Chapter 30 A good girl like you should leave him...
Chapter 30
Four days ago, Xia Zhiyu received a call from the Chuancheng District Procuratorate, asking her if she would be willing to take on a legal aid case involving intentional injury.
Xia Zhiyu then remembered that she had submitted her information to the legal aid lawyer resource database in her hometown on a whim.
She didn't expect to actually get a legal aid case, since she had always worked in non-litigation matters in Beicheng, and only during her internship was she guided by Jiang Zhiyan to work on a few criminal defense cases.
Xia Zhiyu was terribly confused as the prosecutor described the case. The suspect and the victim were a married couple. On the evening of November 7, after an argument, the wife kicked her husband and broke his leg, causing minor injury.
Based on Xia Zhiyu's work experience in Beicheng, the police would usually handle this case as a family dispute mediation, but this time they actually filed a case and it has entered the stage of review and prosecution by the procuratorate.
"Are you done with your work?"
A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and Old Xia asked in a loud voice.
Xia Zhiyu instinctively covered the phone's microphone, her brows furrowing tightly.
Teachers' children are often over-controlled to some extent. Old Xia has been a high school teacher for twenty years, teaching two or three classes every year, with at least one or two hundred students. He has long developed the habit of wanting to control everyone.
Even when he didn't have classes at school, he would still lie on the back window and watch the students, making sure they weren't paying attention in class. At home, he couldn't control Song Yue, so he could only keep an eye on Xia Zhiyu.
While other children eagerly awaited their winter and summer vacations, Xia Zhiyu longed for them to end so her father could return to school and stop tormenting her at home.
Xia Zhiyu was disciplined by teachers at school from childhood to adulthood, and she was also disciplined by teachers at home. She had no right to make mistakes no matter where she was. Her rebellious mentality was suppressed and grew stronger until it all burst out after she finished the college entrance examination.
According to her parents' wishes, Xia Zhiyu chose liberal arts and her scores were good. It would be perfect for her to study at a free teacher training college. After graduation, she would have a permanent position and could go back to her hometown to teach at a high school. How perfect!
Xia Zhiyu outwardly agreed with "uh-huh," but in reality, half an hour before the deadline for volunteer applications, she changed all teacher training programs to journalism and communication.
I have no other thoughts, I just don't want to be obeyed.
Ren Yu calls it a belated rebellious phase.
Before Xia Zhiyu could reply, Xia Fangqing pushed open her bedroom door and said kindly, "Come and try the new hot pot your dad researched. It's spicy, flavorful, and especially delicious. I also stir-fried some pork intestines for you. I washed the intestines myself after buying them, scrubbing them several times with salt water and flour to make sure they're spotless."
Besides work, Lao Xia's other biggest hobby is cooking. Lao Xia has always been the one doing the cooking at her house, which indirectly influenced Xia Zhiyu's criteria for choosing a partner. A man, putting everything else aside, should at least be able to cook a table full of his own delicious dishes, right?
But it would be even better if her dad didn't come in while she was on the phone.
Just then, Ren Yu arrived with drinks, so Xia Zhiyu had to quickly schedule a time to review the case file with the prosecutor in charge of the case, and would learn more about the remaining related matters during the review.
"Dad, could you please not suddenly barge into my room next time? I'm working."
"What could be more important than eating?"
Old Xia raised his eyebrows, looking somewhat displeased. Xia Zhiyu immediately retorted, "Yes, yes, work isn't as important as eating. Once I lose my job, I can starve. Every time I go out, all I have to do is eat. Are you satisfied now?"
"That brat has grown wings and can't even be controlled by her parents anymore."
"If you can't control it, don't force it. Stop worrying about things unnecessarily. Why don't you spend your time managing your own blood pressure?"
Xia Zhiyu wasn't going to indulge him. Having been a lawyer for so long, she certainly had a knack for roasting people.
He is especially good at criticizing feudalistic fathers.
Jiang Zhiyan is one, and her father is another.
