Lin Lishan sighed upon hearing this, "I really need to thank the in-laws. They’re truly good people. I should properly thank them for always taking care of you."
"Yes, my in-laws are good people. Back then, when I suggested that Xiao Wu go ho to discuss with his parents, I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. At that ti, we had already received the acceptance letter for high school. It’s said that Xiao Wu was still among the top students, yet he gave up his studies to marry , and his parents agreed. So I’m very grateful to them."
Lin Lishan looked at her in surprise, "Are you saying you received a high school acceptance letter? Did you graduate early?"
Zhou Jiao looked at her with amusent, "It’s not that I graduated early, but Grandpa misled you. He reads every day at ho, how could he not know when I graduate? When Grandpa said I would go back after junior high, I understood."
Lin Lishan cursed softly and after thinking a bit, asked her, "Why didn’t you return to Beijing then? You would have found your Grandpa’s address with your brain. Even if you didn’t trust your Grandpa or Mom, at least you had a residence and a household registration in Beijing, isn’t that good?"
Zhou Jiao laughed, "Mom, you didn’t think what I told Grandma was the truth, right? Whatever Grandpa said in his letters, he never ntioned a word of it to . I didn’t even know Grandpa wrote to him. Besides, since I’ve never t you, why would I blindly run to Beijing without a fallback? What if the small courtyard collapsed after 17 years? What if my household registration was canceled because no one was there? Well, I was confident enough to tell Grandma those things.
You always ask if I hate you. Actually, I never did. Growing up, I only ever hated one person, but for this person, I couldn’t lift a hand against him. Hatred was useless. So, I told myself not to hate others. It’s too exhausting for the mind. Just avoid and ignore him.
Grandpa is a very complex person. The way he treated was through emotional neglect.
I beca sensible at just over three years old. Whenever I saw his grandchildren bullying , he would take a detour to avoid it and even steer guests away to prevent them from noticing. His eldest daughter-in-law would exclude from als, and he acted as if nothing was wrong. She would use veiled insults against , and he would sit there silently, backing her with a glare. Every ti he saw Grandma teaching to recite books or dical formulas, he’d deliberately tell her to do this or that, even stopping her.
I still rember the couple constantly fighting then, so I began secretly studying. With nowhere else to go, I’d run to the small house by the ancestral hall, with Grandma covering for . By the ti I was not even eight, I had learned all of Grandma’s skills. Yet, no one in the Zhou Family noticed.
When I was little, Grandpa sotis gave strange looks—not hateful, but with contempt and arrogance. I could understand contempt if he didn’t like , but what was he so arrogant about? Even as a child, I knew it wasn’t well-intentioned.
Realizing I couldn’t rely on him, I clung closely to Grandma, seeking her favor and following her everywhere. During those days, Grandma truly treated well—teaching the Huang Family’s dical secrets and embroidery, saying I’d use them as an adult. But as I grew older, even Grandma beca apprehensive. She constantly observed others and couldn’t protect herself.
During that period, the atmosphere in the Zhou Family was terrible. I suspected Grandpa knew Huang Zhaodi’s intentions and was just watching the drama unfold.
During that ti, I was completely on edge, unable to sleep soundly at night. I’d constantly make excuses to care for Grandma and stay with her. By day, I’d never take back roads, always keeping an eye on Zhou Xue, fearing sothing might happen. Luckily, she was a fool, leaving traces. Whenever the Huang Family ca, I’d find Xiao Wu. With him around, no one could touch . I didn’t dare tell Xiao Wu, fearing his temper would cause trouble. All I wanted was to leave quickly—the wedding date was what I hinted to Xiao Wu.
Grandpa kept a stern face, but I understood. I ignored him; it’s fine as long as interactions were uneventful. No expectations ant no disappointnt. Indeed, once we got married, he reluctantly gave a sum—my father’s compensation money—and this wardrobe, claiming he had already given the small courtyard. Did he think I was a fool? If not for fearing an embarrassing departure, I doubt he’d give up even the wardrobe. I didn’t care; leaving was enough.
We both knew what was truly happening between us, disguising it was pointless. In the end, Grandma secretly slipped a small wooden box, telling to keep it secret.
That family ate, drank, wore, ignored, antagonized, and oppressed —I rembered everything. But the one I hated most was Grandpa, who silently supported them. How the bigger house treated , I wasn’t concerned. If not for being bound to the Zhou Family, fearing it would affect my future, I could have easily dealt with them however I wished.
But I couldn’t. As long as I was unmarried in the Zhou Family, any trouble they faced would an no future for . People wouldn’t see as the second branch’s kid but as a burden raised by the Zhou Family.
I didn’t care much for anyone in the bigger house and could ignore them, but concerning the Grandpa who took from you and lived off your child support, how could he treat this way? Who allowed him to take back? Even Grandma let slip that he insisted on bringing back. I truly hated him."
Lin Lishan gritted her teeth and said angrily, "I knew there must have been an issue; otherwise, you wouldn’t have married so early. I wish I could tear them apart. How could they dare? How could they dare to treat my daughter like that? And how did you find out your father was still alive and even co up with plans against them? You were foolish to wait until you got married to take action. You let them have peace for over a year. This ti, don’t let them go. Don’t be soft-hearted."
Zhou Jiao touched her mom’s hand. Having a mother like this was a revelation—soone who shared her enemy, soone who understood her, soone she could lean on and confide in. She really liked this mother, soone so pure-hearted, devoid of sches. Even the knot of not having seen her for 17 years started to untangle through their conversations. She didn’t trust much of what Mr. Lin said, but she believed her mom.
Her mom was different from the Lin Family, even if she was pretending. Based on the six years her mom wrote to her without stopping, the seventeen years she sent money and packages, all while searching for her father and waiting for him, Zhou Jiao trusted her mom. She trusted her instincts, believing her mom genuinely cared for her.
The Lin Family might have their calculations, but she wouldn’t treat them with hostility. It was enough to regard them as ordinary relatives. She couldn’t be too harsh with people or circumstances. If soone on the street gave her a large apple, she’d accept with gratitude.
Moreover, it’s just the extended family. They only gave birth to her mom and had no duty or obligation towards her. The Lin Family never owed Zhou Jiao anything, just as she couldn’t fully trust them.
Her mom was simple-minded. She never intended to tell her mom that, except for the Zhou Family, the Lin Family was no better. Let her live in her world and accompany her father well. Her requirents for her mom were low. Her mom’s seventeen-year devotion to her father, her character, and feelings deeply moved Zhou Jiao and earned her trust.
Looking at her mom’s appearance and family background, she must have had suitors. Yet, she remained steadfast in her fidelity, which confird to Zhou Jiao that she truly was her biological mother, and no one should think of bullying her.
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