Old Lady Jiang was frustrated but helpless.
“What can I do? What can I do? All you do is ask me what to do! Jiang Goudan and our family have nothing to do with us now. As their mother, what can I even do to them?”
The Third Son’s wife was unwilling to let so much money all go to the second branch—it should have been theirs.
The usually silent Third Son’s eyes shifted as he recalled the sight of Jiang Yuyan, more beautiful and graceful than city girls. A clever idea formed in his mind.
A sly gleam passed over his eyes. “Mother, I have a great plan. We can get back the money we lost and even make more from them.”
Old Lady Jiang hesitated.
“Third Son, didn’t I tell you to stop hanging out with those people before? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
The Third Son ignored her warning.
“Mother, it’s different now. As long as I don’t say anything and you don’t, and we act carefully, no one will know. We can also eliminate the defiant Jiang Goudan family. Do you want them to climb above our heads?”
Old Lady Jiang was still scared. If they were caught, it would be a death sentence.
“I’ll think about it.” She covered her head and went back inside to rest.
The Third Son and his wife exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other.
“I’ll go find someone. You keep Mother occupied. Once it’s done, we’ll never worry about money again.”
“Okay, go ahead. She sleeps early anyway; there won’t be a problem.”
Third Son quickly dressed, carefully avoided the villagers, and took a side path to the town.
Jiang Yuyan had no idea that tonight would bring a crisis that could decide her family’s survival.
After dinner, she rested briefly and then processed the herbs she and Third Brother had gathered, combining them with the purchased herbs to make an ointment for Big Brother’s leg.
Jiang Father and Mother had gone to the fields, so Jiang Murong came over to help.
“Sister, what are you doing? Let me help.”
He immediately took over the heavy work, letting Jiang Yuyan direct him without lifting a finger.
Jiang Yuyan smiled and didn’t compete, giving instructions as she spoke. “Third Brother, aren’t you afraid you’ll spoil me too much this way?”
“I’m not. If it were someone else, maybe. But you? Absolutely not,” Jiang Murong said with strange confidence—probably because he had seen how Jiang Yuyan had appeared just in time to save their family from being completely ruined by the old Jiang family.
“Third Brother, help me put these herbs here.”
The small pot was specifically for making the medicine. Normally, a better pot would help the herbs’ effectiveness, but to Jiang Yuyan, it didn’t matter.
Jiang Murong stoked the fire, curious about the herbs in the pot. “Sister, are you making medicine? But… putting everything in together—is that okay?”
Jiang Yuyan motioned to a small stool her father had made. “Yes. I want to try making an ointment for Big Brother’s legs.”
The effect would be less than professional medicine but would help Jiang Muxuan sleep without unbearable pain.
“…Sister, how do you know medicine? Are you a medical student?” Jiang Murong asked.
“No. I never went to school. I learned medicine from discarded books I found at the recycling station,” she said calmly, as if talking about anything ordinary.
Jiang Murong: “!!!!”
“But… you’re from the city, right? How could you not have gone to school? Even in our village, officials came to encourage children to study.”
Jiang Yuyan added firewood. “I was born in the city, but the Lin family ran into trouble. We were sent to the farm for reform. From my earliest memory, it’s been work, work, and more work.”
Jiang Murong: “…..”
“You were just a child. Why—”
Jiang Yuyan gave a bitter smile. “Because Lin Mother hated me. Hated me so much she wanted to strangle me at every moment. If it weren’t for Big Brother… Lin Dage, I would not exist in this world.”
Jiang Murong couldn’t believe it. “How could a mother hate her own child so much? It’s not like she was mistreating someone else’s kid—”
He paused. Right! Jiang Yuyan wasn’t really a Lin. She wasn’t her biological child.
But at the time, Lin Mother shouldn’t have known that.
Then the question arises: why would a mother, unaware the child wasn’t hers, hate the baby so intensely?
Unless—
Thinking of that, a chill ran through Jiang Murong’s body, limbs going numb.
“…Third Brother? Are you okay? Why do you look so pale?” Jiang Yuyan asked, worried.
“Uh… I’m fine… Sister, I feel dizzy. I want to lie down for a while. You—”
Jiang Yuyan waved him off. “If you’re unwell, go rest. The work here isn’t heavy. I can handle it alone.”
She ignored his pale face and continued feeding the fire.
Jiang Yuyan was not a weakling. The original girl’s misfortune stemmed not just from being attacked by Lin Yue but mainly from Lin Mother’s daily verbal abuse.
If someone tells you every day that you’re useless, that you’ll never enjoy comfort, and that you’re only fit for menial labor, how can your mind remain sane?
Regarding the baby mix-up between the original girl and Lin Yue, Jiang Yuyan always suspected it was intentional, with Lin Mother’s attitude being the biggest problem.
Jiang Murong didn’t return to his room. Instead, he went to Big Brother’s room.
He knocked, entered, and closed the door, sitting there with a dazed expression. Jiang Muxuan immediately sensed his brother was troubled.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you busy with Yuyan? Why that look?”
Jiang Murong didn’t understand himself, but he knew Big Brother was the smartest—nothing was impossible to him.
“Big Brother, do you think the baby mix-up between Sister and Jiang Yue… could it have been done on purpose?”
Jiang Muxuan put down his book and looked at his confused younger brother. “Why ask that all of a sudden?”
Jiang Murong poured out everything Sister had told him, realizing Lin Mother’s attitude toward Jiang Yuyan was very strange.
“…Right? Big Brother, how can a mother hate her own child like that? Unless she knew Sister wasn’t hers.”
Jiang Muxuan pondered. It was indeed strange.
He wasn’t the type to blindly believe one side, but deep down, he began to trust Jiang Yuyan.
If so, Lin Mother’s actions then could have only one reason.
“Don’t tell anyone for now. Wait for Mu Yi to come back. Let him investigate, and we’ll know the truth.”
Mu Yi, fearless and clever, was perfect for investigating without alerting anyone.
“Big Brother… it hurts my heart just thinking that Sister had to work so hard when she was so little—”