"Chuxia, you’ve t Luan Dai twice before. Do you still rember what she looks like?" After a long silence, Luan Xiaoxiang looked up and asked Chuxia.
Luan Dai is Luan Xiaoxiang’s cousin, Chuxia knew that, but as for what she looks like, Chuxia really didn’t know. Because after becoming who she is now, she hasn’t actually t Luan Dai.
"I don’t rember." Chuxia shook her head.
"It’s understandable. You never bother to look at people you don’t like, so not rembering is normal. But many people in the village say I look a lot like her.
My mom told she got involved with Zhang Jiabao from the village, but both my Eldest Uncle’s Wife and Eldest Uncle disapprove, considering her personality, she’s the type to take a man’s car to the market.
I guess, soone must have mistaken her for . It just happened to coincide with the Wang family calling off the marriage, connecting the dots, it’s normal for people to confuse her with ."
"Did the two of you ever get mistaken for each other when you were together?" Chuxia asked.
Luan Xiaoxiang nodded: "If we’re wearing the sa clothes and have the sa style, if soone sees just one of us, we could be mistaken for each other. When you saw her, she didn’t look that much like , now the two of us look more like twins than Dajiang and I."
After pondering for a while, Chuxia said: "She’s only two years older than you, right?"
"Yes." Luan Xiaoxiang nodded, "She is just two years older than , and she does less work than I do, if you look at her suddenly, soone might think I’m the elder sister, and she’s the younger one. So, being mistaken isn’t surprising."
"As you’ve said, you have to dress alike, look alike. So, does she usually dress like you?"
Luan Xiaoxiang shook her head: "No, she dresses better than I do."
"There you go." Chuxia stood up, "Co on, Zhou Mikang and I will walk you ho now."
"Walk us ho?" Luan Xiaoxiang was taken aback and stood up with a gloomy face, "Xia, I’m sorry, I’ve embarrassed you. You, you don’t have to walk us, we’ll walk back ourselves."
"What nonsense." Chuxia playfully pushed her, "It’s not your fault. Even if it was you, I wouldn’t feel embarrassed. I know what kind of person you are, right?
We were planning to walk you ho today anyway. Might as well do it early and settle your issues. Otherwise, with your uncle’s temper, if he hears the rumors, it’ll be the end of him."
"Yes, if my dad hears it, he might really get furious." Luan Xiaoxiang sighed heavily, "He would believe , but he’d rather not confront i about it, and would probably just hold it in."
"Exactly, and if he gets sick from holding it in, it’s you and your aunt who suffer, right?" Chuxia grabbed her and headed outside, "Never say anything that’s going to embarrass again. You’re my sister; if I don’t protect you, who will?"
"Technically, I’m not anymore."
Chuxia gave her a disapproving glare: "Slap yourself!"
Luan Xiaoxiang just gave a sheepish smile.
...
At Eldest Uncle Luan’s house.
Luan Dai sat on the edge of the kang with a small box, cracking sunflower seeds. Her three-year-old nephew kept grabbing at her, so she’d give him a glare and shift away.
"Aunt, Aunt..." The little nephew reached out his hand to her, "Seeds, seeds..."
"Kids shouldn’t eat seeds, play nicely." Luan Dai pushed the little nephew aside and gave him a tiger-head toy, "If you don’t behave, I’ll throw you outside."
A three-year-old can already understand good from bad, and though full of grievance, he obediently sat to the side to play by himself, occasionally shooting glances filled with resentnt.
"Alright, alright, here, take them." Luan Dai glared at him, peeled two seeds, and placed them in his little hand, "That’s enough. Eat more, and you won’t be able to poop."
"You’re always bluffing him..." Eldest Uncle’s Wife ca in from outside, seeing her daughter brushing off her grandson again, she glared at her daughter and picked up the grandson, "Your aunt is bullying our little Baobao again, co, grandma will shell seeds for Baobao. However many you want, grandma will prepare for you."
"Such favoritism!" Luan Dai pouted with dissatisfaction, "Mom, he’s going to grow up to hog all the food on his own, and then you’ll see if I was right or not."
"You’ve always been the one hogging food from the start, and yet you have the face to bla others?" Eldest Uncle’s Wife glared at her daughter again, "A twenty-year-old girl, if you can’t be diligent, when you marry into the husband’s family, will they treat you well?"
Luan Dai scooted closer to her mother: "Zhang Jiabao’s parents will definitely treat well. Mom, talk to dad and agree to this marriage proposal, will you?"
"Dai, how can your father and I want anything bad for you?" Eldest Uncle’s Wife sighed, "The Zhang family’s situation is not bad, but their family’s been a bit unruly since the older generations. If you marry into such a family, how can your dad and I be at ease?"
"He’s really good to , and so are his parents. You’re always looking at people with old-fashioned views..." Pausing for a mont, Luan Dai continued, "Yes, compared to other families, they’re more outgoing and love to joke around, which surely many people can’t stand. But Mom, being with people like that is so much fun. Everything they say makes you laugh. Unlike our family, where everything has to be so proper. Even when there are ten people at ho, it sounds like no one is there. It’s really boring."
