Chapter 2.2

Jiang Rou had lunch outside at noon and passed by a noodle shop, where she ordered a plate of dumplings.

It has to be said that people in this era are very honest and straightforward. When they say “dumplings,” they really mean it. The dumplings were large, with plenty of filling—half meat and half vegetables. There were twenty of them in a big bowl.

The taste was also good, and after eating, she was so full that she couldn’t even stand up.

She returned home early, around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Jiang Rou splashed cold water on her face and neck, and by this time, her stomach had started to digest the food. She went back to her room for a nap.

Today’s nap was not long because she suddenly remembered a major event before going to bed.

When her elder sister-in-law was pregnant, the whole family was on edge. Her mother and sister-in-law had started preparing things for the baby as soon as they found out about the pregnancy—researching which brand of formula to buy, and stockpiling diapers, bibs, baby clothes, and socks.

At that time, she was still in college and had asked her friend, who was studying abroad, to help her buy formula and baby bottles. So she was well-informed about these things.

And after being pregnant for so long, it seemed like she hadn’t thought about any of this. Forget about baby clothes; they didn’t even have diapers at home.

With this on her mind, Jiang Rou couldn’t sleep peacefully during her nap. She got up a little after 2 o’clock and rummaged through her wardrobe, which was mostly empty. She only had three or four sets of autumn or winter clothes, and even fewer for her pregnancy—just a worn-out black collared shirt and camouflage pants, along with a padded jacket.

There are some old clothes in the bottom grid, but they seem to have been stored for a long time, emitting a strong musty smell. Moreover, these clothes appeared to belong to her late grandfather and father. She didn’t feel comfortable using them, even as diapers.

Jiang Rou’s heart was filled with frustration, thinking about the treatment her little nephew received when he was born and then taking a look at the baby in her stomach.

Even though she was a “half-mother”, she didn’t want to mistreat the child in her womb.

Becoming a good father like Li Xiao might not happen overnight, and Jiang Rou didn’t want to place all her hopes on him alone.

Besides, even if that man becomes a good father in the future, he might not necessarily be a good husband.

Jiang Rou couldn’t be like the “Jiang Rou” in her previous life, who abandoned her husband and daughter after three years, but she never thought about living with Li Xiao for the rest of her life.

Life is long, and whether she can go back or not is uncertain, but she has to plan for herself.
With this in mind, Jiang Lou went out with money again.

In the morning, she went to the vegetable market and saw a nearby shop selling clothes.

Her mother-in-law had given her thirty yuan yesterday, and she had spent ten in the morning. Jiang Rou was reluctant to spend money, but she still spent eight yuan on a lot of thin cotton fabric and some cotton. This shop also offered custom-made clothes, but Jiang Rou declined as it would incur additional labor costs.

Seeing how much she bought, the shopkeeper even gave her a bag of needles and thread.

Jiang Rou put the things in the basket and went back, thinking about the style of her nephew’s clothes on the way, which didn’t seem difficult.

It was just that when this child was born, it was cold, and they had to prepare winter cotton-padded jackets and thick blankets.

Oh right, when the time comes, she’ll have to observe the postpartum confinement period, eat well, dress well, and take good care of herself.

It’s best to buy some milk powder and other nutritional supplements.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Jiang Rou suddenly felt uneasy.

Even when she got home, she was still in a bad mood. 

She was so restless that she decided to cook all the meat she had bought today: shredded green pepper and pork, vinegar-glazed shredded potatoes, and green bean and egg soup.

Jiang Rou had just put the rice into the pot when he heard a loud banging sound on the door from outside.

She perked up her ears, confirmed that she hadn’t misheard, and furrowed her brow. She covered the pot and walked outside. When she reached the yard, instead of immediately opening the door, she asked, “Who is it?”

A hoarse voice of a boy going through puberty from outside said, “Third Sister, it’s me, open the door!”

He started knocking harder.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou froze in her tracks. She thought it was Li Xiao who had returned, but even if she was a bit flustered, she was prepared to open the door. But now that she heard the term “third sister,” she knew who it was: her younger brother, the perpetual nuisance who came for money every month.
In fact, the money Li Xiao gave was enough for her own use, but because she and her two sisters had been raised from a young age to support their younger brother, they would always give him money whenever he asked. Last month, they had already given him everything, but this month, Li Xiao was locked up in jail and hadn’t returned, which left their home without a single penny.

