Chapter 2502: Miao Jing and Zhai Yaohui (3)

Atlas Studios Atlas Studios

“Alright. Alright. If it’s a boy, he’ll be called Miao An. If it’s a girl, she’ll be called Miao Jing.” Anyway, both these names sounded pleasant and his child wouldn’t be at a loss with such a name.

Father Miao was even thinking about how he would have a son, Miao An, this time and a daughter, Miao Jing, next. It would be fine if they had a little Miao Jing first too. They would simply have a little Miao An next time.

In any case, he wouldn’t let any of these two names go to waste. He would surely put them to good use with his children.

Upon hearing Father Miao’s agreement, Old Zhai finally felt relieved. He believed that with Father Miao and the child’s names, he would definitely be able to find the Miao family in the future.

Old Zhai knew clearly that he would have to return after recuperating and report the situation to the organization, just like he had done the previous time.

After about three days, Old Zhai left without leaving anything behind.

After Old Zhai’s departure, Father Miao thought nothing more about these two chance encounters and simply lived his own life.

Father Miao had worked hard for the Miao family for many years, but when he had brought Mother Miao out from the Miao family’s house, he had taken nothing with him. Not the money that he had earned nor any of his things.

Now that Mother Miao was pregnant and they needed money for childbirth and to raise the child, Father Miao had to wrack his brains to find a way to put food on the table and to nourish Mother Miao. Otherwise, Mother Miao would not even have enough milk for the child even if she were to give birth.

As such, Father Miao always headed into the mountains, intending on hunting animals to sell or to nourish Mother Miao.

But accidents often happened without any warnings.

At that time, when Father Miao had been shot by the Japanese soldiers while saving Old Zhai, his conditions had been so poor that he hadn’t even been able to visit the village’s doctor, let alone a hospital.

All Father Miao thought about was how he didn’t even know when he would be able to get back to work because of his injury. If he were to spend the family’s funds on treating his injury, what would his family live off?

With that thought, Father Miao didn’t visit the doctor to treat his injury and simply applied ointment on it.

Because of that, the bullet had remained lodged in Father Miao’s calf for two years. Every time the weather changed, Father Miao would feel the injury acting up, reminding him of its existence.

Once, Father Miao insisted on going into the mountains to hunt despite his injury acting up. Along the way, he spotted a ginseng on a steep slope.

Although Father Miao didn’t know much about it, he knew that ginseng was an expensive product. Perhaps, he would even be able to use it when Mother Miao gave birth.

If he could dig that ginseng up, their family wouldn’t have to worry about finances for a good period of time.

Because that slope was really steep, Father Miao had been very careful while going over. But right at that moment, Father Miao’s injury acted up. Not only did his calf hurt, but it also caused Father Miao to lose sensation in his whole lower body.

As soon as that happened, Father Miao rolled down the steep slope, hitting his head on a hard rock.

By the time someone spotted Father Miao, he was almost drawing his last breaths. Naturally, the ones who found Father Miao spotted the ginseng nearby and knew that Father Miao had gotten into an accident because of it.

The villagers were kind, and knowing that Mother Miao and her child would lead a difficult life once Father Miao was gone, they dug up the ginseng and sent it to Mother Miao so that she would be able to pay for Father Miao’s funeral rites.

Because she was pregnant, Mother Miao couldn’t withstand the shock from the news that Father Miao was gone. She felt like her whole world had come crashing down.

It was just a ginseng. How could that compare to her husband coming back alive and well?

The greatly shocked Mother Miao immediately started bleeding, and after struggling for a full day and night, she finally gave birth to a daughter.

No matter how upset Mother Miao was, she remembered her husband smiling and telling her that they would at least have two children, a son and a daughter. Their son would be named Miao An, and their daughter would be named Miao Jing.

Now that she had given birth to a daughter, her name was naturally Miao Jing.

After naming her child, Mother Miao quickly followed Father Miao and passed on.

With both Father and Mother Miao gone, Miao Jing’s uncles and aunties had a heated discussion about who was going to raise Miao Jing on the account of the ginseng. In the end, Grandma Miao’s favorite second son, or Miao Jing’s second uncle, gained custody of her.

Because of taking care of the family, Father Miao had gotten married late in life and had given birth to Miao Jing late as well.

But Miao Jing’s second uncle was different. After all, his elder brother, Father Miao, had saved up some money for him, and he had a house ready for him too.

The moment Father Miao moved out of the house with Mother Miao, Second Uncle Miao immediately got married and even gave that young lady a significant amount of dowry.

The Miao family’s treatment of Second Auntie Miao and Mother Miao was as different as day and night.

Of course, this difference in treatment was naturally a result of Grandma Miao’s bias.

After getting custody of Miao Jing, Second Uncle Miao officially started raising Miao Jing.

“Miao Jing, can’t you work faster? Don’t you know that your second uncle and brother are working in the fields to earn points? Remember that it’s because of your uncle and brother that you’re able to eat and live here. Now that you’re grown up, you can’t be heartless and forget how good your uncle and brother have been to you.”

Second Auntie Miao kept berating Miao Jing along the way and was just short of tugging on Miao Jing’s ear to ask if she already knew that.

To be honest, Miao Jing had heard these words from a young age and could already recite them. “I know. Second Auntie, let’s hurry. We still have to send Uncle and Brother their meals.”

Second Auntie Miao replied with a satisfied hum that Miao Jing had not retorted her.

Second Auntie Miao’s gaze landed on Miao Jing from time to time, and her gaze was strange.

Second Auntie Miao had never understood this. She had never given Miao Jing anything good and had always left the delicious food for her own husband and children. If there were any leftovers after that, she would have them for herself.

It was normal that Miao Jing had not starved to death since they had fed her, but how could Miao Jing be getting prettier by the day? She wasn’t anything like other young ladies in their village.

Second Auntie Miao thought deeper about it and felt that Miao Jing surely resembled her mother, who had lived such a short life.

Mother Miao had gotten married to Father Miao without a dowry because of her poor family background. Her parents had passed on, and she had been adopted.

At that time, people normally married wives who could work hard and give birth to many children. Skinny and good-looking young ladies like Mother Miao weren’t popular at all.

Because of that, Mother Miao was pretty much the best-looking young lady in the entire village.