Volume One, Chapter One: Adopting a Tiger Cub

When Jiang Rui arrived, Jiang Cheng had just completed her discharge paperwork.

The siblings met at the hospital: one with a face etched with worry and anxiety, the other, for the first time in years, looking unusually relaxed and bright.

“Jiang Cheng, you…” Jiang Rui looked his sister up and down, only relaxing when he was sure she was unharmed. “I heard you got stuck on a mountain late at night?”

Ever since her divorce and miscarriage over three years ago, Jiang Cheng had left Beijing and moved to this small city of Sucheng, unexpectedly developing a fondness for hiking. Their parents had passed away a few years back, and the family business in Beijing still needed tending. So, for the past several years, Jiang Rui had been flying back and forth between the two cities.

Recently, he’d been abroad negotiating an important project when a friend called to say that his younger sister, Jiang Cheng, had been trapped by a storm deep in the mountains late at night. Thankfully, the rescue team arrived in time to save her and, per Jiang Cheng’s request, took her to a private hospital.

Coincidentally, that private hospital belonged to Jiang Rui’s friend’s family. It was only when his friend happened to visit Sucheng on an inspection that he discovered Jiang Cheng there and quickly informed Jiang Rui.

As soon as Jiang Rui got the news, he rushed back to the country, not even bothering to drop off his luggage before hurrying to the hospital.

“How did you find out?” Jiang Cheng looked at her brother in surprise, then quickly explained when she saw he was angry, “I’m fine, really. I just didn’t want to worry you since you said this project was important. Please don’t be mad.”

Jiang Rui frowned, his silver-rimmed glasses trembling on his nose as he spoke, “What project could be more important than your own sister? If this happens again, don’t even think about going hiking anymore! What exactly happened this time? I heard you brought a child back with you?”

His friend hadn’t explained clearly over the phone, so Jiang Rui only had a vague idea of what had happened.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng became even more cautious after hearing his question, and she replied quietly, “Well… while I was on the mountain, I found a child. She saved my life, but hit her head and fainted, so the rescue team brought her down with me. The hospital and police have investigated, and it seems she’s just over two years old but smaller than average for her age. No one lives in those mountains; she was probably abandoned and raised by animals. They haven’t found her family, so… I did the paperwork to adopt her. I named her Jiang Duoduo. Congratulations, you have a niece now. Happy?”

Jiang Rui was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend how things had escalated so quickly. He’d only heard that his sister had narrowly escaped danger, and now, suddenly, he had a niece?

He opened his mouth, about to urge Jiang Cheng to reconsider, when a young nurse hurried over.

“Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang! Your daughter is awake!”

Jiang Cheng didn’t have time to explain more to Jiang Rui. At those words, her face lit up with joy. “Ah, the doctor said Duoduo would probably wake up today and told me to prepare for discharge. I just finished the paperwork!”

She couldn’t spare another thought for her brother and rushed inside. The nurse chased after her, calling, “Wait—the situation’s not quite—”

Jiang Rui frowned, dropped his luggage at the reception, and quickly followed.

——

Elsewhere, Jiang Duoduo awoke to find herself lying in a strange, unfamiliar place. Everything was white, as if snow had fallen, but it wasn’t cold. On the contrary, she was wrapped in something soft, her whole body warm and comfortable, as if she was sinking into it.

She quickly remembered seeing a small animal once that had accidentally stepped into a patch of soft mud, unable to break free, and, bit by bit, had sunk into the mire and died in despair.

Am I going to die?

Terrified, Jiang Duoduo kicked off the white blanket and leapt out of bed.

Her hands and feet touched the cool, smooth floor, but before she could do anything else, there was a “click” at the door, and two two-legged creatures wrapped in white came in. One of them even held something sharp-looking—very dangerous.

Children are often afraid of doctors, and a little one raised in the wild was no exception. Before the adults could react, she darted between their legs and charged straight out of the room.

The nurse and doctor, who had just come in to check on her and give her an injection, saw the child—who should have been lying in bed—suddenly scrambling on all fours like a small animal, then darting past them and out.

“Oh no! Quick! She’s running! Stop her! Stop her!”

A crowd of adults chased after her in a noisy commotion.

But the greater their panic, the more frightened Jiang Duoduo became. She didn’t know where she was; she couldn’t sense the familiar scent of Tiger Mama and the others. The air was filled with strange, cold, pungent smells that made her very uncomfortable.

When Jiang Duoduo ran, it wasn’t like a human toddler’s waddling steps, but rather, like a monkey or other animal, using both hands and feet to speed along.

