Chapter 36: The Eager System and the Terrified Captain

Jiang Jing was struck completely bewildered, yet his reaction was swift; he leaped up in an instant.

The woman living in the courtyard next to the Jiang family had initially only been standing in her own yard, watching the commotion. Seeing Jiang Hua standing there and watching the old man discipline his youngest son, she noticed a space had opened up beside Jiang Hua. She quickly slipped out of her yard and darted over to her side.

"I must say, if you hadn't been away for only a month, I would have thought you’d gone and had another child out there!"

Jiang Hua cast a sideways glance at the woman, who was staring at Jiang Xiaxia with wide-eyed curiosity and wonder. She couldn't help but retort, "Liu Jinhua, you old shameless thing, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Liu Jinhua lifted her chin slightly and said triumphantly, "The way this little girl was beating people up just now is exactly like you when you were a child! We grew up together; do you think I don't know what you were like?"

"Really?"

Jiang Xiaxia, who had been excitedly watching her grandfather beat her uncle and circling around the fallen Han Dahua, froze. Hearing this, her eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Liu Jinhua and asked with great anticipation, "Am I... like Grandma?"

Liu Jinhua was accustomed to seeing her friend Jiang Hua looking fierce and stern, but she had never seen her looking so sweet and well-behaved. Even if the little girl only shared a fraction of her friend's likeness, it was enough for her. Seeing Jiang Xiaxia gazing at her with such longing—the same way Jiang Hua used to look at her—Liu Jinhua beamed. She reached out and gently pinched the little girl's cheek, smiling warmly, "That’s right! You are just like your grandmother!"

Jiang Xiaxia’s eyes brightened even more. She quickly reached into her pockets and rummaged around for a long time, eventually pulling out two candies to hand to Liu Jinhua. "Good person, these are for you!"

Seeing the candies, which were clearly only available in big cities, Liu Jinhua’s smile widened, blooming like a flower. "This child is not only like you, but also like your old man! She understands social graces; what a sensible and well-behaved child!"

Watching her friend deftly tuck the candies away, Jiang Hua curled her lip in annoyance. "Don't just stand there watching the show. What exactly is going on here?"

"A few years ago, didn't your old man find a job in the county for that boy, Jiang Tie?" Liu Jinhua glanced at the unconscious Han Dahua, who was showing signs of waking up, and scoffed. "That boy listened to this woman’s pillow talk and gave the job to her nephew from the Han family. Now, their own lives have become difficult again."

Jiang Hua frowned slightly, but before she could speak, Jiang Xiaxia had already squatted down beside Han Dahua. She reached out and poked the bump on the woman's forehead, asking in a milky voice, "Why... call him 'Dad'?"

Liu Jinhua watched as the father and son continued their chase, while the little girl darted back and forth between them. Amazingly, the two men were mindful of her, carefully avoiding her as they ran. Liu Jinhua couldn't help but chuckle. Meeting her friend's exasperated gaze, she raised her voice slightly. "This woman is Jiang Tie’s wife! When your grandparents returned from the battlefield and saw that all of Jiang Tie’s family were gone, they felt pity and took him in. After they found him a wife, the couple complained that your family was poor and moved out to live on their own."

Liu Jinhua watched as Han Dahua’s eyelashes fluttered—clearly unable to keep up the charade of being unconscious—and sneered. "Later, when your grandparents' two sons joined the army and the family’s situation improved, this shameless pair crawled back! When they split off, they swore they were only distant relatives and told your grandparents not to claim any connection. But once the soldiers started sending money home, they began calling them 'Dad' and 'Mom' so affectionately that they’d show up three times a day just to call out to them!"

Jiang Xiaxia nodded as if she understood. "People who want money... are bad people!"

That wouldn't do at all. The Jiang family's money belonged to her grandmother!

Jiang Xiaxia looked down at Han Dahua, who had opened her eyes and was glaring at her as if she wanted to jump up and devour her. The little girl showed her white teeth and gave her a sweet smile.

Han Dahua felt another sharp pain in her forehead, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness once again.

Jiang Zhuguo, who had been chasing his youngest son for a while, heard another dull "thud." His teeth ached, and he stopped, glancing at his exhausted eldest son, Jiang Dalin. He scolded, "What are you staring at? She’s lying there; what if she freezes? Why don't you find someone to carry her back?"

Jiang Dalin looked helpless. Seeing Han Dahua fainted again, he felt a surge of worry. Given Jiang Xiaxia’s strength, having hit her twice, could she have caused any serious damage?

The more he thought, the more anxious he became. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "What are you women standing around for? Why don't a few of you come over and help carry her back?"

The women watching glanced at each other, but no one moved.

It was Liu Jinhua who shouted back, "Who would dare touch this Han Dahua? Didn't you hear Daming say that he only saved her niece from drowning and got extorted for it? Jiang Cheng didn't even touch the girl's body; he only used a hoe to pull her out, and even then, he couldn't escape being framed! Who among us would dare touch anyone from her family?"

Hearing this, Jiang Dalin felt his head throb. He hurried to explain, "Auntie Liu, please, stop joking! We’re all women; what could she possibly frame us for?"

Liu Jinhua remained adamant, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who knows? What if we carry her back, and as soon as she wakes up, she starts screaming that she’s in pain, claiming we were careless and bumped her? What if she demands money? What would we do then?"

Seeing Jiang Dalin’s distressed expression, and glancing at the so-called "second uncle" standing at the door along with her frail-looking "second aunt," Jiang Xiaxia thought for a moment and then enthusiastically raised her little hand. "I’ll do it!"

A vein pulsed on Jiang Dalin’s forehead. He couldn't help but look at Jiang Jing, who had already run home to drop off his luggage and returned. "You, take this girl back!"

Don't add to the chaos here.

Jiang Jing grinned. "My Xiaxia is quite strong! You can let her try!"

He had been distracted earlier watching the little girl pull things from her pocket for Auntie Liu, and because he wasn't paying attention, his father had managed to land a few kicks on him. He still had the imprint of his father’s shoe on his arm! Having been beaten for no reason, and thinking that if he was going to have a bad day, he might as well drag someone else into it, he resolutely rejected Jiang Dalin's request.

Rebuffed, Jiang Dalin turned his gaze toward Jiang Zhuguo and Jiang Hua. He saw them looking at Jiang Xiaxia with complete doting, fully prepared to let her do whatever she pleased without any interference.

Sighing, Jiang Dalin spoke kindly to Jiang Xiaxia, "Little girl, you're too young, you can't lift an adult—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the little girl’s actions and let out a howl: "Put her down! Let her go!"