I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 274 - 270: That Taotie Pocket Watch Belongs to Lu Jinlan’s Clothing
Jiang Mingyue: "..." The sudden proposal left Jiang Mingyue stunned. To be honest, she didn’t want to get married so early.
"Alright, I won’t rush you." Yan Jinzhi felt a bit regretful. He wanted to have a family with her, a wish that had been buried in his heart for a long time.
Seeing the young man’s lowered eyes and his side profile looking very disappointed, Jiang Mingyue felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She found this emotion very familiar, as if she had felt it before, but she still couldn’t remember. She guessed it must be a memory she had forgotten.
"Yan Jinzhi, wait for me a little longer, until I remember those things."
Thinking of their past together, that would be perfect.
"Okay."
"Yan Jinzhi, you treat me so well."
"Who else would I treat well if not you? After all, you are my life. Without you, I’d be a walking corpse in this world."
"By the way, Yan Jinzhi..." Jiang Mingyue brought up the events of that night, still shrouded in mystery.
"Liu Chu is not a superpower user. It’s certain he is an ordinary person, and the other two as well. So it’s not a case of the strong suppressing the weak. You should be experiencing self-suppression."
"?"
"Did you have your period those days?"
Jiang Mingyue was momentarily stunned, then felt embarrassed and dared not look at Yan Jinzhi.
Seeing her like this, what was there still unclear for Yan Jinzhi?
"Even superpower users have ordinary human bodies. The superpower is closely related to the owner’s physical and mental state. When the body is unwell or emotions fluctuate greatly, it can affect the performance of the superpower."
Jiang Mingyue: "..." She must be a fake superpower user.
"Emotional fluctuations? I can understand if extreme sadness affects it. But happiness as well?"
"Yes."
"Do you experience it?"
"Not really."
Jiang Mingyue understood: people like her, only halfway through, are more prone to ’accidents’.
"Yan Jinzhi, should I pack you some food to take with you?"
"Sure."
Jiang Mingyue supported his shoulder and stood up. The journey was long, and a basket was inconvenient, so Jiang Mingyue went to the warehouse to bring out a few boxes.
Jam, mushroom oil, pickled tofu made by her third sister—just these items filled a large wooden box, two layers, with straw and hay separating the bottles and jars to prevent damage even if the vehicle bumped.
"Yan Jinzhi, can you manage with this?"
"My luggage will be transported by a dedicated military vehicle. More is still manageable. Also, give me more wine. Leave it in advance at 42 Magpie Street, and I’ll have Qiao Mingtang send someone to pick it up."
"Okay." Jiang Mingyue immediately acted on it, preparing everything she could think of for Yan Jinzhi. Soon, enough had piled up under the eaves to block the windows. Additionally, Jiang Mingyue went to the pharmacy to gather some common medications for him.
"Think about it, is there anything else you need?"
Yan Jinzhi was lost in thought. He felt this scene was just like a husband going on a long journey, with the wife, no matter how reluctant, painfully helping with packing just to ensure her husband wouldn’t suffer outside, even wishing to pack up the entire household to bring along.
The next second, a warm sensation pulled him back to his thoughts...
After seeing him off, Jiang Mingyue was dragged by Jiang Ming’an to Jiang Zhengye’s small courtyard.
That day, Uncle had almost gotten into an accident and later suffered from a severe illness. Even her medicine didn’t work, and was forcibly sent to the hospital by the eldest cousin. However, the doctors found nothing wrong with his body and concluded it was a psychological issue. Eventually, pressured by the eldest cousin’s persistence, the hospital still issued an admission slip.
Now, he got a bit better and was discharged back home.
"Jiang Zhengye, you better explain what exactly happened? Why does Liu Chu keep trying to take your life repeatedly?"
These days, Jiang Ming’an had been thinking it over and found Liu Chu very strange. He repeatedly tried to take Jiang Zhengye’s life, and the two-bedroom apartment in the department store dormitory had been broken into five times. The things stolen were very random, sometimes it was a bag of rice, sometimes a few fish... In total, it was irregular, and what was strange was only his apartment was targeted in the entire building.
This is clearly looking for something.
If the cinema attack on him last time was related to Liu Chu, Jiang Ming’an reasonably suspected that the root of the issue was with his own father. But if the person behind the cinema attack was not Liu Chu, then this matter becomes unfathomable and confusing.
But he trusted his intuition: it should be related to his father.
Jiang Zhengye, whose mood had just improved, suddenly was not so well.
"Jiang Ming’an, I am your father, how can you call me by name? Do you want people to laugh at our family? In the past, even though we weren’t too close, at least you were polite. Where’s your upbringing now?"
"My mom died early, no upbringing!"
Jiang Zhengye was choked, and the words of reprimand immediately were stuck in his throat. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"At least give a perfunctory call." In front of Ming Yue, did he want to lose face?
"Dad..."
Jiang Zhengye got goosebumps from that call, thinking it might be better not to be called that. He didn’t know how this kid had changed so much. Also, he admitted it was his fault for not taking care of them after their mother’s death. Now, the younger ones aren’t affectionate, and the older ones are rebellious.
Sigh! It’s all his fault; such things can’t be blamed on the kids.
"Sit down, sit down, talk if you have something to ask."
Jiang Ming’an was very pleased with this father’s cooperation.
"...so, what exactly happened?"
