Chapter 80 (END)

An An woke up crying in the morning.

The previous day, her parents had told her that they would return to their hometown the next day, so she had gone to bed early. Little did she know she would spend the entire night plagued by nightmares.

In her dreams, she had no mother, and her father was rarely home. The small An An was constantly bullied, with no one to support her.

Her classmates said her mother had run away with someone and that her father no longer wanted her.

At preschool, there was a little boy who pinched her arm every day and spat at her. She cried to the teacher, who then called an unfamiliar woman. This woman looked very much like an old lady from their hometown but was much younger.

As soon as the woman arrived, she scolded An An as a troublemaker, insisting that she must have done something wrong, otherwise, why would people only bully her and not others?

She berated An An, saying she was as annoying as her father, and slapped her on the butt several times before twisting her ear and dragging her away.

Behind her, the mocking laughter of her classmates echoed.

An An felt deeply wronged and sad.

Once she was taken home, there was also an old man who constantly looked at her with strange eyes and, when no one was watching, would sneakily pinch her bottom.

She was so terrified that she hid in the dark little room at night—she was afraid to sleep. She could only cry and call out for her father.

—o—o—o—

Later, when her father returned, he took her away from that house. He bought a bright and spacious new house and hired a nanny to cook and do laundry for her, but her mother was nowhere to be seen.

Just as she had begun to enjoy a peaceful life, it was disrupted again when she turned nine. That year, the county’s primary and secondary schools merged. A boy from a higher grade wanted her to be his girlfriend, but in her dream, she refused. As a result, the boy led the others in bullying her.

Her backpack was frequently thrown on the ground and stepped on, sometimes ending up in the trash can. Her homework was torn, and everyone in the school knew that her mother had run away and that her father had abandoned her, calling her the daughter of a whore, a little whore herself.

But she had never told her father about any of this. Her father was already struggling, and she did not want to add to his worries.

Whenever her father called to check on her, she always smiled and said that her classmates and teachers were all very nice.

Until one winter when she was ten years old, after school, a group of people dragged her to an abandoned factory behind the school. The boys locked her inside, tore off her cotton jacket, and one of the boys’ girlfriends poured several bottles of water over her. She was so cold she shivered uncontrollably.

After they left, she kept looking outside, hoping someone would find her. Eventually, someone did come by, but she would never see the sun the next day.

The icy river wrapped around her body, chilling her to the bone. Just before closing her eyes, she softly called out “Daddy.”

—o—o—o—

An An cried very loudly.

This dream was too terrifying for her. The girl in the dream looked exactly like her as if that girl was really her.

Only the years between three and ten were completely different from her own.

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao heard the commotion and came over. Seeing An An crying so sadly, Jiang Rou quickly held her in her arms and gently patted her, while turning to Li Xiao to fetch a glass of milk.

Li Xiao quickly went out.

An An tightly hugged her mother, crying as she recounted her dream. “Mom, I was so scared. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn’t. She was so pitiful.”

Jiang Rou felt a pang in her heart upon hearing this. She held An An even more tightly and comforted her, “It’s okay, it’s just a dream, not real. Mommy and Daddy are here.”

An An sniffled in response, still not fully recovered from the dream.

The girl’s sense of despair in the dream was indescribable to her, but she could feel that the girl had long stopped wanting to live.

She knew that her father loved her very much, and if she were no longer here, her father would be very sad. She was her father’s only relative in the world.

“Mommy, you’ll always be here, right?”

Jiang Rou kissed her forehead and said seriously, “Yes, Mommy will always be with you.”

Upon hearing this, An An’s emotions gradually settled.

Li Xiao came in with a glass of milk. As he came closer, he handed it to An An without teasing her as usual, but instead gently patted her on the head. “Mommy and Daddy are here. Don’t be afraid.”

An An took the glass and sipped it slowly, glancing at her father and then at her mother.

Seeing them both present, she let out a small sigh of relief.

After finishing the milk, she lay back down. It was still dark outside, and Jiang Rou told her to sleep a little longer. “There’s no need to rush. We can sleep later.”

An An sniffled and, with red eyes, asked, “Mommy, you once told me that there might be parallel worlds. Do you think that girl in my dream could be me?”

Jiang Rou was momentarily stunned and couldn’t respond immediately.

It was Li Xiao who decisively answered, “No, dreams are usually the opposite. You just had a nightmare. Sleep a little more, and you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

An An nodded, accepting the explanation. “Okay.”

—o—o—o—

On this trip back to her hometown, they did not take the route through the neighboring provincial capital but instead changed buses in the provincial capital of her hometown.

After arriving in the provincial capital, they stayed for three days.

They rested for one night, and the next day Jiang Rou told An An to stay at the hotel with her aunt while she and Li Xiao went out to handle some matters.

Li Xiao, sensing something, did not ask further questions. He just followed her as she took bus number 1 and changed buses many times. They got off in the city center on an older street, then walked a bit further, and finally arrived at the entrance of a modest residential complex.

