Jiang Xia was a little surprised by the seriousness of Zhou's mother's expression, but still smiled and replied "Okay," then followed her inside.
Zhou Zhou turned her head and watched the two enter the room. Her grandmother's expression was serious, and she was a little worried about her aunt. Her grandmother always had this expression when she was angry.
Zhou's mother entered Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei's room, glanced at the high school textbooks on the table, and then saw the two pillows neatly arranged on the bed and the two folded quilts.
In the middle of summer, did the couple really need two thin quilts?
Jiang Xia glanced at Zhou's mother and asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"
Zhou's mother took out the three letters from the bag: "This is from a male classmate surnamed Wu."
Jiang Xia glanced at the letters in Zhou's mother's hand. They were the same envelopes; the original owner still had a few.
And judging from the recipient and sender on them, it was written by the original owner.
Jiang Xia took them. She had no idea what was written in these three letters!
She wondered if Zhou's mother had even read the contents of the letters? After all, all three letters had been written.
Seeing Jiang Xia's calmness, Zhou's mother felt a little relieved.
She naturally hadn't read the letters. Tian Caihua had asked her to look, but she wasn't so low as to secretly read her daughter-in-law's letters.
If she wanted to, she would read them in front of her daughter-in-law!
Zhou's mother said, "I haven't read them, but can I see the contents?"
Jiang Xia wasn't stupid. She hadn't even read them, so naturally she couldn't. She made an excuse, saying, "Mom, if someone delivered these three letters to you, they must have ill intentions. What's written inside might not be what I wrote at the time. Who gave you these letters? Did Wu Qizhi come to the village? I can ask him to talk to you about these three letters in front of you."
Jiang Xia was certain it wasn't Wu Qizhi who delivered them; he wouldn't dare.
"No, it was Wen Wan from the next village who gave them to me."
Jiang Xia narrowed her eyes. The female lead?
Zhou's mother wasn't necessarily insistent on seeing the letters. She didn't dwell on the past. She asked again, "Did you and A Lei agree to divorce once his household registration was transferred back?"
Jiang Xia was taken aback. Wen Wan had said this too? No! Wen Wan shouldn't know, so it must have been Tian Caihua who told her?
Jiang Xia said directly, "Before, I wasn't used to life in the village and just wanted to go back to the city. Now, A-Lei and I have agreed not to get a divorce."
Zhou's mother asked, "Have you slept together?"
Jiang Xia was
speechless. Zhou's mother could tell from Jiang Xia's expression that she was instantly disappointed! She had
thought that her daughter-in-law was willing to live a good life with her son, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
They had shared a bed for so long, and nothing had happened. Was this normal?
No wonder Zhou Chenglei's running time had been increasing, and he was even seen taking cold showers in the middle of the night.
She knew her own son well; he was completely devoted to Jiang Xia. He was truly in love!
But what about Jiang Xia?
They hadn't even slept together yet. Did she really want to live a good life with him?
"Xia, you've seen the scars on A-Lei's body, haven't you? He barely made it back alive. I received two notices about it back then..." Zhou's mother choked up as she spoke, unable to continue.
She took a deep breath: "Xia, go! Everyone has their own life to live, I don't blame you. But Lei likes you, he's stubborn and responsible, once he's made up his mind, he won't change it, I can't let him sink deeper. My son survived a near-death experience, he's not young anymore, people his age already have children in elementary school, and what about him?..."
Zhou's mother paused here, almost saying "marrying a wife is like not marrying at all!"
But, harsh words hurt, and Zhou's mother didn't want to hurt Jiang Xia.
A clean break!
She sniffed: "I just hope he can marry a wife he can live a peaceful life with, have a child soon, and live a safe and happy life. Xia, you understand? Before Lei comes back, you should leave! Once Lei's household registration is transferred back, I'll make him divorce you."
With that, she turned her head away, no longer looking at Jiang Xia.
Seeing Zhou's mother's eyes redden, Jiang Xia hugged her, her own eyes reddening. "Mom, I know."
No matter what, Jiang Xia knew Zhou's mother felt sorry for Zhou Chenglei.
After hugging her mother, Jiang Xia left.
Zhou's mother watched her retreating figure, her lips moving slightly, but ultimately saying nothing.
Since they were destined to be apart, it was better to separate sooner rather than later.
Zhou's mother sat down in the chair at her desk, utterly exhausted, unsure of right or wrong.
But her son, she felt so sorry for him…
Jiang
Xia took the letters and went to the beach.
On the way, Jiang Xia encountered several villagers and overheard their discussion. She knew that Wen Wan had deliberately given the letter to Tian Caihua in front of the villagers.
Zhou's mother had already had an argument with someone in the vegetable garden.
Let Zhou Chenglei explain things to Zhou's mother!
She would solve the problems left behind by the original owner.
She needed to see what the original owner had written to Wu Qizhi.
Being completely ignorant was too passive!
Around noon, with no one at the beach, Jiang Xia sat on a rock and took out the letter to read.
After reading it, she secretly rejoiced that she hadn't shown it to Zhou's mother.
The adult world is different from a child's.
If you say something to a child, or even hit them, the child might forget it immediately and not hold a grudge.
But adults are different; some things, some words, once done, cannot be undone.
Even if you do go back, a mark will remain in your heart.
The original owner's letter showed much disdain for Zhou's mother, Tian Caihua, the Zhou family, and even Zhou Chenglei. As
Jiang Xia read, she felt something was amiss!
This third letter definitely wasn't written by the original owner!
The original owner of this body didn't even think much of Wu Qizhi, so how could she say she liked him?
Jiang Xia compared the letter paper; the paper of this third letter was slightly different from the first two.
It was Wen Wan!
She probably imitated the original owner's handwriting and altered the letter.
Wu Qizhi didn't have that ability.
The book also mentioned that the female lead was very skilled; she could imitate other people's handwriting so well that it was impossible to tell the difference. This
was utterly shameless!
This was slander! It was throwing mud at her and at the original owner, a dead person!
Jiang Xia was so angry that she jumped up, but her foot slipped, and she almost fell.
Zhou Zhou grabbed her, crying, "Auntie, don't jump into the sea! When Uncle comes back, Grandma listens to Uncle the most."
Jiang Xia: "..."
She didn't want to jump into the sea!
She just wanted to settle accounts with Wen Wan!
Jiang Xia quickly helped her up: "Zhou Zhou, why are you here? Your aunt didn't intend to jump into the sea, she just slipped."
"I was afraid that if your aunt left and didn't come back, your uncle would be heartbroken." She was also reluctant to part with her aunt, but she was too embarrassed to say it.
Jiang Xia
patted Zhou Zhou's head: "Zhou Zhou is so good! Zhou Zhou, do you know who Wen Wan is?" Zhou Zhou nodded: "The shepherdess from the next village."
"Do you know where she lives?"
Zhou Zhou nodded again.
"Come on, let's take your aunt there."
Zhou Zhou immediately nodded, as long as her aunt didn't jump into the sea or leave.
Jiang Xia followed Zhou Zhou to find Wen Wan.
When they passed the production team, Jiang Xia thought for a moment and went inside, unexpectedly seeing Wen Wan coming out.
What a small world! She's delivered herself right to their doorstep!
Wen Wan was surprised to see Jiang Xia at the production team.
Was she here to call home and have someone come to pick her up?
Wen Wan greeted her with a smile: "Sister Jiang Xia!"
"Slap!" Jiang Xia raised her hand and slapped her!
Let's fight first and talk later!
Wen Wan was stunned by Jiang Xia's slap, but she quickly recovered and retaliated by striking back at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia grabbed her wrist and twisted it habitually.
"Ah~!"
A loud scream startled everyone in the production team.
Everyone ran out.
Jiang Xia dislocated her shoulder and released her hand.
This was a dislocation technique Jiang Xia had learned from a folk doctor in her previous life, which always worked when she encountered perverts on her way home from work at night.
Wen Wan's hand hung limply at her sides, cold sweat pouring down her back from the pain!
Upon seeing this, the production team members pointed at Jiang Xia and shouted, "What are you doing? Ha! Why are you hitting people!"
"What? What are you doing? Why are you hitting people! Huh!"
"Who are you? Why are you hitting people! Why are you hitting people! You think you're the fiercest?"
...
Wen Wan was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face. She gripped her dislocated wrist and said coldly, "Sister Jiang Xia, I don't know what I did to offend you? You slapped me right away and broke my hand."
Jiang Xia took out the letter and said to the production team members, "Wen Wan forged a letter by imitating my handwriting. I was so angry that I hit her."
