“Yingxue, you absolutely cannot leave!”
Jiang Baozhen grabbed Lin Yingxue’s hand.
She gripped it so tightly it was as if she feared the girl would vanish into thin air if she let go.
The words she had been about to say took a sharp turn on her tongue.
“I’ve only just…
just realized how sincere you are to me.
In the past, I was blind and foolish, always thinking you were slacking off and being lazy.
But after fainting these past two days, I’ve finally seen things clearly.
You are the most filial and obedient child of them all.
“My good girl, please stay.
From now on, you’ll have the highest status in the Chen family.
As long as I have a bite to eat, you’ll have one too.
With me here, no one in the entire Chen family will be allowed to bully you.
If anyone dares to say half a word against you, I’ll hack them to pieces!”
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion.
Lin Yingxue tried to pull her hand away, but Jiang Baozhen’s calloused hands, hardened by years of manual labor, held onto her like a vice.
She couldn’t break free.
Seeing his sister’s attitude undergo such a complete transformation, Jiang Shouren felt deeply relieved and helped persuade her.
“Yingxue, listen to your mother and stay.
Life in the mountains was tough back then, and she had to worry about feeding a whole household.
It was inevitable that she had a bad temper and was a bit harsh on you, so don’t take it to heart.
She raised you, so she counts as your mother.
There’s no such thing as an overnight grudge between a mother and daughter.”
There had been no news of his sister’s lost youngest daughter for so many years; he feared she would never be found.
Now that they had returned to the village, he worried it would only trigger his sister’s longing for her child all over again.
Having Yingxue by her side would at least offer some comfort.
With this in mind, he put on the air of an elder brother and spoke to Jiang Baozhen with a stern expression.
“Baozhen, Yingxue is flesh and blood too, raised by her own parents.
Since she ended up in your home, it’s fate, and you must treat her well from now on.
She’s the same age as Ruixue.
Just think about it—if Ruixue were being beaten and scolded in someone else’s home, how would you feel?”
In his haste to make a point, he had accidentally let the name “Ruixue” slip right in front of his sister.
Jiang Shouren’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately shut his mouth.
Who didn’t know that “Ruixue” was the one untouchable scar in his sister’s heart?
Unexpectedly, Jiang Baozhen didn’t fly into a rage this time.
Instead, she listened calmly to her older brother’s reasoning.
Her eyes grew red, and she practically swore an oath to Jiang Shouren.
“Don’t worry, Brother!
It was my fault for wronging Yingxue in the mountains.
I was a fool, and I deserve to die for it.
But I’ve truly figured things out this time.
I will definitely treat her well from now on.
If there’s even half a word of a lie in what I say, may I be struck by lightning!”
Having said that, her gaze seemed to casually sweep past Chen Huaiyuan, who was standing to the side.
She deliberately covered her face and wept in sorrow.
“My poor Ruixue!
After so many years of war, I’m afraid we’ll never find her again…
SOB SOB SOB…”
She had to put on a full performance to completely dispel the suspicions of that scumbag, Chen Huaiyuan.
Seeing that his sister’s words were earnest and didn’t seem faked, Jiang Shouren finally felt at ease.
He offered a few more words of advice before taking his leave.
“I’m tired.
All of you, get out.” Jiang Baozhen waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies.
“Yingxue, you stay.”
Chen Huaiyuan and his sons and daughters-in-law were more than eager to leave.
Upon hearing this, they immediately filed out of the room, terrified that they would get scolded again if they were even a second too slow.
Soon, only Jiang Baozhen and Lin Yingxue were left in the room.
Jiang Baozhen clung tightly to Lin Yingxue’s hand, refusing to let go.
Her eyes seemed glued to Lin Yingxue’s face, staring at her greedily and meticulously, as if she could never get enough.
The longer she looked, the more the surge of sorrow and tender affection swelled in her heart.
“Um…” Lin Yingxue felt a little uncomfortable under such a fiercely loving gaze.