Jiang Rou stood at the entrance for a long time. Seeing that she wasn’t moving, Li Xiao stepped forward and took her hand.

Jiang Rou glanced at him but said nothing. She simply led him inside.

As they walked in, her once vague memories gradually became clearer. She had grown up here, living until she was twenty. Later, when her brother earned money, he bought the family a high-rise apartment, and they moved out.

However, the impression of home in her memories was still tied to this place.

Jiang Rou found the home from her memories. She looked up at the six-story old building, her home on the third floor.

It was exactly as she remembered, even the potted plants on the windowsill were the same.

Jiang Rou suddenly felt a surge of hesitation. She was afraid of seeing an identical version of herself.

At that moment, Jiang Rou suddenly heard someone call out, “Jiang Feng—”

Instinctively, Jiang Rou turned around.

She saw a young couple walking towards them with suitcases. The young woman was dressed fashionably, holding an umbrella in one hand and eating an ice cream in the other. She said to the man in front of her, “Walk slower.”

The man replied gruffly, “Ancestor, I’m already walking very slowly.”

Despite his words, he stopped to wait for her.

Jiang Rou stood frozen in place.

The young couple resembled her brother and sister-in-law from her memories, but they were much younger. This year, her brother sported a flashy hairstyle with thick bangs, while her sister-in-law wore a tank top and shorts, topped with a floral shirt.

Jiang Rou remembered that when her sister-in-law first visited their home, she had dressed like that. Although her mother didn’t say anything outwardly, she had commented behind their backs that she was dressed too scantily.

As the couple walked past, they glanced curiously at Jiang Rou and Li Xiao, especially the sister-in-law, who brightened up upon seeing Li Xiao and even whistled in a cheeky manner.

Her brother, Jiang Feng, turned green with embarrassment and said gruffly, “Let’s go.”

As they walked away, Jiang Rou could still hear her sister-in-law’s voice complaining, “Why are you so grumpy? Don’t think I didn’t see you staring at that pretty woman’s legs.”

Jiang Rou watched their figures with a tightening heart.

Before they reached the stairs, she couldn’t help but call out, “Hey?”

The couple turned instinctively at the sound.

Jiang Rou, meeting their puzzled gazes, disregarded Li Xiao beside her and asked, “I’m trying to find someone. Do you know a Jiang Rou?”

Perhaps because Jiang Rou and Li Xiao were too strikingly good-looking, Jiang Feng didn’t think much of it. He shook his head and kindly said, “I’ve lived in this complex for ten years and haven’t heard of anyone named Jiang Rou.”

Jiang Rou was momentarily stunned. “No one?”

She had only asked casually, thinking that by identifying herself as a classmate’s mother, she might get closer to this world’s version of herself.

“Oh, alright. Thank you.”

Jiang Feng nodded at her and picked up his suitcase to leave. However, after just a couple of steps up the stairs, he couldn’t resist glancing back.

For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with that woman.

Jiang Rou noticed his gaze and looked back at him, her nose involuntarily growing moist.

Jiang Feng quickly averted his gaze, turning and heading upstairs.

Li Xiao stood with Jiang Rou at the bottom for a while. Jiang Rou lowered her head in disappointment, preparing to leave.

But Li Xiao remained still. He tightened his grip on Jiang Rou’s hand and asked, “Which floor?”

Jiang Rou looked at him, and Li Xiao met her gaze. He said nothing but seemed to say everything.

Jiang Rou bit her lip. “The third floor.”

Then Li Xiao led her upstairs.

They walked up the concrete stairs. On the third floor, there was only one unit. When they reached the door, it was slightly ajar, and they could hear lively sounds coming from inside.

Jiang Rou hesitated at the door, but Li Xiao took a step forward and knocked.

Soon, someone came to open the door. Jiang’s mother, with a smile on her face, saw Li Xiao and Jiang Rou at the door. Her smile did not fade, and a hint of amazement flashed in her eyes, probably because she had never seen such good-looking people before, finding them even more attractive than celebrities on television.

Thinking of celebrities, Mother Jiang suddenly felt that Li Xiao looked somewhat familiar.

She asked politely, “May I help you?”

Li Xiao nodded courteously. “Hello, we’re looking for someone named Jiang Rou.”

“Jiang Rou?”

Mother Jiang looked puzzled. “There’s no one named Jiang Rou in our family. Perhaps you have the wrong address?”

“Who is it?”

A voice called out from inside, and someone walked over. Jiang’s father joined Jiang’s mother and, seeing Li Xiao and Jiang Rou, his expression softened slightly. “Who are you looking for?”

Jiang’s mother helped answer, “They said they are looking for Jiang Rou. We do have the surname Jiang, but there’s no Jiang Rou here. I only have one son named Jiang Feng.”

She then called inside, “Jiang Feng—”

“Yes?”

The young man inside quickly responded and came running to the door. “What’s up?”

Seeing Li Xiao and Jiang Rou outside the door, they exclaimed, “Eh, how come it’s you?”

Jiang’s father instinctively asked, “Do you know them?”

