Jiang Mu felt as if she hadn't slept for long, merely dozing off briefly. When she opened her eyes again, Jin Chao's jacket was draped over her. Sitting up, she saw him standing at the cliff's edge through the windshield. The eastern sky emitted a faint glow, illuminating his tall, slender silhouette.
She watched him quietly for a while until he turned around. One inside the car, the other at the cliff's edge—the soft light outlined his form as he walked toward her.
Not a word was exchanged on the way back. Their discussion had ultimately collapsed. Jin Chao hadn't agreed to her request, and Jiang Mu felt deeply unsettled.
Before daybreak, the car returned to the auto shop's backyard via a small path. Jin Chao parked it there and switched to San Lai's car to drive Jiang Mu back to Jin Qiang's place.
On the road, Jiang Mu's phone rang. After a brief conversation, she hung up and stared at the chilly morning streets before telling Jin Chao: "My mom has arrived in Tonggang."
Jin Chao kept his eyes on the road, his expression unreadable, only his knuckles whitening around the steering wheel. It wasn't until they reached Jin Qiang's building and he watched her heading toward the entrance that he suddenly got out and called to her retreating figure: "Where? I'll take you there."
Jiang Mu turned back and informed him: "Liyuan Hotel. Do you know it?"
Jin Chao gave a slight nod.
"I'll go up to get my luggage."
With Chinese New Year's Eve approaching the next day, Jin Qiang had already taken Zhao Meijuan and Jin Xin to his in-laws' house for the celebrations. Though spring festival couplets adorned the door, the home felt hollow and deserted.
Upon entering, Jiang Mu went straight to her room to pack. Jiang Yinghan had booked a room at Liyuan Hotel and asked her to bring her luggage over.
The house was silent. Jin Chao sat in the living room, rhythmically tapping his lighter against the table. After a long pause, he suddenly asked: "Heading back right after?"
Jiang Mu wasn't taking many clothes, just gathering necessary documents into her suitcase. Her voice carried from the room: "Tomorrow morning."
Jin Chao asked nothing further.
When she wheeled her suitcase out, Jin Chao stood up, took it from her, and went downstairs. Jiang Mu relocked the door and followed behind.
Liyuan Hotel stood as one of the larger establishments near the train station. Jin Chao pulled over on a nearby street, got out, and retrieved her luggage from the trunk.
Jiang Mu kept her eyes downcast as she took the luggage, then quickly glanced at Jin Chao before asking: "Would you like... to come say hello?"
Jin Chao lowered his eyelashes imperceptibly: "No."
Then, looking toward Liyuan Hotel, he told her: "You go ahead."
Jiang Mu had anticipated his reluctance to see Jiang Yinghan. Wheeling her suitcase with her backpack on, she walked toward the hotel. After a few steps, she turned back to see Jin Chao already driving away.
Her mood remained deeply somber. They'd argued right before her departure, casting a pall over what should have been a festive New Year's leave-taking.
Pushing her luggage into Liyuan Hotel, Jiang Mu encountered Jiang Yinghan and that Chris. Chris greeted her warmly, helped settle her luggage, and inquired about her recent life.
Jiang Yinghan, however, complained: "The air here is so dry. Remember to apply more moisturizer, and don't skip sunscreen just because you sleep in. Your face will get all chapped."After a while, she added, "After getting off the train this morning, I had breakfast nearby with your Uncle Chris. It was some kind of mushy mess—looked completely unappetizing, just as disgusting as anything your father would make."
Jiang Yinghan had occasionally made remarks like this before. Whenever she mentioned something unpleasant, she would often drag Jin Qiang into it. In the past, Jiang Mu hadn't paid much attention and had grown accustomed to it.
But now, hearing it felt jarring. Whether it was Jiang Yinghan's criticism of Jin Qiang or her disdain for this place, it made Jiang Mu somewhat uncomfortable.
When she first arrived, she too had struggled to adapt, feeling that nothing here compared to home. But over time, she came to understand that Zhao Meijuan and the others didn't bathe every day not because they were unclean, but because the climate here was dry. In summer, unless you were out under the scorching sun, you hardly sweated at all—unlike in Suzhou, where even sitting still at home on a humid day could leave you feeling sticky all over.
As for the food, the unappealing mush Jiang Yinghan complained about was something Jiang Mu often saw San Lai eating. Once, San Lai even shared some with her. Though the flavor wasn't to her taste, it didn't seem nearly as bad as her mother made it out to be.
