“Dad, the supermarket is here!” Xiao Haohao, his chubby face alight with pride, tugged Jiang Ci’s hand, leading him to the store’s entrance. He knew the way, and he could buy soy sauce!
“Brother Qi, what’s so beautiful?” the young man asked, curious to see Fang Qi staring intently at the father and son.
Fang Qi stroked his chin, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Something fun. Want to play?”
“Brother Qi, what game are you playing?” The young man’s eyes lit up, and he hurried closer.
“The mouse teases the blind man,” Fang Qi chuckled.
“Blind man?” The young man scratched his head. “Where’s the blind man?” His gaze landed on the two entering the store, and he finally noticed the tall man’s peculiar eyes. He turned his head. “Brother Qi, is he blind? Did he offend you?”
“He didn’t offend me. I just took a fancy to his woman and want to steal her away,” Fang Qi said, a smug smile playing on his lips.
Even the slow-witted young man understood. “Is that rich girl the blind man’s girlfriend?”
“Wrong,” Fang Qi corrected, his voice laced with triumph. “She’s my wife!”
Inside the store, the proprietress, engrossed in her TV show, looked up as the little boy led the tall man in. She glanced at them and asked casually, “What do you need to buy?”
“Haohao wants to buy soy sauce, big sister. Do you have soy sauce here?” Xiao Haohao asked, his voice milky sweet as he tilted his head back.
“Oh, you little dear, so well-behaved! Yes, we have soy sauce, a whole row on that shelf over there,” the proprietress replied, flattered to be called “big sister.” She quickly turned, her round face crinkling with a smile, her eyes narrowing with delight. Children these days were truly insightful and sensible.
“Thank you, big sister,” Xiao Haohao said, ever polite.
“Hey, this kid is so polite,” the proprietress muttered, beaming as she returned to her TV.
“Dad, the soy sauce is over there,” Xiao Haohao said, guiding Jiang Ci to the shelf.
The shelf was high. Xiao Haohao pointed at a bottle on the top row, which he recognized. Before they left, his grandmother had shown him the exact bottle. “Dad, Haohao isn’t tall enough. Reach out and get it.”
Jiang Ci reached out and took the bottle of soy sauce.
“Yes, yes, this is the soy sauce. Haohao remembers it! Dad is amazing!” Xiao Haohao beamed, praising his father.
“Big sister, how much is the soy sauce? Haohao will give you the money,” Xiao Haohao said, walking back to the counter. He placed his hands on the edge, stood on tiptoes, and rolled his big eyes, asking in his sweet, childish voice.
“Five wen. Just give me ¥5 RMB,” the proprietress said, liking this fair-skinned, sensible child even more.
“Madam, this is ¥5 RMB . Here you go. I want soy sauce.” Suddenly, the bottle in Jiang Ci’s hand was snatched away, and the young man tossed a ¥5 RMB coin into the counter>
“That’s Haohao’s soy sauce!” Xiao Haohao cried, his mouth pursing in anger as he watched his father’s soy sauce taken away.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, there’s a lot more there. I’ll get it for you,” the proprietress said quickly, fearing a quarrel. She hurried to the shelf, grabbed another bottle, and placed it on the counter.
“I want this bottle too,” the young man said, taking the new bottle and throwing another coin down.
The proprietress smiled awkwardly. “It’s fine, we have a lot of soy sauce.” She brought another bottle, and the young man took it again. “Young man, how many bottles of soy sauce do you want? I’ll get them all at once,” she said, growing impatient.
“I don’t know,” the young man said, glancing at Fang Qi outside the door, then chuckled. “However many bottles he buys, I want that many.”
The proprietress paused, still not fully understanding. She was here to bother this tall man. Being a smart woman, she knew to pretend ignorance.
Xiao Haohao felt the uncle in front of him was a bad person. His body trembled. He moved closer to Jiang Ci’s leg, his plump hand gripping the hem of Jiang Ci’s clothes. “Dad.”
Jiang Ci spoke slowly. “However much I buy, you buy as much? Do you want to be richer than me?”
“What?” The young man was stunned. Richer than him?
