Chapter 111
Yet, under the watchful gaze of his future brother-in-law, he dared not even swallow his own saliva for fear of revealing something amiss.
“Comrade Jiang, as your elder brother, I have the right to know about all the unfair treatment my sister endured while she was in the countryside,” Su Hongchen reminded, his anger suppressed.
“Brother, it wasn’t the people in the production team who mistreated me,” Su Xiaoxiao hastily explained.
“Then who was it?” Su Hongchen asked with a stern face.
Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to divulge the truth about being deceived by Dong Jiaxuan and her suspicions of being pushed into the water. She also elaborated on why she hadn’t reported it earlier.
The more Su Hongchen heard, the darker his expression became, and he seemed to be engulfed in a storm of suppressed rage.
“This person is more dangerous than Pan Yongsheng. You should have informed me earlier,” he scolded.
“I knew it, and that’s why I didn’t tell you. I don’t want you to worry,” Su Xiaoxiao murmured softly.
“What did you say?” Su Hongchen raised an eyebrow.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly and obediently smiled, saying, “I know she’s even more dangerous. After all, when normal people get angry, it might lead to arguments, fights, or, at worst, a broken leg or arm. But someone like her, who strikes silently and suddenly with the intent to kill, has a heart colder and crazier than anyone else. However, I do have a way. What matters most to her is her family. As long as we use her family as leverage, she won’t be this arrogant. Besides, I’ve already built a house right next to Brother Yexun’s place in the countryside. I won’t have to squeeze with others on a daily basis, and no one can bully me. When you and mom and dad come to visit, there’s a place for you to stay.”
“Well, her parents and elder brother work at the steel factory, so if we keep an eye on them, we can certainly control her. But when I called home before, why didn’t you mention this?” Su Hongchen continued to bring up past grievances.
“I was afraid mom and dad would be frightened. While you had someone watching us closely here, on my end, there were those who had hidden agendas, like Pan Yongsheng, wanting to harm me. And, I found someone in the production team. If we had revealed that Dong Jiaxuan had already tried to kill me, we might have had to rush back to Shanghai by train to visit mom and dad in the hospital,” Su Xiaoxiao explained, her frustration evident in her words.
Although Su Xiaoxiao was quite frustrated, there was no other choice.
“What do you think of Dong Jiaxuan?” Su Hongchen turned to look at Jiang Yexun.
“Capture the person who had an affair with her in the production team. Convict them with crime, and that will be able to send them to death,” Jiang Yexun’s tone remained calm, but his ruthlessness was unmasked.
Su Hongchen hadn’t expected such a forthright response, but Jiang Yexun’s demeanor prompted him to cast an extra glance at him.
Jiang Yexun raised an eyebrow, saying, “If she can harm Xiaoxiao once, she can do it again and again. Now that we know she’s breaking the law, is it wrong for me to assist the authorities in apprehending a criminal?”
“I didn’t say you were wrong,” Su Hongchen ultimately agreed with him.
He was merely concerned that a man as ruthless as Jiang Yexun might treat his sister especially well when things were good. But if their feelings grew cold and they drifted apart, such a merciless person would not make for a good partner.
His brows furrowed as he turned to look at Su Xiaoxiao. Su Xiaoxiao immediately understood his meaning.
She immediately understood his meaning. “Brother, rest assured, Brother Yexun will never be so harsh on me,” she affirmed solemnly.
Then, she secretly pinched Jiang Yexun’s waist a bit.
But due to the softness behind him and the tightly stretched spine, there was hardly any flesh to pinch, especially through two layers of clothing. It felt more like the playful paws of a mischievous kitten, teasingly and enticingly.
That tingling sensation, like an electric current, ran from the girl’s fingertips to Jiang Yexun’s entire body, causing him to shiver almost imperceptibly.
The sensation was electrifying, coursing from his scalp to his toes, leaving Jiang Yexun with a slightly heavier breath.
“Yes! No matter how Xiaoxiao treats me, I will never do anything to hurt her in this lifetime. And you’re here too, right? You wouldn’t allow me to bully her,” he coughed lightly, making his promise.
Su Hongchen couldn’t say he fully believed Jiang Yexun’s promise, but he was certain that with him around, no one would dare to harm his sister.
In the following week, they completed the first course of medication and underwent a thorough medical examination to ensure that no toxins remained in their bodies. After the confirmation, Su Xiaoxiao was given a new prescription. These pills, once compressed into soybean-sized pellets, needed to be taken for another two weeks to ensure her full recovery.
But as soon as her health began to improve, she couldn’t sit still. Especially since both her partner and her brother had depleted their savings, all she could think about was how to earn money. Besides, Jiang Yexun had sold four family heirlooms to help them, so she wanted to earn money to buy them back.