After they brought Jiang Mu's luggage to her room, they soon took her downstairs for a meal.
On the first floor of the Liyuan Hotel, there was a street-facing, floor-to-ceiling Chinese restaurant. Jiang Yinghan and Chris had ordered a table full of dishes.
Sitting across from them, Jiang Mu silently observed her mother. She was wearing clothes Jiang Mu had never seen before, a ring of unknown origin on her finger, and had even cut her hair short. This surprised Jiang Mu—in her memory, Jiang Yinghan had never had short hair. Whether styled in a bun or braids, her hair had always been impeccably neat. Seeing her like this now felt strangely unfamiliar.
Perhaps it was the haircut, but this time Jiang Mu noticed that Jiang Yinghan had lost some weight. Even Chris's hair seemed thinner, making him look more like a foreign old man. She couldn't fathom what her mother saw in him—his large belly or his lack of hair?
After the dishes were served, Chris asked her in awkwardly accented Chinese what she usually liked to eat. He told her he also knew how to cook a few dishes and, if given the chance, would let her try them.
Jiang Mu responded half-heartedly. Sensing her daughter's low spirits, Jiang Yinghan asked, "Do you have a lot of homework? Don't pressure yourself too much. If your exams don't go well, just come to Melbourne. We've already looked into schools for you."
For the next ten minutes or so, Jiang Yinghan went on about the schools in Australia, urging Jiang Mu to find time to take the IELTS exam, and so on.
Jiang Mu listened distractedly. When the topic turned to returning to Suzhou the next day, Jiang Yinghan mentioned that after the fourth day of the lunar new year, she had arranged for a real estate agent and a few interested buyers to view the property. If everything went smoothly, the shopfront and house could be sold after the new year.
It was only then that Jiang Mu snapped back to attention, finding it hard to accept. "You're selling the house? Why are you selling it?"
Jiang Yinghan hadn't expected her daughter to react so strongly and simply explained, "When I visited your Uncle Chris's place this time, I found the environment there quite nice. The air is fresh, and it's convenient to drive into the city for shopping. It'll be a good place to retire someday—comfortable to live in. Since I've decided to settle in Melbourne, I need to have some money on hand."
Worried, Jiang Mu said, "But if you sell the house, what if someday..."She glanced at Chris and suddenly stopped speaking. Jiang Yinghan could guess what she was about to say and shot her a stern glare.
Chris, being tactful, stood up and said he would go to the lobby to ask if the hotel had a swimming pool, as he had a habit of swimming every day.
As soon as Chris left, Jiang Mu couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, "Mom, why are you selling the house? How long have you even been with him? If things don't work out after you sell the house, where will you live?"
Jiang Yinghan only replied, "This isn't something you need to worry about. Focus on your studies."
"I don't agree."
In Jiang Mu's eyes, not only had her mother found a foreign old man whose background was unclear, but after just one trip to Australia with him, she was now planning to sell the house. The whole situation seemed suspicious to her. She even wondered if Chris was trying to scam her for money or take advantage of her, or if it was some kind of popular PUA tactic.
Jiang Yinghan was firm on this matter: "I know you don't like Chris, but my decisions don't require your approval."
Jiang Mu threw down her chopsticks, feeling deeply hurt by her mother's attitude. They had relied on each other for nine years, and now, with the appearance of Chris, her mother seemed to treat her like an outsider, disregarding her feelings and insisting on selling the house.
"There's nothing to discuss. This trip to Australia was to check out the situation and environment there. If it's suitable, I was already planning to come back and sell the house. Bringing you back to Suzhou for the New Year was just so we could spend some time together in the house before it's sold."
Jiang Mu's tone was sharp: "Have you even considered that once the house is sold, we won't have a home? If I don't go abroad, where will I go?"
Jiang Yinghan emphasized, "I'm selling the house, not abandoning you. Whether you come with me to Melbourne or stay in the country for school, you'll be living in a dormitory during university. After you graduate and decide where to settle down, I'll set aside some money for you. You don't need to worry about this."
Jiang Mu said anxiously, "Do you think I care about your money? I'm worried you're being deceived by Chris."
Hearing Jiang Mu's true thoughts, Jiang Yinghan snapped, "I don't want to hear you say such things again. This topic ends here. Chris may not speak Chinese fluently, but he can understand it. You need to be more careful."
