Chapter 5: Stop Looking, All of You
Editor: Min Zu
These words struck like a bolt from the blue. Those who had been walking leisurely immediately became agitated and quickly crowded around the doorway at the cry.
Even the aunt who had been supporting Chen Xueying abandoned her and rushed over to join the crowd.
Watching the gathering crowd and listening to the discussions at the doorway, Chen Xueying lowered her head to conceal the delight in her eyes.
“Oh my, Jiang Jiali’s buttocks are so pale!”
“Indeed! And Lu Niannian always acts so indifferent—who would have thought she’d be so brazen, sitting on top like that!”
“Stop looking, all of you! Get out!” But no one outside was willing to listen.
Their clothes lay scattered on the floor. With no blanket to cover them on the summer bed, the two clung to each other for modesty. From outside, someone mischievously tossed their clothes back into the room, and the onlookers erupted into laughter.
The more frantic those inside became, the more the crowd outside erupted with delight.
Soon, Chen Xueying heard the familiar voices of her parents and brother approaching from behind. As she turned to see the dense crowd pressing in, tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, streaming down her face.
Chen Zhenhua approached his daughter with a stick, followed by a group of uncles and cousins from the Chen family.
“What happened to my girl?” Though he had often been disappointed in this daughter of his, she was still his flesh and blood. When trouble arose, he would always be the first to stand up for her.
“It’s Jiang Jiali! He…he said he hates me! He only coaxed me into marrying him because he didn’t want to work! Now that I’m married into his family, he’s not afraid anymore! He’s always liked Lu Niannian…they’ve been together all along!”
Chen Xueying spoke between sobs and hiccups: “After the vow ceremony today … as soon as Liu Guixiang left … he hit me! He tied me up and locked me in the cabinet! He said he’d never have children with me … if he had any, it would be with Lu Niannian! They’re the true couple!”
As Chen Xueying finished speaking, an aunt who had been watching the spectacle shouted, “Secretary, come quickly! Those two are rolling in the sheets right now!”
Chen Zhenhua looked at his daughter’s face, his eyes filled with mixed emotions and heartache. “Don’t worry, your father will handle this matter for you!”
“That’s right, Xueying! Don’t worry, your brothers will definitely stand up for you!” The Chen family was tightly-knit. The area had originally been called Chen Family Village, and most of the families surnamed Chen were related in some way.
Upon hearing that Chen Xueying had been wronged, the group angrily advanced toward the room, sticks in hand, forcing those standing at the doorway to quickly make way.
It was only then that Chen Xueying’s mother, Wang Shufang, came running over. She embraced her daughter and wailed, “My poor daughter! What sin have we committed to deserve this?! Wuwu~” The surrounding crowd looked at them with pity.
Wang Shufang had always been well-liked, and Chen Xueying was generally considered obedient. Being from the same village and with many Chens connected by family ties, it was only natural that everyone sided with them.
By the time Liu Guixiang rushed back, the courtyard was already packed with people. Before she could even understand what was happening, she was surrounded and beaten.
Chen Xueying was gradually pushed to the edge of the courtyard, where she spotted Jiang Yanqing running toward them from afar.
She had done this intentionally—her face had been deliberately irritated with peanuts to trigger an allergic reaction. She knew her father had seen through it, but her family had long been fed up with the Jiang family.
When you finally have the chance to strike, why waste time asking why?
At this moment, everyone was focused on the courtyard, with no one looking back. When Jiang Yanqing rushed over, she quickly reached out to stop him:
“Jiang Yanqing, this has nothing to do with you. Don’t go over there. Let me tell you about your true origins!” Jiang Yanqing halted, his eyes scrutinizing Chen Xueying intently.
“Jiang Jiali tied me up and locked me in a cabinet, then sent everyone away to secretly meet with Lu Niannian. I managed to escape and expose this.” She lowered her voice, recounting the ordeal.
Jiang Yanqing’s jaw tightened as he studied her closely, as if weighing the truth of her words.
His hearing was sharp. After standing there for just a moment, he quickly caught the commotion from the courtyard. Putting the pieces together, he quickly grasped what had happened.
His face darkened slightly. He had never held any particular affection for Lu Niannian, and having just returned yesterday, he was meeting her for the first time today.
“What do you mean by my ‘true origins’?” The question escaped his lips almost before he could stop it, though his mind raced faster than his voice.
At thirty, he had long learned to see through things silently, to weigh words and actions without revealing his thoughts. Age had made him indifferent to most surprises—but this … this was a twist he had never anticipated.
A sealed-off part of his heart stirred, a flicker of greed he could neither deny nor suppress.
“You were a child stolen by Liu Guixiang. She couldn’t have children at first, so she took one. If you don’t believe me, ask the old village secretary; he definitely knows. You’re not Liu Guixiang’s biological son. As for your birth parents’ whereabouts, Jiang Jiali knows but won’t tell you. I know, and I can help you investigate further.”
Time was short. Fearful of drawing attention, she hastily revealed fragments of information. They were details she had learned in her previous life after Jiang Yanqing’s death, when Liu Guilan received condolences from the police department.
Along with Jiang Yanqing’s pension, it became clear that he had kept secrets from his family. Years ago, he had been discharged from the military due to injuries and assigned work as a train security officer. He knew that if his family found out, they would demand his discharge benefits, subsidies, bonuses, and even his job.
He had always told them he was an ordinary enlisted soldier. Liu Guilan, unfamiliar with such matters and trusting that Jiang Yanqing would never dare to lie, did not doubt him. He kept this hidden until his death.
She still remembered Liu Guilan cursing Jiang Yanqing daily back then: “See? A child from another family can never be truly loyal. I should’ve sold him off when Jiali was born—better than letting him keep the money from me and sending it to outsiders. We raised an ungrateful wretch.”
Later, when Jiang Jiali pressed Liu Guilan, she finally revealed Jiang Yanqing’s true origins. But by then, Jiang Yanqing was already dead, forever unaware that the people he had called Mom and Dad for thirty years were child traffickers.
He had supported them all those years, and even in death, they still profited from the honors he earned with his life—and his pension.
In the entire Jiang family, Jiang Yanqing might have been the only decent person. She refused to implicate the innocent. As for his sacrifice, a year later, she was just a village girl, powerless to intervene.
The least she could do was ensure he learned the truth before his death.
Jiang Yanqing fixed Chen Xueying with a heavy, scrutinizing gaze. “You’d better be sure what you’re saying is true!” He said nothing more and turned and headed toward the old village secretary’s house.
It was as if he had never returned at all. Chen Xueying watched him leave and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Jiali, Lu Niannian, Liu Guixiang! This is just the first beating. Hope you can take it well…really get used to it!
Taking advantage of the chaos ahead, Chen Xueying slowly crept back inside.
Only when everyone was exhausted did Chen Zhenhua finally called a few nephews to throw Jiang Jiali into the yard.
When Jiang Jiali was tossed out, he showed no reaction, as if he had passed out cold. But no one cared at that moment; not even Jiang Jiali’s uncle dared to show his face.
“Alright, old woman, stop hitting them. Now, what should we do?” Chen Zhenhua said. He was getting on in years, and the strenuous labor, combined with the anger he’d felt that day, left him gasping for breath as he spoke.

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