Wen Wan's eyes flickered, but she had already expected Jiang Xia to know. She wasn't afraid. Jiang Xia had no evidence. She endured the pain and said directly, "Sister Jiang Xia, I don't know what you're talking about. Someone gave me this letter and asked me to pass it on to you. I haven't even read the contents. What do you mean by forging your handwriting? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
The production team leader was also confused by Jiang Xia's words. Forged a letter? Even radio storytellers wouldn't dare to make up such a story!
"Is there some misunderstanding? Why would Comrade Wen Wan forge a letter by imitating your handwriting?"
The others in the production team chimed in, "Yes! Why would she imitate your handwriting for no reason?"
Jiang Xia replied, "You'll have to ask her. The letter I have is just a slanderous letter. I don't know if Comrade Wen Wan has written any other letters by imitating my handwriting, which is why I came to the production team to trouble everyone to check." "
You all know my husband is Zhou Chenglei. What was Zhou Chenglei's status before? What do you think would happen if Wen Wan imitated my handwriting to write a letter to my husband to inquire about something while he was still in the army?" "
Or what if Wen Wan imitated my handwriting to write a letter to my father to inquire about something, or even to my mother to ask for something? Think about the consequences of such a casual letter!" "
There are quite a few spies these days, aren't there? Isn't it terrifying to think about?"
Jiang Xia believed that someone here would know the identities of the original owner's parents.
She had no evidence to prove that Wen Wan forged the letter, and she wouldn't be in the right to rashly go to Wen Wan's house to search for evidence.
But it's alright, there are plenty of places to reason in this world!
So she came to the production team.
She wasn't going to let things escalate today, to perfectly turn the tables on them;
otherwise, she wouldn't be Jiang Xia! Sure enough, the production team leader's expression turned serious.
Jiang Xia's father was the second-highest-ranking official in the city, and her mother was the director of a garment factory.
Comrade Jiang Xia was right; if Wen Wan imitated Comrade Jiang Xia's handwriting and wrote a letter asking for something, she could easily gain a lot of benefits.
And then there was Zhou Chenglei's past identity.
The production team leader was terrified!
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became!
"What letter? Let me see. Comrade Jiang Xia, are you sure Comrade Wen Wan imitated your handwriting?"
Wen Wan looked at Jiang Xia incredulously. What was she talking about? She might as well admit she imitated her handwriting and revealed a secret!
Jiang Xia handed the letter to the production team leader: "Of course I'm not sure, that's why I came to the production team, but this letter was given to my mother-in-law in front of many villagers. She said it was a letter I wrote to a male classmate, but I absolutely never wrote such a letter. Yet the handwriting is mine! The more I think about it
, the more frightened I become." "The handwriting in this letter is exactly the same as mine. I'm a little afraid there are other letters. After all, this letter only slanders me for having an affair with another man, damaging only my personal reputation. I'm afraid Wen Wan has written other letters, doing things that harm the collective interest, the national interest, and endanger national security! Team leader, I think we should go to Wen Wan's house to see if she has any other letters hidden."
Wen Wan's face turned pale. She was furious. She really dared to talk nonsense! Was she trying to drive her to her death? "
How vicious!"
"Sister Jiang Xia, how can you talk such nonsense? I'm a law-abiding citizen, how could I do such a thing? Team leader, I didn't!"
Wen Wan never imagined Jiang Xia would bring up her parents' and Zhou Chenglei's past identities.
Wasn't this using her background to intimidate others?
It was blatant bullying!
No wonder her father was imprisoned by her in her previous life.
Her entire family was ruined by her.
Jiang Xia was a scoundrel.
But now, before she could even ruin her father, she herself had been ruined.
The production team leader frowned as he read the letter. The letter didn't mention anything about harming collective interests; it only damaged personal reputation.
But Jiang Xia was right, "Comrade Wen Wan, did you really write this letter?"
Seriously? The production team leader believed this? Wen Wan was furious, her heart aching more than her dislocated hand. "Captain, I didn't! Jiang Xia is talking nonsense! She's slandering me! Deliberately framing me! How could I possibly imitate her handwriting? I don't have her handwriting to imitate! I went to the city yesterday; someone asked me to pass this letter on to her. I don't know anything else."
Jiang Xia looked at Wen Wan in surprise: "Comrade Wen Wan, I have no past grudges against you. Why would I deliberately frame you? I would have a motive, a reason, or a conflict of interest to frame you, right? But do we have any?"
Wen Wan: "..." Of course we do. You stole my man, but can you say that?
Jiang Xia: "I already said I wasn't sure if it was you, but this letter was given to my mother-in-law by you. I just happened to discover that someone imitated my handwriting in this letter. I only asked the team leader to investigate because I felt it was a serious matter, a matter of great importance, and everyone has a responsibility for the safety of the collective. If it wasn't you, just cooperate with the investigation.
The innocent will be proven innocent!" Jiang Xia then looked at the production team members: "Everyone agrees, right? If she didn't do it, can we clear her name by investigating? And if I wronged Comrade Wen Wan, I can publicly apologize after the investigation is complete!"
The production team members also felt they should investigate. Although liberation had come, who knew if there were still spies or agents around!
Team leader: "Comrade Jiang Xia's concerns are valid. We can't let our guard down; we must be careful. Comrade Wen Wan, please cooperate with the investigation. We need to go to your house first to see if there are any other letters imitating Comrade Jiang Xia's or other comrades' handwriting!"
Wen Wan was furious. She realized Jiang Xia was determined to make a big scene, to the point where she would lose face in the entire production team! She wouldn't feel at ease until everyone suspected her of being a spy!
She probably wants to be criticized and denounced herself!
She'd be happier if she were arrested!
Wen Wan knew that if she didn't agree, she would really be considered a spy. She looked at the production team leader: "I can cooperate with the investigation, but if nothing is found, Comrade Jiang Xia must apologize to me!"
This morning she had even thrown that old calligraphy practice book into the stove. Let them investigate, what was she afraid of?
Jiang Xia: "Okay!"
"Also, Comrade Jiang Xia slapped me and broke my hand before even investigating. How do you plan to settle this?"
Jiang Xia: "I was just worried that you, the spy, would run away, so I struck first."
Wen Wan: "..."
Production team leader: "If you are wrongly accused after the investigation, I will have Comrade Jiang Xia apologize to you, and she will pay for the medical expenses for your hand."
Jiang Xia: "No problem. I can even write an apology letter and post it on the bulletin board."
What could Wen Wan say!
So the production team members, along with Jiang Xia and Wen Wan, headed to Wen Wan's house in a grand procession.
It was just after lunchtime, and many villagers went to the Big Tree Garden to cool off, especially in that area, where quite a few people were sitting.
Seeing the production team mobilized, everyone asked what was going on.
Jiang Xia blurted out, "Comrade Wen Wan imitated my handwriting and wrote a letter. The production team suspects her of being a traitor."
Wen Wan: "..."
She was clearly deliberately trying to smear herself, so how did the production team become a suspect? A traitor? She'd be a murderer!
Wen Wan was so angry she wanted to kill Jiang Xia.
A traitor? Everyone stared at Wen Wan in shock!
The production team leader frowned, wanting to say something to Jiang Xia, but Jiang Xia immediately said, "Has anyone noticed anything strange about Comrade Wen Wan? If so, speak up! We can't overlook any clues! Today's peace is hard-won, and everyone has a responsibility to protect the safety of the collective! Everyone has a responsibility to supervise!"
The production team leader thought Jiang Xia's words made sense, so he added, "If anyone discovers anything, report it immediately."
Hearing this, everyone immediately began racking their brains to think of anything suspicious about Wen Wan, clearly already regarding her as a traitor!
Of course, the villagers forgot about seeking shade under the big tree and flocked to watch the commotion with the production team members.
More and more people ended up at Wen Wan's house.
Wen Wan looked utterly dejected!
Regardless of the outcome, she had lost all face today!
The arrival of so many people from the production team startled Wen Wan's father and stepmother.
After the production team members explained their purpose, the two turned pale with fright!
Wen's father, enraged, slapped Wen Wan across the face: "What have you done? Are you trying to kill our whole family?"
Those days had only recently passed, and everyone was still somewhat paranoid and afraid.
Who knew if they would come back?
Being slapped in front of so many people, Wen Wan was furious, aggrieved, and most importantly, humiliated. Her eyes red-rimmed, she glared angrily at Jiang Xia: "Are you satisfied now?"
Jiang Xia coldly glanced at her, ignoring her question. She turned to the production team and said, "Shouldn't we go check Wen Wan's room first, and the kitchen? The stove is a perfect place to dispose of evidence!"
Was she satisfied?
Of course not!
The evidence hadn't been found yet, she hadn't cleared her name, how could she be satisfied?
Wen Wan had only been slapped twice, and she couldn't handle that?
But what about herself?
If it weren't for Zhou's mother's relatively good nature, wouldn't she have been slapped too?
