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Lin Jiabao felt as if he saw his father and mother.
The two approached him with red eyes.
Lin Jiabao’s face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly ran toward his parents, exclaiming, “Father, Mother, I miss you so much!”
He had expected to miss them, but to his surprise, he truly embraced his parents. Lin Jiabao was overjoyed!
Lin Dayong and his wife were equally astonished; they had not expected to be able to touch their son.
After half a year, they finally held their son again, but feeling his frail body made them cry even harder.
When they were alive, their child had been strong; lifting him had required effort. Now, he felt light as if a gust of wind could knock him over, so pitifully thin.
Thinking about how their son had not had enough to eat in the past six months made their hearts ache even more.
“Jiabao, my dear child, you’ve suffered. I’m so sorry! Mother is sorry!” Lin Dayong’s wife sobbed.
Lin Jiabao nestled in his mother’s arms, but strangely, he couldn’t feel her warmth.
“Mother, I miss you so much. Please come back. I promise I’ll behave and won’t be naughty anymore.”
Lin Dayong embraced his wife and child, filled with sadness. While alive, they hadn’t realized how precious it was to live together as a family in peace until they were gone.
The couple spoke with their son for a long time, eventually advising him, “Jiabao, someone will come to take you away tomorrow to live in a new place. You must go with them. You won’t have to worry about food and clothing anymore, and you’ll be able to go to school. Promise your mother you’ll study hard. If you can pass the exams and achieve success, it will make your mother happy in heaven. If you can’t pass, that’s okay too. Learning to read and write is enough to become a teacher or help others with their writing. As long as you can live well, get married, and have children in the future, your mother and father will be at ease.”
Lin Jiabao’s big eyes were filled with confusion. “Mother, who is coming to take me away? Do we still have relatives?”
Lin Dayong gently stroked his son’s head and said with a smile, “It’s a friend of your father. I had saved a lot of money with him before, intending to give it to your uncle’s family for taking care of you. But seeing how they’ve treated you so poorly, I’ve decided to let you live on your own. Jiabao, can you do that? Can you live by yourself?”
Lin Jiabao nodded earnestly, “Father, I can! I don’t want to live with Uncle’s family anymore. I’m always hungry. I can cook for myself now. Father, Mother, I can live on my own!”
Lin Jiabao had had enough; if he had somewhere else to go, he would have left long ago. He even considered becoming a beggar, thinking it would be better than living at his uncle’s, but he never had the courage to do so.
Now that he heard he could leave, he was more than willing.
Seeing their son so happy, the couple felt even more indebted.
They spent the night discussing many details, and only when it was late did they finally leave the dream.
In the morning, when Lin Jiabao woke up, he looked blankly at the ceiling. Everything from last night was vividly imprinted in his mind, feeling like a dream yet also not.
“Lin Jiabao, get up and make breakfast quickly.”
Lin Jiabao had slept in the yard last night, and as ghosts, Lin Dayong and his wife couldn’t carry him back inside; they could only watch him lying there.
Lin Dafu’s wife, seeing that the firewood wasn’t finished, spoke sharply again.
“Lin Jiabao, did you slack off last night? You didn’t finish chopping this little bit of wood. What can you do? Hurry up and get to work. Who let you sleep?”
Seeing the child lying in the yard, Lin Dafu’s wife felt no sympathy and immediately began exploiting Lin Jiabao.
Still lost in the dream from the night before, Lin Jiabao felt everything was so real until he was abruptly interrupted by his aunt. He quickly scrambled to his feet.
“I… I’ll do it right away.”
Mu Yun had already been summoned by Lin Dayong and his wife. He went to the Wang family with the new servant they bought for Lin Jiabao, along with the one thousand taels given by Madam Wang, heading toward the Lin family.
Upon arriving at the entrance, he witnessed Lin Dafu’s wife treating the child so harshly.
Qingli stood outside the fence and spoke up, “Do you have any conscience treating a child like this?”
The sudden voice startled Lin Dafu’s wife, and she quickly turned to look outside.
Seeing a beautiful, cold-looking girl standing at the door, staring at her with a hostile gaze, Lin Dafu’s wife furrowed her brow and scrutinized Qingli, rolling her eyes up and down as she sized her up. Finally, she said in displeasure, “Who are you? What are you doing at my front door?”
Next to Qingli stood a boy of about ten, thin and tall, with his head lowered, glancing sideways at the scene before him.
In the yard, Lin Jiabao curiously watched the people outside the fence, wondering if this was the person his parents had mentioned would come to take him away.
But it felt like a dream; it couldn’t possibly be real.
Thinking this, Lin Jiabao lowered his head, feeling a bit disappointed.
It was all just a dream; how could it come true?
“I am here on behalf of Young Master Chen to pick up Lin Jiabao, son of Lin Dayong. Where is he?”
Qingli had concocted an identity for herself, as requested by Lin Dayong and his wife. They told Lin Jiabao that his father had saved money with a friend, and now that friend wanted to give the money to Lin Jiabao.
They didn’t want the child to carry resentment in his heart. They worried that if he knew the money came from the person who caused his parents’ deaths, he would refuse to use it, so they could only find another excuse.
