Chapter 289 – A Good Deed
Sun Jianguo was silent for a while before he said, “Miss Ayun, I know you don’t like me.”
“I also know you don’t belong here.”
“In fact, if I could marry you, I would be truly honored.”
“But I also know we are not the same kind of people.”
Over the past six months, Sun Jianguo had grown fond of Zhou Yun.
Zhou Yun was beautiful, smart, and although she appeared cold, she was actually very kind-hearted.
She was also gentle and cultured.
All these qualities attracted the rough man that Sun Jianguo was.
She was his ideal wife.
He had met his first wife through a matchmaker, and although they had feelings for each other, there was more responsibility than love.
But with Zhou Yun, he was genuinely attracted to her and had grown to like her.
However, he also knew that Zhou Yun did not like him.
Zhou Yun did not belong to the countryside.
She should have a much broader horizon.
If he truly liked her, he should let her go, so she could live the life that belonged to her.
She shouldn’t stay here to be the wife of an older rural man and stepmother to three children.
She should find someone closer to her age, someone she liked.
Then get married and have children.
Yes, she deserved to have her own children.
Her future should be better.
So, even though he felt reluctant in his heart, after listening to Zhou Yun’s story, Sun Jianguo chose to let go and fulfill her wishes.
“Brother Sun, thank you.”
Zhou Yun gave Sun Jianguo a deep bow.
She was truly grateful to Sun Jianguo. He was the first person in many years to show her such kindness.
“No, no need for this.” Sun Jianguo wanted to help Zhou Yun up but hesitated, afraid that his touch might make her uncomfortable. He paused, then stopped and quickly waved his hand, saying it wasn’t necessary.
“Brother Sun, you are very kind. I believe you will find your true wife.”
“As for me…”
“Brother Sun, how about we become sworn siblings? I can be your sister,” Zhou Yun said after a moment of hesitation.
“Ah, sworn siblings? Sister?” Sun Jianguo was stunned.
“Yes. Brother Sun, I will never forget your kindness, so let’s become sworn siblings,” Zhou Yun said, feeling fortunate to have met such a kind person in Sun Jianguo. Since he had helped her, she wasn’t someone who would forget a favor.
“Let’s become sworn siblings. We can look out for each other in the future.”
Sun Jianguo looked steadily at Zhou Yun. After confirming that she was sincere, he nodded, “Alright, let’s become sworn siblings. From now on, you will be my sister.”
Sun Jianguo had no sisters; all the Sun family members of his generation were boys.
He did have a daughter and two sons.
Sun Jianguo wasn’t thinking about this in a “if we can’t be husband and wife, being siblings is fine” kind of way.
He knew that holding such impure thoughts would be bad for both him and Zhou Yun.
He had planned to stop having feelings for Zhou Yun once she left.
After all, he was only 36 years old and had three children. He was sure he would remarry in the future.
And Zhou Yun would go to school and eventually get married too.
If he kept such feelings, it wouldn’t be fair to his future wife. If he met Zhou Yun and her husband in the future, it could also cause misunderstandings for Zhou Yun’s future husband.
Sun Jianguo was an honest and simple carpenter, not well-educated, and didn’t understand many things.
But he knew that whatever he did, he had to be wholehearted.
Just like with his first wife, even though there wasn’t much affection, Sun Jianguo still felt a sense of responsibility towards her and treated her well, gradually developing feelings for her.
So, he had fallen for Zhou Yun now.
But he also knew that he had to put aside his feelings for Zhou Yun before he could marry another woman.
Because if he remarried, he had to be wholeheartedly committed again.
And now, Zhou Yun’s suggestion to become sworn siblings seemed quite good to Sun Jianguo after some thought.
But his consideration wasn’t for himself; it was for his three children.
He knew that Zhou Yun was so smart and talented, and so grateful. If they became sworn siblings, Zhou Yun’s future success could benefit his children.
Although Sun Jianguo was a carpenter who might spend his whole life in the countryside, he hoped his children would be like Zhou Yun—study hard, gain knowledge, and venture out into a broader future.
Since both of them agreed, becoming sworn siblings naturally happened.
From that moment on, Sun Jianguo genuinely saw Zhou Yun as his sister.
…
Early the next morning, Sun Jianguo drove the ox cart and took Zhou Yun to the town to catch the train.
Of course, people asked about it on the way, but Sun Jianguo evaded the questions and successfully saw Zhou Yun off on the train.
When he returned home, he saw his family, especially his parents, waiting for him.
His father looked at him and said, “Are you sure you don’t want this wife?”
Sun Jianguo sat down, poured himself a glass of water, and smiled. “Dad, Zhou Yun isn’t my wife now. We have become sworn siblings. She is my sister now.”
“Sister Yun!” Sun Jianguo emphasized.
“Sworn sister, huh? Aren’t you afraid she’ll leave and never come back? Wouldn’t that be deceiving you?” Mother Sun scoffed. “You’re losing both her and the money you spent on the marriage. What will you do if you want to remarry in the future?”
“I’m not afraid. Sister Yun isn’t like that. As for remarrying, I can save up the money myself!” Sun Jianguo then explained Zhou Yun’s situation to his family.
“…Sister Yun doesn’t belong here. She got accepted into Beijing University. That’s Beijing University! What I’m doing is also to leave some goodwill and opportunities for the three kids. With such a highly educated aunt, the kids will have more possibilities in the future.”
After hearing this, Father Sun and Mother Sun sighed, “Fine, since you’ve decided, we’ll go along with it.”
Zhou Yun was a student at Beijing University, a phoenix.
Their rural carpenter family couldn’t keep a phoenix.
So, while they grumbled at Sun Jianguo, they actually agreed with his decision.
Otherwise, they would have stopped him long before he sent Zhou Yun off. They wouldn’t have waited until he came back to ask about it.
After all, this was happening in the Sun family, and as the heads of the household, they knew everything that went on.
It was only much later that the Sun family realized how Sun Jianguo’s decision had provided them with a significant fallback, altering the family’s future. At that time, every member of the Sun family silently rejoiced at Sun Jianguo’s foresight.
Indeed, good deeds are rewarded!
…
Meanwhile, Xu Jinning told Xie Ting’an about Shi Xue getting Zhou Yun’s admission letter.
“…We all know that in this era, in this environment, such things are not isolated incidents. There may be many similar cases across the country.”
“Tell me, how can we help those whose admission letters, and consequently their futures, have been stolen?”
Originally, a university admission letter was a chance to change one’s fate, but that opportunity was snatched away.
Some people know, while others spend their whole lives in the dark, never knowing that their future could have been entirely different.
