Chapter 72.2

Outside, the sky was darkening. Jiang Nian and Su Na crossed the street back to the dormitory building, not speaking along the way. Once back in their room, Su Na told Shu Xue, “Tong Gang and Yang Li are fooling around.”

Shu Xue, who had just returned from getting their dinner, was stunned, “What did you just say?”

Su Na: …

Su Na repeated in a low voice, “If you don’t believe me, ask Jiang Nian.”

Only then did Jiang Nian learn that the supply and marketing cooperative sales clerk was named Yang Li. Su Na’s words confirmed Jiang Nian’s previous suspicion that Yang Li had indeed entered the supply and marketing cooperative through connections with the Tong family. If this were true, it wouldn’t have been possible with just Tong Gang’s help. His mother must have had a hand in it too.

Jiang Nian felt a shiver down her spine as a bold guess formed in her mind.

The Tong family often complained that Jia Yuan hadn’t conceived. Could it be that Tong Gang and his mother were planning to use Yang Li to bear a child for the Tong family?

Another possibility crossed her mind: if Yang Li became pregnant, would the Tong family then propose a divorce to Jia Yuan?

Jiang Nian believed both scenarios were possible.

After dinner, she took a bag of candies to the next door. Yu Xia was surprised to see Jiang Nian, while Dong Shu and Jia Yuan looked at her without saying a word. Jiang Nian placed the bag of candies on the table and said, “The date for my wedding has been set. These are wedding candies.”

She spoke pleasantly, with a smile on her face. Dong Shu ignored her, but Yu Xia managed to say, “Thank you.”

Jiang Nian didn’t stay long. Before leaving, she glanced at Jia Yuan, who looked exhausted. Sensing the look, Jia Yuan turned and met Jiang Nian’s complex gaze, frowning as she found it peculiar. Before she could analyze it further, Jiang Nian had already closed the door behind her.

That night, neither Jia Yuan nor Jiang Nian slept well. Jiang Nian was preoccupied with her thoughts.

As a fellow woman, Jiang Nian felt that the Tong family’s treatment of Jia Yuan had crossed moral boundaries, regardless of Jia Yuan’s character. She wanted to warn Jia Yuan but didn’t want to involve herself. 

After much tossing and turning, she finally fell asleep in the middle of the night. The next morning, she tore a piece of paper, wrote two sentences on it, and rolled it into a small ball.

She waited for Jia Yuan to come to the bathroom and slipped it into her pocket when she wasn’t looking.

Whether Jia Yuan found it or not, it would depend on her luck.

Jiang Nian didn’t want to get involved further.

A day passed since then, and Jiang Nian didn’t know if Jia Yuan had seen the note. However, the next day at the embroidery shop, Su Na told her that Jia Yuan had taken two days off and asked Ge Mei not to mention her absence to anyone. Su Na speculated that Jia Yuan might have discovered Tong Gang’s affair with Yang Li.

Jiang Nian guessed that Jia Yuan had likely seen the note.

The shop remained quiet for two days until Jia Yuan returned to work on the third day. She seemed normal but spoke very little, often getting lost in thought even when Dong Shu spoke to her.

Jiang Nian thought the matter had blown over until five days later when news erupted at the textile factory. The son of the factory deputy director was having an affair with Yang Li, and she was pregnant. The scandal reached the factory director, and Jia Yuan caused a scene, leading to an investigation. This investigation confirmed Jiang Nian’s suspicions.

Yang Li was Tong Gang’s hometown acquaintance, placed in the supply and marketing cooperative through connections with the factory deputy director. Tong Gang’s mother had conspired to have a grandchild through Yang Li, given Jia Yuan’s inability to conceive. Jia Yuan, upon discovering the affair, followed Tong Gang and witnessed him bringing Yang Li home.

This scandal created a significant uproar, causing a negative impact on the factory. The factory deputy director’s wife, Tong Gang’s mother, faced demotion to a regular worker with a substantial pay cut. Tong Gang was fired from the textile factory, and Yang Li was dismissed from the supply and marketing cooperative.

Jiang Nian learned about this from Su Na, who was well-informed due to her role at the front counter.

That evening, Jiang Nian and her colleagues heard discussions in the cafeteria about Jia Yuan’s impending divorce. The leadership had even stamped the divorce application, reflecting the widespread disgust towards the Tong family’s actions, particularly among the women who sympathized with Jia Yuan.

After finishing her meal, Shu Xue remarked, “I thought Jia Yuan was living well with her in-laws. I didn’t expect she was suffering so much.”

Su Na sneered, “She just put on a front outside. Only she knew how bad it was.”

The next day, Jia Yuan arrived late at the shop, her right cheek visibly swollen, likely from being struck by Tong Gang or his mother. Dong Shu quietly asked, “Are you okay?”

Jia Yuan looked more spirited than before, perhaps relieved that she no longer had to pretend her life was perfect. She shook her head and smiled, “I’m fine.”