The words that had been interrupted by Uncle Jiang earlier now resurfaced in her mind.
Steeling herself, she decided to make things clear.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I feel that it would be best for me to leave the Chen family.”
Hearing the word “leave,” Jiang Baozhen’s eyes instantly reddened again.
Leave the Chen family.
She wanted nothing more than for Yingxue to leave the Chen family!
But not alone—she wanted the two of them, mother and daughter, to leave together.
However, now was not the time.
This girl refused to even call her “Mother” anymore.
She must harbor deep resentment for all the mistreatment she had endured in the past.
At this thought, Jiang Baozhen’s heart felt as though it was being twisted by a knife.
She pulled Lin Yingxue into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
“My child!
Where can a young girl like you possibly go?
You leaving me hurts far worse than having my heart carved out with a knife.”
She even entertained the thought of threatening to hang herself to force her daughter to stay, but she extinguished the idea almost instantly.
She couldn’t bear to let her daughter suffer even the slightest bit of fright or coercion ever again.
Lin Yingxue was a little dazed from being hugged so tightly.
She found it truly difficult to understand Jiang Baozhen’s sudden, overwhelming display of maternal love.
Suddenly, a bold guess flashed through her mind.
Had Jiang Baozhen been reborn?
Otherwise, she couldn’t fathom how a person could change so drastically in such a short period of time.
In her previous life, Lin Yingxue was the only person in the entire Chen family who hadn’t harmed Jiang Baozhen.
Therefore, if Jiang Baozhen had been reborn, her massive shift in attitude toward Lin Yingxue would make perfect sense.
If that were the case, then all of her actions since waking up could be easily explained.
Lin Yingxue decided to test the waters and asked directly, “You never liked me before, so why don’t you want me to leave now?”
Her daughter’s blunt question was like a sharp knife, stabbing precisely into Jiang Baozhen’s already riddled heart.
The pain was so intense she could barely breathe.
“Because…” She thought to herself, “Because you are the precious little daughter I have always longed for.”
Those words rolled around on the tip of Jiang Baozhen’s tongue, but she ultimately didn’t dare to spit them out.
She feared that if she said them, her daughter wouldn’t even give her a chance to make amends.
Jiang Baozhen bit her tongue hard, using the pain to suppress the truth that was nearly bursting from her lips.
“I don’t mind you laughing at me for this, but previously, that scumbag Chen Ergou was always talking badly about you in front of me, and I foolishly believed him.
“Of course, I was at fault too.
I was gullible, and after a few words of instigation from him, I took my anger out on you.
But during this land division, I’ve finally seen things clearly.
Chen Ergou is unreliable, and I can’t count on those sons and daughters-in-law either.
You were the only one who knew to support me when I fainted.
Yingxue, hearts are made of flesh.
You treat me well, so I want to treat you well in return.
I know that if I just give you a thousand empty promises that I’ll treat you better from now on, you probably won’t believe me right now.
“Yingxue, just treat it as giving me a chance.
Can you stay for now?”
After saying this, Jiang Baozhen looked at Lin Yingxue pitifully.
Her eyes were filled with cautious anticipation, terrified of hearing the word no.
Lin Yingxue listened quietly.
Combining this with how Jiang Baozhen had been relentlessly going after Chen Huaiyuan ever since she woke up, she could conclude with almost absolute certainty that Jiang Baozhen had been reborn.
The book described Jiang Baozhen as someone who clearly distinguished between love and hate.
Before her death, she had been gravely ill, and only Lin Yingxue had stayed by her side to care for her.
Her change in attitude toward Lin Yingxue after her rebirth perfectly aligned with her character profile.
With Jiang Baozhen valuing her, her situation in the Chen family would take a complete turn for the better.
Looking at it this way, staying for the time being and forming an alliance with Jiang Baozhen wouldn’t be a bad idea.
It wouldn’t be too late to leave once the time was right.
However…
Lin Yingxue said, “If you want me to stay, you have to agree to two conditions.”