Chapter 11 – Yet Another Encounter

The little mutt barked excitedly.

[Woof woof, awesome, awesome, you’re amazing!]

Jiang Niannian looked down at the happy little dog and smiled along with it—only to turn her head and once again see Xiao Jingyan.

Seriously? How many times was she going to run into him today?

If she had a bit more money on her back then, she’d have left him a whole yuan instead of just fifty cents… Did they really have to keep bumping into each other like this?

She glanced outside the courtyard and met Xiao Jingyan’s eyes as he rode past on his bicycle. Their eyes locked briefly… but when she saw him continue cycling past, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Youwei came over, dragging the culprits with him.

“Comrade Jiang, we owe you big time today. Who would’ve thought my father-in-law would get stabbed just for withdrawing money from the bank?

And all just because the guy lost money gambling and had no other way to pay up. Damn bastard, really asking for it.”

Niannian, who had assisted in investigations in her past life, had heard all kinds of absurd motives. This one? Honestly, it was pretty tame.

“As long as Uncle is okay, then it’s fine. They should be able to recover the stolen money too. It’s just a shame he had to suffer for it.

People like that must not be let off lightly. They’re a real danger to society.”

Zhao Youwei nodded in full agreement.

“You’re absolutely right. Scum like that must be punished harshly.

Let’s head back to the station and take your statement. Thanks to you, I’m putting in a reward application.”

The moment she heard “reward,” Jiang Niannian lit up with a smile.

Back at the station, she gave her statement. Only afterward did they return to the clinic. Zhao Youwei’s father-in-law had already had his wound treated and was now sitting up chatting with Wang Yingxiu.

When they came in and he heard that the robbers had been caught and the money recovered, he finally relaxed. He was about to get up and thank Niannian when she hurried over to stop him.

“Please don’t get up—your wound isn’t fully treated yet.”

Uncle Song nodded earnestly.

“Thank you for showing up when you did. If nobody had come down that alley, I would’ve bled out for sure.”

Niannian shook her head.

“No way. You’ve got a strong aura of good fortune about you, Uncle. Plus, your little mutt here is really smart. The moment something happened to you, it ran off and dragged me over to help.

Now that you’re okay, just focus on resting and healing.”

Uncle Song nodded from his hospital bed.

“Right, right. You’re a wonderful girl. Your parents are lucky to have a daughter like you!

And this dog… It’s quite something. Most people would’ve kicked it away by now.”

Jiang Weiguo couldn’t help but smile proudly, while Wang Yingxiu wore a look of deep satisfaction. Her daughter really was one of a kind.

Far better than that ungrateful brat they raised all those years.

Just thinking about it made her mad. That girl even stole her private stash of money when she left—money she had set aside to buy gold for her real daughter! She wasn’t even her biological child, and yet she had the nerve to steal from her.

The worst part was how well she had treated her all those years—and then she just up and left without a word. Honestly, now all she felt was gratitude that she was gone.

“You’re absolutely right, Uncle. My daughter is our lucky star.

Ah, it’s getting late—we’ll head back now. Please rest well and recover.”

“Of course, of course. When I’m better, I’ll definitely visit to thank you properly.”

After some polite farewells, Jiang Niannian and her parents stopped by the meat supply factory and bought some pork.

Jiang Weiguo watched as his wife bought five pounds of pork and hesitantly spoke up.

“Should we buy two more pounds? We could bring it to my dad’s place tonight. Now that Niannian’s back, maybe the whole family could gather for a meal.”

Wang Yingxiu immediately pinched his ear.

“Jiang Weiguo, are you losing your mind again?

Your dad and that stepmother of yours are doing just fine—do they need your charity?

Our daughter is finally back, and I’m letting you save face here. But if you bring this up one more time, you can go live with them yourself!”