Chapter 2

Family disgrace should be kept private. Besides, divorce is rare in this era. If Ding Yushu had been educated, she wouldn’t have uttered such words. Of course, she was merely venting. No family would allow her to divorce, as villagers valued reputation and wouldn’t want to lose a husband like Zhang Zhi.

Zhang Rui complained to Tian Jiao about his brother.

To him, his second brother Zhang Zhi was a fool. Enchanted by Ding Yushu’s looks, he overlooked other flaws. It was only after marriage that he realized he had married a swindler. Zhang Zhi’s good temper and simplicity prevented him from complaining, or else there would have been chaos long ago.

Tian Jiao remained silent. To her, this new father had a very good temperament.

Ding Yushu cared deeply about her reputation, so the matter quickly settled. She ran to her room crying, abandoning Dabao, the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, who was also crying. She locked her door and stayed inside all day. The next day, she proudly took the cakes Zhang Zhi had bought and headed to the educated youth site.

This entire incident left the naive Tian Jiao stunned.

Li Mizhen sent her off with a sneer and chatted with other women while holding her grandson.

Zhang Rui, the new father, brought his daughter into the room, unwrapping a bundle tied to his back like a treasure.

Inside was a collection of clothes and shoes wrapped in dark blue cloth.

In the countryside, especially since he only ventured into the county town, nice things were scarce. The clothes he bought were simple little skirts.

There were olive green and black-and-white plaid skirts, without belts. Along with the skirts, there were two small blue jackets, just slightly larger than Tian Jiao.

At the bottom, she spotted a pair of clean cloth shoes.

“Come on, try it on,” Zhang Rui said excitedly, placing the clothes on the couch. “Dad will go out first, so open the door after you change.”

Tian Jiao blinked, tears brimming in her eyes. Before Zhang Rui left, she rushed to hug his waist, saying, “Thank you, Dad.”

Zhang Rui pinched her cheek and smiled, “Why are you thanking me? Didn’t we agree that you’d be my daughter and take care of me in my old age? I can’t treat you poorly; what if you don’t buy me new clothes when I’m old?”

“Pfft.” Tian Jiao laughed loudly, almost snorting. “Got it, you go out first.”

“Hey, hurry up.” Zhang Rui closed the door and sat down outside.

Just then, he looked up to see his father returning.

“Dad!” Zhang Rui waved, smiling.

Zhang Dagen, his father, had a cheerful demeanor, though he was usually lazy. Many women liked his looks. Since turning 18, numerous women had proposed to him, but he always refused.

Zhang Dagen, now over 50, remained strong but aged. He had witnessed his sons marry, start families, and have children. However, he felt particularly frustrated with his youngest son, who unexpectedly brought home a baby girl. He was always angry, so his mood was poor when he saw him. “Look at you, always idle. You’ve been missing all day. Where have you been?”

Zhang Rui smiled, replying, “I didn’t go anywhere. I just walked around the county.”

Zhang Dagen, with his fierce look and thin frame, didn’t blame him. He took off his shoes and threw them at Zhang Rui, saying, “You’re so playful and lack integrity.” 

Zhang Rui raised his eyebrows, reaching out to catch the shoe and toss it back. 

“Get rid of that girl quickly,” said Zhang Dagen as he put on his shoes, looking slightly better after the commotion.

The smile on Zhang Rui’s face vanished immediately. “If Tian Jiao is leaving, then I’m leaving too.”

Zhang Dagen, still angry, shook his head, unwilling to look at him. He went to get some water to wash his feet.

At the dinner table, Tian Jiao went over to help serve the dishes, and worried about his daughter getting scalded, Zhang Rui hurried to assist her.

Zhang Dagen observed Tian Jiao and found himself disliking her less.

Li Mizhen, who was sensitive to others’ feelings, especially liked girls. If Tian Jiao weren’t her granddaughter, she would have hesitated to help her. However, now that she saw the girl being obedient and responsible after a few days, Li Mizhen’s heart softened, and she considered letting Zhang Rui recognize her.

Though the Zhang family claimed the girl was the eldest son’s child and that the third son brought her home, everyone in the village knew it was untrue because she called Zhang Rui “Dad.”

Additionally, the eldest son, Zhang Dong, had joined the army at sixteen and had not been heard from since, except for a fixed allowance each year. After so many years, Li Mizhen had come to accept that her son might be dead. She even thought about adopting Tian Jiao to ensure a descendant to honor Zhang Dong.

