Chapter 53

On the road.

Jiang Tiantian muttered in a deliberately low voice, “Not a shred of brotherly love. You didn’t even say you’d help carry the stuff. Tell me, are you just looking for an excuse to see Xiaofang?”

“Jiang Tiantian!!!”

Cha Jiuzhang gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence from between them. “Are you itching for a beating again?”

“Why would I want to see her? I’m only here for you. Me showing up with you already makes my stance clear, doesn’t it?”

“You are my one and only woman. Now and always.”

Jiang Tiantian finally pursed her lips and smiled smugly. “That’s more like it. Later, you better keep your attitude in check.”

“When have I ever not? You’re the one overthinking things.”

“I haven’t even started talking about you yet. You better not even entertain thoughts about switching men…”

—

The two of them joked and teased along the way, but before they even reached the tailor shop, they heard a child’s cries and a woman’s soft pleas for mercy from a nearby alley.

Cha Jiuzhang’s expression changed instantly. He took several strides forward and rushed over.

Jiang Tiantian followed closely behind.

As soon as they reached the alley entrance, they saw a sleazy-looking man clutching Xiaofang tightly, pressing her head down as he tried to kiss her.

Xiaofang struggled and shook her head in resistance, while Chunni sat on the ground crying hysterically.

“Er Laizi!”

Cha Jiuzhang roared in fury and charged forward, grabbing the man and pinning him to the ground before punching him.

Xiaofang stood frozen in place, covering her face as she sobbed.

Jiang Tiantian quickly went over to pick up Chunni, moving aside and gently comforting her.

But unexpectedly, the moment Chunni saw Cha Jiuzhang, her little body struggled toward him, crying out, “Daddy! Daddy…”

Jiang Tiantian froze for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable. She glanced at the two men wrestling on the ground.

She adjusted her hold on Chunni, keeping her at a distance and turning slightly to block her view, shielding her from the violence.

Er Laizi received several hard punches during the struggle. He staggered to his feet, retreated a few steps, and spat out curses, slurring his words, “Cha Jiuzhang! You again! Just you wait, you bastard!”

After spewing his threats, he scrambled away in a panicked, stumbling retreat.

Cha Jiuzhang stood up, shaking his fist at Er Laizi’s disappearing figure in frustration.

But instead of chasing after him, he turned to Xiaofang, his face showing concern. “Sis, are you alright?”

Xiaofang suddenly reached out and hugged Cha Jiuzhang’s waist, burying her head against his chest as she started crying uncontrollably.

Cha Jiuzhang stiffened, lifting both hands awkwardly in the air, completely dumbfounded. He glanced at Jiang Tiantian in a panic: It’s not me, I didn’t do anything! What do I do?!

Meanwhile, Chunni was still crying and struggling in Jiang Tiantian’s arms, shouting, “Daddy! Daddy! I want Daddy!”

She kept hitting Jiang Tiantian’s arms, demanding to be let go.

Cha Jiuzhang was even more stunned. What the hell is happening?

He looked at Jiang Tiantian with an awkward, helpless expression. How was he supposed to explain this?

The last time he saw Chunni, she had been fine—this hadn’t happened before!

Jiang Tiantian’s face darkened slightly. She held the wailing Chunni and walked forward, speaking gently, “Xiaofang, don’t cry. Let’s calm Chunni down first. Crying like this isn’t good for her throat.”

Xiaofang seemed to snap back to her senses. She quickly released Cha Jiuzhang and stepped back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just too scared.”

She took Chunni into her arms, gently patting her back. “Chunni, be good. Stop crying.”

Tears still streamed down Xiaofang’s own face as she soothed her daughter.

“Mommy, don’t cry,” Chunni, with her tear-streaked little face, reached up to wipe her mother’s tears away.

The mother and daughter looked pitiful together.

Sigh…

Jiang Tiantian sighed. What a mess.

Once Chunni’s emotions settled and her crying subsided, Xiaofang finally looked up apologetically. “Sister-in-law, you came to pick up your dress, right? It’s ready. Come with me.”

“There’s no rush for the dress. Do you want to go home and rest first?”

After an ordeal like this, any woman would need some private space to collect herself.

Xiaofang wiped away the obvious traces of tears on her face and smiled weakly. “No, staying at home would just make me feel worse. I’d rather have something to do.”

She carried Chunni and led the way.

Jiang Tiantian glanced at Cha Jiuzhang before silently following.

Cha Jiuzhang opened his mouth as if to say something but remained silent, trailing behind the two women.

Xiaofang opened the shop door, placed Chunni on the bed, and handed her a handmade fabric doll. She whispered, “Be good, Chunni. Mommy has work to do. Play by yourself for a while, okay?”

Chunni, accustomed to such situations, obediently nodded while clutching the doll.

Then, she peeked timidly at Cha Jiuzhang and Jiang Tiantian, looking like she wanted to approach but didn’t dare to.

Cha Jiuzhang, feeling sorry for her, walked over and played with her.

Meanwhile, Xiaofang took out the dress she had made for Jiang Tiantian. “Sister-in-law, do you want to try it on? If anything doesn’t fit, I can adjust it.”

Seeing that Xiaofang had regained some composure, Jiang Tiantian nodded and took the dress. “Thank you.”

Xiaofang pulled open a cloth curtain in the corner, creating a makeshift fitting area.

Jiang Tiantian stepped inside to change.

Cha Jiuzhang hesitated before asking Xiaofang in a low voice, “Sis, does Er Laizi come here often to harass you?”

“No, after you guys beat him up last time, he stayed away for a long time. He probably drank today, so he came back.”

“This can’t go on. We need to find a permanent solution.”

Xiaofang tensed up instantly. “Jiuzhang, he hasn’t actually done anything yet. Please don’t do anything reckless.”

“Sis, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll figure out a proper way to deal with it.”

Chunni sat in Cha Jiuzhang’s lap, looking up at him with her big, round eyes. She hesitated for a moment before whispering again, “Daddy.”

Xiaofang stiffened and immediately scolded, “Chunni! Don’t call him that!”

She hurriedly explained, “Chunni just recently learned to say ‘Daddy.’ Now, whenever she sees a man she knows, she calls him that. She even called Xiao Liu ‘Daddy’ the other day.”

“She’s just a child. Don’t take it to heart.”

Sigh…

Cha Jiuzhang let out a deep sigh. “It’s fine. I won’t hold it against a kid.”

He looked at Chunni’s delicate little face, which resembled Songzi’s, and felt a pang of sorrow. “If only Songzi were still here.”

Songzi had always said he wanted to have a beautiful daughter like Xiaofang and spoil her.

Hearing this, Xiaofang’s eyes welled up again. She quickly turned away, pretending to tidy up the workbench to hide her emotions.

Just then, Jiang Tiantian stepped out, having changed into the dress.

Cha Jiuzhang turned his head—and immediately froze.

Jiang Tiantian looked stunning. The dress was snug fitting, revealing her slender neck and collarbones. The V-neck design drew the eyes downward, while the waistline cinched perfectly, accentuating her curves. The hem fell just below her knees, and when she moved, the fabric overlapped in a way that occasionally revealed a glimpse of her thigh.

Cha Jiuzhang’s face darkened. He strode forward, grabbed her, and shoved her back behind the curtain.

“It looks awful. Change out of it.”