Did Zhang Liunian, after draining Jiang Qingqing dry, set his sights on her elder sister?
No, she absolutely wouldn't let him succeed.
"Second sister-in-law, I'm in a hurry, I'm leaving now." Zhang Liunian didn't want to answer. After speaking, he got into the tractor and continued on his way.
After they left, Fang Ru remained standing in place. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but she felt Zhang Liunian had changed. Yet, she couldn't pinpoint where the change was.
But no matter how he changed, she wouldn't allow him to have any dealings with her elder sister.
Thinking this, she turned and went to her elder sister's home.
"What did you just say your brother-in-law's name was?" Fang Yan, who had been leaning on her sofa, sat up abruptly upon hearing her sister's words, her voice filled with excitement.
"Zhang Liunian, do you really know him?" Fang Ru's heart pounded with unease seeing her elder sister's reaction.
She didn't want her elder sister to be fooled by Zhang Liunian's looks. He was not a good man.
"That's right, no wonder he looked familiar. So he bears some resemblance to your brother-in-law, Zhang Liuxing," Fang Yan said, a look of realization dawning on her face, followed by a smile.
Fang Ru's scalp tingled at her sister's smile. She urged anxiously, "Big sister, don't be fooled by his looks. He's handsome, yes, and good-looking, but he's a lazy bum who sucks his wife dry. He just lazes around at home all day, knows nothing, and is utterly unworthy of you."
Fang Ru's elder sister, Fang Yan, was only 26 years old and unmarried. Such a young factory director was a prominent figure in the southern city. Many young masters and noble sons wanted to marry her elder sister, but her sister's eyes were only on the factory.
She couldn't let such an outstanding elder sister be deceived by Zhang Liunian.
"He's married? And lives off his wife?" It didn't seem like it. Truly, not at all. Fang Yan doubted her sister's words.
Fang Ru was exasperated. Zhang Liunian living off his wife and treating her coldly was notorious in the Ten Mile Brigade as a lazy and heartless man. How could her elder sister not believe it?
"Big sister, he's my direct brother-in-law, how could I not know his situation? Since getting married, he's been at home preparing for exams, saying he wants to go to university. But he only graduated from primary school, how can he be suited for that?
The reason he's doing this is to avoid working, to be openly supported by his wife.
Not only that, he eats and drinks off his wife, and is very cold towards her. I wouldn't want such an ungrateful wretch even if he were given to me. You must not be foolish."
Fang Ru was extremely dismissive of her brother-in-law's ambition to go to university.
University wasn't something everyone could get into. With his level of education, unless he was a prodigy with an eidetic memory, it was impossible for him to get into a prestigious university like her husband, and then return home to serve the people of the southern city.
"Going to university?" The more Fang Yan listened, the more interesting she found it. She felt Zhang Liunian was a completely different person from the one her sister described.
However, he was her brother-in-law's younger brother, wouldn't getting the braising sauce recipe be easy then?
"Second sister, I don't care what kind of person he is. Now, there's something I need you to do." Fang Yan was not interested in Zhang Liunian's romantic life; she only wanted the braising sauce recipe.
Since they were related, this should be easy.
"What is it?" It was novel to hear her elder sister ask for their help for the first time.
"Your brother-in-law has a braising sauce recipe. I want it. You go talk to him and see if he can sell it to me," Fang Yan said directly.
"Braising sauce recipe? He has one?" Fang Ru asked in surprise, looking utterly bewildered.
"He's cooperating with us on braised meat. You might not have tasted that braised meat; it's truly a top-tier recipe. If we can get it for our factory, I'll give you twenty thousand directly." This was the fee for their help, and both sisters understood it clearly.
But precisely because she understood, Fang Ru was stunned.
Twenty thousand yuan?
Just for a braising sauce recipe? What had this brother-in-law been up to while they were away?
Why did he have a braising meat recipe? Her husband hadn't mentioned it, nor had their family.
The old couple hadn't said anything either, so where did this suddenly appearing recipe come from?
"Big sister, are you joking? Does my brother-in-law really have a braising sauce recipe?" Fang Ru still couldn't quite believe that her brother-in-law held such a valuable item.
If they helped her elder sister obtain it, they would be earning a clear twenty thousand yuan.
Twenty thousand yuan!
That was something they might not be able to save even after ten years of work.
"Trust me, go do it quickly!"
"..."
Zhang Liunian knew nothing of this. At this moment, he had delivered the goods and received 320 yuan.
"Return to the county town." Having received the money, Zhang Liunian started the tractor and drove directly to the county town market.
He needed to buy groceries again.
"Here's two yuan. You go buy some steamed buns first, I'll go find Grandpa Tang again," Zhang Liunian took out two yuan and placed it in Zhang Qian's hand. After that, he bought a bag of rock sugar and turned towards Grandpa Tang's house.
This time, he saw the Tang family, young and old. They were very close, laughing and joking together.
When they saw Zhang Liunian arrive, someone immediately notified Grandpa Tang.
Grandpa Tang handed 50 yuan to Zhang Liunian and refused the rock sugar.
"I cannot accept any more. Accepting more would be greedy."
"This is for my grandfather and the children. Please take it." Zhang Liunian forcefully pressed it into his arms, then, before Grandpa Tang could return it, he turned and left.
"Liunian!" Grandpa Tang wanted to say something, but Zhang Liunian had already run far away.
With a sigh, he returned to the courtyard and faced his old father, his hand holding the rock sugar looking somewhat unnatural.
Grandpa Tang's father, an old fox, stroked his white and long beard and chuckled, "I think that young man has a very good appearance. He looks like someone who will be very rich and noble in the future. Take the rock sugar he sent. Interact with him more in the future, and you won't go wrong."
"Father, do you mean he will be rich in the future?" Grandpa Tang was greatly surprised.
The old man with the white beard nodded and smiled without speaking.
Seeing him like this, Grandpa Tang believed him wholeheartedly.
"Auntie, how could you do this?"
Meanwhile, Zhang Liunian, who had just arrived at the market, heard Zhang Qian angrily confronting a middle-aged woman, his expression grim.
What had happened?
As Zhang Liunian pondered this, he heard the middle-aged woman reply, "What's wrong with me? I'm not stealing or robbing. What's wrong with me?"
This voice belonged to Wang Xiao'e. He walked forward and asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Qian?"
As soon as Zhang Qian heard Zhang Liunian had arrived, he indignantly said, "Brother Liunian, she's actually selling crayfish at the market."
So that was it.
"What's wrong with me selling crayfish? I didn't catch them from Daming Lake. I'm selling mine, what's it to him?" Wang Xiao'e, seeing the main party arrive, evasively shifted her gaze, but quickly regained her composure.
"If it weren't for Brother Liunian, we wouldn't have known that crayfish were edible. If you eat them yourselves, fine, but you're also snatching his business. Isn't that deliberately opposing him?"