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Jiang Rou felt grateful to Li Xiao and prepared a large, delicious meal for him in the evening. After they finished eating, she washed up and even prepared a basin of bathwater for him.
Li Xiao noticed her earnest demeanor but chose not to say anything.
That night, while lying in bed, Li Xiao rarely took the initiative to speak, saying, “I will be going out tomorrow and will likely be back in about a week.”
Jiang Rou, who was playing with the child at the time, merely nodded in response, saying, “Alright.”
Although Li Xiao mentioned he would be gone for a week, he returned after only four days.
Jiang Rou didn’t know what he was doing outside. It was not until his brother Zhou Jian returned that news spread through the county. There were reports about several leaders being arrested for corruption and two factories being shut down for violations, with one of the factories even being suspected of illegal activities.
The situation had caused quite a stir and even reached Jiang Rou, who seldom went out. It seemed the matter had attracted higher-level attention, as provincial officials had been dispatched to handle it.
When Li Xiao returned, Jiang Rou was in the yard washing Xiao Feng’s schoolbag. She looked up and saw him, and he looked at her in return.
Eventually, Jiang Rou smiled and gave him a thumbs up, saying, “Well done.”
She had anticipated he would take some action, but she did not expect it to happen so quickly.
Still, Jiang Rou asked, “What about the real culprits?”
Li Xiao’s expression grew somber as he replied, “I have a plan.”
Jiang Rou nodded and reminded him, “You should be careful.”
Li Xiao’s gaze softened as he looked back at her: “Okay.”
Jiang Rou’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt there was something more in his gaze.
Before she could examine it further, Li Xiao had already lowered his eyes.
When Zhou Jian returned, the first thing he did was to find Li Xiao. After several days of continuous phone calls, which his brother always mentioned being busy, Zhou Jian initially believed him. Eventually, he realized it was an excuse and decided to take leave from work to come back for a visit.
Li Xiao was aware of Zhou Jian’s prejudice against Jiang Rou, which was partly his own fault. Li Xiao’s previous cold attitude towards Jiang Rou had influenced Zhou Jian’s dislike. Therefore, Li Xiao chose not to bring Zhou Jian home but instead took him out for a meal.
Zhou Jian, having traveled by train for several days without adequate rest or food, looked haggard with dark circles under his eyes. He quickly ate a few bites of food and asked Li Xiao about the situation.
Li Xiao reminisced about his childhood friend with whom he had grown up.
He shared his plans when Zhou Jian asked him.
Zhou Jian was stunned to hear that Li Xiao intended to start over in S City. He instinctively asked, “What about G Province?”
Li Xiao remained silent but his attitude was clear.
Zhou Jian pondered for a moment, then furrowed his brow and asked, “Did Chang Yong do something?”
Li Xiao responded directly, “I plan to go to S City in a while. You can return to G Province to tidy things up first. Once I’m settled in S City, I’ll call you to come over.”
Zhou Jian shook his head. “Brother, you’re making it sound like I can’t handle hardship. If you’re not going back, why should I?”
“Alright, since you’ve made your decision, I’ll stay at home with Mom for now. Just let me know when you’re leaving and I’ll come along.”
Li Xiao raised his glass to toast with Zhou Jian and smiled at him.
He suddenly felt that it was really nice to be back.
On his way home, Li Xiao took a detour to the market to buy some groceries. He remembered that Jiang Rou seemed to like shrimp, so he bought extra.
When he arrived home, Jiang Rou was particularly delighted to see the large bag of crawfish he had brought back.
In the following days, Li Xiao had the house renovated.
They laid cement and white tiles on the floor, repainted the walls, and replaced the old wooden roof with stone slabs. Previously, the roof had been made of wood and was filled with clutter, which had led to a rodent problem. Now, it was sealed with cement and the tiles were replaced with red ones.
Li Xiao also knocked through the large room opposite and the small room at the back, converting the space into a bathroom.
Jiang Rou asked if this would be a waste, feeling that the renovations must have cost quite a bit, especially since the house might not be used for long.
Li Xiao replied, “It won’t be a problem. I still have some savings.”
Jiang Rou thought about it and agreed. He had worked in the South for several years and should have earned quite a bit.
Due to the ongoing renovation, the house was uninhabitable, so Jiang Rou and her family moved their belongings to Aunt Wang’s house next door and were temporarily staying there.
Aunt Wang’s bed was very small. The three of them had to squeeze together at night. According to Aunt Wang, it would be best if the child slept with her, but Jiang Rou knew that Xiao Feng lacks security, so she smiled and said, “No need, we can fit.”
Xiao Feng, who was standing next to Jiang Rou, held her mother’s hand tightly. Upon hearing her mother’s words, she relaxed her grip a bit.
Jiang Rou wasn’t wrong; they indeed could fit, but they had to stay very close together. Li Xiao’s legs were almost hanging off the edge of the bed.
