Extra 3.11

With more than a month to go before the new school term started, Jiang Rou and her child, Xiao Feng, spent their time at home reading books.

Since Jiang Rou was applying for an English major, she had bought several books in English to read.

Li Xiao was usually quite busy and often could not be seen around. However, no matter how busy he was, he always kept in mind the matter of the child starting school.

Perhaps the events of his past life had left a shadow over him, and so he inquired about all the good kindergartens nearby. Whenever he found one he deemed satisfactory, he asked Jiang Rou to visit it when she had time.

When Jiang Rou got tired of reading, she would take Xiao Feng out to look around and check out the kindergartens. Some were private, built with luxurious facilities; others offered bilingual education; and some were attached to primary and middle schools. Most of them were quite expensive.

The better schools not only charged high tuition fees but also evaluated the children’s abilities. Fortunately, Jiang Rou often taught her daughter basic knowledge, such as simple counting and English. Xiao Feng could manage these, so when the teacher asked her to tell a story on the spot, she complied.

Although Xiao Feng was naturally shy and timid, Jiang Rou had deliberately trained her, so she was no longer afraid of strangers. Knowing that these people were teachers, she obediently told a fairy tale her mother often shared with her.

Her speech was relatively fluent, but before they left, the teacher reminded Jiang Rou to correct the child’s Mandarin, noting that she spoke with a bit of an accent.

Jiang Rou took note of this.

After visiting several schools with the child, they finally chose a bilingual kindergarten based on Xiao Feng’s own preference; she said she wanted to learn English like her mother.

Xiao Feng was very obedient. Whenever Jiang Rou corrected her Mandarin, she would listen attentively and follow along. Usually, after correcting a word or two a couple of times, the girl would remember it.

—o—o—o—

At the beginning of August, Li Xiao mentioned that Boss You had invited him to a birthday celebration and asked Jiang Rou if she wanted to go.

He was planning to go, not only to attend Boss You’s birthday party but also because he realized that some things were indeed different from his past life.

In his previous life, he clearly remembered that it was around this time that Jin Dayou had found Aunt Shi. Back then, it was a neighbor who had called Jin Dayou, and then Jin Dayou had called him and Zhou Jian, asking them to go pick her up first.

However, when Li Xiao contacted Jin Dayou a few days ago, Jin Dayou said he hadn’t received any calls from his neighbor. Perhaps, for some reason, the neighbor hadn’t gone down south this time. Li Xiao decided that he would take this opportunity to visit the area himself.

Jiang Rou was feeling a bit bored staying at home, so she immediately nodded without hesitation, “Sure, I’ll go.”

She added to Li Xiao, “I used to train in Province G. During the holidays, I loved going out with my classmates to explore. There’s so much good food over there.”

As she spoke, a look of nostalgia appeared on her face.

Li Xiao smiled faintly, enjoying hearing her talk about her past. It made him feel like he was somehow a part of those memories.

Since Jiang Rou wanted to go, Li Xiao booked two extra plane tickets. Boss You’s birthday was on August 12th, so Jiang Rou and Li Xiao decided to set off on the 10th.

They arrived in the afternoon, just after one o’clock. Li Xiao took the mother and daughter to have a meal first and then found a nice hotel in the city center.

The three of them took a nap at the hotel, and when they went out for dinner in the evening, they also stopped by the mall to buy a gift.

Li Xiao had already prepared a gift for Boss You. For someone like Boss You, who was wealthy, ordinary luxury items wouldn’t catch his eye. The gift Li Xiao had chosen was a rare wild ginseng, which he had managed to obtain through a friend. It was packed in a decorative box. Jiang Rou had seen it; originally, there were two roots, but Li Xiao had kept one. Both were quite large, and he’d heard that they were several hundred years old.

Influenced by Jiang Rou, Li Xiao now also believed that ginseng was a good thing, so he intentionally kept one, thinking that he could use it later to nourish Jiang Rou and Xiao Feng.

Boss You and his wife had taken good care of Li Xiao’s business. Although the two families lived quite far apart, they had helped Li Xiao expand his network considerably, and this is something Li Xiao was very grateful for.