Even if she hadn't been slapped, she was now homeless!
She had been kicked out of her home!
To put it bluntly, Wen Wan's forging of those letters was defaming her reputation, destroying her family, ruining her marriage, hurting her, and also hurting Zhou Chenglei and Zhou's mother!
She was shameless and vicious, yet she blamed others for going too far?
So two groups of people searched, one group looking into Wen Wan's room and the other into the kitchen.
Jiang Xia looked at Wen Wan's stepmother and stepsister: "Knowing but not reporting is also a crime. Have you found any of Wen Wan's calligraphy practice notebooks or seen any letters she wrote to others? Or have you seen any notebooks or letters she secretly destroyed?"
Wen Wan's stepsister, not wanting to be caught, immediately said, "Yes, she came back last night and spent the whole night writing on several letters, I don't know what she wrote."
The two shared a room; Wen Wan had been writing and drawing with a flashlight all night, waking her up. She was half asleep, but she still saw it.
Wen Wan's stepmother suddenly remembered something and quickly ran to the kitchen.
Wen Wan's face turned pale when she saw her stepmother running towards the kitchen.
Had she picked up the exercise book she threw into the stove that morning?
This morning, she had planned to burn her calligraphy practice book and the letter while making breakfast, but her stepmother told her to go water the vegetables. She figured the practice book was already on fire, and she could use the time to give the letters to Tian Caihua, so she went out.
Wen Wan couldn't resist following her to the kitchen, where she saw the production team members picking up the practice book, its edges still burning in the corner.
Jiang Xia had been watching Wen Wan's expression closely; she guessed that Wen Wan had used this practice book to practice calligraphy last night.
Sure enough!
Wen Wan's stepmother said, "She got up early this morning to make breakfast and threw this book into the stove to burn. I couldn't bear to burn the whole thing, so I took it out thinking of tearing off pages to use as kindling."
Wen Wan tried to snatch the practice book back.
Jiang Xia acted first, grabbing her wrist: "What are you doing? Trying to destroy evidence?"
Wen Wan tried to shake Jiang Xia's hand off, but couldn't. She hurriedly said to the captain, who was about to open the notebook, "That's my diary! You can't look at it! Looking at it is an invasion of my privacy!"
The captain opened the notebook. Inside were some math problems, but the spaces around the problems were filled with dense handwriting, clearly from calligraphy practice.
This old notebook was only a little over half full; the rest was all calligraphy practice.
Jiang Xia released Wen Wan and took a closer look: "This is imitating my handwriting. The handwriting she's practicing is completely different from the handwriting on her math problems in her exercise book!"
Wen Wan: "Can't I change my handwriting style?"
Jiang Xia: "Sure, but why change it to be exactly the same as mine?"
Wen Wan: "...I just thought your handwriting was nice, so I imitated it!"
Jiang Xia sneered: "Do you think the captain and the villagers are idiots?"
Wen Wan: "..."
The militia captain carefully flipped through the exercise book page by page. Jiang Xia: "Captain, look, it's getting more and more similar! I even think I wrote the handwriting on this last page myself."
The villagers were shocked!
"She actually imitated Jiang Xia's handwriting? What was she trying to do by imitating Jiang Xia's handwriting?"
"Didn't Jiang Xia say she was a traitor? Who knows what she wrote in that letter imitating Jiang Xia's handwriting! Luckily, Jiang Xia found out!"
"That's terrifying! She's usually so gentle and kind; you'd never guess!"
The gentle stepmother then pulled a half-burnt letter from her pocket: "Oh, right, there's another letter here, which she also threw into the stove. It's half-burnt; I picked it up because I was afraid she'd write random letters to whoever she wanted."
The captain reached for it, but Jiang Xia grabbed it first!
Jiang Xia snatched the letter without hesitation: "Let me see if this letter is another imitation of my handwriting."
What a joke!
Of course, she had to see the original owner's letter first before she could think of a solution.
She opened the letter; most of the contents had been burned. Because the paper was folded, the remaining content was disjointed, and two sentences were very advantageous to her.
Jiang Xia immediately had an idea. She generously handed the letter to the production team leader.
"Team leader, this letter is my own handwriting. Look, this paper is different from the one I gave you before. I haven't been married for long, and we only have one stack of letter paper at home. Since we don't usually write to anyone, we still have some left. I can compare it with the leftover letter paper at home and see if it's the same, and then compare it with the letter paper at Comrade Wen Wan's house. This comparison will show whether she imitated my handwriting and wrote to others in my name."
The team leader checked, and it really was the same as Jiang Xia's description.
The red lines on the two letters were different. The red lines on the burned letter were thinner and lighter in color, while the other letter's paper was a redder shade. The difference in paper whiteness was also subtle. However, close inspection revealed they were written on two separate sheets of paper.
The people in the room hadn't found anything yet, only a stack of used paper on the desk.
The captain compared them and confirmed they matched the paper Jiang Xia had described as the forged letter.
The captain looked at Wen Wan: "Comrade Wen Wan, you imitated someone else's handwriting and forged a letter. The impact is egregious, and the consequences are unimaginable. I need to take you..."
Wen Wan knew she had to confess after seeing the notebook and the half-burned letter. She interrupted the captain: "Captain, I guarantee I only wrote this one letter, I haven't written any others! I can apologize to Comrade Jiang Xia."
Where to take her?
Lock her in a dark room for interrogation?
Even if they eventually found out the truth and released her, how could she ever face anyone again?
Look, now these villagers are all staring at her in shock!
As if she'd committed some heinous crime.
Wen Wan, her eyes red, bowed deeply to Jiang Xia: "Sister Jiang Xia, I'm sorry!"
Jiang Xia was furious at her innocent act, but unfortunately, she wasn't good at feigning grievance. However, she had to pretend. She secretly pinched her thigh hard, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
Jiang Xia also looked at Wen Wan with teary eyes: "No wonder Wu Qizhi kept bothering me lately! I'm clearly not familiar with him; I never even spoke to him in high school. I was wondering why he kept writing me harassing letters. I even wrote back to reject him, but he still came to my door, insisting that I agreed to elope with him, dragging me away, causing me to fall into the sea and almost drown! So it turns out you forged my handwriting to write him those letters! How could you do this?"
Wen Wan stared wide-eyed at Jiang Xia's self-directed drama in disbelief. Was her ability to fabricate stories really that strong? "
It's such a waste of her talent that she doesn't become a screenwriter or an actress!
" "Don't talk nonsense! I only forged one letter; the rest were all written by you to Wu Qizhi! You were colluding with Wu Qizhi, cheating on Brother Zhou—don't try to deny it! Don't you have other letters? Dare you show them to everyone?"
"Bring it out? She destroyed it long ago." Jiang Xia wiped away her tears, feigning anger, and said, "I dare to stand up for what I've done. This letter you burned can prove my innocence! This letter clearly replied to Wu, saying, 'I don't like him and I won't be with him!' Wu approached me because he wanted my dad to help him find a job, and I refused in the letter. I said in the letter, 'I can't guarantee that my dad will help him find a job; my dad is an upright person.' It's all written in black and white in the letter. Captain, you've seen the contents of the letter, haven't you? Captain, you can testify for me."
The captain nodded: "That's exactly what it says in the letter."
Wen Wan was furious: "That's not how it is. Jiang Xia also said in this letter..." She wanted to elope with Wu Qizhi and divorce Zhou Chenglei! She even said she would try her best to help Wu Qizhi find a job! But those contents were burned!
Jiang Xia ignored Wen Wan and only said to the team leader, "Team leader, Wen Wan for no reason imitated my handwriting and wrote such an ambiguous letter to Comrade Wu Qizhi, damaging my reputation, making my lover and me a laughing stock among the villagers, making everyone think I cheated on my lover, trying to destroy my family, almost causing me to divorce my lover, and even causing my mother-in-law to kick me out of the house today. I don't care about any of that. I'm just afraid she also wrote letters to my parents and others. Please find out the truth!"
The villagers were all embarrassed!
They didn't know the truth either. Who would have thought that the man was a stranger that Wen Wan had attracted by imitating her handwriting and deliberately harassing Jiang Xia?
Even the stories on the radio wouldn't dare to tell such a story!
Wen Wan roared angrily, "Jiang Xia, don't make false accusations! I'll admit what I did. I forged this letter last night. Everything that happened before was your doing, it has nothing to do with me! I swear!"
Unfortunately, she had already lied once, and there was that half-burned letter written by Jiang Xia himself as evidence. Who would believe her?
Jiang Xia had already made it clear!
Everyone said, "Captain, we must investigate this thoroughly! Wen Wan's behavior is too heinous!"
"She's so heartless, she's destroying someone else's family! She must be criticized, severely criticized! She's after Zhou Chenglei's abilities, trying to force Jiang Xia away and marry him, right? How can she compare to Jiang Xia! Would Zhou Chenglei even look at her?"
