The Guide to Faking Innocence to Win His Wife - Chapter 5

The last traces of twilight gradually faded away. The boundary between the sky and the mountain ridges blurred until a misty blackness swallowed everything whole.

In the unlit room, Xie Zhiyi sat on the edge of the bed. Gone was the softened expression she had shown in the kitchen; she wasn’t quite sad, nor was she angry. She looked like a jade statue meticulously carved by a master exquisite features frozen in place, her eyes dark and heavy.

The phone tossed on the mattress lit up time and again, letting out a persistent, buzzing vibration.

The thick darkness crawled up from her ankles, slowly enveloping her.

The noisy vibrations finally ceased for a moment, and the night wind from outside squeezed into the room.

Her straight back curved slightly as she reached out to pick up the phone.

The screen lit up yet again—it seemed the caller had switched to another app to continue their pursuit.

Her pale fingertips hovered in mid-air. She tried to reach out, then curled her fingers back. Suddenly, she stood up.

She shoved the window open with force, letting the sweltering summer wind pour into the room all at once.

“Jiang Zhongmu!” A boyish voice called out from the end of the grey-brick alley.

Jiang Zhongmu heard him but didn’t answer. She was still wearing the same clothes from earlier, though she had swapped her shoes for black flip-flops. Carrying two bamboo baskets, she walked toward the voice at an unhurried pace.

Three people stood opposite her. They were around her age, all dressed in light short sleeves and mid-length shorts, each carrying a basket.

“Why are you so slow?” the speaker asked. He had a buzz cut, a lean build, and skin two shades darker than Jiang Zhongmu’s. He had a bit of a rowdy, carefree air about him.

“Washing dishes,” Jiang Zhongmu replied. Her voice was more muffled than it was at home, her thin lips pressed tight, her jawline sharp and clear.

“Huh?” The boy blanked, caught off guard by such a perfunctory answer. “You only have one tenant. How many dishes could there be to take you an extra half hour?”

Washing dishes certainly didn’t take that long, but cleaning the crabs was a hassle. Moreover, of the two other people at the table, one rarely ate much while the other had poor teeth; both ate slowly.

If Jiang Zhongmu had mentioned during dinner that she was going out to set nets, Grandma would have certainly let her leave early. But she had sat there in silence, dragging it out until now.

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t care to explain. She tossed the older bamboo basket to him and muttered, “Thanks.”

Jiang Naunxun had a boisterous personality and was easily led. He caught his basket and said dismissively, “Nothing to thank me for. We’re practically family.”

Clearly, the river crabs from tonight’s dinner had been “borrowed” from him.

The “closeness” he spoke of referred to the fact that his father was Jiang Zhongmu’s godfather. They were like siblings, and having grown up together, their bond was indeed strong.

Jiang Zhongmu ignored him, greeted the other two with a nod, and took the lead toward the edge of town.

The dilapidated streetlights flickered intermittently, buzzing with the sound of a dying current. The narrow alley was dim and difficult to navigate, but the four of them had lived here since childhood. Every brick and every turn was etched into their memory; they could find their way out with their eyes closed.

The sound of their footsteps was exceptionally clear in the quiet. Jiang Zhongmu looked up at the bright, round moon, and her thoughts drifted back to the dinner table.

Xie Zhiyi hadn’t just been praising the food to make Grandma proud; she had genuinely liked it, eating more than half the plate of crabs.

Whenever Jiang Zhongmu had looked up from her rice, she saw the woman, who clearly wasn’t good with spicy food leaning back against her chair. Her lips were red and swollen, covered in a moist sheen, and she had been gasping slightly to cool the heat, her tongue occasionally brushing against her white, shell-like teeth.

Jiang Zhongmu hadn’t eaten many of the dishes tonight, but she had swallowed two bowls of plain white rice.

This had made Grandma’s heart ache, assuming she was starving after a long day of work. Jiang Zhongmu hadn’t corrected her.

Shifting her focus, she gripped the bamboo basket. She began calculating which paddy field would have the most crabs and where the best spot to set the nets would be.

The other three were high-spirited types, especially Jiang Nanxun, who couldn’t stay still for a second, swinging his basket while rambling about everything under the sun.

As if remembering something, Jiang Nanxun turned to her. “Zhongmu, my dad asked you to come along for that job. Why aren’t you going?”

“Yeah, I heard from Master that the client is a super-rich boss this time. He has a whole garden estate; the pay is definitely going to be generous.”

“That boss sent photos two days ago. Not a single piece of the raw material was low-grade. I even saw a ‘Fulu Shou’ (three-colored) blood-stone piece about the size of a fist. It’s a shame you aren’t going; you don’t encounter material like that once in a decade.”

The other two chimed in, their eyes full of confusion and a hint of envy.

Jiang Town had a unique tradition: children were sent to others to learn jade carving. It was said that parents were too indulgent and couldn’t bear to see their children suffer, though no one knew which ancestor had come up with the idea. Regardless, it had persisted through the generations.

Jiang Nanxun’s father was a master craftsman. Over the years, many parents had begged him to take on their children, but citing a lack of energy, he only accepted his goddaughter, Jiang Zhongmu, and two other relatives.

Jiang Nanxun had previously studied under Jiang Zhongmu’s father, but after the elder Jiang’s accidental death, he had moved to his own father’s workshop.

“Don’t want to go,” Jiang Zhongmu replied flatly.

“Eh?!” The three of them stared at her, wide-eyed with disbelief.

While a “job” might sound like hard labor, for kids who lived in a small town year-round, it was a rare chance to see the world. It was an opportunity to test one’s skills and earn a handsome wage—no apprentice would ever refuse.

