Chapter 196: Chapter 196 Homeland
Mrs. Jiang shook her head in panic, clutching Mr. Jiang’s hand, “We can’t let Nannan find out, husband, I will definitely be good to our daughter from now on, I really have changed. She never liked me much, and if she finds out, she will hate Yiyi and hate me too.”
Mr. Jiang pushed her away, apparently furious and confused.
Mrs. Jiang lowered her head, “That’s why I fought for the chance to let Nannan attend the Song Family’s birthday banquet. Although my nieces and nephews are outstanding, Nannan isn’t inferior and shouldn’t be looked down upon.”
Mr. Jiang was speechless.
He couldn’t tell if Mrs. Jiang’s actions were truly for Nanshu’s sake, or just to make her daughter shine in comparison.
“Your maiden family, your maiden family, I have been indulging the Song Family for years for your sake. If you still prioritize your maiden family, then go and live with them,” Mr. Jiang snapped before leaving for his company.
Staying here was simply suffocating.
Moreover, he needed to investigate the events from years ago.
He had thought it was just a simple case of misidentification that was now resolved, but now it seemed like it might have been someone’s intentional doing.
Mrs. Jiang didn’t think there was anything wrong in keeping in touch with her own family.
She understood the principle of sharing wealth and losses.
Although her family was somewhat opportunistic, they weren’t bad to her.
It was just that her sister-in-law and her parents always loved to belittle her children.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have harbored any thoughts of competition, just wanting to stand tall in her family.
On holidays, wasn’t it good to have something notable to boast about?
Soon, her phone rang.
It was Chu Xin calling, and she frowned in distaste.
Still, she ended up answering the call.
…
The drive from Beijing to Mingyue Town took at least three hours.
Shangxu was young, initially curious about the scenery outside the window, but before long, he lied down in his child’s safety seat and fell into a deep sleep.
The landscape along the road was very pleasing to the eye.
The sunlight was bright, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers.
Jiang Nanshu gave the address to Lu Qingyan, and followed him to see Zhou Gong.
After parting with Lu Qingyan last night, she spent several hours thinking through her strategy.
Then Da Shachun showed up, perhaps with a guilty conscience wanting to be rid of her, and joined her in this scheme.
He offered a slew of borderline plans.
For instance, “accidentally” not bringing clothes to the bath to be caught in a compromising position.
Or “accidentally” drinking from his cup.
Then, for lack of sufficient rooms at her foster mother’s house, sharing a bed with Lu Qingyan just underneath the covers.
Such a naive system.
Eventually, she got tired of listening to Da Shachun’s foolish plans and joyfully went to read posts online.
This caused her to go to sleep late and be somewhat sleep deprived.
On the road, swaying slightly, Jiang Nanshu had a dream.
She dreamed that a transcender had taken over her body, erased her memories, and sent her to another world.
“Nannan, we’re here.”
After waking up, Jiang Nanshu supported her head with her hands, the vague dream leaving nothing behind.
Mingyue Town might sound beautiful, but it was actually a poor, remote place.
A flat country road stretched out, bordered by rice paddies, with red-roofed brick houses not far off. Looking ahead from here, there was a large old locust tree, next to which stood the Ji Family home.
A luxury car stopped in front of the Ji Family’s house, drawing many villagers peeking out.
Seeing Jiang Nanshu getting out of the car, their eyes lit up.
“Hey, the Ji Family’s girl is back.”
“Tsk, what are you talking about? She’s now a young lady from a prominent city family, nothing to do with the old Ji Family.”
“Indeed, tsk tsk, they say that gratitude for upbringing surpasses that for birth. The old Ji couple suffered to raise the kid, and it’s been three years since she left, this is her first visit back, pretty heartless.”
“Look at their car, their clothes, worth a lifetime of farming for me, living in luxury.”
The villagers’ voices mingled with envy and mockery.
But they were just quiet whispers.
Jiang Nanshu’s gaze lightly swept over the villagers’ faces, feeling a sudden rush of familiarity.
That sense that she had lived here for a long time resurfaced.
Someone saw the Ji Family’s door tightly shut and couldn’t help but yell in a weird tone, “Old Ji’s, your wealthy daughter has returned!”
Jiang Nanshu hadn’t been back for three years, and they wouldn’t think she’d come to take them to Beijing to enjoy a better life—born with muddy legs, she didn’t fit into high society.
The next second, the door banged open.
A middle-aged man emerged, his hair scarcely black, all turned white.
His face was darkened by the sun, and he was holding a smoking pipe.
The very moment he truly saw Jiang Nanshu, he uncomfortably touched the sweat-shirt he hadn’t changed.
He unconsciously stepped back to avoid smothering Jiang Nanshu with smoke.
She looked really good.
His precious daughter had grown up.
From a young age, he knew his Nannan was a little beauty.
He raised his hand to rub his mildly red eyes and looked towards Lu Qingyan and Jian Hemian with a bit of awkwardness, “You, you have come—come inside.”
“Did Miss Jiang forget to take anything with you?” he asked cautiously.
Jiang Nanshu felt an unexplained bitterness in her heart.
This feeling was so bizarre.
“Strange, why does seeing them make me so sad?”
“Whatever, I don’t need familial affection. Might as well leave them some money and go.”
Jiang Nanshu slightly nodded, her face devoid of a smile: “Yes, I had some matters to discuss with you, let’s talk inside.”
Father Ji’s shoulders seemed to sag even more as he continuously responded, “Okay, okay…”
He walked ahead.
His voice tinged with bitterness.
“Wife, Miss Jiang is here…”
Jiang Nanshu thought back. It was the original self who had asked the Ji Family members to call her Miss Jiang.
Before recognizing them as family, she declared their status was worlds apart, unattainable.
They should refer to her as Miss in the future and must not insolently call her by name.
Jian Hemian glanced around: “You used to live here, right? It isn’t as dirty as you used to describe.”
“That was the original person, not me. I never said such things.”
“Maybe they’ve become cleaner,” Jiang Nanshu vaguely deflected.
Jian Hemian slightly smiled, his gaze on Jiang Nanshu deepening.
“Ah, back again. It’s been many years, yet this big locust tree is still here. I used to love doing my homework under it during summers, it was cooler.”
“And my little flowered pig, after so many years I wonder if it’s still around. Why do I keep thinking about that pig? I don’t recall raising one.”
Jiang Nanshu’s thoughts were in disarray.
She felt some things just didn’t match with her memory.
Like deep down she felt she had once raised a little flowered pig, but in reality, she had no memory of it.
Lu Qingyan looked towards a distant mountain.
He slightly squinted.
“Doesn’t this place have a mountain called Mingyue Mountain?”
Jiang Nanshu thought carefully, nodded, and pointed at the sprawling mountains: “Right, over there. Do you want to go in? It’s dangerous, everyone is forbidden to enter.”
Lu Qingyan’s steps halted, his dark eyes suddenly smiling, “I have been here before.”
Jiang Nanshu and Jian Hemian both looked at him.
Lu Qingyan blinked lightly: “When I was seventeen, I was kidnapped and brought here. The kidnappers stabbed me with a knife and left me on that mountain.”
There was no trace of a smile in his eyes: “It was Su Ran who carried me out of that mountain.”