With that, Jiang Yinghan picked up her water glass and slowly looked out the window. The area around Tonggang Railway Station had always been a chaotic mix of people. Three-wheeled motorcycles were parked in groups along the roadside, their drivers asking travelers with large bags where they were headed. Beneath the dusty signs of street food stalls, steam rose from bamboo steamers. Pedestrians, bundled up like zongzi, hurried by, some in old cotton-padded jackets shopping for New Year's supplies. The ground was littered with firecracker debris from the previous night, left uncleaned and trampled underfoot, scattering everywhere with the wind. Occasionally, long-discontinued domestic cars passed by. There was no trace of urban sophistication—only crowding, disorder, and noise, the entire street brimming with a raw, bustling energy.
Jiang Yinghan, in her soft cashmere coat, gazed out the window, her eyes wandering aimlessly along the street. Jiang Mu had no idea what she was thinking, but then Jiang Yinghan set down her water glass, fixed her gaze on a man across the street, and suddenly stood up, saying, "Is that Jin Chao?"Hearing Jiang Yinghan's words, Jiang Mu quickly turned to look. The man across the street had already turned away the moment Jiang Yinghan spotted him. Jiang Mu only caught a glimpse of a hurried retreating figure, but she instantly recognized Jin Chao's jacket—the same black leather coat that had covered her that very morning.
Hadn't he already driven away? Why did he come back? Why didn't he tell her? Why was he standing alone across the street? Who was he watching? It couldn't have been her. That left only one possibility: he'd returned to catch a glimpse of Jiang Yinghan, watching her from afar in silence.
A storm raged inside Jiang Mu. An indescribable emotion propelled her out of the restaurant, but Jin Chao had already vanished from the street.
Jiang Yinghan followed closely behind, demanding, "How does he know where we live?"
Jiang Mu's eyes continued scanning the opposite sidewalk. "He drove me here."
Jiang Yinghan's voice turned sharp. "Why were you with him? Didn't your father promise me he wouldn't let Jin Chao stay at the house this year while you're here?"
Jiang Mu slowly turned her gaze to her mother. "Why? Why can't he stay at home?"
Jiang Yinghan said sternly, "What proper young woman lives with an unrelated young man? You should stay away from him."
Jiang Mu retorted incredulously, "How can you say that? He's Jin Chao!"
Jiang Yinghan hadn't expected her daughter to react so strongly. She said bluntly, "I told you before we came—he's not your brother. You share no blood relation. At your age, you should understand what that means. He's no good now."
Jiang Mu's chest tightened, her eyes reddening. "Why would you say that about him? Blood-related or not, he's not an outsider!"
Jiang Yinghan snorted coldly, watching her daughter's agitated defense of the young man. She hesitated, then cruelly uttered, "He's an ex-con."
The wind howled, the air turning frigid.
Jiang Yinghan continued mercilessly, "Do you know he's been to prison? 'Not an outsider'? Our family has never produced criminals like him."
Jiang Mu's eyelashes fluttered as she forced out the words, "I know."
Jiang Yinghan looked surprised. "You know? Did your father tell you? If you knew, why are you still associating with him? Have you lost your mind?"
A sob caught in Jiang Mu's throat, threatening to burst forth. She said to Jiang Yinghan, word by word, "He is not an ex-con."
Jiang Yinghan hadn't expected Jiang Mu to defend Jin Chao so fiercely despite knowing his past. Her anger flared, voice rising. "If not an ex-con, then what? I always said that boy would come to no good. He was always bold, fearless—bound for trouble. I warned him repeatedly over the phone back then, trying to keep you two apart. Wasn't I right? When that life-threatening incident happened, your father had the nerve to contact me, asking to borrow money to keep him out of jail. Preposterous! I tell you, boys like him need to suffer behind bars, or they'll never learn fear."
The bitter wind swept through, stripping trees bare. The cutting cold felt like knives against Jiang Mu's face. She stood frozen, staring at Jiang Yinghan. "What did you say?"
Jiang Yinghan tightened her coat around herself and said to Jiang Mu, "Let's go inside."After speaking, she turned and walked toward the hotel. Jiang Mu rushed directly in front of her, blocking Jiang Yinghan's path and pressing, "He came looking for me before? What did you warn him about?"
Jiang Yinghan replied impatiently, "What could I warn him about? I told him to learn some manners. You were already in middle school by then, not a child anymore. What kind of behavior was that?"