Xia Fangqing muttered a couple of things, but ultimately said nothing more, looking like an old father whose good intentions had been betrayed by his own little brat.
Xia Zhiyu ignored him and called Ren Yu to go to the refrigerator to get the fresh fish balls they bought at the market yesterday.
On the square table, a red broth hot pot bubbled and steamed, with meatballs and duck blood that had been added to the pot beforehand floating and sinking, looking incredibly tempting. Fresh brisket, with the tendons and membranes removed, was sliced thinly, blanched for seven or eight seconds, curled up, and bitten into—tender and spicy, so fragrant you almost wanted to swallow your tongue.
Despite being scalded and panting, Xia Zhiyu still stuffed the tender, tofu-like duck blood into her mouth, coated with a spicy dry dipping sauce—it was soft, tender, and bouncy.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," Song Yue muttered, her hands never stopping as she scooped meat for her daughter, her eyes full of tenderness as she looked at Xia Zhiyu.
Being a mother is like this: you're afraid your child will burn their mouth eating too fast, and you're also afraid they won't have enough to eat. When it's cold, you're afraid their hands and feet will get cold, and when it's hot, you're afraid the scorching sun will melt your little girl.
Xia Zhiyu still remembers when she first started university and went through military training, her mother would order fruit and electrolyte water for her from her phone every day back in her hometown and deliver them to the school gate.
A mother's love is always presentable.
There's no one better than a mother in the world!
As for Dad.
Xia Zhiyu glanced at Old Xia, who had been working since early morning in the sweltering kitchen, preparing hot pot broth, slicing beef and fish, and cleaning intestines... He was still sweating profusely, and he was currently serving her mushroom soup, grumbling as he did so:
"Darling, have a sip of soup first. This hot pot is oily and spicy, don't eat it and your stomach will burn."
"These are all good mushrooms. Dad set his alarm for six o'clock to go to the morning market and grab them. They're so fresh."
Dad is fine too, he can nag a little if he wants.
Xia Zhiyu blinked hard, her nose feeling sore.
Song Yue laughed and said, "Only when you come home will your dad go to such lengths to cook for you. I've never seen him put in this much effort when cooking for me."
Old Xia chuckled and used a slotted spoon to scoop shrimp paste for Xia Zhiyu, but after several attempts, he missed. Xia Fangqing sighed, "I'm really getting old; I can't even catch a shrimp paste anymore."
"Don't make excuses. It's clearly a problem with your technique. Don't blame your age. I was able to scoop it up in one go."
Song Yue rolled her eyes at him, then took the strainer from Lao Xia's hand without saying a word, squinting as she scooped shrimp paste for Xia Zhiyu.
The gray hair at his temples and the increasingly prominent wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were clearly visible.
The sense of time passing is particularly pronounced in my parents.
Xia Zhiyu felt as if ants had secretly bitten her heart twice, causing a sour, astringent, and tingling sensation.
Ren Yu praised, "Hot pot should only be eaten at home. Hot pot in other places doesn't have this numbing and spicy flavor. Uncle, the seasoning you stir-fried is really fragrant."
With just a few words, Ren Yu flattered Xia Fangqing so much that he was completely overjoyed. He then started serving him mushroom soup, praising Ren Yu for being more eloquent and capable than Xia Zhiyu, saying that Xia Zhiyu, despite being an adult, still acted like a child, calling home to cry whenever she encountered difficulties.
Now I'm not moved at all.
Xia Zhiyu chewed on the crisp mushrooms expressionlessly, vowing not to give Old Xia a kind look all day.
After finishing their meal, Ren Yu actively helped her parents clean up the dishes, while Xia Zhiyu slowly carried the trash downstairs.
The garbage was piled up at the entrance of the community. Xia Zhiyu, wearing pajamas and hunched over, planned to throw away the garbage and then buy two cups of milk tea.
She bought two cups of her dad's favorite drink and went to the tea plantation, where she chugdled them in front of the old man who couldn't eat too many sweets.
