From time to time, the compound hummed with the rumble of machinery. Groups of workers in matching workwear walked toward the factory, chatting and laughing.
This was the place.
Lu Jinxia stood by the wall not far from the main gate, staring at the factory grounds of this era. A wave of disorientation washed over her; ever since she’d arrived here, nothing had felt quite real.
She glanced down at herself—she looked utterly out of place.
She was frighteningly thin, her hair a bird’s nest, her forehead wrapped in bandages. Her patched clothing had been washed so many times it had turned pale. She looked every bit like a wild, ragged girl who’d run away from the countryside.
And the people inside? They held steady, respectable jobs at state-owned factories—iron rice bowls. Among them were the biological parents she had never met.
What expressions would they wear?
Shock? Annoyance? Or would they simply turn her away?
She knew deep down that warmth was unlikely to greet her.
But so what?
Who cared if they loved her or not!
She certainly didn’t need it!
Lu Jinxia walked toward the gate, step by step.
The gatekeeper, sharp-eyed, stopped her at once. He looked her up and down warily.
“Little girl, who are you looking for? This is a machinery factory—no unauthorized entry.”
Lu Jinxia lifted her head. Her voice was soft and raspy, yet resolute.
“Uncle, I’m looking for Lu Jianguo. I’m his daughter.”
The gatekeeper blinked, clearly taken aback. He studied her a moment longer—her country clothes, the bandage on her forehead. Though he muttered to himself, he didn’t chase her away.
Frowning, he said, “Master Lu? Wait here. I’ll send word for him.”
He stepped into the guardhouse and spoke a few words over the loudspeaker.
Minutes later, a man in blue workwear strode out from the factory grounds. He had an ordinary face, etched with confusion—this was Lu Jianguo, summoned to the gate.
He stopped before her, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. His brows drew together sharply. There was no warmth in his eyes, only utter unfamiliarity and growing impatience.
“Which family’s child are you?” he said gruffly. “What do you want with me? I don’t know you.”
Despite everything, they shared unmistakable similarities in their features. Lu Jinxia recognized him instantly—this was her biological father. Yet the way he looked at her… as if she were a stranger, even with a hint of distaste.
Lu Jinxia met his gaze. She spoke clearly, enunciating every word.
“My name is Lu Jinxia. I’m fourteen. When I was two, you sent me to my aunt’s home in the countryside to be raised. I’ve come because I can no longer stay there.”
Lu Jianguo’s look of confusion froze. He stared at her, stunned. “You’re Jinxia?”
His eyes fell to the bandage on her forehead. He frowned deeply. “What happened to your head? How did you get hurt? And—what do you mean you can’t stay there? Why are you so thin? Has your aunt been mistreating you?”
Lu Jinxia looked back at him. She caught the flicker of distress in his eyes, yet felt hardly any stir within her own heart. Her tone remained flat and unemotional.
“I was sent to Aunt’s at two. Within a couple years, she had a daughter. Then a son.”
“Once she had her own children, I became nothing more than a servant. I rose before dawn to cook, feed the pigs, and clean the house. By sunrise, I was working the fields to earn work points. I never stopped, from morning till night.”
“I ate whatever coarse grains and wild vegetables were left over. I wore castoff clothes, patched and re-patched. I never once had anything new.”
She paused, her fingers brushing lightly against the bandage on her forehead. Her voice stayed soft, yet every word struck like a needle.
“This injury? I did it by hitting my head against a wall. I refused to marry.”
“My great-aunt arranged a match for me. The groom is twenty—already has a young son. I would’ve been a stepmother straight away. And word is, his family beats their wives. I’d rather die than go.”
“They kept pressing me. When I refused, they beat me and locked me indoors. If I hadn’t escaped, once this healed, they would’ve tied me up and dragged me to the wedding. I truly had nowhere else to go. That’s why I came here.”
Lu Jianguo listened, his chest tightening. His hands clenched into fists. He had never imagined his daughter was enduring such hardship under his sister’s care. Had he known, he would never have agreed to his mother and sister’s request—no matter how hard things had been.
Back then, they already had three children to raise, plus monthly support payments to send to his parents in the countryside. Jinxia had an older brother and two older sisters. The third child was only two years older than Jinxia. His wife, Wang Xiulan, had taken both younger children to work with her at the factory each day—watching them while tending to her duties, nearly working herself to collapse.
Then his parents and elder sister and brother-in-law had come with a proposal: they wanted to adopt Jinxia. His sister had been married for years without conceiving. They’d sought every remedy, to no avail. Then they’d heard an old wives’ tale—adopt a child, and it would “draw” a biological child to come. With his sister and brother-in-law pleading, and his parents pressing him on all sides, he had steeled his heart and sent Jinxia away.
He had always believed she would be fed, clothed, and cared for.
He never dreamed his sister would be so cruel—treating her own niece like a beast of burden. Worse still, forcing a mere child to such desperation that she would bash her head against a wall and flee for her life.
He and his wife had visited the first couple of years. Though his sister lived in the countryside, she had no children of her own then, so Jinxia had been treated well. As she grew, some chores were only natural—who in this era spared their children from work?
He simply never imagined that once his sister had children of her own, she would torment Jinxia this way.
Shame and remorse choked him. He looked at his gaunt, injured daughter before him, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Such wickedness… what wickedness! How dared they treat you like this!”
He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Jinxia… your father has failed you. I placed my trust in the wrong person.”
“Fear no more. You’re with me now. Come home with me. No one shall ever force you into anything again, no one shall ever harm you. Wait just a moment—let me ask for leave.”
He hurried back inside, returned shortly after, and at the gate, seeing how thinly she was dressed, he took off his work jacket and draped it around her shoulders.
“Come. Let’s go home. Rest first, and I’ll fix you something to eat. We’ll talk about everything later.”
As they walked, he kept asking softly: “Does your head hurt? How long did it take you to get here? Are you hungry? Is anything hurting you? Don’t be afraid. You’re home now. This is where you belong.”
Wrapped in his coat, which carried the faint scent of soap and warmth, Lu Jinxia stiffened slightly. She said nothing, simply walked quietly beside him.
Lu Jianguo led her through the factory gates and toward the workers’ residential compound beside the grounds.