Night finally fell.
Jiang Mianmian felt a little happy seeing the night come, because when it got dark, her elder brother and father would return home.
There were many mosquitoes at night.
Originally, the coming of night was an unpleasant thing, but with the anticipated return of loved ones, it became a wonderful thing.
She watched the two of them come back together.
Elder Sister happily went to greet them.
While Mom, holding Jiang Mianmian, stood under the tree, also with a smile on her face.
At that moment, Jiang Mianmian could feel Mom's joy.
She must have wanted to run up to them too, but Elder Sister beat her to it.
Jiang Mianmian also joined in the excitement, babbling: "Ah yah yah yah."
Jiang Yu went up, wrinkled her nose as she approached her elder brother, and indignantly said: "Brother, have you been sneaking food behind my back?"
It was the first time Jiang Feng had been caught by the local constables and taken to the magistrate's office, so it could be said that he had a harrowing day.
Although their group of idlers never worked, they had never been summoned to the magistrate's office before.
They had seen the constables seize people, acting ferociously, not caring if the person was guilty or not, taking them in and giving them thirty lashes before even questioning them. No one got off easy.
In truth, he was very scared too.
But at that time, in front of those two noble young masters, he felt that if he showed fear and begged, it would be a loss of face.
As a vagrant, he actually had no face to begin with, being cursed and kicked around was common.
However, those two young men were refined and courteous, treating him with equality and respect. In front of them, Jiang Feng unconsciously wanted to save face.
He did not beg, did not cry, and did not throw a tantrum.
And then amazingly, nothing happened to him...
On the way back, his excited recounting to Father was partly due to this reason.
For the first time, the young man experienced the meaning of face.
The face of a high-ranking official in the capital.
His own vain face.
The face lent by Elder Meng and Elder He's elders.
He borrowed face from Elder Meng and Elder He.
He liked this feeling, he thought that if one day he became powerful, others would have to give him face, and also give face to his family.
But for now, little Jiang Yu tugged at his sleeve, pulling him back to reality.
If he had not been caught, he would definitely have brought food back for the family. There was so much food at the restaurant, it would be a waste to just throw away the leftovers.
"Don't mention it, I almost got thrown into the magistrate's office today. It's good we got to eat, you little glutton." Jiang Feng gave his sister a light rap on the head.
Hearing this, Qin Luoxia became very worried and asked: "Did you get into trouble again?"
Jiang Changtian went over, taking the child from his wife's arms and shaking his head: "It's nothing, I'll tell you about it at home."
Jiang Mianmian lay in her father's arms for a while before being passed to her elder brother.
It seemed her elder brother was deep in thought, constantly stroking her head with one hand.
She was worried about being petted bald, so she struggled to get free and even landed a small punch on her elder brother.
Jiang Feng didn't expect his little sister would actually punch him.
He looked stunned.
"Hit me one more time, Mianmian is so powerful, too powerful!"
Jiang Mianmian...
Tried her best to make a fist, and gave her elder brother another tiny punch.
It stung her fingers.
Her elder brother roared with laughter.
He lifted her up high, going to show off to their parents.
"Mianmian can punch people now, Father, Mom, little sister is so powerful!"
Jiang Feng held Jiang Mianmian, who waved her little fists, strenuously punching each of their father, mother, and elder sister once.
The whole family marveled endlessly.
Father: "Your fists are very strong, in the future you'll be like your mom, no one can bully you. Powerful, our Mianmian is the most powerful."
Mom: "You grip your fists so steadily, just like your father. These hands will surely be able to grip a writing brush, you'll be able to write characters in the future. Our Mianmian is powerful."
Elder Sister: "Little sister is so energetic, the babies of other families in the village are so much older yet can't do anything. But my little sister can already punch people, she's too powerful!"
Jiang Feng said with pride: "Yes, our Mianmian is the most powerful."
Jiang Mianmian: ...
To those unaware, it would seem like I had conquered the world. I just made a fist and punched each of you once, or rather, you all moved your bodies towards my little fists.
Such praise, it will make me arrogant so easily.
Qin Luoxia proudly added: "Today she can even call me 'Mother.' Mianmian, call Mother."
Jiang Mianmian: ...
"Pee pee pee!" Jiang Mianmian exerted all her effort.
I guess I'll stick to demonstrating punches.
"I think little sister is saying 'bird bird bird,' she must want to eat the birds in the tree, there are so many birds in the tree today," said Jiang Yu.
Elder brother Jiang Feng felt her bottom: "Mom, little sister peed."
Jiang Mianmian: ... I couldn't hold it in, punching is so tiring that I accidentally peed.
She lay there innocently.
Father changed her diaper.
And after changing it, he actually kissed her bottom! So embarrassing.
The whole family had a lively dinner, eating meat, wild vegetables, and a thick soup.
Ever since Mom started foraging for wild vegetables and hunting game, the family meals had become much more abundant.
Everyone's complexions had improved a lot too.
When Jiang Changtian returned home, he washed his face, and after washing, his graceful demeanor was striking. Fortunately, his own family all knew Father was handsome, except for Jiang Mianmian who would sometimes stare at Father in a daze, drooling a little, the others were all normal.
Everyone thought it was due to eating meat.
Eating meat made their faces radiant.
Those noble sons and daughters were so good-looking, it must be because they grew up eating meat.
After the experience of their eldest son nearly dying, Qin Luoxia and Jiang Changtian no longer saved every little bit of silver, instead spending it on their children first. They didn't have much to begin with anyway.
Even a dimwitted crippled son could eat until plump and chubby, but their own children were too thin.
