Chapter 28: I Don’t Know Her

Ye Meiping was chopping vegetables when she saw Jiang Rourou coming. Her face immediately showed displeasure. “Rourou, why are you here? Go get Jiang Xiangxiang. I’m cooking for her, and she won’t come to help. Why did you come instead? Get out of here; the kitchen isn’t a place for you.”

Jiang Rourou said, “Mom, let her stay there and gloat for a while. We’ll deal with her later.”

Ye Meiping asked, “What? Did she upset you?”

She grabbed a kitchen knife, looking furious.

Although Jiang Rourou felt immensely satisfied and secretly hoped Jiang Xiangxiang would suffer, she understood that now wasn’t the time to trouble Jiang Xiangxiang. The most important thing was to win Lu Jianshen; everything else could wait.

“Mom, if you go now, with Lu Jianshen there, Jiang Xiangxiang definitely won’t come. It’s better to wait.”

“But can we just let her bully you like this?”

“It’s not really bullying. Once I get Lu Jianshen, it won’t count as bullying anymore.”

“Right.” Ye Meiping, determined to make Jiang Xiangxiang miserable, decided to ruin her happiness. She would do anything to make her unhappy. “Where’s the medicine?”

“I want to make some brown sugar water and put it in…” Jiang Rourou whispered, “It won’t be noticeable.”

“Let’s have two plans,” Ye Meiping said grimly. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and it’s hard to explain. Let’s put some in the food too. I’ll do it. You go make some brown sugar water for them to drink. We’ll talk after they drink it.”

“Okay.” Jiang Rourou hesitated before nodding. It was necessary to make more preparations. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Luckily, she had prepared extra medicine, fearing it wouldn’t be enough. After all, Lu Jianshen was a soldier, and his health was good. She needed a backup plan.

After Ye Meiping finished cooking, she added something to the pot. Her plan was simple: if they were going to be drugged, then everyone would be drugged. Then she could find a good place for Jiang Xiangxiang. Old Liu from the east end of the village was almost forty and still unmarried. Marrying Jiang Xiangxiang off to him would be perfect to end her hopes.

Ye Meiping didn’t even tell Jiang Rourou about this; she wanted to do it secretly.

Privately, Ye Meiping felt Jiang Rourou shouldn’t be involved in such things. She preferred to handle these messy matters herself.

When Jiang Rourou returned to the room with the brown sugar water, her smile was genuine, and her service was impeccable. She served everyone a bowl.

Jiang Xiangxiang felt a shiver run down her spine. Unsolicited kindness was suspicious. Jiang Rourou had never been kind to her. Could the water be poisoned?

Lu Jianshen thought the same. He looked at the brown sugar water but didn’t drink it.

Chunhua, seeing their hesitation, also decided not to drink. She didn’t need the brown sugar water, and staying was already a courtesy to Lu Jianshen, considering Ye Meiping’s attitude.

Seeing no one drinking, Jiang Rourou urged, “Jiang Xiangxiang, offer your guests some water!”

Jiang Xiangxiang said with a smirk, “We’re not thirsty, so we don’t really want to drink. Is there a problem?”

Jiang Rourou said, “You!”

Jiang Xiangxiang replied, “Sister, if you have nothing else to do, you should go back to the kitchen and tend the fire. You’re just awkward standing here.”

The word “sister” was dripping with sarcasm.

Jiang Rourou’s expression darkened, but she didn’t leave. She stared at Lu Jianshen, as if asking for his intervention.

Lu Jianshen twitched. If he remembered correctly, they had barely met a few times. Why was Jiang Rourou looking at him like that? It was abnormal.

Jiang Xiangxiang looked between them, puzzled. Jiang Rourou’s feelings for Lu Jianshen were inexplicable. They had little interaction, yet she acted as if she couldn’t live without him. What was she after?

There was no indication of their acquaintance in the original owner’s memories, unless there was something the original owner didn’t know.

Lu Jianshen said, “I don’t know her.”

Jiang Xiangxiang asked, “Really?”

Lu Jianshen replied, “Really!”

He was exasperated. He had joined the army years ago and rarely returned home. The idea that he had anything with Jiang Rourou was impossible.

Lu Jianshen was suspicious and wanted to clear his name. He hadn’t even found a wife yet, and already there were misunderstandings.

Jiang Xiangxiang, seeing his certainty, quickly judged the situation. “Okay, okay, I didn’t mean to doubt you. My sister has always been jealous of me. She has to try to take whatever belongs to me; otherwise, she won’t give up.”

It was ridiculous.

According to the original owner’s memories, Jiang Rourou seemed to take pleasure in bullying her. Jiang Rourou was happy only when the original owner was unhappy.

Jiang Xiangxiang didn’t understand people like her. Perhaps they were just inherently evil.

Lu Jianshen was relieved but still frowned. “You’ve suffered these years. It won’t happen again. My family has many children, but they’re all kind-hearted. There’s no such nonsense in my family; they won’t bully you.”

Jiang Xiangxiang said, “I can see that. Yesterday…”

Jiang Rourou was furious. She was waiting for them to fall into her trap, but they were saying things that completely disregarded her feelings. Lu’s family was kind-hearted, implying that she was not.

“Jiang Xiangxiang, what are you talking about!”

“Am I lying?”

“You are lying! When have I ever bullied you? Every time, you bullied me first, and I was forced to retaliate.”

“…”

She was a master at twisting the truth.

Jiang Xiangxiang rolled her eyes. She’d never seen anyone so shameless.

It seemed she needed a lesson.

Jiang Xiangxiang had wanted to see what they were up to, but now it seemed pointless to waste time.

Ye Meiping and Jiang Rourou’s schemes were insignificant and didn’t deserve her effort.