Chapter 17.1

Jiang Rou cooked so many dishes that she was worried they wouldn’t be able to finish them. She even thought about inviting Zhou Jian over to join them.

Li Xiao was too lazy to go to Zhou Jian’s house. “I can finish it all by myself.”

Alright, then, it would just be the two of them eating. Since the weather wasn’t hot, whatever they couldn’t finish could be saved for the next morning.

In the end, the two of them did finish all the food, but they were so full they could hardly move. Jiang Rou had to walk around the courtyard for more than twenty minutes just to digest.

While Jiang Rou was walking in the courtyard, Li Xiao installed the lock he had bought onto the door, then hung the newly varnished door and tested it by opening and closing it—it was a perfect fit.

The door was made of thick wooden planks, and he had carved some patterns into it, making it quite attractive. With the leftover wood, he even made two hooks for hanging the mosquito net.

Even though the weather had cooled down, Jiang Rou hadn’t put away the mosquito net. She was always worried that bugs might crawl onto the bed in the middle of the night. Just a few days ago, Aunt Wang mentioned that Uncle Lin, who lived in the back, had been bitten by a centipede in the middle of the night.

It wasn’t just that—Jiang Rou couldn’t stand the sound of crickets chirping in the house at night. The noise gave her a headache, and the worst part was that she could never find where they were hiding during the day.

She was really worried that one day, a cricket might crawl into her bed.

After installing the door, Li Xiao didn’t rest. He moved the tools from the courtyard to the main room under the light and began making a cradle for the baby.

Next to him was a stool with paper and a pen on it. Jiang Rou concerned that her design might not look good, had drawn a rough sketch for him. However, she had only provided a basic outline, leaving the details for him to work out on his own.

So, he worked while drawing out the details himself, his expression calm and focused.

They say that jade looks best under a lamp, and beauty is most enchanting under the moonlight. At that moment, as Jiang Rou approached him, she felt that Li Xiao looked even more handsome in the glow of the lamp.

His long eyelashes cast a shadow on his handsome face. His nose was straight, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his delicate features shifted between bright and dark under the light, sometimes appearing almost unreal.

He slightly hunched his tall frame. His shirt, tucked into his pants, made his waist appear slim, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed the elegant lines of his forearms. One of his long legs was bent and rested on the long bench, while the other stretched casually on the ground, looking exceptionally slender.

Jiang Rou, who had her hands on her stomach, couldn’t bear to disturb him. She quietly walked past him to the kitchen.

They were busy until ten o’clock, after which they lay down on the bed.

Jiang Rou had taken a long nap at noon, so she wasn’t sleepy. She asked Li Xiao what he ate in the afternoon.

She was actually quite curious about his friends. According to the police officer who had come to Li Xiao’s hometown, Li Xiao didn’t have a very good reputation among his neighbors, but in the eyes of his friends, he was a very righteous person and reliable. 

Those older than him were even willing to follow him like little brothers.

Li Xiao wasn’t much of a talker, and even when he was with his friends, he didn’t say much.

But Jiang Rou wasn’t as afraid of him as she used to be. Seeing that he didn’t respond, she couldn’t help but ask again.

Finally, he said a few words briefly: “Zhu Qiang was called away by his girlfriend on the way, so he didn’t come. Then we ordered a few dishes and drank a few bottles of beer.”

“Oh, by the way, they said the chicken feet you made were delicious.”

His tone was flat, without a trace of emotion.

In the darkness, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

As if remembering something, Li Xiao added, “Jin Dayou has some notebooks and test papers at home. If you want them, I’ll have him bring them over.”

He didn’t mention that he took the initiative to ask for them.

Jiang Rou didn’t think too much about it. Hearing this, she felt much better and thought that his friend, Jin Dayou, was more considerate than he was.

So she said, “Of course, I want them. By the way, what school is your friend attending?”

“A medical university in the provincial capital.”

“That’s amazing.” In Jiang Rou’s eyes, those who study medicine are amazing people.

“Did you guys grow up together?”

“Not really; Jin Dayou is four years younger than us.”

