Chapter 34: Mother’s Diary
Jiang Lixuan was startled by Zhang Shimian who suddenly jumped out, and he hurriedly slammed on the brakes. Jiang Hengzhi, who had shamelessly followed along, lurched forward due to the car’s inertia, nearly smashing his head on the car seat.
Beautiful language came uncontrollably out of Jiang Lixuan’s mouth: “Your mom—”
Upon meeting Zhang Shimian’s gaze, Jiang Lixuan changed his tune: “How are you today? Of course, Daoist Zhang, get in the car quickly.”
As he spoke, he opened the car door, and Zhang Shimian nimbly got into the car.
Jiang Hengzhi also froze upon seeing Zhang Shimian: “Daoist Zhang.”
As the richest person in S City, the Jiang family had dealt with the Daoist priests from Sanqing Temple quite a bit.
After all, sometimes when signing contracts, they needed to ask them which day would be better, and for Zhang Shimian, the young disciple of the Sanqing Temple’s head, the Jiang family members were familiar with him.
Upon hearing that Zhang Shimian was looking for Nan Yuanman, Jiang Hengzhi frowned slightly and asked in particular confusion: “Does Daoist Zhang know Nan Yuanman too?”
Wasn’t Nan Yuanman just a little country girl living in the countryside? How did Zhang Shimian know her? And coming to find her so late.
Zhang Shimian glanced at Jiang Hengzhi and smiled politely: “Yes.”
As for how they knew each other, he didn’t say, as that was Yuanman’s private matter.
Jiang Hengzhi had been hoping to learn more about Nan Yuanman from Zhang Shimian’s mouth, but after he said those two words, he just smiled and said nothing more.
Jiang Hengzhi: “…” Fine, he didn’t really want to know anyway.
Once Zhang Shimian was seated steadily, Jiang Lixuan drove quickly toward the police station.
When they arrived at the police station, they saw a small lonely figure sitting in the corner at the doorway of the police station.
Xie Tingting and her grandpa and grandma were thanking Nan Yuanman.
The little old lady reached out and held Nan Yuanman’s chubby little palm, her face full of gratitude: “Little Heavenly Master, thank you for helping our family’s Tingting. Without you, she probably would have gotten stuck in a rut and gone down the wrong path.”
“Yes, yes, our whole family will bless you well from below, and those unworthy descendants too.” The old master had a gloomy expression: “Tonight, I’ll go give them a good lesson!”
Nan Yuanman pursed her lips and showed a sweet smile, speaking like a little adult: “No need to thank me, as long as Sister Tingting figured it out.”
“Yuanman, I’m leaving first.” Xie Tingting squatted in front of Nan Yuanman, full of reluctance. As if remembering something, she said: “By the way, that terrifying male ghost who induced me to commit suicide, he seemed to be possessed in someone else’s mobile phone, and the target group seemed to be students.”
“Yuanman, he’s very cunning, so be careful when you face him.”
Nan Yuanman nodded seriously, her little baby fat jiggling up and down with the motion. She hesitated a bit before asking: “Sister, do you still want to go see your father and mother?”
“No.” Xie Tingting shook her head, her eyes full of relief: “I’ve figured it out. Having my grandpa and grandma is enough for me.”
She wouldn’t expect her parents’ love anymore.
Only then did Nan Yuanman wave her little hand to say goodbye to her: “Then see you later, sister. Take good care of yourself.”
Xie Tingting hummed in response, leaning in to gently hug her: “See you, Yuanman.”
When Xie Tingting and her grandpa and grandma disappeared at the Ghost Gate, Jiang Lixuan’s aggressive, full-of-vitality voice came from behind her: “Nan Yuanman!”
Nan Yuanman was startled and jumped, turning around to see Jiang Lixuan, Jiang Hengzhi, and Zhang Shimian striding over with dark faces. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She stood up and ran wailing behind Zhang Shimian: “Sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’ll compensate you for the damaged stuff in the room!”