Turn left at the entrance of the residential area and you'll find a milk tea shop. The mini-program showed that there were still seven or eight people ahead of her in line. Xia Zhiyu turned to the tree next to the security booth, ordered a starch sausage, and ate it while waiting for her milk tea.
Just as she received her milk tea, she caught a glimpse of a Lexus slowly pulling up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing half of Jiang Jing's well-maintained profile. A smile played on her lips, and her tone was gentle.
"Come up and have a seat? It's very windy outside."
—
When Jiang Zhiyan returned to Beicheng for a meeting, Jiang Jing looked up the home address on Xia Zhiyu's resume when she joined the company.
She had an international conference to attend in Chuancheng at that time. Since she was going to Chuancheng anyway, it wouldn't be a bad thing to see Xia Zhiyu on the way. With a purely malicious intention to see her make a fool of herself, Jiang Jing came.
There isn't even a decent hotel in this small county town where you can have a proper meal.
Jiang Jing leaned back in his chair, lazily resting his chin on his hand as he stared at Xia Zhiyu, whose face was full of embarrassment.
Xia Zhiyu carried the first cup of milk tea that had just been opened. The aroma of cheese Pu'er tea spread between her lips and teeth. She looked up at Jiang Jing and met his amused gaze.
For the first time, Xia Zhiyu experienced the feeling of sitting on pins and needles in a luxury car.
Jiang Zhiyan and Jiang Jing not only look alike, but now it seems they even have similar personalities, Xia Zhiyu thought to herself.
Especially in the matter of blocking her with luxury cars.
Xia Zhiyu didn't think Jiang Jing would do anything to her like Jiang Zhiyan did, but the fact that her former boss stopped her on her way home after buying milk tea and asked if she wanted to have a meal together was already very uncomfortable.
"I heard Jiang Zhiyan came to ask you to get back together a couple of days ago but was rejected?"
Jiang Jing curled her lips into a smile, and although it was a question, she said it with a mocking tone.
It's as if her son's misfortunes are a good thing for her.
Xia Zhiyu vaguely felt that something was wrong, but when she thought about what Jiang Zhiyan had told her about his family a couple of days ago, Xia Zhiyu hesitated for a moment and finally just gave a dry "hmm".
Jiang Jing laughed again, even the curve of her lips was similar to Jiang Zhiyan's, only her tone was more sarcastic.
"It's good. It's also hard for you to put up with Jiang Zhiyan for so many years. It must be tiring to get along with someone like him. He's mean, insidious, cold, arrogant, and selfish."
Xia Zhiyu found it difficult to respond to this, especially since, although she remembered Jiang Zhiyan as awful, he wasn't as bad as Jiang Jing described.
She hesitated for a moment before deciding whether to respond, but couldn't help saying, "He was fine before, but his personality has worsened in the last two years, probably due to too much work pressure."
Before Jiang Jing could speak, Xia Zhiyu quickly changed the subject, "So, is there anything else you wanted to see me about? Did something go wrong with my previous work?"
Jiang Jing's words were cut off before she could speak. Her slender, bright red fingers tapped haphazardly on the armrest of the seat, her smile unchanged.
"Of course it's not about your work. I came to Chuancheng City for a meeting and just stopped by to see you and chat about Jiang Zhiyan."
"Speaking of which, did you know that Jiang Zhiyan sent her own biological father to prison out of jealousy?"
Jiang Jing spoke softly, but his words were like thunderclaps in Xia Zhiyu's ears.
She suddenly looked up, instinctively gripping the milk tea cup tightly, her throat extremely dry.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Jing smiled even more broadly.
"You didn't know? Jiang Zhiyan kept it from you so well. Did you know that he once locked up his own mother, me, in a mental hospital? It was all to get Jiang's shares."
"Look, Jiang Zhiyan is a complete scoundrel. A good girl like you should stay away from him, shouldn't you?"
Jiang Jing smiled brightly, his gaze fixed intently on Xia Zhiyu.
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