Little Bai listened intently to his mother, sister, and brother-in-law talking, while pretending he wasn't listening.
I've known since I was little that my dad and mom had a good relationship. My dad was cold to everyone else, but he spoke softly to my mom.
He couldn't stand anyone bullying his mother. Even if it was him, if he made his mother angry, he would get a spanking.
My sister has now found that one and only person with whom she can spend her whole life.
Sigh, where is that person who can make me happy and sad?
Yan Ci said to Cui Yunchen:
"I later remembered that I have a little gold lock, so we must be related."
Cui Yunchen immediately said loudly:
“I knew it, we definitely had something going on, but you wouldn’t admit it back then.”
Yan Ci continued, "I heard my grandfather say that there were two Xiao Jin Suo, one for him and one for his younger sister."
With that little golden lock and the resemblance between Cui Yu and Xiao Bai, you're most likely He Qi'an, the son of my great-aunt.
My great-aunt's son went to fight in the war years ago and never came back. Someone brought back news that he had been killed in action.
Cui Yunchen was overjoyed to hear Yan Ci's words; he finally knew who he was and where he came from.
After the initial excitement subsided and he calmed down, he asked curiously:
"Yan Ci, if you call me 'Grandma,' then you should call me 'Uncle,' right?"
Yan Ci rolled her eyes at him: "If you want to be my cousin, what should Cui Yu call me?"
Cui Yunchen then remembered this complicated relationship, his expression complex and conflicted.
Yan Ci said, "Why don't you sever ties with Cui Yu and let him join my Yan family?"
Cui Yunchen was speechless, his heart heavy. He thought of his son's determination to have Chang Le. If he objected, his son might really become Yan Ci's live-in son-in-law.
Yan Ci then said, "Chang Le and I are not related by blood. Since they both want to be together, I will accept Cui Yu as my son-in-law."
If you're unhappy, you can ask Cui Yu what he thinks; I, for one, don't care.
I'm telling you all this so you know where your roots are, who your parents are, and where to go for the annual ancestral rites.
Cui Yunchen asked, "Yan Ci, when you call me brother, and when Cui Yu calls you uncle, don't you feel any burden at all?"
Yan Ci sneered twice: "I can say at any time that you have no relation to the Yan family whatsoever, and that you don't even have the right to pay respects to your parents."
Cui Yunchen begged for mercy repeatedly:
"Yan Ci, I was wrong. You see, I have no memories of the past, and you've never met me before. It would be great if we were in-laws, really."
Yan Ci felt that he had already told Cui Yunchen and that his mission was complete, so he needed to go back and explain to his wife.
She turned around and left Cui Yunchen with her back to him.
When he got home, he saw that Cui Yu was still there, and said to him:
“Cui Yu, you don’t need to hide your little gold lock anymore. I’ve spoken to your father about it.”
Grandma Xie, who was sitting next to him, overheard Yan Ci's words.
She immediately said to the two of them:
"What gold locks do you have? Let me see them. I love the old things from the past."
Cui Yu said embarrassedly, "Grandma, I've already given it away."
Yan Ci and Bai Xiaoyue exchanged a glance. This kid dared to give away something so important.
Grandma Xie hurriedly asked, "Who did you give it to? Could you let me take a look at it?"
Cui Yu looked at Chang Le, who pointed to herself and asked, "Cui Yu, you gave it to me? How come I didn't know?"
Suddenly, a thought struck him: "You mean there's a small gold lock in that little box you told me to put away?"
Cui Yu nodded: "Yes, I don't want others to see it, so I'm letting you keep it. My father said it's very important."
Chang Le hurriedly ran back to her room to retrieve a small box about the size of her palm, and locked it.
Cui Yu took out a key, opened it, and handed the small gold lock to Old Madam Xie.
Grandma Xie repeatedly stroked the patterns on the small gold lock, and soon tears streamed down her face.
Everyone was confused. Bai Xiaoyue asked cautiously, "Grandma Xie, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
Grandma Xie wiped away her tears and asked Yan Ci:
"You must have a little gold lock that looks exactly the same, right?"
Yan Ci nodded: "Yes, there is one. My grandfather gave it to me."
Grandma Xie then asked, "Was your grandfather named Yan Hongyi? Was he born in 1902?"
Yan Ci thought for a moment before speaking:
“My grandfather’s name is Yan Hongyi. He never said his birth date, but it’s roughly the same as my age.”
Grandma Xie took her luggage and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from it, revealing the passage of time.
She handed it to Yan Ci, and it was a painting depicting Xiao Jin Suo.
Yan Ci took the small gold lock and compared them one by one; even the fine lines were the same. He and Bai Xiaoyue looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although the two had doubts, they didn't ask and waited for the old lady to solve the mystery.
Grandma Xie sat down leisurely before slowly speaking to the two of them:
"My name is Yan Baozhu. I have a younger brother, Yan Hongyi, and a younger sister, Yan Mingzhu."
Bai Xiaoyue was extremely shocked. Another great-aunt had appeared, and she was still alive!
Yan Ci told Cui Yu to hurry back and call Cui Yunchen over.
Grandma Xie began to reminisce, speaking slowly, as if she had returned to that era.
The Yan family ancestors were businessmen who accumulated some wealth, and the Yan family lived a very comfortable life.
His father was the only son of the Yan family and married his mother, who was well-educated and courteous.
The couple had a daughter the following year.
The couple adored their newborn daughter and named her Baozhu.
In the third year, they were blessed with a son, whom they named Hongyi.
Because when Hongyi was born, his mother's health deteriorated.
The father felt sorry for the mother and decided not to have any more children. He said he was content with having a son and a daughter.
He also commissioned the making of a pair of small gold locks, one for Baozhu and one for Hongyi.
When Baozhu was ten years old, her mother became pregnant unexpectedly, but her father, fearing something might go wrong, did not want the child.
The mother disagreed, saying that the child was already in her womb, which meant they were destined to be together.
After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a girl, whom her father named Mingzhu.
The mother's health was completely ruined because of this child, and she was bedridden for many years.
The responsibility of taking care of the little sister fell on Baozhu.
Baozhu also liked this younger sister very much and did everything herself.
When Mingzhu was three years old, her mother passed away.
The father, grieving the loss of his beloved wife, drowned his sorrows in alcohol and neglected family affairs, causing the family business to plummet.
Without her mother, three-year-old Mingzhu became even more dependent on Baozhu and Hongyi.
Once, she saw that Baozhu and Hongyi both had gold locks, so she asked Baozhu, "Your older sister and brother both have them, why don't I have one?"
Baozhu then took off the small gold lock from her neck and put it on her younger sister.
She felt that her younger sister was small and didn't have a mother's love, so as the older sister, she should give way to her younger sister.
The change occurred in the winter when Baozhu was 15 years old, when a wicked servant appeared in her household.
The wicked servant saw that the Yan family was declining and that the father was a drunkard, so he thought that there might not be money to pay him wages in the future.
He then hatched a wicked plan, tricked Baozhu out, knocked her unconscious, and sold her to a brothel in hopes of making a fortune.
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