Zhang Zhi, the second son, was henpecked and had a lazy wife, but they had a son last year, whom Li Mizhen favored.

The third son, Zhang Rui, was rebellious and began working at sixteen. Recently, he had become a carpenter’s apprentice. A few days ago, when the carpenter reported him missing, the family panicked, but he returned home with Tian Jiao in his arms, and no one knew where she had come from.

Supporting them was feasible financially. Although the Zhang family appeared poor, Zhang Zhi earned three yuan a month as a driver and received tickets. Despite the lack of news from Zhang Dong, he had sent back money over the years.

However, Li Mizhen felt frustrated that Zhang Rui had brought home a child before marriage. She considered adoption but didn’t pay much attention to Tian Jiao. She served her simple food and then turned her attention to Zhang Rui. “Third brother, are you really not going to send this child away?”

This topic came up frequently during meals, and Zhang Rui grew increasingly tense whenever it was mentioned.

Zhang Zhi was tall and steady, and his parents and wife managed family matters. On this particular day, his wife was angry, so he avoided the discussion by entering the room with bowls of rice and vegetables.

Tian Jiao ate quietly, unconcerned about her fate. Though her heavenly father wanted her to find a new father for a better life, she believed she could manage on her own. After all, could her heavenly father allow her to starve? Despite her father’s kindness, she was willing to accept whatever decision they made.

Zhang Rui replied firmly, “I told you, she is my daughter. Tomorrow, I will take Jiaojiao to see the captain. She is my child.”

After he spoke, Zhang Dagen hit him on the head with his chopsticks.

Rubbing his forehead in grievance, Zhang Rui looked at Tian Jiao, reassuring her. “It was your grandfather who was wrong, not Dad.”

Tian Jiao nodded obediently, offering to rub his head for him.

“Okay, my dear daughter,” he said, smiling. Although it didn’t hurt, he felt sweet inside that his daughter cared for him.

In just a few days, Zhang Rui had seamlessly stepped into the role of a father.

Sitting next to him, Zhang Dagen sneered. “You little rascal, how can you raise a child when you’re not even married?”

Zhang Rui protested, “Why can’t I raise her? Look, Jiaojiao is already five. She can eat, drink, dress herself, and she’s smart. Raising her is easy.”

Zhang Dagen huffed and said nothing more. Raising a child was indeed challenging and costly. If the child fell ill, expenses would soar, and in the future, she might need to be given away.

Tian Jiao listened silently, taking small bites of her bun. When she saw Zhang Rui wink at her, she beamed, her eyes narrowing into crescent shapes without opening her mouth.

The others at the table felt pity over the situation. They exchanged glances, and Li Mizhen discreetly kicked her husband, signaling him.

Zhang Dagen wanted to agree but turned away, upset at the thought of Tian Jiao being a girl.

After dinner, everyone busied themselves with chores.

As a traditional man, Zhang Dagen went outside, hands clasped behind his back.

Li Mizhen needed to tidy up the house. Her daughter-in-law was of no help, staying in her room while Zhang Zhi’s wife neglected her responsibilities. 

Zhang Rui went to boil water for Tian Jiao’s bath.

Left to her own devices, Tian Jiao ran to a corner of the yard, poking at a patch of grass with a yellow tip.

A gentle breeze brushed against her cheek, but nothing happened. Tian Jiao pouted in disappointment and threatened, “If you don’t show up again, Jiaojiao will ignore you.” Just after she spoke, the grass before her swayed in the breeze, with slender leaves curling up around her little finger.

It’s good that you’re here.

Looking around and finding no one, she whispered, “Tian Dao Dad, Jiaojiao misses you so much.” As soon as these words left her mouth, her big eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up and streaming down her cheeks.

She deeply missed her past life, when she had nothing to worry about and Tian Dao Dad took care of her. In just a few days in the human world, she felt despised. She understood that her new father’s family didn’t have much money and were unwilling to take in another child, but it still hurt.

This pain made her long for the good times before.

The more she missed home, the stronger her feelings grew.

She missed her Tian Dao father, the big white crane that always took her out to play, and the days when delicious food would appear for her every morning.

Tian Jiao was not from this world, and she didn’t know her true identity. She had been conscious since birth, enveloped in a warm flow of air. Sometimes, a gentle and kind voice would call her Jiaojiao.

