Chapter 5 The Jiang Family

After leaving the Wan family’s house, Wan Shun’s gaze grew increasingly deep and cold. This was still just an appetizer. In her previous life, if not for the burden forced upon her by the Wan family, she wouldn’t have been branded with infamy, thrown into prison, left with so many regrets, or even caused the death of the one person who truly cared for her.

Did they think they could rise above their station and live a good life in the city? Foolish dreaming. No rush—dreams are only memorable when they shatter piece by piece.

She turned on her heel and headed up the mountain first. When she descended, she carried a bundle of wild vegetables, a wild chicken, and two eggs in her hands. She followed the foot of the mountain toward the end of the village.

Only one family lived at the village’s edge—the Jiangs. The Jiang family had fled here years ago, outsiders with no elders or siblings, just the three of them living at the foot of the mountain, apart from everyone else. They kept a low profile, were friendly, and got along well with the villagers.

But now, only Yu Yan remained in the Jiang household. The dilapidated courtyard stood lonely at the mountain’s foot.

Wan Shun, familiar with the place, pushed open the gate. Memories, long buried, surged back. She had been an orphan taken in by the Wan family, who treated her poorly—sometimes hungry, sometimes fed, endless chores in summer, no warm clothes in winter. Even through two lifetimes, she never understood why the old couple brought her home, only to hate her enough to wish her dead.

But that didn’t stop her from fighting to survive. She developed a thick skin, begged here, borrowed there, and barely got by. Later, she met Jiang Yingzhi, four years her senior—a precocious, steady boy, fond of lecturing.

He brought her home, shared his parents with her. From then on, she was a frequent guest in the Jiang household.

Father Jiang was stern but kind, Mother Jiang gentle yet stubborn. Jiang Yingzhi was meticulous, almost fussy, like a little old man, always chiding her for being untidy and careless. He said she talked too much, chirping like a sparrow, noisy.

But Father and Mother Jiang never minded her. They often scolded Jiang Yingzhi, telling him that as a boy, he shouldn’t be so petty and pick on his little sister.

How wonderful it was, that family. This tattered courtyard held almost all the laughter of her childhood.

But good things never lasted. Father Jiang died—executed for murder. The Jiang family became the scourge of Fu’an Village, shunned and reviled. Jiang Yingzhi, now a murderer’s son, was ostracized by his peers; the warm-hearted boy turned silent and withdrawn.

Eventually, Jiang Yingzhi followed in his father’s footsteps. On his eighteenth birthday, he too was imprisoned for murder.

Two years passed. Only Mother Jiang, Yu Yan, remained, jeered at, cursed, driven away, beaten. At forty, she looked like an old woman of eighty, never standing straight again.

In her past life, after Wan Shun took the blame for Wan Yu, Yu Yan had earnestly warned her that some burdens were not hers to bear.

But she was stubborn, determined to repay the family that raised her, and it brought her nothing but ruin. She fled to save her own life, not even seeing Yu Yan one last time. It was said Yu Yan died alone in her home, her body discovered only after the stench spread. The villagers, thinking her unlucky, wrapped her in a straw mat and tossed her into the mountains, ending her miserable life.

The broken Jiang house was eventually burned to the ground. Jiang Yingzhi, who always scolded and protected her, died tragically in prison trying to save her.

No one ever mentioned the Jiangs again. The family who had brought her warmth seemed never to have existed.

The memories made Wan Shun’s chest ache and swell with grief.

“Godmother, I’m back.”

A clatter and crash sounded from inside the house, then silence.

Wan Shun’s eyes flickered, and she strode toward the kitchen.

Three boys of eighteen or nineteen burst out, each clutching a sack—clearly, food and supplies. Where did they get them? Of course, they had stolen them from the Jiangs.

The Jiang family’s decline was inseparable from people like this.

The trio didn’t pay Wan Shun any mind, only annoyed at her bad timing. They glared viciously and walked out as if she were invisible.

