Chapter 75: Good, Carefree Days
Miao Anji peeked in and greeted her politely, "Hello, Ma’am!"
Jiang Li tapped him. "Call her Auntie."
"Oh, oh! Hello, Auntie."
Yu Shuzhen smiled. "It’s alright, it’s alright. What are you doing here?"
"I’m looking for Sister," Miao Anji said, glancing at Jiang Li.
Yu Shuzhen smiled. ’What a coincidence,’ she thought. ’It seems even the heavens are on my side.’
After they went back inside, they learned from Yu Shuzhen that Miao Anji had run into her the first time he came looking for Jiang Li.
Back then, he had seen Yu Shuzhen struggling with some insects, a look of despair on her face. He felt sorry for her, and since training insects was his specialty, he decided to lend a hand.
Jiang Li’s jaw dropped in surprise. ’No wonder those bees and butterflies were so obedient. I can’t believe there was this connection.’
She looked at Miao Anji before her.
Miao Anji’s eyes were bright as he looked back at her, flashing a smile with sparkling eyes and pearly teeth.
"What... do you... do?"
"Me? I’m from Miaojiang. I was taken back to train insects. When I came looking for you, I saw Auntie was unhappy, so I just helped her out a bit."
A radiant smile spread across Miao Anji’s face. ’I didn’t realize I’d done a good deed and even helped Sister in the process. This is great!’
"Ahem, thank you," Jiang Li said awkwardly.
"It’s nothing! You’re my Sister. When we were little, you protected me. Now that we’re grown up, I’ll protect you!"
Jiang Li’s expression stiffened. She glanced at Little Li beside her. ’Yes... when we were little, you protected me. Now that we’re grown up, I’ll protect you.’
"You’re a guy, but you talk like a girl. Can’t you act normal?" Yu Huannian finally snapped.
Listening to him made waves of irritation rise up inside Yu Huannian.
"I’m sorry, brother dear."
"Who’s your ’brother dear’?! ’Brother’ is ’brother’! What’s with that ’brother dear’ nonsense!"
Annoyed, Yu Huannian turned and stormed out, punching a tree twice!
"It’s alright, Xiao Ji. Xiao Nian’s just like that. Don’t mind him." Yu Shuzhen glanced at Yu Huannian who had gone outside, then turned back to comfort Miao Anji.
’He’s so fair-skinned, and all those silver ornaments... He must be treasured in his clan, raised very well.’
"Mhm!" Miao Anji nodded happily, pulled his phone from his pocket, and started a video call. "Grandma, I found Sister! I’ll bring her back to see you in a while."
Jiang Li panicked, not knowing where to look. She forced a stiff smile and quickly waved at the phone, not even getting a clear look at the person on the screen.
"Ah, H-Hello, Grandma."
"Mhm, hello, hello. Xiao Ji, you be careful out there by yourself. If you run out of money, tell the clan. I’ll have the elders pool some money and send it to you."
"I have enough, thank you, Grandma. You take care of yourself too, Grandma. Okay, I’m hanging up now."
Miao Anji waved at the phone and ended the video call.
Yu Shuzhen smiled as she watched Jiang Li, who still hadn’t recovered from the surprise. ’This child, she still reacts the same way she did when she was little.’
"Xiao Ji, can you help take a look at the poison in Aunt Yu?" Jiang Li grabbed Miao Anji’s hand, looking at him with anticipation.
’He’s from Miaojiang, so does that mean he can...’
Miao Anji took a serious look at Yu Shuzhen’s condition before turning to Jiang Li with a dejected and guilty expression. "Sister, I’m sorry, I can’t. The toxins have already seeped into her bones.
"It’s already a miracle that Auntie has held on this long."
Jiang Li fought back the stinging sensation in her nose and forced a smile. "It’s okay. As long as we’re out of that place, anywhere is good."
Seeing that she had come to terms with it, Yu Shuzhen felt a sense of relief.
Once Jiang Li’s injuries had healed a bit, she took Yu Shuzhen and Yu Huannian and left that place by car. They went to an unfamiliar little town where she got a new phone card and bank card. She also bought phones and set up phone plans for Aunt Yu and the others.
Then she rented a house in the city. It was a small coastal city, far from B City and C City, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
"Wow! Is this a big city? It’s so beautiful, just like on TV."
Miao Anji, carrying a small woven basket on his back, looked at everything with curiosity. His unique attire drew a lot of attention along the way.
Jiang Li quickly tugged on his sleeve, motioning for him to be more low-key.
Yu Huannian was also staring at the world outside in shock. There were no mud walls, no mountain paths—just concrete roads everywhere, tall buildings, all kinds of cars, and people from all walks of life.
Yu Shuzhen looked at the world she hadn’t seen in so long, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her. It was both the same as she remembered and completely different. The changes were even greater now.
So much so that she no longer knew where her home was.
"Aunt Yu, how about we go to the hospital for a full check-up?" Jiang Li asked, looking at Yu Shuzhen, still very worried about her health.
Yu Shuzhen shook her head. "Let’s not, Xiao Li. This is enough." She was already content.
Jiang Li didn’t insist. She bought a car and took Yu Shuzhen and the others to the beach, the park, and many scenic spots that had only opened in recent years.
"Grandma, look! Such a big car! And, and behind me, a Ferris wheel! And, that, that thing... Sister said it’s called a roller coaster. There aren’t any mountains, so I don’t know why they call it that. City people are so strange."
Miao Anji excitedly reported to his clan members on his phone.
A smile appeared on Jiang Li’s face as she watched them. She glanced at the tense and cautious Yu Huannian beside her. ’He’s just like I was when I first got out, filled with fear and longing.’
Yu Huannian followed Jiang Li to many places and once again felt a pang of the despair his mother had felt. If she hadn’t been abducted, she would have grown up in this completely different world.
Jiang Li spent three carefree months with Yu Shuzhen.
...
「In C City」
Lu Xingye bolted awake from another nightmare. He sat up and stared blankly out the window. He wanted to be a police officer, to uphold justice, to carry on his parents’ ambition.
’But... did I really do the right thing?’
It had been three months, but the events of Zhaozi Village still haunted him. Right and wrong warred in his mind, shrouded in a thick fog from which he couldn’t escape.
Those innocent people had taken up blades to serve their own justice, but they had broken the law.
’If it were me, what should I have done? What could I have done? Who was right and who was wrong?’
’If Yu Shuzhen hadn’t died, what would I do?’
Lu Xingye let out a choked cry and fell back onto the bed, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"Xiao Ye! Xiao Ye, are you okay?"
Hearing her brother’s voice, Lu Xingchen rushed back from the next room and started pounding on his door. He hadn’t been right ever since he came back last time.
She was terrified something would happen to him.
"Sis, I’m fine. I just... had a nightmare. It’s late, you should get some sleep."
Lu Xingye let out a long breath, pulled out a tissue, and wiped the cold sweat from his body.
Suddenly, the phone on his nightstand rang. He looked at the number, puzzled, and answered.
The next second, he shot to his feet.
"Sis, I have to go out for a bit. Don’t worry about me."
Lu Xingye grabbed the car keys from the table, hastily called out to Lu Xingchen, and left.