Chapter 38.2

In the evening, Jiang Rou prepared eight dishes. Around five o’clock, Fu Fei drove over with Chang Yong, and the group enjoyed a lively meal together.

As Chang Yong was leaving, he complimented Li Xiao, saying he had married a good wife.

Li Xiao smiled and praised Jiang Rou even more: “She’s leaving tomorrow and wanted to thank you for taking care of me. I planned to take you out for dinner, but she felt it wouldn’t be sincere enough.”

Chang Yong and Fu Fei were touched by this and thanked Jiang Rou several times.

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao saw them off, with Li Xiao walking them out of the alley.

When they returned inside the house, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but tug at his clothes, asking, “Why did you say those things just now?”

She had intended to do a favor for him, but it seemed like it all turned into her own benefit.

Li Xiao, holding An An in his arms, replied calmly, “It was your idea to begin with. What’s wrong with saying it? ”

As Jiang Rou watched him walk inside the house, she couldn’t help but smile.

She had to admit, she was quite pleased to hear Li Xiao say that.

It was a contrast to her previous experience with a friend’s boyfriend, who, despite being nice in general, enjoyed belittling his girlfriend in front of friends to appear more capable.

Fortunately, Li Xiao didn’t have those problems.

—o—o—o—

Later that evening, after they had coaxed An An to sleep, the two of them lay down together and chatted.

Li Xiao lay on his back with one hand under his head and the other arm around Jiang Rou. He whispered, “After you go back, ask Zhou Jian to come over.”

Jiang Rou nodded. “I’ll tell him when I get back.”

Li Xiao gently stroked her back, feeling reluctant as she would be leaving the next day. He added, “Can you come over after you finish your exams? I’ll rent a place near your school.”

Jiang Rou laughed, finding it amusing that he was already thinking about renting a place before her exams were even over.

She shifted to a more comfortable position and gently patted his head. “Don’t rush. I need to get the notice first. You should focus on recovering. We’ll take things one step at a time.”

Li Xiao responded with a quiet “Hmm.” However, his mood wasn’t very high.

Jiang Rou, sensing his mood, changed the subject with a smile: “Did you open the letter I left in your pocket? ”

Li Xiao was genuinely intrigued and replied, “No.”

He then curiously asked, “What’s written in it? ”

Jiang Rou was a bit surprised, thinking he might have already read it. “I won’t tell you. You’ll find out when you open it later.”

Li Xiao couldn’t wait and said, “Then I’ll open it now.”

He turned sideways, pretending to get up to fetch the letter.

But Jiang Rou quickly reached out and hugged him: “Don’t go.”

Li Xiao smiled, lowered his eyes to meet hers, and didn’t move.

He held her waist tightly, and as he looked at her, he couldn’t help but gradually lower his head. As their faces drew closer, he tilted his head slightly until their noses touched—rubbing them gently together.

Then he pulled away slightly, looking deeply into Jiang Rou’s eyes.

As he looked at her, he leaned in again, kissing her lightly on the lips, then moving to her cheek, and finally, his lips brushed softly against her neck.

He continued, moving slowly downward, his kisses becoming more intense, turning into soft sucking as she ignited a growing fire within him.

Jiang Rou felt a bit ticklish, but she didn’t stop him. She bit her lip, about to close her eyes, when she suddenly noticed that the little one, who had been sleeping soundly earlier, had somehow woken up and was now staring at them curiously with wide eyes.

Jiang Rou was startled and abruptly pushed Li Xiao away.

Li Xiao was caught off guard by the push and stumbled backward. Luckily, his agile reflexes allowed him to quickly brace himself with his hands on the bed, though he was slightly out of breath and momentarily stunned. He hoarsely asked, “What’s wrong? ”

Jiang Rou, feeling awkward, motioned for him to look behind them.

Realizing what was happening, Li Xiao turned his head and came face-to-face with a small, fair, and innocent-looking face.

“…”

An An stared at him, then glanced over at Jiang Rou, who was not far away. It seemed she had misunderstood the situation; she promptly slapped her father’s face.

A sharp “Pa——” echoed in the room, plunging it into an instant silence.

Li Xiao was stunned, frozen in place.

Jiang Rou couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

In the end, An An refused to let her father near her mother and clung tightly to Jiang Rou, even when she fell asleep.

Jiang Rou’s heart softened, realizing that An An had misunderstood and thought Li Xiao had bullied her.

She leaned down to kiss An An’s little face lovingly.

—o—o—o—

The next morning, Li Xiao accompanied Jiang Rou to the train station.

Jiang Rou pushed An An in the stroller, while Li Xiao carried a bulging backpack.

Their train was scheduled for 8:00 AM, and after arriving at the station, they didn’t have to wait long before boarding. Li Xiao escorted the mother and daughter into their carriage, ensuring they were in the lower bunk of a sleeper compartment before saying goodbye.

When it was time to part ways, Jiang Rou felt reluctant and hugged Li Xiao tightly.

Li Xiao also felt a pang of reluctance. He tossed the backpack onto the bed, wrapped his arm around her waist, leaned down to kiss her cheek, and gently reminded her, “Be careful on the road.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Rou nodded quietly.

