The two of them returned home and, without even pausing to catch their breath, began processing the two pork hind legs.
The hind legs were truly massive. Zhang Aihua specially made some spice powder and rubbed it over the meat.
She also found some fruitwood, saying she wanted to smoke-cure them.
Lin Jiaojiao didn’t know how to handle any of it herself, so she could only assist as a helper.
No sooner had they finished than Daduizhang came back.
He was carrying a wrapped package containing several bananas and a bag of oranges.
“I know you like fruit, so I bought some when I came across them.”
“Take these back and keep them in your own room to eat slowly.”
With so many sons in the household, if this were left out in the open, it probably wouldn’t last the night.
Daduizhang knew his sons all too well.
So he made a point of adding that instruction.
“Uncle, I can’t keep taking things from you.”
“Ever since I came to this family, I’ve taken advantage of you a lot. I feel terrible about it in my heart.”
Lin Jiaojiao refused nervously.
This family was too good to her—so good it frightened her.
If they were relatives, it would be one thing, but they had no connection by blood. Why were they treating her so well?
She always believed in one principle: the things that are free are the most expensive of all.
“Husband, why don’t we just tell the child the truth?”
“Keeping it hidden isn’t doing anyone any good. Don’t end up scaring Jiaojiao.”
Zhang Aihua had just finished putting the two hind legs away and came out in time to hear their conversation, so she walked over and spoke.
Hearing that there was something more to all of this, Lin Jiaojiao opened her eyes wide and pricked up her ears, waiting to see what they would say.
“Alright.”
“I went to the county today, and the matter is more or less confirmed. Now is as good a time as any to tell you.”
So the three of them sat down in the main hall, and Daduizhang made a point of closing the courtyard gate to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
“Actually, from the very first time I saw you, I suspected you might be our daughter who was abducted years ago.”
The moment Daduizhang spoke, Lin Jiaojiao thought of all the strange things that had happened recently.
Including the attitudes of the villagers and the way Daduizhang’s family had behaved.
If that were the reason, it would explain everything.
She had been aware of this all along but had assumed it was just a misunderstanding.
She had never expected that it was because Daduizhang’s family had no daughter.
It turned out the family wasn’t without a daughter—their girl had been stolen by a human trafficker when she was little.
Thinking of her face, which bore such a striking resemblance to Daduizhang’s wife, Lin Jiaojiao began to wonder: Could she really be their child?
But if she was their child, why had she ended up all the way in Chuncheng, so far away?
And all the mistreatment the original owner had suffered from that family could now be explained.
“We’ve more or less confirmed the details. The reason I made that phone call was because a few days ago, I had your elder cousin go to your hometown to investigate.”
“By questioning some of the elderly there, we confirmed that you are indeed not the biological daughter of that household.”
“You were bought by them from a human trafficker, because after years of marriage, the couple hadn’t been able to have children of their own.”
“At first, they treated you well enough, but once they had their own child, you became an awkward presence.”
“That’s also the reason they treated you badly.”
Things were largely as Lin Jiaojiao had guessed—so the truth really was this.
She accepted this outcome willingly.
Compared to the original owner’s worthless parents and ungrateful younger siblings, this was far better.
The Daduizhang’s family was the kind of family she had always dreamed of.
This family was united and loving, understanding and considerate of one another, always keeping each other in their thoughts.
Even when it came to girls, there was no preference for boys over girls—instead, they took special delight in caring for them.
If she had five older brothers like these, her future days would be much easier.
No matter where you went, having many brothers and sisters was a kind of confidence.
She believed that in the village, no one would dare bully her either.
“Uncle, Auntie, is this matter really confirmed?”
Although she was already seventy or eighty percent certain in her heart, she still continued to ask.
“Actually, my daughter has a birthmark on her body. Only her father and I know about it.”
“We never told anyone, for fear that if human traffickers found out, they would harm our daughter.”
Next, Zhang Aihua told Lin Jiaojiao about her daughter’s birthmark from when she was little.
When she heard the location of the birthmark, Lin Jiaojiao felt as if she had been struck by lightning on the head.
It seemed like something had clicked into place.
The location of that birthmark was exactly the same as hers in the modern world.
It was just that, because it was on her back, she didn’t know whether the original host had one too.
After all, this place wasn’t like later generations—all kinds of things were lacking, so naturally there was no such thing as a full-length mirror.
So she couldn’t see the birthmark on the original host’s back either.
But now Zhang Aihua was right there. After the Daduizhang received a look from his wife, he immediately walked out.
Zhang Aihua personally examined Lin Jiaojiao’s back, and then wept uncontrollably.
After a while, once she had stabilized her emotions, she took out a mirror.
Lin Jiaojiao tilted her head and saw the birthmark on her back in the mirror—it was exactly the same as she remembered.
And it was also at this moment that Lin Jiaojiao dared to be certain that the original host was actually herself.
It was just that the original host was a person from the 70s, while she was a soul from decades later.
Given the original host’s fate of dying young, her being reincarnated into the modern era also made sense.
Since something like transmigration could happen, what was reincarnation in comparison?
Moreover, the original host looked exactly like her, and now even the location and shape of the birthmark were identical.
And her soul could perfectly merge with this body.
One thing after another gave her a feeling of being lost in a dream.
She just didn’t know whether the original host’s memories were the dream, or whether her modern self was just a grand dream.
But no matter what, the woman before her was her biological mother.
Lin Jiaojiao, who had never been loved by family in either of her two lives, felt her tears begin to burst through the dam.
Mother and daughter embraced each other, crying as if the world were ending.
At the doorway, the Daduizhang was so anxious he was scratching at the door, but he didn’t dare push hard, worried that the girl inside hadn’t finished dressing yet.
Amid his constant urging, the two women slowly calmed down.
The Daduizhang’s wife went to open the door and let the man in first.
“Jiaojiao is my daughter.”
“The location and shape of the birthmark are the same.”
Zhang Aihua said with certainty.
“I knew from the first glance that this was my daughter.”
The Daduizhang’s eyes were red, but his mouth was stretched in a grin.
A long-cherished wish fulfilled after so many years—how could he not be happy?
“Today is a good day. Let’s have something nice for lunch.”
When Northerners encounter a happy occasion, they have to make dumplings.
So Zhang Aihua prepared the dumpling filling, and the Daduizhang went out to buy flour.
Lin Jiaojiao, meanwhile, planned to make a few of her signature dishes.
The family of three busied themselves together.
At noon, when the third, fourth, and fifth brothers returned and saw the interactions among the three, they already guessed something in their hearts.
Sure enough, Daduizhang soon announced the great news.
After confirming that Lin Jiaojiao was indeed their sister, her brothers felt even more tender and caring toward her.
Although plenty of meat had been cooked at noon, Lin Jiaojiao’s bowl had the most piled in it.
She also ate quite a few dumplings; the food was delicious, and her mood was very happy.