Jiang Mu clenched her jaw tightly, fists balled at her sides, her breathing growing increasingly rapid. "After Jin Chao got into trouble, did my dad come to you? Why didn’t you help him?"
"How could I help him? They said we needed to pay 100,000 yuan upfront to get the family to drop the charges. Not to mention, when your father and I divorced, he didn’t even leave me 100,000 in total. All these years since he left, I haven’t seen a single cent in child support. I raised you all by myself, and now I’m supposed to pay to clean up that boy’s mess? How could there be such a thing?"
The blood in Jiang Mu’s veins felt like it was boiling, surging up uncontrollably as she retorted, "But if you had helped him through that crisis back then, he could have taken the college entrance exam. He wouldn’t have ended up like this…"
"Why should I help him?" Jiang Yinghan cut her off sharply.
"I told your father back then—if he did something wrong, he should face legal consequences and learn his lesson."
"What if it were me?" Jiang Mu’s face turned pale, her lips trembling. "If I made a mistake, and you knew you could protect me, would you still send me away yourself?"
Jiang Yinghan said sternly, "You are my daughter. Did I carry him for ten months? Do I owe him any duty? Let me tell you, even now, he still has a lot of civil compensation left unpaid. You stay away from him."
With that, Jiang Yinghan turned and strode into the hotel. The cold wind swept in from all directions, and Jiang Mu stood rooted to the spot, countless images crashing violently into her mind.
"I’m not disappointed in you. If I were, it would only be for one reason—you cut off contact with me."
"How could you possibly understand? If you did, you wouldn’t have refused to come back and see me all these years."
"So… is this why you never came back to see me? You blame us? You blame Mom for making Dad leave with nothing? You hate her, don’t you?"
Faced with her repeated accusations, Jin Chao’s evasive expression, his silence, the bitter yet seemingly indifferent curve of his lips—every detail magnified in Jiang Mu’s mind. It felt as though, in that moment, she finally understood everything.
He never defended himself once. Even though she had resented him time and again for breaking his promise, Jin Chao never offered an explanation. Because he knew how much this matter weighed on Jiang Mu, and if he told her the truth, she would blame Jiang Yinghan.
Even so, he chose to preserve the harmonious mother-daughter relationship between her and Jiang Yinghan. If Jiang Mu hadn’t understood why he would do such a thing before, after seeing him standing across the street just to catch a silent glimpse of Jiang Yinghan, she suddenly seemed to grasp something.He was only just over two years old when Jin Qiang brought him home. Though at two years old he could already recognize people and knew Jiang Yinghan wasn't his biological mother, his understanding of the world had only just begun. There were times when he would wake up startled at night, times when he would fall and get hurt, times when he depended entirely on adults. Before Jiang Mu came into this world, it was Jiang Yinghan who raised him. She was the only woman in Jin Chao's life from his ignorant childhood to his early youth. He stayed by her side for a full ten years. Jiang Mu had never considered Jin Chao's feelings toward Jiang Yinghan, but at this moment she suddenly seemed to understand the bitterness and struggle that had lingered in Jin Chao's heart for years.
This was something the later Zhao Meijuan could never replace. Jiang Yinghan was that unique presence in Jin Chao's most vulnerable childhood, giving him his only fantasy of what a mother should be. She had once been his mother too!
While Jiang Mu missed her father and longed for such a role to appear in her life, hadn't Jin Chao also wished for his mother to be by his side?
Jiang Mu lifted her head, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes. The sky was covered with thick, grayish-white clouds, pressing endlessly against her chest.
Author's Note: I've seen some comments saying the younger sister is immature, some not understanding why the older brother would take risks, thinking the sister shouldn't act this way or the brother shouldn't do that. We need to approach this from the perspective of character design. Isn't reading novels about experiencing others' lives? Different people have different perspectives. If all characters spoke and acted according to one person's thought patterns, what would be the point? I might as well write an autobiography. The key is my autobiography wouldn't have much to write about - it would be filled with lots of hotpot, skewers, barbecue, and sleep... Ahem, I'm getting off track. In short, making an 18-year-old girl who grew up in an ivory tower worldly and sophisticated, or having a man who's been through countless experiences be completely open with everyone he meets - wouldn't that just be ridiculous?
I know everyone wants to see the romance line, but besides the love story, this book contains various emotions, including more grand themes to experience later on. As for the mother storyline, there's no need to draw conclusions about her too early - just follow me along (automatically omitting ten thousand words of spoilers here).
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