Taking action against a defenseless old man while she and her husband were away, Jiang Shengnan was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to dust.
She quickly wrapped up her work and, along with her husband, sped towards the Liu family village located in H Province.
They traveled thousands of miles before finally reaching their destination.
When she saw the line of yellow mud and thatched cattle sheds halfway up the mountain, she thought of her grandfather struggling with illness and waiting eagerly for her rescue in such a harsh environment...
Jiang Shengnan, known for her toughness and nicknamed the Iron Lady, couldn’t help but tear up.
Seeing her grandfather in a dirty, patched-up, tattered cotton coat, sweeping with a worn-out broom, her tears instantly flowed.
She wished to settle her grandfather first and then immediately turn the car back to Beijing, to tear apart those cowards who dared harm a frail old man but couldn’t face her and her husband head-on!
To hell with the law and discipline.
After all these years of battles, if she couldn’t even protect the only family she recognized, what good was all her glory?
Her husband, Jiang Limin, seeing her emotional outburst, quickly gestured for Wu Liguo, Old Yang, and the others working together to go elsewhere, giving their family a quiet place to talk.
Everyone was well-mannered and had no interest in listening to others’ private matters, especially when Jiang Limin and his wife were both wearing brand-new uniforms with their four shiny pockets reflecting brightly.
"Grandpa..." As her choked voice called out, she saw Grandpa Jiang pause with the broom in his hand. He gave a bitter smile, thinking it was an illusion from longing too much, and resumed sweeping.
It wasn’t until Jiang Shengnan rushed forward and hugged him tightly from behind, crying desperately, that he dared to believe: his granddaughter, the precious Shengnan he had been thinking of, had really come to find him!
Having brushed past the gates of hell and seeing his precious granddaughter again, Grandpa Jiang was overwhelmingly happy.
But just as the elation rose for seconds, he remembered his current status as a bad element.
Fearing he would drag his granddaughter down, he quickly released his embrace, saying he had cut ties and distanced himself from her and was no longer her grandfather. This was not where she should be, and she should have her husband, Jiang Limin, take her away immediately.
"Go? We won’t leave without taking grandpa from this wretched place," Jiang Limin stubbornly shook his head, refusing to listen.
Being the orphaned son of Mr. Jiang’s friend, he grew up in the Jiang family, even changing his surname to Jiang.
After Mr. and Mrs. Jiang passed away, it was Grandpa who painstakingly raised him and Shengnan to adulthood.
In Jiang Limin’s eyes, Grandpa was his real grandfather, second only to his wife, Jiang Shengnan, in the world.
To abandon family for the sake of his future?
Ha! How is that even possible!
"You... child, why are you so stubborn! Grandpa’s already buried up to his neck in dirt, what difference does it make to enjoy or suffer? As long as you both are doing well, grandpa can die with no regrets!"
"Listen, take Shengnan and go quickly, this isn’t the place for you two!" Grandpa’s voice choked with emotion as he spoke, his eyes filled with pleading as he looked at Jiang Limin.
The bitterness and weariness almost brought Jiang Limin to tears, nearly nodding to pull away his usually iron-willed and gentle wife.
But his wife’s raspy shout of ’no’ snapped him back from Grandpa’s persuasive pull.
"Grandpa, rest assured, Limin and I performed our task exceptionally well this time. Before we came, we had already exchanged our rewards for a chance to seek leniency on your behalf. From today on, you won’t be bullied under the label of a bad element, and no one will dare mention your unfavorable background again..." Afraid Grandpa would overthink, Jiang Shengnan quickly wiped her tears and spoke hurriedly.
"No buts, Grandpa. You have been our rock and backbone since childhood. You’re not a burden, and we’re not afraid of being burdened by you. We’re only afraid of you distancing yourself from us over some nonsense, not even leaving us the chance to be burdened." Jiang Limin spoke firmly, intercepting Grandpa’s attempt to distance himself out of protection for them.
"Yes, Grandpa, the exchange has already been made. Even if you don’t acknowledge me, it won’t change the established fact! So, for our sake, how about we go back together? In the future, wherever we go, we’ll bring you along, and this kind of thing will never happen again." Jiang Shengnan held Grandpa’s hand, her voice full of persuasion.
To shed the label of a bad element, no longer forced to sweep, feed cattle, and clean the cattle pen in the biting cold, and to be with his granddaughter and grandson-in-law, why wouldn’t Grandpa Jiang be pleased?
But before leaving, he hoped to repay his saviors.
Though delirious with fever, struggling to open his eyes, his mind was clear.
If not for Lian Hai’s plea and Shuzhen’s justified fight, which intimidated Accountant Sun and led to them being handed over to the Lian siblings,
in that snowy path, without blankets, tents, or the life-saving medicine from the cattle cart, his granddaughter and grandson-in-law might only have found his corpse.
Listening to Grandpa recounting his ordeals in detail, Jiang Shengnan and her husband were deeply relieved yet filled with anger.
Gratitude must be repaid, and grudges avenged; the couple was always clear about love and hate.
Accountant Sun almost froze their grandpa to death in the icy snow to save on medical and lodging expenses?
Jiang Shengnan and Jiang Limin exchanged a glance, vowing to remember this grudge.
Just a petty village accountant?
Looking down on bad elements, always boasting superiority and class enemy nonsense?
Well, let him become one of them, to be disciplined, educated, and paraded now and then.
Surely, when he’s been labeled a bad element long enough, his attitude will soften, and he’ll understand not to judge heroes by their background.
And to the Lian siblings who saved them, their gratitude is etched in their hearts.
Today’s plans were not enough for a visit. With Grandpa settled and fully checked at the city guesthouse,
only after careful gifts were prepared would the family of three personally visit to express their thanks properly.