Chapter 22

Jiang Ruan was initially planning to visit Qin Yan’s house but was dragged back home by Jiang Jianchun.

At home, there was roast duck, roasted chicken, braised pork, and even a small cake. Cakes were a luxury item that Jiang Ruan had only ever seen in display windows and never tasted before.

Why were they suddenly celebrating her birthday so lavishly? Jiang Ruan felt baffled. Even her father and two older brothers had come home from work early, making the whole situation feel more like a farewell dinner.

She found an excuse, “I still need to go work at my employer’s house.”

Liu Jinyun said, “Your older brother has already informed them. It’s your birthday, and it only comes once a year. You never take a day off, so taking a little break today won’t be a problem.”

Jiang Ruan noticed a hint of guilt in the eyes of her mother and older sister. If they were really just celebrating her birthday, then why the guilt?

“This meal feels more like a last supper,” Jiang Ruan said. “On TV, death row inmates are given a good meal before being taken to the execution ground. I’m not eating.”

Liu Jinyun jumped up, slamming her chopsticks down. She turned to her husband, sons, and daughter-in-law to demand an explanation. “Do you see this? Am I not good to her? I tried to treat her well, and she accuses us all of eating a farewell meal.”

Jiang Baomin said, “Her thinking is different from most people’s. If you suddenly start treating her well, it’s natural for her to be suspicious. Ruan Ruan, it really is just a birthday celebration. Sit down and eat.”

Jiang Jianchun, feeling guilty and regretting her actions, said, “Jiang Ruan, you really don’t deserve the family being kind to you.”

Jiang Ruan thought to herself, only those with something to hide would jump to defend themselves like this. Judging by her mother’s and sister’s reactions, there was definitely something off about this dinner.

She said, “In the past, when my brothers and sister had birthdays, they’d get noodles with meat strips. When it was my birthday, I’d only get a boiled egg. Now, all of a sudden, there’s this grand feast? There’s definitely some scheme behind it. I’m not eating. Even if there’s no plot, and you’re just regretting how you treated me and want to make amends, I still won’t accept it. You eat it yourselves. I still have work to do.”

Jiang Ruan ran out. Liu Jinyun, holding her still-recovering waist, felt wronged and said, “My waist isn’t even fully healed, and I went through all this trouble to prepare a birthday for her, yet she doesn’t appreciate it. Don’t ever say I haven’t been good to her again.”

Jiang Baomin said, “You’ve never treated her well before, so it’s only natural she’d find it strange if you suddenly start being kind. Alright, let’s just eat.”

Everyone had a small taste of the cake, and then it was given to the youngest grandson.

Jiang Jianchun packed up some of the food and said to Liu Jinyun regretfully, “Mom, I really regret arranging this birthday celebration. If she suddenly disappears one day, won’t the police suspect the family’s strange behavior?”

Liu Jinyun said, “I’m the one who wanted to celebrate my long-lost daughter’s birthday. What does it have to do with you? Stop saying nonsense.”

The sister-in-law had originally planned to help out in the kitchen, but upon overhearing this conversation, she got scared and hurried back to her room. Oh heavens, could Jiang Jianchun be plotting something again? From the way their mother spoke, it seemed she was completely in the dark.

The sister-in-law was the most aware of the real reason behind tonight’s events. Jiang Jianchun had bought the cake and chicken and duck, saying she wanted to celebrate Jiang Ruan’s birthday. Both the sister-in-law and the eldest brother had thought that was out of character for Jiang Jianchun.

From her words, it seemed like Jiang Jianchun knew something and was now scared, so she was trying to shift the responsibility for Jiang Ruan’s birthday onto their mother.

How could she manipulate even her own mother?

…

Jiang Ruan, who had skipped dinner, ran to Qin Yan’s house and saw a table full of dishes, even more lavish than at home. There was also a big cake!

“Brother, is it your birthday too?” Jiang Ruan asked in surprise.

