Chapter 51.2

Seizing this rare moment of free time, Yin Xiaoman decided to visit the Imperial Kitchen.

Since arriving on Zhongshan Island, aside from delivering prepared items to Li Chun once a week, she had not gone there at all.

Even the items she received in exchange had been carelessly stuffed into her bedroom as spares, without any real effort to sort or organize them.

The truth was, in terms of food, the conditions on Zhongshan Island were excellent, and there was no real need for her to supplement anything.

Furthermore, the island was relatively isolated. Since arriving, not only had she remained on the island, but even Shen Qingyun had not had the chance to leave.

So, even if she wanted to experiment with something new, she would have no way of explaining its origins.

Following the principle of “the more you do, the more mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes.” she decided it was best to keep things simple.

That said, the nation had indeed upheld its promise to these experts who were on the frontlines of national defense design and manufacturing.

Perhaps it could not compare to more developed countries, but every effort had been made to provide them with the best possible resources.

For instance, in these times, the average person’s monthly supply of refined grains accounted for less than twenty percent of their total grain ration. Yet, for the experts, it exceeded sixty percent.

Not only that, but even the coarse grains allocated to them were top-quality millet, yellow rice, and soybeans—things that were nearly impossible to buy elsewhere, even with money.

After spending so much time with them day in and day out, Yin Xiaoman genuinely felt that they deserved such special treatment.

Although she could not see exactly what kind of work they did each day, she witnessed their workload. She saw how they worked through the night, racing against time, never stopping to rest.

Because of this, Yin Xiaoman’s actual workload was not very heavy.

Aside from preparing their regular three meals a day, the only extra task she had imposed on herself was delivering a late-night snack to the experts. In truth, they were so busy that not once had they asked for an additional meal on their own.

When it came to food, they were completely unpicky. Whatever was given to them, they ate, without the slightest complaint. Their meals were as simple as could be.

Under such circumstances, the government’s allocated supplies were more than sufficient. There was no need to trade for extra food from the Imperial Kitchen at all.

As a result, she had lost much of her motivation to visit that place.

Now, every time she handed something to Li Chun, she had to rack her brain over what to exchange for in return.

If she refused to take anything, she feared that Li Chun might overthink it. But if she accepted something, her small room was already running out of space to store it all.

Eggs and meat were out of the question. Even if she traded for them, she could not take them out. Without the supply ship’s arrival, she did not dare to use them for the others.

So, in the end, the things she traded for the most were cooking oil and seasonings—items that were difficult to purchase on the island.

These consumables were impossible for anyone to keep track of. No one could say for certain how much she used or where it all went.

Today, after thinking it over, Yin Xiaoman decided to trade for some hand cream.

Last night, while bathing Erniu, the little girl kept twisting away, complaining that it tickled.

At first, Yin Xiaoman thought she was just playing around, but then she realized—it was her own rough fingers that were scratching the child’s delicate skin.

Although her workload was not particularly heavy these days, she was still preparing three meals daily for over a dozen people.

Her hands were constantly either soaking in seawater or submerged in the stream. Over time, not only had fine calluses formed on her fingertips, but hangnails had also begun to appear around her nails, and her skin had turned dull and rough.

Even when she was twenty-five, her skin had never been this bad!

This realization made Yin Xiaoman feel a little disheartened.

Besides hand cream, she also wanted to trade for some face balm.

She only had a small mirror, barely larger than her palm, which made it impossible to see any changes in her complexion.

Sometimes, when she saw the men around her tanned nearly to the shade of charcoal, she would ask if she had darkened as well.

And every time, that man would mischievously place his hand on the fairest part of her body to compare. The stark contrast always made her forget her question instantly.

But now, looking at her own hands—

She suddenly felt that he had probably never told her the truth. She must have tanned beyond recognition!

At this thought, Yin Xiaoman let out a small sigh.

Li Chun’s place likely did not have any particularly good face balm anyway. That girl had never been the type to fuss over her appearance.

On ordinary days, she only used the most common and affordable goods bought from the Marketplace, costing around ten to twenty wen.

Not long ago, someone had replaced it for her. That was probably the most expensive product within her knowledge—something that Palace Personnel preferred, costing around forty wen per jar. It was an oil infused with flower extracts.

That kind of product was fine to use during winter, but in the hot and humid climate of Zhongshan Island in July, it was simply too greasy.

In truth, Yin Xiaoman wished she could make it herself.

After spending many years in the palace, one had to find a hobby or two to pass the time. Otherwise, repeating the same routine day after day, year after year, would be unbearable.

Back then, her favorite pastime had been crafting various scented balms, and she had become quite skilled at it.

Later on, not only did she make them for herself and the Disciples, but even the palace stewards and high-ranking Palace Maids would come asking for them.

Everyone said that her products were far superior to those sold outside.

Zhongshan Island had a warm climate and abundant flora. Besides various fruits and trees, there were also countless flowers blooming in profusion.

For example, the jasmine and gardenias that she had once seen in Vanguard Camp—flowers that were considered precious and kept in potted plants—grew wildly here like common weeds.

There were also wild chrysanthemums, sunflowers, frangipani, and numerous other wildflowers whose names she could not even recall. Just by looking at them, Yin Xiaoman could think of countless ways to craft scented balms.

However, there was a problem—she had no raw materials.

Not only that, but even if she asked the supply ships to bring her some, the Procurement Officers would have no idea where to buy them.

And she certainly could not ask Li Chun to exchange them for her, as she would have no way of explaining where the items came from.

At this thought, she let out another sigh.

