Chapter 16: Candy

The moment those words were spoken, it was like a bomb had gone off in Jiang Dachuan’s household—there was no mistaking it now: the old man had made up his mind to abandon them.

Off to the side, Zhao Hong couldn’t help but feel a flicker of satisfaction. Who knew her daughter better than she did? She could only blame herself for not raising her properly. That soft, glutinous bun of a girl, paired with that pushover Dahai, was never going to be able to protect her granddaughters.

Sure, they had a son now and were acting more confident, but just a moment ago, when the second brother’s brat bullied Sanni, they hadn’t stood up for her at all. Zhao Hong could see it clearly now: if things kept going like this, Jiang Dahai’s family would end up trampled on again by the second brother’s family.

But grandpa Jiang was different. A hardened veteran with a spine of steel, his words were like nails—once spoken, they stuck. And he’d said all that in front of so many people. If he were to go back on it later, he’d be crushing his own dignity into the dirt.

Zhao Hong quickly did the math in her head. Her granddaughters were still young, and her grandson was just a baby—this was the perfect time to shape them. She’d have to visit more often from now on. She couldn’t let these kids grow up like their parents—meek and ready to be bullied into the ground.

As for Zhao Hong’s little schemes, they could wait. Right now, Fan Xiaojun was about to faint from shock.

She’d come today to beg the old man for forgiveness, and instead that damn brat had spilled everything they'd said at home, completely offending the patriarch. Fan Xiaojun could already imagine the fury waiting for her when she got back.

And now, without the old house, what were they supposed to do about food? Was she supposed to end up like Gu Dongmei, working in the fields under the blazing sun and pouring rain every day? The very thought filled her with unwillingness.

“Dad, so this is what you mean? You’re not going to acknowledge me as your son, or Aiguo and Aidang as your grandsons anymore?” Jiang Dachuan hung his head, making it impossible to read the expression in his eyes. His voice was heavy and dark.

“A son like you isn’t one I need. Just look at you two—how did you manage to raise such rotten kids?” Grandpa Jiang hadn’t entirely meant it earlier—he’d spoken in anger. He wasn’t lacking in grandsons, after all. Why would he go so far as to have a granddaughter bring in a husband?

He glanced over at the two grandsons who had already been spoiled rotten and made a silent vow that the youngest grandson must not turn out like them.

“Fine. But remember—you said it. Don’t come crying to me later.”

Jiang Dachuan lifted his head and shot a fierce glare toward Jiang Dahai’s family, his gaze lingering on Jiang Dahai. From childhood, his elder brother had always been the favored one. Their parents loved him more. Now, just when he had finally achieved something better than his brother, his brother had to go and have a son to outshine him again.

Jiang Dahai had always been his curse. If Jiang Dachuan existed in this world, why did there have to be a Jiang Dahai too? At that moment, Jiang Dachuan swore in his heart that he’d make their parents regret this—he’d make them beg him to come back.

“We’re leaving.” Jiang Dachuan grabbed both his sons by the arms and dragged them out of the house, ignoring their wailing and protests.

Fan Xiaojun stood there stunned for a moment, looked at Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Miao’s darkened faces, then stomped her foot angrily. “Dad, Mom, Dachuan were just saying that out of anger. Please don’t take it to heart. I’ll go talk to him right now!” With that, she hurried off in the direction her husband and sons had left.

The room was quiet for a while before Grandpa Jiang finally spoke. “Everyone, eat up before the food gets cold.”

With that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat as if nothing had happened. The rest of the family followed his lead, though the lively atmosphere from before was long gone.

“Mom, can you hold the baby for me for a bit?” Gu Dongmei handed her child to her mother-in-law. Granny Miao was only too happy to oblige, abandoning her meal entirely to cuddle her precious grandson, her mood clearly lifted.

Though her favorite was still her eldest grandson, that didn’t mean she didn’t love the second one. The thought of how her second son had been raising his boys left Granny Miao with mixed emotions.

In the kitchen, Gu Dongmei dug out some plant ash from under the old stove to treat Sanni’s scratches. The earlier scene had been so tense that she hadn’t dared to move, worried she’d set off the old man.

TR Note:Plant ash was a common rural Chinese remedy used to disinfect and stop bleeding—handed down from older generations and much cheaper than buying salves from the clinic.

The wound wasn’t deep. After wiping Sanni’s hand clean, Gu Dongmei sprinkled the ash over it.

Sanni let her mother tend to her injured hand while she gnawed on two chicken bones. At four years old, her teeth were sparse and yellowish like little grains of rice. Even though the old hen had been stewed until tender, she couldn’t chew the bones—she just ground them with her teeth, trying to suck out a bit of flavor.

