this day and age, misappropriating public funds or withholding workers' benefits is a serious crime!

Yu Gaoyang's face instantly turned a deep shade of liver color, and he panicked: "You...you're making baseless accusations! My father is an upright and honest man!"

"Since it's not about taking advantage of the public," Lu Qingshan looked at him leisurely, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"Then what are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty? You have to wait ages for a plate of roast chicken. We country folk raise our own meat, slaughter it ourselves, and eat fresh meat every day. You have to count your ration coupons and scrimp and save to afford a bite of meat. Who's the loser here?"

"You!" Yu Gaoyang suddenly stood up, pointing at Lu Qingshan, his finger trembling.

Lin Xiumei also panicked and shrieked, "Lu Qingshan, what are you being so sour about, you penniless bastard! You make it sound nice, but can you even afford it? This meal might cost you half a year's savings!"

Lu Qingshan ignored her completely and pulled out a stack of brand-new "Big Unity" bills from his pocket and held them in his hand.

The thickness of that piece must have been at least two or three hundred yuan. In an era where the average wage is only a few dozen yuan, that's a huge sum of money.

"Comrade, check please." Lu Qingshan waved and pointed to the table. "Also, pack up a braised duck to go."

The waiter's eyes widened in amazement, and he rushed over, his attitude incredibly enthusiastic: "Okay, sir! It'll be three yuan and sixty cents in total, I'll take ten yuan from you, and give you six yuan and fourty cents in change. Here's your braised duck!"

Lu Qingshan casually stuffed the change into his pocket, then took Lin Xiulan's hand and stood up.

Before leaving, he glanced indifferently at Yu Gaoyang's table, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips:

"Young Master Yu, please wait patiently for your chicken. If you need more meat, just let me know. We country folk may not have much else, but we have plenty of meat."

After saying that, he protected Lin Xiulan and walked out without looking back.

"Xiulan, if you like it, we'll come every day from now on."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone in the restaurant.

Lin Xiumei and Yu Gaoyang stood frozen in place, the pointing and whispering gazes of the surrounding workers feeling like needles pricking their backs.

The steaming hot braised chicken that had just been served suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.

……

On the way back to the village, Lin Xiulan clung tightly to Lu Qingshan's back, her smile impossible to hide.

She felt that all the suffering she had endured in her life had been worth it.

As soon as the bicycle came to a stop in the yard, the old village chief from next door came running over in a hurry, sweating profusely and waving a letter in his hand.

"Aoyama! Aoyama!"

The old village chief, breathless from running, shoved the letter stamped with a red seal into Lu Qingshan's hand.

"Quick! A letter from Hongshi Forest Farm!"

In the shadow of the courtyard wall, Zhao Erhu stared intently at the letter, spat the cigarette butt out of his mouth onto the ground, and crushed it out with his foot.