One month before the college entrance examination, Jiang Mu accidentally learned that Jiang Yinghan had a foreign boyfriend, and they were already discussing marriage and were going through immigration procedures. Before this, Jiang Yinghan had kept it a secret from her and wanted to wait until she finished the college entrance examination before telling her, but a document sent from abroad caught Jiang Mu's attention.
The two had a big disagreement over this. Jiang Mu was unwilling to follow Jiang Yinghan to study abroad. She knew nothing about her stepfather, and she resisted this man who suddenly appeared.
Especially after meeting this greasy man named Chris, she was even more repulsive to his appearance. She couldn't understand why her mother, who had always been well-behaved, wanted to marry a foreign old man with a big belly and a round waist and a wrinkled face. More importantly, the two had only known each other for less than half a year, and it was a completely unreliable flash marriage. Jiang Yinghan was actually ready to leave her hometown with this old man, as if she was possessed by a demon.
She tried every way to persuade her mother, but this time, Jiang Yinghan was very determined. That month, Jiang Mu had almost no intention of coping with the college entrance examination. On the day of the English test, she had a high fever and lay on the table with a confused mind. In the end, she didn't even reach the first-tier line.
Jiang Yinghan blamed herself, but Jiang Mu didn't show any frustration. According to her grades, she could only study in the preparatory course or some second-rate universities in Australia, which was not her real level at all. She proposed to repeat the year, thinking that this would allow Jiang Yinghan to stay in China and not be deceived by the old man.
But what surprised her was that Jiang Yinghan said to her that night: "Mom has been with you for so many years, and you are already an adult. I don't object to you choosing to stay in China to repeat the year, but I will still go to Melbourne with Chris as planned. Mumu, I should have my own life, too."
Jiang Yinghan's final compromise was that she could agree to let Jiang Mu stay in China to repeat the year, but the premise was that she had to go to her father's side. Jiang Yinghan was worried about leaving her alone.
The name that had been a long time ago suddenly appeared in Jiang Mu's life. She knew that Jiang Yinghan actually had Jin Qiang's contact information. Perhaps she didn't want her to have any contact with him, so Jiang Yinghan had never told her for so many years.
According to the plan, Jiang Yinghan and Chris would go to Australia in July to handle the formalities and then come back to deal with the domestic stores. At that time, they would go to Tonggang to find Jiang Mu.
Before that, Jiang Mu had to go to his father's house alone, a small fourth - or fifth-tier city in the north called Tonggang, and then handle the repeating procedures. Before Jiang Yinghan went abroad, she packed two boxes of Jiang Mu's luggage and sent them to Jin Qiang's house first.
Jiang Yinghan arranged all this for her. Jiang Mu didn't know how her mother and father communicated, but the night before Jiang Yinghan went abroad, she suddenly told Jiang Mu something shocking.
Jiang Mu never thought that the brother who had always indulged her since she was a child, saved her delicious food, patiently taught her pinyin, read story books to her at night, and never tired of carrying her on his back to run around was not related to her by blood.
It was the fifth year of Jiang Yinghan and Jin Qiang's marriage, and Jiang Yinghan's stomach was still not moving. That year, Jin Qiang went back to his hometown to visit his parents, and Jiang Yinghan stayed in Suzhou and did not go back with him. Because she could not have children, Jiang Yinghan was scolded by her in-laws as a hen that could not lay eggs, and their relationship was once so bad that it could not be repaired.
It was also that time that, without Jiang Yinghan's knowledge, her in-laws tricked Jin Qiang back and found him a girl from the same village. After drinking, he spent the night in a daze. After waking up, Jin Qiang realized what absurd thing he had done.
He returned to Suzhou overnight, feeling guilty. Seeing Jiang Yinghan forcing herself to drink the bitter Chinese medicine every day, he finally proposed to adopt a child.
But Jiang Yinghan always felt that the adopted child was someone else's, not her own, so she refused to give in.
