C12 Part1

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

No one really knew what Zhou Jiao’s paternal side of the family thinks of her mother. Zhou Jiao’s grandma and grandpa would sometimes secretly surmise that perhaps the reason why their daughter-in-law was unwilling to marry was because of Zhou Jiao? Perhaps she was unwilling to remarry with a child by her side already.

As a result 16 years passed and Zhou Jiao’s mother maintained her single status. Year after year she would travel the vast northwest, but she would always avoid getting near the northeast.

Grandpa Zhou’s war comrade once said that this child (Zhou Jiao’s mother) was probably not able to escape the grief that enveloped her when she lost her loved one and that all she needed was time.

Heh, but who would give time to Zhou Jiao? Who would be able to return the love that she deserved from her mother and father?

The younger Zhou Jiao was very obedient and understanding, but in all actuality she was filled with thorns, and became defensive and stubborn. She would observe others with a cold glint in her eyes. In terms of her so called “family”, she treated them the same way and it was hard for them to get along together. It was only after, the two years older, Zhang Guo Qing told her that he could lend his mother to her that she started to connect with her family again.

The elementary Zhou Jiao would be the most jealous of Zhang Guo Qing. All throughout the village, it was only he that was still allowed to sit on his father’s shoulders. Even if he were to cause trouble, his mom would probably find all reasons possible to avoid any punishment and even if he were to be punished with spanking—his mom would probably fake the punishment and it wouldn’t hurt Zhang Guo Qing one bit.

When they were both bullied, his mom would storm into the house of the bully, yell at the bully’s parents, and refused to leave until they punished their child accordingly. When they were lacking daily necessities, even a chicken egg was a true delicacy. His mom would secretly steal one or two and give them to Zhang Guo Qing, but he would also secretly place the eggs into Zhou Jiao’s mouth.

From the start to the end of their school period, no matter if it was rain or shine, cold or hot, Zhang Guo Qing would be by her side. Besides her grandparents, it was Zhang Guo Qing who really grew up together with her.

In the last year, when everyone was vying to get into the army, Zhang Guo Qing gave up on the opportunity because of her.

Till now, Zhou Jiao would always remember his words: “If I leave, who will stay by your side? If something were to happen and I disappeared like your father, who would truly cherish and take care of you?”

At the age of 16 when she finished middle school, she noticed that the scars and injuries obtained from years of war fighting finally started having its effects on her grandparents and she realized it was probably time for her to get married and of course to none other than Zhang Guo Qing. During this time, her grandpa also tried to contact her mother but to no avail. He directly said that she has gone to the northwest.

At the time of the marriage, her grandpa gave Zhou Jiao the money left behind from her father. In terms of the money her mother would annually send over, she never even placed any hopes on ever receiving that money from her grandpa. Her grandpa’s heart was set on the eldest grandson, and besides the grandma and her aunt—no one truly cared or planned ahead for Zhou Jiao. Even her aunt, who wanted to rely on her grandparents, had to send all her children to the army to gain their approval.

Her eldest uncle’s four children were each very spoiled and domineering. They hated her and all wished that they had connections with the Lin family. (Refresher: Lin family is Zhou Jiao’s maternal side.) Since young, Zhou Jiao’s health has been bad, and the Lin family would send supplements every year, but those supplements would all fall into the stomachs of these four children—causing them all to grow up strong and healthy.

When she reached the age of ten, she was still just a small chicken (lol) and a weak one at that. It was only until her grandma, who couldn’t keep watching from the side, that tried to treat her better and that was when her days started to improved slightly. The few years following, her body slowly started to gain back some strength.

It was the “honest” eldest uncle, her eldest aunt-in-law who had a heart full of plots, that truly focused and sucked away all of the grandparent’s retirement funds and the funds from Zhou Jiao’s mother. It was also the eldest grandson’s marriage, the second son’s marriage to a rich lady and needed to host a grand party, the granddaughter’s wish for a bountiful dowry when she gets married, and the youngest son’s middle school tuition—that finally depleted all the grandparent’s savings.

And perhaps it was fortunate for them that they only had four grandchildren, otherwise if there were seven or eight—maybe even their blood would be sucked dry.

The once wealthy and respected grandparents could also not escape the influence of the farming culture and lifestyle—and their once generous and patient persona faded away. Fortunately, the grandma had passed down the medical and embroidery knowledge to Zhou Jiao.

Translated 9/5/2020

Thanks for all the comments and I'm so happy some of you are really enjoying the novel. I will try to translate more soon! Please let me know if you need more clarification on the whole family situation. I know I got confused myself while translating because the author really gets into detail with every single member haha. -Hunne