“Is one million enough to buy this small supermarket?” Jiang Ci said, his face expressionless. “You can make an offer.”
A hundred…a million? The proprietress was dumbfounded. The young man was speechless. And Fang Qi at the shop door was also shocked, his hands trembling with excitement. His desire to marry Su Yue intensified. One million! If a blind man could casually talk about one million after marrying her, imagine what he could gain if he married Su Yue… The more he thought about it, the hotter his heart burned. He wanted to marry Su Yue immediately.
The young man swallowed and turned to look at Fang Qi, who subtly shook his head. “Crazy,” the young man muttered, backing away with the bottles of soy sauce. “I don’t want it anymore.”
After he left, the proprietress offered Jiang Ci another bottle of soy sauce. She laughed awkwardly. ” ¥5 RMB is enough for your soy sauce. I wouldn’t dare to dream of one million.” She thought Jiang Ci was just joking, trying to scare the other guy.
“Someone will contact you later and transfer the money to your account. If one million isn’t satisfactory, you can make a request to my assistant,” Jiang Ci said, taking the soy sauce, his tone light.
“What?” The proprietress was utterly dumbfounded, her eyes wide. Really one… one million? Her entire store’s inventory was only worth tens of thousands. This person wasn’t joking. Hiss, she secretly pinched her thigh. She wasn’t dreaming.
“The only condition is that you deliver daily necessities to the Fang family every month. If the two old people come to your store to buy things, you cannot charge them,” Jiang Ci said, giving the proprietress Grandpa Fang’s address.
So they were relatives of the two old people, no wonder he was so rich. And Granny Fang’s daughter had married into a wealthy family.
“No problem, no problem at all! Don’t worry, I’ll deliver the goods on time every month, and the quality will be absolutely guaranteed!” The proprietress quickly patted her chest, her eyes squinting with a delighted smile. It was as if the world had handed her a golden opportunity. This time, she would finally have enough money to buy a house for her daughter in town.
On the way back, Jiang Ci carried the ¥Million RMB soy sauce bottle, his son clutching the hem of his clothes. “Dad, Haohao bought soy sauce, and Grandma will praise Haohao!” Xiao Haohao chirped happily. Suddenly, he stopped, looking ahead with fear. He tugged at Jiang Ci’s clothes. “Dad, there are bad guys.”
Fang Qi, with Zheng Yong, was waiting for Jiang Ci by the roadside.
“Hey, let’s talk,” Fang Qi said, walking up to Jiang Ci with an arrogant swagger. “You’re Su Yue’s husband, right?”
Jiang Ci frowned.
“I like Su Yue,” Fang Qi stated directly. “Tell me, if I went to confess to her, would she choose a disfigured blind man, or a handsome man like me?”
“Brother Qi, you don’t even need her to choose. Women just fall for you,” Zheng Yong chuckled.
“So what?” Jiang Ci’s lips twitched.
Fang Qi extended his hand. “So, you should know your place and leave Su Yue quickly to avoid embarrassing yourself.” His hand was about to pat Jiang Ci’s face in a warning gesture, but in the next second, it was seized and then flung away with brutal force.
Jiang Ci handed the soy sauce to Xiao Haohao. “Hold this. Go farther away, don’t break it, or you’ll get a spanking.”
Xiao Haohao quickly cradled the bottle with his two chubby hands, looking at his father. He was holding the ¥Million RMB soy sauce bottle and obediently walked to the side.
“Brother Qi, are you alright? This blind man is too arrogant! I’ll teach him a lesson for you!” Zheng Yong said angrily.
“I’m fine. Just step back and leave it alone,” Fang Qi said.
“Okay.” Zheng Yong thought Fang Qi was planning some trick on the blind man, so he stepped aside and squatted down to watch the show.
Fang Qi smiled at Jiang Ci, provocatively. “Blind man, you’re very angry. Come on, hit me.”
Jiang Ci made a soft, sharp sound. “Are you sure?” Jiang Ci’s slender fingers twitched. In City B, no one dared tell Jiang Ci to hit them. Fang Qi was truly a strange person.