At lunchtime, Jia Yuan suddenly approached Jiang Nian, “Want to go out for a walk?”

Jiang Nian, noticing Jia Yuan’s swollen cheek, nodded, “Sure.”

She told Su Na and Shu Xue to go ahead to the cafeteria while she walked slowly with Jia Yuan.

Jia Yuan glanced at Jiang Nian, whose wispy bangs framed her fair and delicate face. After a moment of hesitation, Jia Yuan handed Jiang Nian a piece of paper, “Did you write this?”

Jiang Nian looked at the note.

—Be cautious of Tong Gang and Yang Li.

—Let the evidence speak for itself.

Jiang Nian initially thought Jia Yuan might not have seen the note or, if she had, might have reacted impulsively. But Jia Yuan had calmly gathered evidence, ensuring the Tong family faced consequences while keeping herself clear of any blame.

Jiang Nian smiled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jia Yuan wasn’t a dull person. She just cared too much about appearances. Ever since she married Tong Gang, she maintained the façade of a happy life, keeping all the grievances she suffered over the years to herself. The affair between Tong Gang and Yang Li became the trigger for her to explode, unleashing all the pent-up frustration in one go.

Jia Yuan smiled, tearing up the note and putting it in her pocket, “Even if you don’t admit it, I know it was you.”

Jiang Nian remained silent.

Jia Yuan continued, “Do you know? I actually disliked you quite a bit. Before you came, I was the woman everyone envied at the textile factory and the embroidery shop. I had a good marriage, a mother-in-law who was the deputy director of the factory, a husband who was a team leader, and I was an embroiderer. Who wouldn’t envy me? But ever since you arrived, I’ve gradually felt like a joke.”

Jia Yuan’s self-deprecating laugh deepened, “I never thought the person who would pull me out of the fire pit would be the one I disliked the most.”

Jiang Nian: …

This Jia Yuan really had a knack for making people want to hit her.

“However,” Jia Yuan looked at Jiang Nian, “thank you.”

Jiang Nian paused and turned to meet Jia Yuan’s gaze. Jia Yuan then took out a White Rabbit creamy candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth, saying, “Your wedding candy is really sweet.”

“And, Jiang Nian, you are really lucky. Sometimes, I really envy you.”

Jia Yuan savored the candy, then shifted her gaze forward.

Jiang Nian replied, “No need to envy me. The path I’ve walked wasn’t as easy as you think.”

Jia Yuan heard a hint of indescribable weariness in Jiang Nian’s voice. She frowned, glancing at Jiang Nian’s thin face.

The two walked slowly to the cafeteria, which was almost empty by then.

Jiang Nian found a spot to sit and, after eating, returned to the embroidery shop with Jia Yuan. They worked until dusk before heading back to the dormitory. Su Na, after washing up, came to Jiang Nian’s bedside and asked in a low voice, “What did Jia Yuan say to you at noon? Did she give you a hard time?”

“No.”

Seeing Su Na’s disbelief, Jiang Nian pursed her lips and told her about the note. Su Na’s face showed surprise, then she exclaimed, “I wondered how she suddenly knew about Tong Gang’s affair and started thinking clearly. So it was you helping her behind the scenes.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “It wasn’t really helping. I just can’t stand disgusting men like that.”

There was a knock on the dormitory door. Su Na got up to open it and found Sun Ying from next door. She asked in confusion, “What do you want?”

Sun Ying glanced inside the dormitory, “I need to talk to Jiang Nian.”

Jiang Nian: …

This person really was persistent.

She got up, put on her shoes, and walked out. The two went to the stairwell, where it was quiet with few people passing by. Jiang Nian looked outside and said coldly, “What do you want to say now?”

Sun Ying, holding her belly, looked at Jiang Nian with red-rimmed eyes, “You and Lu Yu are getting married?”

She had always thought Jiang Nian and Lu Yu were just dating, but now they are getting married!

Jiang Nian was taken aback and turned to look at Sun Ying, not understanding how she knew. Sun Ying, seeing her confusion, sneered, “I overheard the people from the embroidery shop talking in the bathroom.”

Jiang Nian simply said, “So what if we are? What does it have to do with you?”

Sun Ying, trembling with anger, burst out, “It has nothing to do with me, but I find it disgusting and shameful to live in the same dormitory building as you! You’re a widow whose husband died, shamelessly seducing your brother-in-law and even marrying him. How can you face your father-in-law’s family? How can you face your late husband?! You’re just a shameless widow. Where do you get the nerve… ah!”

“You dare hit me?!”

Sun Ying covered her face, shocked as she looked at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian’s face was cold, her hand stinging from the hard slap she delivered.

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

Ayalee: Yeah there you go girl, slap her more. Urgh, how I wish I myself could also slap that annoying Sun Ying. (¬ꞈ ¬”)

Thank you guys for reading and supporting my translation (ꈍᎲꈍ)˘ε˘ ). Don’t hesitate to comment below if there were any mistake in the translation that I may had overlooked during editing.