Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The chatting in the living room had stopped at some point, so Shu Yu heard everything the two children said.
For some reason, her eyes started to feel hot.
Sanya didn’t have much candy in her hands, to begin with. If she wanted to share the candy she had as planned, she wouldn’t have any left for herself.
Naturally, the old lady heard the children’s words too. She turned her face away and looked sad.
Shu Yu really couldn’t hold it in and still asked, “Grandma Lu, although it’s a little presumptuous, I’d like to ask this. How did Erya go missing back then?”
The old lady was stunned for a moment. After a while, she sighed and said, “It’s nothing presumptuous. It isn’t a secret anyway. Everyone knows. Our family was unlucky to have found a shameless in-law who only has eyes for money!”
Speaking of this, the old lady became angry and gritted her teeth, “That old hag from the Ruan family is a piece of trash. She heard that someone wanted to buy a newborn baby, and Erya just happened to be born. So, she came to our house under the pretense of taking care of Ruan when the latter was in confinement. She’s the child’s maternal grandmother, so we didn’t think that she had such thoughts. Then, she took the child away when we weren’t paying attention.”
“God damn it, not only did she sell the child, but she didn’t even ask who the buyer was. We wanted to find Erya, but the buyer wasn’t someone from the village and had already left. I must’ve been blind back then to have found a wife for my second son. If it wasn’t for…”
If it hadn’t been that Daya was still a child at the time, the old lady had wanted her second son to divorce Madam Ruan, that jinx.
Fortunately, the relationship between Madam Ruan and her family wasn’t good either, and they had long cut off all contact over the years. Otherwise, she would have driven Madam Ruan out long ago.
Shu Yu was stunned. So the deed had been done by her maternal family?
No wonder when the old lady scolded Madam Ruan, the latter would simply lower her head and let the former scold her. Even when she spoke, her voice was soft.
It was obvious that Madam Ruan was under great psychological pressure. On one hand, she was worried about her second daughter who had been sold off, and on the other hand, she had to bear the torment of self-blame.
The old lady said, “We did report this matter to the authorities, but the county magistrate…”
No matter what they said, the other party insisted that it was a family matter and that if she continued to make a fuss, everyone would be punished.
Shu Yu frowned, but she was not surprised.
Head Master Shu was the magistrate of Dongan Province. The entire Shu family was cold and emotionless. Head Master Shu was not a good official either. He had handled many dirty businesses. A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow. It could be imagined that the county officials under his jurisdiction were slacking in their work.
“Later, I called the men in the family and the people in the village to settle the score with the Ruan family. We fought, and that old hag from the Ruan family lay in bed for almost half a year before she could get up. In the following years, Erbai has been looking for his second daughter and refused to let any clue pass him by. Whenever he heard of a possibility, he would go over to look for his daughter. He went to many places.”
As she spoke, the old lady looked at the house and continued, “This family is getting poorer and poorer. Sometimes, I also think that we should just stop looking for her. Maybe she’s living a good life now and is enjoying herself. But Er bai said, what if her life is not good? What if Erya is suffering and waiting for us to save her? If we give up, Erya will be finished.”
Shu Yu lowered her head and her hands on the table were clenched tightly into fists.
The old lady wiped her eyes, “Miss Shu, to be honest, I’m telling you this for my own benefit.”