novelThe Secret About the Past (117)
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"If you can't even interrupt, who are you talking to right now, then? You're so young yet so full of ideas, " Jin Qingyan scoffed.
Jin Yiheng grimaced at Jin Qingyan with pouted lips and continued having breakfast.
—
After thinking it through thoroughly once more, Mr. Jin decided to change his mind at the thought of having to support himself through his retirement.
Although he felt indebted to Xu Youran, he knew that she would not change her attitude towards him for the better. What was the point of making such a redundant sacrifice?
The portion of shares he had would ensure a comfortable life ahead and he would not have to ask his son for money.
He received a call from Xu Youran, which snapped him out of his thoughts.
She requested to move her mother's grave elsewhere.
Mr. Jin agreed without hesitation.
They agreed to meet at the Jin family's old mansion.
Mr. Jin waited at home for Xu Youran, who only arrived more than an hour later.
She brought along a bunch of men with her who carried tools with them, clearly there to move the tomb.
Xu Youran showed up in front of him while donning a pair of shades."Where's my mother's grave?" she asked coldly.
"Have you found a suitable graveyard?"
"You don't have to worry about that. If it weren't because of you people, my mother probably wouldn't have died, " Xu Youran hissed in contempt.
"Your mother killed herself, we didn't force her to die. I know I let you and your mother down, but it's all too late to say anything now. Follow me."
Mr. Jin took the lead and walked towards the Jin family ancestral graveyard.
Xu Youran's mother's corpse was not buried within the ancestral graveyard and had instead been lowered into the ground nearby.
All of the coffins buried in the Jin family graveyard belonged to the rightful members of the Jin family, and those who did not have a status, like Xu Youran's biological mother, were not allowed to be buried there.
Mrs. Jin was dead against the idea of burying her within the yard of the mansion back then. She initially wanted to bury her somewhere on the mountains instead. However, the conscience-stricken Mr. Jin did not allow it.
Thus, Mr. and Mrs. Jin had a cold war over the matter that had lasted for a long period of time back then.
Mrs. Jin was utterly disappointed in Mr. Jin at that time.
After walking for ten minutes, they arrived at a secluded area in the mansion of the yard.
A tombstone was set in the ground in the middle of nowhere.
"This is your mother's grave."
Tears welled up in Xu Youran's eyes, though they were kept obscure beneath her shades, which she refused to take off, for she did not want to reveal her true emotions to anyone.
She stepped forward quietly and got onto her knees before kowtowing thrice."Mother, it's me, your daughter. I'm here to take you away with me. You insisted on remaining in the Jin family mansion while you were still alive, but at the end of the day, he still refused to give you a proper status. You've stayed here long enough. It's too lonely for you to be here all by yourself. Isn't it better to move you next to Grandma and Grandpa? That way, you can watch over them too, " she said.
After finishing her words, she stood up and instructed the men, "Dig out the coffin."
The bunch of eight men began digging the soil on top of the coffin toward the side while Mr. Jin and Xu Youran stood by the side to wait.
The coffin began to show gradually after more than ten minutes of continuous digging.
Once all the soil was removed from the top of the coffin, the men then lifted the coffin up from the ground with some tools and placed it onto the ground above.
Xu Youran stepped forward and took a look at the coffin to find that it was still intact and in pristine condition with no signs of decay, though there was slight discoloration. After all, it was not easy for a coffin to be maintained so well throughout the vast number of years.
After the men removed the nails which held the lid and the coffin together, Xu Youran reached out to open the coffin slowly, her hands trembling slightly.
In the coffin lay a skeleton, which reminded Xu Youran of her flawed childhood.
She recalled how vain her mother was and how the latter would make it a point to dress immaculately and doll herself up every day. She remembered her mother to be a feisty and short-tempered woman who possessed an unyielding character.
"Remove the skeleton from the coffin."
The few men were rather brave and proceeded to retrieve the skeleton from the coffin with their bare hands without hesitation, perhaps because they were paid a hefty sum.
