Chapter 4

A thick layer of snow had fallen on the day of the Little New Year. Eldest Brother Lin, who worked at the county food factory, also had the day off. He rode his brand-new Phoenix bicycle back to Dongxi Village to celebrate the holiday with his family.

Early in the morning, Zhang Yueju made a special trip to the commune to buy five catties of meat, which she cooked with spices to make braised pork. She also fried a whole basket of oil cakes and made a soup with the turnips from their private plot, simmered with beef bones that looked creamy white. Additionally, she prepared several vegetarian dishes. Lin Youqing brought out the Shaanxi wine he had brought back. The whole family gathered together, lively and festive, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lin Youqing shared his plan to adopt Jiang Jiang with the Lin family.

“Since everyone is here, I want to tell you something. I discussed it with Guijuan, and we plan to bring Fusheng’s daughter, Jiang Jiang, to live with us. From now on, she will be considered our daughter.”

The Lin family was momentarily taken aback.

After a while, Second Brother Lin frowned and asked, “Third Brother, are you serious?”

“This is someone else’s child; how can she compare to our own? If you really want to adopt, Fengyin and Jiang Jiang are the same age…” Li Hongmei hurriedly interjected.

Grandma Lin slammed her chopsticks down. “Why should we adopt an outsider’s wild child?”

Eldest Brother Lin and Zhang Yueju had their own thoughts on the matter, but since this was ultimately Third Brother and his wife’s decision, they felt it was not their place to intervene too much.

Lin Youqing glanced at his wife and began to explain, “Mother, Fusheng was very good to me when we were young. There was one time when my son was bitten by a snake, and if Fusheng hadn’t risked his life to suck out the venom, I wouldn’t be here today. Now that Fusheng has passed away, Jiang Jiang is left without parents. It’s truly pitiful. Adopting her would be a way to repay Fusheng’s life-saving kindness. To be honest, this should have been done when Fusheng died. I just found out about his unfortunate accident after being away for years.”

Noticing Grandma Lin’s emotional response, Lin Youqing paused for a moment. “Moreover, your son is now working in the county committee. Adopting Jiang Jiang would also reflect positively on his reputation.”

Mentioning the life-saving debt and the potential benefit to their son’s reputation made Grandma Lin’s expression soften slightly, but she still felt reluctant. “If you want to do something good, just bring her here to help out, like fetching firewood and doing some farm work. As long as she gets enough to eat, there’s no need for her to stay with you,” she retorted.

The third couple was soft-hearted, like cotton. If they truly took Jiang Jiang as their daughter, wouldn’t she be spoiled to the heavens? Grandma Lin had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Good things should be enjoyed by their own children first; why should they benefit an outsider?

Moreover, the third son hadn’t even mentioned taking her to the city to enjoy a better life, so how could that wild girl be allowed to go to the city first?

“It’s not settled yet. Jiang Jiang hasn’t agreed to it, and we don’t even know if she’s willing.” He Guijuan said, feeling uneasy.

He Guijuan said, feeling uneasy; if Jiang Jiang became her daughter, she certainly wouldn’t allow her to remain in Dongxi Village and be her mother-in-law’s worker.

“What’s there for her to be unwilling about?” Grandma Lin scoffed dismissively.

“Alright, let’s eat first.” Lin Youqing said as he picked a piece of radish for his wife.

A small child wouldn’t eat much; after a few years, she could be married off, and they would even receive a bride price, enhancing their reputation in the community.

Fengyin listened to the adults’ conversation while lowering her head to eat, trying to hide the shadow of gloom on her face.

—o—o—o—

When Jiang Jiang woke up, the sky was already bright.

It was the day after the Little New Year, and there were still leftover rice cakes, chicken, and chicken soup from the previous day. These had been brought over by Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin.

After washing up, Jiang Jiang heated the rice cakes and chicken soup, planning to finish her meal, clean the house, and then go out to wash the clothes she had changed out of.

She had two sets of underwear. When conditions permitted, she would heat water to take a bath and change the clothes she wore underneath. However, there was nothing she could do about her thick cotton coat.

She only had this one fitted cotton coat, which had been modified from an old quilted coat that Uncle Fugui no longer wanted.

Jiang Jiang’s home consisted of three cave houses. In addition to the room where she slept, there were two other rooms filled with clutter.

The dust inside was thick, and the accumulated items made it impossible to step inside. Jiang Jiang rarely ventured into those rooms.

In the room where Jiang Jiang slept, there was an old cabinet with peeling paint. Although it was a bit worn, the cabinet’s components were still quite sturdy, and it bore a design of a dragon and phoenix, a relic of her mother’s dowry.

Jiang Jiang dampened a rag with water and carefully wiped down all the house’s tables, chairs, and windows.

After cleaning the floor, she carried a large wooden basin filled with dirty clothes to the riverbank.

Fengyin stood by the edge of the field, watching Jiang Jiang squatting by the river to wash clothes.

She clenched her fists. She couldn’t suppress the jealousy welling up in her eyes.

With Lin Youqing and his wife’s character, they would undoubtedly take her to the city once they decided to adopt Jiang Jiang. They would not irresponsibly leave her in Dongxi Village.

Both of us were five years old; why did Jiang Jiang have such good luck to be noticed by Lin Youqing and his wife?

Fengyin believed she was more considerate and sensible, so why should it be Jiang Jiang just because her parents were dead?

Fengyin gazed at the uneven field in front of her, and with a firm resolve, she gritted her teeth and jumped down.

Lin Youqing and his wife’s daughter could only be her.

—o—o—o—