In fact, even before that night, Lu Chen had heard of Jiang Hanyan’s reputation. This woman even had a very impressive nickname—the "Flower of Fu City."
Jiang Hanyan was the most beautiful woman in Fu City, and the number of suitors chasing after her was as numerous as the hairs on an ox. The most famous among them was Diao Dekai, who looked like a toad, but his father held great power in Fu City; even Brother San dared not cross the Diao family.
Lu Chen knew exactly why Jiang Hanyan was clinging to him. It was because he had once saved the life of Diao Dekai’s father. Diao Dekai feared nothing in heaven or on earth, except for his father—he was a total daddy’s boy.
"I dressed up so pretty just to give you some face!"
Jiang Hanyan retorted with righteous indignation. Lu Chen couldn't win an argument with her, so he urged her impatiently, "Hurry up!"
"Doudou’s clothes are too small. They don't even cover her belly button, and the pants are too short."
Jiang Hanyan picked up Doudou and placed her in the middle of the motorcycle. She sat easily on the back seat, chatting casually with Lu Chen. The quality of Doudou’s clothes was actually quite good, but they were just too small; whenever she stretched her arms or legs, her belly and calves would be exposed.
"We'll buy some in a bit."
Lu Chen looked back at Doudou and frowned. The clothes were indeed too small.
But buying a set of clothes would cost at least twenty or thirty yuan. He squeezed the money in his pocket, feeling stifled. He couldn't help but complain that clothing factories were heartless—why didn't they make clothes that could be lengthened or shortened? That way, a single piece of clothing could be worn for decades without needing to be replaced.
"We need to buy shoes, too. The soles of Doudou’s shoes are peeling off, and there aren't any good shoes at home." Jiang Hanyan felt a bit guilty. The money Lu Chen had given her in the past was actually quite a lot, but it had all been squandered by the original owner, leaving nothing for Doudou.
Lu Chen looked at her coldly. Although he didn't say anything, Jiang Hanyan could understand his meaning. She quickly said, "I was a bit confused before, but it won't happen again. Really, I promise!"
Lu Chen’s expression was cynical. Promises were the thing he believed in the least. Before his father ran off, he made promises every single day, and every few days he would prick his finger to swear a blood oath. Yet, after the oath, he would go right back to eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling.
That 250,000 yuan debt was what his father had incurred to pay off gambling debts. His grandfather had been well-liked and had many friends, so his father had gone to their homes, deliberately lying that his grandfather was critically ill and needed money to save his life.
His grandfather’s friends hadn't hesitated; they all took out their savings—one hundred here, two hundred there, even some giving fifty. Lu Chen truly admired his father; he had actually managed to run all over Fu City, not missing a single one of his grandfather’s friends, borrowing from every last one of them.
His father had even kept a clear record of every debt in a notebook—whose family gave one hundred, whose gave two hundred, the year, month, and day it was borrowed—not a single entry missed. When he ran away, he didn't forget to tuck this notebook under his grandfather’s pillow, leaving a little note telling his grandfather not to forget to pay back the debts.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth. He hadn't thought about his father in a long time, but today, many memories had surfaced. If his father ever came back alive, he would carry out his grandfather’s dying wish: enforce the family law on his father and then cast him out of the Lu family.
His grandfather had said his biggest regret was not cleaning house sooner, letting that beast drag him down.
But his grandfather had also said that these debts must be repaid. As long as Lu Chen was alive, he had to pay them back.
Lu Chen started the bike, and the engine sputtered to life. Jiang Hanyan grabbed the back seat tightly and shouted, "Helmet!"
"Don't have one!"
Lu Chen scoffed. He didn't even have a helmet himself; a helmet cost over ten yuan—what a waste!
The bike sped off, and the cold wind whistled into their clothes. Without a second thought, Jiang Hanyan wrapped her arms around Lu Chen’s waist and buried her face in his back. With Doudou sandwiched in the middle, she didn't get hit by the wind.
Lu Chen’s body stiffened. The softness against his waist made him lose focus. He was wearing an old leather jacket, cracked at the shoulders, and jeans. With his broad shoulders and narrow hips, his tall, handsome, model-like physique made the tattered clothes look like the rugged, roguish style of a Western cowboy.
Jiang Hanyan’s body wasn't cold anymore, but her hands were. She fumbled around on Lu Chen’s body for a long time, trying to find a place to shield herself from the wind. Her restless claws wandered here and there—touching his stomach one moment, then reaching higher the next. Lu Chen gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore the strange feeling in his heart.
"Touch me again and I’ll break your claws!"
Lu Chen warned through gritted teeth, his earlobes flushed red. That woman had almost touched his... how could she be so shameless!
"Why don't your clothes have pockets? I’m freezing to death... Achoo!"
Jiang Hanyan was shivering so hard that she simply shoved her hands inside Lu Chen’s sweater. Through a thin layer of thermal underwear, she pressed against his abdominal muscles—hot and hard. Finally, she wasn't cold anymore.
"Take them out!" Lu Chen growled.
"Let me warm up, don't be so stingy!"
Jiang Hanyan had no intention of taking them out. She shamelessly kept touching him. This guy was like a furnace; despite wearing so little and leaving his leather jacket open to look cool, his body was still so hot.
"Focus on driving. My life and Doudou’s are both in your hands, Comrade Lu!" Jiang Hanyan reminded him.
Lu Chen didn't speak again, but his expression grew colder. Those claws on his stomach were impossible to ignore. He kept wanting to glance down at them. He would never give this woman a ride again.
Absolutely not!
Before long, the bike stopped. Lu Chen swung his long legs over and got off. Jiang Hanyan looked up; the tip of her nose was bright red, and her eyes were misty, looking as if she had been bullied.
She looked around—this wasn't the vegetable market!
Jiang Hanyan couldn't be bothered to get off. She sat on the bike, hugging Doudou, and watched as Lu Chen entered a gold shop. He took a jewelry box out of his pocket, the owner opened it to take a look, and then took out some cash from the drawer, which Lu Chen accepted.
"Doudou, don't ever learn from your Uncle Lu, otherwise you’ll definitely never be able to get a husband."
Jiang Hanyan took the opportunity to educate Doudou. A ready-made negative example was right in front of her. She had never seen such a stingy man, yet he happened to be so good-looking.
He was just like colorful Japanese yen—nice to look at, but useless.
Doudou nodded blankly, but after thinking about it, she gestured a few times. Unfortunately, Jiang Hanyan couldn't understand; Doudou’s sign language was just her own made-up gestures.
In fact, Doudou wanted to say that Uncle Lu already had a wife—it was Auntie Jiang herself.
Lu Chen returned and restarted the bike. Jiang Hanyan’s hands slipped back into his clothes. He glanced down but didn't say anything; strangely, he had gotten used to it.
The three of them arrived at the vegetable market. The market was very lively on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year. There were many stalls at the entrance—selling balloons, cotton candy, candied haws, ring toss games, and air-gun shooting galleries. It was a motley collection, and a large crowd had gathered.
Lu Chen parked the bike and carried Doudou down first, but after waiting for a long time, Jiang Hanyan still hadn't moved. He raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit impatient.
"I’m frozen stiff. Help me down."
Jiang Hanyan looked at him pitifully. Her legs were numb from the cold. "Love is beautiful, but the cold is painful"—she had heard the elders say this since she was a child, and today she finally understood it. Tight jeans looked good, but she couldn't wear long johns underneath. She was freezing to death.
(End of chapter)