But no matter how he thought about it, things that were already decided would still happen.
In the evening, Elder Su came over to the Su house with Su Ying.
As soon as they entered, Elder Su chatted with the old master of the house, while Su Ying handed over the gifts she had brought to Mrs. Zhou beside her, speaking politely.
Zhi Xia suddenly understood the difference between Su Ying and them.
After a few words, Old Madam An pointed at An ZhiAng, "Number four, you and little Ying are considered old acquaintances. She had just returned with Elder Su not long ago. It just so happens that you are at home too. You young people should keep in touch more and not become estranged."
"I know." An ZhiAng knew Su Ying. When he was little, he would often follow her around calling her older sister. At that time, she was much better behaved than Gao MeiYun, completely matching all his fantasies about having a little sister.
He remembered that she was only twelve years old when Elder Su left with her that year. The Su house was smashed and she was also injured. That incident left a deep impression on An ZhiAng. Slowly, he retreated from the gang.
However, although he had run with them for a while at that time, he didn't do anything to the Su family. It was done by another group, whom he later went to teach a lesson.
He was originally very against the idea of an arranged marriage meeting, but seeing Su Ying suddenly, scenes from their childhood seemed to replay before his eyes, and he became a little uncomfortable.
"Then why don't you two go out and chat?" Old Madam An tentatively suggested.
An ZhiAng got up and walked outside. Zhou Nan felt embarrassed and apologized to Su Ying, "This kid has had a bad temper since he was little. Little Ying, don't take offense."
"It's alright, Auntie An," Su Ying smiled and followed him out.
There were children playing in the yard. An ZhiAng went to the backyard.
Su Ying knew that her grandfather had contacted the An family before, so she wasn't going to beat around the bush. She cheekily said directly, "It looks like I failed to catch Fourth Brother's eyes. But we did grow up together after all. We can't possibly become that estranged from each other, right?"
"Su Ying, given our relationship, I'll be straightforward. Marriage is a big deal for life. You're a girl, so you should be more careful," An ZhiAng turned around, looking straight at her. "You know what kind of frivolous person I am. I'm not a good match."
With such a straightforward rejection, Su Ying was not angry. Instead, she asked him, "Does Fourth Brother have someone he likes?"
"No, not really. I've been in the army these past few years." He barely even saw mosquitoes there, let alone people.
"If there's no one, then why are you unwilling to give me a try?" Su Ying said with a smile.
"I don't want to be constrained by marriage, so I've never had any plans to get married," said An ZhiAng.
Su Ying was not surprised. Even in childhood, he did not like playing with girls very much because he found it troublesome.
"Actually, I don't have to get married either. It's just grandfather is nearing the end of his life and he worries about leaving me alone. That's why he was determined to find me a guardian. He went to Elder An first. As you know, it's too hard for a girl to survive in this world," said Su Ying without any intention to hide anything. "But since you don't agree, then just forget it."
Su Ying's situation was indeed not very good. She was the Su family's only descendant. The large amount of returned property made her like Tang Seng's meat—inevitably coveted.
But a marriage cannot be forced.
When the two returned to the living room again, it was obvious that An ZhiAng was less averse to Su Ying than before.
After dinner, An JingZhi and Zhou Nan sent Elder Su and Su Ying to the door.
Old Master An asked An ZhiAng, "I think Su Ying is a good girl, knowledgeable and gentle. If she's not too inferior for you, what do you think?"
"My opinion!" An ZhiAng spoke again but with less confidence this time, "I've told you my opinion already. I still don't want to get married yet."
He didn't dare to say that he had no plans of ever getting married, afraid they would beat his head to mush.
Old Master and Old Madam An looked at each other, not hiding their disappointment at all on their faces. "A marriage is not forming an enmity. If you don't like her then just forget it. We'll just take better care of Little Ying in the future."
Zhou Nan came back from outside, happily saying, "I think Su Ying likes our Number Four. What does Number Four think?"
No wonder Zhou Nan was so superficial. Anyone could guess that Su Ying had inherited the Su family property. Such a daughter-in-law brought home would definitely not be a loss. And the daughter of the Su family was personally taught by Elder Su, so her vision and experience were not something ordinary people could have.
"I didn't like her. Don't bring this up again in the future," said Old Madam.
Zhou Nan's smile instantly disappeared. She promptly grabbed An ZhiAng's ear and scolded, "Didn't like her? How could you not like such a beautiful and gentle daughter-in-law? What other kind of woman are you still looking for?"
An ZhiAng dodged up and down as Zhou Nan berated him. He wasn't like Big Brother and Second Brother who obediently stood still when being beaten.
Su Ying's sewing shop also gave Zhi Xia an idea. The political situation had indeed improved a lot. Earning money could no longer be done openly and upright, but no one would be able to notice if done sneakily.
No sooner said than done, on the second day after Pei Jing and An ZhiAng left, she went to An ZhiAng's shop.
It was on a side street with few people. She heard that it used to be quite lively years ago when it was still a bustling marketplace. Later the place was smashed up so business declined.
Anyway, Fourth Brother didn't have any use for this shop for now, so she simply borrowed it.
Upon opening the door, to her surprise, there was even a yard behind connecting two warehouses. This was really an unexpected joy.
Zhi Xia didn't have any specific plans on what to do, but wanted to go into supplies procurement to quickly realize commodities and accumulate wealth.
Unexpectedly, just as she was checking out the place and about to leave, she saw a woman holding a basket rush into the yard with shouting sounds coming from outside.
Hu Zhou looked back and was so frightened by Zhi Xia that he was just about to call out before hearing the other party pleading, "Sis An, don't shout. It's me, Little Hu. We've met before at An MeiYun's wedding. I went with Liu Jun and his brothers to patrol..."
As he spoke, he lifted his kerchief and wiped off the makeup on his face, only then could she see that it was actually a man.
Zhi Xia looked closely but still couldn't remember who he was, though she definitely recognized Liu Jun's name.
Knowing that Zhi Xia seemed to recall him, Hu Zhou heaved a sigh of relief. He turned back to peek out the door crack and, seeing that the outsiders had left, finally felt at ease.
"What a coincidence. I almost got caught by those damn brats!" Hu Zhou said to Zhi Xia in relief, "Sis An, what are you doing here?"
He knew well about the An and Pei families from his time hanging out with Fourth Brother An in the past.
"This used to be our shop that was just returned to us. I came to take a look. By the way, why were you being chased? And..." dressed like a woman.
