Hmph.
Jiang Ci crossed her arms, unable to hold back a cold laugh. “Mother, you really know how to spin a tale. But do you think Comrade Zhao is a fool, or that the doctors and nurses at the hospital are fools? Wasn’t Wanwan’s miscarriage entirely your doing? Wasn’t it you who took a fancy to Commander Jin’s lifesaver and forced Wanwan to abort the child so she could marry him? Too bad you never imagined that Commander Jin’s lifesaver would turn out to be Comrade Zhao, right?”
“You’re talking nonsense…” Mother Jiang’s eyes darted nervously toward Zhao Jianguo’s expression.
It was only yesterday, when she came to see Jiang Wanwan, that she learned the man she had been so eager to attach herself to—Commander Jin’s lifesaver—was actually Jiang Wanwan’s lover.
But what could she do now?
The child was already gone. The only option was to pin the blame on Jiang Ci. That way, Zhao Jianguo wouldn’t hold it against Wanwan.
“Wahhh… Sister, even if you admit it, I won’t blame you. After all, since we were little, it hasn’t been just once or twice that you’ve framed me. I really don’t blame you. You lost your parents young and were raised in our family—I understand.”
Wahhh…
Jiang Wanwan weakly nestled into Zhao Jianguo’s embrace, crying until her nose turned red and her eyes grew watery. Paired with her snow-white skin, even Zhao Jianguo’s cold expression melted into tenderness.
He held Jiang Wanwan tightly and turned a frosty, domineering glare toward Jiang Ci. “You, who harmed my Wanwan—have you lived long enough?”
“Not long enough! What evidence do you have that I harmed her?”
“Wanwan’s word is evidence.” Zhao Jianguo’s eyes were icy, as if he might finish Jiang Ci off at any moment.
Jiang Ci chuckled coldly. “Do you think you’re some domineering CEO or something?”
Tch!
“Fine. I hope you can keep that mouth of yours just as sharp.”
“Not as sharp as yours. You saw with your own eyes what Jiang Wanwan did, yet you still pin the blame on me. Isn’t your mouth harder than a dead duck’s?”
“Jiang Ci, you… Fine. We’ll see about this.” Zhao Jianguo roared, his eyes shooting daggers of ice at Jiang Ci.
Just then, a green jeep pulled up and invited Zhao Jianguo, Mother Jiang, and the other two into the vehicle.
Mother Jiang shot a triumphant glance at Jiang Ci and sneered, “You little ingrate. Jealous, aren’t you? You deserve nothing but to be trampled under Wanwan’s feet.”
Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow. “Then I wish Jiang Wanwan a blissful marriage.”
Mother Jiang: ?
“Our Wanwan will definitely be happy. Hmph!”
“Oh? And what about you? The matter of you hiring someone to humiliate me isn’t over yet, is it?”
Hearing Jiang Ci bring up the past, Mother Jiang exploded. “Jiang Ci, you little ingrate! I’m your mother! Do you dare to report me?”
“Why not?”
With that, Jiang Ci turned and walked away, leaving Mother Jiang stomping her feet in fury.
It wasn’t until Jiang Wanwan urged her that she finally got into the car.
“What’s wrong, Mom? Did Sister upset you again?”
“Of course! Last time, she was fooling around outside and brought some hoodlum home to mess around. I caught them, and she had the nerve to turn the tables and claim I hired the man to humiliate her. Because of that, your father sent me back to my parents’ home to reflect… Wahhh…”
“Sister is just too awful. How could she do this? First, she spread rumors about me and forced me to miscarry, and now…” Jiang Wanwan trailed off, glancing at Zhao Jianguo. “Jianguo, what should Mom and I do? She’s my sister—I can’t do anything to her. But she’s hurting us so much.”
Zhao Jianguo sat stiffly in the passenger seat, his face tense. “Leave this to me. I’ll handle it.”
“Jianguo, thank you. Without you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
“It’s alright. With me here, no one will ever bully you.”
Zhao Jianguo comforted Jiang Wanwan.
But his eyes were filled with coldness.
Bang bang bang
“Jiang Ci, you little ingrate, get up right now…”
Bang bang bang
Early in the morning, Jiang Ci hadn’t even gotten out of bed.