"Not only is she destroying someone else's family, didn't Jiang Xia also call her a traitor? Someone who can imitate other people's handwriting, who knows how many people's handwriting she's imitated, what has she done?"
"No wonder she suddenly has money to support her studies. I heard Jiang Xia's parents are city leaders, right? It's easy for her to imitate Jiang Xia's handwriting and write to Jiang Xia's father asking for money, isn't it?..."
Wen Wan was furious when she heard the villagers' words: "I didn't! Don't make false accusations! I earned my own tuition! I never wrote to Jiang Xia's parents! Don't talk nonsense!"
Jiang Xia remembered that she had just met Wen Wan in the production team. Jiang Xia suspected that she had called Wu Qizhi to ask him to come over. After all, she had obtained the original owner's old letters from Wu Qizhi, and the two should have had some kind of agreement.
So she said again, "Captain, I need to borrow a phone from the production team. I need to call my dad, and I don't know if Comrade Wen Wan has written him any letters. I need to ask. Also, my mother-in-law has some misunderstandings about me, and there's no transportation to the city right now. Could you please write me a letter of introduction? I need to stay at a hotel in town tonight and wait for a bus to come back to the city tomorrow."
Hearing Jiang Xia mention making a phone call, one of the production team members suddenly said, "I remember now, Comrade Wen Wan just came to the production team to borrow a phone. I happened to pass by and overheard her telling the person on the other end that the time was right. You should come and pick her up!"
Someone shouted, "My God, that man was indeed someone she called!"
Jiang Xia almost laughed. Well! The fact that Wu Qizhi was someone Wen Wan had called to deliberately harass her and ruin her reputation was confirmed.
Wen Wan couldn't clear her name no matter what!
"I didn't!" Wen Wan roared, then, overcome with anger, her vision went black, and she fainted!
Wen Wan was furious, but she was still woken up and taken away.
She glared fiercely at Jiang Xia, then at her father, her stepmother, and her stepsister.
It's not the formidable opponent you should fear, but the incompetent teammates. Not a single person in this family has any sympathy for her.
Not only did they not help her destroy the evidence, they even presented it!
She was determined to get into university, escape this family, and one day rise to prominence, making them regret how they treated her!
And Jiang Xia, if it weren't for her good family background and powerful parents, could she have turned the tables today by spreading rumors and pinning all her dirty deeds on her?
So vicious and insidious!
Just wait, wait until her parents fall from grace and go bankrupt, wait until Zhou Chenglei sees her true colors and divorces her, wait until she gets into university and becomes a superior person, she'll make her pay!
Jiang Xia completely ignored Wen Wan's murderous glare. She had already exceeded her goal; let the villagers imagine the rest!
Jiang Xia followed the production team to get the letter of introduction. Before going to the production team, she had to get rid of Zhou Zhou, who was clinging to her clothes: "Zhou Zhou, your aunt is hungry. Can you go home and get two eggs for her? And can you bring some money for her? Your aunt doesn't have any money and can't stay in a hotel tonight. Can you take 10 yuan from my drawer and give it to her? Your aunt needs to go to the production team to get the letter of introduction first." Zhou
Zhou hesitated for a moment, but thinking that her aunt didn't have any money and had to wait for her to get the money before leaving, she obediently nodded and quickly ran home.
Besides, her aunt needed to write the letter of introduction and make phone calls, and as long as she ran fast, she could still make it in time.
By the time Zhou's mother pulled Zhou Zhou to the production team, Jiang Xia had already left.
Luckily, someone borrowed the production team's tractor to go to the city, so Jiang Xia rode on the tractor. The
production team members said, "Comrade Jiang Xia said she wants to go back to the city to see her parents."
Zhou's mother, feeling worried and regretful, pulled Zhou Zhou's hand and left the production team.
She couldn't believe those letters and stories were fake, all orchestrated by Wen Wan to harm Jiang Xia.
After all, Jiang Xia had been constantly crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide at home, demanding a divorce from her son.
Zhou Zhou anxiously asked her mother, "Grandma, should we go find Auntie? Auntie's gone!"
Her mother snapped out of her daze, "Yes! Let's go to the dock and wait for your uncle,
then we'll take the boat to catch up." Jiang Xia had taken a tractor to the city; she couldn't catch up even if she wanted to. It was almost four o'clock, and the family boat would be back soon. Once the boat returned, they could take it directly to the city; the sea route was faster than the road.
So the grandmother and granddaughter went directly to the dock to wait.
Near the dock was a large tree with several stones under it, a place for villagers to sit and wait for their fishing boats to dock.
At this time, several villagers were already sitting there waiting for their fishing boats, discussing Jiang Xia and Wen Wan's situation.
These people were all from the scene of the crime; they had left the Wen family and returned with the production team, so they simply came to the dock to wait.
After all, the production team wasn't far from the dock.
Upon seeing Zhou's mother, the group called out to her, pressing her for answers.
"Hello, did you know that Wen Wan copied your youngest daughter-in-law's handwriting to write letters to a man?"
"We heard Wen Wan gave you all those letters this morning. Did you read them? What did they say?"
"Jiang Xia just left on a tractor. Did you chase her away? You've misunderstood her. Wen Wan copied her handwriting to write those letters to that man..."
"Jiang Xia is quite something, she slapped me..."
The villagers, one after another, told Zhou's mother what had just happened. Their
words, like dull knives, cut into Zhou's mother's heart.
After telling Jiang Xia to leave, Zhou's mother began to regret her actions.
She had gotten along peacefully with Jiang Xia these past few days, and she genuinely liked her daughter-in-law, loving her sincerely. She hoped Jiang Xia and her son would continue to get along well, that their family would be happy, and that she would soon have a grandchild. After all, she was getting older, and she worried she wouldn't have the energy to take care of their child in the future.
She had always tried her best to help the couple, hoping they could have an easier life and earn enough money to build a new house.
Who knew it was all a lie! They had already agreed to divorce! They had lied to her!
The greater her hope, the greater her disappointment; her composure crumbled instantly, leading her to say those things.
Listening to everyone's words and looking at the vast sea, Zhou's mother felt both anxious and heartbroken.
Zhou Chenglei had been restless all day. Then, his father caught a sunfish while fishing, and the sky darkened in the afternoon, threatening a downpour. They decided to go home early.
Zhou's mother waited a short while before spotting their fishing boat.
She waved anxiously, urging them to come ashore quickly.
Zhou Chenglei saw his mother and Zhou Zhou, but not his wife.
Jiang Xia wouldn't have missed the dock unless something had happened, and his mother seemed very anxious.
Zhou Chenglei's heart skipped a beat. He increased the speed of the boat.
As soon as the boat reached the shore, his mother jumped aboard impatiently: "Chenglei, quick, quick, let's go to the city! Xia Xia is gone! I chased her away!"
Zhou Chenglei was stunned, his mind blank. What did she mean, Jiang Xia was gone, chased away by his mother?
Zhou's father was also dumbfounded: "What happened? Why did you chase Xia Xia away?"
Zhou Chenglei looked at his mother.
Zhou's mother said, "This morning, Wenwan gave me several letters, saying they were returned to Xia by that man. Then, Ahua told me that Xia and Lei had already agreed to divorce, so I couldn't help but let her go! Later, Xia took those letters to the production team and caused a scene at Wenwan's house. It turned out that Wenwan had imitated Xia's handwriting to write those letters, not Xia herself. I heard that Wenwan even called the man from the production team to come and pick Xia up. After Xia proved that she hadn't written those letters, she took the production team's tractor back to the city."
The matter was too complicated for Zhou's mother to explain in a few words!
But Zhou Chenglei still roughly understood!
He jumped off the boat and ran.
Zhou Zhou called out to him, "Uncle, Auntie told the production team she needed a letter of introduction to stay at a hotel in town for one night."
She didn't know whether her aunt had taken the tractor back to the city or gone to town, but her aunt had indeed told the production team she needed a letter of introduction.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chenglei ran straight to the production team.
He needed to go to the production team to find out if Jiang Xia had issued a letter of introduction. If she returned to the city, she could go home without the letter, but staying in a hotel in town wouldn't be possible.
After clarifying the situation at the production team, Zhou Chenglei held the two letters, his heart feeling like it was being ground down in a millstone.
He borrowed a bicycle from the production team and sped off to town.
Jiang Xia certainly didn't return to the city; she got off the tractor halfway there.
What would she do in the city? She didn't even know which way her house faced, or what her parents looked like!
If she went to the city and encountered her parents on the street, she wouldn't recognize them as her biological parents. She
couldn't go back to the Zhou family either.