Before falling asleep, the three of them managed to lie comfortably, but once asleep, Jiang Rou became somewhat restless. Her entire leg crossed over Xiao Feng in the middle and rested on Li Xiao’s abdomen.
Li Xiao turned his head and saw that the child’s brows were furrowed tightly under Jiang Rou’s weight. After a pause, he reached out and moved the child to the outer side. He then turned onto his side, sleeping in the middle and keeping the child in his arms to prevent her from falling off the bed.
As soon as he had changed positions, Jiang Rou, who was sleeping behind him, wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her face against his back. Through the thin shirt, he could almost feel her soft skin.
Li Xiao’s body tensed up instantly.
—o—o—o—
The next morning, Li Xiao was awakened by Jiang Rou’s noises. She was moaning in her sleep, complaining of pain.
Li Xiao turned over to look at her and saw that Jiang Rou’s face was pale and her body was curled up, with a layer of sweat on her forehead.
He frowned and gently shook her, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Jiang Rou struggled to open her eyes. Hearing his voice, she grimaced and said, “My stomach hurts.”
Li Xiao quickly sat up, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Jiang Rou shook her head weakly and said, “No need. It’s just my period. Can you get me a cup of brown sugar ginger tea? Cut a few slices of ginger and add some brown sugar, then pour hot water over it.”
Li Xiao looked at her with concern but got out of bed to do as she asked. Just as he took a couple of steps, Jiang Rou called out to him, “Wait a Moment.”
Li Xiao turned back to her. Jiang Rou, feeling a bit embarrassed, pointed at his shirt. “Change your clothes before you go out.”
She wasn’t sure how it happened, but there was a large bloodstain on the hem of Li Xiao’s shirt.
Li Xiao followed her gaze and looked down at himself. Without saying anything, he turned around and went back to rummage through the clothes he had brought. After pulling out a clean shirt from the bag, he hesitated for a moment and then turned his back to her to change his clothes.
Jiang Rou took a furtive glance and noticed that his figure was quite good.
After Li Xiao changed his clothes, he went outside, saying, “Wait here, I’ll be back soon.”
While he was gone, Jiang Rou gritted her teeth, got out of bed, and found a clean outfit to change into, including a sanitary pad. When Li Xiao came back into the room, Jiang Rou was bending over, trying to roll up the dirty clothes to hide them.
Li Xiao walked over and said, “Don’t bother with that. I’ll take care of it later. Just drink the tea for now.”
Jiang Rou stopped and took the bowl, squatting down to drink it.
Li Xiao then changed the dirty sheets on the bed. Although he was careful, the noise woke the sleeping child.
Xiao Feng, rubbing her eyes sleepily, saw Li Xiao and called out softly, “Daddy—”
Li Xiao awkwardly patted her head and said, “Go back to sleep for a bit.”
Xiao Feng shook her head, climbed out of bed, and saw her mother squatting beside her. She immediately went over and softly said, “Mommy—”
Seeing Jiang Rou’s pallid face, she asked worriedly, “Is Mommy sick?”
Jiang Rou extended a hand to stroke her head and replied, “No, Mommy is just a bit uncomfortable. I’ll be fine soon.”
Xiao Feng snuggled closer and gently patted Jiang Rou’s back.
She was especially considerate.
Seeing this, Jiang Rou felt a warm feeling in her heart.
After changing the sheets, Li Xiao told Jiang Rou to go back to bed and rest a bit longer.
Jiang Rou didn’t refuse. She handed him the empty bowl and slowly climbed back into bed.
She wasn’t sure how much brown sugar and ginger Li Xiao had put into the bowl, but as she lay down, her mouth still tasted both spicy and sweet, which made her throat feel uncomfortable.
Li Xiao took the child out. After a while, he returned with a basin of hot water. He placed the basin beside the bed and squatted down, saying, “Aunt said that covering the stomach with a hot towel is helpful.”
After saying that, he wrung out the towel soaked in hot water from the basin and handed it to Jiang Rou, despite the heat. Jiang Rou reached out to take it, but she was afraid of the heat and quickly retracted her hand after touching it. Seeing this, Li Xiao lifted the quilt and placed the hot towel on Jiang Rou’s belly through her clothes.
It was so hot that she hissed slightly, but soon the temperature eased her pain a little. Li Xiao glanced at her and said, “I’m going to do the laundry. Remember to call me when the towels get cold.”
Jiang Rou responded obediently, then saw him take out her dirty clothes and bed sheets. She suddenly remembered that her underwear was still tucked in between the clothes. She wanted to stop him, but she didn’t want to wash it herself, so she just closed her eyes like a clueless fool.
Li Xiao went out to wash clothes for Jiang Rou. Aunt Wang was sitting by the well outside, picking vegetables.
