Chapter 18: Returning Home on the Third Day of the New Year

The third day of the New Year was the day for married daughters to return to their parents’ home. In the eyes of others, Lin Yue’s adoptive parents had already passed away, so it wouldn’t be a problem if she didn’t go back. However, she still brought two jin of peanuts back to East Lin Village.

When Lin Yue stepped into Second Uncle Lin’s house, the whole family was there, sitting around a brazier with her so-called younger brother, warming themselves by the fire.

They were all quite surprised to see her there today.

They had heard that Lin Yue was not doing well at her in-laws’ place, and they hadn’t thought of helping her in any way.

Lin Yue’s life had been difficult before she got married, and Second Uncle Lin had forcibly married her off after receiving half a sack of grain. It was more like he had a grudge against her than any affection.

Lin Mei, her cousin, was the only daughter of Second Uncle Lin. She was also one of the few college students in the surrounding villages, and she naturally had a certain amount of arrogance.

She had always looked down on her cousin, who was prettier than her, and she always wanted to be better than her. If anyone in the village praised her cousin, she would have to bully her behind her back to vent her anger.

Now, seeing Lin Yue going out to visit relatives during the New Year, still wearing patched clothes, a dusty headscarf, and carrying two children, looking poor, she sneered and didn’t want to pay any attention to her.

Lin Yue didn’t mind. Although her cousin liked to bully the original owner, the original owner still remembered that she had once shared a piece of candy with her and the red cotton padded jacket, she gave her when she got married.

As long as this person didn’t cause trouble, Lin Yue wouldn’t deliberately go against her. She wasn’t here for Lin Mei today.

She came with a mission today. Some things, the original owner’s personality was too timid to ask about.

After having the original owner’s memories, she felt more and more uneasy. Today, she planned to come and probe a bit. If she could get some clues, she wouldn’t have to deal with this family anymore.

Lin Yue sat down on the edge of the kang bed and stared at Second Uncle Lin, saying, “Second Uncle, I came here today to pay my respects to you and Second Aunt. Secondly, I heard some rumors, and I thought that my parents raised me after all, I shouldn’t chill their hearts. I have to come and ask for clarification.”

The original owner had a weak personality, and although she looked quite imposing now, Second Uncle Lin wasn’t afraid. He sneered, “What are you talking about, niece? You haven’t been back since you got married. Now you’re finally back, and you don’t ask how your uncle and aunt are doing, whether we have enough grain, or if your brother is doing well. You just say some incomprehensible things.”

Lin Mei also said, “That’s right. You said they were rumors, and you’re still so aggressive. Who are you questioning?”

Lin Yue: …

Second Uncle Lin knew what Lin Yue wanted to ask, and Lin Mei was used to bullying the original owner, so she deliberately blocked Lin Yue’s words.

Lin Yue knew it wouldn’t be that easy to get what she wanted, so she deliberately provoked him, “I met a couple in their forties before the New Year, and they told me some things. They said they already had evidence and were going to report it to the police.

I saw their clothes and they didn’t look like ordinary people. I came here today with good intentions, wanting to remind you.

Seeing your reaction, Second Uncle, I guess I came here for nothing today.” She was about to get up.

Second Uncle Lin’s face changed immediately. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Lin Yue’s sleeve, pulling her towards the inner room, “Little Yue’er, you’ve finally come back. Don’t rush to leave. Let your aunt make a couple of dishes for you at noon, and stay for dinner.

Come, come, come into the inner room and talk to your uncle. You haven’t been in touch for half a year since you got married. The two villages aren’t far apart, why didn’t you come back to see us?

How are you doing at your in-laws’ place?”

He was so enthusiastic; it was as if he was a different person.

When Xu’s father found Lin Yue, the land reform had just ended, and the farmers’ hostility towards the landlord class was still at its strongest.

Although Xu’s father wasn’t a landlord, in the eyes of the villagers, he was not much different.

He knew this well, and he didn’t dare to be too ostentatious. At first, he only dared to let an old servant of his secretly contact Lin Lao-da and his wife.

But the couple were afraid that he would sue them, so they never admitted it, insisting that their daughter was their own.

Lin Yue remembered the original owner’s memories. During that time, her adoptive parents were particularly nervous. Sometimes they were very kind to Lin Yue, and then they would suddenly change their attitude and look at Lin Yue as if she were an enemy. They kept emphasizing to Lin Yue that she was their biological child, and if anyone came to claim her, it must be a big landlord trying to trick the little girl back to harm her.

The original owner was already very aware of things during the land reform. Hearing her adoptive parents say this, she was terrified, and no one could convince her.

Later, Lin Yue finally believed that he was her biological father, but she was afraid of being labeled a “capitalist’s daughter” and still refused to acknowledge him.

Her adoptive parents’ deaths were also related to this. The old servant lied and said that Lin Yue’s parents were great heroes who had participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan. The couple were afraid of being retaliated against, and they lived in constant fear. They died one after the other within two years.

During this time, Xu’s father had been trying to get close to her, and he had told Lin Yue many details about that time, such as the fact that Second Uncle Lin was the one who connected with the seller and played a role in the whole thing.