“Don’t hit me!”
Jiang Lixuan laughed in anger, feeling both heartbroken and upset, with an indescribable mix of emotions: “Am I the kind of person who hits kids?!”
“Aren’t you?” Nan Yuanman clutched Zhang Shimian’s pant leg, cautiously poking out her little head: “Then why do you look so aggressive like you’re going to eat someone?”
“I’m mad that you left home without a word! Do you know how dangerous the outside world is? What if you got kidnapped by human traffickers?”
Jiang Lixuan said with a dark face: “What would I do then? What would the Jiang family do?”
Jiang Hengzhi looked Nan Yuanman up and down, seeing that she was unharmed, and for some reason felt slightly relieved. He chimed in: “Alright, why are you so anxious? Isn’t she fine? No missing arms or legs.”
“She ran out on her own. If she really got kidnapped, got her limbs broken, became disabled, and came out begging, that would be her own fault.”
Jiang Lixuan was particularly unhappy hearing this and raised his voice: “Second Brother! Say less!”
Zhang Shimian frowned slightly, his impression of the Jiang family members dropping several degrees, feeling particularly displeased.
How could Jiang Hengzhi, an adult, say such harsh words in front of a child?
Nan Yuanman didn’t feel much about it. She pouted and hummed lightly: “Anyway, you don’t like me. If I really disappeared, wouldn’t that be good for you?”
“Yes, it would be great.” Jiang Hengzhi sneered sarcastically, speaking harshly to her: “At least the family wouldn’t have to support another little brat.”
Jiang Lixuan’s face darkened, and he clenched his fist and swung it at Jiang Hengzhi’s face.
Jiang Hengzhi wasn’t prepared and took the hit squarely.
Jiang Hengzhi: “!”
He hissed and sucked in a cold breath, glaring angrily at Jiang Lixuan: “Have you gone mad?”
“I think you’ve gone mad! Are you proud of targeting a five-year-old kid?” Jiang Lixuan was about to explode with anger. He knew Jiang Hengzhi didn’t like Nan Yuanman, but he hadn’t expected his words toward her to be so vicious.
Jiang Hengzhi was stunned for a moment, his reason slightly restored from being swept up in emotions. He pursed his lips and subconsciously looked at Nan Yuanman, afraid of seeing a sad expression on her face.
Nan Yuanman admitted that hearing the words “little brat” made her feel a tiny bit upset, but just a tiny bit.
Because back in the village, she had heard it plenty of times from those people saying she was grandpa’s little brat.
She subconsciously hugged Zhang Shimian’s leg, took a deep breath, bristled all over preparing to fight back, when Zhang Shimian darkened his face, pulled her behind him, and snorted coldly: “Is this the upbringing of you Jiang family members? Targeting a child who’s only five years old—such great manners.”
“Yuanman is not an unwanted child. If the Jiang family doesn’t want to raise her, let our Sanqing Temple do it.”
“I’ve really seen it all. The Jiang family, the richest in S City—just this? Hah!”
It was the first time Nan Yuanman had been protected by someone other than Old Master Nan. She was stunned for a moment, tilting her little head up to stare blankly at Zhang Shimian, feeling a warm spot in her heart.
Jiang Lixuan and Jiang Hengzhi both looked embarrassed.
“I didn’t mean it that way, I wasn’t intentional…” Jiang Hengzhi hesitated to speak, looking annoyed. He had just lost control a bit seeing Nan Yuanman’s face that resembled Bai Wenyin’s…
He closed his eyes briefly and turned his face away, no longer looking at Nan Yuanman.
Jiang Lixuan coldly shoved Jiang Hengzhi aside. If he had known Jiang Hengzhi would speak so harshly to Yuanman right away, he absolutely wouldn’t have brought him!
He looked at Nan Yuanman hugging Zhang Shimian’s leg, looking at him with complete trust, feeling complex, sour, and mostly annoyed: “I didn’t think that way, Yuanman. I was really worried about you.”
