Jiang Ruolan looked at him without blinking. She then turned around and walked into his house.
As they both entered the house, Jiang Yijun took off his jacket and saw Jiang Ruolan sitting on the sofa with her hands crossed over her chest. She looked like a policeman interrogating a criminal. Jiang Yijun immediately asked with a smile, "Who offended you this time? Didn't you say that you want to spend your time alone today? What has happened?"
"The wound on your finger has healed?"
"Almost healed." Jiang Yijun smiled. "It's been four or five days, this is just a small wound. It will heal quickly."
As he said that, he hung his coat on the coat rack. Jiang Ruolan immediately asked, "Why is Xian Jian looking for you?"
His movements stiffened for a moment as if he hesitated to answer her question. Jiang Yijun looked back at Jiang Ruolan with a blank face.
Jiang Ruolan kept staring at his face, not showing him any of her emotions.
Sure enough, when he went to the wedding, Xian Jian and Old Man Xian immediately were sure of Jiang Yijun's identity because their expressions on that day were very clear. The Old Man wanted to find his missing grandson, and Jiang Yijun had been in H City for a week. Jiang Ruolan was very sure that Jiang Yijun had hidden something from her.
"You and the Xian Family …" Jiang Ruolan lowered her head and sighed. "Are you really related to them?"
Jiang Yijun was silent for a moment, then walked over and sat beside her. He mimicked Jiang Ruolan's action, crossing his hands over his chest and quietly looking at the corner of the tea table. After a long while, he said, "Whether I am related to them or not, it's not important."
"When did you first learn about your identity? How long have you been hiding this from me?" Jiang Ruolan asked him sternly.
"About three or four years ago, after I found out that you and I weren't related by blood, I've been looking for an opportunity to investigate my background. But strangely, people related to me over 20 years ago all mysteriously disappeared. I went to the hospital to check my DNA, but the hospital couldn't give me the exact result, saying that they could not process my DNA accurately. Then …" He paused for a moment. "After I saw Xian Zihao for the first time, I went to investigate the Xian Family."
Jiang Ruolan frowned. "So, that's when you started to get suspicious. You've been investigating your background secretly all this time?"
Jiang Yijun nodded, then looked at her. "Didn't you already guess about it? Everyone knows about it, but they are not ready to talk about it."
Jiang Ruolan did not say anything. After a while, she asked, "What are you going to do in the future? Xian Jian came to see you because he wanted you to return to the Xian Family? Or -"
"Jiang Ruolan, all those things never crossed my mind. Absolutely not. Wherever you are, I will be there."
"Yijun …"
"Isn't this a good thing?" Jiang Yijun smiled. "Today's society, especially the people from their era, is the era where everyone was a trendsetter. From Jiang Guanyu to Xian Jian, they are all the same. I can live very well by myself. The two of us can live very well for so many years, so why do we need to go back to the origins? We don't need the Jiang Family, nor do we need the Xian Family."
"Have you seen Old Man Xian? What did he say?"
"He said he would respect my decision. If I wasn't used to living in the Xian Family, I could go back to my old life. But he hoped I could visit him every time the holidays came."
"True, the Old Man is already old and hopes all his grandchildren can gather and spend time with him, but Zhan An …" Jiang Ruolan paused, and when Jiang Yijun looked at her, she quickly changed her words, "Zhan An is a very smart woman. No matter how your mother was forced to leave at the beginning, she will always fight for her marriage and for her children."
Jiang Yijun pursed his lips, not responding to her words at all.
Jiang Ruolan quickly took his hand, "Yijun, since this is a matter of love between our parents and families, and since you also say that it is better for us to live outside, so why should we reminisce about the past? Yes, you can fight for your mother's injustice and everyone has their own selfish thoughts, but…"
Jiang Ruolan paused and said softly, "In life, there are a lot of things we can't be too serious and persistent, and we can't be too smart or vigilant either. Otherwise, it will only become our weakness. You are a smart guy, but there are a lot of people who are smarter than you, and you know, there are also a lot of people who know better than you. So, if you want to do something, please think more deeply. I will not stop you, I just want you to be more careful."
Jiang Yijun sighed and nodded seriously, "Alright, I will do as you say. Let bygones be bygones."
