Chapter 23: Midnight

Jiang Dahai glanced into the yard of the Revolutionary Committee and saw that quite a few figures were already moving about. He wondered if everyone had already arrived and quickly hurried over, carrying his son in his arms.

“You’re only coming now? Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you?” It was the same man from noon, his big paunch sticking out like a general’s belly as he glared at Jiang Dahai, his face full of displeasure.

Jiang Dahai didn’t argue with him and could only keep saying conciliatory words. He set the child down without even looking carefully at the people in the yard, turned, and followed the man toward the office, there were still some documents he needed to take back to the village.

Jiang Yiliu let his gaze sweep around the yard but didn’t see the figure he had pictured in his mind. He couldn’t help sighing inwardly. As expected, he didn’t have that kind of luck. After all, how could there be such a coincidence that Ruan would be reassigned to their place? Whenever he watched his interviews in the past, he’d never heard he’d been through something like this.

Still, his disappointment only lasted a moment. Jiang Yiliu quickly gathered his confidence again. Depending on others was always temporary. In this life, he already knew so much about what the future held, was he really afraid he couldn’t fight his way to his own success?

Jiang Yiliu was remarkably good at adjusting his mindset. In no time, he had restored his composure and started to look carefully at the few men standing in the yard.

There were three people sent down for re-education through labor this time.

One was very thin and small, wearing a pair of glasses. But the glasses seemed to have a problem with the frame, which was wrapped in white tape that stood out starkly against the gold rims. His figure was slightly stooped, which made him look even more frail. His grayish-white clothes were patched in many places. Even though they were worn and old, they were perfectly clean, without a single stain. It was clear this man was someone who cherished cleanliness.

The man sensed Jiang Yiliu’s gaze and turned to him, showing a gentle smile.

Jiang Yiliu felt a trace of admiration for his open-minded demeanor. Before being sent for labor reform, they must have suffered a great deal. To be able to face things with such calm under these circumstances, this was no ordinary person.

He also returned a harmless smile.

The man was taken aback by his smile. It had been so long since anyone had smiled at him like that. Bai Fangqiu sighed inwardly, thinking the boy must simply be too young to know anything. Still, that warm smile after so long left him with no small amount of goodwill toward this unfamiliar child.

Standing next to the frail old man was a sturdily built middle-aged man who looked to be about forty. His eyes were fierce as a tiger’s, one look at him, and you could feel an intimidating force that made people instinctively wary.

Jiang Yiliu sensed in him the same presence he’d encountered in America among special forces soldiers who had been through war. This man must have killed more than a few enemies to have built up such a lethal aura. But the righteousness in his eyes showed he was a just person.

Only now, he seemed to have put on some weight, his belly alarmingly large.

Jiang Yiliu couldn’t help internally poking fun at that prominent stomach, but he still put a mental label on this man: Not to be trifled with. Then he shifted his gaze to the last person.

The final elder looked to be around fifty or sixty. The moment Jiang Yiliu laid eyes on him, he was almost certain this was the Grandpa Ruan his own grandfather had spoken of.

He stood about 1.75 meters tall, his back perfectly straight. Even after days of hardship, he hadn’t been bent by it. His hair was all silver, and the lines at the corners of his eyes and across his forehead told the story of everything he’d been through. But there wasn’t the slightest trace of bitterness in his expression, just as Grandpa had said, he looked wise and magnanimous.

Jiang Yiliu thought to himself, even if this man wasn’t Ruan, he was definitely no ordinary person. If he could survive these years, with his mindset and his experience, he would surely be vindicated one day and soar to the skies.

Looking over the three of them, Jiang Yiliu finally felt relieved. It seemed that the people reassigned to their village this time were all decent, none of them troublemakers. This put him a little more at ease. No doubt Grandpa’s old superior had spent considerable effort behind the scenes.

Before long, Grandpa Jiang Dahai had gathered the documents and completed the handover. The little leader from the Revolutionary Committee pointed disdainfully at the three in the yard and barked, “These people have to write a confession letter every month. They’re going for labor reform, only through labor will they understand their mistakes. You absolutely cannot go easy on these stinking old scholars. You have to make them thoroughly aware of their errors, do you understand?”

He turned to speak to Jiang Dahai, thinking to himself that Qingshan Village was the most remote, impoverished place within miles. Who knew who these three had offended to be sent to such a godforsaken corner? They were in for untold suffering.

He felt secretly gleeful but didn’t spare a shred of sympathy for the three. Stomping his feet against the cold, he couldn’t stand lingering in the yard any longer and simply went straight back inside without another glance at them.

“Hurry and get in the cart!” Jiang Dahai called out, urging the three to climb up onto the donkey cart. He carried his son to a corner of the flatbed, carefully covering him with a quilt. Once everyone was seated, he hastily set off.

