“Dong dong dong.”
Jiang Rou was awakened by a series of knocks on the door. She rubbed her eyes and, still in a daze, sat up from the hard bed.
It was a bit difficult to move, and as she realized what was happening, she frowned and cradled her round belly with one hand.
The knocking outside ceased and was replaced by a woman’s loud voice calling, “Xiao Rou, are you home?”
Without much time to think, Jiang Rou mumbled a response, “Coming.”
Then, slowly, she extended her legs, found the cotton shoes under the bed, squeezed her slightly swollen feet into them, and, leaning on the bed, sluggishly stood up and made her way outside.
Her belly was too heavy, as if carrying a large weight, and she felt more at ease when she cradled it with both hands.
In the courtyard, Jiang Rou removed the latch from the gate, opened it, and came face to face with a thin, dark-skinned woman carrying a basket of vegetables.
The woman was half a head shorter than her, with dry hair, a tired complexion, and noticeable fine lines around her eyes and mouth. Despite that, her facial features were well-proportioned, indicating she must have been quite attractive in her youth.
Upon seeing Jiang Rou, the corners of the woman’s mouth immediately downturned. With a shrewd gaze, she scrutinized Jiang Rou from head to toe, finally fixing her eyes on the right side of Jiang Rou’s face, where the folds caused by sleep were evident. Her tone was somewhat unfriendly as she questioned in a firm manner, “Why lock the door in broad daylight? What time is it, and you’re still sleeping? Have you forgotten you have a man to take care of?”
Jiang Rou blinked innocently and then lowered her head.
Embarrassed, she had indeed forgotten.
Lin Meiru was choked with frustration by her seemingly clueless demeanor. She couldn’t fathom why her son had such bad luck to be entangled with someone like her.
With a stern expression, she fumbled in her trouser pocket, took out some crumpled bills, forcefully grabbed Jiang Rou’s hand and shoved the money into it. Then, she thrust the not-so-fresh vegetables from the basket towards her, speaking in a coarse manner, “Later, I’ll go to the station to bail him out. If you’re not ashamed, I am. I can’t believe I have to deal with this.”
Seemingly uninterested in looking at her any longer, she turned around and walked away.
As she walked further, Jiang Rou could still hear her mumbling and cursing under her breath, words like “debt collector” and “lazy bum” audible in the distance.
Watching the person walk away, Jiang Rou closed the door again, then carried the vegetables back into the house.
In the remote small county town in the south in 1998, where the benefits of reform and opening up were not yet fully realized, local residents mostly lived in traditional brick and tile houses.
Upon entering, there was the living room. The lighting wasn’t very good, and on the wall facing the front door hung a large color painting of a welcoming pine tree. To the right of the painting, an elderly black-and-white portrait was displayed, beneath which hung an old-fashioned wall clock that ticked with a “Tock” sound every second.
Below the wall were tall, square coffee tables. They were against the wall, each accompanied by a chair on the left and right.
[TN: ???]
It exuded a strong sense of a bygone era.
Jiang Rou walked over, placed the vegetables and money on the table, and poured herself a glass of cold boiled water from the teapot.
After taking a comfortable sip, she sighed, sat down on the nearby chair, wiped the sweat from her forehead, fanned herself with her hand. Whether it was due to pregnancy or not, she was particularly sensitive to heat now.
Back when she was training at the police academy, she never felt this heat.
Thinking about the police academy, she lowered her head and glanced at her round belly, and Jiang Rou’s mood became gloomy again.
Just two days ago, she woke up to find herself transported back more than twenty years, becoming the ex-wife of a death row inmate named Li Xiao.
[TN: Also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution.]
If there were any signs, it was when Li Xiao was taken away after the case was closed. She happened to be standing in the corridor, and the initially expressionless man, upon hearing a colleague call her “Jiang Rou,” suddenly lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. Their eyes met from a distance, and the icy, indifferent gaze deeply imprinted itself in her mind, haunting her.
As a result, she had several nights of disturbing nightmares.