Unlike in his past life, when he had seldom received help from others, everything he gained was exchanged for greater value on his own.

In fact, even when he saved that child, it was all because of Jiang Rou. If it had been just him, even if he had known about the situation, he probably wouldn’t have intervened.

He was used to being a lone wolf and accustomed to being indifferent to everything.

Meddling in other people’s affairs sometimes just meant inviting trouble for himself.

—o—o—o—

At the mall, Jiang Rou picked out some toys for Lele and bought two sets of clothes for herself and Xiao Feng—she was planning to wear them to the birthday party in two days.

On the day of the birthday party, Jiang Rou got up early to get ready. She swept her hair up into a bun, leaving two strands of hair loose by her temples. She applied light makeup and then put on a new white dress she had bought a few days earlier. The dress had a high collar, puffy chiffon sleeves, a cinched waist, and reached just to her knees, with an open back that made it quite stunning. She paired it with white high-heeled sandals.

Jiang Rou also dressed Xiao Feng up nicely, putting her in a pink dress with little white leather shoes and tying her hair into two small pigtails.

When she walked out of the bathroom with the child, Li Xiao glanced at her but said nothing. However, when the three of them were ready to leave, Jiang Rou turned around to walk in front, and Li Xiao caught sight of the large expanse of fair skin exposed on her back.

His brows furrowed immediately. He couldn’t appreciate this style of dress and commented tactfully, “Why did you buy this dress? Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Jiang Rou glanced back at her own back and then gave him a look as if he were a country bumpkin. “You just don’t understand, do you? This is the style; it looks nice.”

Li Xiao didn’t think the dress looked nice at all, but he did think her back looked quite good, so fair that he couldn’t look away.

He said no more, but as they were heading out, he couldn’t help but use his hand to pull the sides of the dress together over the exposed part of her back.

Jiang Rou laughed, “Don’t stretch my dress out of shape.”

Li Xiao felt a bit of regret. Yesterday, he hadn’t looked carefully at what dress she had bought. He had only seen the front, and then he was called away by a phone call.

Boss You’s birthday party was held at a large hotel. By the time Jiang Rou and Li Xiao arrived, they were already a bit late, and the venue was filled with guests. After they entered the room, Li Xiao immediately took off his suit jacket and draped it over Jiang Rou’s shoulders. “There’s air conditioning; don’t catch a cold.”

Jiang Rou gave him a meaningful look, appreciating his patience for holding out this long.

She leaned close to his ear and laughed, “Be honest, doesn’t it look nice? I also bought a dress with a thigh-high slit yesterday; I’ll wear it for you when we get home.”

Li Xiao tightened his grip on Jiang Rou’s hand. He had initially wanted to suggest there were other dresses that looked even better, but now he couldn’t find the words. He glanced at her, then led her further into the room.

Jiang Rou bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

Seeing their parents smiling, Xiao Feng below looked up and giggled foolishly too.

Li Xiao led Jiang Rou to greet Boss You first. The couple was quite busy, surrounded by several circles of people, so the two of them didn’t squeeze in but instead took some plates and picked out a few things to eat.

After they finished eating and noticed that Boss You and his wife had a Moment of free time, they seized the opportunity to go over and speak with them.

Boss You and his wife were very pleased to see them. Madame Song even called over Lele to play with their little girl.

Lele was carried over by the nanny and seemed a bit timid, but when he saw Xiao Feng, he acted as if he recognized her and even offered the chocolate in his hand to her.

Xiao Feng turned her head to look at Jiang Rou. Jiang Rou patted her on the head, saying, “Say thank you to your brother.”

Xiao Feng smiled shyly, “Thank you, brother.”

Then, she shyly reached out to take the candy. After receiving it, instead of eating it herself, she held it up to offer it to her mother first.

Jiang Rou unwrapped the candy and brought it to her mouth. “You eat it yourself; Mommy is not hungry.”

Only then did Xiao Feng eat the candy.

Madame Song lovingly stroked her son’s head and said with concern, “Ever since the last time he came back, Lele has been somewhat reluctant to speak. I even found a psychologist for him, but it hasn’t helped much.”