When the cart had left the county town and reached a quiet stretch of road, Jiang Dahai looked around and, seeing no one nearby, finally smiled and greeted the three men on the cart.

“My name’s Jiang Dahai, son of Jiang Cheng. May I ask which one of you is Uncle Ruan? My father has been talking about you for so long.” He smiled in his honest, good-natured way, glancing uncertainly between them.

“You’re Da Cheng’s son? You really do look like you were carved out of the same mold. So, this must be your boy? He doesn’t look much like you, though.”

The man who spoke was just the one Jiang Yiliu had guessed earlier. He smiled as he replied.

Jiang Dahai scratched his head and laughed, a little proud. “My son takes after his uncle, he turned out quite handsome. If he looked like me, he’d just be a big rough fellow.”

In Grandpa Jiang Dahai’s mind, this was a sign of his son’s cleverness, even in his looks, he’d managed to pick the best features. How could he possibly turn out dull?

Everyone around them couldn’t help chuckling. Days of gloom were finally dispelled somewhat. Looking at Jiang Dahai’s simple, honest manner, they all felt a faint hope for the life ahead.

Thinking about this, he looked at Huo Wu with growing excitement in his eyes, to the point that Huo Wu felt a bit embarrassed by the stare.

“Gurgle…” No one knew whose stomach it was, but in the quiet forest path, the sound of hunger grew louder and louder.

Jiang Yiliu shifted his gaze to Huo Wu’s belly. That bulging stomach suddenly started moving, and from inside the thick overcoat emerged a furry little head. A head of slightly yellowing hair topped with a crooked butterfly ribbon peeked out. The sleepy-eyed little girl looked straight at the boy who was staring back at her. Her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly ducked back inside.

“What’s this?” Jiang Dahai was startled by the little girl who had suddenly popped up. He looked at them in surprise and asked, “They only told us they were sending three adults. No one said anything about a little girl of four or five!”

Ruan Yuanjiang’s expression darkened slightly, as if he were recalling something painful. But when his eyes turned toward the child, they became indescribably gentle.

He gave a wry smile, apparently unwilling to conceal the truth. “That’s my granddaughter. Her name is Ruan Ruan. Her father was my eldest son. Unfortunately, both her parents were killed during the Vietnam War, leaving just this little one to live with this old man. You’ll laugh at me, but ever since this happened, my other two sons and my two daughters all cut ties with me. Originally, by rights as a martyr’s child, Ruan Ruan wouldn’t have had to suffer through this. But the girl is too stubborn. She insisted on coming along.”

Though Ruan Yuanjiang spoke with some complaints, there was still an unmistakable joy in his eyes.

Jiang Yiliu understood. For an old man betrayed and abandoned by nearly all his closest kin, if he hadn’t had this little granddaughter at his side, perhaps even the strongest heart wouldn’t have been able to bear the blow.

It was probably that little girl’s stomach that had been growling just now. Looking at her timid appearance, Jiang Yiliu couldn’t help thinking of the way Meiling had looked when she’d first been sent to live with him in his past life, so shy and delicate, as if the slightest loud noise would scare her away.

Thinking of his niece from his previous life left Jiang Yiliu feeling a little melancholy. In this life, since he intended to change Eldest Sister’s future, would that mean Meiling might never exist?

Looking at the pitiful little girl in front of him and thinking of her tragic story, Jiang Yiliu couldn’t help feeling tender-hearted.

“I have some pastries here. It’ll still take some time to get back to the village. You should eat something first to fill your stomachs.” Jiang Yiliu pulled out the pastries Qu Ying had packed for him. Apart from the bag of neatly wrapped ones, there were also many loose cakes and biscuits.

All of them had been sent down for re-education. Other than eating a few cornbread buns before departure, once they’d boarded the train, they hadn’t had anything else to eat. If even the adults could hardly bear it, let alone the child. As soon as the pastries were laid out, everyone’s stomachs began to rumble in unison.

Jiang Dahai patted his forehead, chiding himself for not thinking of this. He wasn’t half as thoughtful as his own son. He quickly joined in to help.

“It’ll take another hour or two to reach our village. Uncle, you all eat some pastries first to stave off your hunger. Once we get home, I’ll have my mother cook a nice, hot meal.”

Jiang Yiliu looked at the little girl curled up inside Huo Wu’s overcoat. He lifted his own quilt, patting the space beside him for her to come over. Nestling inside someone’s coat couldn’t be very comfortable, nothing like the warmth of a proper blanket.

Ruan Ruan glanced first at her grandfather. Seeing his encouraging gaze, she gathered her courage and crawled over toward Jiang Yiliu.

Jiang Yiliu carefully tucked the quilt around her. The two children squeezed together to share their warmth. After all, they were both only four or five years old, so it didn’t matter.

“Here, these are peach crisps. They’re delicious.”

