Xie Sui chuckled. She used to always say this, filling Xie Sui with immense resistance towards Lin Wanwan. In his youth, pride and face were paramount; if you looked down on me, why would I humble myself to please you?
Thus, Xie Sui never bothered to cultivate their marriage, sowing the seeds for future tragedies.
Recalling this, Xie Sui's gaze grew colder. "Zhao Xuefei, this is between my wife and me. You're a young lady, aren't you meddling a bit too much?"
Zhao Xuefei was stunned. Her usually effective tactics no longer worked. Xie Sui had truly changed, just as everyone said.
"I'm doing this for your own good. You're handsome, smart, clever, and the only son. What kind of girl isn't good enough for you? Perhaps Lin Wanwan played some tricks back then and forced you to marry her."
"That woman is deeply calculating and looks down on everyone. She's shameless yet acts so high and mighty. She doesn't deserve your kindness."
Xie Sui was so amused he almost laughed. He was quite eloquent himself, but he had to admit he was outmatched by Zhao Xuefei's ability to twist the truth.
Only son?
Indeed, but his family was destitute. He wasn't even qualified to be a prodigal son, as there was no empire to inherit. What could she possibly want from him?
Forced to marry her?
Wouldn't Lin Wanwan have had a better life studying, getting into university, and securing a stable job in the city? What could she gain from marrying him?
Did she fancy his unreliability? His sharp tongue that caused trouble? Or was it because he was handsome?
Ah, the handsome part was quite possible. Xie Sui was confident in his looks, the same in this life as the last.
"I want to, I'm happy to dote on my wife. Go find somewhere cool to stay. Stop wasting your energy on me. I see things clearly now, your tricks won't work on me. Try them on someone else."
Thinking of this, Xie Sui missed his wife and child even more. He abandoned the idea of fishing and decided to go home to see his wife, feeling more at ease.
"Stop, don't go."
Zhao Xuefei blocked his path with her arms, exasperated. "Xie Sui, you're something else. You toyed with my feelings and now you want to ditch me like this? No way!"
Xie Sui's lips curved into a wicked smile, but his eyes were ice-cold. "What do you want?"
"I, I want the secret recipe for your preserves. Tell me, and we'll pretend this never happened."
So that's what she was after. Xie Sui's smile widened. "What if I don't give it to you?"
"If you dare to refuse, I'll accuse you of rape and send you to jail."
The crime of hooliganism carried a heavy sentence back then, possibly even the death penalty. Zhao Xuefei's move was truly venomous.
Lin Wanwan and Xie Sui had stumbled into each other in the haystacks, and she could indeed accuse him. However, as an educated youth, vulnerable and alone, the villagers were protective of their own. Coupled with Xie Sui's parents' desperate pleas, and considering the prevailing societal views of the time, women who were wronged wouldn't dare to make a big scene. Two months later, she found out she was pregnant and had no choice but to marry Xie Sui.
Zhao Xuefei was different. She was a local girl with a large family. If this escalated, accusing Xie Sui would be a sure bet.
"Zhao Xuefei, do you have to push things this far? The preserves are how my family makes a living. If you know the recipe, you'll just make and sell them yourself, creating a competitor for me?"
"I won't sell them. I just want them for my own convenience. Xie Sui, can I really harm you?"
"We were once close, weren't we? Can't you spare this little thing?"
Xie Sui tilted his head back and looked at the sky, feeling as if he might vomit.
Those "green tea" girls should really learn from her. Listen to that. How manipulative. All it took was a mention of past intimacy to demand Xie Sui's money-making formula.
"Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise never to bother me again. I won't ask for anything back from our past. Though I didn't take advantage of you, I never even held your hand, you can't deny that, can you?"
Xie Sui felt like slapping himself again. So naive. He'd eagerly given her food and gifts, yet he hadn't even dared to hold her hand, only acting tough at home.
"I know you're a good person, Brother Xie."
"It's actually very simple. For every ten pounds of peaches, use half a pound of salt, half a pound of sugar. Cut them into pieces, boil them, and that's it. Go home and try it. If it's not sweet enough, add more sugar, or use saccharin. It's just a simple thing, just earning a bit of hard-earned money."
"Really?"
Zhao Xuefei was still a bit incredulous that it was so easy to get.
"How about we write down an agreement?"
"No, no need. Then Brother Xie, I'll be going."
Xie Sui sneered. You want to trick me? You're still too green. Compete with me in business, and you'll end up selling your underwear to cover your losses.
The recipe wasn't wrong, but Xie Sui failed to mention the subsequent step of sealing the cans and using boiled, cooled water for sterilization to extend shelf life.
Without preservatives, this was already the best method.
Just as Xie Sui was about to head home, he was blocked again. He felt like cursing. What kind of day was this? Was it this difficult to get home?
"Xie Sui, are you treating Wanwan sister right?" Su Dan novel network.
It was Wang Tiezhu. He couldn't sleep at noon and decided to stroll at the foot of the mountain, hoping to catch a pheasant or rabbit to sell for some money. He didn't expect to see Xie Sui and Zhao Xuefei entangled.
He didn't hear what they were saying. In any case, a man and a woman alone, what good could come of it?
"I didn't. Tiezhu, you're misunderstanding. Zhao Xuefei was pestering me, and I'm very annoyed."
"Brother Tiezhu, since you saw it, I'll confide in you. I want to live a good life with your sister Wanwan. You saw it, didn't you?"
If it were before, Wang Tiezhu wouldn't have believed him. But after more than half a month of change, Wang Tiezhu, being an honest boy, sincerely hoped they would live well and nodded involuntarily.
"Brother tells you, Zhao Xuefei is not a good person. She dates many people, tricking them out of money and goods."
"Is this true?"
"If you don't believe me, pay more attention to her. As far as I know, the village chief's son, Lu Tianxing, from Xiawa Village, Tang Huawen from Sanli Valley, and Wu Guanliang from Wujia River are all ambiguously involved with her. I was deceived by her."
Wang Tiezhu's sense of justice flared. "She's such a woman! What do you plan to do?"
"I've made it clear to her. We're a family, and she shouldn't disrupt my life. How she conducts herself with unmarried men is her freedom, as long as she doesn't bother me."
"Don't tell your sister Wanwan. Women tend to overthink things. I just made her happy; arguing would hurt our relationship."
Wang Tiezhu was a kind-hearted boy and was deceived by Xie Sui. "Okay, I won't tell sister Wanwan. But you must cut ties with her completely and don't hurt sister Wanwan."
"Absolutely. Don't you trust my character, Brother?"
Wang Tiezhu thought to himself, do you even know what kind of person you are?
"You're being loyal to me, so I can't treat you unfairly. From now on, you catch fish from the river every day, and I'll take you to town to sell them. You can sell a pound of fish for thirty cents. Catching ten or eight, that's five or six yuan. Save some money to get married!"
Wang Tiezhu blushed. "Thank you, Brother Xie. I don't want to get married."
"Then you can support your Auntie Wang and buy meat to eat. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll make money and have a good life."