The Song Laosan household in Jianglin Village.
"Xi, if she were an ordinary child, your parents would have no objections to supporting her education, but the problem is, she... Can you guarantee that once she gets out after the exam, she won't question her origins or go looking for her family? Or that her family won't discover her?"
"Xi, you're our only daughter, we can't risk even a tiny bit with you."
"Xi, it's been fourteen years, you need to wake up now. Mom has said many times, we don't blame you for your sister's accident, it wasn't your fault. You didn't want her to contract encephalitis, that was just her fate..."
Song Xiwen sat on the sofa with her head lowered, holding her three-year-old son who had already fallen asleep in her arms.
Upon hearing her mother mention "your sister's accident," her upper body visibly shuddered, then she slowly raised her head to look at her mother.
Xie Jingying pursed her lips, if it were the past, she would have backed down at her eldest daughter's reaction, not daring to bring up the younger daughter who had passed away.
But now, the situation was different, she couldn't back down.
Song Laosan squatted at the entrance of the main room smoking a cigarette, his face etched with worry and sorrow.
"Xiaoxi, listen to Mom. You haven't wronged her; back then, if you hadn't carried her back home, she wouldn't have survived. Our family has raised her for fourteen years, that's enough. Listen to your aunt, let her go to the health school in the county town, then marry the son of the hospital director, that's already the best arrangement for her..."
Was it really the best arrangement?
Song Xiwen thought about the call she had received from a classmate a few days ago. Her classmate was teaching at Jianghai Middle School and just happened to be Jiajia's English teacher.
She told Song Xiwen that with Song Jiawen's grades, it was very possible for her to compete for the top spot in Yunzhou City in the college entrance exam.
As for being the number one in the county, they had long stopped caring about that.
Between the lines, it was clear they meant one thing: Song Jiawen was the pride of Jianghai Middle School, and by extension, it even reflected well on her, the sister who had graduated long ago.
So with her current performance, telling her not to take the college entrance exam and instead to go to a county-level health school that only offered an associate diploma, was that really the best arrangement?
But Song Xiwen didn't argue with her mother's words; she knew her mother was doing this for her sake.
Jiajia was not an ordinary girl; this had been apparent since she was in elementary school. Whether it was her appearance or her intelligence, she didn't fit in with the Song family.
Her parents were worried that she would leave Yunzhou City one day; they were afraid she would be found by her own family, even more afraid that the truth from fourteen years ago would be revealed...
Song Xiwen closed her eyes and, amid her mother's incessant pleading, finally nodded her head.
.....
At dinner time, the phone rang at the Song Laosan household.
Xie Jingying put down her chopsticks and went into the other room to answer the call--
"Hello?"
"Auntie, it's me, Xie Lin."
"Xie Lin, why are you calling at this hour? Is something wrong?"
".... Jiajia sister is at my place, just letting you know, she won't be coming back tonight."
Xie Jingying was stunned at once; she had forgotten that today was the end of the month, the rest day that high school seniors have once a month. She was originally planning to have Song Laosan go to school tomorrow to ask for leave to bring her back, but now there was no need for that.
"She's due for a break this week, isn't she? Your sister Jiajia, not hurrying home even with a monthly break, is completely inconsiderate. Xie Lin, since your sister Xi has come home, tell her to head back."
Xie Jingying glossed over the fact that she had forgotten about this and only chastised Song Jiawen for not being home, calling her thoughtless. She then brought up the elder daughter, signaling to Song Jiawen not to talk nonsense outside, that her sister was home, and to hurry back.
After all, even if this girl was at home, it was like she wasn't there to them, but tomorrow wasn't there something important?
How could she not come back?
"How can she return now that it's dark? We'll talk about it tomorrow; I still have homework I want sister Jiajia to tutor me on. Auntie, I'm hanging up."
After Xie Lin said this, she didn't wait for Xie Jingying to reply, hanging up the phone with a click.
"Did you tell your aunt?"
His mother, Li Yun, was sitting opposite marking homework. She was a language teacher at Jianghai Town Primary School, and her husband was a middle school math teacher. Marking homework at home after school was routine for the two of them.
"I did, but Auntie said elder sister is back and told sister Jiajia to come home."
After saying this, Xie Lin snorted coldly, "They all forgot that sister Jiajia had a break this week. They've probably finished eating by now. I don't care; sister Jiajia is staying at our place tonight and not going back."