Jiang Yiliu gently broke the peach crisp into little pieces, placing them on a handkerchief so she could pick them up without worrying about choking.

Ruan Ruan accepted the handkerchief, giving this kind little brother a bright smile and sweetly saying, “Thank you.” When she smiled, two little dimples appeared, and her curved eyes made her look just like a lucky child from a New Year painting.

Ruan Yuanjiang sat nearby, eating the pastries while watching the two children. Only then did he feel a measure of relief. He had worried that once they arrived in this remote countryside, his granddaughter, who had never known hardship, would struggle to adjust. Ruan Ruan was timid by nature; even when her cousins bullied her, she never uttered a word. He had truly feared that here in Qingshan Village, she would have no playmates and would grow lonelier than ever.

But now, perhaps they really have come to the right place.

Ruan Ruan was clearly starving. She ate too fast, and the peach crisps were dry, making her cough as she choked a little.

Seeing this, Jiang Yiliu quickly took out the small canteen he carried with him, wiped off the spout, and handed it to her while patting her back. Having raised his niece himself in his last life, he found caring for a little girl came as naturally as breathing.

After that, he didn’t dare let Ruan Ruan eat so quickly. He simply took the handkerchief from her, feeding her the peach crisps piece by piece, waiting for her to swallow before giving her another, worried she’d choke again.

“Thank you, big brother.” Ruan Ruan’s eyes were bright as stars. She gazed unblinking at this gentle little brother who took such good care of her, feeling he was so much better than any of her brothers or sisters back home.

Little Ruan Ruan couldn’t find the words to describe it, but she only knew it felt wonderful, just like being with Grandpa and Big Wu Uncle.

“It’s getting late. We’d best get moving. Grandpa Bai, Uncle Ruan, Brother Huo, hold on tight.”

The mountain road to Qingshan Village was very bumpy. Fortunately, before departure, Grandma Miao had padded the cart with thick quilts, especially Jiang Yiliu’s little corner, which was so soft it felt as though you’d sink into it.

As the long journey stretched on, everyone passed the time chatting. Ruan Yuanjiang and Bai Fangqiu asked Jiang Dahai about conditions in Qingshan Village. Huo Wu just sat to the side with eyes closed, his back perfectly straight even in the cart, like an unsheathed blade always alert to his surroundings.

Jiang Yiliu and Ruan Ruan huddled in their corner, whispering together.

Having over a decade of experience raising children, Jiang Yiliu found handling a little girl effortless. In just a short while, he had coaxed her into a drowsy, trusting state, and learned everything about her background.

The Ruan family was a prestigious clan in Suzhou. During the war years, they’d moved to Haicheng. Grandpa Ruan had two brothers and was the youngest. To preserve the family estate in the nation’s most difficult times, Grandpa Ruan’s eldest brother had taken his entire household and a third of their assets to America. The second brother had gone to Hong Kong with another third. But Ruan Yuanjiang, deeply concerned for the country’s fate, chose to remain and donated all his portion of the family’s wealth to the war effort against foreign invaders.

Jiang Yiliu understood well, at this point in history, having overseas connections was a serious liability.

Huo Wu was a retainer of the Ruan family. He had been sold to them by his own family. Though nominally a servant, Ruan Yuanjiang had treated him like a son, giving him the same education as his own children.

During the Vietnam War, Ruan Ruan’s parents had died on the battlefield. It was Huo Wu who had risked his life to bring their bodies home.

Jiang Yiliu stole a glance at the man sitting ramrod straight. Huo Wu’s eyes suddenly opened, fixing him with a gaze so sharp it pierced straight to the soul.

Jiang Yiliu’s heart tightened, but after all the years of experience he carried, he didn’t look away. He calmly met that penetrating stare.

Huo Wu expressionlessly studied him for a moment before finally closing his eyes again. Only then did Jiang Yiliu exhale in relief.

“A remarkable little fellow,” Huo Wu thought as he shut his eyes. The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly, no longer as forbidding as before.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yiliu didn’t notice this. He was still intent on gently probing for more news from Ruan Ruan about the outside world.

To avoid making his curiosity too obvious, Jiang Yiliu mixed in plenty of little stories about life in the village as he chatted, making Ruan Ruan’s eyes shine. When she learned he had four older sisters who all loved him dearly, she was full of envy. Although she had many siblings, not a single one liked playing with her.

Ruan Ruan peeked shyly at the little brother beside her. When his gaze met hers, she quickly turned her head away in embarrassment, though inside she felt warm and happy. Big Brother Yiliu was so kind, surely his sisters must be just as nice.

Her small hands clutched tightly around the little cloth doll in her pocket, the last gift her mother had ever given her. Breathing in the clean scent of grass on the mountain road, her heart felt utterly at peace.

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Chapter 23: Midnight