As the train announcement echoed, Li Xiao kissed her forehead one more time and reluctantly let go of her hand.

He then turned around to leave, leaning on his cane.

The little one, who was sitting in the stroller, leaned over to look outside. When she saw that her father was gone, she seemed to realize what was happening and started crying.

She began to cry, making “wa wa wa” sounds and reaching out her hands for a hug.

Li Xiao, who had just reached the door, heard her cries and couldn’t help but look back. As soon as he did, his eyes turned red.

He waved goodbye to the two of them.

Jiang Rou picked up An An from the stroller, soothing her with kisses on her tiny face, “Don’t cry, we’ll see Daddy again soon.”

An An pouted and clung to her mother—still feeling aggrieved.

Outside, Li Xiao stood by the window, watching them.

As the train started to move, Jiang Rou waved goodbye.

—o—o—o—

After several days of travel, Jiang Rou arrived back in the county town around three in the afternoon.

Li Xin was sitting in the yard, engrossed in a book. When she heard the sound of someone arriving, she instinctively looked up. Seeing that it was Jiang Rou, a look of surprise instantly spread across her face. She shouted loudly, “Sister——”

She quickly got up and hurried over to welcome her.

When Jiang Rou saw Li Xin approaching, Jiang Rou quickly shook her aching arms. An An was getting heavier, and Jiang Rou could no longer lift both her and the stroller up the steps.

Li Xin ran over, and together they managed to carry the cart and An An into the yard.

An An was happy to see her aunt, and as soon as Li Xin picked her up, she nestled contentedly in her arms.

Aunt Wang from next door, hearing the commotion, came over with some food—her face beaming with happiness. “You’re finally back. Your sister has been waiting for you at the door every day.”

Li Xin felt a bit embarrassed and lowered her head.

Jiang Rou affectionately patted her head.

Aunt Wang then inquired about Li Xiao’s condition, “How is he doing? After Zhou Jian heard about Li Xiao’s accident, the child came over several times.”

Jiang Rou shook her head and briefly explained Li Xiao’s situation and added: “He’s been in the hospital for more than half a month. Now, his main focus is on resting well and going to the hospital regularly for rehabilitation. His injury wasn’t the worst; there was a worker nearby who was accidentally caught in the machinery while laying bricks. His hand was severely injured and may never fully recover.”

Aunt Wang sighed and commented: “Li Xiao is too honest. His boss should really be grateful to him; otherwise, it would be so unfair for Li Xiao to have suffered such a serious injury while saving him.”

She then added, “It’s still too dangerous out there. Money is hard to earn.”

“That’s true,” Jiang Rou agreed.

Jiang Rou, feeling slightly annoyed, said, “Their boss wanted to offer him a project. If it weren’t for me being there, he would have likely accepted it, and completely forgotten about his leg.”

Aunt Wang nodded knowingly, “Men are all like that. Look at your uncle. I told him not to go, but he didn’t listen. Now he can’t do any heavy work. Just the other day, he said he regretted it. He’s been lying at home for so long, and has his nephew ever come to see him? No! I don’t even bother talking to him about it anymore.”

Aunt Wang had repeated this sentiment many times, and Jiang Rou regretted bringing up the topic.

“Sometimes you have to intervene, or else it’s us who end up suffering.”

“Exactly.” Aunt Wang agreed. “But the most important thing is that he’s okay. Li Xiao is very lucky. Don’t worry too much. This child has a good life. I think he’ll suffer first and then enjoy happiness later on.”

Aunt Wang spoke sincerely, remembering how Li Xiao used to be and how different he was now. Since Jiang Rou had come into his life, even the neighbors had noticed his changes. It was clear that it was Jiang Rou who brought him good fortune.

—o—o—o—

Later in the evening, Zhou Jian, who was well-informed, hurried over.

Upon hearing that Li Xiao was fine, he was relieved.

Jiang Rou had been planning to find him, but now that Zhou Jian had come, she relayed Li Xiao’s message.

When Zhou Jian heard that Li Xiao called him over, his face lit up with happiness. He had never traveled so far away before, so he was really excited.

Seeing how eager he was, Jiang Rou didn’t want to dampen his spirits. She knew that Li Xiao had nothing at the moment and was preparing to start from scratch. There would likely be hardships ahead, but Zhou Jian’s enthusiasm gave her some comfort.

Zhou Jian didn’t think about that. He kept asking about conditions in Province G. Jiang Rou explained everything and wrote down detailed directions, including how to transfer between vehicles and which bus to take after arriving. She wanted to make sure Zhou Jian wouldn’t get lost since it was his first time traveling far.

Zhou Jian gratefully accepted the notes. “Sister-in-law, I’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll come by again then. If there’s anything you want me to bring to Brother, just let me know.”

Jiang Rou nodded, but after seeing him off, she realized there seemed to be nothing to send.

As Zhou Jian reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, “Oh, sister-in-law, the school notified you to fill out the application for college. I was thinking if you didn’t return soon, I’d help you fill it out tomorrow.”

Jiang Rou then remembered that it was time to fill out college applications in advance.

—o—o—o—