Chapter 60: Investigating the Truth in Zhangjia Village

“Wasn’t Xiaoyu supposed to have gone abroad? Or does eating foreign food make your hair turn foreign too?”

“Xiaoyu, do foreigners eat noodles or rice? Is it the same as what we eat?”

Surrounded by a group of village women who were scrutinizing and commenting on her appearance, Ye Bingyu’s face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot.

She held back from saying anything unpleasant, forcing a strained smile instead. “The hair color is dyed, and the big curls are permed. Their food is indeed different from ours. Just like in our own country, every region has its own eating habits—people in the north prefer noodles, while those in the south prefer rice.”

Lin Wangsheng noticed Ye Bingyu’s discomfort and stepped in, stopping the women. “Xiaoyu is tired. Don’t crowd her with questions. Xiaoyu, go rest first.”

“Oh, thanks, Uncle Lin.”

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua shielded Ye Bingyu as they escorted her home.

The villagers, however, trailed behind at a distance. They didn’t step inside the house but loitered at the entrance, peeking in.

This made the three of them feel quite uneasy.

The villagers whispered among themselves.

“Did you hear? Xiaoyu called them Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin.”

“That’s normal. They said Xiaoyu is actually the daughter of that Ye family. She can’t keep calling them Mom and Dad like before, right?”

“They raised her for ten years, though. Calling them Uncle and Aunt is still appropriate.”

“But didn’t Weiwei say that Xiaoyu is actually their biological daughter? Do you think that’s true?”

“Not necessarily. Xiaoyu doesn’t look like she belongs in that family. Lin Wangsheng and his wife are just country folk, but Xiaoyu looks like a city girl through and through.”

“That’s only because she grew up in the city! If she’d grown up in the countryside, it’d be different. I actually think what Weiwei said might be true.”

Originally, Lin Wangsheng and his wife had planned to leave, but their house was now completely empty. They had to stay for a few more days and buy back all the things they had sold. Just thinking about the hassle made their heads ache.

Ye Bingyu, however, didn’t care about any of that. She urged them, “Forget about your pots and pans. Hurry up and go to Zhangjia. Who knows what nonsense they’ve been telling my parents?”

But Bihua disagreed. “How can we not care? If we were leaving tomorrow, then fine. But looking at your parents, who knows when they’re leaving? We still have to live here, so we need to get our things back.”

Ye Bingyu was frustrated by Bihua’s stingy attitude, but there was nothing she could do. She could only turn to Lin Wangsheng and say, “Let her deal with those broken pots and pans. You take me to Zhangjia.”

She had left the village when she was ten. In the past decade, things had changed. She could still recognize who was who in Linjia Village, but in Zhangjia Village, she was completely lost.

Lin Wangsheng led the way as the two of them headed toward Zhangjia Village.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, they overheard the villagers talking loudly with Ye Junsheng about his family.

“Weiwei caused a fuss before, saying she overheard them admitting she wasn’t their biological daughter. But Lin Wangsheng and his wife never confirmed it.”

“When she got married, the very next day, she took a firewood knife and went back to the Lin family to snatch back 888 yuan. That really happened. The Lin couple even called the police.”

“That poor child, she was just a little girl when we saw her working all the time. She did all the housework inside and out.”

“She was washing clothes at five or six years old. Her little hands were red and chapped from the winter cold, and she was even afraid of water. I remember standing right beside her, watching her tremble as she washed.”

“She cried, of course she cried! But what use was crying? They didn’t care about her. No matter how much she cried, she still had to do her chores. If she refused, they wouldn’t let her eat or sleep.”

“For years, she was the one cooking at home. Her parents never did.”

“She even worked the family’s private plot all by herself.”

“Luckily, she could at least earn work points in the production team. Only this year did our nearby villages finally divide the land. If they had done it earlier, she’d probably have been forced to farm their entire plot alone.”

“And how did they treat Xiaoyu? Oh, they treated her well! Xiaoyu never had to do any chores at home. Weiwei had to wash all her clothes, taking orders like a maid from the old days. Sometimes, Xiaoyu even hit her. Poor girl.”

“Why did they treat Xiaoyu so well?”

“The Lin couple used to say it was because Xiaoyu was smart and had the potential to study. Weiwei wasn’t good at studying, so she had to stay home and work. But when someone came to take Xiaoyu away, we found out they weren’t real sisters. That’s when the Lin couple said they treated Xiaoyu well because her parents had given them money. Three payments of 3,000 yuan—they were basically paid to be her caretakers. We believed them.”

“Do you still believe them now?”

“I don’t know about the others, but I sure don’t. The Lin couple aren’t good people. No way they’d take money and actually treat someone well. I believe Weiwei. Her version makes more sense—Lin Wangsheng and his wife treated Xiaoyu well because she’s actually their biological daughter.”

“Heartless scumbags, those two. Truly heartless.”

These words landed right in the ears of Ye Bingyu and Lin Wangsheng.

Lin Wangsheng was so enraged that he stormed over. “What nonsense are you spouting? If you have no proof, don’t go around making things up! Or I’ll sue you for slander! You’re the heartless scumbag here, jealous of other people’s lives.”

The villager who had been talking suddenly looked guilty. After all, it wasn’t a great feeling to be caught badmouthing someone. They quickly made an excuse about having things to do at home and hurried away.

Lin Wangsheng turned to Ye Junsheng, his face livid. “Brother Ye, don’t listen to their nonsense! Of course, I treated Xiaoyu well because of the 3,000 yuan you paid. Three thousand! I’d be willing to be anyone’s servant for that!”

Ye Junsheng’s voice was ice-cold. “Oh? Then why did you make my biological daughter your servant?”

Ye Bingyu’s expression changed drastically. “Dad.”

The crowd gasped in shock.

What? He was Lin Bingwei’s real father?

Didn’t he say he was just a relative of the Zhang family?

Well, that explained a lot! No wonder he wasn’t asking about the Zhangs and was only concerned about Lin Bingwei.

Lin Wangsheng opened his mouth but hesitated. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Brother Ye, you actually believe their nonsense?”

He pulled Ye Bingyu forward and pushed her toward Ye Junsheng. “Weiwei doesn’t look a thing like you and Sister Gu. But look at this child! She looks just like you! Even if she’s not your biological daughter, you and Sister Gu raised her for over ten years. How can you believe a few words from outsiders and not trust Xiaoyu?”

The crowd turned their shocked gazes toward the young woman.

So she was Xiaoyu?

She looked so fancy! Even her hair was blond.

Ye Junsheng studied Ye Bingyu. Of course, he knew whether she resembled him or not.

But children didn’t always have to look like their parents. The important thing was, Weiwei looked like his mother.

“Weiwei doesn’t resemble me or Xiaoyun, but she looks like my mom.”

Lin Wangsheng stammered, “That… how could that be?”