Jiang Zhen touched Qi Junshan’s corpse. The latest memories were the clearest. After being shot, he had fled to his mistress’s home. She wasn’t stupid and asked if he had anything to do with the still-ongoing anti-bandit artillery.
“If you’re a bandit, you should leave quickly. Don’t involve me.”
Qi Junshan did have some feelings for his mistress. Hearing movement in the wardrobe, he saw a man who hadn’t even dressed yet. Seeing the man’s incapacity made him feel even more bitter.
“When you took food, drinks, gold, and silver from me, why didn’t you consider whether any of it had blood on it? Using what I gave to support another man—everyone involved deserves to die.”
The woman tried to call for help, but Qi Junshan choked her and tried to silence her, then took the money. Injured, he couldn’t handle two people at once. By the time the troops arrived, Qi Junshan was already dead.
Qi Junshan’s death was no great loss. Considering Jiang Zhen still had a matter involving a hired killer, the organization decided to find a plausible reason for his death—so as not to alarm the one who hired the assassin.
Jiang Zhen had seen who hired the killer. Even though she wore a mask at the time, she could roughly recognize the person by their build and voice.
“I went to see Big Sister just now and also saw her. The nurse called her Dr. Du. Big Sister doesn’t pay much attention to her.”
“Du Qiuyi? The An family sisters’ maternal aunt? She really does have motive and is a suspect!” Gu Liancheng said.
But her personality was well hidden. In the hospital, she was extremely popular, which made Big Sister’s blunt and aggressive nature stand out even more.
Jiang Zhen held her head. “How come everyone who shows up is either a relative or someone we know?”
Gu Liancheng smiled wryly. “Fan City is small. Decades of entanglements—naturally most people are connected in some way.”
…
Jiang Zhen suddenly remembered something she hadn’t noticed before: “Dr. Du’s husband was hospitalized, barely able to stand, and his gaze at me was very expressive. I feel like he knows me?”
If he knew her, it would be the dead “Jiang Zhen” he recognized—but she didn’t pick up any related memories. Either she was mistaken, or that memory was extremely painful to “Jiang Zhen,” so it had been blocked.
Gu Liancheng thought the same. Even if he knew her, it wasn’t the current Jiang Zhen anymore. “I know Dr. Du’s fiancé and we’re on good terms. I’ll test him later.”
“No rush.” Jiang Zhen had also pieced together why Gu Liancheng’s parents had owed the An family a life debt over a decade ago.
“The longer someone’s brain has been dead, the less you can access old memories. But I still saw it. Back then, your parents protected the underground ‘D’ transfer. They sought out An Qihui’s father, An Yuehong. Coincidentally, Qi Junshan took on his first assassination job at the same time. Over a decade ago, Du Qiuyi had already hired someone to try and kill her brother-in-law.”
Gu Liancheng: … “Are you sure? Du Qiuyi was only a teenager back then!”
Jiang Zhen: “Is it not allowed for this age group to have villains?”
Gu Liancheng was speechless. “It’s chilling when familiar people suddenly become strangers. So the An family uncle, fearing his niece, faked his death and escaped?”
Jiang Zhen nodded. “The underground D transfer itself was dangerous. He’s cowardly and selfish. Realizing his niece tried to have him killed, I’d run too.”
…
Du Qiuyi was a few years older than her fiancé. They met while studying abroad. Being able to marry the person she liked satisfied her. This time her fiancé had a minor surgery and insisted on getting out of bed, straining his wound. She scolded gently, “Why do you insist on leaving the bed just to see Gu Liancheng’s wife?”
Li Chongling said, “Why would I care? I heard Big Sister Gu Jiaoxia troubled you and I couldn’t worry.”
Du Qiuyi smiled: “It’s fine. I’ll be more patient then.”
She turned, her smile fading. The person she hated wouldn’t die easily and kept hovering nearby. She was willing to wait—the things she wanted had never once failed to come to her. Only the timing varied.
…
Du Qiuyi went to Qingshui Temple to see her older sister, who had taken up ascetic practice. During last night’s artillery, she had shaved her head completely and began her training.
“Sis, I didn’t expect you to be so ruthless. Men you don’t want, three daughters you don’t care for. If I weren’t here as your niece, they’d be bullied to death.”
Du Molian lowered her eyelids and tapped the wooden fish one beat at a time. “Du, it’s not that vengeance won’t come, but the time hasn’t arrived. I advise you to stop before it’s too late.”
Du Qiuyi smiled faintly. “Sis, just because you became a nun, does that mean my brother-in-law will stay faithful to one wife, Wan Furong?”
Du Molian sighed. “Do you think I became a nun for the sake of wife-and-concubine disputes? I saw through it. I became a nun to atone for your sins and accumulate merit for your three sisters.”
Du Qiuyi smiled. “I never believed in that. I only believe that if Heaven won’t help, people must save themselves.”
“But… why do you harm others?”
Du Qiuyi avoided the question. “Sis, Xiuqing suddenly got smart. She liked Dr. Qi. Qi Junshan died. She wants to remain a widow at the Qi family. She’s figured out her own way, and I support her.”
The wooden fish paused, then resumed. Du Molian had words she wanted to say, but in the end, they turned into the sound of the wooden fish.
…
The An family and Qi family had been in turmoil the past few days. First, An Qihui forcibly took her sister home. Then Ji Fengmei had a stroke, her mouth crooked, unable to speak clearly. Dr. Qi had to both hold his brother’s funeral and care for his mother, leaving him exhausted.
After a huge quarrel with An Qihui, An Xiuqing returned to the Qi household. She claimed she would remain a widow for Qi Junshan and care for Ji Fengmei. Her maternal aunt Du Qiuyi, known for her virtuous reputation, fully supported her, helping manage Dr. Qi’s duties: “Who could you trust more? Better to give half your salary to Xiuqing each month to care for your mother. If you want to avoid suspicion, keep living in the dorm and visit often. This is the best plan for now.”
