“The two elders of the Jin family are not my biological parents, but my uncle and aunt!”
Jin Yao said in a deep voice, gazing out into the valley as it gradually darkened.
“What?”
“What?!”
Both Liu Dujuan and Jinjin let out low exclamations.
Here they were, just rejoicing in their hearts, thinking that they were not related to the Jin family at all!
Yet Jin Yao’s second sentence tightened both of their hearts—the old man was his uncle?
Jin Yao nodded and proceeded to share everything the old village chief knew and had told him with Liu Dujuan and Jinjin.
His mother was named Jin Hua. She was very beautiful and had once been a girl well known in the village for her looks.
However, because the family was poor and feared they wouldn’t be able to afford a wife for their son, old master Jin sold his daughter, who had just reached her maidenhood, to a wealthy family in the city as a maidservant. Jin Hua left with the matchmaker, having signed a deed of absolute sale. The matchmaker was quite generous back then, giving the Jin family twenty taels of silver.
In the years that followed, the villagers gradually forgot about Jin Hua’s existence. The Jin family acted as though they had never raised such a daughter, using that money to marry a wife, Mrs. Wang, for their son, who then gave birth to their eldest son, Jin Shi.
Old master Jin also passed away during the year Jin Shi was born.
Who could have foreseen that during that very year, Jin Hua would suddenly return to the Jin family carrying a large pregnant belly? Old man Jin could not accept that his unmarried sister had suddenly returned pregnant and tried to drive her away, refusing to let her stay in the home.
Yet for reasons unknown, Jin Hua managed to stay, though the Jin family was far from peaceful during that period.
Mrs. Wang hurled all kinds of verbal abuse at Jin Hua every single day. After living in the house for over two months, Jin Hua was ultimately driven out by Mrs. Wang just as she was about to give birth.
In the end, where Jin Hua gave birth to the child was unknown to them. They only knew that one day news spread through the village saying Jin Hua had died in childbirth, and Jin Shi’s father had gone up into the mountains, bringing back a child to raise.
That child was Jin Yao!
As for who the father of Jin Hua’s child was, whether she had married, given birth out of wedlock, or become a concubine to a wealthy master, no one in the village knew. Although there were numerous rumors back then, they were all mere speculations by the villagers; no one knew the true reality.
Even though Mrs. Wang used all sorts of foul words to curse Jin Hua, she had never told anyone who Jin Hua’s child belonged to or what had actually happened when Jin Hua returned.
Old man Jin raised the child on rice water, and among the villagers, only the elders knew the truth. Later, as Jin Yao grew older and walked about the village, people saw that he was handsome, tall, and sensible enough to help out the villagers, so no one discussed his parentage anymore.
Therefore, many of the younger generation nowadays did not know about Jin Yao’s parentage.
After listening, Liu Dujuan looked at Jin Yao with heartache, tears welling in her eyes.
“Husband, then did you ask the village chief where your mother was buried? We can go pay our respects tomorrow.”
Jin Yao shook his head. “The village chief doesn’t know either. He said that during those few months, no new graves appeared on the surrounding mountains near the village. Given old man Jin’s temperament, it would have been impossible to let Mother enter the Jin family ancestral grave.”
Jinjin silently wrapped her arms around Jin Yao’s arm, sobbing softly, “Boo-hoo, Grandmother was so pitiful, and Daddy is so pitiful too, having no mother from then on. Don’t cry, Daddy. You still have Jinjin and Mommy as your family in the future.”
Jin Yao looked down at his obedient and sensible daughter and sniffled, amused into a laugh by her little expressions.
“Mm, Daddy won’t cry. Having your mother and my precious girl is enough for Daddy!”
He reached out to pat his daughter’s head, cast a glance at Liu Dujuan, and said in a low voice, “This is as much as I know for now.”
“Then what do you plan to do about the Jin family side?” Liu Dujuan asked softly.
Jin Yao took a deep breath. “That bowl shattered by Mrs. Xu today should have been a relic left behind by my mother while she was alive. I feel that what my mother left behind shouldn’t just be that bowl. I’ll go back tonight.
“Even if they are my uncle and aunt, how they’ve treated us all these years is more than enough. I’ll break ties with them completely, look for work outside, and once I find something, I’ll take you two away from this village. Living here, we’ll inevitably run into them, and I’m afraid they might bully you two again!”