The door to her room was being pounded so hard it shook.
“Mo Jinhua, I told you to go back to your parents’ home to reflect. Who said you could come back?”
Jiang Ci wasn’t woken by the shouting, but Father Jiang in the next room was roused by the noise.
“This is my home. Why can’t I come back? What nonsense about going back to my parents’ home to reflect? Jiang Zhan, don’t you dare use your military discipline on me. I’m your wife, not your soldier.”
Mother Jiang cursed and raged, spraying Father Jiang with spit.
Father Jiang wiped his face. “If you’re not reflecting, what do you plan to do?”
“Bah! Jiang Zhan, I’ve followed you for half my life, and this is how you treat me over some little ingrate. You even encouraged that ingrate you raised to nearly kill my elder brother. If anything happens to my brother, I’ll make her pay with her life.”
Mother Jiang had returned to her parents’ home last night and only then learned that her elder brother and sister-in-law had come to confront Father Jiang to stand up for her.
And they had been knocked unconscious by Jiang Ci.
So before dawn, she rushed back to the military dependents’ compound to settle the score with Jiang Ci.
Mother Jiang’s voice was loud, drawing many neighbors to watch early in the morning.
The wife of Battalion Commander Su squeezed to the front and said to Mother Jiang, “Auntie Jiang, your Jiang Ci really needs to be disciplined. You didn’t see it yesterday—she caused her uncle to fall and lose consciousness. And she didn’t even help with the treatment. She’s utterly heartless.”
Hearing the words of Battalion Commander Su’s wife, Mother Jiang sprang up, pointing at Father Jiang and shouting, “Did you hear that? And you’re still protecting that little ingrate. For the sake of this ungrateful little ingrate, you drove me away. Now you see her true colors, don’t you?”
“Enough!” Father Jiang snapped. “I believe Xiao Ci isn’t that kind of child.”
“Dad…”
Jiang Ci came out, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on Battalion Commander Su’s wife. “Say what you just said again. Let’s see whether Mo Dacheng fell on his own or whether I caused him to fall.”
“What is there to say? I didn’t lie. If you hadn’t run, would he have chased you and fallen?” Battalion Commander Su’s wife was clearly guilty, her words lacking conviction.
“Why don’t you mention how he was chasing me to hit me, couldn’t catch up, and then fell on his own?”
Battalion Commander Su’s wife fell silent.
She tacitly acknowledged Jiang Ci’s words.
Father Jiang immediately looked at Mother Jiang differently.
But Mother Jiang remained oblivious and continued to curse, “So what? If your uncle hits you, you running away is your fault.”
“Oh! So according to Mother, I should just stand there and let him hit me?”
“Yes, avoiding it is unfilial.”
Faced with Mother Jiang’s unreasonable twisting of logic, Jiang Ci laughed in exasperation. Before she could speak, Mother Jiang started shouting again, “Now you’ve caused your uncle to lose consciousness, and the hospital won’t keep him. They say they can’t treat him and told us to go to Jingdu Hospital. This is all your fault. If anything happens to your uncle, just see if I don’t beat you to death.”
After her harsh words, she pushed Father Jiang aside and entered the room. She had almost forgotten the main reason she came back—she was here to get money to save a life.
Father Jiang frowned, instinctively looking at Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci spread her hands openly. “It really wasn’t my fault. He fell on his own.”
Father Jiang waved his hand and said, “Enough, it’s good that you weren’t hit by him. I know what kind of person Mo Dacheng is. You didn’t do anything wrong; this isn’t your fault.”
After comforting Jiang Ci, Father Jiang thought for a moment and then went into the bedroom to find Mother Jiang.
Jiang Ci looked toward the doorway and said, “Alright, the show’s over, everyone can go home now!”
After seeing off the curious neighbors, Jiang Ci went straight to the door of his parents’ bedroom.
Inside the bedroom, Mother Jiang first pulled out a small cloth bundle from under the cabinet, took out a stack of money, and stuffed it into her pocket.
She then continued to feel around inside.
Finding nothing, she stubbornly moved out all the clothes and bedding stored there.
The space was empty—nowhere to be seen was the wooden box she remembered.
Instantly, Mother Jiang’s face turned pale.