Chapter 31.2

In the kitchen, Zhang Yan had been keeping an eye on Jiang Rou, and the more she thought about it, the more something felt off. She suspected Jiang Rou was up to something and couldn’t help but stand up to check. Seeing the open net bag on the table, she was immediately furious.

Hearing the conversation outside, she felt that Jiang Rou was deliberately making things difficult for her and even expected her to take care of her fifth daughter. Why should she? It was just more trouble.

She shouted outside, “Once they’re sent away, they’re no longer part of our family. Why should we care? I should have sent both of you away earlier. Each one of you is more disobedient than the other.”

Sister Jiang was so frightened by this outburst that she lowered her head and dared not speak.

Jiang Rou pressed her lips together, gave Zhang Yan a cold glance, and then turned around, holding An An as she left.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan, infuriated, threw the cloth she was holding onto the table. She regretted letting Jiang Rou go to school.

Initially, she thought that if she was educated, it might help her marry into a well-off family. Who would have thought that while the marriage was decent, it had no connection to her family and always caused her anger?

—o—o—o—

At noon, Zhang Yan cooked a plate of braised pork, not for Jiang Rou but because she couldn’t bear to let her son go hungry.

When the braised pork was served, Jiang Gui immediately grabbed two pieces with his chopsticks.

No one else touched the dish. The two children from Eldest Daughter’s family seemed used to this and quietly ate the radish in front of them.

Only Jiang Rou picked up the plate of braised pork and poured it into Li Xiao’s bowl. Then, amid everyone’s astonished gazes, she picked pieces from his bowl to eat and placed a few pieces on the plates of Sister Jiang’s two children.

Not only were the two children at a loss for how to react, but everyone else was also stunned.

Jiang Gui reacted the quickest, throwing his chopsticks down and wailing, “That’s my meat!”

Jiang Rou, as if she hadn’t heard, continued to pick pieces from Li Xiao’s bowl to eat, calmly saying, “Li Xiao hasn’t had Mom’s cooking before. Mom wouldn’t be so stingy, right? Besides, we brought this meat.”

Zhang Yan wanted to scold her but was silenced by Li Xiao’s smirking gaze beside Jiang Rou. She could not utter any words.

This son-in-law was someone who could be ruthless. While she dared to scold Jiang Rou, she still had some reservations about him.

Unable to vent her anger, she had no choice but to punch Father Jiang beside her. Father Jiang, feeling the punch, said irritably, “If you have the ability, go hit your son-in-law. Why hit me? It’s not like it’s in my bowl.”

Zhang Yan’s face darkened further.

On the other side, Jiang Gui was still crying. Seeing that Zhang Yan hadn’t returned the meat, he threw himself on the ground, kicking his legs wildly, and eventually started rolling around on the floor.

Zhang Yan was heartbroken and went to pull him up, but despite pulling for a long time, she couldn’t move him. Sister Jiang saw this and put down her chopsticks, intending to help, but was pulled back by her husband.

Sister Jiang glanced at him and met his stern eyes—she couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid.

Sister Jiang hesitated for a while but still chose to pick up her chopsticks again and lowered her head to eat.

The two children beside her quickly finished eating the meat Jiang Rou had given them.

What was eaten was theirs.

The calmest at the table were Jiang Rou, her husband, and Father Jiang.

Jiang Rou enjoyed dealing with troublesome children; the more they cried, the more accomplished she felt. Li Xiao didn’t mind at all.

As for Father Jiang, he seemed completely indifferent, focusing solely on his own food.

Li Xiao, holding An An with one arm and using chopsticks with the other, noticed that An An, who was somewhat sleepy, looked curiously at Jiang Gui rolling on the floor. When her father’s hand holding food blocked her view, she knew to lower her head slightly to see better.

—o—o—o—

The meal was quite lively, though not in the most pleasant way.

After they finished eating, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao decided to leave.

Seeing them go, the eldest sister’s husband also prepared to leave with their two children. Sister Jiang seemed to want to stay a bit longer, but when she noticed that her husband didn’t even bother to call her as he took the children out of the yard, she felt she had no choice but to follow him.

Afraid of being scolded by Zhang Yan, she didn’t dare to speak to her and instead quietly left the yard, even leaving the kitchen untidy.

When Li Xiao rode the motorcycle to the village entrance, Jiang Rou asked him to stop.

The two of them waited under the tree at the village entrance for a while before they saw her elder sister’s family approaching.

Sister Jiang and her husband appeared relieved to see that Jiang Rou and Li Xiao had waited for them. The eldest sister’s husband quickly walked over and pulled a crumpled red envelope from his pocket, offering it to An An.

Jiang Rou accepted it without hesitation, but she also took out two red envelopes from her pocket.

The eldest sister’s husband hurriedly tried to stop her, but Jiang Rou gave him a stern look, leaving him at a loss for words.

The two children shyly lowered their heads and whispered, “Thank you, Third Aunt.”

“Thank you, Third Aunt.”