Jiang Ruolan gently slapped his shoulder. "That's more like my younger brother! Although there are still three more weeks before the Spring Festival, I'll make some dumplings for you tomorrow night, but you have to help me ~"
"Alright." Jiang Yijun smiled.
***
The next day, Jiang Ruolan went to buy ingredients to make dumplings at the nearest supermarket. While looking for the ingredients, she accidentally scraped a bunch of spinach from the basket, which ended up hanging on the chain of her bag. By the time she found out, she was already surrounded by a group of aunts who were shopping there too.
"Look, this is the thief that Sister Song mentioned just now. She stole a bunch of spinach from her."
"Aiyo, you are such a big person, but why do you still steal food from other people? No matter what, you have to be like a human being. People nowadays really don't care about their faces and have a cruel heart. Is there even a justice?"
Jiang Ruolan: "…"
Jiang Ruolan's face was numb.
When she finally got out of the supermarket after returning the bundle of spinach to the aunties, the corner of her mouth twitched as she walked home quickly. She didn't pay attention to her surroundings and did not notice a familiar black Land Rover parked in front of her housing complex. In her heart, she was busy planning to vent her anger on Jiang Yijun.
"What's wrong with you?"
When the door was closed with a loud bang, Jiang Yijun, who was rarely allowed to come to Jiang Ruolan's house for lunch, got up in surprise. He took the plastic bags from her hands.
Jiang Ruolan looked at him with a darkened face. "Do I look like a thief?"
Jiang Yijun was stupified. "What?"
"Does your sister look like a thief? Those aunties called the police just to get a lot of spinach! Did you know your sister was surrounded by more than twenty aunties in the market, and she was cursed and accused of being a thief? I just went to the market to buy dumplings ingredients, but why did it go like that?!"
"It's all because of you, you brat! You only know how to eat." Jiang Ruolan slapped his chest. "Go away! Don't block my way!"
Having said so, Jiang Ruolan immediately walked into the kitchen with a frustrated expression on her face. She then poured out a pile of food that she had bought earlier to make dumplings on the table.
Soon, the sound of someone cutting vegetables came from the kitchen. Jiang Yijun leaned on the door of the kitchen and looked at her. "Still angry?"
With a "Dong" sound, Jiang Ruolan chopped the vegetables on the cutting board hard. She looked at Jiang Yijun. "Do you know what they say about me?"
"What?"
"They say that I am someone who will never get married."
And then?" Jiang Yijun listened to her patiently, but at the same time, he frowned.
"They say I can't get married. Did you hear me? They say I can't get married! This is very infuriating! What do they mean I can't get married? How can I not get married?! The wedding dress, the wedding ceremony … It's all just a joke!"
"Even if I can't get married, so what?! Do you believe that I can't get married with so many men waiting for me? Who said, in this world, anyone who is separated from others will not be able to live? Who says I can't get married? Who says I can't let go! What right do they have to say that I can't get married!"
As she spoke, Jiang Ruolan's back was facing Jiang Yijun. She breathed heavily.
Jiang Yijun finally understood. He looked at her for a long time before finally walking over and stopping next to her. He saw her eyes were slightly red. Jiang Ruolan knew that she had almost lost control of herself, so she tried her best to control her emotions.
Jiang Yijun gently stroked the corner of her eyes, "Since you finally found an outlet to vent, why did you hold back?"
Jiang Ruolan sniffed and wiped away her tears. She suddenly laughed, "What are you talking about? I was just upset by those naughty aunties in the market. You have actually never seen some naughty older women standing together to teach you how to feel. I really wanted to throw the basket at them."
As she said that, she sniffed again and pushed Jiang Yijun away, "Go and get me my apron."
Jiang Yijun sighed and turned around to get her apron.
When the doorbell rang, Jiang Ruolan was stunned. She heard that Sister Qiao had been out doing business for the past few days and Yi Meixiu was busy dating. Not many people knew where she was now, so why would anyone come knocking at this time?
"Yijun, go open the door." She called out loudly from the kitchen.
Jiang Yijun brought the apron to her and went out to open the door.
However, Jiang Ruolan did not hear any sound after so long. She then shouted from the kitchen door, "Yijun? Have you opened the door? Who is it?"