"Are you looking down on your own family now?" Eldest Uncle’s Wife kicked her daughter, "Let tell you, if you dare to secretly see Zhang Jiabao, your father will really break your legs, believe it or not?"
"I believe it, I believe it, of course, I do." Luan Dai said, getting off the kang and heading to the eastern room. Old Lady Luan was nodding off there. When she opened her eyes and saw her eldest granddaughter co in, she closed them again.
Luan Dai rolled her eyes and asked softly, "Grandma, who do you think is better, Zhang Jiabao or Wang Zhu, whom Xiaoxiang was seeing before?"
"Of course the Wang family is better." Old Lady Luan wrinkled her nose, "It’s a pity Xiaoxiang isn’t lucky enough. But with a mother like hers, how could she bring any good fortune to her child? Hmph!"
"Yes, Second Aunt looks like soone with a hard life, while my mom has a blessed appearance." Luan Dai said as she picked up a small mirror to have a look, "I look a lot like my mom."
Glancing at her granddaughter, Old Lady Luan nodded, "Hmm."
"Grandma, but I still like Wang Zhu. Can you persuade my parents to agree to this marriage? If I marry within the village, I can often co back to take care of them, right?"
"Do you think your parents would listen to what I say?"
Even though it was phrased as a question, the tone was obviously assertive.
Luan Dai felt a bit awkward. Indeed, it seed like she was desperately grasping at straws. Old Lady was staying these few days because her second uncle’s family provided so benefits. Otherwise, why would her father and brother bring the old lady over? Looking outside, Luan Dai’s face quickly filled with a smile, "Grandma, I’m going out for a bit."
She reached the gate and saw Zhang Jiabao’s younger cousin winking at her from next door, "Da i, my brother is waiting for you at the collective yard." "Call sister!" Luan Dai glared at him and ran towards the yard. Of course, she didn’t forget to look around occasionally on the way. She knew her father’s temper all too well and couldn’t let him catch her.
"Jiabao..." Seeing Zhang Jiabao’s tall and strong figure from afar, Luan Dai quickened her pace to run over, "Why are you looking for at this ti?"
Zhang Jiabao was 1.8 ters tall, very well-built, with a side-parted hairstyle. In this era, he looked quite handso. If Chuxia saw him, she would definitely say it’s a reford traitor’s hairstyle.
"The two of us..." Pausing, Zhang Jiabao said, "Soone saw us when we went to the market that day."
"What?" Luan Dai raised her voice, "Are you saying soone recognized ?"
"Yeah."
"How could that be?" Luan Dai frowned, "Clearly, I was wearing the sa clothes as Xiaoxiang, with the sa hairstyle. How could they recognize ?"
"How could you!" Luan Xiaoxiang erged from one side of the haystack, "Luan Dai, I’ve never done anything to wrong you since we were little. Why are you trying to harm like this?"
"Xiaoxiang, you..." Luan Dai looked angrily at Zhang Jiabao, "What’s going on?"
"I... I had no choice." Zhang Jiabao sighed with a pained expression, "Besides, we were indeed in the wrong. Otherwise, Xiaoxiang wouldn’t have her engagent called off."
"You two need to clear this up for , or I’ll report you to the commune." Luan Xiaoxiang looked hatefully at Luan Dai, "To think I always regarded you as a sister. Your heart is truly vicious!"
Yes, when Chuxia ntioned this possibility to her, she didn’t believe it. She thought, no matter what, Luan Dai shouldn’t do such a heartless thing.
She was more inclined to think that when Luan Dai sat on Zhang Jiabao’s bicycle, because it was winter and her head was wrapped in a scarf, people mistakenly recognized her.
Who would have thought that things turned out exactly as Chuxia predicted? Everything was deliberately planned by Luan Dai against her.
She just didn’t understand, what kind of grudge would cause Luan Dai to act this way?
Regarding the matter of taking care of their grandmother, Eldest Uncle had argued with their family before, but in the end, it was decided that her family would do it. So, how could that be considered a grudge?
For a girl, how important is reputation? Luan Dai couldn’t possibly not know.
Originally, she sympathized with Luan Dai for her family’s opposition, but now, no matter how she looks at Luan Dai, she finds her ugly.
"Xiaoxiang..." Luan Dai grabbed Luan Xiaoxiang, "I didn’t do it on purpose, no. I an, I did impersonate you, but I didn’t an it that way.
You know what my dad’s temper is like. If he really knew I went to the market with Zhang Jiabao, he could really break my legs. You know I’m not exaggerating, right?
I originally thought that with my big scarf, no one would recognize who I was. I didn’t expect them to mistake you for . At the ti, I really didn’t dare to speak up, fearing I’d be caught out. I didn’t expect... I didn’t expect to be misunderstood." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.)
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