Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 96 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure
Chapter 96.3 Extra [Jiang Qiaqia]
Under ordinary circumstances, the slums rarely saw visits from police officers. She procured a fake ID for Jiang Qiaqia from the black market and provided her with a monthly salary of five hundred dollars. She fabricated a story for the neighbors, claiming that Jiang Qiaqia was her mother who had arrived from China to care for her and her child, and they had lived under this guise.
Initially, she maintained high vigilance, outfitting her home with surveillance cameras. However, after a decade of daily interaction, an unbreakable bond developed between these once-strangers.
Anna sat in her petite chair, engrossed in her storybook. The flavor of the beef for dinner was praiseworthy. The hostess, having toiled all day, read the newspaper beneath the light. After finishing the dishes, Jiang Qiaqia emerged and switched on the TV.
Cuddled up with the heater on a snowy day, watching TV became a delightful experience. The hostess observed Jiang Qiaqia tenderly lifting Anna and reading a story to her. Her gaze couldn't help but soften. "Qia, do you truly have no family in China?"
Jiang Qiaqia's weathered face, illuminated by the light, appeared momentarily stunned, followed by a bitter smile. "My husband passed away a long time ago."
"What about a child?" The hostess was quite curious. "Didn't you two have a child?"
"...No, he and I didn't have children." Jiang Qiaqia shook her head, cradling the soft child in her arms. Lost in thought, her eyes took on a sudden sadness. "But..."
"But what?"
A vague figure materialized in Jiang Qiaqia's mind—a small, delicate presence, perhaps even more fragile than Anna nestled in her arms.
In that distant land, she had indeed had a child.
The sad thing was that as a mother, she could no longer recall the face of her child.
How peculiar women are; in her youth, when the child was close at hand, she had never harbored the desire to meet him. Now, separated by thousands of miles and with the passage of time, an unexplained yearning has taken hold. Perhaps it was the influence of her maternal instincts, but she has begun to miss this familial connection.
He was a piece of flesh peeled off from her belly, with her blood coursing through it. In his childhood, he used to sweetly and softly call her 'mother.'
He should have grown into an adult by now, she mused. Did he have a successful career, a family of his own with a spouse and children? Did he still remember... his mother?
Perhaps due to the advancing years, Jiang Qiaqia, like many individuals at this age, grappled with a fear of loneliness in the twilight of life. She found herself yearning for a family replete with descendants and grandchildren, longing for the companionship of her child.
In the stillness of the night, she found solace in revisiting the past—every fragment of her life, her family, and friends, only to be followed by a wave of regret. Her affection for Anna served as a surrogate for the longing she felt for her son.
However, time had not afforded her the luxury of reflection. A few years ago, she attempted to contact her sister, yet calls to the number from Liyun Town went unanswered.
"It's nothing." Jiang Qiaqia shook her head, embracing Anna tightly for comfort, as if she were holding the child who had truly belonged to her many years ago. She smiled, pointing to an illustration in the book, and asked, "Are these the Seven Dwarfs?"
Anna's sweet response brought joy, yet simultaneously, a tinge of sadness lingered within her.
She didn't dare to return to China. Once afraid of the prospect of arrest and imprisonment, now her frail body couldn't endure the lengthy journey.
She could almost envision her final fate—Anna's single mother lacked the means to bring her ashes back to their home country. Her soul would forever rest in this land, whose language she didn't fully comprehend. She became a fallen leaf unable to return to its roots.
She was destined to die in a foreign land.
It was better not to dwell on the hardships of life. The more one pondered, the more profound the sadness became.
Anna's mother also ceased her inquiries, engrossed in some intriguing news in the newspaper. Her eyes were captivated, unable to look away.
Jiang Qiaqia took Anna upstairs to sleep, dimming the lights in the small attic room.
The little girl lay serenely in her pink bed; she had a great mother— despite the challenging circumstances, she never lacked the essential provisions and love a mother should provide. Though Anna's room was modest, it bore the careful decorations of a pink princess-themed room.
She, too, was a mother. However, in comparison, Jiang Qiaqia was confronted with the memories of what she had done, a realization that filled her with shame. Even more poignant was her longing for the child far away, whose face she could no longer recall.
Anna's long eyelashes gradually closed, and her breath became tranquil.
Jiang Qiaqia extended her hand to caress Anna's face. Fearing that her rough, calloused palms might scratch the child's delicate skin, she tenderly touched her face halfway and then withdrew.
Suddenly, she found herself in a trance, hearing a faint 'Mom' in her ears, as if it echoed from the sky.
There appeared to be a lively, sparrow-like girl in the phantom, extending her arms, laughing, and rushing toward her. Although she couldn't identify who it was, a mysterious sense of familiarity enveloped her. The little girl transformed into a boy with closely shaved hair and delicate facial features, wearing a bright smile. A voice resonated in Jiang Qiaqia's ears, affirming that this was her son!
Subconsciously, Jiang Qiaqia reached out to catch him, but in the next moment, he slipped through her grasp.
She jolted awake, greeted only by the soft glow of the bedside lamp and Anna sleeping peacefully before her eyes.
Jiang Qiaqia remained motionless for a long while, replaying the vision of the two children who had appeared in her hallucination. Eventually, she managed to recall the distinct face of her son, whose image had become blurred after decades of separation. But who was that girl?
Her heart suddenly ached so intensely that she felt the urge to cry. Clutching the fabric over her chest, she gasped for air, feeling an inexplicable sense that things shouldn't be this way.