Not long after, the girl from the same village came to the door, and Jin Qiang's parents also came to Suzhou, intending to force Jiang Yinghan to give up her position.
All the grievances and anger that Jiang Yinghan had suffered for many years burst out at once. She stood in the house left to her by her parents and told the Jin family to get out. Jin Qiang burst into tears and begged her for forgiveness. His parents tried their best to pull him away and asked him to divorce Jiang Yinghan. The young rural woman behind them wiped her tears and shouted, "Brother Qiang."
At that moment, Jiang Yinghan felt that the whole world was spinning, and sharp sarcasm pierced her eardrums from all directions. She endured the insults from the Jin family and suddenly felt that all these years of forbearance had been in vain. It was not that she was unwilling to divorce Jin Qiang, but she was unwilling to watch him turn around and marry a young woman, so that his parents could have their eldest grandson as they wished, and the family could live in harmony and happiness, while her life was ruined.
So she squatted down and whispered in Jin Qiang's ear: "As long as you break off relations with your family, I will agree to adopt a child with you."
That was an extremely difficult choice for Jin Qiang. On one side were his parents, who gave birth to him and raised him, and on the other side was his wife, who had lived with him for many years. But he had been away from his hometown for many years, and it was impossible for him to go back. If he divorced, he would have nothing. More importantly, he couldn't let go of Jiang Yinghan. Moreover, he was also angry about his parents and his sister deceiving him to go back this time, so he immediately persuaded his parents to leave, and he went back less often after that.
In the same year, they adopted a two-year-old boy and named him Jin Chao.
In the first few years, their energy was all on this little boy. Although there was a crack in their relationship, they seemed to have no intention of mentioning it again.
But what they didn't expect was that when Jin Chao was four years old, Jiang Yinghan accidentally became pregnant. From the moment she learned that she was pregnant, all her thoughts were on her own flesh and blood in her belly, so that after Jin Mu was born, Jiang Yinghan was even unwilling to spend any energy on Jin Chao.
To Jiang Yinghan, Jin Chao is not a likable boy. He is an abandoned baby that Jin Qiang asked someone to bring from his hometown. He is not as lively and cheerful as other little boys. He stared at her with a pair of resistant and defensive eyes from the first day he came. Even though this boy is only two years old and looks good, Jiang Yinghan can still feel the arrogance and vulgarity of northern men in his small body.
Jin Qiang's family made Jiang Yinghan unable to change her prejudice against northerners, just as she could not like Jin Chao. After all, he was not her child, but a compromise that she had to make in order to force Jin Qiang to make a choice. His existence reminded her of Jin Qiang's betrayal and the humiliation she had suffered for many years.
Especially after having Jin Mu, Jiang Yinghan felt that Jin Chao was even more annoying. Jin Qiang's salary was not high, and they had to bear the cost of raising two children, which made their lives more and more difficult.
Jiang Yinghan gave all her love to her own daughter and became increasingly cold and even bored with Jin Chao.
A poor couple mourns for a hundred days. Jin Qiang had quarreled with her several times for this. Over time, the feelings they once had were exhausted under the increasingly fierce conflicts. The cracks that were temporarily covered up soon exposed again and became bigger and bigger. In the end, they could not be repaired and divorced. Even when Jiang Mu's grandfather died, Jiang Yinghan did not inform Jin Qiang and his son.
The reason why Jiang Yinghan chose to tell Jiang Mu these old stories before going abroad was because she understood that for so many years, her daughter had always been thinking about those two people in her heart. In the corner she could not see, Jiang Mu might still be looking forward to the affection of those two people, but Jiang Yinghan knew that Jin Qiang was a man who was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He would only collapse the mountain of fatherly love in the heart of his mature daughter. And that boy, who had an ambitious look in his eyes since he was a child, always reminded her of a wolf cub who could not be raised. He had no blood relationship with Jiang Mu. She did not want her daughter to have any involvement with him, so she had to tell Jiang Mu these things before going abroad so that she could study and not have any expectations.