Yin Xiaoman felt like she had sighed more in a single day than she had in an entire month before.

She glanced at her rough hands again, feeling that they were the root of all this trouble.

After storing the sorted fish and shrimp in the cupboard and leaving a note, she had just finished everything when she suddenly heard Erniu calling from outside.

“Mom, I brought Grandpa Hua back!”

Erniu shouted while pushing open the courtyard gate.

Grandpa Hua followed behind her with a cheerful smile.

Seeing that Grandpa Hua had come alone instead of with Engineer Ning, Yin Xiaoman was slightly taken aback but quickly understood.

She knew that Grandpa Hua had come to speak with her about something.

The Expert Group had already been on the island for over half a month. Apart from the very first day when the two elders had come to her place for a meal, they had hardly seen each other since.

The matter of her origins, which Shen Qingyun had once mentioned to her, had never been brought up by Grandpa Hua—not even once.

Judging by Grandpa Hua’s demeanor, he had likely come specifically for this matter.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the house, he did not engage in any small talk with her. Instead, he simply patted Erniu’s head and said: “Didn’t you make plans to go out and play with your two brothers? Go on now.”

Erniu responded with a quick nod and dashed outside.

Grandpa Hua then spoke directly to Yin Xiaoman with complete frankness. “Xiaoman, did Qingyun deliver the message I asked him to pass on to you?”

Yin Xiaoman nodded.

“In that case, may I see the item your father left you?” Grandpa Hua asked, his gaze fixed on the red string around her neck.

Without hesitation, Yin Xiaoman removed the wooden pendant and handed it to Grandpa Hua.

Grandpa Hua took it in his hands and examined it carefully for a long while. Then, pressing his lips tightly together, he reached into his robes and pulled out a small red satin pouch.

He unwrapped the cloth pouch and took out a wooden pendant identical to the one Yin Xiaoman had been wearing. He then handed it to her.

Yin Xiaoman had studied her own wooden pendant countless times, to the point where she knew every single grain on it by heart.

Now, as she took the wooden pendant from Grandpa Hua, she carefully examined it.

The moment it touched her hand, she could tell—this piece was exactly the same as hers, crafted from the same block of wood, by the same person’s hand.

She looked up at Grandpa Hua.

Grandpa Hua gazed at her solemnly. “This was something my wife carried with her at all times. It was a keepsake left to her by her father. There are four identical wooden pendants in total. If I am not mistaken, the one you’ve been wearing is one of them.”

He paused for a moment before continuing: “Xiaoman, would you mind telling me—did your father leave you anything else? Anything at all? I just want to confirm his identity.”

Hearing this, Yin Xiaoman turned and walked back to the bedroom.

From her hidden storage, she retrieved the calligraphy book handwritten by her father.

This was the only item she dared to bring out at the moment. As for the wooden chest, she felt she needed to be more cautious. Without absolute certainty, she would not easily reveal it to anyone.

Grandpa Hua took the now yellowed and fragile calligraphy book and carefully flipped through its pages. After only turning a few, his eyes welled up with tears.

“This is Xiao Quan’s handwriting. Even though he was only a teenager when we left, his handwriting has hardly changed after all these years.”

He wiped the corners of his eyes and looked at Yin Xiaoman with deep emotion.

At this point, the elderly man was clearly overwhelmed with emotion. He looked at Yin Xiaoman and asked: “Did your father never tell you his original surname? Did he never tell you that his true surname was Jiang, not Yin?”

Yin Xiaoman shook her head in confusion. “No.”

From the moment she came into this world, the surname “Jiang” had never existed in her memory. She had always known her name to be Yin Xiaoman, and her father’s name to be Yin Dahai. As for anything else—his background, his true identity—she had no recollection whatsoever.

“What about your mother’s name?” Grandpa Hua continued to ask.

“I only remember that Father called her Ah Hui. As for her surname, I don’t know.”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Hua fell into a long silence.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

According to previous investigation records, Yin Xiaoman’s father was named Yin Dahai. He had fled from Jiangdong and sought refuge in Shuanggui Village.

The household registration there indicated that when he arrived as a refugee, he was twenty-five years old, and his daughter, Yin Xiaoman, was just two.

This age was several years younger than the actual age of his wife’s younger brother, Jiang Shaoyuan.

That was precisely why Grandpa Hua had never dared to acknowledge Yin Xiaoman too hastily.

The name didn’t match. The place of origin didn’t match. Even the age didn’t match. If he hadn’t personally seen Yin Xiaoman’s wooden pendant and, after long periods of observation, noticed that her facial features bore some resemblance to his late wife, he would still have doubts even now.

It wasn’t until he saw his brother-in-law’s handwriting with his own eyes that all those lingering uncertainties in Grandpa Hua’s heart completely vanished.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but admire his much younger brother-in-law.

In a critical moment, he had made a decisive break.

He had wiped away all traces of his past so cleanly that nothing remained.

Thinking about it now, it was likely because of this that he and his family had been able to live peacefully for more than ten years in that remote village, undisturbed by the chaos of the outside world.

Grandpa Hua felt deeply moved but also somewhat sorrowful.

If Shaoquan had lived a few more years, or if he had been born in a peaceful era, how different would his life have been?

At this thought, Grandpa Hua became even more resolute in his decision.

He pushed both wooden pendants toward Yin Xiaoman and said: “Xiaoman, keep them both.”

Yin Xiaoman was utterly shocked.

She shook her head in a panic, her eyes full of questions. She had no idea what Grandpa Hua truly meant by these words.