The family courtyard instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at one another in shock.
One cautious family member asked, “Director… what exactly is going on?”
“What’s going on? Let him explain!” Director Song glared furiously at Jiang Yumin, who sat slumped in his chair. “You owe everyone here an explanation!”
After receiving the report misconduct letter Chen Fang handed over, Director Song immediately ordered an internal investigation. What they uncovered shocked him.
Only then did he realize that such filthy corruption had been happening right under their noses in the Grain Management Bureau.
The Jiang family had never seen so many leaders gathered together before.
Besides Director Song, even the deputy director and the director of the political office responsible for recruitment were all present.
“Director Song…” Jiang Yumin was drenched in sweat. Forcing a smile, he bent slightly and tried to shake hands with the provincial admissions officer. “This is all a misunderstanding. A huge misunderstanding.”
The officer coldly ignored the outstretched hand.
The state had established the worker-peasant-soldier admissions system to ensure fairness in education. He had repeatedly guaranteed to his superiors that admissions in Beicheng were completely fair and transparent. Yet right after making his report, the Jiang family scandal erupted like a rotten stain.
If this spread, countless worker-peasant-soldier students across the country would lose faith.
“Director Song, I’ve always been a dedicated employee,” Jiang Yumin said awkwardly. “Everyone knows that. This really is just a misunderstanding.”
Director Song slammed the举报 letter onto the table.
“Jiang Yumin, you’re still pretending at a time like this? Fine. Then let him die understanding the truth. Bring those rats in!”
Everyone turned to look. Behind the leaders stood several bound individuals.
“Isn’t that Director Li from the political office?”
“And Director Huang too.”
“Even Director Cheng is here!”
The three men were tied up with ropes and thrown onto the concrete floor.
Director Song slapped the table again. “Speak! Tell everyone about the filthy things you’ve done!”
Knowing their futures were ruined anyway, the three only wanted to clear themselves of responsibility.
“Director Song, replacing Jiang Li’s admission spot and job was all Jiang Yumin’s idea!”
“That’s right! He said Jiang Li and Jiang Xiaoxiao were both his daughters, and he felt guilty toward Xiaoxiao. He claimed that if the baby swap hadn’t happened, Jiang Li’s name and everything she had should’ve belonged to Jiang Xiaoxiao!”
“Director Song, I truly didn’t know this violated the law!”
“Please spare us just this once!”
The moment those words fell, all color drained from Jiang Yumin’s face. He staggered backward.
It was over. Everything was over.
The crowd went silent.
Then someone sneered.
“So that’s why Jiang Li suddenly tried to kill herself. Turns out your Jiang family never intended to let her live!”
“Disgusting! You stole her job and her admission spot, then arranged for her to marry a divorced man? Are your hearts made of coal?”
Zhou Xueming dared not utter a word. Trembling, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
The families erupted in anger. Some even flipped over the dining tables in fury.
One man rushed over and punched Jiang Yumin hard.
“Jiang Yumin! My son worked himself to the bone for that student quota, barely sleeping for three months. And this is how you play with people’s futures?!”
“Ah!” Xu Huili screamed and threw herself in front of Jiang Yumin protectively. “Don’t hit him! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
Jiang Xiaoxiao trembled in fear. She couldn’t understand it. She was the Jiang family’s biological daughter. Everything Jiang Li had originally belonged to her. She was only taking back what was hers. Why was everyone blaming her?
…
Jiang Li gently pushed Xu Huili’s hand away and looked at Jiang Yumin.
When nothing was wrong, every single one of them wanted to drive her out of the Jiang family.
But once trouble came, suddenly they all claimed to love her.
If they truly loved her, why had they ignored the original Jiang Li’s desperate pleas? Jiang Qingfeng had only needed to starve himself for three days to marry Ye Suqin. Yet the original Jiang Li starved herself for three days and even drank pesticide, and still the Jiang family refused to stop.
