Chapter 15: Love without reason, without reservation, without bottom line

Jiang Yuan still couldn’t believe it: “Rourou, are you serious?”

Jiang Qingrou replied, “More real than the sun rising in the east!”

“You’re not tricking us?” Qi Fang asked cautiously.

Jiang Qingrou looped her arm around her mother’s and pouted, “Mom, don’t you trust me?”

Looking into her daughter’s big blinking eyes, Qi Fang suddenly felt reassured. She smiled and turned to everyone at the table, “It’s definitely true. Rourou would never lie — remember when she only scored six points in math, and still cheerfully came home and told us? She’s just not the type to lie!”

Jiang Qingrou: “……”

She was momentarily speechless, but quickly that silence was replaced by emotion.

In a time when everyone cared about academic scores, the original Jiang Qingrou had still come home openly and honestly with her grades, no matter how bad. Wasn’t that exactly because she’d grown up wrapped in such bright, unconditional love?

Because she knew she was loved, that she wouldn’t be harshly punished, the original girl — though a bit clumsy — had never hidden anything. She was confident that her family would love her no matter what.

Jiang Qingrou deeply envied that kind of love — love without reason, without conditions, without limits.

Now that this love had landed in her lap by fate, she was even more determined to protect this family — for the original Jiang Qingrou, and for herself.

Once the truth was confirmed, the Jiang family broke into a cheer. Jiang Qingrou’s bowl was immediately filled with more chicken than she could possibly finish.

Watching her happy parents and brothers, her own heart was filled with joy. The whole room was lively, bursting with laughter.

That was when Jiang Fei came home.

She was basically always the last to return, simply because she was scared.

The family had pinned high hopes on her, especially because coming in first place in the assessment meant a five-yuan bonus. Her mother had already planned how to spend that money.

But her score ended up being even lower than Jiang Qingrou’s.

Hearing the cheerful noise coming from the Jiang house, Jiang Fei wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Jealousy gnawed at her — When I got first place, they weren’t even this happy. And now Jiang Qingrou gets lucky with a lousy fifth place, and they’re throwing a party for her?

As she passed by Jiang Qingrou’s house, she could even smell a strong aroma of chicken soup. They actually cooked chicken?!

Her family couldn’t even afford chicken for the New Year — and they made it just to celebrate Jiang Qingrou passing an assessment?

Jiang Fei’s heart burned with resentment.

“Xiao Fei?”

She was drowning in bitterness and didn’t even notice someone calling her until a hand yanked her back.

“Xiao Fei, perfect timing. Your aunt made chicken soup — come with your dad and ask for a bowl!”

Jiang Fei nearly screamed in shock. She looked up and saw a bony man who reeked of alcohol — her father.

She forced out a stiff, “Dad.”

Then, remembering what he’d just said, she instinctively refused: “Let’s not, it’s just chicken soup. Auntie won’t give it to you anyway.”

That was another reason she hated Jiang Qingrou’s family.

Even though her father and Jiang Qingrou’s father were biological brothers, Aunt Qi Fang always stopped them from helping out. Even though Jiang Qingrou’s family was ten times better off, her aunt never allowed Uncle Jiang Yuan to give them anything.

And Jiang Qingrou was exactly like her mother — back in the dance troupe, she would rather share her snacks with others than give any to Jiang Fei.

Jiang Fei couldn’t wait to see Jiang Qingrou’s family fall into the mud and taste the bitterness she lived with every day.

Jiang Yi, her father, grunted impatiently, “I told you to go, so go. You got first place — if you ask your aunt for a bowl, she’ll definitely give it.”

He wasn’t wrong. Qi Fang didn’t like most of the extended family, but she was okay with Jiang Fei. The girl was hard-working and had good grades.

But how could Jiang Fei have come in first? She hadn’t even beaten Jiang Qingrou. She was sure Jiang Qingrou had told her family, and they were probably laughing at her right now.

Jiang Fei tried to pull her hand away. “Dad, actually, this time I…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door to Jiang Qingrou’s house opened, and out came Jiang Qingrou herself.

She had stepped out for some fresh air. The family had been so overjoyed about her results that her father even pulled out a little white liquor to celebrate. She didn’t like the smell of alcohol, so she came outside.

She immediately saw Jiang Fei and her father, Jiang Yi.

She called out politely, “Uncle, cousin!”

But it wasn’t exactly a warm-hearted greeting.

Jiang Yi was a drunk and a gambler — and he was clearly heading toward her house.

In Jiang Qingrou’s memory, this uncle was pure scum. When he was younger, he used to come borrow food and money — and never once paid it back.

After he was laid off, he spent every day drinking. And when drunk, he would cause scenes — including at her house, several times. So now, no one in her family liked him. Even her father would just sigh when he saw his brother and never dared offer help anymore.

Their relationship had already crossed the line — they had helped in the past, but when kindness becomes expected, any refusal looks like offense. Jiang Yi was now deeply bitter toward them, especially toward her mother.

Later, he even “acted righteously” and reported his own brother to the authorities.

In that era, even a small accusation could result in long investigations. Because of Jiang Yi’s letter, Jiang Qingrou’s father ended up spending the rest of his life doing forced labor — and eventually died sick in the desert.

Though Jiang Fei had fanned the flames behind the scenes, the one who actually carried it out was Jiang Yi.

So now, Jiang Qingrou looked at her uncle like he was a pile of rot — foul and worthless.

Jiang Yi, however, was delighted to hear her greet him and came closer. “Rourou, what’s the celebration? Why is your house so lively today?”

Jiang Qingrou answered plainly, “Oh, Uncle, I passed the assessment. I got into the cultural work troupe.”

“Oh, is that so…”

At first, Jiang Yi didn’t really care what the reason was — he was just being polite. But once he heard what she said, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“What?! You got into the cultural work troupe?!”

He had never matched up to his older brother. One of his sons had failed to get into high school and was about to be sent to the countryside, and the other was just a gate guard. His only source of pride was his daughter — far better than Jiang Yuan’s girl.

But now Jiang Qingrou had just told him she also got into the troupe?

That meant she was on the same level as Jiang Fei now?