Jiang Rou, recalling what happened in her past life, knew that Lele was not physically abused. She said, “He must have been frightened. You could try creating a more relaxed environment for him and spend more time with him. Xiao Feng was bullied by kids at school before; she didn’t dare tell us and became very timid. Later, I took her out to play more often, and she gradually got better. Although she’s still a bit shy now, she’s much better than before.”

Madame Song glanced at the gentle, well-behaved little girl beside Jiang Rou and nodded thoughtfully.

Madame Song and Boss You were quickly called away again due to their busy schedule.

—o—o—o—

The party was very extravagant, with many guests in attendance. Since Li Xiao didn’t know many people, the three of them spent most of their time eating.

However, just as the party was nearing its end, something major happened. A group of people in police uniforms pushed open the door and came straight toward Boss You and his wife.

They showed their badges and asked for cooperation, then took away Boss You’s sister and her husband, stating that the two were suspected of human trafficking.

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao, standing nearby while eating, heard everything clearly. It seemed that Lele’s abduction was connected to Boss You’s sister and her family.

Boss You and Madame Song’s faces changed immediately. Boss You, still in disbelief, asked, “Isn’t there some mistake?”

A female police officer, who was escorting the suspects, heard this and replied sternly, “Don’t worry. We have enough evidence. There’s no mistake.”

The middle-aged woman, now handcuffed, anxiously called out to Boss You, “Brother, I didn’t do anything! I don’t know anything! You have to believe me…”

Madame Song, however, stood to the side with a grim expression, saying nothing at all.

While those around them had curious and gossiping looks on their faces, Jiang Rou’s expression was one of shock. She stared wide-eyed at the energetic female police officer not far away, unable to snap out of it for a long Moment.

Li Xiao noticed her unusual behavior and reached out to wrap his arm around her waist. He leaned in and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Rou tugged lightly on his shirt and whispered, “That’s my old instructor.”

She then explained how, during her training in the South, she had met this instructor, and mentioned that just days before she had transmigrated, an old classmate had called her. They had made plans to visit Instructor Lin soon, having heard that she was injured on duty and that the injury seemed serious.

Jiang Rou sighed, “I only found out later that Instructor Lin and her husband divorced a long time ago. She’s been raising a child alone while working a busy job. I don’t know how she managed it. She even made me cry once, but she was very kind. I remember when I had terrible cramps during my period, she made me some brown sugar water and even gave me half a day off.”

Hearing this, Li Xiao looked over at the female police officer.

The officer seemed to sense something and glanced in their direction. However, her gaze was brief and quickly shifted away.

Jiang Rou, standing next to Li Xiao, instinctively straightened up.

Li Xiao, amused, pulled Jiang Rou closer by the waist.

Jiang Rou sighed softly, “I hope Officer Lin has a smooth life in this lifetime.”

Li Xiao replied quietly, “She will.”

—o—o—o—

The next day, Li Xiao left home early and didn’t return until late at night. Jiang Rou knew where he had gone, so she asked him about the situation when he returned.

Li Xiao shook his head. “I didn’t find her, but I asked some local people. It seems that in the first half of last year, a woman who was not in her right mind passed by here and was taken in by a bachelor, but she ran away after just a few days.”

Jiang Rou remained silent upon hearing this.

“I’ve asked someone to keep an eye out. If she comes back, they’ll contact me.”

Last year, when he had just returned after being reborn, his first thought was about his child, and he had pushed everything else aside. Besides, he couldn’t clearly remember which year the incident happened, so he hadn’t thought of it until now.

Seeing his troubled expression, Jiang Rou comforted him, “Don’t give up; you will find her.”

Li Xiao nodded. “I’ll keep looking for a few more days. You wait for me at the hotel.”

Jiang Rou nodded in agreement.

The next day, Li Xiao went out again. Jiang Rou didn’t want to stay in the hotel all day, so she took her little girl out to have some fun. While the mother and daughter were shopping, each of them enjoyed an ice cream.

They were having a good time until they encountered a man walking without a leash on his dog. As the man passed by, the large dog suddenly barked at Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng was startled and trembled in fear. The ice cream in her hand fell, and accidentally splattering onto the skirt of a woman behind her.