Jiang Rou gently patted their heads and advised, “Study hard. Only by studying hard can you avoid being bullied in the future.”

The two children looked up at Jiang Rou with bright eyes. The little girl, a bit bolder than her brother, replied, “Third Aunt, we will study hard. Dad said he will send my brother to school next year.”

Jiang Rou smiled warmly and said, “You should work hard too.”

“I will.”

The two children were very happy.

The oldest brother-in-law looked satisfied, and even Jiang Lan showed a smile.

Before they parted ways, Jiang Rou couldn’t resist pulling Sister Jiang aside and asked, “What happened to our little sister?”

She couldn’t just ignore the situation. Her little sister was only fourteen years old, and it broke her heart to hear about her situation.

When Sister Jiang thought about her little sister, who had been given away as a child, she felt a pang of guilt. “I don’t know much. I heard from people in the village that our little sister’s adoptive parents have been treating her poorly. Recently, they arranged a marriage for her with a man in his thirties. Our little sister seemed unwilling and was locked at home by her adoptive parents. I don’t know what happened after that.”

At this, Sister Jiang felt a strange sense of relief that she had given birth to a son first. If she had two daughters, even if her husband didn’t mind, her mother-in-law wouldn’t make things easy for her.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but advise Jiang Rou, “While you’re still young, you should quickly give birth to a son. Daughters have too many disadvantages.”

Jiang Rou ignored this advice and instead frowned, asking where the bachelor lived.

Sister Jiang told her the address but hesitated—she wasn’t entirely naive. Seeing Jiang Rou’s expression, she knew what she was planning and hesitated before speaking, “It’s not easy to interfere in this matter, and our family doesn’t have a strong position. You know, as well as I do, the little sister has been sent away since she was young and never ate a meal from our family.”

Jiang Rou asked angrily, “So we should just pretend not to know? What if something happens to our little sister? She’s only fourteen.”

Sister Jiang muttered, “It’s also her bad luck.”

Just as their mother said, she had bad luck and could only marry a useless man and suffer alone. Unlike the second and third sisters, who were good-looking and loved, they were more fortunate.

One had to accept their fate.

Jiang Rou knew she couldn’t change Sister Jiang’s mindset. She took a deep breath and finally said, “Make sure the children study hard. It’s not easy for you and your husband, but they are still young and have a chance to succeed.”
With that, she left.

Sister Jiang watched Jiang Rou’s departing figure in silence, her mind in turmoil.

The motorcycle roared to life as they drove off. It was fast and loud. Sister Jiang had never even touched a motorcycle, let alone ridden one.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she had studied when she was younger, would she be living the same life as the second or third sisters now? Would she dare to show her mother a different face or do what she wanted to do?

For the first time, Jiang Lan felt some resentment toward her parents.

‘Why was she the only one who was denied the chance to study?’

—o—o—o—

By the time Jiang Rou and Li Xiao returned home, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Li Xiao went out to return the motorcycle.

Jiang Rou had just finished feeding An An when Aunt Wang and her daughter, Wang Minjun, from next door, came over.

Aunt Wang had just returned from visiting her parents, who lived just outside the county town, not too far away.

After paying New Year’s greetings, Aunt Wang and her daughter, Wang Minjun, brought back a lot of food. Wang Minjun’s uncle’s son was serving in the army in the southwest, where smoked foods were popular. He had sent back an abundance of sausages and bacon for the New Year.

Aunt Wang handed over some Chinese sausages, saying, “These are really delicious. Whether steamed or fried, they taste great—much better than the sun-dried ones we have here.”

Jiang Rou saw the sausages and immediately smiled, not holding back her excitement. “Great, I’ll steam some tonight and give them a try.”

She knew how tasty these sausages were. One of her college roommates was from Province C, and every time she returned from vacation, she’d bring back a stash of Chinese sausages to share. The taste was something Jiang Rou still fondly remembered.

But Aunt Wang wasn’t just there to share food; she also had some news. “I saw your mother-in-law at your door when I came back. She knocked for a long time, and when I said you weren’t home, she left. It turned out she had a fight with her stepdaughter.”

Jiang Rou, who was changing An An’s diaper, paused and turned her head to ask, “What happened?”

Aunt Wang, having already gathered the details, excitedly explained, “It’s her stepdaughter. I heard that she was staying at the family’s house and refused to leave. She keeps insulting your mother-in-law with harsh words. Your mother-in-law, well, I don’t know what to say. She’s just a bully who fears strong people and can’t handle anyone slightly tough.”

Jiang Rou thought Aunt Wang’s assessment was quite accurate.

She wasn’t sure if it was because she was slow, but An An, lying on the bed, began to kick her legs impatiently. Realizing what was happening, Jiang Rou quickly changed An An’s diaper, with Wang Minjun squatting beside her, holding the dirty diaper.

Aunt Wang continued, “She might come over later, so be prepared.”

Prepared for what? Was her cheap mother-in-law thinking of moving in with them?