Jiang Rou was surprised. “Then he started school very early.”

“Well, his family was poor, and he skipped several grades.”

Perhaps Li Xiao found Jiang Rou’s repeated questions annoying, so he simply explained the situation of Jin Dayou’s family. “He originally had an older brother who was a bit smarter than him and was the same age as me. But later, he went missing. His parents blamed each other for it and eventually separated. They kept searching for him, but a couple of years ago, his father gave up and remarried. As for his mother, I’m not sure what happened to her, but she never returned.”

At that time, Lin Meiru was still working in the factory, where a primary school had been built. Li Xiao met Jin Dayou’s brother there. Jin Dayou’s parents were temporary workers at the factory.

Li Xiao and Jin Dapeng were still quite young, but they had the best grades.

Li Xiao didn’t know exactly how they were abducted. It seemed that the couple had quarreled on the way back from their parents-in-law’s house and didn’t notice that the child was missing. Jin Dayou had a stomachache that morning and had stayed behind; otherwise, he might have also been lost.

Jiang Rou felt bad after hearing this. She knew that the 1980s and 1990s were the most rampant times for human traffickers.

She still remembered when she had just started her internship. During a meal with her team, she heard them talking about a case from just a week before. The criminal they had caught was someone who had been kidnapped when he was still a child. His biological parents had later become billionaires, but a few years ago, they died in a car accident while searching for him, leaving all their wealth to their adopted son, who had graduated from a prestigious university.

The criminal’s adoptive parents had given birth to a son two years after buying him, and from then on, they didn’t care about him anymore. The family was poor, so after he finished elementary school, they sent him out to work. They exploited him, using his earnings to pay for his brother’s education. Then, when his father fell ill, they continued to drain him. 

Eventually, he went astray, committing robbery in broad daylight and accidentally stabbing someone.

It was only when a boss in the team found that he looked very similar to a photo of a kidnapped child decades ago that he noticed it.

When the criminal learned the truth, he broke down and cried like a child, saying over and over, “They ruined me,” and “My life wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

And that was just one of countless stories of abducted children, some even more tragic.

At that moment, Jiang Rou realized just how harsh the real world was compared to school. She felt fortunate to have grown up safely, surrounded by peace and tranquility.

Jiang Rou touched her belly and silently vowed that, as long as she remained in this world, she would take good care of this child. She would not only protect her from bullying at school but also be vigilant against any other dangers.

Seeing that the person next to him didn’t speak, Li Xiao thought he had frightened her. He cleared his throat, then turned over and reached out to touch her belly.

His large hand accidentally rested on the back of Jiang Rou’s hand. It was warm and slightly rough. 

Feeling uncomfortable, Jiang Rou tried to pull her hand away.

But Li Xiao didn’t let him, and he tightened his grip. “Is the child well-behaved these days?”

His voice was a little low as if he were talking in her ear, which made Jiang Rou even more awkward. She moved her body and tried to stay away from him, and she said perfunctorily, “It’s okay.”

The man didn’t seem to notice anything wrong and softly replied, “Alright, sleep.”

For the next few days, Li Xiao stayed at home, making the cradle and stroller. Once he finished, he didn’t rest but instead took a ruler and began measuring the room across from theirs. That room had originally been Li Xiao’s grandfather’s, but after he passed away, it had remained empty.

Jiang Rou hardly ever went into that room when she was home.

After measuring, Li Xiao went out a few times and returned with cement, steel bars, and some tiles.

When Jiang Rou asked, she found out that he planned to convert the room into a bathroom.

She was worried and asked, “Can you do it all by yourself? Should we hire some people to help?”

He didn’t respond, holding a pen in his mouth while using a ruler to plan something on his notepad.

So, Jiang Rou decided not to disturb him and let him do as he pleased.

Before Jin Dayou returned to school, he came by to visit. Jiang Rou saw him—a tall, thin young man who seemed to always be smiling. From the moment he walked into the moment he left, his smile never faded. His eyes curved into crescents when he smiled. Although he wasn’t particularly handsome, he had a pleasant appearance.

