Chapter 5: Whoa, Man Tea!

Two days after the Billiard Hall incident, Jiang Ran still felt the lingering heat and excitement in his heart; his mind was filled with Su Ruan's watery, half‑spoken eyes and that soft, lingering "big brother" voice.

He arranged to meet Shi Tou and a few of the brothers they often played with at the street‑corner Wonton Stall, saying on the surface that they were discussing a trip out of town in two days to buy a batch of new tapes, but in truth his mind had already drifted—he just wanted someone to tell about his upcoming "big matter" of getting married.

"Ran‑ye, really? So it's settled?" Shi Tou slurped his wonton, winking, "Which family's girl is she? That's bold—snagged her right at the Billiard Hall!"

Another brother, Da Liu, gave Jiang Ran a light punch: "Exactly! Spill it—what stage are you at? A kiss and you agree to marry? That's not your style, Ran‑ye; the girls who used to hand you love letters could line up from this row to the end of the street, and you never even glanced at them!"

Jiang Ran lifted his chin proudly, planted his foot on the nearby stool, and squeezed a beer bottle in his hand: "What the heck do they know! Can they compare? Even those misshapen pumpkins and cracked dates dare to match my… …"

He stumbled over his words for a moment, then managed: "Compared to my… wife‑to‑be?"

He lingered on the word "wife," feeling oddly pleased yet embarrassingly flushed, and tipped his head back to gulp a mouthful of beer to cover it up.

"Anyway… it's her! In two days we'll make the Proposal!"

Amid the chatter, a figure barreled over, plopped without apology onto the empty stool beside Jiang Ran, and gave his back a quick pat.

"Jiang Ran! You guys are so thoughtless, enjoying the good food and not inviting me!"

The girl who arrived was Lin Wei, who lives in the building next to Jiang Ran's; her father is the deputy factory director of a machinery plant, and she had just returned from a business trip with him a few days ago.

She wore a half‑new, half‑worn work‑cloth jacket, her hair cut short like a tomboy, and her personality was carefree; since childhood she'd hung out with Jiang Ran and his gang of boys climbing trees, pulling bird nests, playing marbles, proudly calling themselves "Iron Brothers."

"Yo, Wei‑ge, you're back?" Shi Tou greeted with a grin, "Was the business trip fun?"

"Fun as hell, it was suffocating!"

Lin Wei grabbed a pair of chopsticks, unceremoniously scooped a wonton from Jiang Ran's bowl and shoved it into her mouth, mumbling, "It's still fun hanging out with you guys. What were you all so noisy about just now?"

Da Liu, quick‑mouthed, jumped in: "We're talking about Ran‑ye's lifelong matter! Ran‑ye's getting married! Surprised? Unexpected?"

"Pff—cough! Cough cough cough!" Lin Wei choked on the wonton, her face flushing bright red, and, incredulous, whirled her head toward Jiang Ran, "Mar—marriage?! With whom?! Jiang Ran, you're kidding, right?"

Jiang Ran, puzzled by her reaction, disdainfully handed over a crumpled sheet: "What's the problem? Can't even eat? Is it really necessary to be this scared? What's wrong with me getting married? Isn't it perfectly normal?"

Lin Wei's heart sank sharply, as if something had clenched it hard—both sour and painful.

She liked Jiang Ran, and had liked him for many years.

Only because she always stayed by his side as a "brother," he seemed never to have seen her as a girl.

She had thought that as long as she kept accompanying him, one day he'd notice, but she never expected him to be getting married!

How could it be so sudden?

"N‑no… this is too sudden!" Lin Wei panicked, her voice even wavering, "Who are you with? Which family's girl? We've only been apart a few days and you're getting married? Were you scammed? Or is your family forcing you?"

Her barrage of questions crashed at him, carrying a fear and interrogation she herself hadn't even realized.

Jiang Ran furrowed his brows, feeling Lin Wei was acting odd today, meddling way too much.

But he was in a good mood and was actually looking for a chance to show off his beautiful wife‑to‑be, so he said, "Forced? No, I'm doing this willingly! Scammed? She's gorgeous, even prettier than any of you!"

Those words pierced Lin Wei's heart like a needle.

He had never described her as "good‑looking" before, only calling her "tough" or "like a tomboy."

"Who exactly is it?!" Lin Wei persisted, her fingers unconsciously gripping the chopsticks tighter.

Jiang Ran was about to speak when his gaze casually swept across the street, and his eyes lit up instantly.

He saw Su Ruan stepping out of the nearby Supply and Marketing Cooperative, a small net basket in hand, apparently holding needles, thread, and a small piece of cloth.

She was still wearing that slightly oversized old garment, but on her it exuded a delicate, willow‑like grace.

Sunlight spilled onto her fair side face; she lowered her head slightly, as if examining the items in her hand, her focused yet gentle demeanor standing out against the noisy surroundings, instantly capturing all of Jiang Ran's attention.

"There—she's the one."

Jiang Ran's mouth twitched into an uncontrollable grin, his chin pointing toward the opposite side of the street, ignoring Lin Wei's question; he set the beer bottle on the table, stood up, and briskly crossed the road.

Lin Wei, Shi Tou and the others instantly turned their gazes toward the opposite side.

When Lin Wei finally saw the girl whose face made Jiang Ran's expression change in an instant, she felt her heart plunge to the bottom of a valley, and a surge of fierce jealousy and hostility rushed up.

Jiang Ran jogged a few steps to Su Ruan's side, his tall frame blocking her path, a goofy grin he didn't even notice on his face: "Hey! You out buying something?"

Su Ruan seemed startled, but upon seeing Jiang Ran, a perfectly timed shyness and delight appeared on her face, and she softly "mm"ed, "Just buying some needles and thread to mend a piece of clothing."

Her gaze swept over Jiang Ran's shoulder, spotting Lin Wei at the Wonton Stall staring intently, and the almost unabashed jealousy and scrutiny in Lin Wei's eyes.

Su Ruan let out a cold snort from deep within.

Whoa.

Isn't this the classic "Man Tea"?

Waving the banner of brotherhood, they act with an overwhelming possessiveness, as if wishing every female creature near the man they like would vanish.

Looks like her Little Wolfdog Husband is still quite in demand.

Su Ruan's face showed none of it; instead she gave Jiang Ran a softer smile, her voice delicate: "Big brother, you're dining with friends? Am I interrupting you?"

That "big brother" call made Jiang Ran's heart flutter, and struck Lin Wei's heart like a heavy hammer.

Lin Wei sprang to her feet, her complexion extremely grim.

She could no longer hold back, strode across the road, and stood right beside Jiang Ran, scrutinizing Su Ruan from head to toe with a picky, defensive stance, her tone rigid and clearly hostile.

"Jiang Ran, who is she? Won't you introduce her?"