Chapter 21

Mu Xuehui wished to pretend that the report had never happened, wanting to avoid exposing Han Qingqing’s secret about not being a biological child. However, Liao Chunxing had no intention of letting the matter go. At first, he suspected Jiang Jianchun was the one who filed the report, but then he realized it was unlikely—exposing the issue wouldn’t benefit her, and she would never risk reporting to her own half-sister’s brother. That would be suicidal.

As the workday was about to end, Liao Chunxing, putting on a show, called Jiang Jianchun into his office.

Jiang Jianchun felt disgusted, but since this scumbag had recently approached her younger half-sister, she had no choice but to go and confront him.

As soon as she entered the office, he started groping her while leaning against the door. Jiang Jianchun wanted to stab him and end it all right there, but she had a family and couldn’t act impulsively.

She shoved the man away and said, “There are people coming and going outside. Watch yourself.”

Liao Chunxing let out a sleazy laugh but at least released her. He then mentioned the report and tried to placate her, saying, “It’s not like I intentionally went after your sister. It was that cunning little brat from Mu Yongwang’s family who filed the complaint. I had no choice but to get your sister to steal the report back. I planned to have Mu Yongwang take the report home, so his family would never dare report me again.”

“If her brother is a criminal investigator, what if the truth about my sister’s origins gets exposed?”

“That’s impossible. Besides, that idiot Jiang Ruan—I’ve already figured out a way to make her disappear for good, so don’t worry.”

“What are you planning? Don’t do anything reckless. Even if she’s not my biological sister, our family has raised her for over a decade.”

Liao Chunxing sneered, “Do you know why I like you? Because you’re just like me. I may have forced you, but didn’t you eventually lie down willingly? For your selfish reasons, you’ve made that little fool suffer quite a bit. First, you wanted to send her to my place as a free housemaid, then you tried to marry her off to some simpleton. You’re just as shameless as I am, so stop pretending to be the good person.”

Liao Chunxing’s restless hand lingered over her abdomen, trying to feel the fetal movements. But it was still early in the pregnancy, so there was nothing to feel.

He threatened, “I’ll help you get rid of that little fool once and for all, and you’ll quietly give birth to my child. If you dare to terminate the pregnancy, I’ll make sure your sister is kicked out of the Han family. Anonymous letters? Anyone can write one. With a little clue, that detective could figure out everything. If you obediently carry the baby to term, I’ll keep your secret.”

Jiang Jianchun’s heart trembled with fear as she asked, “Then tell me, how are you going to make her leave the capital?”

Liao Chunxing explained that the hospital had many abandoned babies, and there were people who wanted children but couldn’t have any. In the remote mountains, where many men couldn’t find wives, some families would adopt these abandoned babies. They would raise them and eventually sell them off to remote villages in the mountains. There was someone at the hospital who facilitated such connections, and he planned to threaten this person to help him. This time, he would make sure that the little fool was sent far away, to a poverty-stricken area thousands of miles from the capital, ensuring she would never return.

Jiang Jianchun felt a chill run down her spine. This was no different from human trafficking. Had she really sunk so low as to collude with traffickers?

“Is this the only way?” she asked.

“Unless you want to solve it yourself?” Liao Chunxing replied.

Jiang Jianchun fell silent. She had no other solution.

…

After establishing reliable buyers, Qin Ao made trips to rural areas every other day to collect eggs. He was strategic about the distances: too far, and he wouldn’t make it back in time to sell to the factories before they closed; too close, and the farmers could easily sell their eggs in the city themselves. The sweet spot was villages two to three hours away by bicycle.

He set out at dawn and reached the villages by around nine in the morning. After collecting eggs until one in the afternoon, he would head back to the city. He had already visited every suitable village within reach and would have to wait about two weeks before revisiting them.

There was one more village, his grandfather’s hometown, where many distant relatives lived. Qin Ao had stayed there for a few years during his childhood. Initially, he felt awkward about going back to collect eggs, but as he grew more familiar with the routine, he set aside his embarrassment—after all, there was no shame in making a living.

