Chapter 8

On the 28th, the Zhu family came to deliver the betrothal gifts.
The village buzzed with excitement once again.
Among the "three rounds and one sound," only the bicycle was missing. The betrothal gifts were also substantial, making it quite an impressive display in Zhu Village.
Whenever Sang Ran stepped out, she would be pulled aside by a group of curious aunties eager to chat. Some even asked her about her skincare routine, how she kept her skin so fair, and begged her to teach their daughters, hoping they could at least find a better match than the local farm boys.
The commotion made Sang Ran reluctant to leave the house.
However, on August 5th, she did go out.
This date was calculated by working backward. Originally, Sang Ran’s grandfather was supposed to pass away soon, and to marry off the original host before his death, the wedding date between the original host and Zhu Chang’an was set very close. Just two days after the wedding, Zhu Chang’an met with an accident.
Doing the math, it should have been around this time.
Although she thought that, since her wedding date with Zhu Chang’an was set much later, he might not encounter the accident, after all, judging by Zhu Chang’an’s current behavior, he had to report to his mother every time he went out and could hardly escape Zhang Cuixia’s watchful eye. Even when he did manage to slip away, he was still under Sang Ran’s supervision.
He shouldn’t get into any trouble.
But what if something did happen?
So, she had calculated that August 5th was the day, ten days before the wedding. And just two days prior, Zhu Chang’an had sent word that he would pick her up to go out and have some fun.
Sang Ran thought, This must be it. This is the day.
It seemed that Zhu Chang’an had gotten into a conflict with someone he was playing cards with. The person he argued with didn’t seem familiar and even brought a knife, slashing Zhu Chang’an’s Achilles tendon. Of course, that wasn’t the only injury, his arm and waist were also hurt, but neither was as severe.
Sang Ran suspected that this person was probably seeking revenge on purpose?
Thus, Sang Ran, who didn’t really want to go out, still didn’t refuse. Instead, when Zhu Chang’an told her to wait under the big banyan tree, she took the initiative for the first time and tugged at Zhu Chang’an’s sleeve: “I want to go too.”
Zhu Chang’an had a headache.
Sang Ran was so beautiful and so well-behaved, how could she fit in with those kinds of places? Besides, he privately didn’t want those people to see Sang Ran either.
He was afraid she would be bullied and didn’t want Sang Ran to follow him at all, though there was also a bit of distress that made him unconsciously curl the corners of his lips: “Be good, that’s not a place for you.”
Sang Ran pouted and shook her head: “Let me come with you, I promise I won’t say a word, I’ll just follow you!”
“Absolutely not!” Zhu Chang’an felt he had changed, he hadn’t even tried to scare her off harshly and was coaxing her so gently. But faced with that face of hers, he really couldn’t bring himself to be cruel.
Sang Ran quietly moved her hand from his sleeve upward, grasped his wrist, and shook it gently, whispering: “I’m so bored here all by myself, and there’s no one to talk to. Just let me come with you, I’ll just watch, I promise I’ll even sit in the corner if I have to, and I definitely won’t disturb your fun. Zhu Chang'an felt a shiver run down his spine from her coquetry, and his whole body trembled.
Damn it.
This Sang Ran really was his Achilles’ heel.
Zhu Chang’an wiped his face with his free hand and finally gave in: “Fine, I’ll take you. But if you get scared or regret it, I’m not bringing you back, you know.”
Still such a typical straight guy.
Sang Ran’s smile, which had just appeared, almost faltered. She pinched herself and then said: “Okay, I’ll be good, I promise.”
After saying that, she gave Zhu Chang’an an ingratiating smile.
Her big eyes were glistening, her little mouth was rosy red. Zhu Chang’an was momentarily dazed, his lips automatically curving upward, but he caught himself and quickly straightened his expression, pretending to be fierce as he said: “Alright, if you were really good, you wouldn’t insist on following me.”
Even as he said that, Zhu Chang’an still led Sang Ran away from under the big banyan tree.
An old man playing chess under the banyan tree watched them leave and glared irritably at the other old man who had been holding him back from speaking: “Why did you pull me? That girl said no one was talking to her, so shouldn’t I explain? Isn’t it ‘a true gentleman does not speak during a chess game’? After we finished playing, didn’t we chat with her too?”
The old man who was glared at: “…”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he forced out a sentence: “Idiot!”
To be so clueless at this age and still have a house full of children and grandchildren, it must be because God was blind.
“Why are you cursing at me?” the old man said, feeling wronged.
“This isn’t cursing, it’s stating a fact.”
Sang Ran followed Zhu Chang’an through several twists and turns, passing through several alleys before arriving at a house.
The walk alone took several minutes.
Sang Ran whispered: “You go to play for half an hour each time, does that mean half of it is spent on the road?”
Zhu Chang’an grunted and said: “It’s all for your sake. Girls are so delicate. Otherwise, I’d already be playing. I’m at a loss today, you have to let me play an extra half hour, got it?”
Sang Ran gave a fake smile: “Sure.”
Zhu Chang’an knocked on the door skillfully, exchanged the code, and went inside. As soon as he saw the situation inside, he exclaimed in surprise: “Wow, there are a lot of new faces here.”
The room was bustling with activity, crowded with people around a large table. It looked like they were playing Pai Gow.
As soon as Zhu Chang’an arrived, several young men came over to greet him, responding with laughter, "Yeah, Brother Zhang's place got raided, so we had to come here."
"Hey, what's up with you? You brought your little missus along too?"
