## Chapter 14

Amidst the commotion, Xu Jin hurried into the courtyard. She didn’t see her grandparents at first glance, but under the shade of the old jujube tree, there was a table set up. On it was a large bowl of sand-roasted peanuts, along with a dish of melon seeds, a plate of washed red dates, and slices of crystal-clear cantaloupe.

Sitting by the table were a stylishly dressed girl and a chubby boy. The girl looked to be about twenty years old, with a long face, fair skin, and a loose sky-blue long dress paired with light-colored leather shoes. She looked very fashionable. But her narrow, long eyes inexplicably exuded a shrewd and cold air.

As for the boy, he was probably eighteen or nineteen years old, not very tall, but with a lot of fat on him. Hearing the commotion, he glanced at Xu Jin and let out a nonsensical “Heh” before reaching out to grab a slice of cantaloupe. He put it to his lips and slurped it down, leaving only the rind in his hand.

The girl didn’t seem to mind at all. She immediately picked up another slice of melon and handed it to him with a smile. Then, she lifted her eyelids and glanced at Xu Jin, looking her up and down.

Zhou Chuan Ying was clearly a little nervous under her gaze. She rubbed her hands on her clothes awkwardly and looked at the girl with a somewhat flattering expression. She even winked at Xu Jin.

“Xiao Jin, quickly call her Sister-in-law. This is your eldest sister-in-law…”

Before Xu Jin could speak, the girl’s expression turned a little unpleasant. She said coldly, “Second Aunt, Yueheng and I are not married yet…”

Zhou Chuan Ying was clearly a little embarrassed.

“Second Aunt’s mouth is clumsy; she doesn’t know how to speak. Don’t be angry with Second Aunt, Xiaoqin… Xiaoqin, this is your cousin, your aunt’s daughter, her name is Xiao Jin…”

Wang Xiaoqin glanced at Xu Jin, her eyes lingering on the fertilizer bag she was carrying, her aversion unmistakable.

The Wei family didn’t have any decent relatives. Look at her dusty appearance, it was obvious that she was a poor girl from somewhere. She was even carrying a fertilizer bag, she must be coming to mooch off them, right? The Wei family was already poor, if they brought in another poor relative, wouldn’t they be asking for trouble? In her opinion, why bother taking her in? They should just send her away. After all, the Wei family was in such a state, they were lucky to be able to support themselves. What a bunch of fools.

Little did she know that Xu Jin’s aversion towards Wang Xiaoqin was even greater.

She knew this person very well. She was not only the fiancée of her eldest cousin, Wei Yueheng, but also a cousin of Lin Wei, Zhou Hanxiang’s white moonlight. In her previous life, wasn’t it Wang Xiaoqin who almost caused the Wei family to fall apart?

Thinking this, her gaze slid towards Wang Xiaoqin’s stomach.

The reason why Wang Xiaoqin could make Wei Yueheng, such a filial and kind person, completely devoted to her was because of the child in her belly.

But what everyone, including Wei Yueheng, didn’t know was that beneath Wang Xiaoqin’s glamorous exterior, she was nothing but a gold digger. The child in her belly wasn’t Wei Yueheng’s at all, but her boss’s in Shenzhen.

She wanted to climb the ladder after getting pregnant, but before she could confront the boss’s wife, she first scared the boss.

The boss had achieved his current success thanks to his wife. Although the company was doing well, compared to his wife’s family, he was still far behind. Wang Xiaoqin couldn’t stay in Shenzhen, so she took a large sum of money from the boss as a breakup fee and returned to her hometown. She originally wanted to go to the hospital to have the child aborted, but she was told that because she had already had several miscarriages, the damage to her uterus was severe. If she didn’t have this child, she might never be able to have children again.

There was another reason why Wang Xiaoqin wanted to keep the child.

The boss and his wife only had one daughter. They had always dreamed of having a son. If she could give birth to a son, the boss would definitely not ignore her. Maybe, for the sake of his son, he would really divorce his wife and marry her.