Speaking of Li Xiao, everyone in the entire police station knew about him. When Jiang Rou was still in school, her teacher had used him as a case example during a lecture. When she saw the records indicating that her name matched that of his ex-wife who had run away with someone twenty years ago, her feelings became quite complicated.
Jiang Rou wasn’t sure about her luck; she happened to start her internship just as Li Xiao’s case unfolded. As a newcomer who knew nothing, she could only assist her mentor in organizing documents and such, gaining a clearer understanding of the case than what she had learned in school.
Li Xiao’s case was highly complex, involving a wide range of individuals and an extended timeline. The motive for the crime revolved around the death of an innocent little girl due to bullying on campus. Regarding Li Xiao’s character, it was hard to say, but his daughter was genuinely innocent.
Jiang Rou had seen pictures of the little girl. Inheriting her father’s exceptional looks, she was remarkably beautiful, smiling like an angel. According to the records, the girl excelled in her studies from a young age and had a gentle and kind personality.
The boys who bullied her were older students, all from well-off families, and being underage, they quickly resolved the issue with the school and the local police station, covering everything up.
When the teacher explained this case to the class, there was a hushed silence. Because, compared to the rationality of the law, as students, they still carried the passion and sensibility of youth.
Li Xiao’s methods were cruel, but were the perpetrators who caused the death of his daughter any less cruel?
Such a beautiful and obedient child, with a life that should have held infinite possibilities, came to an abrupt end at the age of ten.
Even during the group dinner after the case was closed, several seasoned detectives who had been in the force for over a decade expressed their deep sorrow. They found the case heartbreaking—the innocence of the little girl, the tragedy caused by those boys ruining both others and themselves. It was even more heart-wrenching that the parents failed to educate their children properly, resulting in a tragedy that lasted for more than ten years and led to irreparable consequences.
Someone mentioned that Li Xiao was a morally ambiguous figure, torn between good and evil. His upbringing was severely twisted, making him a dangerous individual with skewed values. His daughter had once pulled him out of the darkness, inspiring him to strive to become a better person.
Unfortunately, his daughter died, and in such a tragic manner, leaving Li Xiao, the one who aspired to become a better person, without a chance.
The danger of Li Xiao was well-known to anyone familiar with the case. He was stoic, ruthless, and after years of waiting, he executed a brutal plan to kill each person involved in the original crime—the boys, their families, the school leaders and teachers who covered it up, and even the local police officers who took bribes.
Because of him, Jiang Rou became even more determined to leave her internship once it was over and find a peaceful job for her retirement.
Lost in her thoughts, she was only brought back to reality when her belly received a gentle kick. She snapped out of it, her gentle expression returning as Jiang Rou cautiously touched her stomach.
She sighed and realized she was already playing the role of a mother, despite not having a partner yet.
Perhaps sensing her mother’s touch, the little one inside her belly kicked again, twice this time.
Ticklish, obedient, completely different from the rambunctious little nephew her sister-in-law had when she was pregnant.
The child in her belly is Li Xiao’s daughter.
Fortunately, Jiang Rou is open-minded. Though it was initially hard to accept, after two days of reflection, she has gradually come to terms with it.
There’s no other choice but to accept it and take one step at a time, Right?
Her eyes flicked to the money on the table, feeling a bit guilty, and then she quickly averted her gaze.
A few days ago, Li Xiao got into a fight and was taken to the police station.
Redeeming him was definitely not something she intended to do. In fact, she hoped he would stay in there a bit longer.
Jiang Rou is just a young intern. Joining the police academy was a momentary impulse, and facing someone like Li Xiao, a dangerous criminal, genuinely frightened her.
As the evening approached, holding the vegetables from the table, Jiang Rou went to the kitchen.
The kitchen had the traditional rural hearth that required burning firewood. Jiang Rou, relying on her somewhat unfamiliar memories, lit the kindling with some difficulty, then stuffed it into the hearth and added a pile of wood scraps.