Qin Yan’s birthday wasn’t for a while; it was in the twelfth lunar month. The birthdate on the copy of the nanny’s ID card had been altered, but he had remembered her actual birthday when Jiang Ruan mentioned it before.

The meal today had been ordered from a restaurant at the street corner. It included a whole roast duck and a cake. Everything was prepared, but then he heard that Jiang Ruan had taken the day off to celebrate her birthday at home.

After the food was delivered, Qin Yan lost his appetite. He was planning to get rid of the meal before his parents returned so they wouldn’t know he had prepared a birthday celebration for the nanny. But before he could act, Jiang Ruan came back.

“Why didn’t you eat at home?” Qin Yan asked, feeling a faint joy in his heart.

“They suddenly started being nice to me, and I suspected they were plotting something,” Jiang Ruan replied. “Especially Mom and my sister; it seemed like they did something wrong and were trying to ease their conscience by celebrating my birthday. I wasn’t about to fall for it.”

“Then come eat here,” Qin Yan suggested.

“You still haven’t answered me. Is today your birthday too?”

“No.”

“Then it’s for me?” Jiang Ruan asked cheerfully, a broad smile spreading across her face.

Qin Yan sulked, “Go get the dishes and chopsticks.”

Jiang Ruan fetched the dishes and chopsticks, but her eyes were glued to the cake. She remembered in the apocalypse, the city lord’s daughter had celebrated her seventeenth birthday with a cake made from precious flour and sugar. Back then, Jiang Ruan had thought it would be worth it to taste just a bit of cake before getting bitten by a zombie.

“Brother, I want to eat the cake first,” Jiang Ruan said.

“Eat the meal first.”

“I still want to eat the cake first.”

Qin Yan gave in reluctantly. Jiang Ruan ran to the kitchen, grabbed a long knife for cutting watermelon, and sliced the cake in half, leaving one portion for Qin Yan’s parents. She cut a slice for Qin Yan and then took the remaining half for herself. She scooped a spoonful into her mouth, savoring the sweet and creamy texture that melted on her tongue. The cake was soft, slightly sweet, and absolutely delicious.

Watching her enjoy each bite, Qin Yan said, “You haven’t made a wish yet.”

Jiang Ruan quickly put down the cake, clasped her hands together, and wished, “I hope Qin Yan-ge’s leg will get better before he starts university.”

Qin Yan: …Such an unrealistic birthday wish—it’s almost impossible.

After the cake, it was time for dinner. At home, Jiang Ruan had resisted the temptation to eat the half roast duck on the table, but now there was a whole one in front of her. She tore off a drumstick for Qin Yan and grabbed the other one for herself. While gnawing on it, she recounted what had happened earlier that day.

“When I went to sell rice, I saw Mu Xuehui staring intently at Qin Ao and his friend Ran Xiaorong for a long time. She even followed them to the bus station. The look in her eyes was as fierce as if she had a deep grudge. I can’t figure it out. Brother, do you have any idea?”

Ran Xiaorong?

Qin Yan was momentarily stunned. He suddenly recalled the woman who had been abducted and rescued over a year later. Qin Yan had known her too; they had grown up in the same alley. In those days, many intellectuals and cadres had been sent down to the countryside, and Ran Xiaorong’s father, a cadre, had not escaped that fate either. It was the Qin family who helped them relocate to the village where the Qin family’s ancestral home was.

Ran Xiaorong’s father had already been in poor health, and without timely treatment, his condition worsened. Learning about his daughter’s disappearance only exacerbated his illness, and he passed away from grief before his political rehabilitation.

“Did you see Mu Xuehui leave?” Qin Yan asked.

“Yes, and before she left, I saw a look of smug satisfaction on her face,” Jiang Ruan replied.

Qin Yan had initially thought Mu Xuehui still had some conscience and was trying to change Ran Xiaorong’s fate. But upon seeing that in this lifetime, Ran Xiaorong and Qin Ao had met again by sheer coincidence, Mu Xuehui gave up on intervening and walked away.

