chapter1

  He Sheng is a girl, already twelve years old this year. She grew up in a poor and backward small village. Her parents are healthy, her grandfather is still alive, she has an older sister and a younger brother who is three years younger than her.

  This small place still has a strong feudal idea of preferring sons over daughters, and the two characters "He Sheng" also carry this meaning, He Sheng, why bother to give birth.

  He Sheng's character is very honest, every day after school he helps his family to herd sheep and feed pigs or weeding in the field. At this age, children do not have a big concept of tiredness, and compared to his younger brother who is relatively spoiled, he has never shown any signs of jealousy.

  She only slightly licked her lips when she saw him holding two eggs at meal times, looking a bit envious. She didn't have any great ambitions and didn't think she would achieve anything in the future. If she was lucky, she would read until junior high school graduation, then be arranged by her family to marry and have children until old age. This is the life trajectory of all women in this village for a lifetime, and she also waited calmly for such a fate arrangement.

  He Shuang didn't have an elder sister's beauty and intelligence, nor did she have a younger brother's masculine charm. She didn't know if her birth had been eagerly anticipated, but she understood that she was not well-received in this family now.

  The only one who treated her relatively well was probably the old man who had aged, his life had come to an end, and many things had become clear to him.

  He often told He Sheng to be content and that contentment is bliss!

  The old man had been to the battlefield when he was young, and had many good brothers who shared weal and woe with him. He even saved a general at one point. He often took these things out to tell his juniors, repeating them over and over again, and in his dim eyes, there was still a yearning for the passion of those years.

  They lived in a barren corner, living an ordinary life, no one thought of changing, nor did anyone hope to change.

  The richest family in the village is the village chief's, who built a two-story tile house very early on and raised three cows. Families with little labor force in the village would go to his house to rent cows at a pretty expensive price. Two years ago, he even bought a tractor, which puffed out black smoke as it moved along the small path, making quite a stir.

  One day, a black sedan came to the village, its body so clean that it could reflect people's faces, and under the sunlight, it emitted a dazzling light that made people look up in awe. The car drove all the way to He Sheng's broken courtyard door, making the surrounding area radiant with splendor, such nobility was completely beyond the reach of the dull-headed tractor.

  A young man in a black suit got out of the driver's seat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a warm and elegant demeanor. He walked slowly to the back door, slightly bent over and smiled as he said something, then another person came down, somewhat older, with shallow fine lines on his face, but the style shown by his straight body was in no way inferior to that of the younger generation.

  He looked up at the door sign and nodded to the bespectacled man, who opened the trunk of the car and took out several gift bags from inside, walking over to him.

  He Sheng's mother, Qian Zhao Di, also came out at this time, with a floral apron tied around her waist and her wet hands rubbing against it.

  The newcomer's aura left her stunned and looking a bit dull, she asked cautiously: "Who are you?"

  "Hello, is this Mr. He Yongwei's home?"

  He Yongwei is He Sheng's grandfather. Qian Zhao Di nodded, "That's right!"

  "I have come to visit Mr. He."

  Although she had never heard the old man mention this person, Qian Zhao Di still welcomed him in, because she saw the noble gift bag in his hand and noticed the surprise and admiration of the onlookers, which made her vanity, which had not been satisfied for decades, swell up unprecedentedly.

  The big seedling who was also watching wiped his nose with his sleeve and asked He Song beside him, "Ah Song, is this a relative of yours?"

  He Sheng didn't recognize the stranger. Their family had few relatives and rarely went out even during festivals. Were they really relatives?

  She said: "I'll go take a look!" Then she picked up the little lamb that had been taken out for airing and ran inside.

  Throw the little lamb into the sheepfold where "baa" sounds, turn around and go to the hall. The adults are all there, parents sit on the outermost side without speaking, occasionally exchanging eyes.

  The old man was wearing a black overcoat and was picking at his pipe, while the middle-aged man with an air of wealth sat opposite him and said, "Father passed away last month and told me to come here on my way."

  "It's hard for an old brother like me to be so worried."

