Chapter 13 Time Switch Guess Who I Am?
Jiang Hao longed to step back into her home after five years. The shoe cabinet had changed design, the sofa covers a new color. The house smelled of plastic, like children's toys.
Jiang Cheng looked at his daughter as she entered, his eyes a bit dazed. Jiang Hao before him seemed to have grown taller, almost reaching his shoulders. She had lost much of her childish roundness, her chin now pointed. She stood there, silent.
What confused Jiang Cheng the most was Jiang Haoxiang's features. How could he look more and more like Lin Ran?
Jiang Hao missed his childhood, with her round face and features, which resembled him more. Now, she looked more like a young Lin Ran. Jiang Cheng felt a little uncomfortable.
When Jiang Haoxiang was little, friends and relatives would occasionally tell her she looked like her mother. Jiang Cheng would get upset, retorting, "More like me." Then, at some point, it seemed like fewer and fewer people mentioned her resemblance to Lin Ran, and more people said Jiang Haoxiang looked like the spitting image of her father.
Now Jiang Cheng felt a little uncomfortable looking at his daughter who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
Jiang Haoxiang keenly caught the strangeness in her father's eyes, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
I've said this many times: Jiang Hao seems like a slightly arrogant child. She feels she should be nice to anyone who treats her well. She also likes anyone who likes her.
But she was afraid that Jiang Cheng liked her.
Because Jiang Haoxiang found that she couldn't like her father anymore.
She knew she looked more and more like Lin Ran, and Xiang Li had mentioned this to her many times in recent years. Jiang Hao wanted to attribute this to her superpowers.
As a child, Jiang Hao seemed to have a vague feeling that her father didn't like her looking like her mother. To avoid angering him, she subconsciously tried not to resemble her mother. Later, people started mentioning the fact less and less.
But during those five years at Aunt Xiang Li's house, she heard so many stories about her mother, Lin Ran. Vivid, warm, and reckless. When Aunt Xiang Li spoke of Lin Ran, her eyes were filled with tenderness and nostalgia. Unconsciously, when Jiang Hao looked in the mirror, she seemed to see more of that gentle woman in her own face.
——If I didn’t imagine it before, it wouldn’t look like it; now that I imagine it, it looks like it. How simple!
My step-grandmother had returned to her hometown after my younger brother started kindergarten. Jiang Benben had originally wanted Jiang Haoxiang to move back to her old large air-conditioned room.
"I miss it so much. Your old room is still reserved for you. You can move in after cleaning it up." Jiang Cheng said as he was about to push the door.
"No need, Dad." Jiang Haoxiang stood still and said, "I'll just stay in the north room."
Jiang Cheng was puzzled: "It's small and hot over there, and there's no air conditioning. It must be so uncomfortable to live there."
It turns out you also know that the room is small, hot and has no air conditioning, which makes it uncomfortable to live in.
"It's okay. I'm used to living here." Jiang Hao wanted to push open the door, but it was still stuffy and hot.
Jiang Cheng felt that something was different about his daughter this time, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was different.
At night, Jiang Haoxiang lay in bed. The wind from the electric fan enveloped her. She kept her eyes open. The room was still stuffy. She missed her brother Zheng Yi so much.
I really miss Aunt Li. I really miss Jiujiu.
She didn't turn up the fan, only the lowest setting. The wind was so gentle that it seemed a little pitiful.
The gentle breeze died down, and the electric fan stopped turning—the power was out. Jiang Cheng went upstairs and shouted, saying he would call the property management, asking Jiang Hao to hold back.
In fact, Jiang Hao seemed to have nothing to endure. She was used to it and she returned to that airtight world.
This year, Jiang Haoxiang lived a pretty good life.
Jiang Cheng's attitude had indeed changed significantly. Perhaps to compensate for past neglect, or perhaps out of a genuine desire to play the role of a loving father, he seemed to have become more agreeable to Jiang Hao, giving her generous pocket money and occasionally asking about her school life. However, the inherent bias and contempt wouldn't change overnight.
But Jiang Hao seemed to have mastered the tricks of bluffing that Zheng Yi hadn't learned before. She no longer argued or secretly cried like she had when she was little. She just listened without responding, her face expressionless, her mind preoccupied with other things.
Jiang Haoxiang began to consciously avoid her stepmother and younger brother.
After school, she'd go straight to her room and lock the door. Sometimes, she'd skip dinner, using the excuse of having too much homework or simply saying she wasn't hungry. She even approached Jiang Cheng about taking cram school to prepare for middle school.