No wonder Li Xiao said that he was popular wherever he went.

He gave Jiang Rou a few notebooks and test papers and told her some study methods.

To thank him, Jiang Rou packed two bottles of freshly made chili sauce from home for him. Seeing this, Li Xiao was visibly displeased.

This was his favorite, and he usually liked to mix a couple of spoonfuls into his noodles.

However, Jin Dayou took it with a smile, not being polite at all.

Li Xiao’s work speed amazed Jiang Rou. She remembered that renovations usually required skilled workers. For instance, when the bathroom light in her old house broke, her father claimed he could fix it himself to save money. After a week, he still hadn’t managed to fix it, so they had no choice but to pay someone to do it.

This time, Jiang Rou watched as Li Xiao installed a ceiling in the room, connected a few wires, reinforced the surrounding walls with steel and cement, and applied cement and tiles to the floor and walls. 

The aesthetic wasn’t great; the tiles were a mix of pink and blue. However, the room looked quite presentable. What originally seemed like a small room appeared spacious after they moved the bed and furniture out.

After the renovation, the entryway led to a wash basin, followed by a squat toilet. Further inside, there was a step up to the shower area.

Jiang Rou was most pleased with having an additional toilet in the house. The nearby houses were old, and they had been using the public restroom at the end of the street. Every time Jiang Rou used it, she had to take a deep breath before going in and holding her breath until she was finished.

Li Xiao bought another mirror and placed it in front of the washbasin. Next to it, he built a storage cabinet according to Jiang Rou’s preferences.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he also bought a marble-sink laundry pool and installed it against the wall in the yard. He found it very inexpensive when he passed by a tombstone store and decided to buy it, as he thought it was inconvenient to squat while washing clothes.

A sink was also installed in the kitchen so that dirty water could be poured out freely.

He used the leftover cement from the bathroom to seal the well, converting it into a pressure well.

He was concerned about the possibility of a child accidentally falling into it after birth, a risk that seemed relatively high. Jiang Rou had heard from her sister-in-law about a colleague’s mother-in-law who had lost a child who fell into a well while she was distracted playing mahjong. 

The incident had stuck with her for a long time.

Jiang Rou liked the improvements. She hadn’t realized how convenient life was before she traveled back in time. It was only after coming here that she saw how inconvenient life was for the older generation, with no running water, no rice cookers, no washing machines, and no electric bikes.

For example, although there were already buses in the county town, they didn’t run frequently, and traveling was quite inconvenient and overcrowded. Jiang Rou had felt anxious just looking at it from a distance, afraid it might hurt her stomach.

She used to ride her mother’s little electric scooter, which was fast and easy.

Twenty years was not a long time, but their country’s development had been rapid. At that time, smartphones weren’t widespread, but just over twenty years later, 5G had emerged.

While Jiang Rou felt nostalgic, she also felt a bit emotional. She eagerly toured the newly added features in her home with Li Xiao and added, “We need to add a mop to the bathroom and get a pair of slippers for convenience when showering. Also, put up a small rack here for hanging clothes and towels.”

Li Xiao listened while pressing the walls to check if they were dry.

By the time he finished, it was mid-October, just a few days before Jiang Rou was due to give birth. Jiang Rou couldn’t tell Li Xiao the exact date of her delivery, so she asked him to stay at home as much as possible during these days.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to go out every day. After finishing the bathroom, he found some carpentry work for himself and spent each day making furniture in the yard.

He didn’t throw away the leftover wood materials and used them to create several small stools, small tables, and some whimsical toys.

One of the toys was a spinning top, which Jiang Rou tried out first and found very interesting. She hadn’t played with spinning tops as a child, though yo-yos were popular for a time during elementary school.

She also secretly took her brother’s yo-yo and gave it to her classmates.

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Lucia: Hi~ I have a new schedule for unlocking the chapters. I will be unlocking 3-4 chapters every Saturday! To those who were worried that I might not unlock this novel, please don’t worry—all the chapters will be free in the future! Thank you so much for your understanding!

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