Volume One, Chapter Three: Severing Ties with Her Birth Family

Page 1/3

Zhang Xiaohua, Jiang Yuan’s mother, felt uneasy when she saw her daughter return; after all, they had sold her away.

“Mother,” Jiang Yuan smiled warmly at Zhang Xiaohua.

“Oh, my daughter is back. I’ll make your favorite wild vegetable porridge for lunch,” Zhang Xiaohua said with a strained voice.

“Better save the good stuff for you,” Jiang Yuan replied with a forced smile. That so-called favorite porridge was obviously something they had hidden away.

Zhang Xiaohua was momentarily embarrassed, unsure what to say.

“Mother, I know you only care about my younger brother and not me, but selling me for money—how could you do that?” Jiang Yuan said, full of self-pity.

Lu Xiuyi stood quietly nearby, watching her act. Before coming, Jiang Yuan had told him her purpose.

Caught off guard by her direct words, Zhang Xiaohua’s expression darkened. Fortunately, only she and her eldest sister Zhang Dayu were in the courtyard.

“My daughter, you can’t say that. Mother...”

“Don’t say anymore,” Jiang Yuan interrupted, nodding. “I know. You want to say you have your difficulties, right? I can understand.”

“Really?” Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed, thinking her daughter didn’t mind. “Mother knew you were sensible and would...”

“But,” Jiang Yuan hadn’t finished, shifting her tone to play the victim as she pointed to Lu Xiuyi beside her.

“Mother, you don’t know how poor his family is—so poor they don’t even have a single mouse. These past few days, your daughter has been drinking water when hungry. It’s been miserable.”

“Look at my face—haven’t I become thin and pale?”

Her heartfelt description almost made Lu Xiuyi think they had been mistreating her these days.

A trace of a smile flickered in the man’s eyes.

“My daughter,” Zhang Xiaohua didn’t expect this tactic.

“I’m so miserable...” Jiang Yuan pretended to cover her face and cry.

Zhang Dayu nearby cracked sunflower seeds, indifferent. After all this fuss, it was just about money. Luckily, it wasn’t her money they were after.

She casually said, “Hua, your daughter’s just crying poor to get money from you.”

Mention money and Zhang Xiaohua’s expression immediately changed. She hurriedly said, “I don’t have any money for you.”

“Then I’ll have to ask grandpa and grandma,” Jiang Yuan said helplessly, wiping away nonexistent tears.

Her grandparents treated her well; otherwise, they wouldn’t have stepped in to take her from Zhang Xiaohua’s family, where she was unloved, and raised her at her aunt’s house for over a decade.

Page 2/3

At the mention of grandparents, Zhang Xiaohua grew wary. They were strong-willed and stubborn, effectively the real decision-makers in the household.

Her husband was weak and easily bullied; Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t rely on him.

“Daughter, let’s go inside and talk,” Zhang Xiaohua said, pulling Jiang Yuan indoors. After all, her eldest sister and Lu Xiuyi, her son-in-law, were outsiders.

Jiang Yuan wasn’t afraid of her mother’s temper and followed obediently.

Inside, Zhang Xiaohua rummaged around and finally pulled out a wooden box. She took out fifty yuan, painfully handing it to Jiang Yuan.

“Here, that’s all I have. Your brother still needs to marry, so consider this your filial offering to your parents.”

Jiang Yuan laughed softly. “Mother, I call you ‘mother,’ but can you honestly bear that title? After all these years living with my aunt, did you ever consider I existed?”

“We gave birth to you, so as your parents, you must be filial,” Zhang Xiaohua said without feeling guilty.

When she gave birth to a girl, her husband said he didn’t want her. If she hadn’t softened her heart then, Jiang Yuan wouldn’t be alive.

“How about this: you give me sixty yuan now, and I’ll treat the remaining forty as payment for this ‘family affection.’ From now on, I’ll pretend neither you nor I exist.”

Jiang Yuan wanted no further ties to this family and made her stance clear.

“Fine, but don’t blame your mother for being heartless,” Zhang Xiaohua said happily. She feared Jiang Yuan marrying into the Lu family, thinking her life would be hard and she’d come back begging often.

“I agree,” Jiang Yuan replied without disappointment—she had long seen how cruel her parents truly were.

Having agreed, Zhang Xiaohua promptly took out another ten yuan from the box and gave it to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan accepted it without guilt; these were ill-gotten gains from selling her.

“Qingmei, what’s wrong? Don’t scare mother,” came Zhang Dayu’s loud voice from outside.

Jiang Yuan frowned. They had just returned pushing a bicycle—how could they have gotten hurt?

Stepping outside, she saw what Zhang Dayu was fussing about. Li Qingmei and Liu Fendou had black stains on their clothes, and even from a distance, Jiang Yuan could smell a foul stench.

Tsk, did they really fall into a sewer?

Today, her luck seemed extraordinary.

“Cousin, did you go for a bath in this heat?” Jiang Yuan asked, arms crossed, standing in the doorway with a smile.

“It’s just a very unique kind of bath. Could it be in a sewer?” she teased.

Page 3/3

Li Qingmei’s already dark face darkened further under Jiang Yuan’s taunt.

Unable to stay there or tolerate the stench, she called her mother and left.

With the fun over, Jiang Yuan had no reason to stay either. She gathered the return gifts they had brought and prepared to leave.

There was no way she would leave these good things behind.

Lu Xiuyi stayed by her side; they hadn’t even eaten lunch before coming out.

Jiang Yuan didn’t expect her mother to prepare anything nice anyway.

“Going back?” Lu Xiuyi asked once outside.

“Husband, could you come with me to see my grandparents? They’re the only ones who truly care about me in this family.”

When Jiang Yuan said this, genuine emotion shone on her face.

Lu Xiuyi glanced at her, neither warm nor cold, and nodded, “Sure.”

“Great!” Jiang Yuan was so excited she linked her arm through his.

Noticing his displeased look, she withdrew her hand reluctantly.

What’s this? Can’t even touch you now, you stingy man.

Walking along, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh aloud thinking of Li Qingmei’s misfortune.

It was just too funny—how could someone be this unlucky?

Forgetting their earlier displeasure, she shared with Lu Xiuyi, “Husband, do you think they stepped in dog poop today? Their luck is just unbelievable.”

Lu Xiuyi kept his eyes forward, not sparing Jiang Yuan a glance.

Jiang Yuan pouted but deliberately ignored his wishes.

She quickened her pace to catch up, took his large rough hand in both of hers, and intertwined their fingers firmly.

With feigned seriousness, she said, “We can’t let grandfather and grandmother worry.”