Chapter 503 I Want Compensation

**Chapter 503: Seeking Redemption**

Jiang Yu and the group went straight to the steel mill’s housing complex. Yu Lan relied on her memory as she searched, stopping at the courtyard gate, unable to bring herself to enter.

“Is this the place?”

Her eyes were distant. “I don’t know. It looks a bit different.”

But somehow, it was the same.

Ding Jiannan said, “It’s okay. If we really can’t find it, we’ll go talk to the mill management.”

“Who’re you looking for?” A voice came from behind Jiang Yu.

She turned and saw an elderly woman eyeing them.

As Jiang Yu was about to speak, Yu Lan turned around.

The old woman squinted at Yu Lan, staring for a long moment, as if wanting to say something.

“You are…”

Yu Lan’s words caught in her throat as tears spilled out.

“Auntie Jin, I’m Yu Lan.”

Auntie Jin’s face twisted in shock. “You’re Old Yu’s daughter?”

She stamped her feet excitedly. “Oh my goodness, why did it take you so long to come back? Your parents almost lost their minds looking for you! You’ve been gone for eighteen years—how could you do this to them!”

She still remembered clearly how Yu Lan had disappeared all those years ago.

The girl had wanted to go to university, failed the entrance exams twice, but insisted on retaking them.

The family was struggling financially—an older brother soon to be married, younger siblings to care for—they just didn’t have the means.

When her parents pushed her to marry young, she refused, sparking a huge fight, and Yu Lan ran away.

She never came back.

People said she must’ve hated her parents and decided never to return.

But her mother and father wouldn’t believe it. They kept looking.

After years of searching with no luck, their eldest son and his wife finally broke down and demanded to divide the family.

From that point on, the Yus gave up, and no one ever mentioned Yu Lan again.

Ding Jiannan and Jiang Yu exchanged a glance. Neither brought up why Yu Lan had disappeared—some things were meant for her to explain.

Auntie Jin pulled Yu Lan into the courtyard, and her half-forgotten memories seemed to slowly come back to life.

“Old Yu! Jiali! Come out quick! Look who’s here!”

Yu Lan’s parents hurried out one after another.

In her memory, they had been young and strong.

Now, the two who emerged were streaked with gray, their backs hunched, faces weathered by time.

She had aged, and so had her parents.

Eighteen years apart, Yu Lan was no longer the delicate young girl she once was.

Worn down to a gaunt figure in Tongle Village, her eyes were filled with exhaustion.

Yet these changes didn’t stop Yu Lan’s parents from recognizing her.

What followed was naturally another tearful reunion. Jiang Yu averted her gaze, leaning silently against the doorway.

It wasn't until much later that Yu Lan finally spoke: “I didn’t run away—I was abducted. The police saved us and sent me back to Beicheng.”

At these words, everyone in the courtyard stared at Yu Lan, stunned.

Ding Jiannan stepped forward and explained, “We came across Yu Lan in a village in Yunan, learned what happened to her, and reported it to the police.”

Yu Lan’s father’s voice tightened. “Was it Yunan?”

The news article Li Nian published had spread throughout Beicheng—everyone knew about it.

Yu Lan’s parents had joined the outcry over the incident back then, but they could never have imagined their own daughter was caught in that same nightmare.

Ding Jiannan remained silent, since some things weren’t hers to tell.

“Let’s talk inside.” Yu Lan’s parents held onto her tightly.

At that moment, a couple standing behind Yu Lan’s father looked uneasy.

Looking closer, the man shared some resemblance with Yu Lan.

The woman beside him elbowed him repeatedly before he finally spoke.

“Mom, where will Yu Lan stay? There’s no room at home.”

Yu Lan’s father’s expression darkened. “Why even mention that now? Your sister’s finally home—are you trying to drive her away?”

Yu Lan’s mother also looked upset and seethed, “Don’t forget, your sister ran away and got abducted partly because of you! Your father gave you his job, and the family paid for your marriage and children—we’ve done our part for you! But have you ever done the same for her?”

Yu Lan instinctively glanced at Ding Jiannan, her face pleading.

Ding Jiannan walked over and said gently, “Do you still have the address I gave you?”

Yu Lan nodded.

“That’s my home address. You can write to me or call if you need anything. Soon, a show I directed will air—it’s called *The Spark*. I hope you’ll be as strong as Li Donggui and rise above your struggles.”

She’d been away too long—it was time to return to Shanghai.

Yu Lan bit her lip. Back in Yunan, she’d dreamed of coming home.

