Chapter 751

During the entire journey, Mother Jiang held her hand tightly, not daring to let go even for a second, afraid of running into human traffickers. It wasn’t until they arrived at the provincial capital’s train station in Sichuan and saw Jiang Song waiting to pick them up that she finally relaxed.

Carrying bags full of clothes, salted fish, cured meats, tea leaves, goji berries, and other hometown goods for Jiang Song, she climbed into his small pickup truck and headed toward his home in Sichuan.

Before the boss who ran off compensated Jiang Song with six apartments, he had never considered buying a home in the provincial capital. He used to live on-site at construction sites. But now that he had property, and the place was renovated, he and Xu Xuediao finally moved into a proper home.

After all the back-and-forth over the years, Jiang Song came to realize he wasn’t going to find a “good girl” to marry. Xu Xuediao wanted to move in, and as a grown man, he needed someone to cook and clean. Plus, they had kids together. For all these years, Xu Xuediao had taken care of him, working hard and never complaining. So Jiang Song silently accepted her and let her move in.

Xu Xuediao had been living quite comfortably all these years. Aside from making compromises with Jiang Song in daily life, everyone treated her like the boss’s wife. She wore faux fur jackets, tight skirts, always had makeup on, and kept herself well-groomed.

As soon as Mother Jiang arrived, Xu Xuediao’s face lit up with smiles, “Ma, you’re finally here! Songzi has been wanting to bring you over to live with us for a long time.”

Her eyes then landed on Jiang Yuanyue, now nearly as tall as her. Though there was some unfamiliarity, it didn’t stop her from being enthusiastic, “Is this little Yuanyue? In the blink of an eye, she’s already this big!”

At that moment, Jiang Yuanyue felt something very strange. This woman was supposed to be her biological mother—but she felt unsure. She was just too unfamiliar. Yuanyue looked helplessly at her grandma.

After all, Xu Xuediao had never spent a single day raising her—just like Mother Jiang had never raised Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning had at least been breastfed for a month. Jiang Yuanyue hadn’t even had that. To maintain her figure, Xu Xuediao claimed she had no milk and fed the baby formula from the start.

Back then, Jiang Song was doing well financially, so he didn’t care. Formula was bought by the can for Jiang Yuanyue.

Compared to Jiang Ning, Jiang Yuanyue had a better childhood. She never went hungry. She was never beaten.

Though Mother Jiang was in a new and unfamiliar place, she didn’t feel awkward at all—after all, this was her son’s house. She looked around confidently, as if it were her own domain.

This apartment was the largest of Jiang Song’s six properties—around 120 square meters. Originally, it was just Jiang Song and Xu Xuediao. Sometimes Jiang Song wouldn’t come home at all, living on construction sites or in other apartments. Xu Xuediao had plenty of space for herself. Even with two more people, the place still felt spacious.

As for this daughter-in-law she had never met before, Mother Jiang wasn’t entirely on board. She had pestered Jiang Song countless times to bring her home, but he always brushed her off impatiently, “What daughter-in-law?”

Leaving Father Jiang and Mother Jiang  completely speechless—

You already have two kids, and you’re telling us you’re not married?”

Jiang Song just got annoyed, “Alright alright, I get it!”

Jiang Song could accept being with Xu Xuediao, but deep down, he still couldn’t get over the fact that she had worked in a dance hall. Marrying her would be laughable in other people’s eyes. So all these years, he never brought her back, never took her to any important brothers gatherings either. She didn’t care. As long as she kept an eye on Jiang Song, she was satisfied.

Jiang Song was also genuinely excited to have his mother and daughter come live with him.

He was always close to his mother—and now, to his own daughter, too.

When Xu Xuedie spoke, she couldn’t help but carry the superior tone of someone from a big city. With pride, she walked into the kitchen like a noble lady from the Republic of China era, instructing the two country bumpkins from the countryside, “This is the gas stove, this is the range hood.”

Xu Xuedie came from a truly impoverished mountain village in a poor county—one of those places where people had to walk dozens of li through the mountains just to get out. Even at this time period, her home village still used traditional mud stoves. So she assumed that Mother Jiang and Jiang Yuanyue’s village was just the same.

But in reality, Wucheng County had already become one of the top 100 counties in the country years ago. It had been upgraded to a city. 

Linhe Brigade’s Jiang Village had even achieved the feat of every household earning over a million yuan annually a few years back. 

Jiang Guoding, who had driven the local economy as an entrepreneur, had even gone to the capital to be recognized by top leadership.

Although Mother Jiang’s house still had a mud stove, it was one built in the late ’90s. Her home had gas and a gas stove as well.

She simply preferred the taste of food cooked over a traditional mud stove—it was more flavorful than gas cooking. During the off-season when there weren’t many tourists, and with Jiang Yuanhao and Jiang Yuanyue both at school, only she and Father Jiang were at home. Father Jiang, being lazy, would use the gas stove to whip up a simple meal for the two of them.

Listening to Xu Xuedie’s words, it was clear she expected her and Yuanyue to be doing the cooking going forward. Mother Jiang was immediately annoyed, and her smile vanished.

She was a naturally stern-looking woman—without a smile, she looked difficult to approach. Her displeasure showed clearly on her face. She pulled out her phone, clumsily found the contact labeled “Son” in her phone book, and dialed.

On the other end, Jiang Song had just left the house when he received the call.”

Mother Jiang sat in a chair in the dining room, rubbing her head, her voice weak, “Songzi, I just spent days on the train. I’m dizzy and lightheaded. You know me, I’ve never cooked in my life. I don’t know how to use your kitchen either. Right now, Yuanyue and I haven’t even eaten. Hurry home and make us a bowl of noodles—we’ll just eat a little and go to sleep. Ay, my head~”

By the end, her voice was filled with sorrow and grievance.

She’d traveled thousands of miles to come live with her son, and hadn’t even had a bite to eat before her daughter-in-law was already ordering her around. She’d barely cooked a handful of meals in her life, and now, at this age, coming to live with her son, she was being expected to cook for a daughter-in-law who hadn’t even had a wedding and whom her son didn’t even acknowledge. Mother Jiang felt utterly wronged.

She thought about all the years her son was away and how she’d worried day and night. Now that she’d finally come to be with him, this was how she was treated on day one.

Unconsciously, she recalled something Grandma Jiang had once said when she’d just married into the Jiang family, “I draw a circle on the ground.”

Mother Jiang had only been a little upset before. But thinking of that comment from Grandma Jiang, she realized how similar the current situation was. Just like back then, she’d come to a strange place and was being bossed around from the start.

Overwhelmed by emotion, she choked up and began crying sorrowfully.

Xu Xuedie was completely stunned by Mother Jiang’s dramatic move.

Sure enough, less than ten seconds after she hung up, Jiang Song called—furious.

He didn’t curse her out, but his tone was harsh as he reprimanded her: why hadn’t she made food for his mom? His mother had traveled such a long way, and he had just entrusted his mom and daughter to her—was this how she treated them?