Jiang Li calmly looked at Ding Shijun: “Little Shijun, show Dr. Liu a magic trick with the rabbit.”
“All right!” Ding Shijun, also a mischievous kid, perked up at once and jumped on the spot:
“Dr. Liu, Professor Jiang, watch closely!”
He flailed his arms and legs, performing some strange dance steps, then spun and leapt behind Ding Shichen, reaching into the gap under the wheelchair.
Out came a live rabbit in his hands.
“Well, you little rascal! So you had the rabbit ready all along and still tricked me into thinking your brother had to go hunting?” Liu Xu teased Jiang Li with a playful smile.
Everyone in the yard laughed along.
Ding Shichen hadn’t expected Jiang Li to have such a good relationship with the couple, and he felt a bit conflicted. If his leg was truly healed, he would owe Jiang Li a life debt.
Having grown up in the same village, even without much contact, Ding Shichen knew Jiang Li was a good girl.
But now, her goodness had taken tangible form, and the beneficiaries were their Ding family.
Jiang Li had essentially grown up under the watch of the Jiang–Liu couple, who knew her well. In a village with strong male preference, this girl had been stubbornly dedicated to the Jiang family.
The couple had often felt pity for her, but now it was fine.
Unaware that Ding Shichen and the Jiang–Liu couple were beginning to see her differently, Jiang Li carried the rabbit into the kitchen.
Ding Shijun followed promptly:
“Wife, you handle the rabbit. Just tell me how to cook the red-braised rabbit, and I’ll follow your instructions.”
Ding Shijun had seen everything Jiang Li had done for their family. Unlike the ungrateful Jiang family, they knew how to appreciate her.
Such a good sister-in-law deserved to be cherished.
The Jiang family’s atmosphere, by contrast, was far less pleasant.
Jiang Jianguo dragged a troubled Wu Huani back to the Jiang house.
“So? Did that Jiang family accept you as a disciple?” Jiang Tiezhu tapped his dry tobacco pipe on the stone steps at the door.
In his eyes, his son was outstanding. If the Jiang family were sensible, they should be happy to accept him as a disciple.
Once his son achieved success, the Jiang family would gain prestige, and they could even arrange for the elderly couple of the Jiang family to be cared for in their old age.
Having knowledge and coming from the city doesn’t matter—they were resettled here, without sons, and in old age would have no support. They might even meet a miserable end.
Of course, these were his private thoughts; outwardly, the Jiang family presented themselves as polite and grateful.
Jiang Jianguo was somewhat afraid of his father. Although his father initially didn’t want him to attend university, thinking a high school diploma was enough, Wu Huani’s suggestion clearly changed his mind.
Not only did he agree to let his son continue studying, but he also believed an apprenticeship would benefit his future.
Now, having been driven out by Liu Xu, with the apprenticeship unfulfilled, how could he dare tell Jiang Tiezhu?
Wu Huani, however, had no such reservations. She remembered that Jiang Li feared Jiang Tiezhu the most. If he intervened, there might still be room to maneuver.
After all, Jiang Jianguo was destined to follow the same path as in the previous life. Becoming Jiang Ting’s disciple was unavoidable.
“Uncle Jiang, on our way, we ran into Little Li. We don’t know what she told the Jiang couple, but Big Brother Jiang got kicked out by the Liu lady.”
“Forget the apprenticeship—they didn’t even let us in. I don’t understand why Little Li can’t stand to see Big Brother Jiang succeed.”
“Big Brother Jiang is her biological brother. Once he apprentices under Professor Jiang, his future will shine, and her face will have pride. It’s such a simple truth—why can’t she understand?”
Wu Huani’s words hit Jiang Tiezhu straight in the heart.
Although Jiang Jianguo knew it wasn’t entirely true, at the end of the day, this was Jiang Li’s fault. If she had pleaded for him with Professor Jiang, he might already have been the disciple of the Jiang family.
“Dad, that useless Jiang Li, using her connections with the Liu family to interfere with the apprenticeship—you can’t let her off,” Jiang Jianguo said through gritted teeth.
Jiang Li had always obeyed Jiang Tiezhu. He believed that if Jiang Tiezhu intervened, Jiang Li wouldn’t dare refuse to plead for him.
Once he became Jiang Ting’s disciple, he would show Jiang Li what happens to someone who doesn’t know their place.
That ungrateful girl thought that cutting ties with the Jiang family gave her free rein—did she forget whose blood she carried?
As long as Jiang family blood ran through her, she must consider the family’s interests.
Jiang Tiezhu furrowed his brow: “So it’s really Jiang Li’s meddling that stopped your apprenticeship?”
“Exactly!” Wu Huani replied confidently.
“Uncle Jiang, if you don’t believe me, go see the Jiang family yourself. Chances are, Jiang Li is still there!”
Wu Huani couldn’t be sure if Jiang Li and company were still there; she only said it to coax Jiang Tiezhu into going.
With bicycles, they could get there faster than Jiang Li could walk. Even if Jiang Li and her companions were heading back, they could intercept them.
With Jiang Tiezhu present, Jiang Li would be in for it.
She didn’t believe that the crippled Ding and a minor could really protect Jiang Li.
Jiang Tiezhu had heard from the village chief that Jiang Ting used to be a research expert developing missiles, and occasionally taught at a university—a key national talent.
Unfortunately, he married a politically problematic wife, and during the Cultural Revolution, his family was purged and sent here.
Although Jiang Tiezhu had little education, he knew that for his son to escape the mountains and become a city person, he needed to study and gain skills.
If his son could learn Jiang Ting’s expertise, he could achieve great success and make the Jiang family proud.
So he agreed with Wu Huani’s suggestion.
He had thought the apprenticeship would be simple. After all, the down-and-out Jiang couple were resettled here and should follow local rules.
The Jiang family was influential locally, with four sons, and their lives were comfortable. How could the Jiang couple dare offend them?
Yet the couple listened to Jiang Li’s meddling and were foolish enough to comply—no wonder they were purged and sent down.
Jiang Tiezhu tapped his pipe and stood up: “I’ll go deal with the Jiang family myself. You all come too.”
A useless girl, yet daring to meddle?
He couldn’t believe the Jiang family was really foolish enough to offend them so badly.
Jiang Tiezhu valued face and had maintained a proper, upright image in the village, sharply contrasting with Li Qiujv’s shrewish reputation.
So when he grabbed a chicken and a bottle of wine, leading the two children to the Jiang house, soon the villagers knew that Jiang Jianguo was seeking an apprenticeship.
Even the village chiefs from neighboring villages came along.
“Old Jiang, you have vision, sending Jianguo to apprentice with Professor Jiang—someone from the city, learned and capable,” Chief Wu Changgeng said, patting him on the shoulder.
This was his future in-law. If Jiang Jianguo succeeded, his daughter would benefit too, and the Wu family would share in the prestige.
Jiang Tiezhu had always been tactful; choosing a promising family for Huani was a wise move.