Chapter 105: Who

"Exactly!" another called Da Zhuang took over, his tone sour, "We're still slacking in this factory, earning that pitiful salary each month, and you, kid, already almost driving a little car, huh?"

"I heard you recently bought several houses waiting for demolition? This luck with money is truly unstoppable!"

"If you ask me, the key is still my sister‑in‑law's skill!" Shi Tou, being more straightforward, summed up in a deep, resonant voice, "She can design clothes and run a business, even got our Jiang Ran motivated! Back then Jiang Ran never even thought about those things!"

The others all chimed in, their words full of envy for Jiang Ran's good fortune and admiration for Su Ruan's abilities.

Jiang Ran listened to his brothers praising his wife, feeling sweeter than honey; the pride he couldn't hide, he grinned, downed another half‑glass of beer, and his head began to feel a little dizzy.

At that moment, Lin Wei, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly spoke in a soft voice.

Her voice was low, yet it carried clearly through the somewhat noisy private room: "Since my sister‑in‑law is so capable and has such good judgment… Jiang Ran, could you talk to her and bring our group of brothers into some business? Let everyone share the glow and earn a little money together?"

The moment she said that, the room fell silent for an instant.

Immediately, as if a fuse had been lit, a few brothers who were already restless and lacking connections started to clamour:

"Yeah, Jiang Ran! Take us along!"

"If sister‑in‑law can slip us even a tiny job through the tip of her finger, that'll be enough for us to live the good life!"

"Exactly! We all make money together!"

The cacophony of voices surged toward Jiang Ran.

He was already a bit tipsy, his mind not as clear as usual; the brothers' provocation sparked a surge of bravado mixed with alcohol that rose to his head, and he instinctively wanted to slap his chest and agree.

After all, in his simple understanding, when a brother is in trouble, you must help if you can.

But the lingering reason, or rather a habit ingrained to his bone, made him slam on the brakes.

He shook his slightly heavy head, waved his large hand, his tongue a bit tangled, but his meaning was clear: "I get the brothers' intentions… I understand! But… this matter… I need to go back… ask your sister‑in‑law!"

As soon as he said that, the previously heated atmosphere suddenly stalled.

"Hey! I said Jiang Ran, that's not enough of a gesture! Now everyone's saying you're a 'wife‑controlled' guy, and I still don't believe it!" Da Zhuang, buoyed by the alcohol, gave Jiang Ran a half‑joking, half‑serious punch, his tone tinged with displeasure and mockery.

"What, now you can't even decide this little thing yourself? Have to go back and report? You're no longer the Jiang Ran who used to be decisive?"

If this had been in the past, anyone daring to question him would have made Jiang Ran lose his temper long ago.

Yet at this moment, in his hazy drunkenness, hearing the words "wife‑controlled", Jiang Ran not only didn't get angry, but straightened his back and wore an almost solemn expression.

He pointed his finger, both at Da Zhuang and at everyone watching, shaking it forcefully, his tone righteous and severe, his voice unusually loud from excitement and alcohol:

"Nonsense… Nonsense! How can that be called 'being afraid of one's wife'? What do you know!"

He scanned the circle, his eyes bearing a pride and seriousness the group of bachelors could hardly grasp: "I tell you, this is respect, this is clear division of labor! In our home, I decide the big matters, she decides the small ones!"

He paused, as if recalling some maxim, then declared even more confidently: "As for what's a big matter and what's a small one—she gets to judge!"

"Pfft—" Shi Tou, who was drinking water nearby, sputtered out, choking and coughing.

The other brothers all wore expressions that wanted to laugh but dared not, their faces twisted.

Jiang Ran, however, was very satisfied with his own logic, continuing unabated: "Think about it! Without my wife, could I, Jiang Ran, have the life I have today?"

"I can drive a car? I can buy a house? The business world is deep, and all that is thanks to my wife handling it single‑handed!"

"If I don't ask her, who else would I ask? That's trust! That's… that's strategic importance! Got it?"

The more he spoke, the more convinced he felt, pointing at Da Zhuang's nose: "You kid, stop hanging 'wife‑controlled' on your lips all day; that's because you haven't met a wife as good as mine!"

"When you get married, you'll know—a capable wife worrying for you is a blessing you cultivated over eight lifetimes! Keep laughing to yourself!"

This brothers' gathering kept drinking until the streets fell silent before it finally broke up.

A night breeze brushed Jiang Ran, sobering him up for the most part; though his steps were still a bit unsteady, his mind cleared considerably.

Arriving at his home doorway, he quietly pushed the door open.

In the Main Hall a small lamp still glowed, its dim yellow light outlining Su Ruan sitting at the table.

Spread before her were several sheets of paper, bearing simple lines and notes, clearly still pondering matters.

After becoming pregnant she tires more easily, but lately she has new ideas for the West City plot she covets, and she's using the deep night quiet to sort out her thoughts.

Hearing the door, she looked up, saw Jiang Ran return, a gentle smile appearing on her face, she set down her pen and stood: "You're back? Did you drink a lot?"

As she spoke, she walked over, naturally reaching out to help him.

"No… not much!"

Jiang Ran quickly waved his hand, showing his steady gait, but as he got close, the scent of hot‑pot oil smoke mixed with alcohol still hit her nose.

Su Ruan slightly wrinkled her delicate nose, gently nudged him: "You reek! Go back and change your clothes, then take a shower, otherwise don't even think about getting into bed."

Jiang Ran giggled foolishly, obediently darted into the house, in a flash stripped off his alcohol‑smelling coat and pants, only in a tank top and underwear he tried to crawl toward Su Ruan, pouting to get affectionate.

"No, no, no!" Su Ruan, disdainfully, blocked his face with her hand, laughing as she pushed him toward the bathroom: "We'll talk after you wash; if you're not clean, you can't touch me!"

Only then did Jiang Ran, reluctantly like a dog scolded by its owner, shuffle into the bathroom with his tail drooping.

The splash of water rang out, and Su Ruan took his discarded clothes out to the courtyard to air, then prepared clean sleepwear for him.

When Jiang Ran emerged, steaming with warm vapor and the fresh scent of soap, his hair still dripping, he rushed into the quilt.

He stretched out his long arm, pulling his fragrant, soft wife tightly into his embrace, greedily inhaling the faint, pleasant scent on her.

"Wife…"

He buried his face in Su Ruan's neck, beginning to vividly recount the "storm" of tonight's drinking table.

Especially his incisive discourse on respect and being afraid of one's wife, his tone was rousing and passionate, and at the end he stared at Su Ruan with a face that screamed "Praise me, praise me quickly!"