After Jiang Yinghan went abroad, Jiang Mu did not immediately leave to look for her father and brother. She digested this shocking past at home alone. It was not until August that she set out on the road to Tonggang alone with a carry-on suitcase.
When it was getting dark, the train finally stopped at Tonggang North Station. Jiang Mu got off the train in the crowded crowd and followed the flow of people out of the station.
Before getting on the train, she called the number that Jiang Yinghan left for her. The person who answered the phone was Jin Qiang. After not contacting for many years, Jiang Mu suddenly heard her father's voice. She felt very strange and even a little nervous. She was speechless for a while. After a moment of stunned, it was Jin Qiang who asked her first: "Is it Mumu? Have you got on the train?"
Jiang Mu said "um".
Jin Qiang asked about the arrival time, then said that he would pick her up at the station, and also told her to be careful on the road.
It was not until half an hour ago that Jiang Mu received a text message from an unfamiliar number, which read: South Square Exit.
So after leaving the station, Jiang Mu looked for signs and followed another wave of people up the escalator. As soon as she reached the ground, the unfamiliar street scene and the dry smell in the air made her dazed for a moment. There were no tall buildings. Opposite the station stood a giant billboard with the words "Automobile and Motorcycle Cable, the Strongest in Asia" and various seals and pads advertisements. Looking around, it was a bit messy. This was her first impression of Tonggang, and it was not a good one.
Surrounded by all kinds of passengers leaving the station, not far away was a passenger bus, and there were a few scattered red taxis and motorcycles parked on the street.
Jiang Mu stood in the crowd and looked around blankly, searching for the image of her father in her memory. Suddenly, a little boy ran towards her unexpectedly and said to her with a grin, "Sister, give me some money for dinner."
Jiang Mu looked down and saw that the boy was no more than ten years old. He was wearing worn sneakers, with dark and rough skin and a mischievous arrogance in his eyes. Jiang Mu immediately shook him off and said to him, "I don't have any cash."
Unexpectedly, the little boy grabbed her and took out the QR code: "Give me some, sister."
Jiang Mu didn't expect the little boy to have such a strong hand that he pulled her chiffon shirt out of shape. She hurriedly grabbed her collar and was about to turn around and glare at him when she saw people squatting or standing not far away. There were four or five young men, smoking cigarettes and smiling maliciously. Some of them warned her fiercely with their eyes, and the little boy next to her said again: "Give me something, and I'll let you go."
Jiang Mu's face gradually turned cold. She realized that the group of people and the little boy were in the same group. This kid dared to be so unscrupulous. She was afraid that she was being targeted. A trace of fear flashed through her heart. In this unfamiliar place, if the group of people followed her, she really didn't know what would happen. So she took out her mobile phone to scan the code to get rid of the disaster. Suddenly, a lighter slid through the air and hit the little boy's forehead directly. Then the lighter fell and exploded on the ground with a "bang".
Not to mention the little boy, even Jiang Mu was startled. They looked to the left at the same time and saw a white Volkswagen parked on the side of the road. A tall man leaned against the car door and stared at the boy expressionlessly.
After seeing the man clearly, the little boy's face suddenly froze, and he subconsciously turned back to look at the group of people behind him. At this time, the man leaning against the car door also slowly shifted his sight to the group of teenagers and said to them casually: "The patrolman is coming."
The bad boys cursed "fuck" and ran away. Seeing this, the little boy didn't care about Jiang Mu and hurriedly followed them. The South Square returned to peace again.
Jiang Mu was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes fell on the man leaning against the car door again. If she remembered correctly, the car had been parked there since she left the station. She didn't know how long the man stood there and looked at her, watching her from dazed to lost and then panicked, like watching a joke?
Just like this, the two looked at each other for a few seconds, and the man suddenly opened the door of the driver's seat and glanced at her: "When are you going to stand there and get on the car?"
