Ding Yuqin entered the door with sweet words on her lips while continuously making faces at Jiang Qinghuan, hinting at something.
Unfortunately, Jiang Qinghuan was simply a blockhead, completely lacking the scheming nature of Jiang Dehai and Ding Yuqin. She didn’t understand Ding Yuqin’s calculations at all and instead opened her mouth to tattle.
“Mom, look at my face! Jiang Tang hit me! She hit me first! And you’re actually making me apologize!”
Having lived in the small attic for so long and enjoyed too many good days, Jiang Qinghuan truly believed she was a pampered young lady who could have anything she wanted, completely forgetting that she had once been an ordinary person who couldn’t even get enough to eat.
She even more so believed that Jiang Tang was still the stupid, foolish woman their family could manipulate at will!
Ding Yuqin, however, knew how to bend with the wind. She subtly tugged at Jiang Qinghuan’s arm and whispered a reminder, “Qinghuan, do you really want to be kicked out by Jiang Tang? Don’t forget, this house is still under her name. Just endure it for now.”
Jiang Dehai also shot Jiang Qinghuan a fierce glare at this moment, telling her not to cause trouble.
Under the coercion of her parents, Jiang Qinghuan had no choice but to lower her head and reluctantly mutter an apology to Jiang Tang, “I’m sorry.”
The moment she finished speaking, she slammed the door and stormed off, anger burning inside her.
Ding Yuqin turned around with a fawning smile and said, “Tangtang, Qinghuan is your younger sister. She’s young and doesn’t know any better. Don’t be angry with her.”
“Younger sister? Since when did I know my mother gave birth to a second daughter? My only sibling is an older brother. Where did a younger sister come from? Stop trying to put gold on Jiang Qinghuan’s face.” Jiang Tang retorted with sharp sarcasm.
These words seemed to scold Jiang Qinghuan, but in reality, they also included Jiang Dehai and Ding Yuqin in the insult.
The hypocritical smiles on this pair of beastly-faced couples couldn’t hold up any longer. Cracks appeared, revealing their angry expressions as they glared viciously at Jiang Tang.
Both of them harbored doubts in their hearts. They had arranged everything—Jiang Tang had been sold to human traffickers and put on a train. How could she be back?
Not only was she back, but she was no longer as easy to manipulate as before.
What on earth had gone wrong in between!
They had been waiting for Jiang Tang to leave so they could quickly strip this house of everything inside!
Jiang Defu gave Ding Yuqin a signal, and she immediately put on a fake smile again, speaking with feigned concern, “Tangtang, are you hungry? I’ll make you something to eat right away—”
“No need!”
Jiang Tang refused outright.
The original owner had already been drupped unconscious once. If she let Ding Yuqin cook, who knew if she’d poison the food again? She couldn’t take that risk.
Jiang Tang stood in the kitchen, with a cutting board and a cleaver beside her.
She picked up the cleaver, waved it in her hand, and said to Ding Yuqin and Jiang Dehai, “Both of you, get out. I’ll cook for myself.”
“Tangtang, you—”
“Get out!”
Jiang Tang’s words gleamed with the same cold light as the cleaver in her hand.
Jiang Dehai and Ding Yuqin exchanged a glance. Though unwilling, they knew this wasn’t the time to have a falling out with Jiang Tang. They quickly said some seemingly caring words before reluctantly leaving the kitchen.
Once they were gone, Jiang Tang immediately put down the cleaver, closed the kitchen door, and then looked down at the two children.
“Chaochao, Yueyue, don’t be afraid. Mommy has chased the bad people away.”
The two children were still tightly holding onto each other, their dirty little faces and big, dark, round eyes staring in surprise and bewilderment at the gentle smile on Jiang Tang’s face.
Even though they were facing their mother, there was a wariness on their small faces that shouldn’t have been there.
Chaochao stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Yueyue, saying, “Mommy, don’t hit Yueyue. If you have to hit someone, hit me instead.”
Yueyue hid behind her brother, tears welling in her eyes, and whispered in a soft, timid voice, “Mommy, my brother and I don’t want meat buns. We’re not hungry. We can go without eating. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Looking at these two children who resembled little lumps of coal, Jiang Tang inwardly condemned the original owner while feeling an overwhelming wave of sorrow.
