Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

Chapter 204: Cousin, I Saw Your Wife

“Jiang Qin has really become successful.”

“Indeed. From what he said, being a ‘Star of Learning’ seems even more prestigious than a ‘Triple-A Student’, and he’s the only one in the entire school.”

“University is not like our local high school. Students come from all corners of the country. Winning an award there is truly remarkable.”

“I wasn’t hallucinating that day after all…”

“What did you see?”

“On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, when I went to visit the graves, I saw smoke rising from the Jiang family’s ancestral grave from afar.”

“My goodness, that’s really something.”

Relatives and friends sighed with admiration, feeling that this New Year’s, they had truly witnessed something extraordinary, even catching a glimpse of the ‘Star of Learning’.

Jiang Qin, looking at the increasingly empty living room, suddenly fell into deep thought. ‘I can’t rely on this ‘Star of Learning’ title for the rest of my life, can I? It’s been half a year; this award is practically worn out.’

‘I should ask Jiang Zhihua to organize more competitions when I return, to replenish my arsenal.’

Actually, such trophies could easily be ordered in bulk from Shengshi Advertising Factory. They could produce a truckload in minutes, with a new design each year. But those wouldn’t be genuine.

Jiang Qin prided himself on honesty and integrity. He would never boast with an award he hadn’t earned himself.

“Master Jiang, the young miss has arrived in Shanghai. Please rest assured.”

“Jiang Qin, I’m in Shanghai now. I’m a bit hungry.”

As Jiang Qin was tidying up the teacups on the coffee table, he received two messages. One was a text from Uncle Gong, and the other, a QQ message from Feng Nanshu.

Uncle Gong’s message was very proper and brief, but the words “please rest assured” carried a sense of treating him like a son-in-law.

Feng Nanshu’s message was still as naïve as ever. Even though she wasn’t physically present, imagining her tone made it incredibly adorable.

“Okay, Uncle Gong. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Take care of yourself, my best friend.”

After quickly replying to the messages, Jiang Qin saw his mother returning from seeing off guests. She entered and asked, “Jiang Qin, it’s past three o’clock. Has Nanshu arrived in Shanghai?”

“Yes, she just got there. I’ve received a message.”

“It’s the New Year, and she has to travel so far. It would have been better if she stayed here with us.” Yuan Youqin said somewhat regretfully.

Stay here with us?

Jiang Qin looked at his mother in confusion, thinking, ‘Mom, you seem to have made a significant life decision for me without consulting me. What’s going on?’

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s already the afternoon of the first day of the lunar year. Where’s my red envelope?” Jiang Qin suddenly remembered a crucial matter.

Yuan Youqin looked at him oddly: “It’s with Nanshu. Didn’t I give it to her last night right in front of you? You have such a bad memory, young man.”

“I’m not asking about Feng Nanshu’s. I’m asking about mine.”

“What’s the difference between the two of you?”

“??????”

Jiang Qin suddenly realized from whom he had inherited his character.

His mother, it turned out, was a master at killing three birds with one stone: she saved the money for her son’s red envelope, pleased the rich girl, and even indulged in her fantasy of being a mother-in-law.

So, only I am left injured in this world. Great.

“Stop daydreaming. Come over here and help me divide these lamb chops. And organize the rice, grain, and oil given by my workplace.”

Yuan Youqin rolled up her sleeves and headed into the kitchen, calling Jiang Qin to assist. She divided the lamb chops into two portions.

One portion was sent to Jiang Qin’s grandmother’s house by Jiang Zhenghong, who had just returned from New Year’s greetings.

The other portion, along with the gifts Jiang Qin had bought, was taken back to her maternal home on the second day of the lunar new year.

Jiang Qin had lived with his grandparents in his childhood, not in the city, but in the rural Nanya Village, a scenic little village backed by mountains and fronted by a river.

Due to the harsh winter, the river had dried up and frozen over, and the hills were bare, lacking the beauty they boasted in the summer.

“Grandma, I’m back!”

“Grandpa, your grandson who’s more handsome than Daniel Wu is here!”

Carrying things, Jiang Qin entered the yard and immediately saw his uncle discussing international affairs with the villagers, while his second aunt and youngest aunt were busy gossiping with the women of the village.

He didn’t join in, heading straight inside to find his grandparents and spent a good while watching TV with them.

At dinner time, his cousin from his eldest uncle’s family, who had been playing outside, came back, carrying a bucket of Coke and Sprite. He sneakily pinched a chicken head from the table to eat.

“Bro, I went to the library on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month and saw your wife. She’s really pretty.”

“??????”

“Oh, I also saw you feeding her pistachios.”

Jiang Qin’s cousin, Yuan Zaihao, who had been in the village for quite a while and spoke with a heavy dialect, munched on the chicken head and spoke, leaving Jiang Qin speechless.

“Stop talking nonsense. Cousin Jiang and studying are like oil and water; he never goes to the library. You must have seen someone else, maybe Daniel Wu.”

Yuan Zaihao pursed his lips, “Bro, if you didn’t study hard, how would you become a ‘Star of Learning’? I really saw you there.”

“Zaihao, why do you only learn the good stuff and ignore the bad? Going to the library during the winter holidays, are you already planning to study for postgraduate exams in your first year of high school?” Jiang Qin’s gaze was icily scornful.

“I didn’t go there to study. I just went in to take shelter from the snow that day.”

Yuan Zaihao had no logical flaws in his story because he was telling the absolute truth.

“Don’t listen to Yuan Zaihao’s nonsense. I never go to the library. That ‘Star of Learning’ title of mine is actually fake, I rigged the votes myself!”

