Chapter 506 Just Average

**Chapter 506 — Merely Average**

It had always been Wei Nan who made things difficult for others. A master schemer, few could escape his grasp once he set his sights on them.

Jiang Yu was the first exception.

Confronted with her blatant malice, Wei Nan actually felt a twinge of hesitation.

Realizing this, he thought it absurd.

He, afraid of some girl in her early twenties?

Ridiculous.

Wei Nan actually laughed.

"Jiang Yu, we don’t need to be at odds like this. I have no intention of making an enemy of you. That’s the truth."

Jiang Yu nodded, looking at him with deadpan sincerity. "I believe you. You lack the capability to be my enemy. Deputy Section Chief Wei—don’t you ever look in the mirror? I evaluated you overall… just… average."

Wei Nan: "..."

No man could stomach being called "average." The words stung like a slap.

"You’re so hostile. Guess we can’t be friends."

Jiang Yu tapped her chin. "Never once considered it."

Wei Nan gritted his teeth. Jiang Yu was a goddamn pain to deal with.

As he stepped out of the office, he overheard—

Cai Xiaole: "Brother Wu, what do you think of this sketch?"

Wu Jinshun: "Just... average."

Just... average… Just... average…

Jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut, Wei Nan cursed inwardly. Now that was filthy.

Jiang Yu slipped back into her routine, leaving work on time.

As she reached the factory gate, the guard said, "Department Head Jiang, a kid’s been waiting for you all morning."

Jiang Yu turned in surprise—it was Ding He.

"What are you doing here?"

Ding He walked toward her, her gaunt face downright pitiful.

"Sister Jiang Yu, can I come with you?"

Jiang Yu frowned. "The cops said they’d handle it. Just go along with them."

Ding He shook her head. "They want to farm me out to strangers. I don’t want to go."

It clicked for Jiang Yu—Ding He was a minor and couldn’t crash at the precinct indefinitely. She needed a guardian.

Times are tough, with food and clothes hard to come by—it's a blessing just to have someone willing to take her in.

"Why don't you want to go?"

Ding He lowered her head. "I'm scared."

"They're cops—they won’t hurt you. Since you’ve already forgotten what happened in Yu’nan, you should start fresh and build a new life."

Jiang Yu truly had no intention of adopting her.

Not only was there no room at home, but even if there were, she wasn’t exactly overflowing with sympathy.

"Ding He, my place isn’t set up to take you in."

Ding He pouted. "But everyone says you’re a big deal—you’ve got money. You could definitely afford to raise me. I don’t eat much, and I can pull my weight. Just take me in—I’ll make do with scraps."

Jiang Yu shook her head. "No can do. Did you bail on the cops? I’ll take you back."

Ding He avoided her hand and said stubbornly, "I’m not going back. I hate how they shuffle me around like some stray. I don’t know them, and I don’t want to live in their homes."

For the first time, Jiang Yu was at a loss with her. "Then what? End up on the streets?"

Ding He stared at her stubbornly.

"You play favorites with Yu Lan."

Jiang Yu laughed. "How’s that playing favorites? She remembered where her home was, so I sent her back—that’s it. Ding He, it’s not that I don’t care about you. If you remembered where your home was, I’d send you back too."

This was the first time she’d heard of someone who only knew their own name and nothing else.

From the way Ding He was acting, she was dead set on latching onto her.

"If you don’t want to go back to the police station, then stay out here on your own. You’re on your own."

Ding He bit her lip and looked down.

She’d figured looking this pitiful would get Jiang Yu to cave.

But no dice—Jiang Yu wasn’t budging.

Ding He stared at the tips of her shoes, clenching her jaw slightly. Her fluttering lashes masked the storm in her eyes.

She had finally made it to the capital—she wanted a better life. Was that too much to ask?

"Then… could you at least dump me at Yu Lan’s place? Other than you, she’s the only one I know. Can I stay with her?"

Jiang Yu paused. "Yu Lan?"

She pressed her lips together. "Ding He, I doubt Yu Lan’s got the bandwidth for you."

"I’m not a child—I can take care of myself. The government will provide subsidies for my placement. I won’t be a mooch."

She’d already backed down—surely Jiang Yu would cut her some slack now, she thought.

Jiang Yu said, "I can’t answer for Yu Lan. I’ll have to ask her first."

Ding He’s shoulders slumped. "I understand."

Jiang Yu reached out and patted her shoulder. "Then head back for now. If Yu Lan agrees, I’ll let you know."

"Alright."

Ding He started to turn away when she suddenly saw Lan Raoping walk out.

"Jiang Yu!" Lan Raoping called out.

Ding He hesitated, not rushing off.