But now that she was back, she suddenly realized not everyone was happy she was back.

She was adrift.

Jiang Yu spoke up, “Director Ding won’t be around, but if you need anything, you can find me at the Second State Cotton Mill’s residential compound. I’m Jiang Yu—plenty know who I am.”

“Oh, you’re Jiang Yu?” Auntie Jin gasped in surprise.

Not just at the Second State Cotton Mill—who in Beicheng hadn’t seen her interviews?

She’s a big name now.

Jiang Yu smiled awkwardly and nodded.

To keep them from dragging her into more conversation, Jiang Yu waved goodbye to Yu Lan and left.

While she was away, He Feiyan had been counting the days till she got back.

But when they finally showed up, it was He Tingyue who came back first.

He Feiyan’s face twisted in disgust.

“Where’s my saozi?”

He Tingyue hesitated. “...She’ll be here soon.”

“Ge, how’d things go down in Yu’nan?”

“Handled.”

He Feiyan had a million questions but didn’t know which to ask first.

Before they could even sit down to talk, she suddenly caught sight of Jiang Ting.

She stiffened, then it hit her—Jiang Ting had been rescued and naturally returned to Beicheng.

“She came back with you?”

He Tingyue grunted, barely paying attention.

At that moment, Xu Lihua also noticed Jiang Ting and hurried out of the house.

“Jiang Ting! You’re back?”

Her yell brought half the compound out of their houses.

Only the Fus stayed shut inside.

Jiang Ting sneered, “Of course I had to come back. Otherwise, Fu Xiangyang would’ve gotten exactly what he wanted. I know he wishes I never returned—better yet, died in Yu'nan.”

But she refused. Every bit of suffering she’d gone through—the Fu family would pay it all back!

“Where’s Lin Hongxia?”

Now she couldn’t even bring herself to say "Mom."

Xu Lihua said, “She was the one who sent you to Yu'nan. The cops figured she was in cahoots with the traffickers, took her in for questioning, and never let her come back.”

“And Fu Xiangyang?”

Xu Lihua glanced at the tightly shut door of the Fu house. “Dunno. Holed up inside, most likely.”

The Fus had been hiding out at home lately, thinking they could escape the consequences of their actions.

Jiang Ting wasn’t having it. She marched up and hammered on the door.

“Fu Xiangyang, get your ass out here! You’ve been playing turtle long enough—can’t you act like a man? If you don’t show your face now, your mother’s rotting in jail for good!”

At the mention of Lin Hongxia, Fu Xiangyang couldn't hold back any longer and finally came forward.

He gave her a guilty and apologetic look.

"Jiang Ting, I..."

Jiang Ting had no time for his excuses. She had thought it through—she was done with men like him.

If she was going to divorce him, she’d get what she was owed first.

"You don’t need to explain. Even if you do, I won’t listen. I came back just to tell you—I want a divorce!"

Fu Xiangyang's expression shifted slightly, but he had already braced himself for this. Divorce wasn’t as unbearable as he once thought.

"Fine."

Jiang Ting scoffed. "Your mother colluded with human traffickers and sold me off. I want compensation! If I don’t get enough money, I’d rather drag you all down with me and send your mother to prison!"

Fu Xiangyang had been consumed by Lin Hongxia’s absence these past few days—lost and helpless.

Without her at home, he hadn’t slept a wink.

"How much do you want?"

The Fus still had some savings. If Jiang Ting didn’t ask for too much, he could handle it himself.

Jiang Ting had figured it all out on the train. She had to support herself and her child from now on.

She needed to get every penny she could—otherwise, they wouldn’t survive.

"I want a thousand yuan and a job!"

Fu Xiangyang stiffened. "That’s way too much!"

"You and your mother nearly got me killed. Is my life not worth that much?"

Jiang Ting held her ground. "These are my conditions—not a penny less. Being broke doesn’t scare me—I can always find another man to marry. But your mother? At her age, who knows if she’ll make it out of labor reform alive."

She gave a cold smirk, then turned and walked away.

But Jiang Ting wasn’t about to leave. Instead, she headed toward the south wing.

He Feiyan had been watching the show when she suddenly saw Jiang Ting approaching and froze.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Jiang Ting, supporting her belly, walked into the south wing’s courtyard like she owned the place. "I have nowhere to stay these days, so I’ll be staying with you for a while. Get a room ready for me. Pregnant as I am, I don’t like sharing a bed—I need my own room."

He Feiyan almost burst out laughing. "Who do you think you are? You can’t just invite yourself in. Did we agree to this?"

