CH 69

An important event for the Jiang family-Jiang Nian was going to college in the Imperial City!

This was the first time she had left home so far in 18 years, not for a day or two, but for several months. There was no one to care of her personally. If she had a cold, was tired of studying, or wanted to eat and they weren’t around……what would happen?

The whole family was so scared by this thought!

Father Jiang’s career made it so that he couldn’t leave. Grandpa and Grandma Jiang still needed someone to take care of them. Jiang Xiaobao would be in his second year of high school and couldn’t leave. This was a big family. All the way to the imperial capital……so worried, Mama Jiang’s hair was white.

However, worrying or not worrying, Jiang Nian could not stay. Her bright and beautiful life had just begun, and the world outside was so wonderful; she should not be trapped in a small house.

The closer to the start of school in September, the lower the Jiang’s family members’ moods were. The mood was bad, and the appetite was not good. The most frequent sound heard was a sigh. Jiang Xiaobao dared to eat only a bowl of rice. He was afraid that too good of an appetite would cause his hair to be pulled again. Because he was not full, he could only go to Huo Ping’s house to eat, just like a refugee. Watching him eat as if he was starving, Huo Ping and Grandpa Huo’s mouths twitched.

But, when it came to Jiang Nian going to the imperial capital, Huo Ping was also a little worried. Unfortunately, he could only take the college entrance examination next year, otherwise he would also go to the capital and take care of Jiang Nian.

In the past few years, they had lived together day and night. Before, he used to laugh at Jiang Nian as a Yangzi jie. Now when he thought of her physical condition, he was inevitably worried and distressed. Even his grandfather sighed several times and said that if Jiang Nian was not in bad health, then her future achievements would definitely not be low, but a pity, a pity.

Yes, even Huo Ping felt pity.

She was so smart, how good would it be if she had a healthy body?

Jiang Nian went to the imperial capital ten days in advance. Her parents and grandparents accompanied her, and a group of people sent her together, carrying big bags and small bags. She only packed three big boxes in her luggage. Her elders seemed to have moved over the whole family! There are very few clothes and daily necessities; most of them were medicinal diet materials prepared by Mother Jiang for Jiang Nian and the required Chinese medicine for the next month, followed by some nutritious products such as bird’s nest and ginseng.

In addition, they brought Huo Ling a lot of gifts. Some were specialty bacon sausages from their hometown, and some were nutritional products such as Cordyceps sinensis. As the saying went, Huo Ling served the country, and his body naturally needed to be nourished to maintain strength. Plus, even if Huo Ling didn’t eat these things, the elders at home could also eat so there was no loss, especially practical.

This time, Dad Jiang was able to buy a suitable small apartment in the capital thanks to his help. Originally, Dad Jiang didn’t want to trouble Huo Ling, but he didn’t find anywhere he liked after running for a few days and had to trouble Huo Ling. Anyway, he was thick-skinned, and he could repay an owed favor to Huo Ling slowly, but his daughter could not wait. After buying a house, he had to renovate it, and replace it with new furniture. Two months was not enough to clear the scent!

Where did he think that his daughter was so prosperous and so capable that she would be able to get her first grade in the province! No way, she could only come out and suffer.

Huo Ling deserved to be his good brother, and he solved it for him in a day. He found a small apartment with four bedrooms and two halls that was easily sold as the original owner was eager to go abroad. Father Jiang paid a generous payment. After completing the transfer procedures, the construction team entered the next day. After half a month of work, brand-new furniture was put into the house, the windows were opened to let it ventilate, and it could barely count as a new house.

So, they didn’t have to go to the hotel when they arrived in the imperial capital. They just went to their new house. Although the house was a little small, there were still a lot of rooms. It was not a problem to live. They could also invite an aunt to take care of the house. There was still enough time to train her for a few days before she had to start work. How to make medicine and cook medicinal meals were matters that needed careful attention!