  "My father said you helped him a lot and if it wasn't for you, he would have been gone long ago."

  "It's luck to survive in such an environment, and I don't think I deserve much credit."

  "It's precisely because of those chaotic times that there were still people willing to lend a helping hand, which is even more precious and rare; otherwise, Father wouldn't have remembered it for so long."

  The old man smiled, "There are too many things to do before I die, and I'm also counting the days until I can find him to drink again." He Yong took a puff of smoke and said, "As for your help, forget it, young people have their own lives."

  Qian Zhao Di at this time discontentedly cried out, "Dad!"

  The man looked at her for a moment, thought for a moment, "Either you consider it tonight, I won't leave until tomorrow anyway!"

  He Yong took a few puffs in a row, and the thick smoke that rushed out was so irritating to his nose that he nodded, "Okay!"

  The man stood up and straightened his collar before walking out, followed closely by the young man with glasses. He Sheng quickly dodged to the side.

  The man at the door glanced at her subconsciously, his gaze was so calm that there was no surprise.

  He stood at the door frame watching him get into the car without looking back, and then the car slowly backed out with a starting sound.

  She blinked her eyes, took another glance at the house, then turned around and ran back to the sheepfold to pick up the little lamb and went to play with Big Miao again.

  The village is not big, and for decades, there have been only a few dozen households. If something happens in one household, it can spread to the entire village in just a few minutes. Today's news is that He Sheng's family has received a wealthy boss.

  He Sheng went out and met the auntie neighbor on the road, every one she saw asked a sentence: "A Sheng ah, who is this person at your house? Is it some distant relative from afar who has come to make their fortune?"

  He Sheng shook his head uniformly and replied stupidly: "I don't know."

  Still can't stop their enthusiasm for asking questions.

  On the other side, the old man continued to smoke his pipe, while Qian Zhao-di occasionally gave her husband a meaningful glance. He San Zhuang shrank his head and didn't react much; he wasn't an ambitious man, nor did he have any grand aspirations - being stuck in this poor mountain village could easily extinguish even the greatest of ambitions.

  Qian Zhao Di stomped her foot in frustration, then turned to He Yong with a flattering smile: "Dad, since someone is willing to help us out, why not seize this opportunity? Look at our family situation, it's not good either. We have limited labor force and still need to raise three kids. As parents, we all hope to let our own children live a little better. Even if we're tired ourselves, we can't tire out the kids, right?"

  The old man's mouth was never far from his cigarette, and through the faintly yellowish smoke haze, his eyes stared at the gradually darkening sky outside the door, mumbling indistinctly: "Or should I add that even an old codger like me would have to be supported by you young folks."

  He married late and had three sons. The eldest starved to death, the second drowned in water, and only the youngest was left. The responsibility of supporting him fell on this family, and Qian Zhaozheng often complained about it. How could he not know?

  Qian Zhaojun felt a bit embarrassed, "Look at what you're saying, how could I possibly think that."

  "You know it in your heart, being a person should be upright. We can't ask for things from people we're not related to or familiar with, that's the principle."

  Qian Zhao Di's expression turned unpleasant, and her voice rose slightly. "Why must it be a matter of no relation? Didn't you protect my father during the war back then? This is repayment, this is what should be done. If they didn't come to our doorstep, that would be them being impolite."

  He Yong knocked on his pipe and said, "That was also his father repaying kindness, not him."

  "A father's debts are paid by his son, it is a heavenly principle and an earthly righteousness."

  He Yong gave a cold glance at this selfish daughter-in-law and said, "I'll say it one last time, don't take advantage of others."

  Qian Zhao Di slapped the table, her face also turned cold, "I'll say it too, smart people should take advantage of the situation to climb up. You don't want anything, fine. From now on, we won't come to you for household expenses, you think about how to handle it yourself."

  He San Zhuang pulled his wife at this time and said in a low voice, "That's enough, say less."

  Qian Zhao Di pushed him and pointed to his nose, "You good-for-nothing, day and night only knowing how to be a turtle, when it's time to speak up, why don't you even dare to fart? Now that's enough, what are you enough for?"

