This Life, I'm Raising the Right Man

Qian Yongqiang was the son of the Horse Market steward. He grew up managing the market with his father and was tall and robust.

Xiao Yanci hit him with an umbrella, and he didn’t react at first. By the time he did, a few punches had already landed, leaving Xiao Yanci unable to get up.

Jiang Yihuan anxiously shouted from the side, ”Stop fighting. Brother Qian, Brother Xiao, stop it. This is a misunderstanding, let’s calm down and talk it out.”

Su Yaoguang watched excitedly and said to Zhou Wangshu, ”Let’s wait a bit and enjoy the show.”

Zhou Wangshu asked the attendant behind him, ”Do you have any sunflower seeds?”

The attendant, watching with interest, nodded, ”Yes!”

He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from a nearby cabinet and placed them in Zhou Wangshu’s palm.

Zhou Wangshu paid one cent.

He put the sunflower seeds in Su Yaoguang’s hand.

Su Yaoguang ate the seeds while watching the show.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yanci was too weak to withstand the beating. Jiang Yihuan stood in front of him, speaking up for him, and Qian Yongqiang refrained from further action on her account.

”What business is it of yours to meddle in matters between me and Huan’er?” Qian Yongqiang cursed, ”You’d better be sensible and stay out of our way. I am determined to marry Huan’er.”

”Don’t even think about it...” Xiao Yanci retorted.

”Looking for trouble, are you? Still daring to talk back.” Qian Yongqiang delivered a few more kicks.

”Enough, if you keep this up, I’ll be angry.” Jiang Yihuan glared at Qian Yongqiang angrily.

Qian Yongqiang pulled back his fist and said to Jiang Yihuan, ”Huan’er, your servant doesn’t know his place. I was teaching him a lesson for you.”

”You say I’m your servant?” Xiao Yanci looked at Jiang Yihuan with hurt in his eyes.

Jiang Yihuan shook her head, ”Not me, my mother...”

Only then did Xiao Yanci feel slightly better.

”And him? What’s his deal?”

”Brother Qian has helped me a lot; he’s my friend.” Jiang Yihuan said, glancing at Qian Yongqiang shyly.

Seeing there was no more drama, Su Yaoguang took Zhou Wangshu and left. On their way back, they saw the plump younger sister again and looked at Zhang Zhaodi in confusion.

Zhang Zhaodi said, ”The young girl went to the medical clinic, but the doctors said they couldn’t fix her body. She’s come back to us. Jing’er didn’t know how to charge her, so she waited for you to come back and decide.”

”I left just now, and now I’m back. Will you still help treat me?” The plump girl, named Wang Chunhua, was a bit embarrassed to face them.

”Sister, as long as you believe in us, you can come back anytime. You’re worried that the treatment won’t work and that you’d waste money, right? How about we change the way we charge? We’ll weigh you before treatment and sign a contract for the first month. Lose ten pounds within a month, and we won’t charge you for the ten pounds; exactly ten pounds, and we charge you 300 cents; every additional pound lost will be charged twenty cents more. How does that sound?”

”Aren’t you afraid that I’ll stop after losing nine pounds?” Wang Chunhua asked.

”Sister, honestly, please don’t be offended. If your current body can only lose a few pounds, then don’t bother. We might lose some herbs and time, but your body takes a toll. We can see that before falling ill, you must have been a beauty. At your age, you should be thinking about marriage. Don’t you want to be in your best shape for a good match?”

Wang Chunhua nodded with tears in her eyes, ”I had a childhood sweetheart. We agreed to marry when I turned fifteen, but now he has backed out and married someone else. My mother asked me to look for someone else, but everyone finds me ugly and refuses to marry me. I’m not willing to accept this. Before falling ill, I was the prettiest girl in the village, and many suitors were lining up. I want to change myself.”

Zhang Zhaodi initially felt uneasy, but hearing Wang Chunhua’s words, she felt relieved.

Wang Chunhua agreed to Su Yaoguang’s plan.

Her father was the village chief, her family owned dozens of acres of land, and she had five brothers, showing their family wasn’t lacking. If she could be cured, money wasn’t a problem.

After discussing with Wang Chunhua, Su Yaoguang accompanied her outside and said to the passersby, ”Everyone, today I signed a contract with Sister Wang. Our Taoyao Square promises that within a month, she will lose more than ten pounds. If she doesn’t meet the standard, we will not charge her a cent. Please help witness this, and let’s see a miracle in a month.”

”This girl looks quite plump. Her family must be feeding her well, right? If you just let her eat vegetarian for a few days, she’ll naturally slim down. Isn’t it quite simple!”

Wang Chunhua said with a bitter face, ”You all might not know, but my weight isn’t just because I eat well. If it were that simple, I wouldn’t be so overweight. I’ve tried many methods, even went hungry for days, and fainted from hunger, but didn’t slim down. The medical girls at Taoyao Square said it’s due to drug toxins left from an illness three years ago. I want to try trusting them.”

”Isn’t this Wang Chunhua? I know her. She’s tried many methods to slim down, even got a stomach ailment. Now she can’t go hungry at all. Before gaining weight, she was a beauty, very charming.”

Su Yaoguang discussed with Wang Chunhua that if she cooperates with their publicity, her fee would be reduced by 200 cents.

The Su Family was busy with business, while the others were still in chaos due to love affairs.

Zhong Lanhua, seeing Xiao Yanci swollen like a pig’s head, angrily said, ”Just let it go like this? No way, we have to ask the Qian Family for medical compensation.”

”Mom, Brother Qian already gave it.” Jiang Yihuan took out the money pouch.

Zhong Lanhua opened the money pouch, poured out its contents, and counted it, disdainfully saying, ”Only two hundred cents! Why didn’t you ask for more?”

”Mom, you should arrange for someone to make medicine for Brother Xiao.” Jiang Yihuan signaled with her eyes.

Zhong Lanhua pouted, dissatisfied, ”Such a hassle.”

After Zhong Lanhua left, Jiang Yihuan sat beside Xiao Yanci’s bed, looking at him with guilt, ”It’s all my fault. I should’ve explained earlier, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding.”

”That person clearly pesters you, yet you’re friends with him.” Xiao Yanci was displeased, ”He said you’re going to marry him, is it true?”

”Of course not. My family had some difficulties before, and he often helped me. I didn’t know how to refuse him. But it doesn’t matter, with time, he’ll understand I don’t have other intentions. I’m grateful for his care, I respect him as an elder brother.” Jiang Yihuan said, ”Brother Xiao, I’m really sorry, it’s because of me that you’re hurt.”

”What about me? Am I also just an elder brother to you?” Xiao Yanci recalled his past life, Jiang Yihuan didn’t have any elder brothers then, nor disputes with anyone.

However, back then, he was entangled with Su Yaoguang and didn’t have much time to spend with Jiang Yihuan. Perhaps she was already being pestered by another man at the time, but he didn’t know.