Once things were arranged, they intended to walk around the capital as it would be a waste not to go out and have a look. Grandpa and Grandma Jiang hadn’t seen what the capital looked like. Shouldn’t they take a good look at the legendary Forbidden City and Great Wall? They could go back and show off to their old friends!

Jiang Laichun over there heard that and asked Liu Yingying to guide them. Liu Yingying came to the Imperial Capital one year in advance anyway. Shouldn’t she be familiar with the road? Mother Jiang still remembered Liu Yingying’s inexplicable hostility towards her daughter and said they wouldn’t bother Yingying’s work. They would just find a local tour guide themselves. It was not a big deal.

Liu Yingying told Jiang Laichun that she had found a job in a training class during the summer vacation teaching elementary students to read Chinese so she wouldn’t return home for summer vacation. The salary was okay and, because the school she applied for didn’t require rent, subtracting living expenses, there were two or three thousand leftover each month. Working for two months was enough for her living expenses for the rest of the year.

Jiang Laichun was particularly satisfied with this. Everyone said how hard working and how good her daughter was to have earned a salary even before graduation. In this way, she walked very tall. Jiang Nian’s good grades in the capital made her shocked, but her daughter was not bad! Could Jiang Nian go out to work afterwards? No matter how good she was, what could her body do? All in all, she was still inferior to her daughter.

Jiang Laichun was a little prouder. Her family’s pocketbook couldn’t compare to her brother’s family, but her daughter was not bad.

Besides, Jiang Laichun was also afraid of disturbing her daughter’s work. Since she refused to visit, she didn’t mention it to Liu Yingying. Liu Yingying thought that Jiang Nian was still in City B and wanted to contact Jiang Nian when the school started. She’d gotten a lot better now, though she was still badly injured, and she had been avoiding Qi Bin. Although Qi Bin had been looking for her and asking her to meet, she never agreed once. Occasionally responding a few words on WeChat was the extent of her benevolence.1

This time Jiang Nian came out to go to university alone, she could always find a chance.

****

After a year and a half, Jiang Nian saw Huo Ling again.

The man stood in the hall of the airport with people coming and going, wearing a military uniform, long boots and short hair, a straight posture, full of perseverance and calmness. The awe-inspiring sharp edge was hidden under the pair of unfathomable black pupils.

A lot of people were watching him, but he saw none.

His calm eyes swept Jiang Nian, and there was a faint smile in his dark eyes instinctively.

After not having seen in such a long time, the little girl was taller and not as thin as a child like before. The immature silhouette had opened, with a white face, delicate eyebrows, straight nose and cherry lips, fully beautiful. When she smiled, you could still see a sharp little tiger tooth.2

“Hello Uncle Huo!”

“……” 

Growing up was growing up, but the character had not changed at all.

Hearing that Huo Ling had been taking a break these days and could be a tour guide, the Jiang family was happy. This way, they could have peace of mind in not getting lost on their own.

With the enthusiastic assistant Huo Ling, Dad Jiang was surer that he had made a good brother. But this brother did not want to recognize the brotherhood and always treated him as an uncle, how very sad.

Jiang Nian was very happy to know that they could go out to play, and she was also very worried. This was the beginning of the school season in September. There must be a lot of people coming to the Imperial Capital. It was hot, stuffy, and crowded. How long would it take to go around? Maybe even the soles of her feet would get all worn out— wasn’t this going to kill her?

Not to mention, with the lack of three of her four grand front and back law protectors, her sense of crisis had tripled!

Of course, Jiang Nian didn’t want to be absent from family trips. So, she was still very smart to let Jiang Xiaobao buy a wheelchair for her and push it while they went out. When tired, she would ride the wheelchair. When there were few people, she could stand up and walk again. That was perfect! It was time for the little tubby to use up all that meat he ate. Plus, she wasn’t the only one who could use it; her grandparents would also easily tire at their age. The few of them could take turns.

Jiang Nian’s ideas were recognized by the whole family and praised one after another. Where could they find such a smart baby?

