Judging from this, could it be that Jiang Meier has already returned?

Jiang Chun noticed her confusion and calmly said:

"The carpenters are in dire need of manpower, and these things have been hanging in the yard for a while now. Firstly, to put their minds at ease, and secondly, to get that brat back so we can hold the wedding as soon as possible and save time."

His explanation made sense and dispelled Jiang Yu's doubts.

"Dalong, your sister is back. Come out and greet her quickly."

Jiang Chun stood in the courtyard, smiling and calling out to the house, a stark contrast to her attitude when she last visited her parents' home.

Jiang Yu knew that Jiang Chun had been visibly panicked during Jiang Meier's disappearance. Coupled with his long-standing bad reputation in the village, no one was willing to lend a helping hand. Now that a savior had finally arrived, he had to put on a convincing act, even if it was just for show.

"Xiaoyu, go back to your room and rest. You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Dad will make you some food right away."

Over the years, Jiang Chun has only smiled during the few days of her wedding. The rest of the time, he always looks the same as when he last came, with a long face, as if someone owes him millions.

Jiang Yu nodded without saying anything. Aside from feeling somewhat uncomfortable with his changes, she was mostly wary of him.

Pushing open the door, Jiang Dalong was lying on a small couch in the outer room, watching TV with his legs crossed. It was brand new, bought for him by Jiang Chun as soon as she received the betrothal gifts.

Inside, they were showing Journey to the West, specifically the episode of "The Three Battles with the White Bone Demon." Jiang Dalong was imitating Sun Wukong's movements, but because he was so fat, he looked particularly comical.

Jiang Yu walked straight to the screen and asked expressionlessly:

"Jiang Dalong, where's the box I used to put things in when I was little?"

Since her marriage, all her belongings have been kept by Jiang Dalong. She had cried and made a scene to get them back, only to be beaten severely by Jiang Chun. He said they were all worthless trinkets and should be given to him. A married daughter, still coveting her family's property, a traitor!

Jiang Dalong was engrossed in watching when he noticed the screen was blocked. He looked up and saw Jiang Yu, and jumped out of bed in anger, ready to launch into a tirade about national treasures.

Suddenly remembering the slap this woman had given him a while ago, which had hurt for days, he swallowed his words, feeling neither justified nor assertive.

"Wh...what box? I don't know. Move aside, don't disturb my TV."

Are you sure you don't know?

Jiang Yu already had a hard time talking to this younger brother, and seeing that he was obviously flustered but still stubborn, she took two steps forward and casually reached out her hand.

"I hid everything under the bed, why don't you go check there? I didn't see anything."

Jiang Dalong covered his face, his tone softening, afraid of being slapped again. Seeing his cowardly appearance, Jiang Yu ignored him and went straight to the inner room.

I lifted the sheet, reached out, and touched a wooden box. Pulling it out, I noticed the lock was gone; it was clear someone had tampered with it.

She suppressed her excitement, gently opened the box, and found nothing inside except for small trinkets woven from grass.

Worried that she might have missed something, she looked again, but still found nothing. Veins bulged on Jiang Yu's forehead. Suppressing the urge to punch someone, she went to the outer room, threw the box next to Jiang Dalong, and demanded an explanation.

"What...what are you doing?"

Jiang Dalong sensed something was wrong and started to run outside, dragging his shoes along, but Jiang Yu grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Where are the things inside?"

"have no idea."

"You want to get beaten up again, don't you?"

"Sister, I really don't know."

Jiang Dalong looked aggrieved, almost begging for mercy on his knees. When he was little, he looked at these junk items in the box two or three times and then threw them under the bed, never touching them for all these years.

He only takes it out to wipe things down when cleaning during the New Year, but he doesn't actually do any housework! Thinking of this, Jiang Dalong slapped his thigh:

“I know, it must have been Jiang Meier. She’s been the one cleaning the house all these years. The day Dad locked her up, I saw her rummaging through things under the bed.”

After hearing this, Jiang Yu let go of his hand, lost in thought. Jiang Dalong took the opportunity to run outside and seek Jiang Chun's protection. Jiang Yu had no intention of chasing him; her mind was filled with thoughts of whether she had known all along that she wasn't the biological child of this family.

Moreover, Jiang Meier also knew who her biological parents were. How did Jiang Meier know? It must have been Jiang Chun who told her.

So she wants to use that amulet to impersonate her parents? If that's the case, then we really need to find her as soon as possible. But before finding her, it's necessary to get the truth out of Jiang Chun first.

After clearing her mind, Jiang Yu was about to go out when she saw Jiang Chun carrying food into the house, followed by Jiang Dalong.

With his father backing him up, his tone changed.

"You country bumpkin, you dare to scare me? Do you know what you were just blocking? That's called a television. Have you ever heard of one, you poor wretch?"

"Da Long, this is your sister, speak properly."

Jiang Chun scolded Jiang Dalong, then turned to Jiang Yu and said gently:

"Xiaoyu, don't take it to heart by arguing with your brother. Let's eat."

Who are my biological parents?

Jiang Yu's expression was very unpleasant; she wasn't buying his act at all. In her opinion, the old man was clearly guilty.

"Let's eat first. After we finish eating, I'll tell you the whole story."

Faced with her questioning, Jiang Chun had clearly already prepared a response. Jiang Yu felt that it didn't matter whether he said it sooner or later, so she decided to eat first and see what he had to say.

To entertain her, Jiang Chun specially killed a chicken and made soup. Although Jiang Yu didn't know what he was up to, since he was willing to spend money, she wouldn't stand on ceremony.

At the dinner table, she deliberately picked out chicken and chicken legs to eat, and Jiang Dalong, in a hurry, twisted his fat body to try and snatch them.

"Let your sister eat. Only after she finishes eating will she have the strength to see where that jinx of a second sister has gone."

Jiang Chun interrupted his chopsticks as he picked up the meat and said sternly.

"There's so much in the pot, what's wrong with me eating some?"

Seeing Jiang Yu devour a chicken leg, Jiang Dalong became anxious and yelled at Jiang Chun.

"If you want to eat it, there's one more. I'll get it for you later."

Something's not right. The old man who usually dotes on his son so much wouldn't let himself eat chicken legs. Plus, Jiang Chun's strange words, something must be going on.

Besides, Jiang Meier's dowry has already been squandered, so where would Jiang Chun get the money to buy chickens, especially since he buys two at a time?

Thinking of all the unusual things, Jiang Yu got up to go to the neighbor's house for safety. Before she could even take a step, she felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.

"Father, what's wrong with her?"

Unaware of the truth, Jiang Dalong asked, worried that Jiang Yu had died. He bent down and touched her nose. She was still breathing. She must have fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"That damned Jiang Meier hasn't been heard from for months, and the carpenter is pressuring us. There's no other way but to let her marry him. Anyway, nobody there has ever seen Jiang Meier, so who knows if it's true or not?"

Just as Jiang Chun finished speaking, the matchmaker's voice came from outside.

"Brother Jiang, is everything settled? I've already spoken to them, and the wedding will be held as soon as the sun sets."