Her stepmother had no problem with Jiang Haoxiang's initiative to improve herself. She wasn't stupid. If Jiang Haoxiang succeeded in the future, others would praise her as a stepmother for not mistreating her ex-wife's daughter. If she didn't, people would simply blame her for not raising her well.
Praising is incidental, scolding is the primary responsibility. She hopes Jiang Haoxiang can be more promising and not embarrass her.
Time flew by during these days of studying, and Jiang Haoxiang had quietly grown taller this year.
The entrance exam to junior high school is over and the summer vacation for graduation is coming.
Jiang Hao wanted to put down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Cheng: "Dad, I want to go to Experimental Middle School for junior high school."
Experimental Middle School is the key middle school that Zheng Yi attended. This middle school only has a boarding system.
Jiang Cheng frowned. "Boarding? You're living well at home, why would you go to boarding school? How can the conditions at school be as good as at home? No way."
He objected, thinking the proposal was unnecessary. He had plenty of room at home, so why would he have to squeeze into a dormitory at school? What a lie.
Jiang Haoxiang didn't say anything more, just sitting there like a wooden stake. Jiang Cheng was furious at her behavior and raised his voice: "I'm talking to you! Do you hear me? You are not allowed to go to the boarding school! Come back home and live!"
Jiang Haoxiang remained motionless.
The stepmother, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly put her chopsticks down on the bowl, as if she was unleashing her pent-up anger on Jiang Cheng: "Boarding school? That's easy to say! Have you ever asked how much the annual boarding fee is at Experimental Middle School? There's also living expenses, tutoring fees, and all sorts of miscellaneous expenses! Jiang Cheng, your son will be going to elementary school soon. School selection fees and interest classes, which one doesn't cost money? Do you think you're making a fortune?"
Jiang Cheng was already furious, and being scolded like this only added fuel to the fire: "Money, money, money! You only care about money! Can't I afford to send my daughter to school? Do I need you to give me orders?"
"I'm giving orders? Don't I have a share in this family? So all the money is earned by you alone? Your daughter is a princess, and it costs so much money for her to go to middle school. What about my son? My son is not your biological son?!" The stepmother became more and more excited as she spoke.
"Why are you making such a fuss? These are two completely different things!" Jiang Cheng's forehead was throbbing with veins.
"How are they two different things? There is only so much money in the family. If you spend it on her, my son will spend less! She insists on studying in that boarding school, isn't it because she thinks home is not good enough? If you have the ability to leave, don't come back! It will save you from being an eyesore at home, with a gloomy face all day long. Who are you showing off to?" The stepmother's words became more and more harsh. Every sentence was trying to put pressure on Jiang Haoxiang and push her away.
My younger brother was frightened by his parents' quarrel and burst into tears.
Jiang Cheng was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "Shut up! I have the final say in this family! If she wants to go, let her go!"
The stepmother seemed even more furious and started crying, "Okay! Jiang Cheng! You're so partial! For the sake of your ex-wife's daughter, you've disregarded everything else! What do my son and I mean to you? I can't live like this anymore!"
The two of them were arguing with each other.
Jiang Cheng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick. He pushed his stepmother out of control and said, "Shut up!"
The stepmother staggered after being pushed by him and hit the chair. She picked up the glass ashtray and threw it at Jiang Cheng.
"Jiang Cheng! I'm going to fight you! I'm going to smash you to death today!!"
The ashtray flew past Jiang Cheng's ear and hit the wall behind him.
Jiang Cheng was terrified, looking at his wife who looked like she was crazy.
The stepmother glared at Jiang Cheng fiercely, and then looked at Jiang Haoxiang who was still as stiff as a log.
The next day, his stepmother packed up her belongings and returned to her parents' home with her crying brother. Jiang Cheng was left alone facing the messy living room. He called to apologize, but the line hung up. His texts fell on deaf ears. He felt embarrassed in front of his daughter.
After a few days of stalemate, with the house cold and desolate, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and go to his mother-in-law's house to pick her up. After much persuasion, putting on a smile, and promising not to lose his temper again, his stepmother reluctantly took her son home with him.
Even if Jiang Hao wanted to continue living in the small room on the second floor, the original room hadn't been vacated for his younger brother. Jiang Cheng had asked his stepmother several times, but each time, she refused. She didn't know where she'd gotten this parenting advice, but she wanted to strengthen the bond between Jiang Cheng and her son, so the three of them had always slept together. Fortunately, the bed was big enough, and his younger brother was small enough.
After this incident, Jiang Cheng was exhausted and lost his temper. He went to bed alone in an empty bedroom and an empty bed. He felt that he might really be getting old and could no longer bear the loneliness. He thought about it all night, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was not easy for him. At his age, what was wrong with wanting to enjoy the warmth of family? For the sake of family harmony and to save his reputation with his wife, he chose to compromise.