Yet, there was no foundation for these emotions, perhaps merely a conjecture born out of the pressures of life. Jiang Qiaqia shed silent tears for a while, gently closed Anna's door, and descended the stairs.
Anna's mother was still awake, engrossed in the Chinese newspaper she had brought back from the company, reading tirelessly. After tidying up the disheveled furnishings at home, adding dog food for Milk, and gently running her fingers through the big dog's smooth fur as it ate, Jiang Qiaqia approached the hostess, reminding her to go to bed early.
The snow was falling heavily. If she intended to commute to work as usual tomorrow, she would likely need to wake up early to clear the road.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, just let me finish reading this report." Despite the second reminder, the hostess tenaciously continued to read the words in the newspaper under the dim light, still muttering, "How blissful..."
Uncertain of what the hostess was reading, Jiang Qiaqia found herself torn between laughter and tears as she reached for the remote control and pressed the button to turn on the TV. After flipping through the channels on the satellite TV for a while, she finally found a Chinese channel. It was a rarity to hear a very articulate pronunciation and well-articulated news broadcast in a foreign country, even if it pertained to finance. Jiang Qiaqia's finger, which was about to power off the TV, hesitated. In the next second, the host introduced the theme of the day— "The heir of XXX Conglomerate and his fiancée held a wedding ceremony at Yan City Hotel a few days ago. Family members of both parties present included Xiao Chi, chairman of Flux Realty, Lin Jingzhe, chairman of New Beginnings Conglomerate, and Gao Sheng, chairman of Gaosheng Film... The Component Index surged sharply on the second day of the wedding. Mr. XX, with your expertise, would this marriage of the century..."
Jiang Qiaqia seemed to catch a few familiar names and was slightly startled. When she raised her head, the blurry screen on the TV suddenly zoomed in, displaying a close-up of a group photo.
While some of the faces in the group photo had matured significantly, she recognized them instantly. After so many years, her perspective had evolved. Surprised and pleased to hear news about her old acquaintances here, she exclaimed, "Oh, is it them!"
"Huh?" The hostess was surprised by the familiarity in her tone. "Qia, you know those people?"
"We only met a few times when I was in China, but we weren’t very familiar." Jiang Qiaqia gradually calmed down and sighed, "Mr. Lin, Mr. Xiao... they are all influential individuals."
Especially Lin Jingzhe—this name always made her heart throb, often bringing to mind her own child with the same name.
The disparity lay in the fact that he was born into an influential family, and rumors within the Yan City business community surrounded him with an air of mystery. Jiang Qiaqia had heard snippets about him occasionally, and the impression he left on her was one of profound enigma.
"Mr. Lin?" the hostess immediately perked up, "Are you talking about Lin Jingzhe? Have you talked to him before? What is he like? Is he really that handsome?"
Jiang Qiaqia chuckled, "He has a very good personality, quite polite yet astute. He has a fair and dignified appearance, with large eyes, somewhat resembling my younger brother. He's also quite tall. I find him quite handsome, but I'm not sure if that aligns with the aesthetic preferences of you young girls."
The hostess wore a starry-eyed, infatuated expression. "Of course, the young ones also think he's handsome! Oh my God, he is so handsome! Qia, you actually talked to him!"
Jiang Qiaqia shook her head, reminiscing about the bygone days.
The hostess heaved a long sigh. "Oh, he is truly powerful. Starting from scratch at such a young age and establishing a big company like New Beginnings Conglomerate. He's probably a hundred times more accomplished than me."
"Starting from scratch?" Jiang Qiaqia turned off the TV and asked casually, "Wasn't it mentioned that he was the child of Chairperson XX? It's usually simpler for children from affluent families to embark on business ventures. You're not bad either, so don't underestimate yourself."
"Sigh~ Chairperson XX? Those are all old rumors from many years ago." The hostess waved her hands dismissively. "He relies entirely on himself. There is no chairperson in his family; he's not even a native of Yan City. His parents divorced when he was young. They were very irresponsible, and neither of them cared for him. He grew up in a town called, uh... ‘yun’-something from Qunnan. Anyway, it was a very rural place. He passed the college entrance examination, moved to Yan City, and then started a business all by himself. It's really amazing.”
As she spoke, she slowly shook her head, and suddenly noticed that the woman beside her, who was holding the remote control to turn off the TV, had not moved for a long time.
Turning around to look, she immediately stood up in fright. "Qia, what's wrong with you?"
Jiang Qiaqia uttered an 'ah' after a prolonged pause.
Existence unfolded akin to a rotating luminous wheel, surreptitiously manifesting behind one without warning. Myriads of details flickered in her mind like a cinematic display, interconnecting and igniting in various directions.
Jiang Qiaqia immersed herself in contemplation for an extended period. Subsequently, she lowered the remote control, settled back onto the sofa with measured slowness, and fixed her gaze upon a pear resting on the coffee table, lost in thought.
Upon waking from the reverie, tears adorned her face.
She brushed away the moist streaks, gave a slight shake of her head, and met the hostess's worried gaze. After a pause, she responded tersely—
"I'm fine, I just thought of... something I had discarded and lost."
——
T/N: I really kind felt bad for her, but then recalling all the past deads JQQ has done, yeah nvm XD Anyways the next update will be the last chapter of this novel! I’m only going to split it into two parts so it gets all out there soon. It’s about our boy Qi Kai :)