Seeing him, she couldn’t help laughing and said, “I didn’t realize that Xiao Xiao is such a loving husband. When I was young, your uncle even despised me.”
Li Xiao was rubbing Jiang Rou’s underwear in his hands when he heard this, and his face turned slightly red as he looked away uncomfortably.
—o—o—o—
Jiang Rou was in pain all morning. Li Xiao went out to wash clothes and returned with two old hens and a basket of eggs in his hands.
He prepared an old hen and stewed it in a casserole in the kitchen, adding wolfberries and red dates. He ate it just in time for Jiang Rou to eat it at noon. It was very fragrant and fresh, and better than any chicken Jiang Rou had eaten before.
After lunch, Li Xiao told Jiang Rou what he had found out. The couple was not in Zhutian Town but in Xiangling Town next to Zhutian Town. There was a couple surnamed Liu who had been married for several years but had no children. Some time ago, a little boy was born in their family. “The situation of this family is consistent with what you said,” he said. “Someone heard the couple calling the child Lele. I plan to contact the child’s parents and ask them to come and take a look.”
Jiang Rou frowned after hearing this, “What if it’s not him, will they be disappointed?”
Li Xiao took out his phone to look for the contact number of the child’s biological parents. After hearing this, he said directly, “It’s better than having no hope at all.”
After that, he said to Jiang Rou, “I’ll drive you to Xiangling Town tomorrow. When his parents come over, we’ll have an excuse.”
Jiang Rou nodded, “I’ll listen to you.”
Li Xiao was pleased by these words, his eyebrows softened, and he glanced at Jiang Rou, unable to help asking, “Does your stomach still hurt?”
Jiang Rou rubbed her belly, “Much better; it’s not a big deal; many girls are like this; don’t worry.”
—o—o—o—
The next day, Li Xiao drove Jiang Rou to Xiangling Town. There happened to be a famous old Chinese doctor in Xiangling Town.
The two of them simply pretended to be patients who came here because of his reputation and went to the old doctor’s home to see a doctor first.
Unexpectedly, there were so many patients coming to see the old Chinese doctor. Jiang Rou and others waited for a long time. Finally, the old Chinese doctor felt Jiang Rou’s pulse and said that her health was a little weak. He prescribed dozens of packets of medicine and asked Jiang Rou to put it in boiling water and drink it every day. After drinking it, she must come back for a follow-up check-up.
Jiang Rou also felt that she was not in good health now and was not as energetic as before.
After they came out of the old Chinese doctor’s house, they drove around the street and found the address of the Liu family. Li Xiao parked the car opposite, got out of the car with Jiang Rou, and had a bowl of noodles at the noodle shop opposite.
Li Xiao ate the noodles quickly then looked around as if he was strolling around and even chatted with the boss downstairs at the door.
He was a very observant person, and when he came back inside, he told Jiang Rou that their guess was correct: “I tried to subtly inquire but the couple was very alert and took the child back immediately.”
Jiang Rou wasn’t finished eating yet but she couldn’t eat anymore; she was drinking noodle soup from her bowl when she heard this; she put down her bowl and asked him, “Should we call the police first?”
“It would be better if his parents came over,” Li Xiao said.
Jiang Rou didn’t understand what it meant but trusted Li Xiao very much because he had been praised by his mentor as a smart person.
Her mentor never praised her for being intelligent; instead, she often scolded her for being clumsy and having no brains.
Seeing that Jiang Rou didn’t want to eat anymore Li Xiao took her bowl and quickly ate a few things before tilting his head back and drinking all her soup.
After drinking, he subconsciously took out a handkerchief and wiped the edge of the bowl and chopsticks, leaving no trace.
Jiang Rou saw his actions and couldn’t help but stare at him.
When Li Xiao met her gaze, he paused, but still calmly put the handkerchief in his pocket.
After getting in the car, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but tease him, “No wonder the police couldn’t find you in your previous life.”
Li Xiao turned his head to look at her and found that there was only a smile in her eyes, nothing else, and he breathed a sigh of relief subtly.
He didn’t want to talk about the past anymore, so he calmly changed the subject, “I’ve already got the phone number of the child’s biological parents. Let’s go back first and talk about it later.”
Jiang Rou really followed his words and became serious. She nodded and said, “Okay.” Then she couldn’t help asking, “How long will it take to get here?”
“It’ll take tomorrow night at the earliest,” Li Xiao replied.
As they drove back home, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but think about Li Xiao’s past.
She had never asked him about it before, but now she was curious. She wondered what kind of person he used to be and what kind of experiences he had…
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stillnotlucia[Translator]
Hi~ If you want to know the schedule of updates, please visit the Novel's Fiction Page and look at the bottom part of the synopsis! Thank you so much for reading my translations! ૮꒰˵• ﻌ •˵꒱ა PS. You can also read my translations in my PATREON