When he got home, he looked at the quiet Jiang Haoxiang, feeling embarrassed and helpless: "Haoxiang, boarding, right? Okay, Dad agrees. You can go. Don't treat yourself badly at school. Dad will give you some extra living expenses. Spend it as you need to, be generous."
Jiang Haoxiang, dragging her luggage, finally got her wish and became a first-year boarding student. Zheng Yi, three grades above her, had already graduated from junior high school that summer and enrolled in the Experimental High School across the street. The two schools faced each other from afar.
The dorm was a standard four-person room. The four girls quickly bonded. They woke up together, washed up, went to the cafeteria together, and attended classes together. They shared snacks, made plans to walk around the playground after school, and even huddled under the covers after lights out to whisper gossip. Jiang Haoxiang adapted quickly. She wasn't exactly an introvert. With her cute looks, good grades, and sweet personality, it was hard not to be liked.
There were only two classes on Friday afternoon. As soon as the bell rang, the four girls decided not to go to the cafeteria. Jiang Haoxiang's phone vibrated in her pocket. It was Zheng Yi.
"Is get out of class over? I'll take you to eat the newly opened boiled fish restaurant." Zheng Yi had just finished school.
Jiang Haoxiang covered the microphone and said to his roommates, "Wait for me." Then he walked to the corridor and said awkwardly, "Brother Zheng Yi, I can't today. My roommate and I have an appointment to go out for dinner together."
"Roommate?" Zheng Yi was a little surprised and pretended to be unhappy. "It's only been a few days, and you already have a new friend? Okay, okay, then go eat with your new friend."
"Oh, no." Jiang Hao wanted to explain.
"It's nothing, go quickly and don't keep people waiting."
Jiang Hao thought Zheng Yi seemed a little unhappy, but she didn't take it too seriously. She ran back to her roommates and said, "Let's go! Let's go eat!"
Every shop at the back door of the school was doing brisk business. Four girls went to a maocai restaurant. They crowded around a square table, chattering and ordering. Jiang Hao seemed to haven't noticed that at the table near the corner sat An Fengyang.
An Fengyang was Zheng Yi's best friend and classmate since childhood, and one of the main forces in the search for Jiang Haoxiang. He immediately spotted Jiang Haoxiang walking in with her classmates.
After not seeing each other for a few years, Jiang Hao seemed to have changed a lot. He had grown taller, chatting and laughing with his classmates, with a relaxed and happy look on his face. He was completely different from the poor little boy back then.
An Fengyang was happy for Zheng Yi. He didn't plan to go over and say hello, fearing Jiang Haoxiang would feel embarrassed in front of his classmates. When he stood up to pay, he pointed to Jiang Haoxiang's table and paid for it together. An Fengyang paid and left the shop. When Jiang Haoxiang and his roommates finished their meal and went to pay, they were told the bill had already been paid.
After the first monthly exam, Jiang Haoxiang's math score wasn't ideal, much lower than expected. She was sullen all day. Back in the dorm that night, Jiang Haoxiang was still working on her homework when her phone vibrated again. It was Zheng Yi.
"Jiang Hao wants to come down."
"No." Jiang Haoxiang was getting annoyed. "I got the question wrong."
"What does getting the problem wrong have to do with not being able to get down? Come down, I'll give you something."
"No, I'll talk to you after I finish correcting the questions." Jiang Hao wanted to compete.
There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line, and then Xiang Li's smiling voice came over: "I miss you so much, it's Auntie. Auntie bought some snacks and things for you. Come down quickly to get them, otherwise they will all be taken away by your brother Zheng Yi soon."
When Jiang Haoxiang heard it was Xiang Li, her attitude changed 180 degrees: "Auntie! I'll be right down!"
She threw down her pen, put on her shoes and ran out.
Sure enough, Xiang Li was standing there with two large shopping bags at his feet.
Zheng Yi leaned against the tree with his hands in his pockets. Seeing Jiang Hao trying to run down, he sneered, "You're so arrogant. You wouldn't come down even when I told you to. When my mom yelled, you ran faster than a rabbit."
Xiang Li raised his hand and patted Zheng Yi's shoulder: "Get out of the way! How can you talk like that!"
She looked at Jiang Haoxiang who ran over to her, took her into her arms, and even picked her up and weighed her: "She's a little heavy, and her face has some flesh on it."
Jiang Haowan raised his head from her arms, with a little pride: "I've grown taller! Auntie, I'm 1.58 meters tall now!"
Zheng Yi, who was standing next to him, sneered and straightened his back. "1.58 meters? I'm 1.73 meters!"