If Jiang Ruan hadn’t intervened when Qin Ao’s grandmother and aunt came to demand the shop space, Qin Ao wouldn’t have gone to collect eggs, and he wouldn’t have reunited with Ran Xiaorong before her abduction.

If Ran Xiaorong wasn’t rescued this time, would Qin Ao feel guilty for the rest of his life?

And as for Jiang Ruan, would the consequences of her intervention have a negative impact on her?

Qin Yan thought it over and said to Jiang Ruan, “After dinner, run far away and help me make a phone call, alright?”

“Sure.” Glancing around and seeing a pile of old newspapers in the west room, Jiang Ruan said, “Can I take those old newspapers as my payment?”

Qin Yan: …At this rate, the nanny would eventually sell everything in their house.

…

Qin Yan instructed Jiang Ruan to run far away and find a secluded phone booth to call the JSG sub-bureau and report suspicious human trafficking activity at the bus station.

After making the call, Jiang Ruan didn’t get far before she ran into Qin Ao. Both of them stopped their bicycles, and Qin Ao asked, “What are you doing all the way out here?”

Jiang Ruan held up a small piece of cake and some food from her bike basket. “It’s my birthday today. I’m going to deliver some cake to Ran Xiaorong.”

“Oh, thank you,” Qin Ao replied instinctively.

Jiang Ruan was curious, “Why are you thanking me? It’s not for you.”

As Jiang Ruan rode off, Qin Ao suddenly realized that the direction she was heading in was the opposite of the bus station. She hadn’t even mentioned why she was taking a detour.

…

Han Changfeng was working the night shift when his colleague received a call reporting suspected human trafficking at the bus station. However, the caller hung up before giving more details. At that time, traffickers were rampant, and with the high traffic at train and bus stations, the risk was significant. Not wanting to delay, Han Changfeng and his colleague headed to the bus station.

After conducting a thorough search, they didn’t find any suspects. However, the bus station staff reported that a pretty young girl, who seemed mentally unstable, had forcefully barged through security and demanded the driver chase down a bus heading to a neighboring province.

A silly-looking girl, strong enough to break through a barricade of five or six adult men… Han Changfeng suddenly pictured a familiar face.

He quickly sketched a portrait, and the staff nodded repeatedly, “Yes, that’s her.”

It was Jiang Ruan, the nanny from Qin Yan’s house. She had commandeered a bus to chase after another one. What was she trying to do?

After finding out the destination of the first bus, Han Changfeng called for backup and set off with his colleague in pursuit.

…

Qin Yan learned about Jiang Ruan’s disappearance in the middle of the night when a police officer from the city bureau came to the house to ask questions. They asked if the nanny had acted strangely that evening.

Qin Yan, dressed and seated in his wheelchair, had a bad feeling and asked, “Officer, what happened to my nanny?”

Qin Yan’s parents, seeing the police at the door, were also worried. “Is she alright?”

The officer, a colleague of Han Changfeng, explained that Han had been chasing the bus for several hours without catching up. He had called the bureau to send people to Qin Yan’s and Jiang Ruan’s residences to look for clues and investigate why the nanny had barged through security and commandeered the bus.

When the officer mentioned that the nanny was on her way to deliver food and cake to a friend, he frowned and said, “The bus station staff reported that she forced her way through security and hijacked the bus. Her motives are still unclear.”

What was there to be unclear about? Despite Jiang Ruan’s efforts, Ran Xiaorong had still been taken by the traffickers, and Jiang Ruan had witnessed it. Unable to catch up with the first bus, and with no time to explain, she foolishly took matters into her own hands.

Qin Yan felt like he was losing his mind, his brain going blank. He only wanted to rush out and get that silly nanny back. He exerted himself, and to everyone’s shock, stood up from his wheelchair. Then his legs went numb, and he collapsed.

Miao Shufang, who had been extremely worried about Jiang Ruan, watched her son stand up suddenly. She bit her hand hard, fearing it was a dream. She then bit her husband’s arm and, trembling, asked, “Zhengqing, did Qin Yan really just stand up?”