After collecting eggs in his hometown village and chatting with some distant relatives, he didn’t head back until two in the afternoon. He pedaled faster, trying to make up for lost time, and encountered Ran Xiaorong about an hour away from the city.

Ran Xiaorong had been his childhood neighbor in the alleyways, but later, she and her father were relocated to the countryside. It was thanks to the Qin family pulling some strings that they ended up in the same village as Qin’s grandfather, allowing them to offer some support. Though several years had passed since they last met, they recognized each other instantly. Qin Ao stopped, balancing on one leg, and asked, “Ran Xiaorong, what are you doing out here this late in the afternoon?”

“I’m heading to the city to sell a few chickens,” she replied.

Ran Xiaorong carried a basket padded with straw, with four chickens inside. She had been walking for most of the day. Last year, her village adopted a household responsibility system that allowed them to raise chickens and ducks. With her father sick, she decided to bring a few hens to the city to see if she could sell them.

Qin Ao patted the rear seat of his bicycle. “If you keep walking, you won’t make it in time for the peak selling hours. I’ll take you there. Don’t go to the market; go to the factory gates. It’s easier to sell, and you can get a better price.”

Ran Xiaorong hesitated for a moment. Walking would take another two to three hours at least, so she decided not to refuse and climbed onto the back seat. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Hold on tight,” Qin Ao said.

When they were still a fair distance from the factory, Ran Xiaorong got off the bike, not wanting to be seen by anyone. She said she’d walk the rest of the way and handed Qin Ao two eggs as a thank-you.

Qin Ao refused, saying, “I collect eggs for a living. I don’t need yours. Save them for yourself, and don’t sell them for less than seven cents each.”

He kept an eye on Ran Xiaorong from a distance, worried she might miss the rush.

Qin Ao no longer needed Jiang Ruan’s guidance; he had picked up some retail tricks himself. Using a small amount of money, he bought some fresh vegetables from the countryside. For every thirty eggs sold, he would give a free bunch of greens or a half-ripe tomato, which were much appreciated as they were homegrown and sweet. He showed up at the textile factory every other day, giving away just enough vegetables to make a good impression, and quickly became popular.

Although his mother often got angry and scolded him after he sold the eggs, taking some vegetables or tomatoes for herself, Qin Ao learned to save the best produce for her. Sometimes, when Jiang Ruan lingered around, she would get some snarky remarks from his mother too. But after Jiang Ruan snapped back with her fierce retorts and even threatened her, his mother didn’t dare to say anything more.

“Hey, you finally showed up today. Are we selling together again?” Qin Ao said, clearly in a good mood when he spotted the nanny.

Jiang Ruan replied, “I’m selling rice today. If I stand with you, it’ll affect my sales. You sell on your own.”

She was indeed selling rice instead of eggs this time. With her keen eyes, she had noticed Qin Ao’s little maneuver earlier, dropping off the girl from a distance.

She sneered, “Why didn’t you just take her all the way to the factory?”

Qin Ao explained, “She didn’t want to cause a fuss and asked to get off early. You’re different; you don’t care about the gossip. Her situation is complicated—ah, but you wouldn’t understand.”

Jiang Ruan didn’t quite get it, but that didn’t stop her from having a sense of justice. Seeing Ran Xiaorong standing by the roadside, looking clueless about how to sell her chickens while half the factory workers were already out, Jiang Ruan’s rice was sold out, but Ran Xiaorong’s four chickens remained unsold.

Jiang Ruan rushed over and introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Jiang Ruan. I used to sell eggs with Qin Ao. It looks like you’ve never sold anything before. Let me help you.”

Ran Xiaorong gratefully offered, “Thank you. I’ll give you five eggs to show my appreciation.”

“Sure, I’ll take five!” Jiang Ruan eagerly accepted and started calling out, “Free-range chickens from the countryside, perfect for making delicious broth! Only one yuan and fifty cents per pound. Buy a chicken, and I’ll throw in three eggs—while supplies last!”

