“This was left to me by your mother back in the day. To be precise, it belonged to your real father, Lin Heng, when he was alive.
Your mother said it would be given to you when you grew up.
Before, your temper was soft, and Lin Dayong and the others would bother you. I was afraid this jade pendant would fall into their hands, so I never dared to give it to you.
Now that I see you have your own mind and dare to resist, it’s time to return it to its rightful owner.”
She paused, then added, “This jade pendant was originally a pair. The other half is with your sister.”
“Sister?” Lin Yinyin was puzzled.
Wasn’t she supposed to be the little unfortunate girl whose family had died out?
“Sister… sister,” Lin Yinyin murmured repeatedly.
Suddenly, several images flashed through her mind.
A girl with braided hair holding little Yinyin and running in the courtyard, a girl sitting on the doorstep feeding her porridge spoon by spoon; when she scraped her knee, the girl blew on the wound and even stuffed the sweetest tianxingxing (a type of candy or sweet) into her mouth.
“Your sister is eight years older than you,” Wang Erhua said, seeing her dazed expression, and also got lost in her memories.
“Your mother was one of the most beautiful women in our brigade when she was young, with a fiery temperament. Every young man in the brigade had a crush on her.
But she… she immediately fell for your father, Lin Heng!”
She paused, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Speaking of which, your father was also quite likable.
Tall and upright, speaking gently ten young men in our brigade combined wouldn’t equal half of him.
Unfortunately, when he came to Linjia Village, he already had a wife.”
Lin Yinyin didn’t interrupt Wang Erhua, listening intently.
“Your mother fell in love with your father at first sight. When she found out he was married, she hid inside and cried for days. Eventually, your grandmother forced her to agree to marry Lin Dayong, who had been courting her.”
Lin Yinyin suddenly understood.
No wonder when her mother first married Lin Dayong, he was relatively kind to her.
“But not long after, your father Lin Heng’s first wife passed away. When your mother heard the news, she immediately told Lin Dayong she wanted to break up, determined to marry your father. And she actually did.”
Wang Erhua smiled wistfully. “Your mother’s life… she dared to love and to hate.”
“Later, when your real father passed away, your mother was left with no way out and married Lin Dayong.”
Her voice lowered. “After Lin Heng died, he left behind a daughter your sister. When your mother married Lin Dayong, she wanted to bring her along.
But your sister had just turned eighteen and was as stubborn as a bull. She refused to live with Lin Dayong and insisted on going to find her uncle, who lived far away. That very night, she packed a small bundle and left.
You were practically raised by your sister when you were little. Before leaving, she secretly gave your mother the savings she had kept and reminded her to watch Lin Dayong carefully, to protect you.”
These words seemed to unlock a floodgate of memories. Lin Yinyin recalled the girl’s smile, which had the same faint dimples as hers.
When dressing her in new clothes, she would always say, “My little sister must look pretty.”
The day she left, she held little Yinyin while crying, saying, “Wait for your sister to come and get you.”
She actually had a sister.
Lin Yinyin touched the smooth, warm patterns of the jade pendant, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Since she hadn’t decided where to go next, now she seemed to have a direction.
She put the pendant around her neck and said, “Aunt Erhua, do you know anything else about my sister? For example, where she went to find her uncle?”
Wang Erhua shook her head. “I don’t know much more. I only remember that your sister’s name is Lin Huizhi.”
“Lin Huizhi…”
Such a beautiful name.
Her deceased father must have been quite cultured.
But, her father was so unfair! Why am I called Lin Yinyin!
Also… this name feels familiar.
Right, those letters in Lin Dayong’s cabinet… they seemed to have been sent by someone named Lin Huizhi.
She was eager to read them.
Unexpectedly, Wang Erhua suddenly smiled. “Actually, your real name is Lin Huiyin.”
“What?”
Lin Yinyin’s eyes widened, thinking she misheard.
“I said, your registered household name is Lin Huiyin—only one character different from your sister’s.”
“Back then, your mother thought the character ‘Hui’ had too many strokes and was hard to write. She even considered teaching you (from ‘because’). But your father didn’t like that, saying a girl’s name should be elegant. So he chose ‘Yinyin.’
But the household registration was never changed it’s still Lin Huiyin.”
Lin Yinyin: “…….” Her mother was quite something.
“Oh, the household registration!”
Lin Yinyin suddenly thought of a crucial question.
“Aunt Erhua, if I want to leave the village to find my sister, do I need to transfer my household registration? What if I leave and Lin Dayong wants to sell me then that would be trouble!”
“Don’t worry, Yinyin. As long as the brigade leader isn’t confused and Lin Xiulan doesn’t meddle, Lin Dayong can’t sell you!”
“Why?” Lin Yinyin asked.
“Because you’re not in the same household as Lin Dayong!”
“What?”
“You heard right!” Wang Erhua explained with a smile. “When your mother remarried Lin Dayong, she only transferred her own household registration to merge with his. Yours and your sister’s stayed in the original place.”
Lin Yinyin felt complicated. Thinking of the marriage application at the brigade leader’s house, signed by Lin Dayong, she realized they weren’t even in the same household, yet he dared to act as her master. He really had a lot of nerve!
Wang Erhua continued, “Later, your sister got married outside and transferred her household registration. Yours should still be at the brigade, essentially making you an independent household!”
“Great!” That saved her a lot of trouble.
“But wait!” Lin Yinyin suddenly realized. “What about my grandparents? Why didn’t my household registration go to them?” Her childhood memories were vague, possibly due to a head injury before her father died.
Wang Erhua frowned. “Your grandmother’s side were originally outsiders. They moved here during the three-year natural disaster. Your family had few relatives. Your father was the fifth child, with a few uncles and aunts above him. Later, along with your father and the previous generation, they all died out!”
Lin Yinyin: “…….”
Alright.
Previously, Old Lady Wang even scolded that at one, her biological grandfather died; at three, her grandmother died; at six, an uncle; at nine, her father no wonder it all seemed a bit sinister in retrospect.
“Yinyin,” Wang Erhua suddenly asked, “you don’t remember anything about your grandparents’ side?”
“Huh? Oh, I was little, and memories were already fuzzy. This morning I even bumped my head in a fight with Lin Xiulan, so I can’t remember much.”
“Are you okay? Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“No, I’m fine now. A couple of days’ rest and I’ll be okay.
By the way, thank you, Aunt Erhua, for telling me all this.”
“You’re welcome. That’s all I know.”
After leaving Wang Erhua’s house, Lin Yinyin went straight to the back mountain.
She hadn’t lied to Wang Erhua there really was a “base” in the back mountain.
But it wasn’t a hidden cave, just an old locust tree thick enough for three people to hug.
The trunk had a large hollow. When the original owner had nowhere to escape from beatings by her stepmother and stepfather, she curled up in the hollow.
She climbed into the tree and took out those letters.