Jiang Ting shot her a reproachful look. "Got no heart at all? I’m carrying a baby—you’d throw me out on the street? Your sister-in-law and I are sisters. So who do you think I am?"

She had nowhere else to go. Her own family wouldn’t take her in. Aside from Jiang Yu, who’d take her in?

Seeing He Feiyan’s displeased expression, Jiang Ting waved her hand impatiently.

"What’s that face for? Once I get the money from the Fu family, I won’t bother you anymore. I’m not asking for a free ride—I’ll pay a yuan a day, alright?"

He Feiyan couldn’t care less about that one yuan and immediately refused. "Go check into a hotel. You’re not welcome here."

Jiang Ting was about to speak when Jiang Yu returned.

"Fei Yan."

He Feiyan lit up and ran over. "You're back, sis!"

She was way more excited than when she saw her own brother.

Jiang Yu hugged her back and gave her hair a ruffle.

"How's everything at home?"

He Feiyan patted her chest. "Relax, nothing bad happens on my watch."

Jiang Yu tousled her hair. "Nice job! I’ll hook you up—tonight, we’re hitting Dongkelai!"

"Yes!"

As they walked into the yard, they spotted Jiang Ting.

"What are you doing here?"

In front of Jiang Yu, Jiang Ting didn’t dare mouth off. Her voice shrank to a mumble: "I’ve got nowhere else. Can I crash here for a bit?"

"Oh, not happening."

Jiang Ting: "..."

She booked it without a glance back.

He Feiyan’s jaw dropped—after all that attitude earlier!

"Sis, she seems seriously scared of you."

"Not fear—she just knows she screwed up. Owning up and fixing your crap counts for something, right?"

He Feiyan blinked. Seriously?

Jiang Yu couldn’t care less about the Fu drama. Fetching her from Yu’nan was more than enough charity.

What she does next is her problem.

"Come on, let’s go inside."

After days away, she was out of the loop on Beicheng.

He Feiyan knew what she wanted to hear and filled her in on the latest gossip.

"The cops hauled Aunt Lin off over Jiang Ting’s mess. And just now, Jiang Ting dropped that she’s divorcing Brother Xiangyang."

Jiang Yu wasn’t interested in family drama. "What’s the gossip at the mill?"

"On the day your interview came out, the mill lost its mind. Director Zheng had folks hunting for you, but you were already gone from Beicheng. Then outta nowhere, Director Xue got axed, and Deputy Lan got promoted. Now she runs the whole show—all three plants."

Xue swung by a few times, but since Jiang Yu and He Tingyue weren’t around, he left empty-handed.

Then there was Jiao Zongyao. With his years on the Textile Industry Revolutionary Committee, good luck getting rid of him.

Therefore, Director Qian only suspended him and ordered him to stay home for self-reflection.

"But yesterday, I heard from Xue Ying that Jiao Zongyao is about to be reinstated."

Jiang Yu never thought a single interview article could expose them.

This outcome was already quite good—at least Director Xue was handled.

"Sister-in-law, do you know why he can be reinstated so quickly?"

Jiang Yu raised her eyebrows. "There’s a secret behind this?"

This matter actually starts with Xue Ying.

In the first few days after Director Xue’s incident, she looked haggard, emotionally low, and clearly depressed.

Especially on the first day—Xue Ying was even slapped by her, leaving a bright red handprint on her face.

But after a few days, she seemed to have pulled herself out of her slump, full of vitality.

"Once when I was in the bathroom, I overheard Xue Ying bragging to someone that her father gave her a gold bracelet."

A gold bracelet alone wouldn’t have seemed suspicious—what was strange was that He Feiyan had seen an identical one before.

"Sister-in-law, I saw one just like it in your home—don’t you have one too? The one my eldest brother gave you."

Jiang Yu caught on. "You mean the one Old Lady Ma gave to your eldest brother?"

Back then, He Tingyue had asked around about Qin Yunan, and Old Lady Ma gave him the bracelet as a reward, which he then gave to Jiang Yu.

Later, Jiang Yu learned from Old Lady Ma that the gold bracelet was one of a matching pair of phoenix-and-dragon bracelets.

Jiang Yu was quick to connect the dots.

"Most likely, Jiao Zongyao promised Director Xue some benefits to willingly be the fall guy, which is why Jiao Zongyao could be reinstated so quickly."

And the benefits Jiao Zongyao promised were naturally the valuables he had embezzled from properties seized during the crackdowns over the years.