The thought filled her with dread, especially considering Lin Meiru’s incessant nagging, which could drive anyone to vomit blood.

—o—o—o—

Sure enough, Aunt Wang’s prediction came true. It wasn’t long before Lin Meiru actually came over, and Jiang Rou began to suspect that she had spies in the area.

Lin Meiru entered the courtyard crying, complaining that her stepdaughter was treating her poorly and had hit her that morning. Her stepson wasn’t home, and Old He wouldn’t help her, leaving her feeling extremely aggrieved.

“She cursed at me, blaming me for only taking care of Xiao Hua’s son and ignoring her own. Why should I take care of her son? I dislike her so much, and she still wants me to look after her child. It’s just wishful thinking…”

Jiang Rou wondered why she was saying all this to her. Was she expecting Jiang Rou to stand up for her? She had never relied on her for anything, so why would she stand up for her?

“Why does she treat me like this? I didn’t kill her mother. Xiaohua is so much better—he never acts this way. She’s an outsider who came back to live at her natal home; how can she not feel embarrassed?”

The more Lin Meiru thought about it, the angrier she became. “Usually, Old He and his son say how much the family owes me to live well. Could they manage without me? And she dares to give me a hard time, treating me like a servant.”

“……”

Jiang Rou’s mouth twitched. Was there really any difference?

Aside from the attitude, she didn’t see much difference in the situation.

Suddenly, she found herself feeling sympathy for Li Xiao—it must have been tough for him to grow up under such circumstances.

Lin Meiru glanced at Jiang Rou, who was sitting at the door reading. Despite her lengthy complaints, Jiang Rou hadn’t looked up once. Her expression was somewhat displeased, so Lin Meiru directly asked, “Where’s Li Xiao? ”

Jiang Rou looked up at her and replied, “He went out. He should be back soon. Mom, why don’t you rest for a while?”

Lin Meiru looked at the sky, feeling that it was getting a bit dark. She wiped her eyes with her arm and said, “No, the family can’t live without me,” she said with a hint of pride.

Her tone had a touch of pride as if she were quite important in the He family.

“When Li Xiao comes back, you should tell him.”

“Alright.”

Lin Meiru came quickly and left quickly.

Jiang Rou looked up at her disappearing figure, feeling quite speechless.

—o—o—o—

When Li Xiao came back, Jiang Rou told him about Lin Meiru’s visit. “Do you want to go over and check on her? I think she wants you to support her.”

Li Xiao looked indifferent. “No, she brought this on herself.”

He recalled how He Tieshan had pursued Lin Meiru just three months after his wife’s death. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn’t a good man. But Lin Meiru saw no issue and even treated him like a treasure, thinking highly of her own charm.

Since her own son didn’t care, Jiang Rou decided not to bother either. She was too tired to deal with it.

But Jiang Rou really couldn’t ignore the matter regarding her younger sister. She put down the book she was holding and hesitated before speaking. “Li Xiao, can you help me check on my sister?”

As soon as she started speaking, Li Xiao nodded. “I guessed you’d say that. Don’t worry; I already talked to Zhou Jian about it. We’ll go and see her after dinner.”

Jiang Rou was taken aback and instinctively said, “After dinner? It’s already dark. Isn’t it unsafe? ”

Despite her deep concern for her younger sister, she didn’t want Li Xiao to take unnecessary risks.

Li Xiao reassured her, “It’s fine. I’m familiar with that village, and I have friends there. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

He was mainly concerned that Jiang Rou’s younger sister might no longer be with her adoptive parents.

When he heard Jiang Rou and her eldest sister’s conversation, he recognized the village where the bachelor lived. It was a place he knew well—notorious for being a tough neighborhood where everyone was related.

Hearing that Li Xiao had friends there, Jiang Rou felt a bit more at ease. She nodded and said, “If you can resolve it peacefully, then do so. After all, they did raise my younger sister. But if they’re really unreasonable, don’t hold back. Just give them a good beating.”

She couldn’t understand how they could arrange a marriage for a 14-year-old girl.

“Okay,” Li Xiao agreed.

—o—o—o—

After dinner, Li Xiao got ready to leave.

He reminded Jiang Rou to close all the doors and windows before he headed out.

Jiang Rou, in turn, asked him to drive carefully.

Once Li Xiao left, Jiang Rou bathed herself and the child, then settled down to play with An An.

After the child fell asleep, she didn’t go to bed right away. Instead, she sat up to read—her mind was too preoccupied to rest.

It wasn’t until after midnight that she heard the distant rumble of a motorcycle outside.

Jiang Rou woke from her drowsiness, realized what was happening, and hurried out of bed to open the door.

By the time she reached the main room, Li Xiao had already climbed over the wall and entered the yard. He walked inside and looked up at her, his voice hoarse and tired. “You’re still awake?”

Jiang Rou looked at him with concern. “Is everything alright? ”

Li Xiao didn’t answer but said, “Where are the ID cards and other documents? Zhou Jian and I need to take your sister to the hospital first.”