RBI1960 Chapter 23 V2

When Ruan Yuanjiang read the report, he’d already developed a soft spot for the boy. Of course, Jiang Yiliu didn’t know any of this. He just sat quietly, listening to the adults talk.

“Let me introduce you,” said Ruan Yuanjiang, pointing to the frail old man. “This is Elder Bai Fangqiu, the former director of the Capital People’s Hospital.”

Both Jiang Dahai and Jiang Yiliu were stunned.

Jiang Dahai was shocked by the man’s status—director of the capital’s top hospital? That was a royal physician! Having someone like that in the village meant the locals wouldn’t need to go to the county hospital for every little thing.

Jiang Yiliu was also astonished. He hadn’t expected someone so important to be sent down here.

“And this,” Ruan continued, “is my former subordinate Huo Wu, a champion in hand-to-hand combat from the army.”

He didn’t mention why they had been sent down.

Jiang Yiliu perked up when he heard that. He’d always been frustrated by how weak his body was. Now, with someone like Huo Wu around, maybe he could finally build up some strength. He didn’t want to be a martial arts master or anything—just strong and healthy would do.

That thought made him look at Huo Wu with bright, eager eyes, making the man feel a little awkward.

“Grrrr…”

Out of nowhere, a loud stomach growl echoed in the quiet forest path.

Jiang Yiliu’s gaze dropped to Huo Wu’s stomach—just in time to see it wriggle. A small, fuzzy head poked out from beneath the thick coat. Her light brown hair was tied with a crooked butterfly bow. She blinked drowsily at the little boy staring straight at her, blushed, and quickly ducked back inside.

“What the—?” Jiang Dahai jumped. “We were only told three adults were coming! Who’s this little girl?”

Ruan Yuanjiang’s expression darkened slightly, as if remembering something painful. But when he looked at the girl, his eyes softened.

With a bitter laugh, he didn’t try to hide the truth: “That’s my granddaughter. Her name’s Ruan Ruan. Her father, my eldest son, and his wife were both killed during the Vietnam War. She’s all I have left.

I won’t lie to you—after this happened, my other two sons and daughters all cut ties with me. Technically, Ruan Ruan has the right to special treatment as a martyr’s child—she didn’t need to come here with me. But this little one insisted. She said she wanted to stay with her grandpa, no matter what.”

Ruan Yuanjiang grumbled under his breath, but there was a trace of happiness in his eyes.

Jiang Yiliu noticed it and understood. A man who had suffered betrayal from his family—abandoned by his flesh and blood—wouldn’t have been able to endure such a blow without the companionship of his little granddaughter, no matter how strong he was.

That growling stomach from earlier was probably this little girl’s. Looking at her, Jiang Yiliu was reminded of how Meiling looked when she was first brought to him—timid and frightened, like she’d run away if anyone raised their voice even a little.

Thinking of his niece from his previous life, Jiang Yiliu felt a bit melancholy. Since he now intended to change his eldest sister’s fate in this life, did that mean Meiling would never exist this time around?

Looking at the little girl in front of him and thinking about her unfortunate background, Jiang Yiliu couldn’t help but feel a wave of pity.

“There are some pastries here. It’ll take a while before we reach the village. You should eat a little to fill your stomach,” Jiang Yiliu said as he took out the pastries Qu Ying had packed for them. Aside from the fully wrapped bag, there were also a good number of loose pastries.

They were all being sent to the countryside for reeducation. Other than a few cornbreads they’d had before setting off, they hadn’t eaten anything since getting on the train. If even the kids were struggling, let alone the adults. As soon as the pastries were laid out, everyone’s stomachs started growling.

Jiang Dahai slapped his forehead. He hadn’t even thought of that. His son was sharper than he was. He quickly joined in to help.

“It’ll take at least another hour or two to get to our village. Uncle, you guys should eat some pastries to keep your strength up. Once we get home, I’ll have my mom cook up something hot.”

Seeing the little girl curled up in Huo Wu’s coat, Jiang Yiliu lifted his blanket and patted the spot next to him, signaling for her to come over. Nestling inside someone else’s coat wasn’t nearly as warm or comfortable as a proper blanket.

Ruanyuan glanced at her grandfather first. Seeing his encouraging expression, she mustered up her courage and crawled over to Jiang Yiliu.

Jiang Yiliu carefully tucked the blanket around her. The two children huddled together under the covers for warmth. After all, they were only four or five years old—it was harmless.