Wan Shun raised her eyebrows. “Not leaving the goods behind?”

The three hadn’t expected a little girl to talk back. They turned around, looked her up and down with disgust, and sneered, “Mind your own business, or we’ll teach you a lesson.”

Wan Shun swung her hand and slapped the leader hard across the face, grinning wickedly. “Is this how you do it?”

The trio froze for a second before rage consumed them. “You wretched girl, are you looking to die?”

Their fury was palpable, as if they meant to devour her alive.

Wan Shun bent down, picked up a broken brick, and weighed it in her hand. As they approached, she struck each of them, one by one.

Before they could react, all three lay sprawled on the ground.

Wan Shun advanced, smiling like a little demon. “Did I hit you right?”

The three, faces bruised and teeth missing, could only mumble and shake their heads desperately.

“No?” Wan Shun frowned. “Then I’ll keep going.”

Tears streamed down their faces as they nodded frantically.

Wan Shun tilted her head. “So you’re agreeing I should continue?”

She raised the brick, and the three wet themselves in terror.

Yu Yan, struggling to emerge, turned pale at the sight of the brick in Wan Shun’s hand—someone could get killed. In a panic, she cried, “Xiao Shun…”

Wan Shun paused, disappointment flashing across her face. She kicked the trio. “Get lost.”

These three were petty criminals from the neighboring village, used to stealing and bullying. When confronted with real violence, they lost all courage, clutching their bloody heads and fleeing in disgrace.

Since the troubles with the Jiang men, people like this had become frequent visitors.

Wan Shun turned back, grinning at Yu Yan. “Godmother.”

But the moment her eyes met Yu Yan’s aged, withered, pitiful face, a cold gleam flashed in Wan Shun’s eyes.

The Wan family couldn’t stand to see her happy. Anyone who treated her well—they would either brainwash her to keep her away, or spread malicious gossip until others dared not pity her.

So, in this large village, not a single person dared help her, leaving her to the Wan family’s abuse. It wasn’t really fear, just a reluctance to be troubled.

The Jiangs were the only ones who showed her kindness and remained untouched by the Wan family’s influence.

The Wan family hated the Jiangs. They wanted Wan Shun isolated, under their thumb, while the Jiangs deliberately defied them. So, when disaster struck the Jiangs, the Wan family kicked her while she was down, forcing her to stay away from Yu Yan.

At the time, Yu Yan also didn’t want to implicate her and so distanced herself.

Foolishly, Wan Shun believed her, stayed away from Yu Yan who needed her most, and let her be bullied.

Jiang Yingzhi was imprisoned for two years. For two years, Wan Shun never came back, never really checked on Yu Yan.

And this was what had become of her? Was it because her spirit and health deteriorated so badly that she died so early in her last life?

Wan Shun was filled with guilt and remorse. She had to treat Yu Yan’s illness and nurse her back to health as soon as possible.

“Xiao Shun, why have you suddenly come?” Yu Yan’s tone was surprised and complicated.

She had chosen to distance herself from Wan Shun, but after such a long time without a visit or even hearing her call ‘Godmother,’ she couldn’t help feeling disappointed and sad. Seeing her now, so suddenly, felt unreal.

Wan Shun grinned broadly, raising the wild chicken in her hand. “I’ve come home, of course. We’ll have chicken tonight.”

Her familiarity and warmth made Yu Yan’s mind drift back to earlier days—the lively girl, always chattering by her side, the laughter, the joy, her husband’s amused shakes of the head, her son’s exaggerated disdain.

But she soon pulled herself back to reality. She shouldn’t indulge in a fleeting warmth at Wan Shun’s expense.

“Xiao Shun, you shouldn’t come here. Go home, quickly.”

The Jiang family had become a taboo in Fu’an Village. Everyone avoided them as if they were plague, and anyone who got close would be ostracized.