“No way?! Zhongmu, this is a great chance to get out…” The voice cut off abruptly.

Jiang Zhongmu stopped in her tracks. She stood at the front, the wind tugging at the hem of her shirt, her protruding spine pressing against the thin fabric. She said coolly, “We’re here.”

Young people have long strides and no fear of the dark; they had taken the narrow shortcuts, so they reached the outskirts of town in no time.

Jiang Nanxun and the other two looked up. By the moonlight, they recognized the silhouettes of the paddy field ridges. If Jiang Zhongmu hadn’t stopped in time, those distracted fools would have stepped right into the water.

They let out a collective sigh of relief. It was fine to set baskets for crabs and loaches, but if they trampled someone’s rice crops, there would be a grumbling neighbor at their door the next morning to complain.

“There will be plenty of chances to go out in the future. I’ll pass on this one,” Jiang Zhongmu said in a low voice. She moved into the field, determined to catch a full basket tonight. Her mind had been on the trap placement the whole way, and now she was fully focused.

However, the three behind her misunderstood. They exchanged a glance, their faces full of regret.

Jiang Nanxun even slapped the back of his head.

How could he forget? Jiang Zhongmu was about to leave for university in another city soon!

The grandmother and granddaughter had relied on each other for so many years and had never been apart. Knowing how sad Grandma would be once she left, how could Jiang Zhongmu bear to go away for a job now? She obviously wanted to use this time to stay by her grandmother’s side.

Jiang Nanxun glared at the other two: Look what you guys made her think about.

The other two looked innocent: You’re the one who brought it up first, Boss. Besides, one of us went home after middle school and the other dropped out in tenth grade—how were we supposed to remember that?

Jiang Nanxun’s ego deflated slightly. He had managed to finish high school, but his total score across six subjects hadn’t even cracked 300. He had only taken the Gaokao to experience it and hadn’t even bothered to fill out university applications.

This was common in Jiang Town. Learning jade carving was far more important than studying. Going to university was seen as just being sent away to play for a few years before returning home to inherit the craft.

Unable to win the argument, Jiang Nanxun ran to catch up with Jiang Zhongmu, offering eagerly, “Zhongmu, follow me. I think there’s a crab nest over there; we can catch a lot in one night.”

Jiang Zhongmu’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s go that way. Don’t let Lei and the others see us, or they’ll bury their baskets right next to ours and not a single crab fry will be left,” Jiang Nanxun said without a shred of guilt.

Jiang Zhongmu didn’t have any either. With a small nod, the two of them crept toward the other side. In the thick night, the other two didn’t notice their maneuvering and went off to find their own spots.

About half a minute later, Jiang Zhongmu and the boy stopped at a corner of a paddy field where water gurgled through a mud ditch.

“Right here,” Jiang Nanxun whispered. “Give me your basket, I’ll set it.”

The ridge here was narrow—barely the width of a foot. It was difficult for two people to even turn around, let alone stand side by side.

Jiang Zhongmu handed the basket forward.

Jiang Nanxun took it, leaned down carefully, and dropped it into the water once he found a good spot.

This wasn’t random work. These baskets were specially woven by the families. They looked like a gourd with the top third missing. The handle had a small hole, the middle was long and narrow, and the large bottom section was sealed. With a piece of meat inside as bait, any greedy little creature that crawled in wouldn’t be able to get back out.

They had wider baskets for larger fish, but tonight, they only had eyes for river crabs.

“Let’s go. It’s pitch black, I don’t even know where those two are hiding.”

“We’ll just wait at the entrance of the alley. They’ll come out when they’re done,” Jiang Zhongmu said.

“Fine.”

The bright moon was veiled by thin mist. The ripples in the water, once like silver fish, dimmed, and the sound of insects filled the air.

It was late into the night when the four of them reunited and returned to Jiang Town. Their farewells scattered in the wind. Jiang Zhongmu pushed open the front gate quietly and instinctively looked up.

Looking through the gaps of the large white champaca leaves, a bright spark was particularly noticeable.

A woman in a silk nightgown leaned against the window frame. Her skin, whiter than the moonlight, seemed to glow in the night. Her loose hair obscured her eyes as she gazed into the distance. A bracelet dangled loosely from her raised wrist, like a wind chime that might sway at any moment.

The wind blew through the treetops, and slender white petals fell like a fitful rain, bringing an elegant, soft fragrance.

Jiang Zhongmu froze, not expecting her to still be awake.

Perhaps noticing someone was there, the open window was closed. The half-lit, despondent figure vanished along with the spark of light.

Jiang Zhongmu pursed her lips, closed the gate, and headed straight for the kitchen.

A moment later, a soft knocking sounded on the third floor. Three taps, then silence. A lean, straight figure stood at the door.

After a moment of footsteps, the door opened a crack. Light spilled out, falling on a toned arm holding a heavy kettle steady.

“What is it?” A soft voice spoke, barely masking a forced sense of irritability and exhaustion.

“Grandma was worried you’d be thirsty at night. She had me boil a kettle and bring it up,” Jiang Zhongmu replied. The emotions in her eyes were difficult to read, dark as ink.

The woman inside gave a hum of acknowledgment. She didn’t have the energy for polite pleasantries. The crack in the door widened, and Jiang Zhongmu raised the kettle, handing it over.

The door closed, and darkness rushed back, swallowing her whole. Jiang Zhongmu touched the bridge of her nose; the faint scent of tobacco smoke was slowly dissipating.

Memories flashed through her mind frame by frame, only to be quickly pushed back down.

She turned and headed downstairs.

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