Again, the adult world and the child's world are different. A child kicked out of their home by their parents will cling to their legs, crying and shouting "No!"
But adults' pride and self-respect wouldn't allow them to do that.
So Jiang Xia ended up on the streets.
But even now, homeless and wandering the streets, she strolled leisurely, enjoying the pastoral scenery on both sides, until the dark clouds on the horizon drew closer and bolts of lightning struck from the sky. Only then could she no longer remain calm and had to run.
Unfortunately, she couldn't outrun the dark clouds on the horizon, and the heavy rain drenched her.
However, Jiang Xia reached the town. She quickly ducked into a seafood noodle shop and ordered a bowl of seafood rice noodles.
Jiang Xia, slightly out of breath, sat at the table waiting for the owner to cook her noodles, watching the torrential rain outside, which seemed to threaten to engulf the world.
She wondered if Zhou Chenglei had returned from his sea voyage. With such heavy rain, it must be dangerous at sea.
There were no other customers in the shop at this time. The seafood noodles were quickly prepared, and the proprietress brought them to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia snapped out of her reverie, thanked the owner, and then looked at the white noodles topped with a rich sauce, covered with squid rings, baby octopus, oysters, shrimp, clams, and more—it looked incredibly appetizing.
She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily.
Outside, the rain poured down, and the town's roads were quickly soaked by a yellowish rainwater mixed with dust and mud.
Zhou Chenglei sped past on his bicycle, the wheels kicking up a trail of water. The rain lashed his face, obscuring his vision, but he didn't slow down, racing towards the town's inn.
There was an old guesthouse in town, and a newly opened Furong Inn.
He arrived at the newly opened inn, abandoned his bicycle, and rushed inside, hurriedly asking, "Excuse me, is there a female comrade named Jiang Xia checking in this afternoon?"
"No. Only two male comrades are checking in this afternoon," the clerk replied without looking up from her knitting.
Zhou Chenglei thanked her, turned, and went out again to ask at another guesthouse, but found no one there either.
Zhou Chenglei's heart sank. She hadn't stayed in town? Had she gone back to the city?
Staying in town and going back to the city were different.
If she stayed in town, at least she was willing to wait for him to return.
If she went back to the city, then she might be disheartened and have the thought of not wanting to continue their marriage again.
He rode his bicycle, continuing to search the streets, planning to search around the town before heading to the city.
Jiang Xia wasn't familiar with the town; perhaps she hadn't found a guesthouse yet, or maybe she was taking shelter from the rain in some shop.
Right, she probably hadn't eaten lunch yet; perhaps she had gone to eat first.
So Zhou Chenglei went straight to the state-run restaurant, but finding it empty, he went from restaurant to restaurant, noodle shop, and other eateries.
Jiangxia finished his seafood rice noodles, and it was still raining.
The rain was blown into the shop by the strong wind, so the owner went to close it.
Then he saw a white figure speeding through the rain on a bicycle: "Where did this lunatic come from? Doesn't he know how to get out of the rain? Is he sick?"
Jiang Xia stood up and went to take a look. Then she saw that tall figure disappearing into the rain. She shouted, "Zhou Chenglei! Zhou Chenglei!"
Jiang Xia saw him pedaling away desperately, and he couldn't hear her calls. Ignoring the rain, she chased after him: "Zhou Chenglei!"
The rain was so heavy, and Zhou Chenglei's hearing wasn't good. He didn't actually hear anything, but for some reason, he subconsciously looked back and saw that figure that had been etched into his heart for some time and could never be erased.
Zhou Chenglei squeezed the brakes, pushed off the ground, swerved the bicycle, and the back of the bicycle swung cleanly, sending sprays of water flying far away.
He pushed off with his foot, and the bicycle rushed towards Jiang Xia. He threw the bicycle aside and pulled her into his arms.
The noodle shop owner looked at the two embracing in the heavy rain: "Are they crazy?!"
The owner shook his head. These young people nowadays! They're all crazy!
Another gust of rain drifted in, and he quickly closed the door. The rain was so heavy that the owner's clothes were soaked in an instant!
Five minutes later,
a drenched Zhou Chenglei returned to the newly opened inn with a drenched Jiang Xia. Under the watchful eyes of the clerk, he produced his letter of introduction and checked in.
Jiang Xia's letter of introduction was slightly wet, but luckily it was wrapped in her money and wasn't completely soaked.
When Zhou Chenglei left the production team, he had also obtained a letter of introduction just in case, and had even borrowed a hundred yuan from the team leader. Knowing that it was about to rain, Zhou Chenglei had wrapped the letter of introduction and his wallet in plastic wrap.
As soon as the room door closed, he pulled Jiang Xia into his arms again, holding her tightly. He buried his face in her neck and said, "I'm sorry."
This time, Jiang Xia didn't hug him back. Instead, she pushed him away and said, "Speak properly!"
Zhou Chenglei stiffened, obediently releasing her. He placed his hands on his sides, stood ramrod straight, and stared at her intently, waiting for her to speak.
If she were to ask for a divorce, he would absolutely not agree.
Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei, soaking wet, like an abandoned puppy, looking at her pitifully.
Yet, his military posture was exceptionally perfect, like a soldier listening to his superior's reprimand.
His adorable appearance inexplicably dispelled the resentment in Jiang Xia's heart, and she blurted out, "You're all wet, it's uncomfortable to hold you." Jiang
Xia glared at him, her face darkening.
Zhou Chenglei felt a sense of relief, but also a pang of heartache, heartbroken that she hadn't cried or made a fuss, swallowing all her grievances. He couldn't help but pull her into his arms again, holding her tightly: "There won't be a next time, I promise I'll never let you suffer any more grievances!"
Jiang Xia didn't speak, but she didn't push him away again.
Afraid she was cold, Zhou Chenglei held her for a while, kissed her forehead, and then let go. "I'll go buy you some clothes."
Then he went into the bathroom and glanced inside: "Go take a shower, there's hot water here, don't catch a cold. I'll be right back."
With that, Zhou Chenglei opened the door and strode out.
Jiang Xia looked around.
This hotel seemed newly opened; the walls were snow-white, the checkered curtains were new, the bedding on the bed looked clean, there was a desk and an electric fan, and it even had a bathroom.
She went in and saw a brand-new old-fashioned water heater on the wall; it was definitely a shower.
But Jiang Xia couldn't possibly take a shower now; when he came back, wouldn't she be showering right then and there?
There was a clothing store not far downstairs. Zhou Chenglei bought two sets of clothes in less than ten minutes, one for each of them. He even borrowed a hairdryer from the clerk. The entire hotel only had one hairdryer, but the hotel's conditions were already quite good, mainly because it was newly opened.
Seeing Jiang Xia waiting in wet clothes, he handed her the clothes: "Go take a shower quickly, don't catch a cold. Is your undershirt wet? Take it off and give it to me, I'll dry it for you."
Jiang Xia ignored him and went into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Jiang Xia finally sat at the desk, completely dry, drying her hair.
Zhou Chenglei came out of the bathroom, shirtless.
Jiang Xia glanced at him, then looked away, continuing to dry her hair.
Zhou Chenglei walked to Jiang Xia's side and took the hairdryer from her: "I'll dry it for you."
Jiang Xia didn't speak and let go.
Zhou Chenglei then gently dried her hair with the hairdryer.
Actually, it was almost dry.
Zhou Chenglei dried her hair completely in a short while. After drying, her hair was soft, black, and fine, like the finest silk, cascading down her slender back, making her silhouette beautiful.
He put down the hairdryer.
The rain outside had stopped, and it was dark. Jiang Xia, remembering that Zhou Chenglei hadn't eaten anything since returning from the sea, stood up: "Let's go! Let's go out and get something to eat before going home."
Zhou Chenglei wrapped his long arm around her: "No rush."
"Aren't you hungry?" Jiang Xia's heart pounded as he held her waist, but she still looked up at him and asked. Her
soft hair swayed against his muscular arms, sending shivers down her spine. Zhou Chenglei's voice was low and husky: "Hungry."
But eating her was enough.
Zhou Chenglei lowered his head, kissing her lips, and simultaneously lifted her up, placing her on the bed.
This time, he wasn't gentle; his kiss was deep and forceful.
Jiang Xia was kissed deeply, her breath stolen away.
Summer rain always comes in torrents, and the pattering rain outside drowned out the soft patter.
After what seemed like an eternity, the rain stopped.
The two stood under the tap.
Jiang Xia's body was still limp, held tightly in his arms.
Her skin was fair and delicate, covered in red marks he had left.
They hadn't planned anything, hadn't gone all the way; they had simply helped each other.
Zhou Chenglei washed their hands and helped them change.
He tidied up their wet clothes.
Jiang Xia noticed his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing faint red marks on his neck. She blushed and went to help him button it.