On the first day of travel, Huo Ling was shocked when he saw Jiang Nian being pushed out by Jiang Xiaobao. His heart seemed to suffocate. He strode forward, and his face was condensed3, which he didn’t find.

“What’s this? Why in a wheelchair? Where did you hurt? ”

Jiang Xiaobao’s face was a bit exhausted. Jiang Nian jumped down and said, “It’s okay, I’m afraid I’m too tired to go outside. I won’t be able to drag everyone’s hind legs, so I prepared a wheelchair for myself. Don’t you think I’m smart! ”

Huo Ling was stunned: “…! ”

………Can a person prepare a wheelchair for himself?!

He squeezed his palm and couldn’t help but knock the forehead of the girl whose face was asking to be praised.

To be honest, it was really convenient to have a wheelchair. It was true when Jiang Nian said that she couldn’t walk too much or be too tired. The wheelchair came in handy. She could simply take a seat and hold an umbrella when she felt tire. Mama Jiang was afraid she was hungry and thirsty, and she cut a few boxes of fruit. Daddy Jiang also carried ginseng chicken soup for her to enjoy.

She gained a lot of sympathetic glances along the way. Look at this girl in the flower season, good age, how can she break her leg at a young age? Very pitiful.

There, Jiang Xiaobao went to buy sorbet. Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Jiang, and Mama Jiang also wanted to eat. Dad Jiang didn’t eat sorbet, but he wanted to drink ice water. The family went, and Jiang Nian was also antsy. She jumped up from her wheelchair and chased up, craning her neck to watch. She didn’t eat, she really didn’t eat; she just looked!

Huo Ling pushed the empty wheelchair, feeling that there were eyes all over the place, and their gazes went from ‘poor pity, alas’ to ‘tsk tsk tsk’.

Why do you say this good little girl will pretend to be crippled? Really the fickleness of human relationships!4 People aren’t as good as ancients!5

Huo Ling covered his face, rubbed his forehead and looked at the little girl huddled behind the crowd. No wonder Huo Ping laughed and reminded him to wear a mask when he knew he was going to visit the scenic spots with the Jiang family.

At the time, he didn’t think there was anything to be worried about. After all, he was also a person who had experienced strong winds and waves6. Although Jiang Nian’s thinking was too amazing for him to keep up, he could still stabilize himself. But, after he came out, he realized that he still underestimated Jiang Nian.

After he pushed the wheelchair to the entrance of the store, Jiang Nian returned with an umbrella in her hands, a bit pitiful compared with the others who had returned fully loaded: “Don’t you eat?”

Jiang Nian shook her head and stared at Jiang Xiaobao’s sorbet.

She pouted: “I won’t eat, my body is more important.”

Huo Ling felt a bit distressed and his heart softened.

Jiang Nian touched the Big Gold around her neck and said, “After all, it’s rare to have a genius like this in the world. I should protect myself well; the country cannot lose its pillars and talents! Besides, I am still an envious rich second generation. It’s just sorbet, it’s not worth it! ”

Huo Ling: “…………?? Cough! It’s not worth it.”

Jiang Nian nodded. That is of course! After all, she would be famous in the future, a ‘left-hand-big-gold, right-hand-big-gold’ winner in life!

Huo Ling’s mouth twitched, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He prided himself on staying completely calm for nearly ten years. His former temper had been wiped out in training and missions long ago. He had been injured and almost died. He also watched the sacrifice of his comrades. His heart had been very hard. But he couldn’t help but react every time he saw Jiang Nian, who was obviously tortured by her illness and lived a very hard life but lived so happily and cheerfully and regarded herself as the happiest person in the world.

What, to them, seemed to them like a painful or unbearable, in her eyes, become a trivial matter.

This girl always had the magic of making people laugh out loud.

So, he couldn’t help but want to take care of her; at least he wanted to keep this rare child’s heart. So, when he knew that Jiang Nian would study the capital, he had already let people look for a house— with Jiang’s family protection of Jiang Nian, they would definitely come to buy a house. And things were as he expected. He came to pick up the plane and wanted to see the little girl he hadn’t seen for more than a year.

