Plunder-Chapter 180: She is Your Birth Mother

"Yayun, you’re back!"

Auntie Jiang appeared in front of Qiao En, her face full of surprise.

Qiao En had been away for nearly two months, but the small courtyard remained clean and tidy, all thanks to Auntie Jiang’s efforts.

"Auntie Jiang."

Qiao En approached and sweetly called out to her.

Instantly, Auntie Jiang’s eyes reddened as she reached out to pull Qiao En to her side.

"You’ve lost weight."

Auntie Jiang treasured Qiao En like her own daughter; her heart was filled with nothing but concern for her.

Standing aside, Zhou Jin’an furrowed his brows.

Because he heard Qiao En calling her Auntie Jiang.

Her surname was Jiang.

She seemed to be in her forties, roughly the same age as Jiang Caiyun.

He couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Auntie Jiang.

"I haven’t lost weight, but you have. You must have had a hard time while I wasn’t here."

Seeing Auntie Jiang again, Qiao En truly felt she had come home.

At her lowest, she found refuge in this small town, and her encounter with Auntie Jiang fulfilled all her expectations of family affection.

"Hard time? I haven’t much to do all day anyway, so I just came by to clean up your place and to water and tend to the flowers and plants in the yard. The cats and dogs also need feeding and care."

Auntie Jiang still wore a face of kind smile as she chatted with Qiao En about domestic matters, but then her gaze suddenly shifted to Zhou Jin’an.

This was her first time meeting Zhou Jin’an.

He had an impressive presence, standing tall and exuding an air of nobility yet solemnity.

"And who might this be?"

"My name is Zhou Jin’an."

Zhou Jin’an took the initiative to introduce himself and extend his hand to Auntie Jiang.

However, Auntie Jiang just eyed him warily, ignoring the hand he had extended.

"So you are Zhou Jin’an."

She muttered under her breath, her voice lowered.

Then, the light in her eyes dimmed a little.

"It’s getting late, I should go now."

As she spoke, Auntie Jiang quickly headed towards the door.

Seeing that she was leaving, Qiao En made no move to stop her.

Zhou Jin’an watched Auntie Jiang leave, almost fleeing, and suspicion gnawed at him.

"It’s raining outside, she could wait for the rain to stop before leaving."

Qiao En opened the living room window and pointed to the small building not far away, "Auntie Jiang’s place is very close to mine, just a few steps away. We have a fate; she took care of me when I was in the hospital."

"Hospitalized?"

Zhou Jin’an asked sharply, his voice tense.

His eyes narrowed, filled with inquisitive curiosity.

Qiao En immediately fell silent.

"Want some water? I’ll go pour you some."

She changed the subject.

However, by the time she brought the water back, Zhou Jin’an was still fixated on the topic.

"You were hospitalized here? What happened? Were you sick or injured?"

Qiao En was unwilling to answer.

She didn’t want to tell Zhou Jin’an that they once had a child together who was lost due to an accident.

"Just a severe cold, nothing serious, I’m fine now, aren’t I?"

Qiao En tried to smile it off lightheartedly.

She was good at lying; every time she lied, it seemed so real.

Therefore, Zhou Jin’an didn’t become suspicious.

As the rain grew heavier, Zhou Jin’an didn’t return to his hotel, but instead stayed the night at the small courtyard.

There was only one bed in the room, so Qiao En lay down still dressed.

Zhou Jin’an was initially sleeping on the living room sofa, but in the middle of the night, he complained of being cold and stubbornly made his way into the bed as well.

Outside the window, the drizzle tapped against the window sills, conducive to sleep.

As Qiao En drifted in and out of sleep, she heard Zhou Jin’an ask, "That Auntie Jiang you spoke of, what’s her name?"

"Jiang Lan."

Qiao En responded immediately.

In Gu Yuan, this small town, the population might not be large, but Jiang was a prominent surname.

Even Qiao En knew that her biological mother’s surname was Jiang, but it had never crossed her mind to associate Auntie Jiang with her mother.

She quickly fell back into a heavy sleep.

The quiet town of Gu Yuan gave her a profound sense of inner peace.

While she slept, Zhou Jin’an couldn’t sleep at all.

He sent a message to Cheng Lu, "Check out a woman named Jiang Lan, see if she visited Rong City twenty-five years ago, and also if she has changed her name."

"Alright, I’m on it."

Cheng Lu took the order and immediately started the investigation.

The next day, the rain stopped, and the air was exceptionally fresh.

The investigator Zhou Jin’an had sent still had no news to report.

Early in the morning, Auntie Jiang brought over the prepared breakfast.