Qin Luoxia didn't realize that her mindset had shifted a little. Previously, she had wanted to save money for a coffin fund.
But after going through Feng almost dying and the thought of buying a coffin, her heart felt like it had been carved out, aching terribly.
So she decided not to save that money anymore.
At the dinner table, Jiang Feng recounted the day's events.
Jiang Mianmian was so engrossed in listening that she even forgot to stare at Father.
What?
The bad person who injured her elder brother had been poisoned to death?
Hearing this, Jiang Yu became very excited: "This is the karmic retribution for good and evil, that person was so wicked, injuring elder brother. His weapon was even coated with poison, it's fortunate that elder brother has great luck and survived. But in the end, he himself was poisoned to death, serves him right."
Qin Luoxia did not comment, instead putting a piece of meat into her husband's bowl.
"You're too thin, you need to eat more."
Jiang Changtian picked it up and ate it seriously.
In fact, he didn't like eating meat. From a young age, whenever his body wasn't doing well, his family would starve him. After being starved for too long, he lost his appetite and didn't want to eat anything. Just seeing the greasy meat made him feel like throwing up.
That nauseating, repulsive feeling.
When living on the streets, if he was starving, he would naturally eat meat. Not to mention meat, he would eat grass, eat dirt, eat anything to survive. But that underlying sense of revulsion still existed.
The family didn't seem to notice. They probably couldn't understand how someone could dislike eating meat.
But Jiang Mianmian noticed that when Father lowered his head to eat meat, he was actually frowning.
Just like a picky child.
Sigh, Father looks like someone who only drinks dewdrops, ethereal and sublime.
In the future, I can secretly add something to Father's after-meal tea.
In the whole family, Father looked the thinnest.
Night time.
The stars hung high.
Fireflies flitted about.
The indomitable Mrs. Qin during the day turned back into the youthful Miss Luoxia in front of Father.
Jiang Mianmian saw that Father was actually helping Mom wash her feet.
She was utterly stunned.
Even in modern times, husbands helping their wives wash feet is rare.
Although Mom seemed a little embarrassed, it was clearly not the first time.
Jiang Mianmian watched from Mom's arms as Father, his long hair reaching his waist, sat on a small stool and earnestly massaged Mom's feet...
She suddenly understood why Mom could swing that machete so forcefully when decapitating that python!
If I had a beautiful long-haired man washing my feet at night, I could swing a machete all day without fatigue too!
"Luoxia, you've been walking a lot these past two days, why don't you rest at home tomorrow."
Although Jiang Changtian's strength was not great, he could accurately find the acupressure points, giving a very soothing massage.
Qin Luoxia tried her best to keep her expression neutral, sometimes feeling a little ticklish.
She had many things she wanted to do, but when her husband said that, she found herself agreeing in a daze: "Okay, okay."
After soaking her feet and feeding the baby, Qin Luoxia was still pacing around, unable to go to bed.
Jiang Changtian let out a sigh and asked, "Luoxia, is there something you want to say?"
Jiang Mianmian pricked up her ears, she too wanted to know what her Mom had been up to today. When her Mom returned, she was clearly in a bad mood and had even cried.
Qin Luoxia lifted her clothes again and lowered her head to feed the baby.
Jiang Mianmian thought: ...Being forced to eat more, I'll get fat, burp.
In the dim moonlight, the beautiful woman, with her head slightly lowered, lifted her clothes to reveal a glimpse of snowy white skin. With her high nose bridge and round face, she was actually quite a beauty, though she didn't realize it herself.
"Husband, I've done something wrong. I thought about that scoundrel who kidnapped our child, and I wanted to kill his child. But when I went to the county, I saw their foolish son, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. That fool was beaten and had a nosebleed, and I even helped him wipe his nose. The fool didn't recognize his own mother, but he called me 'Mother', and I..." Qin Luoxia's voice choked up again.
Jiang Mianmian also choked up, her Mom was so emotional that she sprayed milk and got choked.
She thought to herself, her Mom was too fierce, even going to the kidnapper's den.
Jiang Changtian embraced his wife.
His wife was very tall, and when they stood side by side, they were almost the same height, with him being perhaps a little taller.
He loved his wife dearly.
He liked her tall stature and athletic body.
Whenever he embraced her, he felt a sense of comfort and joy.
So many times when he had returned home exhausted and in despair, just being able to hug his wife gave him the hope to carry on.
Jiang Changtian hugged his wife and child, gently patting his wife's back.
"Luoxia, it's not your fault. You did the right thing. You have a kind heart, don't let your hands be stained with blood. It's not worth it. You did the right thing. That fool being alive is a thousand times more miserable than death. Don't be saddened by such people, they're not worth it."
Qin Luoxia had also wanted to mention that she had set a fire, but when her husband said she had a kind heart, and he had always thought of her as kind-hearted, she didn't dare tell him, afraid of scaring him.
"I tore the fool's clothes, and they were stained with his nosebleed. You should find a way to send them to the kidnapping couple, so they'll have something to remember him by before they die." Qin Luoxia said.
Jiang Changtian nodded, not telling her that the kidnapping couple's death sentences had been commuted.
He didn't tell her that it was he who had set things up for Old Wu to return home early and discover Wu Liu, with blood on his hands, having committed murder. He had blood on his own hands too, but he couldn't tell his Luoxia, afraid of scaring her into thinking he was not a good person.
He embraced his wife and child, and that was enough.
Squeezed in her parents' embrace, Jiang Mianmian thought that when she grew up, she probably wouldn't forget this night, this embrace. It was a bit cramped, but it gave her a sense of security.
Her Father and Mother were both very, very good people.