There weren’t many patients today, so when the medical staff up ahead heard the commotion, they hurried over to help. Just as a doctor was about to catch her, Jiang Duoduo leapt up, braced herself on a table, kicked off with her feet, and climbed swiftly up a nearby display stand.

By the time everyone realized what had happened, she was already hanging from the large chandelier in the center of the ceiling. The heavy crystal fixture swayed like a giant pendulum with her movements.

Everyone below turned pale with fright.

How did she get up there in the blink of an eye? Even with a ladder, it shouldn’t have been possible!

If she fell...

No one dared make a rash move. Someone tried to bring over a chair to get her down, but the child only curled her legs up, squeezing herself onto the very top of the chandelier. The fixture swayed even more dangerously, and it seemed as if they could hear screws at the top coming loose.

No, no. They couldn’t agitate her any further!

At that moment, the young nurse finally arrived with Jiang Cheng. Seeing the little girl curled up at the very top of the chandelier, Jiang Cheng’s heart leapt into her throat.

Jiang Rui, following behind, was wide-eyed in disbelief.

How on earth had she gotten up there? Even with a ladder, it would be impossible! Had his sister brought back a child or a monkey from the mountains?

Jiang Cheng, sweating anxiously, rushed toward the chandelier. Someone nearby tried to hold her back. “Wait, don’t go over! If she sees anyone approach, she’ll hide again!”

But Jiang Cheng was too quick, and they couldn’t stop her.

Strangely, though Jiang Duoduo had scrambled up the chandelier in panic, when she saw Jiang Cheng, she didn’t hide as before. Instead, she poked her head out from above.

She remembered this particular two-legged creature!

That rainy day, she’d snuck away from Tiger Mama, only to come across this female. Like herself, this two-legged creature had long, useless hair on her head, no fur on her body, and wore odd coverings.

Jiang Duoduo, seeing such similar features, immediately decided this must be her own mother!

So, when a wounded, outcast wolf attacked Jiang Cheng, Jiang Duoduo had leapt down from a tree. Using the hunting skills she’d learned from Tiger Mama and her own fierce aura, she’d scared off the injured wolf.

But the muddy ground was slippery in the rain, and before she could reach Jiang Cheng, she was frightened by the glowing black stick in Jiang Cheng's hand. She slipped, hit her head on a stone, and passed out.

When she woke again, she was here.

Perhaps it was the fledgling’s bond—no matter how many two-legged creatures she saw, Jiang Duoduo recognized only Jiang Cheng as her mother.

“Baby, come here, come to Mama!” Jiang Cheng stepped forward, arms open, looking up at Jiang Duoduo through the glaring lights.

Sensing the familiar scent approaching, Jiang Duoduo’s panic gradually faded. She looked at Jiang Cheng, then at the other two-legged creatures, now empty-handed and harmless, and finally felt at ease.

She slid down from the top of the chandelier, grabbed onto its frame, and, like a little monkey, peered down.

“Bao... Bao? Ma... Ma?” The child, having picked up the sounds from Jiang Rui, assumed this was how two-legged creatures communicated, and stammered the words to Jiang Cheng, trying to be friendly.

At this, Jiang Cheng’s eyes reddened. “Yes, baby, I’m Mama!”

Jiang Duoduo heard her. She didn’t understand anything else, just the words “BaoBao” and “MaMa.”

“MaMa?” she repeated, one hand on the chandelier, the other’s forefinger in her mouth, her voice soft and confused, clearly not understanding the meaning.

Unlike her appearance in the wild, Jiang Duoduo was now clean and dressed in a tiny hospital gown. Whether because of her natural complexion or because the mud had shielded her from the sun, she was surprisingly fair-skinned for a child raised in the mountains—soft, white, and adorable.

At this moment, as she called out “Mama” in her bewildered tone, it was so endearing that everyone nearly forgot her earlier acrobatics.

Jiang Cheng, hearing that word, was momentarily dazed, then broke free from Jiang Rui and rushed forward.

Jiang Duoduo took her finger from her mouth and reached down, wanting to touch Jiang Cheng. But her grip on the frame slipped, and she fell.

Everyone cried out in alarm and rushed forward.

But Jiang Duoduo, just like a circus performer, twisted midair, adjusted her position, and landed nimbly on the table—hands and feet on the surface, her face still full of confusion, as if she couldn’t understand why these two-legged creatures were making such a fuss.

“BaoBao?” This time, her pronunciation was much clearer.

“Duoduo!” Jiang Cheng rushed forward and scooped her into her arms.