When Lan Raoping got closer, she spotted Ding He, her eyes lingering on the girl’s sad little face for a moment.

"This child is..."

Jiang Yu replied, "She followed us back from Yunan. She’s shaken up and remembers nothing except her name."

Lan Raoping nodded in understanding. "That’s so sad."

A girl her age reminded her of her own daughter.

She didn’t even know where her daughter was—or what she might be going through.

The thought made Lan Raoping’s heart ache.

"You don’t remember anything—what’ll you do now?"

Ding He just shook her head.

Jiang Yu explained, "The cops’ll find her a place, but she doesn’t know those people and is scared, so she came to me."

Lan Raoping’s heart went out to her.

"A kid her age, alone and not remembering anything—of course she’s scared."

Jiang Yu knew how Lan Raoping felt. Her daughter was her soft spot; seeing a child of similar age inevitably stirred her emotions.

"Ding He, you should head back first."

Ding He mumbled "Okay" and shuffled off, looking lost.

Lan Raoping sighed as she watched her leave.

"This child..."

So heartbreaking.

She couldn’t stop thinking—what if her daughter was going through the same thing, suffering somewhere unknown to her?

"Jiang Yu, if no one takes her in, how about she stays with me for a while? I live alone anyway, and she could keep me company."

Lan Raoping couldn’t say no to a girl that age—her heart went out to her completely.

Jiang Yu let out a tired sigh. "She’s got somewhere to stay. I’ll look into it. If Yu Lan can take her in, then Yu Lan can handle it."

"That’s fine too."

Lan Raoping didn’t press the matter further and switched to discussing work with her.

By the afternoon, when Jiang Yu finished her tasks, she figured she had time to visit Yu Lan.

But before she could step inside, a snide voice cut through the air.

"What's the use of being so diligent? I can do all that too. It doesn’t put food on the table or pay the bills. If she’s so damn capable, why ain’t she out making money?"

"This family barely gets by on Yu Qin’s income alone. Now we’ve got another mouth to feed—money’s stretched thin. It’s downright miserable."

"When I married Yu Qin, nobody told me I’d be stuck supporting a sister-in-law too."

Every family has its own cross to bear, and Jiang Yu couldn’t hold everyone to the same standard.

She didn’t respond to Auntie Jin’s complaints, though in her heart she strongly disagreed.

"Is Yu Lan here?" She knocked on the door.

Auntie Jin quickly tugged at the woman’s arm. "Hey... Jiang Yu’s here."

The woman snorted. "So what if she is?"

Jiang Yu puts on this act of caring, but it’s all talk. Yu Lan’s broke, and they haven’t lifted a damn finger to help.

Auntie Jin had no choice but to step in and greet her.

"She’s inside."

Jiang Yu gave a curt nod and marched straight inside to find Yu Lan.

The woman grew even more resentful. "Look at her, waltzing in like she owns the place."

"Quit griping. I get times are tough, but your sister-in-law’s been through hell. Just let her be."

"Hmph!"

Back then, when Jiang Yu brought Yu Lan home, she’d never set foot inside, so she had no idea how things really were.

Now that she was inside, she saw just how cramped it was.

The main room could just squeeze in a dining table—you could barely turn around without bumping into someone.

The Yu family only had two rooms: one for Yu Lan’s parents, and one for Yu Qin, his wife, and their two kids.

The rooms were barely big enough for a bed—no room to swing a cat.

"Yu Lan," Jiang Yu called out.

But Yu Lan wasn’t inside—she ducked out of the rickety earthquake shack by the door.

Jiang Yu’s jaw dropped. "You sleep here?"

Yu Lan fidgeted, forcing a smile.

"It’s not so bad."

On her first night, she slept on the floor in the main room, but after accidentally tripping up her sister-in-law one night, she hauled herself out to the shack.

But she’d made her peace with it.

Still beat the alternative.

The woman bitched nonstop around the house, but at least she hadn’t kicked her out.

Yu Lan knew the resentment in her heart wasn’t entirely directed at Jiang Yu—most of it came from sheer helplessness with life.

Only Yu Qin had a job in the family, and the entire household depended on him, pinching every penny just to get by.

Because money was so tight, worrying over daily essentials became second nature—that’s why Yu Lan’s sister-in-law carried such bitterness.

Seeing Jiang Yu’s complicated expression, Yu Lan’s sister-in-law immediately snapped, “What’s the big deal about her sleeping here? We haven’t mistreated her—she *wanted* to sleep here herself!”

Yu Lan quickly nodded. “It was my choice.”

Jiang Yu pressed her lips together. With the Yu family struggling like this, how could she possibly bring up Ding He now?