Strange voice, strange appearance, but the man exuded an indescribable sense of familiarity. Jiang Mu was a little unbelievable and couldn't help but open her eyes wide as if she could look at the man all over.
Then she pushed her luggage and strode towards the man. As soon as she stopped at the curb, the man picked up her luggage and went straight to the trunk to put the things.
Jiang Mu did not get in the car but stood at the curb and stared at him. The man was wearing a slightly tight white T-shirt. When he lifted the suitcase, the muscle lines of his arms were clearly bulging. Under the short and broken clothes was a tough and handsome outline. He looked like a mature man. It seemed that she could no longer find the overlapping parts in her memory.
The man closed the trunk and saw Jiang Mu still standing by the car door. He slightly raised his eyelids, walked towards her, and casually said, "Why don't you get in the car? Do you want me to open the door for you?"
After that, he opened the passenger door, put one hand on the door, and glanced at her lightly, "Please."
The word "please" was not said in a gentlemanly manner, and even had a sense of nonchalant sarcasm. Jiang Mu stared at him closely, her palms sweating. Just as she was about to speak, her throat suddenly became hoarse. She cleared her throat unnaturally. The man stood there without moving, looking back at her, as if he was also observing her every move.
Until Jiang Mu spoke again and asked cautiously: "You... are you Jin Chao?"
The man heard her question, first lowered his head, then gently pulled the corner of his mouth, and then raised his eyes again, his eyes straight and powerful: "Don't recognize you?"
This sentence made Jiang Mu's face blush, and Jin Chao didn't intend to embarrass her anymore, and said directly: "Jin Qiang asked me to pick you up."
Beside her were the relatives who were once the most familiar, and the brother she had missed for many years. In fact, Jiang Mu had many questions to ask him over the years, such as why he didn't contact her again? Have you been doing well over the years? Did you receive the letter from that year? Or did he move too? Or why didn't he come back?
He promised to come back to see her, and he never broke his promise, why did he break his promise this time?
But since she learned that Jin Chao and she had no blood relationship, these questions seemed to have been gradually explained, and she could no longer ask.
The two of them sat in a confined space. This strange feeling was no less than that of Jiang Mu facing an adult male that she didn't know alone. Jiang Mu sat upright, with her hands placed on her knees stiffly, and hed peripheral vision occasionally stole glances at the man beside her.
Jiang Mu said "hmm" in a proper manner.
"How did you go to Beijing?"
"I also took the high-speed rail."
"What time did you leave?"
"Six thirty in the morning."
"Is the door locked?"
"Ah? It's locked."
Jin Chao put away his phone, glanced at her, and looked at her well-behaved appearance sitting upright while answering questions. Suddenly, he said "tsk", and then restarted the car.
Jiang Mu didn't know what he meant by this action, and was too embarrassed to ask, so she could only silently move her eyes to the window. It should be the rush hour after work, but the streets here were not crowded. Jin Chao drove the car very fast all the way, and almost made Jiang Mu's heart jump out of her head in order to beat the red light. She silently held the car door and stared at the windshield nervously.
When there was another red light, Jin Chao turned his head to look at her little hand with white knuckles and couldn't help but sneered: "What are you afraid of?"
Jiang Mu awkwardly let go of her hand clasped on the car door and asked: "Do you know the group of people at the station just now?"
Jin Chao asked her back: "Do you think I know them?"
Jiang Mu actually glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. The little boy's face obviously changed after seeing Jin Chao, and it was hard to say that he didn't know that group of people.
In Jiang Mu's impression, her brother had very good grades and was a top student in the school from elementary school to junior high school. There were many books in his room. She remembered that her brother could understand many profound classics in the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school. He liked to read novels about World War II and books about modern Chinese history. He told her about the Huaihai Campaign and the causes of the Civil War. In her memory, her brother was a very powerful academic master and he would definitely become a promising talent in the future.
In Jiang Mu's fantasy, her brother might have graduated from college or was about to take the postgraduate entrance examination. He was wearing a clean white shirt and glasses, and he
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