And he thought of the moment of panic and suffocation that shocked him.

He lowered his eyes, hiding the strangeness in his eyes.

For a time, he dared not look at the girl’s bright smile.

****

The Jiang Nian family went to a lot of scenic spots. Because they were afraid of Jiang Nian’s body, they didn’t go out every day and waited for a couple days before going out again. Plus, they still carried the wheelchair along.

Mama Jiang wasn’t idle when she was resting. She trained the aunt she invited by hand, showing her how long to cook the medicine, how to put together a medicinal diet, how to season daily dishes, and even posted a list of Jiang Nian’s favorite vegetables and fruits in the kitchen. Mama Jiang was not at ease, afraid that the aunt would neglect something.

The salary they offered was high so, even if Mama Jiang watched like a hawk, any smart aunt would not be willing to lose the job.

When school started, Mama Jiang packed up Jiang Nian’s clothes, linens, daily necessities and the like. Father Jiang and Jiang Xiaobao carried a suitcase each and the family of six went to register Jiang Nian. After registering, they went to the bedroom to make a bed.

Jiang Nian also called her little tablemate in advance. She was also accompanied by her family to register. The voice on the phone was full of excitement and anticipation. After being happy, she couldn’t help but whine, “I will work harder and more in the future. I must work harder; I’m too stupid. So many geniuses around me, I’ll waste away if I don’t work hard! ”

Jiang Nian nodded seriously and said,“ Okay, refuel! You just need to follow me.”

Xiao Tong wiped her tears: “Yes! I will!”

After encouraging each other, Jiang Nian and Xiao Tong made an appointment to have lunch together and then hung up the phone.

Because Jiang Nian was a celebrity, whether it was a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, many had heard of her. Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Jiang, and the Jiang parents had also been interviewed. They attracted lots of attention at the school gate, and the same message appeared in the staring eyes: “Oh God! The devil family is here!”

At this time, the Jiang family did not know that their family had become a devil. Grandpa Jiang was the first time to come to the legendary Capital University. Naturally, as he walked and looked around, he saw everything as fresh. If he were several decades younger, it would be necessary to work hard to study at university. Father and Mother Jiang also walked with the breeze, heads held high and chest out. Jiang Xiaobao was a porter in the back, carrying a large bag and a small bag, and also had a small chest poked high.

Outsiders only saw the golden light of the devil family, just like a mobile little sun, floating in from the gate, floating all the way with golden light. Spicy eyes, really spicy eyes! They broke their hearts with their words and now come to hurt their eyes!

Soon, there was a post in the school post bar saying, “I saw the devil family bring their genius to report to the school, I don’t know who had the honor to be in a class and a bedroom?”

This post immediately aroused heated discussion. After all, there were many celebrities like Jiang Nian, but there were really few as wonderful things as her.(They mean in terms of her shocking speech)

After completing the admission procedures, the Jiang family escorted Jiang Nian to the dormitory building. She was assigned to the second floor of the fifth buildings, where four people shared a room. Two of them claimed a bunk and had already made beds inside. The other party saw Jiang Nian came in and was stunned. And then she looked at the older brother, grandpa, grandma, uncle, aunt and younger brother behind him…7

Oh, isn’t this the devil family?

The three parties of course first greeted each other. It was a good fate to be the one in a thousand who shared a dormitory!

Only then did Jiang Nian know that the two girls were named Jiang Yun and Chen Chen. They were also accompanied by their parents to register. By the way8, they traveled in the imperial capital for a few days. They planned to return to their hometown after the check-in.

While Jiang Father and Jiang Xiaobao cleaned the bed for Jiang Nian, Mama Jiang began to draw people’s hearts. The fruit snacks and cakes in the box were taken out and shared. By the way9, she asked them to help them take care of Jiang Nian.

