Was the little girl saying that tomorrow night at 8 p.m., at the old Xie family mansion, Jiang Sisi would be meeting her lover in secret?
Ah, what perfect news—so timely! He had to think: should he take the members of the “Tail-Cutting Society” to catch them, or bring those older folks along?
What was he thinking? Su Sinian rubbed his chin, a dark grin spreading across his face.
Jiang Sisi… you dare conspire with your lover like that against me, thinking Su Sinian is an idiot, huh?
He paused in his room, thinking, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He had thought of a brilliant plan. Tomorrow, he would make sure Jiang Sisi and her lover were utterly disgraced.
Having settled on a strategy, he checked the time. It wasn’t yet meal time, so he decided to head to the hospital and see if he could run into that little girl from lunchtime.
Grandma Su waved to him, saying she’d go outside for a short walk and would be back soon.
Grandma Su was currently in the kitchen simmering chicken soup. Since her eldest grandson was home, she had secretly swapped for an old hen from a neighboring household, planning to make soup to nourish him. Being a soldier, Su Sinian was often out on missions, accumulating countless injuries big and small.
She also sometimes thought it might be better for him to retire from the army, find a stable job nearby, settle down with a wife and children, so she and her husband could grow old with peace of mind, knowing he had a family to take care of him.
But this time, her grandson’s behavior was unusual. He proactively told her he liked a girl and wanted to see how things went with her.
That was wonderful! Although she felt a little regret about postponing the match with the other family, it was rare to find a girl with decent conditions. Too bad her eldest grandson didn’t like her.
Yes, in Grandma Su’s view, her grandson must have only said he liked someone else to avoid liking that girl. She knew his character well.
When he was little, his good looks often caused fights among the girls in the courtyard—fighting just to play with him. Once, two little girls had fought so fiercely over him that they ended up tearing his sleeve. If the adults hadn’t intervened, her grandson would have been hurt.
Since then, he had always worn a stern expression, refusing to play outside or talk to other children. Even when others tried, he would coldly reject them.
Sometimes, when bolder little girls approached, he would even scold them to tears. Over time, the local girls grew wary and avoided him altogether.
Whenever Grandma Su thought of her grandson’s childhood mischief, she found it amusing but also worrying—he had offended all the nearby girls. They didn’t even dare go on a matchmaking visit. When a rare girl returned from out of town, who hadn’t experienced his cold demeanor, he refused the match anyway.
She couldn’t force her stubborn grandson, so she thought, “Ah, let it be. Children will find their own luck. My grandson has high standards anyway.”
While Grandma Su was lost in thought about her grandson, Su Sinian had already reached the hospital.
Just as he was about to enter the main hall, a voice came from behind:
“Su Sinian! Is that really you? Long time no see.”
He turned to see Director Hong and Director Yang walking in from outside.
They were heading to see An Ning, but luckily ran into each other outside and came in together.
“Uncle Hong, Director Yang, hello! What brings you here together?”
“Ah, there’s a little girl in the hospital. She used to be the second Miss of the Jiang family, but recently, the Jiang family suddenly claimed she wasn’t their daughter.”
“The Jiang family’s real daughter had suffered in the countryside, so they brought her back. The Jiang family, heartless as they are, pushed the poor little girl’s head against the table edge.”
“Alas, poor little girl! Such a large wound on her forehead—she’ll have a scar for life. Such a good girl, and now disfigured. The old Jiang family has truly lost all decency.”
“Which Jiang family?” Su Sinian asked cautiously.
“What other one? The workshop director at the steel plant. But An Ning’s foster father is from the Jiang family’s second branch. Her uncle worked as the workshop director. Years ago, they moved to the small building on the next street with the whole family. Back then, little Ning was still in someone’s arms.”
As they spoke, they reached An Ning’s hospital room. Director Hong and Director Yang entered together, and Su Sinian followed casually. To outsiders, it looked like the three of them had come together to visit a patient.
Director Yang and Director Hong found something strange but couldn’t quite put their finger on it, so they didn’t dwell on it.
As soon as they entered the room, Su Sinian’s ears picked up a voice—the little girl and someone named Tuanzi were talking:
“Tuanzi, the vegetables I’ve stored in the space taste good and are delicate, but there’s too much seasoning. It loses the original flavor.”
“I still prefer the braised pork at the state-run restaurant. That’s the authentic taste, and the chef’s skills are excellent.”
“Sister, hearing you say that makes me really want to eat it. When can we go again? My mouth is watering.”
“Hmm, let’s go tomorrow at noon. I’ll pack a few lunch boxes in advance. I’ll pack two portions of each meat dish.”
“Yay! Tomorrow, Tuanzi will get to eat braised pork!”
“Ningtou, are you feeling better today? Do you need Uncle Hong to call the doctor for some nourishing medicine?”
“No need, Uncle Hong, Aunt Yang. You can sit. Uncle Hong, no need to open the medicine. I feel great, eating well.”
An Ning laughed, stopping Director Hong from preparing medicine. With the healing effect of the spiritual spring water, she was now as strong as someone who could take down a wild boar.
“It’s fine, really fine. If anything happens, I’ll come to you, Uncle Hong.”
“Alright, I won’t hold back then,” he said, turning to leave toward Director Yang.
Behind Director Yang, he saw an unexpected figure. How could he be here? Did he come with Uncle Hong and Director Yang?