After finishing speaking, Xie Lin stood up and left.
Li Yun stared at the phone for about five seconds and, sure enough, it rang.
She stood up and picked up the receiver--
"Hello? Sister."
"Jiajia wants Jiajia to tutor him, so let her. Have her come home early tomorrow. Xiaoxi is coming back just to see her, and she will be disappointed if she's not there."
"Then let Xiaoxi come to our house tomorrow. Mom hasn't seen her for a long time and really misses her. I'll buy more food at noon, and you all come over."
"...That won't work tomorrow, Xiaoxi's aunt is coming, and her grandma has already arranged to have lunch together early in the morning. Let's wait for next time, next time we'll have Xiaoxi come to see Mom. Tell Jiajia to come back early tomorrow."
Li Yun agreed, then put down the receiver, deep in thought.
Before dinner, Jiajia spoke to her privately for a few moments. At first, Li Yun hadn't taken it seriously; the child was so beautiful, and not just others, even their elementary school principal had taken a shine to her, very much wanting her as his daughter-in-law.
However, the principal was sensible enough to know his place as his son was still in university, so it was just talk, and he hadn't actually come forward.
But Jiajia had said that tomorrow her aunt from the county town would bring someone for a matchmaking...
This child rarely spoke much and was usually too calm; something that worried her so must be significant.
Combining this with what Xie Jingying had just said, Li Yun felt a surge of anger rush up to the top of her head.
"Xie Yanhai, come here."
Their yard wasn't big, and even though she lowered her voice, the man who was in the mother-in-law's room watching Song Jiawen carve Maitreya Buddha was startled.
Shi Peirong glanced at him over her reading glasses and said nonchalantly, "Better go out quickly, or another roar like a lioness from Hedong might scare Jiajia. If her hand trembles, this piece of wood will be ruined."
This was a piece of boxwood she had found with great difficulty, asking Jiajia to carve a Maitreya Buddha for her to put in the house for peace of mind.
Song Jiawen kept her head down, still focused on her carving, unaffected by the movements around her.
Once she concentrated on doing something, her focus was astonishing.
Shi Peirong nodded in satisfaction.
On the other hand, Xie Lin, who was doing his homework beside her, was quite the opposite, glancing over here one moment and there the next, craning his neck to look outside after his father went out.
Shi Peirong slapped him on the back of the head, "Do your homework."
Xie Yanhai came out from his mother's room and followed Li Yun into their bedroom before asking, "What's up?"
"Your sister just called, asking for Jiajia to go back early tomorrow."
"It's her home, isn't it normal for her to go back?" Once a month, it's only for a weekend, not going back would be abnormal, right?
"Before dinner, Jiajia told me that her aunt from the county town is bringing her nephew from her husband's family for matchmaking tomorrow, the one who is the director of the hospital, his son."
"Matchmaking? With whom?"
Jiajia is only seventeen and about to take the college entrance exams. It couldn't possibly be her, right?
Seeing the expression on Li Yun's face and the look in her eyes, Xie Yanhai slowly understood...
He smacked the table in anger, "Has Xie Jingying lost her mind? Has her brain filled with water to agree to such a thing?"
Song Jiawen was exceptionally intelligent. Ever since starting school, she had effortlessly made it to high school, crushing others along the way. As teachers, Xie Yanhai and his wife were already predisposed to like children with good grades, let alone when it was their own child.
Therefore, their affection for Song Jiawen was almost equal to that for Xie Lin.
Li Yun sneered, "With that director's status, do you think it's just a simple matchmaking? Does Jiajia even have room to refuse? Her aunt and your sister-in-law have basically already agreed to that family's proposal, and them coming over tomorrow is just to discuss terms. Does a young girl like her have any say?"
Xie Yanhai's anger rose even higher, so angry he wished he could call Xie Jingying right then and scold her.
But Li Yun stopped him.
"Jiajia eavesdropped on this. They haven't even brought it up to her yet. If you call now and she denies it, what then? After all, the people haven't arrived and nothing has actually happened yet. Your sister can simply claim Jiajia is lying. So tomorrow, find a reason for Jiajia to stay at our house and don't go back for now. I'll find someone to watch the Song family and see if her aunt really brings someone."
Xie Yanhai suppressed his anger and agreed, then cautioned his wife, "Don't tell Mom yet, so she doesn't lose sleep over this."
"Do you need to remind me?"