The old village chief nodded as he accepted the teacup, and looking at the finely crafted cup in his hands, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply, "Boss, you’ve raised a good daughter. She cured your leg, built a new house, and even opened a shop."
When it came to his daughter, Lin Jiaxin also felt very content, nodding with a smile, "Indeed, Da Ya is clever. She’s the backbone of this family. Otherwise, our whole family might have starved to death by now."
The old village chief believed these words; he had seen firsthand how poor Lin Yuan’s family had been. It was precisely because of this that some things were embarrassing to say out loud. However, there were things he couldn’t keep to himself.
Lin Jiaxin saw the difficulty on his face, and although he vaguely guessed what it might be, he still encouraged him to speak his mind.
The old village chief’s cloudy eyes gazed deeply at Lin Jiaxin, he sighed and said, "Boss, everyone knows how tough things were for you back in the day. Therefore, I’m really happy to see you better off now. But, Boss, a man must not forget his roots. I know your parents hurt you deeply, and your wife and children too. No matter what, they are still your parents. Right now, they are not doing well in the old house. Take a look, could you possibly..."
Ever since Mid-Autumn Festival, when Lin Yuan had sent back the mooncakes, Lin Jiaxin had stopped inquiring about their side of the family. Only now that the old village chief mentioned it did he suddenly realize that he hadn’t seen his parents for several months.
"They have Boss and the third son to take care of them, we are not needed," Lin Jiaxin still remembered what Lady Yang had said that night during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and how could his heart not take it seriously?
The old village chief sighed, aware that Lin Jiaxin still bore resentment, or perhaps complaints, against them.
"What kind of people are Boss and the third son? Don’t you know them well? Boss’s two sons, one is known by the whole village for stealing, and the other became foolish from a leg injury; once, someone even saw him sneaking out of the house, muttering to himself without knowing where to go."
With a heavy thud on the table, the old village chief continued, "And that third son of your family, ah, never mind, let’s not talk about him. Boss, I know you can’t get past this in your heart, so today I don’t expect you to help them. But your parents are old now, they can’t take any more hardship. If you could, maybe see them from time to time, okay?"
Speaking of his parents, the first thing Lin Jiaxin recalled was the day they cut ties when his father had a stroke because Lin Yongle was imprisoned. All his father cared about were those grandchildren; even after suffering a stroke, he wasn’t allowed to get close for a look. Were such parents really his parents?
Moreover, the better days they were living now were all built bit by bit by his family’s Lin Yuan. He had thought about bringing his parents over, but what was the outcome? Wasn’t he scolded and sent back by Lady Yang?
Shaking his head, Lin Jiaxin said with a bitter smile, "Uncle, it’s not that I don’t want to see them, it’s just, well, let’s not talk about the past anymore."
The old village chief frowned, wanting to persuade him further, but seeing Lin Jiaxin’s stubborn expression, he knew it would be to no avail. Just then, the people who had gone out to look at the horse carriage came back, so the old village chief picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, as if the conversation had never happened.
People in the countryside are very gossipy, especially when it comes to matters like who has arranged a marriage with whom.
Fortunately, today was the warming of the pot, and those who came were the closest friends who had the best relationship with Lin Yuan’s family. Even though they were very curious about Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng’s relationship, no one brought it up, which was a relief to Lady Liu.