Dr. Qi felt both grateful and guilty toward the An family. “Mom, you misjudged Big Sister. She’s really a good person. When I’m not home, let her take care of you.”
An Xiuqing wore plain clothes, a white flower in her hair, looking delicate and pitiful. Her lips curved slightly, despite herself. She quickly covered her mouth: “Mom, Big Brother is gone. Junhai and I are still here. You must recover quickly.”
…
The recent sunny weather suited An Xiuqing’s mood perfectly. Qi Junshan died much earlier than in her previous life—too soon to know or marry her as a prop. Now, she became Qi Junhai’s widowed sister-in-law, so this life, Qi Junhai could surely marry her.
At home, Ji Fengmei’s condition showed no improvement. She smashed food and could barely be tolerated by Qi Junhai, who increasingly delayed his returns. Previously he came back two or three times a day; now it was once every two or three days. By contrast, An Xiuqing’s situation was better than she had expected.
Gu Liancheng still hadn’t returned home. An Xiuqing began to sympathize with Jiang Zhen. She wanted to chat about life, but Jiang Zhen stayed home all day with the children. When she tried, she couldn’t find the opportunity.
She went to the hospital to see Qi Junhai, prepared meals in a thermal container, and told Ji Fengmei: “Mom, I’ll go see Junhai and update him about your situation, so he can rest assured. I’ll come back soon.”
Ignoring Ji Fengmei’s murderous glare, she left in plain clothes.
At the hospital, her maternal aunt gave her three days’ worth of medication. The medicine wasn’t toxic but would prevent Ji Fengmei’s recovery.
Seeing An Xiuqing’s hesitation, Du Qiuyi gently patted the white flower in her hair: “When will you understand that being kind to others can eventually turn into a blade that strikes yourself? You decide whether to take the medicine.”
An Xiuqing didn’t see Dr. Qi in the outpatient department. A nurse said he was helping a patient get admitted. When she finally saw Dr. Qi helping a woman who couldn’t straighten her back and rushing with payment, she finally understood her aunt’s words.
The sister-in-law married to Qi Junshan in the previous life had initially been Dr. Qi’s patient.
At the same time, she realized that Dr. Qi had liked this woman first. Ji Fengmei had refused, using the same method to let Qi Junshan marry.
So that’s how it was. How ridiculous.
…
In the space, the chives had sprouted their first seedlings. Quickly, they harvested a bunch and stir-fried them with eggs.
Gu Pan said, “Chive and egg dumplings taste the best.”
Gu Hui asked, “Auntie, if Uncle comes back, we can’t use the space vegetables to cook, right?”
“Seasonal vegetables are fine. Others, no.”
Jiang Zhao worried that keeping it a secret would eventually be exposed: “Mom, I’m worried Dad will be angry if he finds out we didn’t feed him the good stuff.”
The children blinked, waiting for Jiang Zhen to speak.
Jiang Zhen said, “So you all must keep it a secret. Don’t let him know.”
Next door, a ruckus erupted. Jiang Tang covered her ears: “Mom, Auntie An next door is upset again.”
Ever since An Xiuqing, supported by her aunt, remained a widow at the Qi household to care for Ji Fengmei after her stroke, she had been in a good mood. She had been to the hospital today and came back in a bad temper—likely something had happened at the hospital.
“After dinner, we’ll go to the space to hide and relax.”
“Yay!”
The plan was good, but Gu Liancheng returned. Knocking at the door, he called out. Jiang Zhen hurriedly called the four children and divided the chive-and-egg among them: “Eat quickly, I’ll go open the door.”
Gu Pan stuffed a big mouthful into her mouth: “Chives and eggs smell so good, so tasty. Poor Uncle.”
…
When Gu Liancheng entered, he noticed the aroma and casually asked what was for dinner, unaware everyone had tricked him.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Big Sister gave pickled vegetables, stir-fried potato shreds, millet porridge. Did you eat? Want a bowl of porridge?” Jiang Zhen asked.
“Sure.” Gu Liancheng hadn’t eaten because he had rushed back.
Jiang Zhen served him a large bowl of sweet potato and millet porridge, scooping out two spoons of pickled vegetables. Before, she had given rice if available, but later learned everyone had their own portion, so she no longer did that.
Gu Liancheng ate without fuss, though he didn’t quite understand it. Clearly the chive-and-egg aroma was delicious, and once he finished, that was that. What could he say? Jiang Zhen thought he might worry about small matters, like the four children sharing a few eggs—was she overthinking?
Being unintentionally excluded from the little group, Gu Liancheng’s younger brother, Gu Liancheng, felt a twinge of disappointment.
A big bowl of millet porridge disappeared in minutes. Putting down his bowl and chopsticks, Gu Liancheng said, “Du Qiuyi’s fiancé is being discharged tomorrow. Tonight no one is at the bedside. Du Qiuyi isn’t on duty. We should go take a look.”
Jiang Zhen pointed at herself. “You want me to go?”
Gu Liancheng nodded. It was arranged from above. “The ‘Jiang Zhen’ that studied abroad, her ex-husband Yan Jiawen has been in Fan City for years. They only exchanged letters a few times a year, never tried to reunite. How come Li Chongling and Du Qiuyi returned to serve the country, and she came looking for her husband?”
Was she looking for Yan Jiawen? Did Du Qiuyi hire a killer just for her niece, An Qihui?
Gu Liancheng said, “Just go. Big Sister will help you with work. We’ll only casually check on him. You suspect he knows you—this way you can see for yourself if your feeling is correct.”
“Okay,” Jiang Zhen said. “Should I bring something?”