As soon as the skeleton was retrieved, Xu Youran turned around to leave without saying a single word to Mr. Jin.
Mr. Jin stood rooted to the ground and stared at the debris of the empty coffin. He then instructed the servants to set the coffin on fire and fill the hole in the ground before leaving.
Xu Youran proceeded to bury her mother's skeleton together with her grandparents.
She knelt onto the ground and burnt stack after stack of paper money as an offering to her deceased mother.
She continued to remain there for a long while before leaving.
At the thought of her mother's wrongful death, she could not bring herself to forgive the Jin family. In fact, it caused her resentment toward them to grow deeper within her.
—
Mo Li had been in low spirits for several consecutive days ever since she underwent the abortion surgery.
She remained alone at home most of the time. Ye Xiaotian was too busy to accompany her for long, and she did not have many friends either.
She made a trip to her mother's place in the morning. She felt a sudden urge to chat with someone. However, after pondering for a long while, the only person that came to her mind was Long Tianze.
Long Tianze took a day off from work and initially planned to accompany Mei Yangyang to go swimming at home but changed his mind after receiving a sudden call from Mo Li.
Mo Li had rarely visited him at his house. This time, she came by with her daughter, Ye Jiani.
"Jiani is already so grown up, yet she's never been to my place before." Long Tianze bent forward and said coaxingly, "Wenlun and Xiaoxi are playing in the backyard, go play with them."
"Okay, " she agreed with a nod and strode toward the backyard to play with the other children.
"Come in and take a seat. Would you like to have some tea or fruit juice? Or would you prefer some beer?" Mei Yangyang asked.
"I'll have juice. No ice, please, " Mo Li requested. She sat down and said to Long Tianze, who was sitting opposite her, "I haven't seen you in a while. Have you been busy lately?"
"It's still manageable. I've already reduced my workload and am trying my best to spend more time with Yangyang and the kids." Noticing the paleness of Mo Li's complexion, he asked out of concern, "Why do you look so sickly? Have you been ill?"
"I just had an abortion."
"An abortion?" the couple asked in astonishment.
"Yes, because the fetus is deformed. We didn't really want to keep it when we found out that it was a girl at first, but I couldn't quite bear to get rid of it. However, I found out later during a prenatal checkup that it was deformed. Thus, I decided to abort it."
Mo Li spoke softly in a feeble voice, sounding as if she was struggling to speak.
"Isn't it great to have a daughter? Daughters are very popular nowadays."
"Xiaotian's older brother only has two daughters. Wouldn't the Ye family's bloodline come to an end if we don't give birth to a son too? My mother-in-law is dying for me to give birth to a son as soon as possible. I had an abortion not long ago, yet she's already gone around searching for herbal remedies and prescriptions to raise the chances of me giving birth to a boy. I'm really envious of you two for having a son and a daughter, " said Mo Li, smiling wryly.
"What's there to envy about? Don't worry, you'll definitely give birth to a son, " Mei Yangyang comforted her.
Staring at the surface of the coffee table, Mo Li said, "I really hope so. I've been so bored, staying at home all day with nothing to do. Yangyang, what have you been up to lately?"
"I've been staying at home every day like you. I'd spend most of my free time cooking or playing with the children. It's such a carefree lifestyle. Perhaps you can try picking up some hobbies you enjoy to make use of your time. You wouldn't feel so bored in that case, " Mei Yangyang suggested.
Just as Mo Li was thinking of picking up the cup of fruit juice, she hesitated and asked, "I read about Brother Qingyan suffering from amnesia on the news previously. Has he really lost his memory?"
Long Tianze was about to answer her when Mei Yangyang pinched him with a straight face before answering, "Seems like he's already regained his memory. I didn't specifically ask my sister about it."
Mo Li nodded and said, "I was initially planning to give him a call to ask about his condition. But I was too embarrassed to do it."
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