kvmb Chapter 129: A Small Gold Lock
Chapter 129: A Small Gold Lock
So, the next morning, when Ye Ze accompanied Zhao Li back to her parents' home to say goodbye to the Zhao family, Zhou called her daughter to the east room where she lived to talk.
The brothers Zhao Qian and Zhao Gong invited Ye Ze into the main hall to rest. The brothers no longer had the contempt they had for Ye Ze at the beginning, and spoke politely, thinking that they had misunderstood Ye Ze before.
There were only Zhou, Zhao Youliang and Zhao Li in the east room. Zhao Youliang sat on a stool beside the bed with a serious expression: "Go get it."
Zhou sighed and walked to the suitcase where the clothes were kept. She opened the suitcase and began to search. She searched all the way to the bottom of the suitcase before she found the small coarse cloth bag that had long faded...
Zhao Li looked at her mother and then at her father in confusion. She always felt that something was not right between them today. Could it be that her mother was reluctant to let her move away?
"Dad, Mom, we are just moving to the border town temporarily. We will come back after the war. Besides, when I get there, Dad can visit me anytime. How about... we move there too? Then Dad can see Mom anytime, too?"
If Zhou had heard her daughter making fun of them in the past, she would have laughed and scolded her, but today, Zhou just shook her head helplessly and sighed.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhao Li put away the smile on her face and asked curiously.
Zhou looked at Zhao Youliang, then put the cloth bag she had just found on the table, took a deep breath and said, "Li'er, mother has something very important to tell you."
Seeing Zhou's seriousness, Zhao Li subconsciously sat up straight, "Well, go ahead, I'm listening."
"You are not actually our daughter... You are, the one your father picked up in the valley." As soon as she opened her mouth, Zhou couldn't help but burst into tears again, and she quickly raised her hand to wipe them away.
Zhao Li's almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened, and she jumped up from the stool, "Impossible! How could I be a child you picked up?" How could the parents who treated her so well since she was a child not be her biological child? !
"Don't be impatient, just listen to me." Zhou opened the cloth bag on the table and said in a calm tone, "This is the clothes you were wearing when your father found you. You were probably only one month old at that time..."
The fabric of the dress was soft fine cotton, the surface was very dirty, and it was so old that the original color could not be seen at all.
There was a small gold lock inside the clothes tied with a red rope. The shape of the gold lock was very unique, and it should have been specially designed by someone. Zhou handed the gold lock to Zhao Li and said, "You should have been a child from a wealthy family. It seems that you were hunted by some enemies and ended up like this..."
Zhou rambled on and on about how Zhao Li was picked up by Zhao Youliang.
That year, Zhou did give birth to a daughter, but she was born prematurely. Both mother and daughter were very weak. In addition, the family was poor and could not afford any nourishing food. Zhou was unable to produce milk until the third day after giving birth, and the child eventually died. Zhao Li was found by Zhao Youliang when he went into the mountains to bury the child.
At that time, there was a young woman lying next to Zhao Li. The woman was in a dishevel and had already been dying. She held on to her last breath and entrusted her child to Zhao Youliang. It was from this woman that Zhao Li learned about being hunted by his enemies. However, the woman died before she could finish what she was going to say.
Zhao Youliang kindly took the child back home. Coincidentally, Zhou started to breastfeed that night when Zhao Li brought the child back home...
Only their family members knew about this matter. If Li hadn't been worried that exposing Zhao Li's background would bring trouble to the family, she would have spread it out long ago.
This is also the reason why Li dared to threaten Zhou with Zhao Li's life experience. She was sure that Zhou would never dare to let her reveal this matter!
Zhao Li listened to Zhou's story quietly, as if she were listening to a story. Then she asked, "Is that dead woman my mother?"
"Probably..." After telling her daughter about Zhao Li's life story, Zhou felt much more relaxed. Sooner or later, her daughter would know these things when she grew up. As for whether she would still be willing to recognize them after knowing these things, and whether she would still be as close to them as before... Zhou could only leave it to fate.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Li just said "Oh" faintly, lowered her head with a somewhat lonely look, and asked: "Then are you still willing to be my parents?"
"Silly child, of course I am still your mother," Zhou said happily, stretching out her arms and holding her daughter in her arms.
Zhao Li put her arms around Zhou's waist and rubbed her chest, her tears even wetted her clothes.
Zhao Youliang secretly wiped away his tears and watched the scene with a smile.
Such a warm scene did not last long, and was broken by a woman's sharp howl outside. The couple from the second room walked into the Zhao family's courtyard one after another.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Li started to howl loudly, "Zhou! Do you think it's fun to hide like this?! Your family has taken such a big advantage, shouldn't you compensate our Tao Jie a little?"
Hearing Li's voice, Zhou's anger suddenly surged up, and she looked at Zhao Youliang angrily, "Look, it's happening again!"
Zhao Youliang lowered his head guiltily, "Don't move, I'll go out and take a look."
To come out of the east room, one has to pass through the main room. Ye Ze frowned and looked outside. The brothers Zhao Qian and Zhao Gong lowered their heads in embarrassment and remained silent.
Zhao Youliang cleared his throat and walked out.
When Zhao Youfu and his wife saw that the person coming out was Zhao Youliang, they were stunned, "Brother? Shouldn't you be staying in the barracks? Why are you back?"
"Oh! Could it be that big brother is a deserter?" Li said in shock and quickly covered her mouth.
Zhao Youliang ignored what they said and asked with a sullen face, "What are you doing here? Why should our family compensate Tao Jie'er?"
The couple in the second room looked at each other with a firm gaze. Even if Zhao Youliang came back, what would happen? What they owed them had to be repaid!
Li pinched her waist and said confidently, "Brother, the Shen family was originally the one that arranged the marriage for Li Jie'er, and my daughter Tao Jie'er was engaged to the Ye family. Now your daughter is married into the Ye family and enjoying happiness, while my daughter has to suffer in the Shen family for Li Jie'er. You don't know what Tao Jie has become of the Shen family. She has suffered so much for Li Jie'er, shouldn't your family compensate her?"
"Yes! Big brother, now that Ye Ze is a general, Li Jie'er is the general's wife. This should have been a blessing for my Tao Jie'er. It was Li Jie'er who took the position that originally belonged to Tao Jie'er. I don't ask for them to switch back, I just ask you to take out a few hundred taels of silver as compensation. Isn't this what I should do?" Zhao Youfu quickly chimed in, saying it as a matter of course.
Zhao Youliang finally understood Zhou's feelings. What else could he say to such people? They were just two scoundrels!
Zhao Youliang's eyes turned cold, and the aura he had accumulated in the past few months in the military camp suddenly emanated from him. He pointed at the two men and shouted angrily, "All of you get out!"
......