“Am i still afraid of a blind man?” Fang Qi saw that Jiang Ci was irritated and seemed ready to strike, and he was overjoyed. “Hit me…”
The next second, Jiang Ci’s fist landed fiercely on Fang Qi’s face, cutting off his words abruptly.
“Brother Qi!” Zheng Yong stood up in shock, but remembering Fang Qi’s earlier instructions, he didn’t step forward to help.
Fang Qi staggered back two steps, blood instantly gushing from his nose. He touched it, the bright red liquid making him grit his teeth. “You think I’d be afraid of you?” he challenged, still defiant.
Jiang Ci raised his foot, delivering a sharp kick that sent Fang Qi directly to the ground. He looked sullen. “Boring, boring.”
“Brother Qi!” Zheng Yong was stunned. Wasn’t this man blind?
Fang Qi clutched his stomach, groaning in pain. He had planned to anger the blind man, let him throw a few punches, and then play a bitter trick on Su Yue. He hadn’t expected this blind man… this blind man hit with terrifying precision and ruthlessness. Fang Qi’s handsome face was twisted with pain. He spat and stood up. “I don’t believe in evil.” He hadn’t fought back before; it was all part of his plan. Now, he was ready.
Fang Qi rushed towards Jiang Ci, and just as he reached out, his hand was seized by Jiang Ci, followed by another punch, and then a kick that sent him flying again.
“Brother Qi!” Zheng Yong didn’t care about watching the show anymore. He rushed over to help Fang Qi. “Don’t you worry brother ? I’ll beat him up for you.”
“Come on!” Fang Qi gritted his teeth. He had been in fights before, but even when he took a punch, it was never as painful as this. This blind man had clearly trained, otherwise, how could he have been kicked so easily?
Compared to the tall, thin Fang Qi, Zheng Yong was much stronger. However, his fist was not only caught by Jiang Ci, but he also received one of Jiang Ci’s punches, which sent him directly to the ground.
He-damn, is he really blind?
“Brother Qi, what should I do?” No matter how stupid Zheng Yong was, he knew they couldn’t beat the blind man.
Fang Qi’s eyes were black and blue, his nose red and swollen from nosebleeds. He stood up. “Let’s go.” He glared at Jiang Ci, the ‘blind’ man, and left. He had planned to anger the blind man, let him get a few hits in. But he hadn’t lost his mind. He knew that when he had money later, it wouldn’t be too late to seek revenge on this blind man.
“The bad guy is gone! Dad is really amazing!” Xiao Haohao, his big eyes shining bright, ran back to Jiang Ci with his short legs. “Dad, let’s go home.”
Jiang Ci brushed his sleeves in disgust, feeling the two were utterly boring.
At the Fang family’s side, Li Yanmei came out to take out the trash and happened to see Grandma Fang standing at the door. Her eyes lit up, remembering her son’s words to get closer to their family. The next second, Li Yanmei greeted Grandma Fang with a wide smile. “Mother Fang, is Yueyue’ss foot healed?”
“Yes, it’s fine for walking now,” Grandma Fang said, looking into the distance. She hadn’t seen Jiang Ci and the child yet.
“That’s good. Young bodies heal quickly,” Li Yanmei smiled. “Who are you waiting for, standing at the door?”
“My grandson-in-law and the child went to buy soy sauce. They’ve been gone so long. I’m afraid they might get lost. I’ll go look for them in a bit,” Grandma Fang said, a little worried. She shouldn’t have let them go buy soy sauce.
What’s there to worry about buying soy sauce? Li Yanmei pouted. She suddenly remembered what her son had said: Su Yue married a blind man, and it was a curse. Even buying soy sauce was a worry. Their Fang Qi was much better—handsome, not blind. Thinking this, Li Yanmei lifted her head confidently. “I knew your family was short on soy sauce, so I asked Fang Qi to buy it for the elderly. Fang Qi walks fast. If you need anything in the future, just ask him.”
“How can this be done? It’s too much trouble for that child,” Grandma Su said, embarrassed.