Because she remembered from the original story that after the original owner died, Jiang Dehai and Ding Yuqin revealed their true nature, stripped the house of all its belongings, and used that money to sneak across to Hong Kong City, where they built a fortune and lived a life of luxury and indulgence.
The twin boy and girl were abandoned in a derelict house, subjected to humiliation by those around them, and forced to beg and wander the streets.
Their father, Fu Sinian, only received word and rushed over a month later.
In that month, Chaochao had broken his leg and been left permanently disabled. Even when he grew up and wanted to become a soldier, he never had the chance again.
As for Yueyue, it was even worse. The month of miserable living had caused the little girl to develop autism. She became nervous at the sight of strangers and could never escape her fear.
Fortunately, none of these tragedies had happened yet. There was still time.
Jiang Tang crouched down, moving closer to the two children, trying to meet their eyes at their level. Her bright, radiant eyes were filled entirely with concern for the two little ones.
“Chaochao, Yueyue, you haven’t done anything wrong. Why would Mommy hit you? Don’t be afraid. Mommy isn’t someone who can’t tell right from wrong. You’re my children, and Mommy will always believe in you.”
The twins’ big eyes were filled with three words: Really?
They didn’t know what had brought about such a big change in their mother.
When Jiang Tang smiled and reached out to them, the two little ones hesitated for a moment, then carefully extended their hands and placed them in Jiang Tang’s palm.
Jiang Tang smiled, pulled the two little ones up, and brushed the dust off their clothes.
As she did so, she felt their bodies—they were far too thin. At an age when children should be chubby and adorable, there wasn’t an ounce of flesh on them.
Jiang Tang said, “Chaochao, Yueyue, Mommy’s hungry. Will you keep Mommy company for a meal?”
The moment she finished speaking, a rumbling sound echoed.
Yueyue, who had just claimed she wasn’t hungry, immediately covered her stomach with her little hands.
Her big, dark eyes looked at Jiang Tang nervously, afraid that Jiang Tang would find her troublesome, afraid that Jiang Tang would scold her for eating too much, afraid that Jiang Tang would get angry and kick her out. But amid her trembling fear, what she saw was a smile spreading across Jiang Tang’s face.
“So Yueyue’s hungry! Mommy will cook right away.”
They were in the kitchen, and the ingredients were all right there.
Jiang Tang glanced around and saw spicy cured chicken and pork hanging on the wall, along with fresh, pink pork belly. There were fresh vegetables in the basket nearby, and she found a dozen or so eggs in the cupboard.
Wow—in the 1970s, having fish and meat, and eggs at every meal, was a luxury. Jiang Qinghuan’s family had sucked so much blood from Jiang Tang, yet they still slandered the two children for stealing meat buns.
People like that deserved to rot in hell!
Jiang Tang took out all the pork belly and eggs, determined to make a wonderful meal and leave not a single ingredient for them.
A short while later, the tiny kitchen was filled with fragrance—fried eggs and sizzling, savory pork belly.
Jiang Tang wasn’t a food blogger by any means, but she could cook home-style dishes, and she was dead set on winning over the two little ones’ hearts with a delicious meal. When braising the pork belly, she used oil and rock sugar generously, not skimping at all.
That way, the flavor would be perfect~!
Meanwhile, Chaochao and Yueyue still instinctively huddled in the corner. Yueyue, who had cried out of fear during the earlier argument, had wiped away her tears, but her eyes were still red, her lashes damp, and her eyes looked just like Bambi’s.
Yueyue rubbed her little belly and kept taking deep breaths, inhaling the aroma in the air.
In a very, very soft voice, she asked, “Brother, will Mommy really give us meat to eat?”
The two children weren’t strangers to meat—after all, they were born into a wealthy family. They’d seen roast chicken and roast duck before, but they’d never tasted them. The original owner had always kept them away, and Jiang Qinghuan would rather feed a piece of meat to the dog than let them have a single bite.
This was the first time they’d been this close to such a tantalizing smell.
Yueyue couldn’t help it—she was frantically licking her lips.
Chaochao, on the other hand, kept observing Jiang Tang, his serious little face carrying a maturity and hesitation that didn’t match his age. Could he really trust Mommy?
Though doubt lingered in his heart, his gaze stayed fixed on Jiang Tang, unable to look away.
Because this was the first time Mommy had ever cooked for them.