As she entered, she ran into Zhou Jin’an.

"Hello."

Zhou Jin’an greeted her proactively.

Auntie Jiang merely nodded lightly and placed the breakfast on the table.

"Yayun is a good woman, if you truly care about her, please treat her well and don’t cause her any harm; she can’t bear it."

She advised like a mother would.

Zhou Jin’an’s eyes darkened, but he nodded firmly, "Rest assured, I will protect her with my life."

Auntie Jiang didn’t linger and left swiftly.

After breakfast, Zhou Jin’an received a message from Cheng Lu.

He glanced at it just once, and his gaze deepened even more.

"I’d like to invite Auntie Jiang for a meal to thank her for always taking care of you."

Zhou Jin’an suggested the invitation on his own.

Qiao En readily agreed, "Then I’ll tell her."

But what she didn’t expect was that Auntie Jiang kept refusing.

"No need, it’s too much trouble, I’ve received the thought."

"You’ve always mentioned Auntie Jiang to me, this meal, please be sure to come."

Zhou Jin’an wasn’t eloquent; he rarely put much thought into inviting people to meals, but this time, he was unusually insistent.

Qiao En thought he was just expressing gratitude to Auntie Jiang.

Unable to resist the earnest invitation from Qiao En and Zhou Jin’an, Auntie Jiang had to go.

Cheng Lu had already reserved the best restaurant in Gu Yuan in advance, and when the group arrived, the private room was filled with a table of lavish dishes.

Upon seeing the array, Auntie Jiang immediately hesitated to take a seat.

"Yayun, this is too wasteful, how much money must this have cost?"

She had lived frugally all her life and couldn’t accept such an extravagant way of spending all at once.

Qiao En also felt that Zhou Jin’an’s arrangement was a bit too much.

But she knew, this was the sentiment of Zhou Jin’an.

She leaned close to Auntie Jiang and whispered, "He’s rich, a big landowner, it’s no waste if he doesn’t spend."

After saying that, she mischievously winked at Auntie Jiang.

That night, Zhou Jin’an was even more attentive than Qiao En.

And Auntie Jiang’s attitude was typically double-sided, affectionate towards Qiao En on one hand and cold towards Zhou Jin’an on the other.

After dinner, on the way back, Zhou Jin’an took hold of Qiao En.

"Let’s buy a gift for Auntie Jiang."

He took the initiative to suggest.

"Okay."

Though puzzled in her heart, Qiao En consented.

The two bought a pair of gold bracelets for Auntie Jiang, and when it came time to pay, Zhou Jin’an insisted on covering the cost.

"Why are you so good to me?"

Qiao En asked.

Zhou Jin’an reached out and pulled Qiao En into his arms, "I have some good news to tell you, do you want to hear it now?"

On hearing this, Qiao En realized something; she pushed Zhou Jin’an away suddenly, "Is it that the news of my biological parents has been found."

The moment she returned to Gu Yuan, her mind was filled with the desire to find them.

Zhou Jin’an nodded, "Yes, they’ve been found."

Time seemed to stop at that moment, and Qiao En’s eyes showed expectancy, fear, and disbelief.

"I’ll take you to see them first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhou Jin’an reached out and affectionately ruffled Qiao En’s head.

Her eyes reddened, and her eyelids drooped down.

It looked as if she was about to cry.

"I want to see them now."

She had waited for twenty-five years and didn’t want to wait another second.

"You’re sure you want to see them now?"

Zhou Jin’an asked again.

Qiao En nodded firmly.

She hadn’t considered whether they would recognize her or not, but deep down, she wanted to meet them.

Everyone has roots that can be traced; why shouldn’t she?

"Alright, I’ll take you there."

Zhou Jin’an took Qiao En’s hand and started walking step by step along the roads of the small town of Gu Yuan.

But what she never expected was for Zhou Jin’an to lead her to the doorstep of Auntie Jiang’s courtyard.

"The gift can be delivered tomorrow, let’s go meet my mother first."

Qiao En was anxious.

Zhou Jin’an didn’t move; he just looked at Qiao En deeply.

He was brewing how to break the news to her.

Qiao En was clever, and she quickly read the crucial information from Zhou Jin’an’s eyes.

"The reason you’re behaving so unusually today, is it because Auntie Jiang is my mother? Impossible, how can she be my mother? My mother’s name is Jiang Caiyun, but she is called Jiang Lan."

"Twenty-five years ago, Jiang Caiyun left Rong City, and after she returned to Gu Yuan, she changed her name. Cheng Lu had checked at the police station, her current name is Jiang Lan, also known as Auntie Jiang, who has been taking care of you. She is your biological mother."