It was a young man from the village who usually hung out with Jiang Muxuan.
Jiang Godan (Jiang Yuyan’s father) trembled, fearing bad news about his eldest son. He wanted to move but his legs went weak.
Jiang Yuyan quickly asked the young man who had rushed over, “Comrade, when you said Brother Xuan, do you mean Jiang Muxuan? What happened to him?”
Jiang Muxuan was the original eldest brother.
Jiang’s mother had three sons: Muxuan, Muyi, and Muren, with the youngest being the daughter—the original protagonist.
According to what Jiang Yuyan knew, Jiang Muxuan had been working in the coal mine to earn money, disregarding danger. A few days ago, he had an accident, breaking his legs and lying in the hospital waiting for funds to survive.
The young man froze at the sight of Jiang Yuyan but instinctively nodded when she asked.
“Yes, uncle. Brother Xuan had an accident. The coal mine foreman went to the hospital making a scene, claiming Brother Xuan deliberately caused the accident at the mine, and now wants him to pay compensation—or the police will take him.”
Jiang Yuyan immediately realized that the foreman was trying to shift all the blame onto Jiang Muxuan.
Jiang’s parents nearly fell in panic, but Jiang Yuyan caught them just in time and frowned.
“Brigade Leader, I’ll buy this house. I’ll pay now. Father, you handle the paperwork with the Brigade Leader, and call a few people to tidy up the house.”
Her father nodded quickly, too flustered to think clearly, following her instructions.
“You and your mother—”
“I’ll go with Mom to the hospital first. If there’s a problem, I’ll handle it. Father, your task is important. Whether our family has a place to stay today depends on you.”
Her father nodded earnestly, watching them leave, still dazed.
…
At the town hospital, Jiang Yuyan didn’t need to search—she immediately saw a crowd gathered around a ward on the first floor, noisy and agitated.
“…Jiang Muxuan, don’t play dead! Because of your greed, so many people died, so many families ruined! Even your life isn’t enough!”
A short, fat, bald man shouted furiously, surrounded by several dark-faced young men nodding in agreement.
Inside the ward, the youngest brother, Jiang Muren, angrily blocked them.
“You’re lying! If this were my eldest brother’s doing, why are his legs broken? He’s lying in the bed and can’t move!”
The bald man snorted. “That’s just his act. Move aside. We’ll call the police if we have to. You think we’re afraid?”
He tried to force his way in, but Jiang’s mother shoved him back.
“Everyone out! My son’s legs are broken, and you’re still attacking him?”
The bald man staggered, annoyed, and was about to strike back but froze at a cold gaze.
Jiang Yuyan ignored him, first checking that her mother and Muren were safe, then faced the crowd of angry victims.
“Coal mine accidents, historically, are caused by poor safety compliance or management errors. One person alone cannot collapse so many tunnels.”
She looked at the sweating bald man. “I suspect there’s something shady here. You, the foreman, are in a rush to blame my brother and take the money, aren’t you planning to run?”
The victims immediately turned suspicious eyes on the bald man. Seeing him sweating and guilty, there was no confusion left.
“Return my husband’s life!”
A disheveled woman lunged forward, grabbing the bald man by the neck with enormous strength. Her anger made her lose rationality; almost no one could pull her away.
Jiang Yuyan shielded her mother from the crowd.
“The police are here!”
The crowd scattered instantly, leaving the bald foreman bruised and nearly unconscious.
Seeing the police, he struggled free from the woman and grabbed her hair, ready to smash her into the wall.
Jiang Yuyan frowned and kicked him sharply between the legs. He screamed in pain, loosening his grip.
“Everyone stop! What’s going on here?” a police officer asked.
Jiang Yuyan didn’t give him a chance. “Officer, this man is the coal mine foreman. He’s trying to shift blame for recent accidents and abscond with money.”
The officer’s expression turned serious. They apprehended the now-immobile foreman and recorded statements from the victims, including Jiang Yuyan’s family.
Since her eldest brother was in the hospital, someone had to stay behind. Jiang Yuyan decided to remain and supervise.
Before entering the ward, she told her mother, “Just tell the truth. Whatever happens, the police will investigate and clear my brother’s name.”
Inside the ward, Jiang Muxuan was still unconscious, his legs bandaged but only minimally treated. To properly heal, he would need treatment in a major city hospital.
Jiang Yuyan looked at her thin, bony, yet dignified elder brother, feeling conflicted.
She recalled that in the original story, he had been admitted to university after the first restored national exam.
But the old Jiang family had refused to fund his studies, saying education wouldn’t help—he’d just return to work in the fields.
Jiang Muxuan was unwilling to give up. He wanted to earn money, study, and secure a good position.
He didn’t expect that all the money he earned would be secretly taken by Jiang Yue, who ran off to her biological parents without telling anyone, leaving only a note about how she had suffered without them.
Jiang Muxuan was angry but helpless.
All the savings gone, he worked even harder and, distracted, failed to notice the mine collapse, breaking his legs.
Jiang Yuyan noticed his hands clenched tightly, eyes not yet fully open, realizing he had woken up.
She sat down, speaking softly, almost as if to herself:
“Big brother, I am your biological sister, Jiang Yuyan. I saw Lin Yue—previously Jiang Yue—and I had a falling out with her.”
Jiang Muxuan: “…”
“She instantly disliked me, tried to scheme with Lin’s mother to drive me out. But I’m smart; I wouldn’t let them succeed.”
“Hehe, I tricked them into paying me five hundred yuan, and I secretly took the money Lin Yue had hidden—maybe two or three hundred yuan. This money, I don’t think belongs to her—”
She was speaking animatedly when she noticed Jiang Muxuan had opened his eyes, watching her.
His hoarse voice rasped, “You… really… took… her… two or three… hundred… yuan?”