“It’s just a small matter… Good heavens!” Before Li Yanmei could finish, she saw her son walking back, supported by someone, his face bruised. She cried out in fright. “What’s the matter? What happened?” Li Yanmei rushed forward anxiously.
“Auntie, Qi Ge was beaten,” Zheng Yong said, echoing Fang Qi’s earlier instruction.
“What happened? Who dares to beat you in this village?” Li Yanmei’s voice was sharp, piercing the air.
“Where is Xiao Qi injured? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Grandma Fang , seeing the scene, asked with concern.
“Grandma, Haohao came back from buying soy sauce!” Over there, Xiao Haohao happily trotted on his short legs. He ran over and proudly showed the soy sauce bottle to Grandma Su, saying in his milky voice, “Grandma, the soy sauce Haohao bought!”
“Good boy, that’s amazing!” Grandma Fang patted the little boy’s head in praise and took the soy sauce.
Xiao Haohao grinned, then, seeing Fang Qi not far away, he pouted and pointed at him. “Bad guy! Dad is great, Dad beats!” After speaking, he ran back to Jiang Ci’s side.
“Auntie, it’s him! This guy beat Brother Qi!” Zheng Yong glared at Jiang Ci, pointing angrily.
Su Yue, cooking in the kitchen, heard the commotion and quickly came out.
“Fine, a blind man dares to bully my family!” Li Yanmei saw her son’s bruised eyes, his red and swollen nose, and him clutching his stomach. It was clear he was seriously injured. She had coddled her son since he was a child, never letting him lift a finger. Now that he was beaten, how could Li Yanmei stand for it? She exploded in rage.
When Su Yue saw Jiang Ci returning, she walked up to him and asked softly, “Why did it take so long to come back? The supermarket isn’t far, is it?”
Jiang Ci sneered. “I ran into a fool blocking the way.”
“You beat someone, and you’re still insulting them?” Zheng Yong said to Li Yanmei. “Auntie, this person kicked us several times. I don’t know if we have any internal injuries.”
“You’re so outrageous! How dare you kick my son?” Li Yanmei rushed to Fang Qi. “Son, let’s go. Mom will take you to the hospital.”
Fang Qi’s eyes lit up when he saw Su Yue come out. The show was about to begin, and he didn’t want to leave. He secretly winked at Li Yanmei and said weakly, “Mom, I’m fine. Just rub some medicinal wine. Don’t waste that money.”
Su Yue looked at Jiang Ci, then at Fang Qi. Jiang Ci hit Fang Qi?
“What happened?” she asked Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci crossed his arms, an impatient look on his face. “I beat him,” he said with disgust. “He made no sense at all, and I kicked him down with one foot.”
Fang Qi gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He continued, “I shouldn’t have told your husband that I like you, let alone that I’d pursue you.” Fang Qi looked at Su Yue with feigned affection. “I know it’s not good of me, but some things are out of my control.” Fang Qi had never confessed so dramatically before. Usually, a few sweet words were enough to send women falling into his arms. Now that he had put in so much effort, he believed Su Yue would be moved to tears.
Su Yue looked at him blankly.
Fang Qi caught Su Yue’s gaze, a hint of pride in his eyes. The next second, he lowered his gaze, laughing softly at himself. “Even if I get beaten, I accept it. Su Yue, I like you.”
“Son, you are too stupid,” Li Yanmei chimed in, playing along with her son.
“Su Yue, don’t blame your husband. I truly deserved to be hit,” Fang Qi said, wanting to smile, but the pain in his face prevented it. He clutched his stomach, which still ached from the kicks, and groaned as if the pain was unbearable. Then, with immense effort, he forced a soft smile at Su Yue.
The next second, Su Yue’s hand instinctively took Jiang Ci’s arm. She looked at Fang Qi, perplexed. “Of course I won’t blame him. He should hit you.” She turned back to Jiang Ci, asking softly, “What did you do to him? The force is mutual, doesn’t your hand hurt? Were you hurt?”
Jiang Ci raised his eyebrows and sneered. “How could I be injured?” Su Yue’s small, soft hands touched him, checking him over, and his frowning brows gradually relaxed. He was clearly enjoying it.