Jiang Rou was standing sideways, buying a balloon for Xiao Feng. She turned around when she heard the sound, quickly bent down, and held the child, gently patting her.

The girl whose dress had been splattered with ice cream vented all her anger at the man. “You bring such a big dog onto the road without a leash? Are you out of your mind? Pay me back! This skirt cost ten thousand yuan, and I just wore it for the first time today, and now it’s dirty.”

The man looked displeased, feeling she was trying to extort him. “What kind of skirt costs that much? And it wasn’t even my ice cream.”

The girl, already in a bad mood, retorted angrily, “Not your ice cream? Then was it not your dog that scared the child? You not only have to compensate me for the skirt but also for giving the child a trauma…”

“What trauma? I can’t be bothered with you!”

With that, he ran off.

The girl tried to grab him, but he forcefully shrugged her off and fled. The dog, seeing its owner run, followed closely behind, causing the cars around to stop abruptly and quickly make way.

The girl’s face turned dark with anger, and she muttered curses under her breath.

Jiang Rou quickly took out some tissues from her bag and handed them to her, apologizing sincerely, “I’m so sorry, we’ll pay for the dress. My child is quite timid, and she didn’t mean to do it.”

Upon hearing these words, the girl’s expression softened a bit, and she waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it, it’s not her fault. Anyone would be startled in that situation…”

Before she could finish her sentence, someone called out to her from the front, “Dong Mingming, Mingming—”

Dong Mingming quickly replied, “Here!”

She turned around and then gave Jiang Rou a reassuring wave. “Don’t feel bad, I’m leaving now.”

With that, she ran off.

Jiang Rou watched her retreating figure and smiled. She then put Xiao Feng down, picked up the ice cream from the ground, threw it into a nearby trash can, and finally used a tissue to clean the melted mess.

Xiao Feng clung to Jiang Rou, looking upset. “Mommy, did I cause trouble?”

Jiang Rou smiled and wiped the sweat from the child’s forehead with a tissue. “No, sweetie. The lady said it wasn’t your fault. It was the man’s fault. If he had been holding the dog’s leash and properly managed his dog, you wouldn’t have been frightened and wouldn’t have dirtied the lady’s dress. Mommy was startled too, so it’s normal you were scared.”

Xiao Feng felt much better after hearing this and bit her lip. “The lady was really nice.”

Jiang Rou patted her little nose. “Yes, just like Xiao Feng.”

Xiao Feng smiled, her lips curving up.

—o—o—o—

A few days later, when Li Xiao returned, he still hadn’t found the person he was looking for. He had reported the missing person to the police station and offered a high reward, hoping it would help find Jin Dayou’s mother soon.

Before leaving, Boss You had invited them over for a meal. It had been a few days since they last met, and Boss You and his wife both looked significantly worse for wear.

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao both guessed that the change in Boss You’s condition was related to the incident at the banquet a few days ago, so they didn’t stay long. After a quick meal, they took their leave.

In the afternoon, the family of three boarded a train to leave.

As soon as Li Xiao got on the train, he fell asleep. He was exhausted from the past few days and had only intended to take a short nap, but he ended up falling into a deep sleep.

He seemed to have had a dream, and the world in the dream made him very uncomfortable.  Finally, he was roused by a gentle push and a soft voice asking, “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Li Xiao opened his eyes groggily and saw Jiang Rou sitting beside the bed. It then dawned on him that he was on his way home.

Jiang Rou wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue and handed him a glass of water. “Drink some water to calm your nerves.”

Li Xiao sat up and took a sip of water. As he turned his head, he noticed a child sleeping on the small bed across the room. He looked back at Jiang Rou, who was now reading a book with a serene expression.

Gradually, his anxiety subsided, and he struggled to recall the details of the dream, only remembering that it had been distressing.

He reached out and grasped Jiang Rou’s hand, seeking a tangible sense of reality.

Jiang Rou looked up at him and suddenly said, “Let’s get the certificate when we get back.”

Li Xiao was momentarily taken aback and asked, “Really?”

Jiang Rou smiled and nodded.

Unbeknownst to him, he had been calling her name in his sleep, and she had found it touching which had made her feel quite reluctant to wake him.