Chapter 7: Child, Come Back to the Village With Me

After sleeping a night at the guesthouse, Jiang Zhining felt like every bone in her body ached.

“This body is so delicate. How am I supposed to endure the hardships of life in the army later?” she sighed.

After moving her body a bit to loosen up, she left the guesthouse to find something to eat.

On the street, she found a breakfast stall and had two steamed buns and a bowl of tofu pudding.

“This tofu pudding tastes so much more authentic than the stuff in the modern world,” she commented, and then went off to buy seeds.

No matter how skilled a cook is, they can’t make a meal without ingredients—so her top priority was buying a lot of seeds to grow food in her space.

With the help of passersby, Jiang Zhining found a shop.

After carefully picking out a variety of grain and fruit seeds, just as she was about to pay, a commotion broke out outside.

Curious, Jiang Zhining turned her head to look and saw Shen An’an arguing with a middle-aged rural woman.

“An’an, help your mother. We really can’t repay that debt,” the woman cried, grabbing Shen An’an’s hand, her eyes full of tears.

Shen An’an impatiently shoved her to the ground and snapped, “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your daughter. If you want money, go ask your real daughter.”

The rural woman was thin and frail, and the shove sent her sprawling on the ground.

Seeing the scene, onlookers began stopping to watch the drama unfold.

The woman tried to stand up through the pain and grabbed at Shen An’an’s sleeve. “But that money was—”

Before she could finish, Shen An’an angrily slapped her hand away in disgust. “Do you know how filthy you are? Don’t get my clothes dirty.”

The woman’s hand trembled. “An’an…”

“Don’t call me that.” Shen An’an glared at her viciously. “If it weren’t for you switching babies, I wouldn’t have suffered in the countryside for over ten years. I hate you.”

The woman lowered her head, eyes red with sorrow.

Still furious from spending the night at the police station because of Jiang Zhining, Shen An’an suddenly kicked the woman hard.

The woman fell again, completely humiliated.

Still not satisfied, Shen An’an raised her foot to kick her again—when another foot came flying in and kicked her down instead.

Jiang Zhining had used quite a bit of force, and Shen An’an, caught off guard, fell flat on the ground.

The onlookers, sensing the drama escalating, began munching on sunflower seeds, thoroughly enjoying the show.

Furious, Shen An’an looked up and saw her hated rival—Jiang Zhining—bending down to help the rural woman up.

“You bitch, Jiang Zhining! You dared to hit me!” Shen An’an yelled, getting to her feet.

Hearing Jiang Zhining’s name, the rural woman, Lin Chunmei, looked at the beautiful city girl in front of her with disbelief.

She… was her biological daughter?

Years ago, when Lin Chunmei had a difficult labor in the village, her husband had rushed her to a small clinic in the middle of the night.

Coincidentally, another woman named Lin Chunmei (different character, same pronunciation) was also giving birth at the same time. Both gave birth to daughters.

Lin Chunmei had thought it was fate, but she never expected the nurse to mix up the babies.

After discovering the baby swap, Lin Chunmei had desperately wanted to meet her real daughter—but was turned away at the door.

Her own daughter didn’t want to acknowledge her.

Jiang Zhining didn’t pay any attention to Lin Chunmei’s shocked expression. She smiled faintly at Shen An’an. “So you got out of the police station already? Your parents must’ve pulled some serious strings.”

“I’m innocent. Of course the police wouldn’t wrongly accuse a good person,” Shen An’an said smugly.

She remembered that no one had witnessed what happened at the cliff, so the police couldn’t find any evidence.

“Innocent or not, we both know the truth,” Jiang Zhining said casually. “But even if she’s not your real mother, she still raised you for twenty years. You shouldn’t treat her like that.”

As Jiang Zhining spoke, the onlookers turned to look at Shen An’an with judgment.

“She beat up the woman who raised her for twenty years? That’s cruel.”

“What a shameless brat.”

Feeling the heat of public scorn, Shen An’an quickly said, “You don’t understand. That woman switched me on purpose so her real daughter could enjoy a better life. My real father is a steel factory director, but she let me suffer in the countryside while her daughter lived the life I should’ve had!”

Hearing this, the crowd now turned their anger on Lin Chunmei.

“She’s horrible! No wonder the girl doesn’t want her.”

“I didn’t know… I didn’t mean to…” Lin Chunmei tried to explain, flustered.

“If she knew you weren’t her real daughter, would she still have loved you with all her heart? Would she have sacrificed her real son’s chance at school for you?” Jiang Zhining asked, sweeping her gaze across the crowd.

“Think about it—how many rural families can afford to send a girl to high school? Doesn’t that say something?”

Although the novel didn’t give many details about Shen An’an’s upbringing, Jiang Zhining deduced from her looks and clothes during the reunion that she hadn’t suffered much with her adoptive family.

“She has a point. Even in the city, not many girls get to go to high school. That adoptive family must have doted on her.”

“Exactly. Twenty years of love, and they raised a heartless brat. That poor woman.”

Hearing all this, Shen An’an flushed with shame but couldn’t find a single thing the Shen family had done wrong to her. She turned and ran away angrily.

With the drama over, the crowd began to disperse.

Lin Chunmei looked at the beautiful girl in front of her, unsure of what to say. “You… are you Zhining?”

“Hello,” Jiang Zhining replied politely. She wasn’t the type to instantly call a stranger “Mom.”

Seeing her distant manner, Lin Chunmei was filled with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Zhining. I know you don’t want to acknowledge us—we don’t blame you. We don’t deserve to be your parents.”

She thought Jiang Zhining, who had grown up in the city, would surely look down on her rural parents.

But seeing the sincere guilt and regret in Lin Chunmei’s eyes, Jiang Zhining softened a bit. “I don’t blame you. You’re victims too.”

Thinking about how Jiang Zhining had just kicked Shen An’an, Lin Chunmei grew worried. “Child, will your adoptive parents punish you for what you just did?”

“I’ve already moved out of the Jiang house. I’m staying at the guesthouse now.”

Lin Chunmei was shocked and full of guilt again. She felt she had brought all this misfortune upon her daughter.

“Child, come back to the village with me. Life’s tough there, but your dad and I will do everything we can to make it up to you.”

Jiang Zhining was touched. In her past life, she’d grown up in an orphanage. Because of her plain looks and shy personality, no one had ever wanted to adopt her.

She’d lived there for eighteen years, never knowing what warmth and family felt like.

“Don’t worry. I’m about to get married. Once my application is approved, I’ll be joining him at the military base,” Jiang Zhining said with a bright smile.

Lin Chunmei’s eyes dimmed. “I see… But, at least before that—these few days while you’re waiting—come home with me. Even if it’s only a few days, let us care for you… okay?”

Seeing the hope and longing in her eyes—a mother’s hope—Jiang Zhining finally relented.

“All right. I’ll call my fiancé and explain the situation.”

“Good, good!” Lin Chunmei replied, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.