Zhou Chenglei straightened up, his long arm encircling her, letting her button his shirt for him. He looked down at her rosy face, his eyes and brows full of smiles.
She buttoned up her shirt herself, the top button tightly, but some marks were still visible on her neck.
Jiang Xia didn't dare tie her hair up, leaving it loose to at least cover herself.
Her loose hair made her look even more beautiful, the kind that's stunning at first glance.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but look down again.
Jiang Xia reached out and covered his mouth, glaring at him.
Zhou Chenglei kissed her palm.
Another glare!
This is killing me!
Zhou Chenglei tightened his grip on her waist, his voice hoarse: "Stop glaring, or I can't guarantee we'll be able to get home."
Jiang Xia: "..."
Of course they had to go home. If they didn't go home all night, Zhou's parents would worry and not be able to sleep, and besides, if it didn't rain tomorrow, they had to go out to sea.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Chenglei led Jiang Xia away from the hotel, heading home under the cover of night.
It was already past ten o'clock when they got home, and Zhou's parents and Zhou Zhou were still awake.
Seeing the two of them return, all three breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou's mother said to Jiang Xia, "Xia, I'm sorry, this morning I..."
Jiang Xia interrupted her, "Mom, I understand. You're just worried about Lei. I'm not blaming you."
Zhou's mother's words weren't harsh; at least she considered Jiang Xia's feelings. For an elder like her to say sorry was enough.
Zhou's mother felt even more guilty.
She was most afraid of causing trouble for her son and daughter-in-law, but she had caused such a huge problem, almost causing them to separate.
The old man was right; they usually got along very well, their relationship seemed very good, how could they be a couple on the verge of divorce?
And he said Lei would never give up something he set his sights on?
No, he wouldn't. From childhood, he would never give up on anything he set his sights on, using any means necessary to get it!
Of all his brothers, he had the most ingenious schemes.
Zhou's father also said: "Back on the ship, they even dared to treat him, their father, like a memorial tablet!"
Zhou's mother knew that among her brothers, he was the most cunning, but also the most stubborn, with the softest heart, and never let anyone down. If Jiang Xia didn't turn back, and was driven away by her again, he probably wouldn't remarry in this lifetime.
Zhou Chenglei: "Dad, Mom, Jiang Xia and I will not divorce, not in this lifetime! You should go to sleep early! Zhou Zhou, go to sleep too!"
Zhou Zhou: "Auntie, Uncle has food in the pot, eat if you're hungry."
After saying that, she obediently went back to her room to sleep. She had taken her medicine and was actually very sleepy.
She just wanted to wait for her uncle to bring her aunt back before sleeping.
"Then eat something if you're hungry, and go to sleep early after eating." After saying that, Zhou's father also tactfully pulled Zhou's mother back to her room.
If they didn't leave, would they stay to be used as a memorial tablet again?
Zhou's mother also mentioned that there was hot water in the iron pot.
Jiang Xia wanted to take a shower, so Zhou Chenglei poured her some water, then added ginger soup to cook, and then ate.
After taking a shower and drinking the ginger soup Zhou Chenglei gave her, Jiang Xia went back to bed to sleep.
When Zhou Chenglei returned after showering and doing laundry, Jiang Xia was already asleep.
Zhou Chenglei took a small bag from the closet and went back to bed.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Jiang Xia was woken up by him, her head still foggy, and let him kiss her.
She was too sleepy to wake up completely.
However, Zhou Chenglei stopped kissing her a while. He touched Jiang Xia's head, quickly sat up, got out of bed, and rummaged through the drawer for a thermometer.
They didn't have one at home; Jiang Xia had asked the doctor to prescribe one when she took Zhou Zhou to the hospital the night before.
Zhou Chenglei placed the thermometer under Jiang Xia's armpit, sometimes touching her forehead, sometimes her palm, somewhat unsure.
Five minutes later, Zhou Chenglei took out the thermometer and read: 37.2 degrees Celsius.
She definitely had a fever, 0.1 degrees higher than before.
"Jiang Xia, I'll take you to the hospital. You have a fever."
"No, don't bother me, I want to sleep."
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Zhou Chenglei thought it was just a low-grade fever, so he went to get a packet of fever-reducing powder and fed it to her.
Jiang Xia was groggily woken up by him, and after being fed a mouthful of bitter medicine, she instinctively wanted to vomit.
"Don't vomit, it's fever-reducing powder. You have a fever, drink some water and swallow it."
Jiang Xia finished the water in the enamel cup, suppressed the bitter taste in her mouth, and fell asleep again.
Zhou Chenglei put down the water cup, lay back on the bed, and held her, barely daring to close his eyes all night, afraid that her temperature would rise in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, the fever subsided around 3 a.m. Zhou Chenglei took her temperature again, and it had dropped to 36.8 degrees Celsius, which put his mind at ease.
At this time, Zhou's father got up because it was raining heavily outside again. He told Zhou Chenglei that they wouldn't be going out to sea today, and Zhou Chenglei agreed before finally going to sleep.
He was also exhausted after two nights of not sleeping much.
The next morning, Jiang Xia woke up refreshed in Zhou Chenglei's arms.
Jiang Xia woke up refreshed, only to find herself with her head resting on his arm, her arms and legs draped over Zhou Chenglei, completely using him as a pillow.
Of course, this pillow was lying flat, his long arm also wrapped around her waist.
Jiang Xia didn't have the habit of sleeping in, and it was already quite bright. She glanced at the watch beside her pillow; it was 7:30. She
had never gotten up this late before!
Zhou Chenglei was still asleep. She carefully removed his hand, propped herself up, and intended to get up, stepping over him.
Zhou Chenglei had already woken up once; his biological clock was always punctual, and he would wake up at the appointed time.
He usually went for a run, but today it was raining,
so he hadn't. Even when it rained, he would always get up; he never lingered in bed.
Today, he was a little reluctant, afraid of waking her, and then he unconsciously fell asleep again.
Now, as soon as Jiang Xia moved, he woke up again, his breath catching in his throat at the sight before him.
"Where are you going?" His voice was hoarse, and his rough hand gripped her slender waist.
Jiang Xia was pulled into his arms and fell against him, pressing his hands down.
"It's past seven, too late, I'm getting up."
Zhou Chenglei rolled over, looking at her lazily, "It's raining, and you have nothing to do, why get up so early?"
Jiang Xia's heart pounded. "Mom
and Dad are outside..." She could hear Zhou's parents talking.
A shadow fell, sealing her unfinished words.
Zhou Chenglei kissed her gently.
He then turned his head to find her neck...
Outside, the pattering raindrops tapped against the tightly closed carved glass window. On the desk by the windowsill lay high school textbooks; the room was quiet and cozy.
The morning sea was gentle, the waves gently tossing fish up and down.
Unable to control herself, Jiang Xia kept hearing Zhou's parents talking outside, instinctively biting her lip.
Seeing this, Zhou Chenglei, afraid she would hurt herself, lowered his head and parted her lips.
Beads of sweat trickled down his neck…
When the storm subsided and the rain stopped, the sun shone through.
They embraced quietly.
Zhou Chenglei kissed her forehead.
She was his wife.
Jiang Xia reached for her watch by the pillow to check the time, but her arm was still weak and powerless.
Zhou Chenglei picked up the watch from under the pillow, glanced at it, and put it down again.
“What time is it?”
Zhou Chenglei gently brushed the hair from her forehead and face, wiping the fine sweat from her nose.
“A little past ten-thirty.”
Ten-thirty? It’s already noon!!
Jiang Xia quickly sat up: “Get up!”
Zhou Chenglei sat up as well, looking at her with a smile in his eyes: “What’s the rush?”
Jiang Xia’s face flushed under his gaze, and she glared at him: “Get up! It’s already noon!”
Her voice was beautiful, soft and gentle like a woman from Jiangnan, with a touch of coquettishness she had never heard before.
Zhou Chenglei: “…”
This is killing me!
Don’t look at me like that!
Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but lower his head again.
"Knock knock..." A knock sounded on the door, followed by Zhou's mother's voice
, "Ah Lei, the production team said they have Xia's phone number. Tell her to answer it at eleven." Although the door was closed, Zhou Chenglei quickly pulled the blanket he'd kicked into the corner over them and replied, "Okay."
Jiang Xia's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She pushed him away.
She sat up, pulled the blanket over herself, and frantically searched for clothes.
The clothes and blanket were in the corner; some small items were probably buried under the blanket and couldn't be found.
"Don't rush," Zhou Chenglei said, holding her arm and glancing at her.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Her face flushed red, and she kicked him, "Don't look! Get out!"
Zhou Chenglei's eyes and brows were full of laughter, "I won't look. Don't kick me out. I'll find you some clothes."