Xiang Li slapped Zheng Yi on the arm again. "What's there to brag about, you big idiot? Stand aside!"
Zheng Yi rubbed his arm and turned his face away angrily.
Xiang Li opened the two large shopping bags on the ground. "I bought these for you. There are some snacks, some notebooks and pens, and so on. I think they look pretty good. You should like them."
Jiang Haoxiang looked inside and saw a lot of fancy stationery, which she loved. Zheng Yi pretended to rummage through the bag, picked out two bags of pecan kernels, and pushed the rest toward Jiang Haoxiang.
Jiang Haoxiang returned to the dormitory carrying two large bags, much to the cheers of her roommates. She placed the bags on the table in the common area and said, "Take whatever you want!" The three girls gathered around and began to divide the snacks.
Just as Jiang Hao was about to head to the balcony to hang out the laundry, she glanced downstairs. The streetlights were dim, and Zheng Yi hadn't left yet. He wasn't standing there idly as usual. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets, kicking rocks for fun, looking a little lonely.
He was thinking about something, about the serious matter Xiang Li had discussed with him this afternoon.
Xiang Li divorced Zheng Yi's father when he was five. After the divorce, Zheng Yi's father moved to Spain and never remarried, living alone there. He occasionally video-called Zheng Yi to catch up. Xiang Li never cared, confident she could provide Zheng Yi with a good life and education, and unfazed by Zheng Yi's father's attempts to win her over.
Zheng's father had no intention of winning over anyone, and he lived quite comfortably on his own.
But he had cancer. It had been there for years, and it was now in the late stages. He called Xiang Li and asked if Zheng Yi could go to Spain to stay with him for a year or two. He knew he didn't have much time left. He had a caregiver and a nanny; he didn't need anyone to take care of him. He just missed his son.
Xiang Li told Zheng Yi everything very frankly.
She and Zheng's father broke up peacefully. There was no dramatic conflict. They just separated because their feelings faded.
Xiang Li gave all the decision-making power to Zheng Yi.
Xiang Li gave him an indefinite amount of time to think, but that in itself was a form of pressure. He went to class, played ball, and joked around with his friends as usual. An Fengyang was the first to notice something was wrong with him and came over to bump him with his shoulder. "Did you lose your soul in Spain?"
Several good friends know about this.
Zheng Yi gave him a blank look and didn't respond. An Fengyang didn't ask any more questions. He handed him a bottle of water, sat down next to him, and said slowly, "It's useless to think too much. Just follow your feelings and don't let yourself regret it."
Zheng Yi unscrewed the bottle cap and took a big gulp of water. What did he feel? He didn't feel anything at the moment...
Zheng Yi held the phone, listening to his father's voice on the other end of the line, which was much weaker than before, and didn't know what to feel.
He and his father have a decent relationship. Every year on his birthday and during New Year's Eve, his father would video chat and ask about his studies and life. They weren't exactly close, but there wasn't a rift either. He'd never considered moving overseas to live with his father.
However, in the late stage of cancer——
"Not much time left."
"There will be no father anymore."
The man in the video, the father whose presence was faint but who certainly existed, would soon vanish from this world completely. He, Zheng Yi, would truly be without a father from now on. This realization brought a strange bitterness to his heart.
He stood there, feeling the evening breeze, trying to sort out his thoughts.
A pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind and covered his eyes. A deliberately low and strange voice rang in his ears: "Guess who I am?"
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The author has something to say: I want to explain the question, "The stepmother was furious that Jiang Cheng disagreed with Jiang Haoxiang going to boarding school, but accidentally made Jiang Haoxiang go to boarding school." This is not a mistake, it was deliberately arranged by me. The reasons are as follows:
1. The stepmother wanted Jiang Haoxiang to go out to study, hoping that the family of three would belong to her instead of Jiang Haoxiang. The stepmother knew how to provoke Jiang Cheng, so she deliberately picked a quarrel.
2. The stepmother knew Jiang Haoxiang didn't want to stay home (I'm not exonerating her, but women are incredibly perceptive; she couldn't have failed to notice). Jiang Haoxiang wasn't actually a significant threat to her. She had given birth to a son and had Jiang Cheng under her thumb, and Jiang Haoxiang hadn't intentionally opposed her. The stepmother simply disliked Jiang Haoxiang. Jiang Haoxiang's presence at home was uncomfortable for her, and so was her. It also ruined the harmonious family life she desired, so she gave Jiang Haoxiang a hand.
(The remarks here are in response to questions raised by some readers. I added them later, so later readers should not be confused by the questions raised earlier. I wish you all a happy reading.)
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