(TRIGGER WARNING! THERE MIGHT BE WORDS AND SCENES THAT MAY TRIGGER SOME READERS.)

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Chapter 5.2

The next day, Jiang Rou saw Li Xiao’s stepbrother, He Wenhua.

He arrived in the afternoon, carrying some vegetables and standing at the entrance of the courtyard with a gentle smile on his face.

He was a few years older than Li Xiao, having repeated three years of school. This year marked his fourth year. According to her senior police officer, who has been to Li Xiao’s hometown, this person later managed to get into a normal university. However, his luck was not very good. After graduation, he lost his job, and when a pregnant woman came to find him, he also lost his fiancée, struggled with subsequent jobs, and eventually returned to his hometown to become a taxi driver, barely maintaining his household registration.

The senior officer said that this person’s mouth is full of lies, and calling him a hypocrite is not enough. He also said that a child’s upbringing environment was crucial. Due to Li Xiao’s case, her senior police officer started paying more attention to the education of his own two children, even taking time out of his busy schedule to call them.

Jiang Rou looked at the tall and fair-skinned young man in front of her. Jiang Rou couldn’t help but applaud his apparently comfortable life in an era marked by yellowish skin and malnutrition.

He wore a smile that was just right on his face, though his looks were quite ordinary, with small single eyelids, downturned eye corners, slightly wide eye spacing, and a relatively large mouth. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and a neatly cut youthful hairstyle, and was dressed in a clean white shirt and black trousers, exuding an intellectual and refined demeanor.

He handed the vegetables tied with straws to Jiang Rou, these are the vegetables Mom didn’t sell today. I brought some over for you. I heard Ah Xiao get into a fight and end up in the police station again. Talk to him nicely; Mom is getting old, and it bothers her when he acts recklessly.”

Jiang Rou couldn’t help but applaud as he looked at He Wenhua.

If it weren’t for the warning from her former senior police officer, she might have genuinely thought this guy was a good person.

He Wenhua glanced into the courtyard and asked, “Where’s Ah Xiao?”

Jiang Rou: “He went out.”

The man’s face showed a hint of helplessness. “Well, then I’ll leave first. Otherwise, he’ll get angry if he sees me again.”

He also sighed and smiled gently at Jiang Rou.

If someone who’s unaware of his true nature saw his expression, one might have thought he was a caring older brother.

But Jiang Rou, being from the modern era and having seen numerous novels and TV dramas, found this guy interesting. He seemed somewhat like a scheming, supporting female character in online novels.

What did he mean by bringing over some unsold vegetables? What did he mean by Ah Xiao getting into a fight again and Mom getting old? Also, why would he be concerned about Ah Xiao getting angry at the sight of him?

Constantly undermining Li Xiao while showing off how “understanding” he was.

He spoke so eloquently; no wonder Li Xiao’s mother was easily manipulated.

After the man left, Jiang Rou lowered her head to examine the vegetables he brought. They were fresh small bok choy and amaranth. As she finished inspecting them and looked up, she saw Li Xiao returning from another direction, carrying vegetables, two pork ribs, two pig trotters, and a few seasonings.

He looked at the distant figure with a heavy gaze, then turned to Jiang Rou and asked, “What did he come for?”

His voice was very cold, expressing clear displeasure.

Jiang Rou showed him the vegetables in her hands and repeated everything He Wenhua had said.

Having graduated from the police academy, her memory had been deliberately trained, and she repeated the words almost verbatim.

After listening, Li Xiao sneered with a somewhat disdainful expression on his face, as if he didn’t care about such petty tricks at all.

He glanced faintly at Jiang Rou and warned, “Stay away from him in the future.”

“Oh,” Jiang Rou didn’t deny it.

After dinner that evening, Li Xiao started packing in the room. The little clothes Jiang Rou had made for the child were already cut; all that was left was to sew them together.

When she was sewing clothes, Li Xiao packed the necessary items into a snakeskin bag.

Jiang Lou looked at it several times but couldn’t help but ask, “When are you leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou hesitated and pursed her lips. “My younger brother will surely complain when he returns in the next couple of days. I’m afraid my mom will come over.”

Li Xiao paused and then turned to look at her. Afraid he might misunderstand, Jiang Rou hurriedly explained while touching her belly, “I’m just worried about scaring the baby.”

It’s not that I can’t bear to part with him.

The man followed her hand to look at her stomach. He initially wanted to sneer but softened his gaze in the end. “He won’t dare to come over.”

Then turn around and continue to tidy up.

Then he turned away to continue packing.

“Oh,” Jiang Rou said, touching her nose, finding it hard to say anything more. and couldn’t say anything more.

Early the next morning, the man left, returning in the afternoon on an old bicycle loaded with things. He unloaded everything in the main room and then went back to return the bicycle.

Jiang Rou opened the bag and found rice, flour, potatoes, oil, meat, and fabric inside. She had no idea where he got the money to buy so many things.

Li Xiao returned quickly and stored the items in the kitchen cupboard. Afterward, he told her, “Your mom won’t come. I’ll leave tomorrow morning. If you need anything, ask Mrs. Wang next door.”

After a pause, he said, “I’ll call you when it’s time and come back before you start giving birth. Be careful, take care of yourself.”

“Okay.”

During dinner that night, Jiang Rou thought for a moment and couldn’t help but remind him, “Um, be careful outside. I heard there are a lot of scammers. If something doesn’t feel right, just run.”

Jiang Rou felt a bit guilty, knowing he was likely going into a dangerous situation, but she hadn’t stopped him.

So, feeling a twinge of guilt, after dinner, she kneaded some of the flour he bought into a dough and used the meat, oil, and homegrown chili to make two jars of spicy sauce.

Her mother was from the X province and was exceptionally skilled at making noodles and chili sauce.

While Jiang Rou was doing all this, the man sat in front of the stove, watching the fire.

The bright flames illuminated his handsome and delicate face, giving him a gentler appearance.

The kitchen remained quiet but gained a subtle warmth.