After much deliberation, she decided to keep the child. But she was used to a comfortable life, and she didn’t want to bear the gossip or the hardship of raising a child alone. She had to find a simple and honest person to be her sucker.

And Wei Yueheng, a tall and handsome poor boy from the suburbs of the provincial capital, was unfortunately chosen by Wang Xiaoqin.

Because she had ulterior motives, even after marrying Wei Yueheng, Wang Xiaoqin still had a lingering relationship with her old lover in Shenzhen. Especially after giving birth to a son, she would often take her son to Shenzhen to meet her old lover. Later, when her eldest cousin accidentally discovered that the child wasn’t his, Wang Xiaoqin took all the demolition compensation, including her second uncle’s share, and left with her child to seek refuge with her old lover in Shenzhen.

Her eldest cousin was so angry and heartbroken that he drove his car to chase after them, but unfortunately, he got into a car accident on the way. At that time, her second cousin, Wei Shaoheng, was also in the car. The final outcome was that her eldest cousin instinctively protected her second cousin in the passenger seat, swerving the steering wheel. The moment the car hit the stone pillar; Wei Yueheng died on the spot. Her second cousin was also seriously injured and became a quadriplegic…

Looking at Wang Xiaoqin now, Xu Jin almost questioned her existence.

What kind of heinous things did she and her eldest cousin do in their previous lives? They had to meet Wang Xiaoqin and Lin Wei, those two cousins, and be tormented by them.

Seeing Xu Jin staring at her with pursed lips and not saying anything, Wang Xiaoqin became even more annoyed. She muttered, “She’s really from the countryside, so unsophisticated,” and refused to pay any attention to Xu Jin.

Wei Yueheng’s family was really too poor, and they had so many burdens. There were just too many burdens. If it weren’t for his handsome appearance, Wang Xiaoqin, who was used to the glitz and glamour of the outside world, wouldn’t have looked at him.

Usually, when Wei Yueheng was at home, Wang Xiaoqin’s attitude towards the rest of the family was relatively polite. Now that Wei Yueheng was away, and Wei Zhenming and Zhou Chuan Ying brought back such an unpresentable guest, Wang Xiaoqin was so annoyed that she didn’t even want to pretend anymore. She didn’t look at Xu Jin or the others, and just handed the melon to her brother, who loved to eat it.

“Xiaojun, eat slowly. These are all yours…”

“There’s only a little bit of melon, and it’s all mine?” Wang Xiaojun was not happy. He snorted.

“Not enough? I’ll ask your brother-in-law to buy you some more…” Seeing Wang Xiaojun’s unhappy face, Wang Xiaoqin quickly coaxed him, her voice becoming soft and submissive. She took out five yuan and stuffed it into his hand. “Take this money. If you want anything else, just buy it yourself.”

Wang Xiaojun finally shut up. He ate the cantaloupe and impatiently ordered Wang Xiaoqin.

“What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and crack some melon seeds for me…”

“Okay, okay…” Wang Xiaoqin nodded with a smile, lowered her head and cracked the melon seeds. After gathering a small handful of melon seeds, she handed them to her brother. As for Xu Jin, she completely ignored her, her indifference and dislike were evident on her face.

Zhou Chuan Ying and Wei Zhenming felt a little awkward. But they were both honest people. Even though they thought Wang Xiaoqin was rude, they didn’t say anything.

In the village, everyone who was about the same age as their nephew had already gotten married and had children. Some even had grandchildren. Their nephew, because his family was poor and had a lot of burdens, had been unable to find a partner.

Now, finally, there was such a good girl who didn’t mind their poverty and was willing to be good to Yueheng. Even though she wasn’t very nice to them, they were still grateful.

Moreover, they had learned from Wei Yueheng the other day that Wang Xiaoqin was already pregnant with their Wei family’s bloodline. They were even more attentive to Wang Xiaoqin. They even thought that her rudeness was probably due to her being in a bad mood because she was pregnant. If they angered her and she broke off the engagement, Yueheng would be a bachelor for life, and she definitely wouldn’t want the child in her belly anymore…

Zhou Chuan Ying quickly smiled and took out a two- or three-pound carp from under the basket.