This house belonged to Li Xiao’s grandfather, who was a carpenter. When Jiang Rou arrived, the yard and the living room were cluttered with wood. It took her two days to clean it up, keeping the useful pieces in the storage room and using the rest as firewood.
She cooked two dishes, one with bok choy, another with amaranth, and while cooking rice, she also steamed a bowl of egg custard.
The kitchen was sparsely stocked, with only sesame oil, salt, vinegar, and a small can of lard, indicating that the conditions of this home were not very good.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Rou cleaned the pots and bowls. She scooped hot water from the pot on the stove, making two trips to her room—one with hot water, and one with cold.
Her health was not in great shape. Even though she was pregnant, she was quite thin.
Jiang Rou had never seen a photo of the “Jiang Rou” she replaced. There were no pictures in the information, only textual descriptions, a couple of sentences introducing “her” and the relationship with Li Xiao, However, she was undeniably a beautiful person.
Carrying anything slightly heavy seemed to be a challenge for her, and her constitution was nothing like what it used to be.
She used to look thin, but her nutrition was sufficient, presenting a healthy and well-proportioned figure, which was why she managed to get into the police academy.
Even though they shared the same name, their appearances and temperaments were entirely different.
Jiang Rou herself had a sweet and cute appearance—round face, with two small dimples when she smiled. Having the advantage of a pleasant look, her family always trusted her. They never expected the late-blooming rebel of her teenage years would choose to join the police academy, making them worry about her safety.
On the other hand, the original “Jiang Rou” had an entirely different style—a graceful and gentle beauty, the kind that would invoke a protective instinct in people. Especially with her pale skin, slender figure, and a touch of melancholy timidity in her eyes and eyebrows, she seemed even more pitiable.
However, perhaps due to a change in mindset, Jiang Rou noticed an improvement in her spirit this morning when she looked in the mirror. Her eyes were brighter and more lively, with a few less traces of timidity and hesitation.
Jiang Rou hummed as she carried two trips of water, pouring them into the bathing basin in the room, and then placing the clothes she had dried today on the bed.
Conditions were quite harsh, so she washed quickly. After washing, she wearily dragged the basin outside to pour the water.
She didn’t wash the clothes yet, planning to scrub them tomorrow morning.
There were no entertainment tools at this time. This household was indeed very poor, lacking almost everything.
Jiang Rou closed the door and lay on the bed, fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan.
There was a mosquito net on the bed, so she didn’t worry about insects.
However, it was too hot. Just after taking a bath, she started sweating again. There was an old electric fan in the house, but it was either too cold or not enough.
Pregnancy was indeed quite troublesome.
Jiang Rou tossed and turned on the bed several times, thinking about the possibility of going back to her previous life before falling asleep.
Unfortunately, that couldn’t be achieved.
She slept early and woke up early.
Jiang Rou woke up before dawn the next day, her stomach growling from hunger. Resignedly, she got out of bed and went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
She treated herself well. The original owner grew up in a family that favored boys over girls and often went hungry. This upbringing instilled a habit of eating small amounts. Jiang Rou couldn’t bear it. With this frail body that could be blown away by a gust of wind, she ate two bowls of rice. Even if she couldn’t finish it, she forced herself to.
She stir-fried all the leftover vegetables from yesterday, steamed another bowl of egg custard, and it tasted quite good. Perhaps it was because of the natural village eggs. With a drop of sesame oil and a bit of lard, it became incredibly fragrant.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Rou walked around the yard and then washed the clothes she changed out of last night.
There was a well in the yard, and to use water, she needed to lower a bucket tied to a rope. Because it was too troublesome, she didn’t wash the clothes very thoroughly, just scrubbing them a bit before hanging them up.
With nothing else to do, she tidied up the last small pile of wood in the yard.
Looking at the neat and tidy yard and main house, Jiang Rou stood with her hands on her hips, raised her chin in satisfaction, feeling proud of her productivity.
Deciding to reward herself for being so capable, without hesitation, she took the money her mother-in-law brought yesterday and went out.