However, the city was under strict scrutiny by the discipline office, and she dared not visit the black market, let alone the scrapyard. Yet, considering how close they were to the capital, perhaps she could explore there.
Thinking of finding some treasures around the Imperial Palace area, wasn’t that a possibility?
But how could she convince Jiang Yexun to agree?
Su Xiaoxiao held the small round mirror in her hand, and for a while, she gazed at herself in the bathroom. But as she collected her thoughts and saw herself in the mirror, the eyebrows that had been tightly knit together suddenly relaxed into a joyful curve.
“Knock, knock!”
“Little educated youth, you’ve been in there for twenty minutes. Is something wrong?” Jiang Yexun gently tapped the door and asked with concern.
Su Xiaoxiao opened the door and, without giving him a chance to react, pulled him inside. In the end, she locked the door behind them.
Jiang Yexun was about to remind her that her brother was outside, keeping a close watch.
Su Xiaoxiao tiptoed, encircled her arms around his neck, and gently pressed his head down. She saw his bright and innocent face enlarged before her eyes.
A scorching fire burned in Jiang Yexun’s eyes, and the prominent Adam’s apple rolled heavily, making his breathing immediately quicken.
So, they hadn’t been intimate for a week, and was that what little educated youth was thinking now?
There was no need for the girl to urge him; he voluntarily lowered his head and kissed her enticing red lips.
The girl’s lips were quite tempting, and he was about to deepen the kiss when he felt her soft lips give him a perfunctory peck, immediately retreating.
“Do you think there’s something wrong with my face?” Su Xiaoxiao nervously inquired.
Jiang Yexun’s heart sank, and he quickly furrowed his brow, carefully examining her face. His gaze roamed over her face several times.
After confirming that there was no major issue, he planted a couple of kisses on her soft, small cheeks. “There’s nothing wrong; you’re as beautiful as ever.”
She seemed like a little fairy descended from a painting, making him want to do even more.
“Take another look at me,” Su Xiaoxiao embraced his muscular waist and swayed. Then she brought her small face closer, whimpering softly, “Look at my face; it’s peeling because of the illness, and it’s no longer smooth. And because of being sick, my face has turned yellow; it’s not as fair as it used to be.”
“I’m sorry for not taking good care of you. I brought donkey-hide gelatin with me. You can eat a few pieces every day, and I’ll make some soup and dishes with it for nutritional enhancement. I’ll also go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few boxes of snowflake ointment. If you apply more, your skin won’t peel anymore. I’ll also make you red date soup with white fungi and lotus seed in it every day and buy fresh pears for moisturizing,” Jiang Yexun said, feeling deeply guilty.
“I don’t want snowflake ointment; it’s not effective at all,” Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and refused. Then she suggested with eager eyes, “Why don’t we buy some Chinese herbs, and I’ll make my own skincare products. I’ve thought of two types—one for moisturizing and one for whitening. They’re much better than snowflake ointment. Plus, after we make them, we can sell them on the black market. It’s an exclusive formula, and it’s sure to have a huge market.”
Jiang Yexun’s eyes lit up, and he agreed with his beloved’s idea. He lowered his head and carefully examined the delicate face in his arms. “Write down the recipe for me. There’s a train to Beijing this afternoon, and I’ll go for you. I’ll finish making lunch and leave. I should be able to come back by tomorrow.”
“It’s just some common herbs. Why do we need to go to Beijing?” Su Xiaoxiao feigned a surprised look.
“The discipline office is too strict here. Those who used to run traditional Chinese medicine shops or practiced Chinese medicine were criticized and reeducated. In the end, they were sent to the farm. So there’s no traditional Chinese medicine sold in Dai City City at all,” Jiang Yexun explained.
Indeed, it was just as she had heard from other doctors before. Su Xiaoxiao secretly reveled in her victory and then looked at the man before her with great anticipation.
“So, why don’t you take me with you? I’ve been stuck in this hospital room for half a month; I’m going crazy,” she pleaded.
“No, your health isn’t fully restored,” Jiang Yexun frowned, his tone firm and resolute.
But Su Xiaoxiao didn’t relent, hanging onto him and swaying affectionately. “No! If I stay here for another half month, our vacation will be over. I finally got a leave of absence; I can’t spend the whole month in the hospital, can I? Besides, I haven’t been to Beijing yet. Brother Yexun, take me with you to see it, okay?”
The young girl batted her clear and tender big eyes, brimming with expectation, looking so cute and charming that Jiang Yexun’s heart was nearly melted. However, after experiencing a couple of recent events, he wasn’t that easy to placate when it came to her safety.
But just as he was about to speak, as if she had anticipated it, the young girl suddenly tiptoed and urgently sealed his yet-to-be-spoken words with a kiss.