Zhou Chenglei got out of bed casually and walked towards the wardrobe.
Jiang Xia glanced at him; his physique was truly impressive!
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, abs…
Her face flushed, and she quickly looked away.
Her face burned even more, and she buried it in the blankets, annoyed and embarrassed: “Get out of here!”
Zhou Chenglei: “…”
Why was she being kicked out again?
He still found Jiang Xia an outfit, the one he had just bought for her, and even got her underwear, placing it on the bed: “I’ve found you some clothes. Shall I go out and bring you a basin of hot water to use?”
Zhou Chenglei reached out and picked up a pair of pants from the corner of the bed.
Jiang Xia denied it without thinking: “No need!”
Wouldn’t that mean the whole world would know?
Zhou Chenglei then went to the wardrobe and took out a pair of black suit trousers, “Shall I get you a bucket of water to take a shower?”
Jiang Xia: “…”
She didn’t usually shower early in the morning; suddenly showering early in the morning seemed like a blatant attempt to cover up her mistake.
"No."
"Why don't you bring in a basin of hot water?"
"Okay." Zhou Chenglei took out his shirt and put it on. "You lie down first, I'll
open the door and go out." Although there was a curtain hanging, he still had to lift it to go out.
What if she saw him still lying in bed...?
Jiang Xia hurriedly said at the thought, "No! Don't open the door! Wait a while before you go out."
"Okay." Zhou Chenglei's lips curled up slightly. He had never seen her so contradictory. She
was so cute when she was shy!
"Turn around!"
Zhou Chenglei: "...What if I don't?"
Jiang Xia glared at him. "Turn around or not!"
She probably didn't know that her eyes were very beautiful, bright and lively. Staring at someone like that had no power to kill her at all, but rather...
In short, Zhou Chenglei couldn't stand her gaze.
When she glared at him like that, he felt like he was going to die!
Even Liu Xiahui couldn't withstand her glare!
Zhou Chenglei was afraid that he wouldn't be able to leave the house because he still had to go out to return a phone call, so he had no choice but to turn around and not look at her.
Jiang Xia glanced at the clothes he had found. "Why did you bring this set? It's so inconvenient!"
Wearing a skirt while doing housework is very inconvenient, and it's also easy to get dirty.
She could only pick up her pajamas and put them on.
Zhou Chenglei: "We're not going out to sea today, and it'll probably rain tomorrow too. Let's go back to my parents' house this afternoon, stay in the city for the night, and go home tomorrow."
Jiang Xia thought about it and agreed that they should go back to visit. "Okay."
Jiang Xia changed her clothes, checked them over, and finding nothing amiss, sat down at her desk, picked up her high school textbook, opened it, and said, "You can open the door now."
Zhou Chenglei glanced back and saw her reading seriously. "..."
He couldn't help but smile, but dared not laugh out loud. He opened the door and went out, quickly bringing back two basins of water and closing the door behind him.
Jiang Xia put down her book and glanced back. "You're drying yourself in the room too? Aren't you going to shower?"
He showered every day after running.
"No, I have to wash myself clean after using it."
"What do you have to wash yourself clean?" Jiang Xia didn't understand.
Then, she saw Zhou Chenglei take something out and put it in the water to wash.
Jiang Xia: "..."
No!
"This isn't disposable?
" Jiang Xia said, then hurriedly left. "Remember to wash it thoroughly!"
It was almost unbearable to look at!
She should just go to the shower room to dry herself! Jiang Xia ran out as if fleeing.
Zhou Chenglei went out first, filled a bucket with hot water for her in the shower room, and then returned to the room to obediently wash the thing clean in two basins of water. He then dried it with a clean towel and stored it in talcum powder.
He had bought a large box of talcum powder, enough to store several of these things.
He took the two basins of water out, then came back to tidy the bed, soaking the soiled blankets in the basins before washing them.
Then he filled another basin with water and went back to the room to wipe the marks on the mat.
Jiang Xia quickly took a shower, and when she returned with her pajamas, she saw him gently wiping the marks on the mat. Her face flushed, and she turned and went out again.
Zhou's mother was making lunch. Watching the young couple busy at work, she smiled and greeted Jiang Xia, reminding her of the phone call, then pretended not to know anything and diligently started the fire to cook.
Thirty minutes later, Zhou Chenglei took a shower, washed the blankets and their pajamas, and then the two went to the production team to wait for the call.
It wasn't even 11:30 yet; the call should be from Jiang's father, so they called back.
It was Saturday, so Zhou Chenglei dialed the Jiang family's number.
While Zhou Chenglei dialed, Jiang Xia secretly memorized the number. After
Zhou Chenglei finished dialing, he handed the phone to Jiang Xia first.
Jiang Xia took it nervously, afraid she wouldn't be able to call out "Dad" and "Mom.
" The phone was answered after a single beep, and a deep, gentle male voice sounded on the other end: "Hello, is this Xia Xia?"
From the tone, one could imagine the gentle expression on the other end's face.
Jiang Xia tried to call out naturally, "Dad."
Jiang's father asked how Jiang Xia had been lately, if she needed anything, and upon learning she was doing well, he was relieved. He gave her a few words of advice, telling her to live a good life with Zhou Chenglei, and then asked about the letter written in her handwriting, because someone had called him last night to inquire about it.
It was too late then, so he didn't call his daughter until this morning.
Jiang Xia could sense the deep fatherly love in her father's words.
Jiang Xia explained, and the two talked for a while. Jiang Xia said that she and Zhou Chenglei would go back to see them in the afternoon and stay overnight.
Jiang's father had originally wanted to let his son-in-law answer the phone, but upon hearing that they were coming back, he changed his mind, thinking it would be better to talk in person. Jiang
's mother had been waiting for a long time, but then Old Jiang hung up the phone. She couldn't help but slap her father's arm: "Why did you hang up? I haven't even said a word to Xiaxia yet!"
Jiang Xia was spoiled by her father and was determined to go to university in Beijing. Last time she came back, she made a scene about divorce, and now she didn't know how she was getting along with Zhou Chenglei.
In his excitement, Jiang's father forgot: "Xiaxia and Alei will be back this afternoon. They'll stay overnight. Tidy up Xiaxia's room for them."
Jiang's mother frowned upon hearing this: "You forgot? Dongdong went to the train station to pick someone up. He said he's bringing his girlfriend back tonight to stay for a few days, and then they'll go back to Beijing together."
Her son had started dating as soon as he entered university, and she wanted to meet her daughter.
She had originally agreed with her son to give Jiang Xia's room to his girlfriend.
There were four rooms in the house, but one was Jiang's father's study, filled with documents, and it wasn't easy to let outsiders in.
It was clearly inappropriate to let her son's new girlfriend stay there; they hadn't even met her yet, who knew what kind of person she was?
Jiang's father: "Arrange for her to stay at a guesthouse."
Naturally, the father favored his daughter and son-in-law over his son's girlfriend, whom he had never met.
"Isn't that a bit inappropriate? It's the girl's first time visiting, and she agreed to stay in Xiaxia's room. How about Xiaxia and Alei stay in the study? I'll tidy it up."
"Xiaxia and Alei are two people; the bed in the study is so small, how can they all sleep? Besides, I already disagreed with you letting that girl stay at our house, let alone in Xiaxia's room! Don't you think that girl and Dongdong are just dating, not engaged or married yet, and she's staying at our house for several days? What will the neighbors think? It's not good for the girl's reputation."
Jiang's mother continued, "Dongdong said she's not a local, and I thought it wasn't safe for a girl to stay in a guesthouse, so I let her stay at our house. How about Xiaxia and Alei stay in a guesthouse?"
Jiang's father looked at Jiang's mother incredulously, his eyes dark and brooding.
Jiang's mother: "Never mind, let Dongdong take her to the guesthouse when we get back! I'll go buy groceries."
Jiang's father: "Buy more of Xiaxia's favorite dishes, crabs and shrimp, and beef. Xiaxia loves your braised beef."
Jiang's mother said irritably, "I know, it's so late, I don't even know if they'll still have any vegetables left."
Jiang's mother went out.
Jiang's father, worried that Jiang's mother wouldn't be able to handle it, simply fetched a basin of water and went to his daughter's room, wiping down the desk and bed again.
Jiang's mother had actually already cleaned, and a new four-piece bedding set had been put on the bed.
Jiang's father looked around and, finding nothing he needed to prepare, went out to his study to handle official business.
~
Zhou Chenglei finished his phone call and returned home with Jiang Xia for lunch.
Today's lunch was quite plentiful: boiled shrimp, steamed whelks, pan-fried sole, steamed oysters with garlic, and stir-fried pumpkin and green beans. The seafood was all bought by Zhou's mother at the dock early in the morning after the rain stopped.