Zhu Chang’an cleared his throat lightly, straightened his chest, and said gruffly, "Watch your language, all of you. Don't you know how to be a bit more refined?" Then he turned to Sang Ran and said, "These are a few of my buddies. You don't need to know who they are, don't hang out with them, they'll corrupt you."
"Zhu Chang’an, what do you mean by that?" one of the young men retorted angrily, hooking an arm around his neck, while the others chimed in with sharp remarks.
Sang Ran really didn't like it here, not for any other reason, but because the air was thick with smoke, making it hard to breathe. Besides, aside from Zhu Chang’an, she had never interacted with this type of social crowd and didn't know how to get along with them. She could only press her lips together and offer a faint smile.
The group of eighteen- or nineteen-year-olds roughhoused for a while but at least remembered that it was Sang Ran's first time there. Zhu Chang’an smiled and formally introduced her, then brought over a small stool for her to sit in the corner. He also handed her the sugar-roasted chestnuts he had bought earlier: "Just eat these. The restroom is over there. If you need anything, call me. I'm going to go play now."
"Okay," Sang Ran nodded, leaning against the wall on the small stool. With her two neat ponytails and delicate, pretty features, she looked utterly adorable.
Several of the troublemakers glanced over with envy.
They had all sneaked over here to play cards, but Zhu Chang’an was really something, his girl was so obedient and even came along with him.
Zhu Chang’an was proud, but he was still mindful of Sang Ran, worried she might feel uncomfortable. He didn't say much, and if anyone glanced at Sang Ran for too long, he would step in to block their view.
He kept everyone's attention focused on the dominoes.
Playing dominoes involved placing bets and seeing who had the best luck or could stay calm under pressure.
This style of play kept everyone on edge, and the noise was especially loud, as if whoever shouted the loudest would win.
Sang Ran slowly ate her sugar-roasted chestnuts, her ears tuned to the commotion over there, so quiet she might as well have been invisible.
Before long, the people there had completely overlooked her.
Until half an hour later, when a sudden burst of arguing erupted. Sang Ran immediately looked over and saw Zhu Chang’an and a young man standing face to face, red-faced and furious. They had already left the card table, like two bulls with bloodshot eyes, looking as if they were about to fight at any moment.
Zhu Chang’an was especially arrogant: "I'm just that good. If you can't keep up, then don't play. You've only lost a few rounds and you're accusing me of cheating? Cheat your mother"
"Damn, even if you're good, can you win every single hand? I never knew you were this skilled before. If you weren't cheating, who would believe it? Ask them, do they believe it?"
"You motherf*cker"
As the two argued, the group of young men split into two factions, confronting each other.
Sang Ran quietly stepped forward from behind the crowd and called out, "Zhu Chang’an, don't swear!"
The girl's delicate voice stood out sharply among the rough men, especially with what she said, it made Zhu Chang’an choke on his own saliva. The fierce redness on his face turned into a blush, and he looked rather flustered as he snapped, "Don't say anything, get out of here!"
"No!" Sang Ran shook her head, her voice clear and firm. "If you swear again, I'll go back and tell Auntie that you're here playing cards."
The two sides, who were almost about to throw punches, fell silent.
The tension in the air suddenly dissipated.
Zhu Chang’an backed down too. Afraid that Sang Ran would actually tattle, he quickly turned around to coax her. "Sang Ran, I was just joking earlier. I won't say it again, okay? Don't tell my mom. Oh, and I just won some money, look how much! I'll split it with you, half and half. How about that?"
Sang Ran pouted unhappily, about to throw another little tantrum. Though she usually acted very well-behaved, she did have her moments of stubbornness. This was also why Zhu Chang’an never dared to push his luck and bully her too much.
All the initiative lay in her hands.
But just then, the young man who had been confronting Zhu Chang’an suddenly swung a chair at him, clearly trying to launch a sneak attack.
Gasps erupted around them, and a few of Zhu Chang’an's friends yelled, "Hu Da, you bastard!"
Sang Ran's expression shifted slightly. She quickly stepped forward, pulled Zhu Chang’an aside so his back was to the attacker, and steadily caught the chair. Then, with a swift kick, she sent it flying back.
Thud,
Zhu Chang’an spun around just in time to see the young man who had been confronting him sprawled on the ground two meters away, clutching his stomach, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.
Surprised, Zhu Chang’an asked, "What happened to you?"
In the few seconds his back was turned, he had turned around to find the guy lying on the ground so far away. Though he had a vague idea of what might have happened, he couldn't quite believe it.
Zhu Chang’an looked questioningly at his buddies, who stood there stunned, then turned to Sang Ran.
Sang Ran shook her head innocently. "I saw he was about to hit you, so I tried to block it for you, but then he just flew backward."
Zhu Chang’an: “...” He felt there was something off about that explanation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Zhu Chang’an's friends swallowed hard, opening their mouths a few times as if to speak, but when their eyes fell on Sang Ran's pretty face, the words died in their throats. Trembling inwardly, they just grinned foolishly and said, "Bro, it's nothing."
Their words snapped everyone else back to reality, and they hurried to help the young man who still hadn't managed to get up. "Hey, hey, let's keep going. Where are the cards?"
For some reason, Zhu Chang’an felt a chill run down his spine and lost interest in playing cards. He shook his head. "No, it's about time. I should head back."
"Alright, take care," the group, who usually tried to keep him from leaving, waved him off with unusual ease this time.
Zhu Chang’an glanced at the girl beside him again.
She still looked as sweet and lovely as ever.
He shook his head, dismissing the eerie suspicion that had crossed his mind.
Sang Ran smiled faintly, tugged at Zhu Chang’an's sleeve, and said softly, "Let's go, we're heading back."