The market price for old hens was one yuan and thirty cents per pound, but even at one fifty, people still showed interest, asking if she could guarantee the chickens were truly free-range.

Jiang Ruan responded, “Do you see any small chickens like these in the market? This hen has been raised for almost two years and weighs just over three pounds. This is the real deal—authentic farm-raised chicken. My brother sells eggs here every day, and he’s from a worker’s family. We wouldn’t lie to you. Buy with confidence!”

Qin Ao thought to himself, “Why drag me into this?”

Thanks to the nanny’s energetic sales pitch, they quickly sold the four hens. She also helped Ran Xiaorong sell over fifty eggs and took five eggs as her reward.

With all his eggs sold as well, Qin Ao asked Ran Xiaorong how she planned to get back. She was reluctant to spend money on a ride, and since there were no buses at night, she said she would wait in the station’s lobby overnight and walk home in the morning.

Qin Ao offered, “I’ll be collecting eggs again tomorrow. Wait for me at the city gate in the morning, and I’ll take you back.”

Ran Xiaorong thanked him again, and Qin Ao even volunteered to take her to the station.

Jiang Ruan stayed behind, having noticed Mu Xuehui watching from a distance for quite some time, her expression changing from shock to a twisted grimace. Instead of heading home, Mu Xuehui got on her bike and followed Qin Ao and Ran Xiaorong.

Jiang Ruan was curious. Wasn’t Mu Xuehui supposed to be interested in Qin Yan? Why was she now showing an interest in Qin Ao? She decided to follow and find out.

…

Mu Xuehui clearly remembered the exact day in her past life when Ran Xiaorong, who had a mutual unspoken affection with Qin Ao, was abducted at the station.

In this life, she had managed to change the outcome of her mother’s carbon monoxide poisoning incident, saving her mother and successfully facilitating her parents’ divorce. Now, she wanted to see if she could also change Ran Xiaorong’s fate.

When Mu Xuehui found Ran Xiaorong, she saw her chatting and laughing with Qin Ao, who even let her sit on his bicycle.

Just like in the previous life, Ran Xiaorong couldn’t bear the cost of staying at a guesthouse and had come to the bus station to spend the night. Initially, Mu Xuehui genuinely wanted to save her, but then she saw the barely noticeable shyness on Qin Ao’s face as he bought water and food for Ran Xiaorong. Mu Xuehui couldn’t help but clench her teeth.

That was supposed to be her husband, yet here he was showing kindness to another woman. Even if she had already decided to use him and then abandon him, she couldn’t tolerate him showing care and concern for someone else right now.

Ran Xiaorong could have been saved, but Mu Xuehui’s eyes turned red with jealousy. Why should she bother saving a rival who might compete for her husband? Let her be abducted; Mu Xuehui’s rebirth wasn’t meant to save irrelevant people.

Jiang Ruan, who was hiding discreetly, noticed the shift in Mu Xuehui’s expression—from anger and jealousy to a malicious look, as though anticipating a show. She wondered what sort of spectacle Mu Xuehui expected from Qin Ao and Ran Xiaorong, considering she wasn’t even familiar with the two of them.

But the drastic change from dissatisfaction to a predatory expression scared Jiang Ruan. She sensed that Mu Xuehui’s intentions were far from good.

Jiang Ruan didn’t need to figure everything out. Qin Yan was smart; he would certainly be able to analyze the situation. She decided to go back and inform Qin Yan.

As she slipped out from the back entrance of the bus station and was about to catch a ride, someone called out to her, “Jiang Ruan, what are you doing here at the bus station?”

Jiang Ruan turned to see her older sister, Jiang Jianchun. “Scoping out the market. What about you? Why are you here?” she asked in return.

Jiang Jianchun was there to meet a matchmaker; she was planning to find a good family for Jiang Ruan. But seeing Jiang Ruan, who was about to be targeted for an abduction, guilt and unease washed over her. She said, “Did you forget? Today is your birthday. Mom made something delicious and wants you to come home early for dinner.”