Jiang Zhengye rarely put on a serious face, furrowing his brow. After some thought, he fished out a necklace from beneath his collar, yanked it off with some force, and tossed it straight to his son opposite him.
Jiang Ming’an caught the simple necklace that was still warm, and to call it a necklace was almost flattering it.
The chain was evidently made of scrap iron, crudely designed, yet the pendant resembled a pocket watch, with a Taotie engraved on the cover, vivid and lifelike. The chain didn’t match it at all; it looked more like they just grabbed something to hang it with, just to hide it around the neck.
With such an ugly look, it was already an eyesore after one glance, yet it could properly hide the protagonist; it just depended on whether this protagonist had a significant background.
"Click" opened the cover, but there was nothing inside, only the hands silently ticking away.
This was just a pocket watch pretending to be mysterious!
"Just this? Is there anything else?"
Jiang Ming’an suspected his dad had gone mad; the trauma from that night was indeed lingering.
Jiang Zhengye gave his son a big glare; he fathered him, how could he not know what he was thinking?
"Besides this, I can’t think of anything else worth them going to such great lengths. Why don’t you ask Xiao Xie? He has many street friends; is there a story circulating about this?
One year, Empress Dowager Cixi traveled incognito and came to Yun Dian, visiting Fahua Temple one day where she encountered a young monk. This young monk was said to embody the essence of heaven and earth... In short, she took a liking to him at first sight. Later, it’s rumored that the young monk received her favor, and when she returned to the palace, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, ultimately falling severely lovesick.
Encouraged by the eunuch, Cixi snuck out of the palace to Yun Dian to meet the monk privately. From then on, every few years, she would sneak out of the palace to meet him. Gradually, the monk gained immense favor, Fahua Temple was renovated grandly, and the incense money it received annually was enviable. Additionally, the young monk received so much in annual rewards that it could stack up into a mountain of gold. Later, it’s rumored that the monk passed away mid-life and, before his death, hid all the gold and silver treasures, leaving behind only an old item gifted by Cixi."
Jiang Ming’an and Jiang Mingyue both focused their gaze on the pocket watch.
"Could it be this pocket watch?"
Jiang Zhengye nodded.
Jiang Ming’an laughed in exasperation, "You even believe such nonsense that can’t even be considered a wild tale?"
"Whether I believe it or not, I’ve been dragged into it."
"Where did you get it from?"
"Your mother’s belongings."
The air suddenly grew tense.
After a long while.
"Why would my mom have this thing? Who exactly is she? It’s a pocket watch, and then there’s Gong Qingge. Can an ordinary person really be involved with these?"
"Aren’t you going to ask your... my grandparents?"
"I don’t have the face to. When I married your mother, I promised them I’d take good care of Jinlan, but..."
"... My mom’s death has nothing to do with you."
"You don’t understand!"
"... I don’t understand, but now you’ve nearly lost your life twice. We have to get to the bottom of this. It’s been so many years; even with the biggest temper, grandpa and grandma should have calmed down. Next time, bring Xiao Ran along and our whole family will visit... no, go and see them."
The Lu Family is in Hai Zi Village under Little Stone Commune, which, like Beishi Commune, is under the jurisdiction of Nanxi City.
The night before they left, Jiang Ming’an came over.
"Yueyue, come with us."
Jiang Mingyue stared at her brother as if he were an idiot, and after a long while, she coldly spat out two words, "Not going."
"You have to go. Your brother is scared."
Jiang Mingyue almost rolled her eyes.
"Not going, the basswood in Qingshan Village has reached the fourth step in processing. Yesterday it was fished out of the lime solution, and now it’s about to undergo scorching. I need to supervise it on site." The final step could not go wrong or it would be a failure. No amount of theory could compare to in-person experience, especially since no one in Qingshan Village had this kind of experience.
"It won’t take long, just the morning. Am I still your real brother?"
Here we go again, trying to play the emotional card? But it’s effective.
"Alright, but let’s be clear, I’m just a background figure, don’t expect me to speak."
"Deal."
Jiang Mingyue always felt something was off, but she couldn’t quite figure it out. Her real brother couldn’t possibly sell her off, right?
Four people, three bikes, they stood out no matter where they went.
When they passed through several villages, they attracted the attention of the adults and the curiosity of the children who ran after them.
Xiao Ran was holding coal sitting behind Jiang Mingyue, and he asked curiously, "Sister, why are they chasing us? Do they want to steal my coal?" Xiao Ran thought it was very likely and hurriedly stuffed the coal into his clothes.
Jiang Mingyue: "..." Even a smart head has its moments of silliness.
"Oh! They think Xiao Ran is super cute and want to be friends with you."
This time, Jiang Ran, who was always praised by his sister, hesitated for the first time. He felt it wasn’t that way; they really wanted to steal his coal. Maybe his sister didn’t know how important children’s toys were.
"Hey! Are we at Little Stone Commune yet? The wind is so strong I can’t open my eyes. Xiao Ran, lean close to your sister, so you don’t get dust in your eyes." It’s so damn uncomfortable; autumn feels like spring.
"Mm-hmm, I’ll listen to my sister."
Jiang Ming’an cast a glance at Xiao Ran’s close posture and snorted coldly.
Jiang Zhengye glanced at his youngest son, feeling a pang of sadness: He was quite disheartened when his son wouldn’t ride on his bike anymore.
It was past noon when they finally reached Hai Zi Village, and Jiang Mingyue sighed, feeling tricked.
