Having secured this solid reserve force, Jiang Shan returned to the Jiao residence and strolled around the courtyard alone.
The Jiao residence was unusually quiet today. When Jiang Shan walked to the small door connecting to the next house, he peeked out and saw a patch of pale yellow light.
I thought Fu Qiyuan was still at the county office, but I didn't expect him to have already returned.
Jiang Shan went back to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of iced drinks and some pastries. He quietly stood outside the study window, preparing to give him a surprise.
Through the half-open window, Jiang Shan could see Fu Qiyuan's focused expression. However, he wasn't alone; a dark figure stood beside him, not quite visible.
"The master said he won't interfere; young master can clean it up himself."
"Tell them that after all, they are my mother's maternal family. Fortunately, no one was killed. We should still show them some consideration. I will delay for a few more months. It will be enough time for the Pei family to do something."
"...Please do as you please. Don't delay too long; Miss Jiang is still waiting for an explanation from you!"
"Besides Pei Wang, personally escort those other members of the Pei family out of prison, bypassing Yuzhou, and don't let anyone find out! As for Shan'er, I will explain everything to her myself."
Jiang Shan slowly retreated a few steps until he could no longer see Fu Qiyuan's figure before turning around and disappearing into the darkness.
The Pei family of Yuzhou… Fu Qiyuan’s maternal family… the in-laws of Fu Ting, the Minister of Works… What powerful backing!
No wonder!
Jiang Shan felt a palpitation in his heart and a bitter taste in his mouth.
Six months have passed since the incident, and she has never had any other thoughts. She thought that the case was quite difficult, and since he had just taken office, he needed more time to find relevant evidence.
Moreover, he spent almost all his time with them except when he was in the yamen, so much so that she subconsciously overlooked the night that almost brought her a fatal blow.
How stupid could she be to not have even the slightest suspicion? Anyone with a brain knows that if he really wanted to investigate, given his status and background, how could he have gone on for so long without a single clue?
So this is what they call investigating a case!
Is Vice President Pei of the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce a relative of Fu Qiyuan? The two of them have been hooking up for a long time, yet they pretend to be business people. Pei must have had ulterior motives for approaching her.
She knew it! With the Pei family's prestige and status, how could they possibly be interested in a self-taught shop owner like her? They had a backup plan all along!
Preventing fishing boats from selling to her is probably a way to cut off her supply line, right? Maybe they want her to soften her stance and get her released without charge!
Sure enough, a man's words are deceitful; she shouldn't have trusted that man!
Fortunately, I didn't tell him about my plan to open a branch store with Zheng Wu in Chongqing, otherwise they might have caused some trouble!
It seems that this so-called adopted son is nothing special. When it comes to real interests, their mother-son relationship, which they recognized halfway through life, is far inferior!
There was only one thing she couldn't understand: why was the Pei family targeting her? She had never met the Pei family before, and the Jiao family had no dealings with them either. Their only connection was with Fu Qiyuan.
Could it really be because of Fu Qiyuan?
Jiang Shan sat on the bed and thought about many things. From the first day she came into this world, from having nothing to what she has now, she has only taken a small step in more than a year, but she has gained a lot.
She experiences the bond between mother and son, and the affection between siblings, which is built on shared hardships. She also gains the kinship of blood relatives who are connected to her by blood, as well as a budding romance that is now forcibly cut short.
She finally understood that family members are irreplaceable, friends are mutually beneficial, but love, such a luxurious and elusive thing, is not worth wasting time and energy on!
As they slept, Jiang Shan held Jiang Huai in her arms and kissed him, murmuring, "Son, although you don't have a father's love in this life, your mother will never let you lack love. You must make your mother proud, and the two of us must live a life worthy of us in this world!"
Fu Qiyuan went to the next room after leaving the study, thinking that Jiang Shan should be back soon, but her room remained dark.
He waited in the corridor for a long time. It was so quiet that he could faintly hear the child crying.
By the time he followed the sound, the crying had stopped.
It turns out she's always been there.
Why not wait for him? She should know that no matter how busy he is, he will come back to see her and the child.
Fu Qiyuan sighed softly outside, making sure Jiang Shan and the child were asleep before returning to the next room.
Early in the morning, Jiang Shan disappeared again without telling anyone, and Jiao's mother was taking care of the child.
When Fu Qiyuan asked Jiao's mother, she pursed her lips and said, "How could she, a grown woman, run away? You're a county official, aren't you going to take care of things at the yamen? Go ahead and do your work. Huai'er is at home; she'll come back eventually!"
Jiang Shan doesn't take Jiang Huai out; he'll be back in half a day at most, and only she, his own mother, can take good care of him at night.
However, Fu Qiyuan couldn't tell Jiao's mother that he had been feeling a strange sense of panic since last night, and he couldn't go to the yamen in peace without seeing the country.
Jiang Shan and Qiao Sheng went to the beach, and Xia Qing took them out to sea.
Starting from Guxian Town, it would take at least half a day to travel around the various ferry crossings in Guyang County.
Xia Qing gave Jiang Shan a detailed account of the number of boats at each ferry crossing and the number of people going out to sea daily, and also analyzed the characteristics of each sea area.
Jiang Shan nodded repeatedly, having gained a rough understanding of the vast ocean, and the blueprint he had envisioned in his mind became clearer.
"Zongyang County has the deepest and largest sea area, which is why the imperial court chose to build docks and ports here. It only takes one day to travel by boat from here to Yuzhou, but at least two days by land. If we want to have a place in Yuzhou, we must first establish a foothold in Zongyang County!"
Standing at the junction of Guyang County and Zongyang County, Xia Qing pointed to the boundless sea in the distance, her eyes filled with deep longing.
Jiang Shan's heart was also stirred. Thinking that Sanlang was on the other side of this sea, and that her hopes and dreams were closely related to this sea, she couldn't help but devoutly bow down towards the east.
Xia Qing didn't know the significance of Jiang Shan's actions, but she still followed her and bowed three times towards the east.
When Jiang Shan returned to the Jiao residence that evening, it was nearly midnight. He pressed his ear against the door of Jiao's mother's room and listened for a while. Sure enough, he heard Jiang Huai's humming.
"Alright, alright, be good, Huai'er. You'll see your mother when you wake up. Huai'er will listen to her grandmother!"
Jianghuai is seven months old now and has started to consciously babble. He doesn't say "mother" very well, but he says "fairy" very fluently.
"Xianxian...uh...Xianxian...sheep...!"
Jiang Shan felt a sudden jolt in his heart as he pushed open the door, bringing with him a chilly, damp feeling.
"Xianxian! Sheep...!" Jiang Huai suddenly turned his head, tears streaming down his face, and reached out his hand to Jiang Shan.
"Change your clothes first. It's late at night and the dew is heavy. Don't let the chill on your body touch Huai'er."
Jiang Shan chuckled, rubbed his hands together, and turned to go back to his room to change his clothes.
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