“Here, this is peach shortbread. It’s really tasty.”

Jiang Yiliu gently broke the cookie into tiny pieces and placed them on a handkerchief for her to eat from, so she wouldn’t choke.

Ruanruan took the handkerchief and smiled sweetly at the kind older boy, saying Thank you. When she smiled, two little dimples appeared on her cheeks, her eyes curved like crescents, just like the lucky doll babies in New Year paintings. Absolutely adorable.

Ruan Yuanjiang sat beside them, eating pastries, his eyes quietly watching the two little ones. For the first time, he felt some relief. He had worried that after arriving in a rural place like this, his pampered granddaughter might not be able to adjust. Especially since Ruanruan was naturally timid—she didn’t even speak up when bullied by her cousins. He had feared she’d grow more withdrawn here without any playmates.

But now, it seemed like coming here might not have been such a bad decision after all.

Ruanruan was starving. She was eating too fast, and the dry cookie soon made her choke.

Seeing this, Jiang Yiliu quickly pulled out a small water bottle, wiped the spout, and handed it to her while gently patting her back. After all, he’d raised his niece in his previous life—taking care of a little girl came naturally to him.

After that scare, he didn’t let her eat on her own anymore. He took back the handkerchief and began feeding her piece by piece, making sure she finished each one slowly before handing over the next, worried she’d choke again.

“Thank you, big brother,” Ruanruan said, her eyes sparkling as she stared up at him. In her mind, he was amazing—way better than her brothers and sisters back home.

Little Ruanruan didn’t know how to express it exactly, but to her, he was just really nice, just like Grandpa and Uncle Da Wu.

“It’s getting late. Let’s get moving. Uncle Bai, Uncle Ruan, Brother Huo—sit tight.”

The mountain road to Qingshan Village was rough, but fortunately, before setting off, Granny Miao had laid thick quilts over the flatbed cart. Especially Jiang Yiliu’s little spot—it was so soft he felt like he could sink right in.

As they traveled, they passed the time chatting. Ruan Yuanjiang and Bai Fangqiu asked Jiang Dahai about life in Qingshan Village. Huo Wu sat silently nearby with his eyes closed, resting. Even while seated, his back remained straight—like a sword drawn from its sheath—ever alert to his surroundings.

Jiang Yiliu and Ruanruan huddled in a corner, whispering.

Having more than ten years of parenting experience under his belt, Jiang Yiliu easily got the little girl to open up. Before long, she was telling him everything about herself.

The Ruan family was once a prestigious clan from Sucheng. During wartime, they relocated to Haicheng. Ruanruan’s grandfather had two older brothers and was the youngest. To protect the family’s assets during a time of national crisis, the eldest brother took his family and one-third of the family fortune to America, while the second brother went to Hong Kong with another third. Ruan Yuanjiang, deeply concerned for the country, chose to stay behind and donated the rest of the family’s wealth to support the war effort.

Jiang Yiliu understood—having overseas connections during this time could be a huge liability.

Huo Wu was a retainer of the Ruan family. He had been sold to them as a child and, though technically a servant, Ruan Yuanjiang treated him like his own son, providing him with the same education.

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

Jiang Yiliu glanced at the man sitting ramrod straight. Huo Wu opened his eyes and stared straight at him with such sharp intensity that it felt like his gaze cut straight through to his soul.

Jiang Yiliu’s heart skipped a beat, but with years of life experience behind him, he didn’t look away. Instead, he met the gaze calmly and directly.

Huo Wu looked at him for a moment, expressionless, then slowly closed his eyes again. Only then did Jiang Yiliu let out a quiet breath.

“That kid’s got something,” Huo Wu thought, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. The cold edge from before had faded just a bit.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yiliu didn’t notice the subtle change. He was still focused on drawing more information from Ruanruan about the outside world.

To avoid sounding too obvious in his questioning, he mixed in funny stories about village life as they chatted. Ruanruan’s eyes lit up as she listened. When she learned that Jiang Yiliu had four sisters who got along well, she was filled with envy. After all, she had many siblings, but none of them ever wanted to play with her.

She stole a few glances at the boy beside her. Whenever his gaze shifted her way, she quickly looked away, blushing. But inside, she was beaming. Brother Yiliu was so nice—his sisters must be just as kind.

She held tightly onto the little fabric doll tucked in her chest pocket—the last gift from her mother—and breathed in the scent of wild grass in the mountain air, her heart slowly growing peaceful.