But she didn’t know why, they had such a weird look in their eyes. Mama Jiang couldn’t help but wonder if she said anything strange, maybe when they first entered the school?

Chen Chen’s mother was a direct person. After eating the fruits and spending a while with the Jiang family, she felt that it was not as terrible as what was said online. She smiled and said, “Mrs. Jiang, you are not the same as what you see online.”

Mama Jiang choked for a moment and didn’t speak.

The Jiangs in real life were quite normal people and were also very personable. Jiang Nian and Grandma Jiang and Grandpa Jiang sat in rows and eat fruit. What kind of devil family were people talking about on the Internet? Wasn’t this alarmist? Their daughters really were telling them rumors blindly!

Mother Jiang wondered, “What’s wrong with the Internet?”

Yes, since entering the school, everyone looked at them with odd expressions like this. If couldn’t be said to be normal but it also didn’t seem abnormal? In short……It was a look that contained a thousand words.

Jiang Xiaobao came out to solve the puzzle at this time. After all, as an Internet addicted teenager who played on his mobile phone, could he not always pay attention to the news? Moreover, it was still about his sister!

Then he told that people online said they were the devil family. After that, Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Jiang, Dad Jiang, and Mother Jiang were very sad, and grabbed Jiang Xiaobao’s hair. Why didn’t he tell them such a big thing?

Jiang Xiaobao hugged his hair miserably. Where did he dare? Of course, he dared not say such a big thing. Wasn’t he afraid of stimulating his sister? Besides, wasn’t this nonsense? That was jealousy, jealousy!

The Jiang family who knew the truth were always sighing in their hearts. What’s this nickname? What’s the matter? Didn’t they tell the truth out of their hearts and minds? Even if netizens didn’t understand them, how could they call them devils?

This Jiang Nian really did not know!

Grandpa Jiang sighed: “We really don’t want Niannian to take the exam so well, it’s true!”

Grandma Jiang groaned: “Yeah, yeah, my granddaughter’s exam is too good. It’s not good!”

Father Jiang gazed in the air: “Ah, just be an ordinary person. She took a 740 exam and I was surprised enough to have a heart attack!”

Mother Jiang wanted to wipe tears: “Yeah, yeah. She said that she only used one-third of her IQ to take the exam, but I didn’t expect this was enough to take a test of 749. Our family was terrified!”

……………………??? Oops, this devil family title is well-deserved! Realistic version of face slapping!10

This conversation spread out at a speed that was comparable to wind. The Jiang family’s reputation as a devil had been thoroughly confirmed. This was the family of the golden glittering devils, and this title could never be lost.

The Jiang family was still bewildered. Was there no trust between people?!

1. Note: she’s maintaining contact with Qi Bin pretty much to only try and scheme against Jiang Nian ^

2. Canines ^

3. Not really sure how to phrase this in English but it’s sort of angry/cold/stiffened? Upset is the closest I could think of, but I wasn’t sure it properly conveyed all the moods. Just know that he was visibly upset and worried ^

4. I’m not really sure why this idiom was used here. It’s basically referring to how people swarm you when they can gain benefic (you have power) and abandon you once you can’t, but that doesn’t make much sense in this context…maybe it refers to Huo Ling being abandoned for sorbet? Idk. Anyway, kept it in to preserve the author’s artistic integrity, I guess. ^

5. Pretty sure I explained this idiom in the previous arc, but I don’t feel like scouring 22 chapters to find it again. Basically, it’s saying people today aren’t as simple/honest as they were back in the day ^

6. Ups and downs, trials and tribulations ^

7. I think Huo Ling came along? He’s the only one who could be called ‘older brother’ ^

8. As in, ‘while they were doing that’. This shows up a ton and I’ve gotten tired of rephrasing it, so I’ll leave it up to you guys to remember  ^

9. See? ^

10. For those of you who may not know, ‘face slapping’ here refers to counterattacking/proving someone wrong in a shocking/dramatic/embarrassing way.