“All right. No matter where we go, as long as our family is together, things will surely get better.”
Liu Dujuan followed his lead in everything.
At night, after mother and daughter lay down to sleep, Jin Yao had Liu Dujuan bolt the door securely, saying he would call out when he returned.
Liu Dujuan agreed, warning him to be careful and not let the father and son gang up to beat him.
Jin Yao agreed, taking a wooden stick in hand as he headed back to the village.
Taking the stick was so that if he encountered wolves along the way, he could fight them off.
Yet as soon as Jin Yao left, Jinjin scrambled up, opened the door, and squatted at the entrance to call Little White.
Ever since entering into the contract, Little White no longer returned to its snake cave, staying near the wooden house to keep her company.
Little White quickly arrived before her.
*Jinjin, what’s wrong?* Little White had originally been coiled up beside the large stone.
“Little White, Daddy went back to the village. Can you follow him to protect Daddy for me? Mommy said there are wolves in the mountain gully at night,” Jinjin whispered softly.
*Sure thing, Jinjin, don’t worry! I’ll definitely protect our daddy well!* With that, Little White slithered into the bushes with a *zhip* to catch up with Jin Yao.
Turning back, Jinjin saw Liu Dujuan waiting behind her and grinned, “Hee-hee, Mommy, I asked Little White to go protect Daddy!”
“Mm, Jinjin is so sensible!” Bolting the door shut, mother and daughter lay in bed, neither able to fall asleep, merely lying there waiting for Jin Yao to return.
After an unknown amount of time, footfalls echoed outside.
Mother and daughter quietly looked toward the door, waiting for a knock.
However, the footsteps stopped, and silence returned outside.
“Mommy, is it Daddy who returned? Can we open the door to look?” Jinjin asked softly.
Even though it was already past midnight, Jinjin wasn’t sleepy in the slightest; she wanted to wait for her father to return and know he was safe before going to sleep.
Liu Dujuan whispered, “We can’t open the door. We have to wait for Daddy to knock and speak before we can open it.”
“Oh!”
Jinjin kept her eyes fixed on the door. The footsteps outside sounded again, making Jinjin clutch Liu Dujuan’s hand in sudden tension.
Fearing she might be scared, Liu Dujuan simply pulled her into her arms, and mother and daughter listened in silence.
The footsteps outside didn’t seem inclined to leave, pacing back and forth every once in a while.
Although Jin Yao had put the fence back up, he hadn’t installed a main gate, so anyone could walk into the courtyard.
After a while, the footsteps gradually faded into the distance again.
Liu Dujuan’s originally tense nerves gradually eased.
Judging by the sound, those footsteps didn’t seem to belong to Jin Yao.
After another while, footsteps echoed in the yard once more, coming straight up to the front door before hushing again.
Liu Dujuan instantly held Jinjin tightly, her whole body growing tense.
Jinjin quietly gripped her mother’s hand as both stared fixedly toward the door in the dark.
After a pause, a knock suddenly sounded on the door from outside.
Liu Dujuan covered Jinjin’s mouth, biting her lip tightly without making a sound.
“Dujuan, I’m back. It’s me, open the door!” After the knocking stopped, Jin Yao’s voice sounded from outside the door.
Liu Dujuan’s whole body instantly relaxed. Releasing her hand from Jinjin’s mouth, she went down to open the door.
Before opening the door, she lit the oil lamp first.
When Jin Yao returned today, he had brought a small can of kerosene and a small lamp, so they finally had light inside at night.
The door opened, and Jin Yao came in, reaching back to close and bolt it securely.
Jinjin hastily examined her father, feeling relieved after confirming he wasn’t injured. Letting out a yawn, she mumbled, “Daddy, Mommy, Jinjin is going to sleep!”
“Okay, go to sleep!” Liu Dujuan replied over her shoulder.
Jin Yao asked Liu Dujuan in a low voice, “Jinjin hasn’t slept this whole time, waiting for me to return with you?”
Liu Dujuan nodded.
Jin Yao grinned—so what if others disliked him? He had a virtuous wife and a clever, sensible daughter; that was more than enough.
“How was it? After you went back, did a fight break out?” Liu Dujuan had been worried about his trip to the Jin family, so she quickly asked in a low voice.