Jiang Feng, appearing relaxed, responded, “Just now downstairs, they asked me if I knew Jiang Rou.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang’s mother cast an apologetic glance at Li Xiao and Jiang Rou and said, “I’m sorry, but you must have made a mistake. We don’t have anyone named Jiang Rou in our family.”

Jiang Rou tightly grasped Li Xiao’s hand, unsure if she should feel regret or relief.

Li Xiao looked at Father Jiang and mother and inquired, “You only have one son, no daughter?”

Before Father Jiang could answer, Mother Jiang immediately replied, “Yes, that’s right. I did have a pregnancy later, but unfortunately, it ended in miscarriage due to health issues.”

Li Xiao nodded and politely said, “Then it must have been our mistake. Sorry for the disturbance.”

As he spoke, he handed over the gift, saying, “Since we can’t give these away, we’ll give them to you.”

Mother Jiang hurriedly waved her hands, “No, no, that’s too kind of you.”

Li Xiao insisted, “It’s nothing.”

With a nod, he directly took Jiang Rou and left.

The generosity left Jiang’s family astonished.

After watching the two leave, Father Jiang closed the door and, with a frown, said to his wife, “Why did you tell them everything? Aren’t you worried they might be scammers?”

Mother Jiang replied unhappily, “What scammers? Would a scammer be so generous?”

She then took out the gift and, upon seeing it, gasped in shock, “This… this is too expensive.”

Father Jiang and Jiang Feng looked at the items in her hands, also stunned. The gifts included Moutai liquor, jewelry, and other expensive items like bird’s nest and abalone.

Father Jiang quickly said, “Hurry and return the things to them.”

Mother Jiang handed the items to Jiang Feng, instructing him to chase after them. Jiang Feng ran downstairs quickly but couldn’t find them.

When he returned, Mother Jiang, sitting in front of the TV, suddenly exclaimed with excitement, “I just remembered who they were! They were at the Spring Festival Gala—one of the twelve zodiac business owners. Ah, they must be sending gifts to our family as part of a program.”

She then eagerly asked Father Jiang, “Did I behave well just now?”

Father Jiang, recalling the earlier encounter, confirmed, “It seems like it was him.”

“Exactly, I really liked him. His daughter is also beautiful.”

“You just liked him because he’s handsome.”

“Mind your own business.”

The Jiang family, because of this incident, became unusually lively.

—o—o—o—

After Jiang Rou went downstairs, with red eyes, she and Li Xiao headed to the playground behind the neighborhood. There, she sat on a swing, and Li Xiao said nothing but gently pushed her.

Eventually, a few children came over, prompting Jiang Rou to get up and make way.

Li Xiao then led her to a shaded area and held her close.

Jiang Rou rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes gradually growing misty. She choked up as she said, “Aren’t you going to ask about it?”

Li Xiao shook his head, “No need to ask. As long as it’s you, that’s enough.”

Jiang Rou murmured, “Thank you. I just need a bit of time to be sad.”

“It’s okay to be sad for a little longer. I’ll always be here with you.”

“Okay.”

However, Jiang Rou quickly adjusted her mood and left with Li Xiao.

After leaving the neighborhood, Li Xiao suddenly said, “Let’s go. I will take you to a fun place.”

Jiang Rou wondered what kind of fun place it might be, but she was surprised when Li Xiao took her to an amusement park.

They spent the whole afternoon enjoying the amusement park, and by the end, Jiang Rou’s mood had greatly improved.

—o—o—o—

On the ride back to the hotel, Jiang Rou suggested, “When we get back to the county, let’s go to the temple and light some incense.”

She wanted to light incense for her parents in that world, hoping to bless them with peace and safety.

Li Xiao wiped the sweat from her forehead and agreed, “Alright.”

Jiang Rou looked out at the passing scenery through the window and suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Although they did not know her, their happiness and joy were what mattered most, as long as she remembered them.

She rested her head on Li Xiao’s shoulder, and they both gazed out together. Li Xiao squeezed her hand and said, “From now on, we’ll come here secretly every year, without them noticing.”

Jiang Rou smiled, “Okay.”

Afterward, she straightened up and gave Li Xiao a kiss on the cheek: “You’re really great.”

Li Xiao smiled too, his eyes crinkling with joy.

When they returned to the hotel, An An, with her sharp eyes, noticed cotton candy stuck in her mother’s hair and complained, “Mommy ate cotton candy. You must have gone to the amusement park without telling me.”

Jiang Rou didn’t hesitate to blame Li Xiao, “Your dad insisted on taking me. It wasn’t my idea.”

Li Xiao: “……”

—end of Main story

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Lucia: Hi! This is the end of the main story, but we still have 14 extra chapters to go! The first extra chapter will focus on Li Xin and Jin Dayou, while the second will feature An An and Lele. The third and final extra chapter is the longest, spanning 12 chapters and delving into Li Xiao’s. In this side story, the older Li Xiao, who has endured many hardships, will travel back in time, and of course, Jiang Rou will also transmigrate. See you on the Extra Chapter!

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