As time passed, she was able to move, and the airflow surrounding her gradually thinned. When she finally saw a young man in black, smiling gently, she immediately recognized him as her father and the Heavenly Dao who governs the laws of the world.

Like any normal child, she grew up under his protection. But one day, she fell ill, her body weakened, and her spiritual power began to fade away.

Tian Dao Dad disappeared for a long time, and when he returned, he told her that she must go to the mortal world and live as an ordinary person to continue living as an immortal. Otherwise, her spiritual power would vanish, and she would cease to exist.

Willing to keep living, Tian Jiao deduced that autumn 1975 in this world was the most suitable time for her, and she foresaw opportunities here.

Thus, she was sent to this world.

When Tian Jiao woke up, she first saw Zhang Rui. She felt an instinctive connection and knew he was the new father Tian Dao Dad had chosen for her. She called him “Dad” without hesitation.

Zhang Rui was a carefree person. Upon hearing that she had no family and didn’t know how she arrived, he gladly decided to adopt her and take her home.

It seemed he didn’t want to marry, and a daughter just happened to fall into his life.

Tian Jiao felt immense happiness, believing that she had completed what she thought would be the most challenging task of entering the mortal world.

However, things didn’t turn out as happily as she expected.

Life in that era was tough, and the Zhang family, who lived modestly, didn’t find it easy either. Taking in another child felt like an added burden, especially since they knew she was only five years old and appeared nearly as large as six or seven-year-olds in the village. They firmly refused to care for her, as they believed she ate too much and they couldn’t afford to raise her.

The family held several discussions, with Tian Jiao present throughout. She watched as Zhang Rui stubbornly refused to relent, leading the two elders to reluctantly accept her presence.

At that time, Ding Yushu, the wife of Zhang Rui’s second brother Zhang Zhi, opposed this arrangement but was quickly silenced by Zhang Rui’s rebuttal.

Yet, the insecurity of those days and the constant fear of being abandoned weighed heavily on her heart, leaving her feeling helpless.

For the first time, Tian Jiao realized that without spiritual power and the support of Tian Dao Dad, she could achieve nothing.

On the bright side, the conversation at the dinner table today was much more relaxed than before. After her relentless charm, the two elders who had initially opposed her were no longer as resolute.

With this thought, Tian Jiao clenched her fists, filled with determination.

However, looking at the slender leaf entwined around her finger, she pursed her lips, and a tear the size of a bean fell from her eye. She still longed to return to Tian Dao Dad.

The grass at her fingertips wrapped around her finger more tightly, and the teardrop was swept away by the wind, gently brushing her face as if to comfort her.

Tian Dao is the guardian of the laws, but he too is bound by them. He cannot appear in this ordinary realm, cannot change a person’s mind, and cannot provide her with much assistance.

Feeling the silent comfort from Tian Dao Dad, Tian Jiao wiped her tears with her chubby hands and said firmly, “Don’t worry, Dad. Jiaojiao is the cutest child. They will surely like Jiaojiao.”

Just then, Li Mizhen, who was squatting nearby washing dishes, noticed the small, pitiful figure huddled in the corner, and her heart ached. At that moment, the third child came out of the kitchen, and she gestured for him to come over.

Zhang Rui hurried over, asking, “Mom, what do you need?” 

With a smile, Li Mizhen playfully cursed and whispered, “Honestly, I worry this girl is cooped up here all day and might get sick. If you genuinely want to take care of her, then…”

She hesitated, stumbling over her words at the end.

Zhang Rui, sensing his mother’s unease, crouched beside her and asked, “Mom, what do you want to say?”

“Oh, never mind. What I mean is, why don’t you let the girl go to school? The primary school in the brigade is still open, and it would be good for her to make some friends. After all, the money you’ve given me over the years is enough to support a child.” After Li Mizhen expressed this, she felt relieved but also a bit embarrassed.

Zhang Rui suddenly understood, looking at his mother’s expression, and called, “Jiaojiao, come here and thank grandma. Grandma said you should go to school.”

Tian Jiao was momentarily stunned, not entirely grasping what going to school entailed, but she sensed the meaning behind Zhang Rui’s words. She ran over, hugged Li Mizhen’s neck, kissed her cheek, and sweetly said, “Thank you, grandma.”

Li Mizhen was taken by surprise.