“Xiaoqin and Xiaojun, you guys sit here first. I’ll take your sister to see your grandpa and grandma. Second Aunt will cook fish for you later, and I’ll ask your second uncle to slaughter the chicken at home…”

Wang Xiaoqin lifted her eyelids and said pointedly,

“Oh, then I and my brother have to thank our cousin. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be able to eat fish and chicken, right?”

“Look at what you’re saying,” Zhou Chuan Ying felt a little embarrassed and stammered, “This fish was bought specifically for you…”

Seeing her servile and flattering manner, Xu Jin felt a pang of heartache. She helped Wei Zhenming sit down on a chair and didn’t bother talking to Wang Xiaoqin. She even turned back to Zhou Chuan Ying and said,

“Second Aunt, you sit down and rest for a while. I’ll go see Grandma and Grandpa…”

As she turned around, she saw her grandfather and grandmother walking out of the room, supporting each other. The two elderly people had been napping in the room.

They were old, but not senile. The two elderly people had already noticed that their granddaughter-in-law, Wang Xiaoqin, didn’t like them.

The old couple wasn’t unhappy. But they didn’t want their grandson to be sad.

Their grandson had a hard life. He lost his parents when he was young, and now, finally, there was a kind girl who didn’t mind their poverty and was willing to marry him. They were only grateful. As for them, they were old and couldn’t help their grandson with anything, and they were a burden. It was understandable that the girl would dislike them.

Whenever Wang Xiaoqin came, the old couple would send her some delicious food and then consciously hide back in their room.

After tremblingly handing Wang Xiaoqin some melon seeds and peanuts, and then washing and bringing out red dates and cantaloupe, the old couple discreetly went back to their room. If it weren’t for the loud noise outside, they wouldn’t have come out.

Seeing her grandparents, whose hair was completely white, Xu Jin couldn’t control her emotions. She ran towards them and knelt down in front of them, hugging her grandmother.

“Grandma, Grandpa…”

This long-lost address made her grandfather freeze on the spot. Her grandmother’s eyesight wasn’t good anymore. Suddenly being hugged by someone’s legs, she was startled. She was about to ask who it was when she heard the word “Grandma” and froze.

“You, you are…”

“Grandma, Grandpa, it’s me, it’s Xiao Jin, it’s Xiao Jin!” Xu Jin looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Your unfilial granddaughter has come to see you…”

Her grandmothers already hunched back bent even further. She trembled as she raised her hand, wanting to hug Xu Jin, but she was afraid it was a dream. Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

“Xiao Jin, Xiao Jin, is it really you? Grandma isn’t dreaming, is she?”

When Xu Jin was brought back from outside, she was still a baby in swaddling clothes. Because Xu Hongsheng didn’t like her, her grandmother was worried that her daughter would be embarrassed, so she asked her son to take her to her side to raise her.

Her grandmother still remembered the first time she saw her granddaughter. The baby, who was already starving, kept turning her little head back and forth. Finally, she directly hugged her outstretched hand and eagerly put it in her mouth.

It broke her grandmother’s heart.

At that moment, her grandmother felt that this child was destined to be with her. Once she started raising her personally, she became incredibly fond of her. Xu Jin was so well-behaved, she rarely cried, only whimpering when she was hungry. She couldn’t even speak yet, but she could recognize footsteps. Whenever her grandmother went over, she would turn her dark, bright eyes to look for her. When she found her grandmother, she would smile so sweetly…

The first word she said was “Grandma,” and as soon as she learned to use chopsticks, she would pick food for her grandmother and grandfather. When she saw her grandfather coming back from outside, she would hold a stool and toddle over to put it in front of her grandfather, then drag his shoes back for him to change…

Her grandmother had seen many children in her life, but this was the first time she had seen such a beautiful, well-behaved, and affectionate little girl.

Every time they saw their granddaughter, the old couple’s hearts melted. They couldn’t understand why their son-in-law would be so cruel as to not like such a lovable little girl. With this in mind, they couldn’t help but love Xu Jin even more. Over time, their affection for Xu Jin surpassed that for their two biological grandchildren, Xu Ru and Xu Xin, and even their two grandsons couldn’t compare.