Jiang Qin tried to defend himself with the truth.

Unfortunately, no one in the family cared about his ‘Star of Learning’ title. They were more interested in the “wife” mentioned by Yuan Zaihao.

“So that’s why you go to the library every day?”

Yuan Youqin suddenly understood, thinking to herself that she had been foolish. When he had just started his vacation, he went to the library every day, and she thought he was studying. It turns out he was going on dates.

“Sister, is what Zaihao said true or false?”

Yuan Youmei looked at Yuan Youqin in surprise.

“Jiang Qin brought a girl home on New Year’s Eve. It’s the same girl you saw on the mobile phone wallpaper that day. She’s both well-behaved and pretty.”

Yuan Youqin spoke openly to her family, revealing everything and couldn’t help but smile when she mentioned Feng Nanshu.

As she finished speaking, the eldest uncle, who was holding a cigarette, suddenly trembled, thinking how close a call it had been. He was glad he didn’t listen to Youmei’s suggestion of giving a big red envelope if Jiang Qin brought a girlfriend home. Otherwise, with Jiang Qin’s thick skin, he would have been cleaned out of his private savings.

“Why does no one care about my defense??”

Jiang Qin turned to his cousin, “Zaihao, come, I need to talk to you privately about something.”

Sensing danger, Yuan Zaihao decisively shook his head, “No, cousin, I’ll just sit right here. I’m not going anywhere. If you have something to say, say it here.”

“……”

Jiang Qin gave a thumbs-up and then maintained silence, regardless of whether it was his second aunt or youngest aunt asking. He stuck to a policy of ‘know nothing at first question, shake head at all three’.

At two in the afternoon, after the family finished eating, it was time to distribute red envelopes.

Yuan Zaihao received a thick red envelope from Jiang Qin. When he pulled it out to look, it was a newspaper folded to the size of money.

If he wasn’t mistaken, it was the same piece that had just been used to level the table.

“Cousin…”

“Don’t waste it. Buy stationery when school starts.”

“???????”

After returning from his grandmother’s house, Jiang Qin officially entered his rest period. He no longer had to accompany Feng Nanshu, and there were no more relatives to visit, which made life suddenly much more leisurely.

On the third day of the lunar new year, the weather was clear, and he slept.

On the fourth day, the weather remained clear, and he continued to sleep.

On the fifth day, still with clear skies, he made a round to the library.

On the sixth day, there was a class reunion, but Jiang Qin excused himself, claiming he had a cold, and instead strolled around the small commodities market twice.

Although he didn’t attend the reunion, his classmates Guo Zihang and Yang Shu’an did, chattering away non-stop like machine guns, leading many at the table into silence.

Qin Zi’ang, usually the most arrogant and domineering, didn’t even make a speech this time, just silently eating his food, his mind still pained by the cost of the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

While Yang Shu’an was heaping praise on Jiang Qin, Qin Zi’ang actually felt like biting someone.

Others like Hong Zhendong, Yu Yiyang, Zhao Lu, and Kong Qianqian, still fresh from recent events, felt a tingling sensation on their scalps whenever they heard Jiang Qin’s name.

They couldn’t forget the fireworks-lit New Year’s Eve and the image of a well-behaved Feng Nanshu following Jiang Qin.

It was just too surreal…

Chu Siqi, too, remained silent throughout, only briefly conversing with Wang Huiru and Yu Shasha.

She no longer acted as self-centered as before, instead becoming good at remaining silent and restrained.

It was quite ironic.

Chu Siqi had always hoped to be a princess adored by everyone, yearning for admiration, envy, or praise.

But looking back, she realized the most dazzling star had been missed by her from the start. The collective admiration of all the other stars who said they liked her wasn’t even a fraction as bright as his.

“Shasha, do you want to go to the pedestrian street later?”

“No, I’ve arranged to meet Jiang Qin this afternoon.” Yu Shasha declined with a wave of her hand.

Chu Siqi was slightly stunned: “You’re meeting Jiang Qin? Why?”

Yu Shasha took out a wad of cash: “I have a big deal to discuss with my idol!”

“??????”

At around three in the afternoon, Yu Shasha arrived at the apartment complex across from Fuzi Lake, took out her keys, opened the door, and invited Chu Siqi and Wang Huiru in.

They toured the apartment, still unable to shake off their astonishment.

“You’re saying this is Jiang Qin’s house?”

“Yes, my sister was starting junior high last year, and it was inconvenient for her to commute, so my mom asked me to look for a place nearby. It turned out the landlord was Jiang Qin.”

Chu Siqi sat on the sofa, silent for a long while: “He bought a house?”

Yu Shasha handed her a cup of water: “I’m not sure about the details, but he seems to own three more properties around here, probably all rented out.”

“Three more?”

“Yes. And do you know how terrifyingly the house prices have risen here? Especially after Yizhong moved nearby, it’s changing every day!”

Chu Siqi and Wang Huiru fell into silence after hearing this.

Then, a knock on the door broke the silence. Yu Shasha hurried to open it, and indeed, it was Jiang Qin, coming to collect the rent.

Upon seeing Chu Siqi and Wang Huiru, Jiang Qin nodded briefly, then counted the money handed to him by Yu Shasha.

In 2009, group buying required a significant amount of funds for promotion. Six thousand yuan wasn’t much, but every little bit helped. If there were financial shortages later, he might even consider selling the properties.

“Idol, where’s Feng Nanshu?”

“She went back to her hometown.”