  He Yong picked up his teacup and slammed it over, furious: "Shut your stinking mouth!"

  The cup didn't hit anyone, but some tea splashed out. Qian Zhao Di let out a sharp cry and yelled like a madwoman: "Fine, now the two of you are ganging up on me, a lone woman! You go ahead, if you want to live a poor life, I'll tell you, tomorrow when that person comes, just watch how I make a scene. I don't even want this face anymore!"

  Qian Zhao Di's temper is notorious, and few people around her dare to provoke her, unless they are some who have lost face.

  The old man was so angry that he trembled, his black-lined hands tightly grasping the armrests of the chair. He didn't doubt the truth of what the woman said at all - what couldn't she do? This was a lunatic who had run out of an insane asylum.

  He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, raising his hand slightly. "You're ruthless, I'll give you that. You want money, right? Alright, I'll give it to you tomorrow. Let's see how much I can give you."

  Qian Zhao Di brushed the hair in front of her forehead, her face flushed bright red, obviously also very angry. She glanced at the old man from time to time, kicked away the ceramic fragments on the ground and sat back on the chair.

  "It's not that we must have money. She paused, "But in any case, we need to alleviate some of the burden at home, the harvest has been poor in recent years, and several mouths can't be filled!"

  He Yong coldly stared at her, and as expected, she added: "Let him take a child away!"

  He Yong furiously glared with wide eyes, almost losing his breath, "Are you speaking human language?"

  He San Zhuang, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Dad, what she said isn't unreasonable either. We've already raised this outsider's child for so many years, and it's affected our own children's well-being. If we can send him away, why not?"

  Qian Zhao Di snorted: "That man is rich, and if he wants to live a good life, the kid will definitely not suffer. It's absolutely better than staying with us."

  "I'm watching the kids grow up, who dares to move." He Yong slammed his cigarette holder excitedly, with a fierce expression, "If you want money, go beg for it, don't even think about sending the kids away."

  "I don't want any money now." Qian Zhao Di supported her waist, with a reckless look on her face. "Who will support her? You? Do you have the capital to do so? You can't even support yourself, I'm telling you this today, I definitely won't continue supporting someone else's child. If you want to keep her, then keep her, but in the future, don't think about us paying for her food and clothing, dream on!"

  He Yongwei is a man with one foot in the coffin, even if he struggles to survive now, he won't live for many more years. Qian Zhao Di isn't a person with a conscience, this understanding was clear many years ago. Back then, he still had some savings, so she slightly restrained herself and let He Sheng come back to life. Now that everything has been dug up, she doesn't have anything left to worry about, and with the opportunity to get rid of this hot potato, how could she possibly let it go?

  He Yong's hands trembled violently as he pointed at his son and daughter-in-law, then slumped back into the chair, his face pale and defeated. He gritted his teeth and said, "You two will eventually get what's coming to you! You'll be punished!"

  Qian Zhao Di patted her apron which was full of stains and said "Dad, it's settled then."

  Then she gave her husband a wink and they both retreated together.

  She dragged a snakeskin bag back into the house and quickly helped He Song pack his clothes, instructing her husband beside her, "Whatever you do, don't tell that person that He Song isn't our biological child. Who knows, when Wenyue and Ajun grow up, we might still be able to rely on her for help. Of course, that's if she's doing well by then."

  He Sheng was picked up by He Yong from the village entrance when He Yuanyue was two years old. At that time, they had many quarrels over the issue of raising this child. Later, he took out his coffin money and handed it over to his daughter-in-law, which was considered a compromise. The additional condition was that the child's origin could not be revealed, which was also for He Sheng's relatively healthy growth environment.

  Qian Zhao Di never got along with He Sheng, now that she has such a great opportunity, how could she possibly not kick him out?

  He San Zhuang nodded, "I know." Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, he added, "When you leave, give the kid some spending money. I reckon we won't be seeing each other again after this."

  Qian Zhao Di gave him a white eye, "What are you giving? You have a lot of money? Give me the money."

  He San Zhuang stopped talking.

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