With a smile, Zhou's mother placed a bowl of peeled shrimp in front of Jiang Xia: "Xia and Zhou Zhou, you two eat more, you're too thin."
She had only found out that morning when she went out to buy fish that the man from yesterday had indeed come to the village again, been spotted by the villagers, reported to the production team, and arrested for questioning.
It turned out that Wen Wan had indeed called him over. Zhou's mother couldn't believe that the seemingly gentle and hardworking woman was actually this kind of person. She was incredibly grateful that her youngest son hadn't come back to arrange the marriage; if he had married her, he would have regretted it terribly!
Although Jiang Xia used to be boisterous and spoiled, she was genuinely innocent back then. Now, Zhou's mother saw only good things about Jiang Xia!
No matter how she looked at her, she was perfect!
She felt that she had been blinded by greed yesterday and almost drove away such a wonderful daughter-in-law.
The fish was sole. Zhou's mother usually steamed or boiled seafood because it was convenient, but being from the seaside, she was very skilled at frying fish. She fried the sole until both sides were golden brown. Zhou Chenglei picked up the largest sole, removed the bones, and put the meat into Jiang Xia's bowl.
After dinner, Zhou's mother washed the dishes and urged Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia to leave early.
The bus to the city was at 1:30, and they had to catch it in the town. It had rained, and the roads were muddy and difficult to travel.
Zhou Chenglei packed a set of clothes for himself and Jiang Xia. He hesitated for a moment looking at the box of talcum powder, then hid it deep inside the wardrobe without taking it. After locking the wardrobe, he took Jiang Xia out.
The roads were too muddy after the rain, so Zhou Chenglei still used his bicycle to take Jiang Xia to the town to catch the bus. They could just park the bicycle at the clinic and pay some protection money.
Riding a bicycle to the city was too far and took too long. Besides, Jiang Xia had already ridden a bicycle before, and she wanted to take the bus to the city as well.
Wen Wan was released after a night's rest. She trudged through the muddy road, her feet covered in mud, and then saw Zhou Chenglei approaching on his bicycle with Jiang Xia on the back.
Zhou Chenglei smiled and said something to Jiang Xia.
Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, "When we get to the city, let's go to the mall first to buy some things for Mom and Dad. Have you thought about what else to buy for them?"
Last time they went shopping, he had already bought clothes for Jiang's parents. Zhou's mother had also packed two pounds of dried shrimp, twenty dried golden pomfret, several pounds of dried fish, and even killed a chicken and a duck to bring to Jiang's parents, but Zhou Chenglei felt it wasn't enough.
Jiang Xia sat sideways on the bicycle, one hand tightly around Zhou Chenglei's waist. Holding him with one hand wasn't stable, so she gripped his belt. With the other hand, she lifted her skirt, her legs high, constantly careful not to get her skirt dirty from the mud kicked up by the bicycle wheels.
Jiang Xia didn't know what Jiang's parents liked, so she could only say, "My parents will definitely like whatever their son-in-law buys. You decide for yourself; I can't control that. Also, you should prepare a gift for my brother too."
The original owner had a younger brother, so the gift had to be thoughtful.
"Then I'll arrange it." The fact that she called him "son-in-law" was an acknowledgment of his status, and Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but smile slightly, his eyebrows even showing a hint of amusement.
He really wanted to hold her small hand, but the road was too muddy, and the wheels would slip easily. He didn't dare pedal with one hand, lest he cause Jiang Xia to fall.
Wen Wan saw Zhou Chenglei's beaming face, so different from his usual stern, sharp, and intimidating demeanor.
At this moment, Zhou Chenglei himself didn't realize how gentle his expression was; his eyes and brows were brimming with undisguised joy.
The bicycle passed by Wen Wan, who stood still.
She glanced at Jiang Xia's delicate hand, which was wrapped around Zhou Chenglei's waist and gripping his belt, and noticed the faint red marks inside her collar.
Having been married in her previous life, Wen Wan knew very well what that meant.
They had already slept together; clearly, they didn't intend to divorce.
Jiang Xia glanced at Wen Wan indifferently before turning her head away.
Wen Wan rolled her eyes.
But she couldn't help comparing herself to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia wore a brand-new blue and white dress, her white high-heeled round-toe shoes spotless, her whole being as clean as the blue sky and white clouds. Wen Wan,
on the other hand, had been interrogated in a dark room all night, already haggard, now mired in mud, utterly wretched!
Compared to Jiang Xia, she felt like mud was a mile away.
But this wouldn't last forever!
Jiang Xia, someone who failed the college entrance exam three times, was just unintelligent. Her current good life was only due to good fortune; she relied on her parents before, and now on men.
She, however, relied on herself!
One day, she could live better than Jiang Xia on her own!
Once she got into Tsinghua or Peking University, Zhou Chenglei would be nothing! So
what if Zhou Chenglei was the future richest man?
Power is better than money.
Having been reborn, she had no need to steal Jiang Xia's used, secondhand man; she found him disgusting!
Yesterday, Jiang Xia tricked her so badly, causing her to be interrogated in a dark room. Although it wasn't recorded in her file, she remembered this debt and would get her revenge sooner or later!
She was determined to get into university and change this damned, quagmire fate.
Thinking of this, Wen Wan simply ran back. Anyway, her only dress was dirty, and she still had to translate; she only had one day left, and she had to submit the manuscript tomorrow.
*
The town wasn't far, and they arrived quickly. Zhou Chenglei led Jiang Xia to the bicycle parking area at the health center, parked their bicycles, got a wooden tag, and then went to the roadside to wait for the bus.
The bus entering the city was a minibus, but there was a group of people waiting by the roadside.
When the bus arrived, before it even stopped, everyone swarmed on. There was no way to queue; everyone wanted to grab a seat.
Jiang Xia immediately used her experience of squeezing onto buses and subways from her previous life, avoiding the middle and pulling Zhou Chenglei onto the bus from the side of the door.
Normally, Zhou Chenglei would let everyone else board first, and he would board last.
But fearing Jiang Xia would be jostled, he could only protect her and squeeze on.
The bus was already full, so the two of them had to stand.
In the sweltering summer heat, the bus had no air conditioning, and although the windows were open, it was still hot and smelly.
Suddenly, the bus started moving, and the standing people leaned back due to inertia, but she was quickly pulled tightly into a strong chest by a strong arm.
Zhou Chenglei shielded Jiang Xia in front of him, one hand holding the back of the seat, the other around her waist, letting her lean against him.
The bus sped forward, and the initial road was rough, causing the bus to sway left and right. The narrow carriage was crowded, noisy, chaotic, and smelly, mixed with the crying of children and occasional curses.
Jiang Xia was protected in his arms, and no one could squeeze past her, but she could feel Zhou Chenglei's body being bumped by people every now and then.
Zhou Chenglei placed her by the window, where the wind blew in, dispersing some of the smell.
In the entire carriage, besides those who were seated, she was the most comfortable.
Jiang Xia couldn't help but turn her head to look at the tall, imposing man behind her.
Tall, imposing, and reliable.
As soon as Zhou Chenglei noticed her movement, he immediately looked down at her: "Motion sickness?"
Jiang Xia smiled and shook her head: "No."
Seeing her smile, Zhou Chenglei's lips also curved upwards, and he hugged her tighter: "If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me. Do you want to turn around and lean against me to sleep?"
Jiang Xia understood what he meant, turned around, and buried her head in his chest. She could only smell his scent, at least it wasn't so smelly.
But that position was too ambiguous, and with so many people around, Jiang Xia was too embarrassed to do it, so she shook her head.
Standing next to them was a heavily pregnant woman, who was also protecting a six or seven-year-old girl who was only as tall as the back of the chair. Her man was also standing next to her, looking after himself.
Seeing how well Zhou Chenglei protected Jiang Xia, she realized that riding a bus didn't have to be crowded, as long as someone treated you like a child.
More than an hour later, the bus finally arrived at the city bus station.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei got off the car and headed towards the mall.
The city bus station was quite close to the train station, but to get to the mall, they had to walk past the train station. As they passed the train station square, they saw a blonde foreign girl crying and calling for her father in an open space.
The child wasn't speaking English, but French. A male and a female train attendant were patiently trying to talk to her, but only one of the attendants understood a few words of English, and the child clearly didn't understand. She just kept crying and refused to go with the attendants.
The male attendant said, "What should we do? We can't persuade her. If we try to pick her up, she pulls away. What language is she speaking? She doesn't seem to understand what we're saying."
The female attendant said, "I can't tell what language she's speaking either, but it's definitely not English. We can only try to coax her to the broadcasting room so she can call for her parents over the loudspeaker."
The male attendant said, "She won't come with us!"
"Why don't you go buy some candy?"
Jiang Xia suggested, pulling Zhou Chenglei along.