Chapter 408 - 408: Visiting Family

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Shen Mo nodded, “I know, and I’ll wait for you. Just don’t avoid me, that’s all I ask.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Today, Jiang Xia was in a good mood, which was evident from the food she prepared: braised pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, fried pork in sweet and sour sauce, and rib soup. The feast was as lavish as a New Year’s celebration.

Afterward, Shen Mo often visited their house, and each time, Jiang Xia would prepare a grand feast. Even Jiang Chuan, her father, would jokingly express jealousy, saying, “My dear daughter has never treated me this well. She’s been charmed away by some rascal!”

Both of them blushed and remained silent, but Jiang Xia continued to treat Shen Mo well, in her own way.

By April or May, when spring was nearing its end and summer was approaching, the weather became hot and everyone felt listless. The village’s economy was improving and there were no major worries, except for the mystery surrounding Jiang Chuan’s origins. So, Zhou Lan decided that the family should visit Jiang Chuan’s elder sister, Jiang Nan, to get some answers.

Jiang Nan lived in the neighboring village, in Lao Zheng’s village, just an hour’s journey away. After lunch, the family packed some gifts and set off for Jiang Nan’s home.

Jiang Nan was surprised and delighted to see Jiang Chuan and his family bring gifts to visit her, especially since they brought such nice things like meat, wild mushrooms, and even watermelons, which were a rarity for the season.

After welcoming them into her house and serving them water, she asked, “What brings you here?”

After some small talk, Jiang Chuan directly asked, “Sister, I won’t beat around the bush. I came here to ask if I’m really our mother’s biological child.”

Jiang Nan was momentarily stunned and didn’t respond right away.

This was a long-kept secret in the Jiang family. Although she knew some details, she had never thought of revealing them and certainly didn’t expect Jiang Chuan to come and ask in person.

Noticing her hesitation, Jiang Chuan pressed on, “Sister, you know how our mother has treated me over the years. Even if there’s the grace of upbringing, I’ve repaid it through my years of hard work. Now, I just want to find my biological parents. Please help me, sister. You know that our mother will never tell me. You’ve always been kind to our family; surely you wouldn’t want me to be unable to find my real parents.”

Jiang Nan began to tear up, “You’re a good brother, and it’s our family who wronged you. I had no choice but to make it up to you by treating you well.”

Jiang Chuan urged her to speak, “Please tell me, sister. No matter what, I won’t blame anyone in the Jiang family.”

Jiang Nan sighed and finally revealed the truth, “Actually, you’re from a wealthy family in the county town. But that year, due to the government’s crackdown on landlords, your family was framed and persecuted. You were so young, and your parents didn’t want you to be involved, so they entrusted you to our father, who was working in your house at the time. They gave him a box of gold to raise you until you could be taken back after things settled down.”

“But later, there was no one left from your family, so you were raised in our home. That box of gold was enough for you to grow up, but our parents were greedy. They thought the gold was theirs, and raising you was just a waste of the household’s food. So they made life difficult for you. Jiang Chuan, it’s been so many years; don’t be angry with them anymore.”

Jiang Chuan was saddened and couldn’t say he wasn’t angry. How could he not be? He had suffered for so many years because of Jiang family’s elders; how could he not resent them?

Just as Jiang Chuan was grappling with his emotions, Jiang Nan revealed another secret, “Actually, you have an elder sister who also escaped. But her whereabouts became unknown, and no one knows where she went. She probably went into hiding to avoid being found. I’ve kept a family photo hidden all these years. Today, seeing you, I can finally give it to you.”

Jiang Nan rummaged through her belongings and extracted a family photo from the bottom of a box in her wardrobe. In the photo, Jiang Chuan was only one year old, held on his father’s lap, while his sister, who was about five or six years old, stood obediently between their parents..