The Lin family had two brothers in the previous generation, and Second Uncle Lin only had one daughter.

Lin Lao Da, the eldest brother, was nearly forty years old and still had no children.

To ensure a successor, Lin Er Shu, the second uncle, went around asking people to find a child for the eldest brother’s family. Both families wanted a boy, but by some twist of fate, they brought back a girl.

Lin Lao Da felt that the money had already been spent, so he didn’t throw the child away.

It was also because Lin Er Shu went around asking people to find a child that Xu Fu later traced the connection and found them.

Lin Yue came now to ask a question: “Second Uncle, do you still remember who brought me here? Do you know him?”

Hearing this, Lin Er Shu’s smile instantly froze on his face.

The two Lin brothers never knew who the original owner’s father was, thinking he was a high-ranking official. After Lin Lao Da’s death, Lin Er, seeing that no one had come to claim the child for so long, thought they had found the wrong person.

But he was still uneasy. When Sun Hong Mei came to propose marriage, Lin Er took the opportunity to send the original owner away.

Now, hearing Lin Yue say she wanted to report the case, he dared not hide it anymore and told the story in detail: “I don’t know who it was, only that it was a woman.

She heard I was looking for a child and came to me. She asked for 200 pounds of wheat, saying she had a two-year-old boy at home.

But on the agreed day, she brought a baby who hadn’t been weaned yet. She said the older one cried too much and couldn’t be brought out, while the younger one was easier to raise.

Your father… no, my elder brother, hearing it was a newborn, thought it was better. He could say it was his own after staying out for a few months.

He lowered his head, rubbed his face with both hands and continued: “Who knew that when we lifted the blanket, we found it was a girl.

The woman’s accomplice had already left with the grain. We tried to stop the woman, but we couldn’t, and she ran away.

Her head and face were covered, so I couldn’t see her face. But when we grabbed her, we pulled on her sleeve. I remember she had three red moles in a row on the inside of her left arm, quite large.

In those days, many women still wore long-sleeved clothes in the summer, so their arms were not visible. This information was practically useless.

Lin Er Shu still wanted to plead: “Yue’er, we really thought you were that woman’s child. We knew you were a girl, and we didn’t throw you away. No matter what, we raised you this big, and there’s still some gratitude there. You can’t just ignore your second uncle…”

Lin Yue didn’t answer. She went out of the inner room, took the two pounds of peanuts she brought, and left without looking back.

Lin Er Shu chased after her and shouted: “Xiao Yue’er, stay for lunch. Where are you going?”

Lin Yue didn’t ignore him this time. She said: “I’m going to Uncle Xu’s!”

Lin Er Shu, hearing her answer, eagerly followed her to the door and said loudly: “Teacher Xu saved your life. You should go see him; you should go see him!”

Lin Yue walked across the wide street and arrived at a row of low, dilapidated houses at the west end of the village.

This area was the old village boundary. The newly built houses were all in the east of the village. Fewer and people lived here, leaving a large area of empty houses.

Later, the village built a school here.

She walked into a slightly tidier courtyard. There was a jujube tree planted outside the courtyard wall, and two rose bushes on either side of the gate. Because of the cold weather, they had been pruned, leaving only a bare trunk in the soil.

The courtyard gate was open. Lin Yue didn’t call out; she went straight into the courtyard.

A small path paved with broken stones ran through the courtyard. The snow had been swept into a pile next to the drainage ditch.

An area against the wall was used to grow vegetables, but now there were only some yellowing chives and winter spinach half-buried in the snow.

The main house was very low, and there were several long icicles hanging from the eaves, dripping water drop by drop.

Hearing the sound, Xu Fu quickly walked out of the house. Seeing Lin Yue come with the two children, his eyes filled with joy. He went forward to take the two children from Lin Yue’s arms, pulled her into the house.

The house was as dilapidated and old as Lin Yue’s, but it was very clean. A fire was burning in the kitchen, and the room was very warm.

Xu Fu put the two little ones on the warm kang. The two stared around with big round eyes.

He then brought a cup of hot water to Lin Yue and said incoherently: “I didn’t know you were coming today, there’s nothing prepared at home… Have some hot water to warm your hands. The children are growing so fast, they’re so big in the blink of an eye!”

Lin Yue smiled and watched Xu Fu intently teasing the two children.

Xu En Yuan, through the blanket, touched the two children over and over again, murmuring: “You were this big when you got lost. These two children are exactly the same as you were then.”

Children can’t tell if they’re the same, it’s just psychological.

Lin Yue said softly: “Hold them again.”

Xu En Yuan, remembering the past, felt a surge of emotion. Although this wasn’t the first time he saw the two children, and he had already held them, he was still very excited. He wiped his hands on his clothes again and again before gently picking up his daughter and walking back and forth in the narrow room. Then he used his other hand to pick up his son, pressed his face against the blanket, and secretly wiped away his tears.

Lin Yue didn’t dare to interrupt, so she just sat there quietly and waited.