Of the two police officers Director Hong brought, one went to the state-run restaurant to get congee for Anning. The restaurant should still have some leftover breakfast congee.
They all agreed with the doctor’s instructions. The little girl looked so delicate; they worried she wouldn’t be able to swallow a full meal right away.
Meanwhile, the two people Director Hong had sent to the hospital—Li Weiming and Xu Hongli—weren’t so lucky.
Li Weiming had suffered a depressed skull fracture, causing severe intracranial bleeding. Even after being rushed to the hospital, he couldn’t be saved. An hour later, he was pronounced dead.
Xu Hongli also had a serious head injury. The doctors managed to dress the wound, but when—or if—she would regain consciousness was uncertain. She might wake in a couple of days, or she could remain in a vegetative state forever.
One of the officers guarding them came over to report the situation to Director Hong.
Hong’s brow tightened. One dead, one unconscious. Director Ge was in deep trouble. Though originally a victim, he now appeared as a murderer.
This case had to be reported to the Lushi Municipal Public Security Bureau—beyond what Hong could handle as station chief.
Still, it happened under his jurisdiction, so he bore unavoidable responsibility.
The matter quickly spread, as if it had grown wings—everyone in the area knew about it now.
Compared to Li Weiming and Xu Hongli, Anning’s situation seemed minor. During the confrontation, only a few people who cared about her were worried.
Director Hong had other matters, so he left first. Another officer stayed with Sister Yang, and a junior officer ran errands as needed.
Anning didn’t wake until about an hour later. When she opened her eyes, she feigned confusion, scanning her surroundings. Seeing Sister Yang, she recognized the street office director.
“Director Yang, where am I? Why does my head hurt a little?”
Sister Yang breathed a sigh of relief. The girl had survived—what a scare! With that scar on her face, what would happen in the future?
“You’re awake! Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? I’ll send a junior officer to call the doctor.”
“Director Yang, it’s just my head hurting a bit, feeling a little dizzy… and I’m hungry.”
“Of course! I knew you’d wake up hungry. I already had congee prepared for you. Here, it’s still warm—eat it while it’s hot.”
Anning was indeed starving. She didn’t hesitate and quickly ate the bowl of lean meat porridge. Finally, her stomach felt comfortable, and she had some energy.
At that moment, the doctor who had examined her earlier arrived.
The doctor confirmed that she was basically fine, but because of potential concussion, she would need to stay in the hospital a few more days for observation.
Anning hadn’t expected such good news. She had wanted to stay in the hospital for a few days anyway, to scope out Shizheng Road, where a few of her remaining enemies lived.
By staying in the hospital, she would have a solid alibi—no one could suspect her—and she could plan her next moves without worry.
Sister Yang asked, “Girl, what are your plans from now on?”
Anning knew this was her chance. Only with the support of an organization could she completely cut ties with the Jiang family.
“Director Yang, since they’ve taken back their biological daughter, I have no reason to stay with the Jiang family. You saw it—you know their daughter hasn’t returned yet. I almost lost my life because of them.”
“If their daughter had come back, I might really have died. So I want to return to my biological parents’ home, and see how things stand there first.”
Anning knew that, according to the original story, her biological parents had wanted her back badly.
Her eldest brother had even come to the city several times, only to be blocked by the Jiang family.
The Jiang family had lied, saying Anning was used to city life and didn’t want to go back to the countryside, nor meet her rustic family.
After repeated visits, her brothers eventually gave up.
By the time Anning jumped into the river in the original story, her family had just learned of the news. Her brothers rushed from the countryside but were too late—they didn’t even see her body.
Her mother, Shen Guihua, fell gravely ill from grief and never recovered, aging rapidly in just a few years. Her father, worried constantly, would sit silently smoking in the courtyard.
Now, Anning wanted to ensure her parents wouldn’t have to suffer like that again.
Her parents had four children: two older brothers, a younger brother, and her—the only daughter. Her parents and siblings loved her dearly.
The only unfair treatment came from biased grandparents, who favored the eldest son and grandson. Her father, being the second son, was left in the middle—neglected by both parents, like a wild grass growing alone.
In the original story, after she died, her mother became gravely ill, the family had no proper meals, and her father tried to catch a fish for soup but fell into the river. Though rescued, oxygen deprivation left him mentally impaired. Her mother died soon after from the compounded shock, and her father broke his leg falling into a ravine.
The family was devastated: some dead, some disabled, some mentally impaired. The eldest brother never married, caring for the father and younger brother alone, living a life of misery.
Much of this suffering was orchestrated by Jiang Sisi. She remembered how the original Anning had enjoyed ten good years in the Jiang family, while she herself lived as a village girl in the countryside for over a decade.
She bribed local hooligans with 500 yuan to make the second branch of the An family suffer as much as possible, without killing them—ensuring a life worse than death.
Anning thought about all this and hated Jiang Sisi with a burning passion. Indeed, the Jiang family’s hearts were all equally cruel.