Inside the house, Lin Dafu rushed out upon hearing the commotion. His murky eyes narrowed as he sized up Qingli from top to bottom before coldly stating, “Lin Jiabao is my nephew. His parents are both deceased, and I, as his uncle, will take care of him. What do you, a stranger, want with him?”
Among the family, only Lin Jiabao’s eyes widened in surprise. Was his dream really coming true?
Early in the morning, the nearby farmers had just risen and, hearing the commotion, curiously gathered around to watch.
A cold glint flashed in Qingli’s eyes as she replied, “Lin Dayong was a good friend of my master and entrusted a large sum of silver to him. He said that if anything happened to him, my master should check if his elder brother, Lin Dafu, treated his son, Lin Jiabao, well. If he did, then Jiabao would live with his uncle’s family, and the money would go to you.”
“But if his brother’s family treats the child poorly, then my master should help take the child away, and the money would be distributed to Jiabao, along with a companion to live with him.”
“For this reason, my master has had someone keeping an eye on your family for half a year. How you have treated Lin Jiabao during this time has truly been disheartening. You and your wife appear respectable, but your hearts are venomous. The way you have treated Jiabao is clear to the neighbors around us. I won’t even detail your family’s misdeeds. I am here to take Jiabao away today, and he will no longer have any ties to you.”
Lin Dafu’s family was stunned! His brother left behind a large sum of silver? How much?
Lin Dafu’s wife was eager to know, “How much did my brother leave for you?”
Qingli maintained her cold demeanor, “It has nothing to do with you. Now open the door! I’m taking the child away.”
Lin Dafu’s wife urgently pulled her husband toward the gate and shouted at Qingli from behind the fence, “You scammer! Hand over the money! Our nephew is not someone you can take. I am his biological aunt, and my husband is his uncle. Who do you think you are? Hurry up and give us the money, or we’ll report you to the authorities and have them arrest you!”
The woman’s sharp tongue and greedy demeanor were evident; her cheeks were puffed, and her eyes bulged, clearly not a good person.
Qingli looked at her greedy appearance and coldly replied, “Go ahead and report me! Let the authorities judge what you have taken from the Lin Dayong family and hurry up and return it. You evil people are not afraid of the law. Am I supposed to be afraid? It would be just right to have the authorities come and support this child.”
Seeing that Qingli was calm and composed, the woman’s arrogance dissipated. Her eyes darted around, lacking confidence as she stammered, “Y-you can’t slander me! What have I taken? Our family has cared for this child diligently. Who would have thought that Dayong would still be wary of us? It’s truly heartbreaking!”
As she spoke, the woman deliberately wiped away tears, but no one sympathized with her. Neighbors took the opportunity to criticize her, saying, “Lin Dafu’s family, don’t be too greedy. You’ve occupied the house of the Dayong family and even sold it. The Dayong couple left behind some silver, and as uncle and aunt, it’s normal to care for your orphaned nephew. Besides, you’ve taken what his parents left behind, yet you treat him so poorly, only taking without caring for him.”
“That’s right! Don’t be too greedy! We’ve all seen how you’ve treated this child. It’s said that good people will be rewarded, so you should do fewer bad deeds!”
“Let the child go! His life might improve if he leaves. He used to be such a sturdy boy, but now he looks as if he could be blown away by the wind. It’s truly pitiful for a child who has lost his parents!”
Lin Dayong and his wife’s souls, contained in the gourd at Qingli’s waist, heard everything and cried out in despair.
The neighbors’ words left Lin Dafu feeling utterly humiliated, his face burning with shame.
“Jiabao, do you want to go with this person?”
Lin Dafu, unable to bear the gazes and discussions of the villagers, quickly turned to Lin Jiabao.
His wife shot him an unhappy look; they hadn’t even asked about the money yet. How could they let the child go? Didn’t that girl say that Lin Dayong had left a large sum?
Lin Dafu’s wife frantically signaled to her husband, but Lin Dafu was too ashamed to look up, only gazing at Lin Jiabao, feeling a flicker of guilt for the first time.
Lin Jiabao eagerly nodded, “I want to go!”
Seeing his nephew so willing, Lin Dafu felt his heart chill. He would rather see him leave with a stranger than stay. Since that was the case, why hold on?
Lin Dafu’s wife rushed to stop them, but Lin Dafu had already spoken, “Alright, if you want to go, then go! You don’t have to come back here again; there’s no place for you in this family anymore.”
Lin Dafu looked angry, his expression dark.
Lin Jiabao seriously looked at his uncle and softly replied, “Uncle, there was never a place for me in this family.”
After saying that, Lin Jiabao walked toward the door without a hint of hesitation.
Lin Dafu’s wife tried to stop him, but Lin Dafu pulled her back, “Don’t keep him here. You know how Dayong was when he was alive. How could he possibly have money? If he had money, would Jiabao’s mother have died? This person is probably a trafficker. Since Lin Jiabao dislikes this family so much, let him go! Whether he lives or dies from here on out has nothing to do with us.”
A flash of cruelty crossed Lin Dafu’s eyes as he felt a chilling emptiness in his heart.
From now on, even if this child was sold or killed, it would have nothing to do with him; it was Lin Jiabao’s choice to leave.
Lin Dafu thought maliciously, convinced that the girl at the door was not a good person.