She smiled lightly and said, word by word:
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Jiang Li!” Xu Huili’s face twisted. She raised her hand to slap her. “I raised you all these years, and this is how you repay the Jiang family? You ungrateful wolf!”
Jiang Li caught her wrist and shoved her backward.
“The original Jiang Li is already dead. She already repaid your kindness.”
Xu Huili fell to the ground. Meeting Jiang Li’s cold gaze, she felt an indescribable sorrow.
She knew Jiang Li had always been obedient since childhood. Unlike Qingfeng, she never caused trouble. She studied hard without needing supervision.
Xu Huili once believed Jiang Li was heaven’s blessing to her—until the baby-switch truth was exposed.
Only then did she feel Jiang Li had come to take her life.
Despairing, she shook her head.
“I should never have raised you… never…”
Jiang Xiaoxiao screamed and lunged at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li stepped back and slapped her hard across the face several times in a row.
Caught off guard, Jiang Xiaoxiao crashed to the ground. With a crack, half of her front tooth broke off. She cried out in pain.
Jiang Li crouched down beside her, removed the bracelet from Jiang Xiaoxiao’s wrist, and said coldly:
“You abandoned my younger siblings on that island and left them to fend for themselves. For that alone, I owe you nothing.”
Jiang Xiaoxiao froze.
“And that’s not all.” Jiang Li glanced at the crystal-clear bracelet. “I’ve always wanted to ask you something. If the family on the island was so poor, where did you get the money to travel all the way north?”
Remembering the emptied savings box, Jiang Xiaoxiao lowered her head and said nothing.
“If I go back and discover my younger siblings starved to death, then you can prepare to pay with your life.”
Jiang Xiaoxiao trembled under Jiang Li’s icy gaze.
That kind of indifference could only belong to someone who had witnessed countless bloody scenes—a detached coldness like a god observing suffering mortals.
How could Jiang Li possibly possess such terrifying presence?
…
Later, Director Song handed Jiang Li an envelope.
“There’s one thousand yuan inside. Consider it compensation from the bureau.”
Jiang Li accepted it without hesitation.
She truly didn’t care about losing the student quota. In her eyes, she could simply take the exams again.
But there was one matter she needed help with.
“Director Song… I have one request.”
She handed over her household registration booklet.
“Please help me transfer my household registration. And if anyone asks in the future, don’t tell them where I went.”
Director Song solemnly nodded.
“Don’t worry, Comrade Jiang. I’ll handle it properly.”
…
As Jiang Li left the compound with her suitcase, she looked up at the blue sky and basked in the warm sunlight.
Behind her, Grandma Yang’s shrill screams echoed through the courtyard.
“Heavens! Who gets schemed against by their own granddaughter at my age?! She’s vicious! Absolutely vicious!”
Soon after came the angry voice of Zhou Xueming’s mother:
“She’s married into the Zhou family now! I don’t care how old she is—get cooking and washing already!”
…
Meanwhile, in the hospital cadre ward, Political Commissar Feng spoke:
“That Jiang girl…”
After lying in the hospital for so long, Feng Bao was tired of it. Thinking about visiting the grain bureau family compound tomorrow, he asked:
“Can we confirm that Comrade Jiang really works at the Grain Management Bureau?”
Shen Chuang immediately stood up respectfully.
“Uncle Feng, I’m certain the one who saved you was a young woman named Jiang Li. Her grandfather used to be a famous old Chinese doctor in Beicheng. She grew up exposed to medicine, though later her family arranged for her to attend grain school instead of continuing medical studies.”
“Good! Excellent!” Dean Cai suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
He had never expected such an outstanding talent not to be working in a hospital.
“All the more reason to recruit her,” he declared. “A talent like this cannot be wasted in some grain bureau position.”
…
At the train station, Jiang Li leaned against the window of the southbound train as the scenery rushed by outside.
The train whistle sounded.
And the long journey south began.