“Erni, keep an eye on your sister. Don’t let her scratch the wound,” Gu Dongmei instructed her second daughter. Though Erni didn’t look too pleased, she still nodded.

After dinner, the men stayed in the main room chatting. Zhao Hong helped Grandma Miao clear the table and wash dishes. Gu Dongmei and Jiang Dazhen took the kids back to their room and sat on the kang (heated brick bed) to talk.

Jiang Yiliu was set down beside his mother while Meng Xiangxue crawled around him curiously.

Besides his half-sisters, his close cousins included three girls and a little sister from his eldest maternal uncle’s side, and two older male cousins from his second uncle’s family. Now, finally, there was a younger brother.

And what a strange brother he was—he didn’t eat but drooled constantly.

Jiang Yiliu didn’t mind the attention. At heart, he was already over forty. Looking at his once mature and reliable older cousin from his past life now reduced to a big-headed toddler who knew nothing—it was surreal.

Back then, just before Jiang Yiliu had taken his niece abroad, Meng Xiangxue had just been promoted to company commander—a remarkable achievement for someone so young. He had been tall, imposing, and though technically a cousin, he’d always acted like a protective older brother, helping take care of Jiang Yiliu and his sisters.

Sadly, despite all that, he had been unlucky in love—falling for a vain and materialistic woman who left him emotionally scarred. Even in his thirties, he hadn’t married, treating the military camp as his home.

Aunt Dazhen had often nagged about this on the phone. Thinking of it now, Jiang Yiliu had another item to add to his list of things to fix this life—he would never let that woman hurt his cousin again.

“Big Sis, Second Sis, guess what Grandma brought us to eat!”

The first thing Sanni did after climbing onto the kang was pull out the candy she had carefully hidden in the quilt.

“One, two, three... eight, nine—Grandma gave us ten candies. My sister and I ate one, so there are nine left.” Sanni counted the candies wrapped in her handkerchief, licking her lips as she looked at them.

There were clearly only a few pieces, all visible at a glance. Jiang Dani smiled at her. “See? I told you to learn how to count properly. There are eleven candies, not nine.”

Back then, there weren’t many types of candy. The county supply store carried only basic fruit hard candy, peanut brittle, sesame candy, and if you were lucky, milk candies—which were considered a luxury.

Fruit candies were the cheapest: round, colorful, and shiny like glass marbles—very attractive to children. Jiang Dani glanced at the pile and felt a few looked different, even prettier, but didn’t dwell on it. She picked the one she thought was the nicest and popped it into Meng Xiangxue’s mouth.

“Why are you giving him candy? His grandparents buy him candy and he doesn’t even like it. These were from your grandma—you should keep them for yourselves,” Jiang Dazhen scolded, knowing how little her nieces had to enjoy.

“It’s fine,” Jiang Dani said shyly. Then she took another piece, bit off a small bit, and handed the rest to Erni. Erni copied her, nibbling off a bit and giving the remaining piece to Sanni.

Sini had already had a small cup of sugar water today, so they didn’t give her any more sweets.

The rest of the candies were carefully hidden again—nine pieces left. The girls could share one every other day, making the stash last over half a month. With sweetness on their tongues, the world suddenly felt full of hope.

“Mom, this fruit candy is amazing! Can you ask Dad to buy some for me when we get home?” Meng Xiangxue’s eyes sparkled. He’d never had anything so tasty—not even the chocolate his grandfather had brought from the provincial capital.

Jiang Dazhen was a little surprised. Her son had never liked candy before, but she didn’t think too hard about it. Kids change their minds all the time.

“Brother, when I buy candy, I’ll come see you!” Meng Xiangxue declared to his big cousin. “And I’ll bring tons of candy so you all can have as much as you want!”

He stretched his arms wide to show how much, making everyone laugh. Sanni beamed as she imagined being surrounded by a mountain of sweets.

Jiang Yiliu felt a bit sheepish. Truth was, there really were only nine candies in the handkerchief—he had secretly added a few more from his space. The one Meng Xiangxue ate must’ve been one of the high-end fruit candies he’d stashed. When his cousin finally tried the bland ones from the supply store, he’d probably be disappointed.

This incident made Jiang Yiliu realize he needed to be more careful when pulling items from his storage space. He had forgotten how rare good things were in this era. People always counted them precisely. He was lucky this time it was Sanni—if it had been his eldest sister, she would have immediately noticed.

Looking at his sisters’ smiling faces, all lit up over a single piece of candy, a warm wave surged in Jiang Yiliu’s chest. The uncertainties he had felt since being reborn were washed away. With a fresh start and a loving family, how could he not move forward?

Search This Blog

Outpost Translations

Chapter 16: Candy