Cao Shuwan sighed softly, and then revealed a painful past in her narration: "Master, you may not know, but my so-called father was not a biological son of the Cao family. He was an orphan adopted by my grandfather when he was young."
"As the years went by, I grew up and was able to share my mother's work and earn a meager income. However, my mother's health deteriorated day by day, our family savings were almost exhausted, and the cost of medical treatment quickly dragged us into the abyss of poverty. Despite this, my mother's condition showed no improvement."
"Left with no other choice, I had to bite the bullet and beg my uncle for help, but on a cold winter day, he ruthlessly poured a bucket of ice-cold foot-washing water on me and kicked me out of the house. He even mocked me, saying that my father was not of Cao family blood and that my mother and I had no connection with the Cao family at all..."
Tears welled up in Cao Shuwan's eyes. "Because we couldn't borrow money to get a doctor to prescribe medicine, my mother's condition worsened. Because of my unattractive appearance, few people in town were willing to approach me, and our lives became increasingly difficult."
“Until last year, my boss’s uncle took the initiative to find me. He first generously donated money to hire a doctor to treat my mother, and then he was willing to buy the rouge I made and proposed to run a business with me.”
At this point, a warm smile appeared on her lips.
"Master, you are the first person to praise me as a 'pearl' and to trust me. Do you know how overjoyed I was at that moment?"
Jiang Huaiyu smiled slightly and nodded in praise: "Your craftsmanship is superb, able to create rouge as exquisite as Luo Eryin's. If it were not Mingzhu, how could it match your talent?"
Cao Shuwan's smile bloomed like spring flowers. "Since we started working with the boss, our family's fortunes have soared."
"My mother's condition has also improved significantly. Relying on the production of rouge and face powder, we have not only earned a considerable fortune, but also purchased a brand-new mansion and recruited servants and maids. We originally thought that life would become more and more prosperous, but we never expected to encounter such a troublesome matter."
“In the past, my uncle avoided us like the plague, fearing that we would implicate him. But now that he sees that I have made a fortune by opening a workshop, he has actually come to me asking for help.”
"At first, considering that he was my elder, I gave him some money. But to my surprise, he came to ask for money every few days, which made me suspicious. Although the Cao family was not extremely wealthy, they owned some land and were quite well-off. In addition, he had a son to support him. How could he have fallen to such a state of destitution?"
"Later, I secretly sent someone to investigate and learned that my uncle was addicted to gambling, and his son was also addicted. Both of them were gambling like their lives depended on it, and they sold their land to fund their gambling. The houses and land that they had taken from my mother and me have now been completely lost. I'm afraid that even the money I gave him has long been lost at the gambling table."
Cao Shuwan's voice gradually filled with anger, "After learning the truth, I resolutely refused to offer any further assistance. He came to harass me every day, and I simply had him driven away. But that day, he actually..."
A fierce struggle flashed in her eyes.
Jiang Huaiyu knew that this might be the key reason why Cao Shuwan took such extreme action, so she couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened that day?"
Cao Shuwan gave Jiang Huaiyu a deep look, as if in that instant she had finally made up her mind to reveal the shocking truth.
His gentle tone betrayed a deep-seated anger: "The world mistakenly believes I am a heartless person, indifferent to my closest relatives, and even violent towards my elders. But how could they possibly see that those so-called elders are actually beasts disguised in a cloak of kindness?"
“I have clearly told him that he usurped the land left by my grandfather and ruthlessly drove my mother and me out of the house. Even so, I can still set aside past grievances and lend a helping hand, giving him some money. This is the greatest kindness I can show. I can never continue to support these bottomless gamblers.”
"His greed was intolerable to me, and he came to harass me repeatedly. With my unwavering stance, he finally quieted down for a while. But on that very day, while I was busy in the workshop, he used every means to distract my servants, attempting to commit an injustice against my mother!"
Cao Shuwan's face was contorted, her eyes filled with rage: "Just as I turned back home to retrieve something, I witnessed that beast forcing my mother. I immediately rushed forward to stop him, but he shamelessly said that as long as my mother obeyed him, he was willing to marry her and let the Cao family take my mother and me back."
“How could I not understand his sinister intentions? He wanted to force my mother to submit and then use me to provide money. At that time, I was furious and determined to kick him out of the house. However, even after he left in a sorry state, he was still recklessly slandering my mother. I couldn't bear it any longer, and a surge of anger rushed to my head. I raised my foot and kicked him hard.”
"I used all my strength in that kick, and he fell heavily to the ground. He rolled and struggled on the ground for a while, but when my servants returned and saw that we outnumbered them, they realized that no matter how much he made a fuss, he wouldn't gain the upper hand. He had no choice but to slink away and leave." An incredulous look appeared on her face.
"I couldn't understand it at all. He was full of life when he left, just like any other day. But after only two days of returning, his life was completely extinguished."
Jiang Huaiyu pondered for a moment, then said in a solemn tone, "There are rumors that he died from ruptured organs."
"Organ rupture?"
Cao Shuwan gave a bitter smile and said, "Those organs hidden in his abdomen... My uncle is a burly man. When I kicked him in the leg, it clearly didn't involve his internal organs. Could it be that after he fell to the ground, he accidentally shattered his internal organs?"
Although the internal organs of the human body are fragile, unless they suffer a severe blow, it is indeed unlikely that a simple fall would cause such serious internal injuries.
Jiang Huaiyu frowned and said, "However, the official investigation results show that the deceased did not suffer from any chronic illness before his death, nor did he have any disputes with others. He only suffered from your kick that day and died in just two days."
Cao Shuwan's eyes gradually dimmed.
"Therefore, I can only lament my bad luck."
Jiang Huaiyu also fell silent, and after a long while, he asked, "Miss Cao, have you reported everything you just told me to the authorities?"
Cao Shuwan's eyes flickered as she replied, "I've told them most of it truthfully, except for one thing..."
"Is it about your mother?"
Cao Shuwan nodded in agreement: "That's right. That vicious person deserves to die, and my mother's reputation should not be damaged because of him. Since no one knows about this, I chose to keep it a secret. However, this will not have a significant impact on the judgment of the whole case."
These words were indeed not very relevant to the case itself, and Jiang Huaiyu nodded involuntarily.
Cao Shuwan sighed and said, "Master, I have told you everything I know without reservation."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