Nan Yuanman dragged out an “oh” slowly, not believing it one bit.
Jiang Lixuan suddenly felt a bit heartbroken.
Nan Yuanman didn’t want to deal with the Jiang brothers anymore. Hugging Zhang Shimian’s leg, she said: “Shimian, why did you take so long to come? Where’s your master?”
Zhang Shimian’s mouth twitched. Shimian? What kind of nickname was that?
“Call me brother.” Zhang Shimian ruffled her head: “My master had something come up at the last minute and couldn’t come, so he asked me to pass a message to you.”
Before he could speak, Nan Yuanman’s stomach growled.
Zhang Shimian’s eyes sharpened: “You haven’t eaten yet?”
Nan Yuanman touched her flat little stomach: “No.”
Zhang Shimian gave the Jiang brothers an indescribable look, as if condemning them for not even feeding the child.
He picked up Nan Yuanman and turned to stride away: “Then let’s go. I’ll take you to eat, and we can talk while eating.”
Jiang Lixuan sighed and said to Jiang Hengzhi: “Second Brother, you go back on your own. I’ll take Yuanman back later.”
Without waiting for Jiang Hengzhi to speak, he strode after them.
Jiang Hengzhi stood there with a gloomy face, irritably clicking his tongue. Just then, the mobile phone in his pocket rang.
As soon as he picked up, he heard Jiang Xinxin’s voice crying her heart out: “Second Uncle, where are you and Little Uncle? Xin Xin had a nightmare, Xin Xin is scared, wuwuwu…”
The slight guilt Jiang Hengzhi had felt toward Nan Yuanman instantly vanished. He hurriedly said: “Xin Xin, don’t be afraid. Uncle’s coming back right now.”
He quickly hung up the phone, hailed a cab, and returned to the villa.
–
Zhang Shimian found a nearby clean small restaurant and took Nan Yuanman and the tag-along Jiang Lixuan into a private room.
He poured a glass of water for Nan Yuanman. Watching the little brat gulp down the water from the water cup, his heart ached terribly, and he glared even more accusingly at Jiang Lixuan.
Unable to hold back, he asked Nan Yuanman: “Yuanman, do you want to come back to Sanqing Temple with me? I’ll have my master take you as a disciple. Then you’ll be my junior sister, and I’ll catch ghosts to earn money and support you!”
Jiang Lixuan, who was unpacking the bowls and chopsticks for Nan Yuanman, felt his heart skip a beat and jerked his head up to look at Nan Yuanman, reacting intensely: “No way!”
He then glared furiously at Zhang Shimian. Fine, he had originally thought Zhang Shimian came to talk business with Nan Yuanman, but this guy was here to steal the child!
He should have driven the car into a ditch!
Zhang Shimian ignored Jiang Lixuan’s fury-filled gaze and looked at her expectantly. Jiang Lixuan also couldn’t help but tense up, afraid Nan Yuanman would agree.
Nan Yuanman finished the last bit of water in the cup and gave Zhang Shimian a soft, obedient smile: “Not for now. I feel pretty good staying at the Jiang family.”
Not to mention… she currently had the big bomb of her corpse-stiff grandpa on her. Going to Sanqing Temple would be walking right into the tiger’s mouth.
The best option was still to stay temporarily at the Jiang family.
Jiang Lixuan breathed a sigh of relief and gave Zhang Shimian a smug look.
Zhang Shimian felt a bit regretful, but with his master’s advance warning, he wasn’t too disappointed.
He sighed: “Alright then. If life at the Jiang family isn’t good, tell me anytime, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“By the way, Yuanman, my master asked me to give you this.” Zhang Shimian took out a locked, worn diary from his shoulder bag.
A family photo, full of scratches but carefully glued back together, was stuck on the cover of the diary.
Jiang Lixuan’s gaze fixed on the yellowed photo, his pupils shrinking sharply.
