“Brother, it’s okay. My childhood memories are blurry, like they’re veiled. This time, I’ll take this opportunity to peel back that veil and see things clearly. Maybe then I can truly let go.” Yu Yin’s voice choked with emotion, yet filled with determination.
"Okay, I understand, bro. Don't be afraid, bro is always here for you. Just like when you were a kid, whenever you turn around, bro will be there."
Yu Jun had no idea that these childhood memories still affected Yin Yin after all these years, and he felt really sorry for her.
As Yu Yin looked at these places, many things became clear to her.
Not far from her front door, the young man once got into a fight with two boys from next door because they said, "Yu Yin is a little fool. She doesn't talk, she doesn't laugh, and she'll grow up to be a big fool!"
Hearing this, the girl ran over, pushed one of the boys to the ground, and started hitting him while straddling him. The other boy came to help, and the two of them joined in, beating the girl until her mouth bled and her head was bleeding.
She was like a fool then, not knowing how to help, just standing there in a panic, dumbfounded and not knowing what to do. Later, Yu's mother came back and got into an argument with the aunt next door. The aunt said, "Your Yu Yin is a fool, and you won't even let people talk about her like that." Then, cursing and swearing, she dragged her child home.
Yu Yin wiped the bloodstains off the young man's face with her hands. She wanted to ask him if it hurt, but she couldn't say it.
"Yu Jun, you got into a fight again. Is she an idiot, or are you an idiot too? This is truly shameful. Neither of you are eating tonight. You both need to reflect on your actions." Yu's mother glared at Yu Yin and stormed home.
That night, she and her boyfriend had no food and drank water when they were hungry. They didn't know how much water they drank that night.
"Hey bro, is that where you were? You got beaten up by those two guys next door and your head was bleeding. We were even punished by not being allowed to eat dinner and had to drink water all night." Yu Yin pointed to the open space in front of her and asked her brother with a smile.
"You remember? I was fighting two against one back then, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten hurt. Those two had no sportsmanship, they ganged up on me." Yu Jun didn't even know how many fights he had been in as a child, or how many scars he had.
Upon entering the courtyard, Yu Yin saw that the fruit tree was still there, and the broken branches had grown back, even more lush.
"Hey buddy, the tree's still here!"
Yu Yin remembered that she was twelve years old at that time. Apart from being slow to react, she was normal in every other way. Her older brother took care of her studies, and her grades were good. In any case, she did better than the children of her two uncles. This made her two aunts angry, and they would always scold her: "Are your brains filled with mush? You can't even study as well as an idiot?"
Whenever this happened, the young man would get furious whenever he heard his aunt say that, and he would find an opportunity to beat up his aunt's child until he was bruised and swollen.
The cycle repeated itself: the aunts would call her stupid, and the young man would beat up their children.
At that time, the Yu family had not yet separated, and the whole family lived together. They often quarreled, mostly because they talked about Yu Yin. The younger brother would argue with them, and Yu's mother would criticize them for being shameful.
As for Yu's eldest son and eldest daughter, whom she was proud of, they were good at studying, good at interpersonal relationships, and good-looking. These were the assets that Yu could proudly show off when she went out, and they could cover up the existence of her daughter who was mentally challenged.
That summer, Yu's father received a notice that he was to be transferred to Yunnan Province. Yu's mother was busy packing her things and arranging things for her two older children. Yu's eldest brother had just received his university admission notice, and Yu Qing had been admitted to a key high school, so neither of them could go with him.
Actually, Xiao Ge could have stayed at that time, but he was worried about Yu Yin, so he arranged for her to transfer schools.
The adults were busy packing up, and no one paid attention to the children. The second uncle's child secretly picked fruit from the fruit tree in the yard. Grandma found out and they testified that Yu Yin picked it. They even found a fruit in her pocket.
Grandma was furious and wanted to hit Yu Yin. When her younger brother came back from school, he said that Yu Yin couldn't have stolen the fruit; it must have been the other girls who ate it. They didn't dare to admit it and blamed Yu Yin.
Grandma was furious that her fruit was gone, no matter who picked it. She hit Yinyin with a stick as thick as a finger. Yinyin didn't dodge and kept saying stupidly that she didn't pick it.
Yu Jun tried to stop his grandmother, but those naughty boys also tried to stop him. Later, the aunt next door couldn't stand it anymore and said she saw Yu's second uncle's children stealing the fruit. Grandma Yu was furious, but she didn't hit the liars.
Looking at Yinyin, whose arm was bruised and swollen from being beaten by her grandmother, Yu Jun felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger. He grabbed a machete from the yard and started hacking at the fruit tree. Branches were cut down, and ripe and unripe fruit fell to the ground.
Grandma Yu was heartbroken. Just then, Yu's father returned and managed to stop Yu Jun from going crazy. He also learned the whole story. The liars were punished, but Grandma Yu did not apologize. Yin Yin suffered an undeserved misfortune.
"Brother, do you remember Grandma's expression back then? She was terrified." Yu Yin's memories of her hometown only extended to when she was twelve years old. Later, she went to Yunnan Province with her father, and she had fully accepted the original owner's memories.
"How could I not remember? She thought I was possessed by something, and she even got up in the middle of the night to secretly burn paper money."
Yu Jun was genuinely angry at that time. His grandmother and the others were biased; they knew it couldn't be Yu Yin, but because they were angry, they took it out on Yin Yin. That's why he exploded. Feeling sorry for a few fruits, he destroyed the entire tree.
The two reminisced about the past, some of the bad things, but now, thinking back, there were still warm moments, like a brother's love for his sister.
The group of people behind looked at the two people in front, a life they could never participate in.
Yu Yin's childhood was so difficult, something no one knew. Looking at Yu Yin now, no one could imagine what she was like as a child.
Brother Yu was shocked; he had never known that Yu Yin had gone through such a difficult childhood. He knew that Yu Yin hadn't been valued as a child, but he didn't know so much had happened. Back then, he was impatient with Yu Yin, feeling that she was slow at everything and only cared about her own studies.
Bai Xiaoyu's eyes welled up with tears. She understood why Yu Jun and Yu Yin had such a good relationship. Yu Jun had protected Yu Yin as she grew up, and it was more than just taking care of his younger sister.
Lu Shurui felt sorry for her. It was the first time he had learned about Yu Yin's childhood. He also understood her longing for a home and her disgust for those who wanted to disrupt her peaceful life, including his mother and younger brother.
Yu Yin felt that the shadow in her heart had disappeared, vanished, and finally brightened up.
Perhaps, this trip back to my hometown is to find the answer.
If she hadn't come back, she might not be clear about some of her childhood memories, and they might still be affected, occasionally popping up to bother her!
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