He Wan’s eyes flickered.
Back then, she and Xu Shichu had become pregnant at almost the same time.
As their bellies grew, Xu Shichu suffered through the hardships of pregnancy. When Old Madam Jiang told her there was a newly built resort under her name, with beautiful scenery and fresh air, where she could stay and rest during her pregnancy, Xu Shichu agreed.
As Xu Shichu was about to leave, He Wan heard about it from one of the Jiang family’s servants and asked to go along.
But who could have expected disaster to strike? A mudslide suddenly hit the area, and a landslide blocked the road. Their car couldn’t get through, and the two women were so frightened that they were both taken to a nearby small hospital to give birth.
There were too many patients, and the hospital quickly ran short of doctors.
In the chaos, both families suffered misfortune.
Of the five children Xu Shichu gave birth to, three went missing. Only the second and fifth sons remained with her. The two families mobilized everyone and everything they could, but they never found the other three.
As for the daughter He Wan gave birth to, it was only years later that they discovered she had been maliciously switched with another baby.
Old Madam Jiang had always felt deeply guilty toward He Wan because of what happened.
If He Wan went to plead for help now, Old Madam Jiang certainly wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“All right. I’ll go right away.”
Song Miaomiao’s heart stirred at those words. She didn’t want Song Ruoruo released; she would have preferred to see her locked up for the rest of her life.
But if she went to the Jiang family…
Song Miaomiao’s eyes shifted. Perhaps she could make a good impression on the old madam and win even more of her favor.
So she sweetly took He Wan’s arm and wheedled, “Mom, I’ll come with you.”
“All right.”
The two soon arrived at the Jiang Family Ancestral Residence.
Though they had visited countless times over the past two years, they were still awed by its extravagance every time.
The vast estate stood in quiet grandeur, its traditional Chinese courtyards blending with sleek modern design. Centuries-old trees and carefully tended landscaping filled the gardens, giving the place an air of stately elegance.
Their hearts tightened as they passed through corridors and courtyards. They hardly dared breathe as they made their way to the main residence’s living room.
Old Madam Jiang, already informed by the butler, sat upright in the living room. She wore simple house clothes, and a few more strands of white showed at her temples. It was immediately clear that she had lived a life of comfort and privilege.
The moment He Wan saw her, she began wiping away her tears, looking as though she had suffered some great injustice.
Old Madam Jiang had always been softhearted, and seeing He Wan sobbing like this only made her feel more sorry for her.
“What happened? I remember both your daughters got into university, and you were busy holding their celebration banquet today. That’s wonderful news. Why have you come here crying tonight?”
At that, He Wan cried even harder, great tears rolling down her cheeks as she took Old Madam Jiang’s hand and began to pour out her grievances.
“Old Madam, Shichu has gone too far. She actually had Ruoruo taken to the police station. It was just a little spat between children. How could Shichu, an elder, hold it against a child?”
At the mention of “Shichu,” Old Madam Jiang froze. “What did you say? Shichu? My daughter-in-law is back?”
He Wan hadn’t expected even the Jiang family not to know that Xu Shichu had returned. She wiped her tears and nodded, then began to turn Old Madam Jiang against her.
“Yes. My daughter was holding her university entrance celebration banquet today, and Shichu came to ruin it. She smashed a wine bottle in front of everyone and cut Ruoruo’s leg. Then tonight, she called the police and had Ruoruo taken to the station.”
“Ruoruo was lost as a child and suffered for more than ten years. She simply likes Jingheng so much. She hasn’t even done anything outrageous, yet Shichu actually laid hands on a child.”
“Old Madam, you can’t just stand by and do nothing!”
Hearing that the girl had been lost as a child and suffered so much, Old Madam Jiang was overcome with guilt.
It had been her idea to go to that resort to rest during the pregnancy. And because she couldn’t bear to watch someone else suffer, she had ordered the bodyguards to go and help.
Who could have imagined that this would leave her own household short of staff and set off the whole chain of misfortunes that followed?
She said anxiously, “Tell me exactly what happened so I can decide what to do for you.”
Seeing Old Madam Jiang’s expression soften, He Wan gave her a one-sided account of what had happened that day, glossing over the parts that didn’t suit her.
Old Madam Jiang immediately patted her chest and promised, “Don’t worry. This isn’t such a serious matter. Those two children are engaged; it’s perfectly normal for them to spend time together and build a relationship. I’ll call Jingheng in a bit. Go home and wait for news.”
Song Miaomiao could hardly conceal her jealousy. That engagement was supposed to be hers. She and Brother Jingheng had grown up together—what did that shameless bitch have to do with it?
She looked at He Wan, aggrieved, hoping her mother would speak up for her. Instead, He Wan avoided her gaze.
If someone with malicious intentions exposed the fact that Song Ruoruo had been taken to the police station, the Song family’s stock price would certainly be shaken.
The most urgent thing now was to get Song Ruoruo out of the station. The engagement could be dealt with afterward.
Besides, this so-called engagement was something He Wan had made up to climb into the good graces of the Jiang and Xu families. Who could have expected that Xu Shichu, that bitch, would actually come back alive one day and expose her?
Forget the engagement—the Song family might not even survive this.
Seeing that He Wan had no intention of speaking up for her, Song Miaomiao clenched her teeth in secret. As expected, she wasn’t their real daughter, so her family didn’t care about her anymore.
They had said they would treat her like their own, but it was obvious they only thought about Song Ruoruo.
After the two women left, Old Master Jiang came out of the study. He slowly walked downstairs and looked at his wife, sitting on the sofa, distracted and uneasy.
“What did the Song family come here for?”
Old Madam Jiang came back to herself and looked at him. “Shichu is back. Did you know?”
“Who?” Old Master Jiang looked surprised. “Our daughter-in-law is back?”
He was startled to hear that name.
Ever since she had gone missing, her name had become almost taboo in their family.
Their usually rebellious son had finally started to get his life on track after getting married and having a child. But then his wife had suffered complications during childbirth, and that misfortune shattered the brief warmth their family had known.
Thinking of his son, who was still abroad, Old Master Jiang sighed. “Who knows when Jiang Li will be back? He probably hasn’t heard yet that his wife has returned.”
Old Madam Jiang’s face clouded with worry, too. “That child goes abroad for several months every year, and no one can get in touch with him. If he knew his wife was back, he’d be so happy.”
Old Master Jiang was not nearly as optimistic as she was. “Don’t forget Jiang Yan. Shichu was never a pushover, even as a child. If she finds out Jiang Yan exists, we’ll be lucky if she doesn’t turn the whole family upside down.”
Jiang Yan was Jiang Li’s illegitimate son.