“Jiang Yu, did you need something?”

Jiang Yu shook her head. “No, I just came to see you.”

Yu Lan didn’t believe her. If it was nothing, why bother coming?

“If you have something to say, just say it. If there’s anything I can do, don’t hesitate.”

Yu Lan’s sister-in-law scoffed. “Know your place! She’s a leader at the factory—what could she possibly need your help for?”

After hesitating briefly, Jiang Yu finally mentioned Ding He.

“The foster family the police arranged for her—she doesn’t want to go. She said she wants… to stay with you.”

The moment those words were out, Yu Lan’s sister-in-law exploded.

“What kind of talk is that? Look at our situation—raising one mouth to feed is hard enough, and now you want another one? How are we supposed to survive like this? Yu Lan, if you dare agree to this, I’ll divorce your brother!”

Yu Lan gave a bitter laugh. Even without her sister-in-law’s warning, she wouldn’t have agreed.

“Jiang Yu, you’ve seen how things are here—it’s not right to take in another child.”

Besides, she had a gut dislike of that girl, Ding He.

She’d avoid her if she could—she didn’t want to bring trouble home.

Jiang Yu nodded. “I understand. Actually, there’s one more thing…”

“Shut up! Not a word of this is what I wanna hear! Can’t you see what kind of shape we’re in? We can’t do you any favors!” In her fury, Yu Lan’s sister-in-law shoved Jiang Yu toward the door.

Jiang Yu stumbled but was steadied by Yu Lan.

Yu Lan brushed her sister-in-law’s arm away. “Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”

Yu Lan’s sister-in-law rolled up her sleeves, face contorted with rage, ready for a fight.

“What am I doing? You still *trust* her? Don’t you see she’s trying to trap you? She has money and power, but has she ever lifted a finger for you? All she does is drag trouble to our doorstep! Cut ties with people like her—before she swindles you blind!”

Jiang Yu brushed her off and turned to Yu Lan.

“Let’s step outside.”

Yu Lan sighed. “Alright.”

Jiang Yu went first, and Yu Lan followed, but her sister-in-law yanked her back.

“Are you out of your mind? I warned you she’s trouble—and you’re *still* following her?”

Yu Lan snapped coldly, "All I know is that I’m home thanks to Jiang Yu. She’d never betray me. You’re being paranoid, sister-in-law."

The elder Mrs. Yu gritted her teeth. "Go on then! Let’s see what sweet nothings she’s got for you!"

Yu Lan ignored the sarcasm and walked out without another word.

Once they were in private, Jiang Yu broached the matter of work.

Yu Lan remained silent for a long time.

She was aware of Jiang Yu’s standing, but from the beginning, had never expected anything from her.

What stunned her was that Jiang Yu would take the initiative to help.

"Why? I was born in Beicheng too—I know how precious a job can be. We were strangers who crossed paths, and your saving me was already more than enough kindness."

This kindness weighed heavily on Yu Lan—it was overwhelming.

"I can’t quite put it into words," Jiang Yu said softly. "I just wanted to help. To you, this might feel like a matter of life and death, but to me, honestly, it was no trouble at all."

All it took was one word from her, and Director Zheng agreed—nothing more.

Yu Lan ducked her head, hand pressed to her lips.

It had been so long since she’d felt such warmth from a stranger.

"Thank you, Jiang Yu."

Jiang Yu placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Don’t mention it. If someday you have the strength, just pay it forward to someone as lost and helpless as you once were. The world’s cruel enough to women as it is. Be strong."

Yu Lan’s shoulders shook with silent sobs. Nodding was all she could manage.

Long after Jiang Yu had gone, she stayed rooted in place, trying to steady herself.

Only after some time did she wipe away her tears and return to the courtyard.

The elder Mrs. Yu wasted no time with another jab when she saw her red-rimmed eyes.

But Yu Lan had no energy left to argue.

Until—

"Your elder brother has a friend whose wife passed last year. He has two children, about the same age as your nephew."

Yu Lan stiffened, puzzled by the sudden remark.

Her sister-in-law continued, "With your... history, though you’ve never married, you might as well be a divorcée. This man is comfortably situated—he wouldn’t be beneath you. You’d be getting a fair deal."

Yu Lan turned pale, lips trembling.

For the first time, she realized that family knew just where to twist the knife.

"No need. I already have a place to go. Don’t trouble yourself over me, sister-in-law."

The elder Mrs. Yu scoffed, "Save me the wounded doe eyes, like we’ve wronged you. You know our situation—we’ve no room for dead weight. If you won’t marry, you can’t stay here forever."

Yu Lan rubbed her eyes. "I understand. I’ll manage on my own."