The person outside was still shouting, “Third Sister, I’m hungry. What are you cooking? It smells so good, I want some too.”

Jiang Rou didn’t want to play the role of the brother-supporting sister. Without thinking, she cupped her throat and shouted back, “Your sister has moved out. I’m not your sister.”

The knocking on the door outside stopped for an instant, but the sound quickly became louder, “You lied to me, your voice wasn’t like that just now.

The knocking on the door paused for a moment, but it quickly became even louder. “You’re lying to me. Your voice just now didn’t sound like this.”

He seemed angry and kicked the door impatiently with his foot. “Jiang Rou, you slut, open the door for me!”

Jiang Rou was startled and took two steps back, frowning.

She was afraid of startling the child in her belly, so she hurriedly rubbed her belly twice. She looked through the gap in the door and saw a menacing, chubby boy kicking the door from the outside. He must have realized that kicking the door was effective, so he kicked it even harder.

While kicking, he cursed, “You damn slut, I saw you!”

Jiang Rou didn’t expect her original younger brother to be so virtuous and have a somewhat unattractive face. She is now facing a battle with infertility and runs into the house without even thinking about it.

The room’s front door has three door bolts; it shouldn’t be easy to kick open.

The boy outside saw this and angrily shouted, “You dare to run? Just wait, I’ll beat you to death later!”

“You little slut, I’ll go back and tell Mom that you won’t let me in.”

Jiang Rou didn’t react much, clutching her belly as she briskly walked to the doorstep. Just as she was about to enter, there was a loud “bang” from behind her.

It was followed by the boy’s miserable scream.
A man’s cold and stern voice followed, “Who gave you the guts to cause trouble here?”

Upon hearing the commotion, Jiang Rou paused, placed her hand on the door frame, and subconsciously turned her head. She saw the boy who had been arrogantly kicking the door lying on the ground, bleeding from his forehead and mouth. He was in pain, grimacing and trembling.

At the entrance of the courtyard, there stood a tall figure, gradually revealing his features as he walked in from outside.

He was an extraordinarily handsome man with slanted ink-black eyebrows and narrow phoenix-like eyes that were profound. His nose was straight and sharp, as if sculpted by a knife, making his entire face look three-dimensional. His thin vermilion lips were tightly pursed, and there was a hint of bruising at the corner of his mouth, but it did not diminish his exquisite features. Perfectly balanced, every feature was just right.

Unfortunately, he still has long, uneven black hair that falls to his shoulders. It contrasted with his ruthless and sinister cold gaze, giving him a dangerous and sinister aura. It was a face that no one would ever forget.

Similarly, this is also a face that anyone will never forget after seeing it.

He casually walked towards the Little Fatty lying on the ground. With each step, the loose, yellowed white shirt on his upper body swayed. The shirt was loosely buttoned, revealing a well-defined, wheat-colored chest.

As he approached, he stepped on Little Fatty’s face and even forcefully pressed him down twice. His voice was cold, and he said, “Do you know whose house this is?”

Little Fatty, in pain, choked out a plea, “Brother-in-law, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

The man sneered and said. “If you do it again, I’ll break your legs. Now get lost!”

He lifted his foot but gave a hard kick to Little Fatty’s arm.

Little Fatty let out a painful scream, then crawled up from the ground, blood and tears on his face, and limped away. He didn’t dare to linger, as if afraid of being kicked again if he slowed down.

Once he was gone, the courtyard fell silent.

Jiang Rou withdrew her gaze from Little Fatty and seemed to sense something. She cautiously looked in another direction, locking eyes with a pair of familiar, yet indifferent eyes.

——————x—————

Hi, Lucia here! Sorry for the late update. I’m still contemplating the schedule for updates. Currently, I’m translating two novels, and the other one is “The Sweet Stepmother and her Cute Cubs.” You can check it out if you want. As for this novel, I’m still unsure about the frequency of updates, but what I’m certain of is that I WILL NOT DROP THIS NOVEL NO MATTER WHAT.

Anyway, thank you for reading this novel, and have a great day! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, there will be a new chapter tomorrow~