Therefore, when Xu Hongsheng, in a fit of anger, sent the children back to their hometown, the old couple’s hearts were broken. But no matter how heartbroken they were, they were just the child’s grandparents. They could only repeatedly tell their daughter, Wei Lan, to cherish Xiao Jin and not only focus on her son and two biological children…

Later, when Wei Lan was seriously ill, the old man weighed his options and told Xu Hongsheng to bring Xu Jin and the youngest, Xu Xin, over.

The reason he wanted to bring them over was that the old man knew that Xu Jin had a hard time under Xu Guoqing’s care. If Wei Lan could take care of her, it would be fine. But if she couldn’t, the girl might be tormented by Xu Hongsheng. As for Xu Xin, she was too young. The old man thought that bringing her back would also help his son-in-law reduce some of the burden.

But Xu Guoqing demanded a huge sum of money, saying that he would let them take the two children away if they gave him five hundred yuan.

At that time, the old man realized that Xu Guoqing not only drank alcohol but also liked to gamble. He wanted five hundred yuan because he had two hundred yuan in debt to repay, and he had promised his brother in his hometown three hundred yuan.

After repeatedly pleading, Xu Hongsheng still refused to budge. The old man went back home and hid in his room, crying uncontrollably. His pension was only a few dozen yuan. Besides supporting his family, he also had to occasionally give money to Wei Lan, who was sick. Where could he get extra money?

He had originally thought that when his relationship with Xu Hongsheng improved, he would find an opportunity to bring Xu Jin back. But he never imagined that it would be ten years since he last saw his granddaughter.

Now, suddenly hearing Xu Jin call “Grandma,” how could her grandmother hold back? She hugged Xu Jin and cried.

Even the old man, who had been strong all his life, shed tears.

“Good child, get up, get up and talk…”

Zhou Chuan Ying, wiping away her tears, quickly helped Xu Jin up.

“Xiao Jin, don’t cry anymore. Your grandma’s eyes aren’t good, you can’t cry anymore…”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh. Xu Jin had walked all the way here, her face and hair covered in dirt. Now, she was crying, and her little face was like a little cat with dirt on it.

“I’ll get you a basin of water, you wash your face quickly…”

Xu Jin was also a little embarrassed. She “Uh-huh and went to wash her face by the well.

Seeing Xu Jin leave, her grandmother, with her bound feet, followed her without taking a step back. Her grandfather, overjoyed, straightened his back a little. He tapped the ground with his cane, quickly bringing out a winnowing basket. Inside were melon seeds, roasted peanuts, red dates, and cantaloupe.

My dear, come wash your hands and eat. You loved to eat this when you were little…”

Before he finished speaking, Wang Xiaojun, who had just finished eating the last piece of cantaloupe, suddenly turned his head and said unhappily,

“Second Sister, those are my snacks. Why are you taking them out to give to someone else?”

As the youngest child with four older sisters, Wang Xiaojun had long been accustomed to having all the good food in the house. He never got enough of eating good things, which was why he was so fat. Although the old man had brought out things that belonged to the Wei family, Wang Xiaojun thought that his sister would soon be the mistress of this house, so naturally, everything in this house belonged to him. His sister had just told him to eat whatever he wanted, and that everything in the basket in the house was his. But he had only eaten a little, and the old man took it out to give to this little village girl who had just arrived.

Wang Xiaoqin’s face also looked a little unpleasant.

The red dates were from their own tree, and the cantaloupe, melon seeds, and roasted peanuts were bought by Wei Yueheng specifically for her because he knew she was coming. They only bought a pound or two of each.

Usually, if she was unhappy, the old man would definitely follow her wishes. But today was different.

His most beloved granddaughter, and he hadn’t seen her in so many years. If he could, the old man would have set a table full of delicacies for his granddaughter. After all, his granddaughter was so thin.

He pretended not to see or hear Wang Xiaoqin and her brother’s displeasure.